Hazel Rae is 2 weeks old today and Georgia is 14 1/2 months.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Easy as 1,2,3...
One, two, three and we are four. The blessings abound this Christmastime in our home as we welcomed our second daughter 6 days ago today. We are stunned that we have been blessed with two special girls to call our own. I was so certain that we were having a boy that I almost took the girl going home outfit out of my bag before heading to the hospital. So when, after a mere 6 hours of labor and three pushes Hazel Rae made her way into the world and into our hearts, we were thrilled.
It was as easy as one, two, three.
ONE
One last belly shot at the hospital
TWO
Epidurals are from heaven.
THREE
Hazel Rae was born on December 17th at 3:06pm at 6 lbs 7 oz and 18 1/4 inches long
WE'RE A FAMILY OF FOUR!
This is our very first family photo of the four of us.
SISTERS
Georgia has loved her baby sister since the first moment they met.
Morning hugs are our newest tradition
It was as easy as one, two, three.
ONE
One last belly shot at the hospital
TWO
Epidurals are from heaven.
THREE
Hazel Rae was born on December 17th at 3:06pm at 6 lbs 7 oz and 18 1/4 inches long
WE'RE A FAMILY OF FOUR!
This is our very first family photo of the four of us.
SISTERS
Georgia has loved her baby sister since the first moment they met.
Morning hugs are our newest tradition
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Public Service Announcement about Pregnancy
Seeing as I am days, hours or minutes from delivery of my second child thought I would post this friend PSA from the site Pregnant Chicken
10 Things Never to Say to a Pregnant Lady
1. "You look so big/small." Remember when you were a teenager and you didn't want to be unique in any way? Well pregnancy is the same and nobody wants to be told they look huge or teeny because it just scares them. Anything different from other pregnant women = weird = giant freak baby or creepy peanut baby.
2. "Haven't you had that baby yet?" If that woman's pregnancy seems long to you I can almost guarantee that it feels like about 30 years to her. Pregnant woman who are asked this question should be legally exempt from murder convictions.
3. "You look tired, you must be having a girl because they steal your beauty." Someone actually said this to my friend. So really what you're saying is "you look like crap". Thanks. I think the response to this should be "And you must be upside down because all I see is an a**hole talking". (I just made that up.)
4. "So do your nipples look weird? Mine went all crazy." Pardon? Unless this pregnant woman is someone that would tell you about her anal leakage or an odd growth on her armpit, then don't ask this kind of stuff and don't share this kind of crap with anybody. Ever.
5. "Sleep now because you won't get any when the baby gets here." What the hell does this mean anyway? It's not like you can bank sleep. It's like saying "Don't eat this year because an all-you-can-eat-buffet is opening up next March". Plus, who says that the woman you're saying this to is sleeping now? She may be a congested ball of heartburn, hemorrhoids and back pain so this kind of thing just adds insult to injury.
6."I hate that name." Really? Oh okay, then they won't name it that. Nobody cares that a girl named Angela took your oatmeal raisin cookie in grade two so don't lift up the tarp covering your mental baggage. On a similar note, if they want to name their kid Adolph or Kleenex just nod and say "nice" – that will be the least of that kid's problems anyway.
7. "Were you hoping for a girl/boy?" It's not really anyone's business and if she ain't sharin' don't you dare ask. If you're asked this you should answer that you were actually hoping for a puppy that could fart rainbows then just walk away.
8. "Was this an accident?" A woman's reply to this should always be "suck it." It's a nice, clean, confusing retort for someone that is rude enough to ask this kind of question.
9. "Did you use fertility drugs?" I don't want to get all misty here but all babies are miracles and by asking a question like that you're somehow implying that babies that were conceived with 'help' are different from babies that weren't. Not cool so don't ask.
10. "Should you be eating that?" This whole website is about people embellishing myths and half truths to scare the crap out of pregnant ladies. So unless she's about to accidentally snack on dog poop, don't say anything and let the poor girl eat.
Finally, there are Three Things You Always Say to Pregnant Women:
1. "You look fantastic" Even if she is a sweaty, wheezing Jabba the Hut with swollen ankles and a maternity top that no longer covers her fish pail, tell her she looks fantastic. She is making a person and that's pretty fantastic.
2. "That's wonderful" If she tells you she's going to give birth squatting in a Mr. Turtle pool surrounded by chanting Tibetan squirrels, you say "that sounds wonderful". Every pregnant woman makes about 200 declarations of what she is and isn't going to do and about 4 stick. Don't ruin her moments.
3. "It's going to be alright" When she starts crying because the pizza shows up wrong or she panics because she used regular detergent to wash the baby's onsies so she'll be a horrible mother or simply because she threw a reciprocating saw at your head because "you're too much of a moron to understand what she's going through". This is when it's a good idea to pull out "it's going to be alright". A side car of "you look fantastic" couldn't hurt either.
