Following in Daddy's Footsteps

Not for Weenies

We got bit by the Triathlon bug this summer. Seems like once you get it, you just can't stop. It becomes this little mini-crush on becoming athletically challenged in crazy ways.

Brandon started AND completed his very first Sprint Triathlon this past Saturday!
Unlike my Triathlon for Weenies, this was a full Sprint Triathlon... 400 yd swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. He did FANTASTIC for a newbie!



It was an open water swim, meaning they swam in a lake. It's way harder than swimming in lanes at your local pool because all the swimmers get in the water, they say go, and it's a fend for yourself type of thing. Meaning you can get kicked, pummeled, shoved under water, etc...  So Brandon was a little nervous about this part. But he finished it without needing a floaty noodle, unlike a few others!



Finishing up the bike leg:


It was held on September 11th, so they passed out mini American flags.  Eden looked like she was celebrating July 4th as she cheered on her daddy.



Almost to the finish line:


The Triathletes themselves...my brother, Matt, and Brandon. (Matt is the one I'm blaming for giving us the Triathlon disease. His small obsession with them, has rubbed off on us a tad!)

Way to go, Brandon and Matt!

So Far this Week...

• I've washed men's Axe gel deodorant out of Salem's hair. Brandon and I were off being awesome parents watching the first game of the season while the kids were obviously behaving themselves.  Eden thought it was lotion and rubbed it all over her naked body. (why was she naked? ... that's another bullet point.) And she decided to play hairdresser as well.
• Spent 4 hours in the ER. Though that's nothing compared to Brandon's tally of 7 hours spent there. Glad to say that Salem's 105.8 fever is down now and his tonsillitis has been correctly diagnosed. (missed it the first time, blast those unruly doctors!). He's on the mend. The ER is a great place to do some people watching...though maybe a tad puke-a-rrific as well.
• Cleaned up a pee puddle. Not normally bloggable, but this time around it was right in front of the toilet because Eden "thought her booty was far enough over the potty."  I'm not entirely sure how that happens...thinking you're sitting on the right part of the potty, but really you're not. Leave it to an almost 3 year old.
• Got asked yet again if I'm planning on taking my children with me to The Big Chicken. I tried to answer without rolling my eyes this time. But then the question was followed with, "Well, with you and the kids gone, Brandon will be able to fill a lot of his time with work so he can support you overseas."   ummmm? I do plan on taking my husband with me as well. thankyouverymuch.
• Managed to contract my own little virus completely unrelated to Salem's raspy phlegm. Luckily, mine hasn't warranted any trips to the ER. My medicine of choice is a large, orange, pulpy glass of Minute Maid.
• Got caught in the rain while taking my sick son out for some fresh air. I'll be accepting Mother of the Year nominations now.
• Tried Hormel's new version of pepperoni, "Turkey Pepperoni."  eww.  I mean, sure, it's healthier, my kids ate it still, there weren't puddles of grease on my pizza, whatever.  But I'll be sticking with my greasy who-knows-what-it-is pepperoni from now on. In my world, Turkey and Pepperoni shall never be mixed again.
• Found a sippy cup of nastified apple juice in my ziploc bags drawer in the kitchen. A testimony of how often I use ziploc bags. :)  I'd been wondering where Salem's renegade sippy cup went. 

                            

                                        Here's to Friday!

What's all the Stink about Cloth Diapers?!

This is it. My official answers to the FAQs about the way we do cloth diapers.
Apparently there are more pregnant women in my life than non-pregnant women, so that's where this blog post comes in handy! Rather than answering any more emails about diaper stuff...I'm going to forward this link out like a mad woman. :)  It's long, and probably incredibly uninteresting to the non-mommy/preggie woman, but hopefully applicable to a lot of you out there!

Remember, as always in my posts about cloth diapers, I'm not trying to be offensive toward anyone that chooses to diaper their baby with disposables. Cloth is what we've chosen for our family. We think it's better, of course. Otherwise why would we do it? So these are my opinions and not meant to belittle your choices, but to convince those soon to be / new mommies that cloth really isn't what you think and to educate those who don't know of the world of cloth diapers!

It's been no secret on our blog that we've used cloth diapers for awhile now. Our diapers are on their second rear-end and still doing just as good of a job on that heiny as they did on their first heiny.
We started when Eden was around 5 months old and I wish we would have dove into it earlier!