10 Things Never to Say to a Pregnant Lady
1. "You look so big/small." Remember when you were a teenager and you didn't want to be unique in any way? Well pregnancy is the same and nobody wants to be told they look huge or teeny because it just scares them. Anything different from other pregnant women = weird = giant freak baby or creepy peanut baby.
2. "Haven't you had that baby yet?" If that woman's pregnancy seems long to you I can almost guarantee that it feels like about 30 years to her. Pregnant woman who are asked this question should be legally exempt from murder convictions.
3. "You look tired, you must be having a girl because they steal your beauty." Someone actually said this to my friend. So really what you're saying is "you look like crap". Thanks. I think the response to this should be "And you must be upside down because all I see is an a**hole talking". (I just made that up.)
4. "So do your nipples look weird? Mine went all crazy." Pardon? Unless this pregnant woman is someone that would tell you about her anal leakage or an odd growth on her armpit, then don't ask this kind of stuff and don't share this kind of crap with anybody. Ever.
5. "Sleep now because you won't get any when the baby gets here." What the hell does this mean anyway? It's not like you can bank sleep. It's like saying "Don't eat this year because an all-you-can-eat-buffet is opening up next March". Plus, who says that the woman you're saying this to is sleeping now? She may be a congested ball of heartburn, hemorrhoids and back pain so this kind of thing just adds insult to injury.
6."I hate that name." Really? Oh okay, then they won't name it that. Nobody cares that a girl named Angela took your oatmeal raisin cookie in grade two so don't lift up the tarp covering your mental baggage. On a similar note, if they want to name their kid Adolph or Kleenex just nod and say "nice" – that will be the least of that kid's problems anyway.
7. "Were you hoping for a girl/boy?" It's not really anyone's business and if she ain't sharin' don't you dare ask. If you're asked this you should answer that you were actually hoping for a puppy that could fart rainbows then just walk away.
8. "Was this an accident?" A woman's reply to this should always be "suck it." It's a nice, clean, confusing retort for someone that is rude enough to ask this kind of question.
9. "Did you use fertility drugs?" I don't want to get all misty here but all babies are miracles and by asking a question like that you're somehow implying that babies that were conceived with 'help' are different from babies that weren't. Not cool so don't ask.
10. "Should you be eating that?" This whole website is about people embellishing myths and half truths to scare the crap out of pregnant ladies. So unless she's about to accidentally snack on dog poop, don't say anything and let the poor girl eat.
Finally, there are Three Things You Always Say to Pregnant Women:
1. "You look fantastic" Even if she is a sweaty, wheezing Jabba the Hut with swollen ankles and a maternity top that no longer covers her fish pail, tell her she looks fantastic. She is making a person and that's pretty fantastic.
2. "That's wonderful" If she tells you she's going to give birth squatting in a Mr. Turtle pool surrounded by chanting Tibetan squirrels, you say "that sounds wonderful". Every pregnant woman makes about 200 declarations of what she is and isn't going to do and about 4 stick. Don't ruin her moments.
3. "It's going to be alright" When she starts crying because the pizza shows up wrong or she panics because she used regular detergent to wash the baby's onsies so she'll be a horrible mother or simply because she threw a reciprocating saw at your head because "you're too much of a moron to understand what she's going through". This is when it's a good idea to pull out "it's going to be alright". A side car of "you look fantastic" couldn't hurt either.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Break it down for the Holidays
Our family of four breakin' it down for the the Holidays.
Merry Christmas from Daren, Sarah, Georgia and Due to Arrive Any Day Now Baby #2.
Merry Christmas from Daren, Sarah, Georgia and Due to Arrive Any Day Now Baby #2.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Suck It Spica!
On this date, Tuesday November 23rd of Two thousand and ten Hip Dysplasia can suck it.
Georgia is walking!
Georgia is walking!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Black Friday
To some, it is an occasional outing to catch a good sale. To others, its absurd.
But to us, it is a long standing, highly respected, well trained for, much anticipated, girls only ( except for that one year that Uncle Dave came, but you can really take him anywhere) family tradition.
We are fairly certain this commercial was modeled after our family.
Here we come Black Friday. You know who we are...
But to us, it is a long standing, highly respected, well trained for, much anticipated, girls only ( except for that one year that Uncle Dave came, but you can really take him anywhere) family tradition.
We are fairly certain this commercial was modeled after our family.
Here we come Black Friday. You know who we are...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
My little creative
While busying myself with my normal chores of being the family homemaker I turned around to find my sweet child busying herself with her brand new skill, coloring! My very own little creative found herself a crayon that had been floating around on the floor and put it together with the pink paper she sees Mommy write lists on several times a day.
The rest of this morning will be spent beaming with joy and pride at our first piece of refrigerator art.
The rest of this morning will be spent beaming with joy and pride at our first piece of refrigerator art.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Mompetition
* Caution this is really funny and a tad crass with a touch of bad language and a whole lot of truth*
It has embedded funny so you can only see about 3/4 of the screen. I don't know how to fix this, but you can click on the button that says Go to Video to see it better.
It has embedded funny so you can only see about 3/4 of the screen. I don't know how to fix this, but you can click on the button that says Go to Video to see it better.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Naptime
My week has been a perfect storm. Georgia has a cold and isn't sleeping well at night and has been refusing to nap most of this week, this has been crying nearly all day every day. I am having pregnancy insomnia like I have never seen combine with pregnancy related Restless Leg Syndrome. My sleeplessness has gotten so bad that I have anxiety about going to bed because I know I will be up so soon and for so long anyway. Daren is as busy as he can be leaving the house before 7:00 am and not getting home until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. In addition this is the week that has finally made time slow down, and not in the good way. I have physically slowed down so much with the belly weight and pressures and pains of a dropping and growing baby with about 6 weeks left.
To be our capstone this week, yesterday afternoon Georgia fell off of our bed onto her head for the first time. We rocked in her glider, both of us sobbing. She recovered much more quickly than I did.
About 11:30 this morning I was asked if I had any prayer requests by the table leader at my bible study. I said, "I need some sleep" no more explanation than that.
Georgia fell asleep on the way to lunch with my Mom and was so tired from her nursery playtime that she slept all through lunch and then slept on the way home. She had slept all of her precious nap hours away, I was certain.
We got home around 2:30 and I cuddled my sweet sick girl while I gave her a bottle and worked to muster up my courage and whatever reserves I had left to face to rest of the day, feeling more than exhausted and knowing that she was going to cry until bedtime.
When, against all odds and any schedule she has ever been on, Jesus put us both to sleep for the next hour and a half!
Jesus promises rest to the weary and today he gave that to me in the most literal of ways.
Thank you God, for my nap.
God is good, all the time.
To be our capstone this week, yesterday afternoon Georgia fell off of our bed onto her head for the first time. We rocked in her glider, both of us sobbing. She recovered much more quickly than I did.
About 11:30 this morning I was asked if I had any prayer requests by the table leader at my bible study. I said, "I need some sleep" no more explanation than that.
Georgia fell asleep on the way to lunch with my Mom and was so tired from her nursery playtime that she slept all through lunch and then slept on the way home. She had slept all of her precious nap hours away, I was certain.
We got home around 2:30 and I cuddled my sweet sick girl while I gave her a bottle and worked to muster up my courage and whatever reserves I had left to face to rest of the day, feeling more than exhausted and knowing that she was going to cry until bedtime.
When, against all odds and any schedule she has ever been on, Jesus put us both to sleep for the next hour and a half!
Jesus promises rest to the weary and today he gave that to me in the most literal of ways.
Thank you God, for my nap.
God is good, all the time.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
We told God to leave us alone and now the world is going to Hell
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben S
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben S
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
When I'm Overwhelmed
On the days I feel most overwhelmed about how I'm going to handle our nearly Irish Twin babes I think of this and am grateful for my opportunity to even be overwhelmed by my children.
" our baby will not________"
Its incredible how time can slow down so much yet pass so quickly. A short trip to the garbage can now takes several minutes as my one year old pleads with me to grab her hands and let her walk with me there and back, yet I have never seen a year fly by like it does when watching your child grow.
It is also incredible how having a child of your own changes you. No matter how determined you are to "not let the baby run our house" or " not let my baby go around with a dirty face" and our personal favorite pre-parenthood proclamation "we will not let our baby into our bed."
Daren with Georgia 10 days old
Daren with Georgia 12 months old
Parenthood changes you, no matter what you think. And its the most wonderful, constant, exhausting, and fascinating gift God has ever given.
It is also incredible how having a child of your own changes you. No matter how determined you are to "not let the baby run our house" or " not let my baby go around with a dirty face" and our personal favorite pre-parenthood proclamation "we will not let our baby into our bed."
Daren with Georgia 10 days old
Daren with Georgia 12 months old
Parenthood changes you, no matter what you think. And its the most wonderful, constant, exhausting, and fascinating gift God has ever given.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
You've got personality
A brief glimpse into the developing personality of my fantastic child.
This morning while sharing breakfast at an outdoor cafe I turned back to Georgia just in time to see her drop her piece of croissant to feed the friendly white bird that had come over to say hi. I laughed and said " no feeding the birds, baby". I then tore off a few more pieces of our shared croissant and put them on the table for Georgia to eat herself. I said one more time " this is is Georgia to eat. Georgia eats this, don't feed it o the birds".
With that my girl picks up a piece of bread, holds it up to her mouth until I drop my bird guarding hand then launches her food down onto the ground and the bird. Very clever Little Miss!
I laughed out loud at her new found tricks and sly ideas. The elderly lady at the next table over didn't find it nearly as funny, so I pretended that I didn't see her throw the next few pieces.