Why did we start using cloth diapers?
Turns out that baby poo was wayyyyy more runny than the poo we were accustomed to! And no matter what disposable (here on referred to as a sposie) diaper we strapped on Eden, I ended up washing yellow-y baby egg-ish poop out of clothes. So, I figured if I was washing poo out of baby clothes, I might as well be washing it out of diapers instead.
That's why we started.
Now, we do it more so because it's "green." We're saving the planet one poopy diaper at a time. And we just feel like it's being good stewards of what God has given us, our money and our planet. When you think about how LONG it takes for a sposie to breakdown in a landfill, it's sickening. Not to mention that you're putting poop in a landfill instead of in a toilet where it belongs. So now we do it because we're weird hippies and we love God's creation!

How did you start?
I have a super awesome crunchy friend (Thanks Amanda!) who is way ahead of the learning curve when it comes to baby stuff. She was the only person I knew that did this stuff so I picked her brain until she was entirely sick of me, and then made the plunge, ordered our own stuff, and had my mom ship it to us overseas.

Anything I should read before starting?
Take a peek around www.diaperswappers.com   There's a WEALTH of information on there about more FAQs, tips, brands, sales, you name it. There's even a forum for buying and selling cloth diapers. (more to come on that!)

What brand do you use?
We use almost exclusively www.cottonbabies.com BumGenius 3.0 One-Size cloth diapers.  They've come out with a newer product, the 4.0, and it looks great...even coming in snaps!  We also have one FuzziBunz One-Size (mainly because I wanted an orange one) that I like fairly well, though to me it just doesn't fit as snug around the thighs. And we have a few Blueberry  one-size minky diapers. (this is our famous camo one) which I totally adore because of the minky, fit, and snaps!...but they are more pricey!

edited to add: I'm selling our FBOS. The orange is fun. It's a slim fit. But the adjustable elastic strap thing just drives me bonkers. I can't seem to figure it out right. Plus, the insert for it is way too short. Which again is just more confirmation to me that BumGenius (cottonbabies.com has got it all figure out in the cloth diaper world.) For the record, I still like our medium sized FB.




Tell me about the diapers and inserts...
We use pocket diapers. There are fitted diapers and prefolds that both require covers. There are all-in-one diapers that work just like a disposable...it's all in one piece. But pocket diapers have an absorbent insert that sticks into this pocket-type opening. To me, pocket diapers still have the ease of the all-in-one (which means they are daddy friendly!) but get cleaner than an all-in-one because you can take out the absorbent part for washing.

Where do you buy them?
Click on my links above. :) Or check out the diaperswappers link for a forum for buying gently used ones. (truly not as gross as you're imagining.) Or check out www.hyenacart.com for a jillion other brands that are made by mommies around the world! Other links:
www.kellyscloset.com   www.jilliansdrawers.com


Ummm....are you sure you're really saving money?
HA! Despite our addiction to the cute ones...Yep! Even taking into consideration electricity and water for washing and drying. All of that depends on what brand you buy, how many you buy, how often you wash...etc. Us personally? We broke even A LONG time ago (back before Eden was even out of diapers) with our initial investment. Since we're using (mostly) the same diapers with Salem that we did with Eden (the same bumGenius 3.0) we've had little additional cost. This is a good read for those that are financially concerned.
That's not to say that we don't spend money on diapers. I've still splurged on the fuzzy cute ones for him. And we do still buy disposables occasionally...which brings me to...

Are you all neo-nazi about disposables?
I used to be. I was hard-core cloth diapering with Eden. Even when we'd go on vacations I'd use them. I'm not that way with Salem. He sleeps in a disposable at night because being completely honest, I can't get our cloth diapers to hold enough pee to last him 12 hours at night. I'd rather him sleep 12 hours at night without waking up from having pee-jammies than to fuss with ultra-stuffing a pocket diaper. Plus when we go out for a whole day or vacations, etc...we do sposies.
That being said, I try to use them as little as possible. They're scientifically reported to be bad for your baby (what's in that diaper to make it hold so much pee?!?!?) and take hundreds of years to decompose.

Do cloth diapers leak?
Yes. Just like any diaper, they can. But cloth diapers aren't meant to be left on your baby for more than 2-3 hours. Sposies can hold like 7 lbs of pee. gross...so technically your baby could wear 1-2 diapers during one day. But lets face it, that's nasty. Please don't do that to your child. The great thing about cloth diapers is if you are washing one, you might as well wash seven. So I don't care how many Salem goes through in one day. Unlike sposies, I'm not spending any MORE money with each diaper that he wears. Salem can stay in one for about 2-3 hours.
Only twice, even after diapering 2 babies, have I had a cloth diaper leak poo. Before Eden wore cloth, she was leaking poo at least once a day. That newborn poo is near impossible...but newborn poo and cloth diapers are best friends. :)



What do you do with the poopy ones?
A diaper sprayer, my friends.  It's a cloth diapering mom's best friend. Hooks right to the toilet. You spray the nasty down the potty, and flush away.