As the quote says " never apologize for your children Because those with kids will understand and those without never will".
This morning while sharing breakfast at an outdoor cafe I turned back to Georgia just in time to see her drop her piece of croissant to feed the friendly white bird that had come over to say hi. I laughed and said " no feeding the birds, baby". I then tore off a few more pieces of our shared croissant and put them on the table for Georgia to eat herself. I said one more time " this is is Georgia to eat. Georgia eats this, don't feed it o the birds".
With that my girl picks up a piece of bread, holds it up to her mouth until I drop my bird guarding hand then launches her food down onto the ground and the bird. Very clever Little Miss!
I laughed out loud at her new found tricks and sly ideas. The elderly lady at the next table over didn't find it nearly as funny, so I pretended that I didn't see her throw the next few pieces.
As the quote says " never apologize for your children Because those with kids will understand and those without never will".
Friday, October 15, 2010
Your day of all days
If we didnt have birthdays, you wouldn't be you.
If you'd never been born, well then what would you do?
If you'd never been born, well then what would you be?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!
You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes!
You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes.
Or worse than all that...why you might be a WASN'T !
A Wasn't has no fun at all. No, he doesn't.
A Wasn't just isn't. He just isnt present.
But you... You ARE YOU! And now isn't that pleasant!
Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky!
Shout loud at the top of your voice, " I AM I!
ME!
I am I!
And I may not know why
But I know I like it.
Three cheers! I AM I!"
Sing loud, "I am lucky!" Sing loud, "I am I!"
Today you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you- er than you!
Shout loud, "I am lucky to be what I am!
Thank goodness I'm not just a clam or a ham
Or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam!
I am what I am! That's a great thing to be!
If I say so myself " Happy Birthday To Me!"
- dr seuss
Happy birthday my sweet girl, my joyful Georgia.
I love you just because you're you.
If you'd never been born, well then what would you do?
If you'd never been born, well then what would you be?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!
You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes!
You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes.
Or worse than all that...why you might be a WASN'T !
A Wasn't has no fun at all. No, he doesn't.
A Wasn't just isn't. He just isnt present.
But you... You ARE YOU! And now isn't that pleasant!
Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky!
Shout loud at the top of your voice, " I AM I!
ME!
I am I!
And I may not know why
But I know I like it.
Three cheers! I AM I!"
Sing loud, "I am lucky!" Sing loud, "I am I!"
Today you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you- er than you!
Shout loud, "I am lucky to be what I am!
Thank goodness I'm not just a clam or a ham
Or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam!
I am what I am! That's a great thing to be!
If I say so myself " Happy Birthday To Me!"
- dr seuss
Happy birthday my sweet girl, my joyful Georgia.
I love you just because you're you.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
As of late..
As of late I have been sick, Georgia has been sick and then teething, and Daren has been working like crazy leaving before 7:00am and getting home anywhere between 7 and 10 at night. Toss in there the fact that I'm now 29 weeks pregnant and having the occasional break down/freak out about how to handle two non-walking babies on no sleep and it has been a few weeks of being tired and a little teary. When Daren came home late from work on Monday he came up the stairs to find both of his girls crying in the nursery.
Still, Georgia has found the time and energy to learn a few new tricks. We are quickly approaching the Official One Year Old mark and she is learning new things all the time. She can say Hi, Dada, Doggie, tell you what a doggie says, and Hot along with having her 6 signs. She loves to use her signs now and can sign milk, more, all done, water, eat, and occasionally she will bust out the Mama sign. She says Hi and waves to literally everyone we pass in the grocery store. The girl is a social little communicator. Daren has high hopes that she and I will be able to talk so much to each other that he won't have to say anything at all!
Here she is performing her newest feats of intelligence and dexterity.
This last one is just gratuitous cuteness of her sticking her tongue out and being adorable before bed.
Still, Georgia has found the time and energy to learn a few new tricks. We are quickly approaching the Official One Year Old mark and she is learning new things all the time. She can say Hi, Dada, Doggie, tell you what a doggie says, and Hot along with having her 6 signs. She loves to use her signs now and can sign milk, more, all done, water, eat, and occasionally she will bust out the Mama sign. She says Hi and waves to literally everyone we pass in the grocery store. The girl is a social little communicator. Daren has high hopes that she and I will be able to talk so much to each other that he won't have to say anything at all!
Here she is performing her newest feats of intelligence and dexterity.
This last one is just gratuitous cuteness of her sticking her tongue out and being adorable before bed.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Greatest Show on Earth
Last weekend we were treated to The Greatest Show on Earth. For the last several years my mom has taken all of her grandchildren and their mothers to the Circus and has made us "Circus Celebraties" . This means that we get to sit in the front two rows and at one point during the show are all paraded down onto the three ringed floor and we get to watch certain acts up close and very personal. It is a great time always had by all!
This was, of course, Georgia's very first circus and she rocked it! She didn't cry but once when she wanted another french fry. She laughed and waved to the clowns and marveled at all of the lights and animals. I was so proud of her!
Here she is in her first ever Reserved Seat
The show is about to start and its exciting!
And sometimes nerve wracking,
My mom with her two Granddaughters. One is eating cotton candy and the other french fries. My mother was so proud!
Notice cousin Kate, who is 11 months older that Georgia and the only other girl in the family, taking care of her with her sweet arm wrapped around Georgia's tiny shoulder.
Tired Girl, tired Mom.
The End.
This was, of course, Georgia's very first circus and she rocked it! She didn't cry but once when she wanted another french fry. She laughed and waved to the clowns and marveled at all of the lights and animals. I was so proud of her!
Here she is in her first ever Reserved Seat
The show is about to start and its exciting!
And sometimes nerve wracking,
My mom with her two Granddaughters. One is eating cotton candy and the other french fries. My mother was so proud!
Notice cousin Kate, who is 11 months older that Georgia and the only other girl in the family, taking care of her with her sweet arm wrapped around Georgia's tiny shoulder.
Tired Girl, tired Mom.
The End.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
I'm in that place
Its been three nights since I've slept well. I've been up for everything from the sudden increase in trips to the bathroom, rain on the windows, the dog rolling around the having his own personal play date at midnight, my husbands sleep sounds, my baby crying and of course, my favorite of all of my pregnancy symptoms, Restless Leg Syndrome.
It may be the tiredness, but I suspect its the knowledge of what's to come that is keeping me in this place. Georgia has been sleeping perfectly through the night like a champion sleeper for two months now. Once she hit 9 months old her sleeping habits rounded to bend and she began to sleep from 7 p.m. to 7 am like a dream. Now after a 2 month break from my nighttime routines, she is back up and I have no idea why. We were up last night for a good 45 minutes and she was very sad and I still have no idea why. Together we rocked and rocked in sweet silence until her eyes finally drooped closed and I placed her back down in her crib, which she promptly responded to by waking up and wailing. Eventually the combo of crying it out and soothing visits from me did the trick and she fell back asleep for good until about 6:30.
In the meantime, at 5:15 am I received a text message from my best friend telling me that her grandpa has passed away at 5:00 am this morning. I've met her Grandpa Jim and I still refer to him as "Turkey Butt" because thats what he also called me. Having lost my own grandpa just under a year ago I feel an extra amount of empathy for her and her family as they now navigate these waters of grief and funeral planning.
When my husband rolled over and wrapped his arms around me for some much needed quality cuddle time all I could think about was the coffee brewing downstairs and my future sleeping patterns.
While pregnant with Georgia I was nervous about how I was going to handle it all, How in the world was I going to get through life on such little sleep? I made it through but not without landing myself in some dark emotional corners and falling asleep in the most random of places. Now as I look to the next year of my life I'm just plain scared.
I know what I'm in for.
I have yet to decide if I think that these last two months of Georgia's perfect sleeping habits are a blessing or a big joke. It has been blissful to sleep through the night so many nights in a row and sometimes even wake up before her, but now as my nights are breaking up into little pieces again I wish I didn't quite remember how lovely sleep really is.
Two of the biggest blessing of this second time around are one; that I fully understand that the newborn months are a phase that pass you by in a blink and that it does get easier and two; that Daren and I have been through this before as a couple and are already laying out plans to bypass some of the tough times that befall a married couple when welcoming home the biggest change of your life who is wrapped in a swaddling blanket and weighing in at 6 lbs. 3 oz.
As I near the end of my second trimester I am finally feeling pregnant and moving like I am pregnant. My workouts are feeling harder and are starting to wear me out for the whole day. My moods are starting to change more rapidly and I can't stand myself moody. My body looks nothing like the body and figure I recognize and I still have a long way to grow before it starts the long haul back to my skinny jeans. Still, for this being my second pregnancy in as many years and I am only up 25 lbs total from my pre-pregnancy weight, I count that to be a victory that I am doing my best to hold on tightly to.
Nevertheless, today at 25 weeks pregnant I am in that place where I feel like I have been pregnant for a very long time and that I still have a long way to go. ( To be fair I have been pregnant for 15 our of the last 20 months). I had to pull my foot up across my knee to put on a pair of boots over the weekend and I thought to myself " Aw Man, I'm not going to be able to bend in half again for another 6 months!" I don't know if its the current lack of sleep, the changing weather, or the daunting prospect that I may not sleep again for the next year that has me in this place, but I'm there.
I'm in that place today. That place that all pregnant women pass through on their journey toward Motherhood. That place where you feel nothing like your former self and are not yet your future self. I wouldn't change it for the world, I wouldn't give up the opportunity to grow and carry our babies for anything.
Even still, I am in talks with God about some sort of Sleep Exchange Program, I'm pitching the idea of eating more ice cream to get more sleep. Some sort of pints of Cookies and Cream to Hours of Sleep ratio. I'll keep you all posted.