What do you do with them until washing time and how do you wash them?
Dirty diapers go in a 13 gallon plastic trash bin in Salem's room. They don't smell up his room or anything. No diaper genie for us! Then when I wash (about every 2 days) I pull out the inserts, toss inserts, and pockets into the wash and then do:
-a cold rinse with no detergent
-then a hot wash with detergent and set the rinse cycle to rinse TWO times
-then machine dry the inserts and wipes (we use cloth wipes too...it's just easier)
-I hang dry the pockets inside on a folding rack because it helps preserve the elastic and velcro. not everyone does this. but I think this is what has helped our diapers last through 2 kiddos.
With cloth diapers it's important to use detergents that have no additives, softeners, or dyes. There's a massive amount of detergents out there that are cloth diaper friendly. We use TIDE Free and Clear. It's worked for us, so I stick with it.  Also, get rid of dryer sheets completely. Really? Do you really need those?! I've never really understood them. Plus they build up film on the inside of your dryer and stick to your diapers during drying time. That essentially repels liquid and cloth diapers and repelling should never be in the same sentence.

How many do I need?
Again, that depends on what kind you go with and how often you wash and how old your baby is. My opinion is that a newborn needs about 8-10 a day. Say you wash every two days, take into consideration laundry time...I think about 24 minimum for a newborn - 6 month old. We started with 18 bumGenius (which we still have) with Eden at 5 months old and I wished we'd gotten a few more. We've since upped it to 28 bumGenius, 1 FuzziBunz OneSize, 1 FuzziBunz size Medium, 2 Blueberry One-Size, 1 Swaddlebees. I like our stash. It's a bit excessive probably, but cloth diapering can become a little addicting! :)
I've tried a few others if you care to know my opinion on them...Happy Heiny, Butterfly Bunz, Drybees,  Kissaluvs, Thirsties, Muttaqins.  We tried these brands because my curiosity got the better of me. I ended up selling them all (diaperswappers!) and have always come back to the tried and true, good ole, bumGenius. They are fool proof!

More info on our brand choices:
bumGenius 3.0 (and 4.0) diapers (in my opinion) don't start fitting great until around 12 pounds. So if you are gung-ho about cloth diapering from the VERY beginning, they would work, but would be pretty big under those teeny clothes. We tried kissaluvs fitteds with Salem for awhile up to 2 months, but they seemed to make him rashy. Fitteds don't wick away moisture like pocket diapers do. bumGenius pockets are lined with suede cloth (FuzziBunz are lined with fleece) which even after being peed in feels dry to the touch. It's always been perfect for my baby's butts. :) But fitteds (and prefolds) keep the moisture right up against the skin and that never has mixed well for me or my babies. Again, our choice to use pockets has had a LOT to do with the wicking action! Plus suede cloth washes up SUPER clean. Even after 2 kiddos with super pooper action, ALL of our diapers are stain-free!
(in a few months cottonbabies is supposed to come out with the new colors of their bumGenius4.0 one-size diaper....if you are concerned about colors. :) And cottonbabies has a TON of diapering choices on their site other than just the 3.0 or 4.0.  From the reviews I've seen, any would be a great decision. Can you tell I like cottonbabies?!
Our diaper area:


Like I said above, we also do cloth wipes. I found a site on hyenacart for a woman that makes awesome cloth wipes. You could just use wash rags, but these are more fun. :) I use a spray bottle filled with water and a squirt of baby bath soap, spray it on a wipe or two, squirt Salem's heiny, and wipe away. The cloth wipes go right in with the diapers in the diaper pail for washing. It's an easier system for me than having a trash can for sposie wipes and a trash can for dirty diapers. Plus, when I'm washing diapers, I might as well be washing wipes too! :)



If I've left out something you are curious about please shoot me an email or leave a comment so I can help you out. Or search diaperswappers.com and you're sure to find a wealth of information (and opinions!)
As you can tell, there are a TON of choices out there when it comes to something that collects pee and poo! So don't think you have to just go with the majority and put your baby in a chemical laden disposable! Try some others, experiment with different brands, and you'll find some stuff that works great for you, your baby, your bank account, and the planet as well!

The Awesomeness that is Preschool

I used to think that stay-at-home-moms that put their children in preschool were selfish and inadequate.

And then I had children.

You see, I was the perfect mother before I had children.

Enrollment time came around for our church's preschool program and I jumped on it quick, fast, and in a hurry. Eden is on her second week of preschool. She's going twice a week for their morning scheduled session time and is eating up the time with her teacher, Miss Laura. (who, can I say, is THE epitome of a preschool teacher and is BEYOND fabulous!)