As for right now, the coffee is hot.
It may be the tiredness, but I suspect its the knowledge of what's to come that is keeping me in this place. Georgia has been sleeping perfectly through the night like a champion sleeper for two months now. Once she hit 9 months old her sleeping habits rounded to bend and she began to sleep from 7 p.m. to 7 am like a dream. Now after a 2 month break from my nighttime routines, she is back up and I have no idea why. We were up last night for a good 45 minutes and she was very sad and I still have no idea why. Together we rocked and rocked in sweet silence until her eyes finally drooped closed and I placed her back down in her crib, which she promptly responded to by waking up and wailing. Eventually the combo of crying it out and soothing visits from me did the trick and she fell back asleep for good until about 6:30.
In the meantime, at 5:15 am I received a text message from my best friend telling me that her grandpa has passed away at 5:00 am this morning. I've met her Grandpa Jim and I still refer to him as "Turkey Butt" because thats what he also called me. Having lost my own grandpa just under a year ago I feel an extra amount of empathy for her and her family as they now navigate these waters of grief and funeral planning.
When my husband rolled over and wrapped his arms around me for some much needed quality cuddle time all I could think about was the coffee brewing downstairs and my future sleeping patterns.
While pregnant with Georgia I was nervous about how I was going to handle it all, How in the world was I going to get through life on such little sleep? I made it through but not without landing myself in some dark emotional corners and falling asleep in the most random of places. Now as I look to the next year of my life I'm just plain scared.
I know what I'm in for.
I have yet to decide if I think that these last two months of Georgia's perfect sleeping habits are a blessing or a big joke. It has been blissful to sleep through the night so many nights in a row and sometimes even wake up before her, but now as my nights are breaking up into little pieces again I wish I didn't quite remember how lovely sleep really is.
Two of the biggest blessing of this second time around are one; that I fully understand that the newborn months are a phase that pass you by in a blink and that it does get easier and two; that Daren and I have been through this before as a couple and are already laying out plans to bypass some of the tough times that befall a married couple when welcoming home the biggest change of your life who is wrapped in a swaddling blanket and weighing in at 6 lbs. 3 oz.
As I near the end of my second trimester I am finally feeling pregnant and moving like I am pregnant. My workouts are feeling harder and are starting to wear me out for the whole day. My moods are starting to change more rapidly and I can't stand myself moody. My body looks nothing like the body and figure I recognize and I still have a long way to grow before it starts the long haul back to my skinny jeans. Still, for this being my second pregnancy in as many years and I am only up 25 lbs total from my pre-pregnancy weight, I count that to be a victory that I am doing my best to hold on tightly to.
Nevertheless, today at 25 weeks pregnant I am in that place where I feel like I have been pregnant for a very long time and that I still have a long way to go. ( To be fair I have been pregnant for 15 our of the last 20 months). I had to pull my foot up across my knee to put on a pair of boots over the weekend and I thought to myself " Aw Man, I'm not going to be able to bend in half again for another 6 months!" I don't know if its the current lack of sleep, the changing weather, or the daunting prospect that I may not sleep again for the next year that has me in this place, but I'm there.
I'm in that place today. That place that all pregnant women pass through on their journey toward Motherhood. That place where you feel nothing like your former self and are not yet your future self. I wouldn't change it for the world, I wouldn't give up the opportunity to grow and carry our babies for anything.
Even still, I am in talks with God about some sort of Sleep Exchange Program, I'm pitching the idea of eating more ice cream to get more sleep. Some sort of pints of Cookies and Cream to Hours of Sleep ratio. I'll keep you all posted.
As for right now, the coffee is hot.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen, It IS Duck Season
DUCK SEASON 2008
DUCK SEASON 2009
DUCK SEASON 2010
WE LOVE THE DUCKS!
DUCK SEASON 2009
DUCK SEASON 2010
WE LOVE THE DUCKS!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Good morning Road
My Belly, My Running Shoes, and The Road.
I'm no Kara Goucher or Paula Radcliff, but I made it out there.
I'm no Kara Goucher or Paula Radcliff, but I made it out there.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I want this to be a girl...no boy...no girl...no boy
This baby is baking away perfectly in my belly. We are in our 24th week which means we have entered into Viable Baby Zone and are nearing the end of our second trimester. Daren and I choose to take the high road and not find out early who we are having. We love it and it lines up perfectly with who I am. My favorite part of Christmas is that moment right before you open your presents and are filled to the brim with anticipation. I have never been a present snooper. So much so that you could put the box right in front on me, unwrapped, and tell me not to peak...and I wouldn't. So why would I peak in on this, the biggest and best, of all gifts given to me.
We have made it through our two ultra sounds successfully not finding out who we are having. Still, in any given week I sway back and forth between wanting one or the other.