Here's our thought process...
1. Salem and I could use the break from Eden time together to do mommy/son things. You don't know how easy it is to go the grocery store with just one child until you have two!

2. Eden LOVES it! Today is her first day of show-and-tell, an event that I'm sure is going to make wednesday mornings absolute craziness as she does the frantic-search for the perfect item that starts with the letter of the week.

3. When we get to The Big Chicken, National Preschool is something we think will be incredibly beneficial for her social skills, adaptation to the culture, and language acquisition. So...maybe if she gets used to the preschool idea on this side of the Pacific, it won't be such a huge shock when she does preschool on the other side of it too. (we'll see...)


The other big factor was the location of the preschool.
This is the view from the front door of our house looking directly across the street:


If you look closely you can see a little blonde person in a white cardigan in the left side of the window.
That's her!
So at any point I'm feeling a little Eden-forlorn, I take a peek out the front window and can see the classroom she's in or watch her playing on the playground. Plus, according to Miss Laura, Eden thinks it's too cool for school that she can see her house from her window.
And of course, drop off and pick up time couldn't be easier.

On the other hand, yesterday she came home and I caught her singing this number:
                                    "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me."
*cringe*   oh the joys of my daughter hanging out with other preschoolers!  :)

Eden is over there now and mini-man is sleeping...so call me selfish or inadequate if you wish, but this preschool idea is great!

14.5 Months ain't so Shabby

FINALLY! Salem is walking!

I've decided that he's all about efficiency. And there for awhile, his crazy speedy crawling was just more efficient at getting him where he wanted to go.
Praise the Lord that those are days of the past. Don't get me wrong, there is very little that is cuter in the world than a crawling baby. But the muddy knees and hands when playing outside was just wearing me out...not to mention the knees of his pants.

Other news: he's turning out to be quite the food disposal.
He can put away a pb&j sandwich like you've never seen. And bananas don't stand a chance.
And for my Mother of the Year Award I'd like to inform you that he would live off of grilled zucchini and squash if we let him...or if we could keep it stocked in our fridge often enough.


He's quite the clown, and knows he's got me wrapped around his finger.


I'll be completely honest and admit that he's a total mama's boy. For now, I'm flattered and soaking up every second of it. When he's not getting his way and getting to be held by his mama, it's this face:


His two weaknesses...NUK and blanket. All is right in the world when mama, NUK, and blanket are present and accounted for.


His mumbling is turning into words now. Among the most commonly uttered words are:
                    mama, ball, pup, fish, shoes, go.

And he's a lot more interested in climbing feats than Eden ever dared or cared about. Someday I expect him to conquer Mount Everest.
But for now he practices on the dining room table and the upright piano.

Sweet 14.5 month old Bubs, we LOVE you!

  

One Down...

Last October...almost one year ago...Eden successfully potty-trained at 25 months old.

Something that usually goes hand-in-hand with potty training: 

pee-stained mattresses

2 a.m. sheet changes

Big shocker coming up...

She's not had ONE SINGLE night pee since she learned that that is what the potty is for.

Is that a miracle? I dunno. I certainly think so.

I'm blissful about the fact that I've yet to change a pee-soaked sheet at 2 a.m.

Two and a half months ago, when we moved to the promised land Texas, we moved her into her "big girl bed." You know, twin size bed, bed rail, the whole shabang.

She was ecstatic about it. Polka dot sheets. Pink pillowcases. Flowery quilted bedspread. What's not to love?!

Something that usually goes hand-in-hand with big girl beds:

getting out of bed after being layed down to sleep at night

repetitively taking a toddler back to the bed because they keep getting up

being woken up by a toddler eerily standing next to your bed at 3 a.m.

Next shocker...she's not gotten out of her bed ONCE after being laid down at night until morning time. It makes me wonder if she even knows that she physically can. I dunno. It's just never been an issue with her.

Until tonight. One of these things changed.

We were peacefully watching Brandon's new favorite show "Top Shot" when I heard footsteps.

It was Eden.

Coming down the hallway. After being put into her big girl bed to go to sleep for the night.

I would have been less surprised to see that Salem had crawled out of his crib and was making his way down the hallway.

"Mommy, I don't want to go to sleep yet."

WHAT?!  I didn't even know what to do with this. We've never had to address the "I don't want to go to sleep yet" issue.

Two of the childhood/parenting milestones were not crossed in our household until tonight.

But now we've got one down...hopefully not one more to go.

I figure it's only a matter of time until I'm beckoned into her bedroom to the sound of her saying, "I pee-peed in my chonies." 

Lets hope it's not tonight though. I can't handle two parenting milestones in one night.