The standard saying "I just want this to be a healthy baby" fully applies in all cases.
I want this to be a Girl because:
- We have one girl and she's fabulous. Why not have two fabulous girls?!
- I already know how to fall in love with a baby girl so it just makes more sense
-I don't have a sister. When I was little I was jealous of my two brothers because they each got to have a brother and a sister and all I got were two brothers.
-The Mother/Daughter relationship is intrinsically complex, rich and deep, and I think it would be even more so if there were three of us.
Why I want this baby to a boy:
- Georgia was born at 2:34 and until about 2:35 last October 15th I had only ever seen myself as the mother of boys.
-I love the rough and tumble home of a home with boys over the perfectly prissy house of all females
-I like the balance having a brother/sister duo would bring to them. He would be invited to her tea parties and she would have her own GI Joes.
-A beautiful girl with an athletic brother in the locker rooms is harder to talk about and/or date.
-I adore my two brothers. Always have. Always will.
Only God and Baby B know who is in there, and I figure God still knows best. So whomever we meet in late December will be the perfect addition to this family and a dream come true.
We have made it through our two ultra sounds successfully not finding out who we are having. Still, in any given week I sway back and forth between wanting one or the other.
The standard saying "I just want this to be a healthy baby" fully applies in all cases.
I want this to be a Girl because:
- We have one girl and she's fabulous. Why not have two fabulous girls?!
- I already know how to fall in love with a baby girl so it just makes more sense
-I don't have a sister. When I was little I was jealous of my two brothers because they each got to have a brother and a sister and all I got were two brothers.
-The Mother/Daughter relationship is intrinsically complex, rich and deep, and I think it would be even more so if there were three of us.
Why I want this baby to a boy:
- Georgia was born at 2:34 and until about 2:35 last October 15th I had only ever seen myself as the mother of boys.
-I love the rough and tumble home of a home with boys over the perfectly prissy house of all females
-I like the balance having a brother/sister duo would bring to them. He would be invited to her tea parties and she would have her own GI Joes.
-A beautiful girl with an athletic brother in the locker rooms is harder to talk about and/or date.
-I adore my two brothers. Always have. Always will.
Only God and Baby B know who is in there, and I figure God still knows best. So whomever we meet in late December will be the perfect addition to this family and a dream come true.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Milestones
At 10 months old my Georgia Girl can sleep through the night, feed herself finger foods, roll over every which way and pull herself up when holding onto you hands, both of these being extra exciting after all of her months in various forms of braces and casts due to her hip dysplasia, she can sign Eat, Milk, More and All Done.
And as of today she can do this!
And as of today she can do this!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
You must've been a beautiful baby
My heart. My Girl. My baby.
I'm having a bit of a baby breakdown today. Make that a full on baby breakdown. I'm not ready for this beautiful baby girl to no longer be my baby. I understand that I will not be trading out babies at the hospital or anything. I know that they are not going to make me give one over for the other, but still, its a weird place to be. I remember the day I took my pregnancy test for our Sweet Surprise. I woke up, nursed my tiny baby, then received a positive pregnancy test. It was weird.
I love being a mom. I sometimes had dreams of running a fortune 500 company, but my lifelong dreams were of being a wife and a mother. I'm living my dreams is so many ways. Still, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around raising two babies today. Two tiny babies.
I don't know how I'm going to split my time.
I don't know how I'm going to split my heart.
I don't know how I'm going to go grocery shopping.
I feel overwhelmed, grateful and sad all at the same time. There are times when I feel this tiny 23 week old baby kick in my belly and smile ear to ear marveling at the utter blessing that we get to do this twice. Then there are times, like today, when I cuddle my 10 month old and cry because I'm not ready for her to be my big kid.
God brought me to this and I am certain that he will bring me through this. I can also understand in my head that I will fall totally in love with my second baby and still remain completely in love with my first baby, my heart just doesn't know how yet.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
gCloth Diaper Diary
I have been cloth diapering my sweet babe for one week now.
Day 1
Diaper one and all I can think is "I don't like this at all" and "This is so wet!" But I've resolved to give it the old college try and stick to it so I put on another cloth diaper and forge ahead. My process is still pretty inefficient since I don't want to change everything and invest in the wetbags and whatnot if I'm not going to be using cloth diapers for a very extended amount of time. Right now I've decided to toss the dirty cloth diapers into the diaper pail and I already have and toss out the wipes. Then I plan to do one load of diapers at night that will then be ready for use by morning.
Day 2
I feel like she is always damp! The website says that your baby has to be changed every 2 hours or they will get diaper rash but they say nothing about this always damp feeling that seems to be covering her at all times. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing yet. I'm still trying to find the best way to pull out the wet insert without it touching everything in site and just figure out this whole cloth diapering thing period. The hybrid inserts were so easy to adjust too but I'm have more frustration transitioning to the cloth inserts. Still, I'm going to keep on keeping on.
Day 3
I'm getting better at this and it is slowly beginning to feel like I might be able to do this. I'm still fighting the always damp feel and I don't like my baby to smell like urine so I don't know how often I am really going to need to change her in a day. This feels a little crazy, but not as crazy as it did three days ago. It is working out pretty well to just dump the cloth inserts into the diaper pail I already have, the big downside is that at the end of the day I have to reach in and pull each on out by hand and transfer them into the bathroom garbage can to carry them downstairs to the laundry room. HA! I really want to love using these cloth diapers. I really want to love this and save my family money. If I do end up in love, or at least in deep like with the gCloths, I will need to get a pail liner that I can pull out rather than the dipping my hands into the bin every night.
Day 4
For this time I have gone all cloth all the time. I pack a gallon size ziploc bag with me to use at my wet bag and have Georgia in gCloths and only the cloth. I figure that if I'm going to do this I want to do it all the way, and after I'm used to it I can decide if I want to take the disposable hybrid inserts with me when I'm out. For this time, it is easier for me to only use one diapering system at a time. With that said, I am taking all of my cloth diapers to the Farm with us for the weekend. One full weekend away with the cloth diapers.
In a HUGE positive, I have been putting two cloth inserts on G at night and we haven't had one leak or problem. She is actually staying very dry and comfortable at night. And that is a big giant relief and positive points for the gCloths.
Day 5
Finally! Finally I have solved the always damp issue. After doing some more research on the gDiaper site I reread that the liner needs to go in the creases of the legs, just like underoos do, and after adjusting the liner to fit into its place the dampness has gone away. Hooray! Now I feel like my baby girl can go a reasonable amount of time in one cloth diaper and not smell or feel damp after 45 minutes. We are out at the Farm and I'm really starting to get the hang of this. I have a few Ziplocs where I'm tossing the dirties and then I am still one the same schedule of washing my one load of diapers at night and have them all ready again in the morning.
Day 6
This is getting easier. I don't hate cloth diapers today. I know what the expect with a normal cloth diaper change and that is probably the most helpful thing. I feel that I know how to handle the wetness and the dirtiness and have a simple plan in place for how to store the diapers and how and when to clean them. Today, I am not in deep love with the gCloth diapers but I am not loathing them either. This is getting better.
Day 7
No pins. No folding. No soaking. As far as cloth diapers go, I believe that these are about as easy as they come. I am feeling more confidant in this process and feeling like I can do this for awhile. I do need another pack of the gCloth inserts since I use up my whole stock in a day and it would be nice to have a few more in the drawer each morning, just in case the nightly load isn't dry. After getting home from the Farm I found that I needed to use one of the hybrid inserts while the diapers were in the dryer and was shocked with what I found. At changing time, I felt that the disposable inserts actually took longer to deal with post change than the cloth! My beloved flushables take more time post change to tear, tear, swish and flush than it takes me to toss the cloth in the bin. I laughed outloud when I had the thought "I wish I had a cloth!"
I may be a full convert yet.
The pigs are not soaring through the skies flying with freedom and flare, but the pigs have sprouted wings and gotten off the ground. The unthinkable, the unlikely is starting to happen. I am starting to actually like the cloth diapers.
Day 1
Diaper one and all I can think is "I don't like this at all" and "This is so wet!" But I've resolved to give it the old college try and stick to it so I put on another cloth diaper and forge ahead. My process is still pretty inefficient since I don't want to change everything and invest in the wetbags and whatnot if I'm not going to be using cloth diapers for a very extended amount of time. Right now I've decided to toss the dirty cloth diapers into the diaper pail and I already have and toss out the wipes. Then I plan to do one load of diapers at night that will then be ready for use by morning.
Day 2
I feel like she is always damp! The website says that your baby has to be changed every 2 hours or they will get diaper rash but they say nothing about this always damp feeling that seems to be covering her at all times. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing yet. I'm still trying to find the best way to pull out the wet insert without it touching everything in site and just figure out this whole cloth diapering thing period. The hybrid inserts were so easy to adjust too but I'm have more frustration transitioning to the cloth inserts. Still, I'm going to keep on keeping on.
Day 3
I'm getting better at this and it is slowly beginning to feel like I might be able to do this. I'm still fighting the always damp feel and I don't like my baby to smell like urine so I don't know how often I am really going to need to change her in a day. This feels a little crazy, but not as crazy as it did three days ago. It is working out pretty well to just dump the cloth inserts into the diaper pail I already have, the big downside is that at the end of the day I have to reach in and pull each on out by hand and transfer them into the bathroom garbage can to carry them downstairs to the laundry room. HA! I really want to love using these cloth diapers. I really want to love this and save my family money. If I do end up in love, or at least in deep like with the gCloths, I will need to get a pail liner that I can pull out rather than the dipping my hands into the bin every night.
Day 4
For this time I have gone all cloth all the time. I pack a gallon size ziploc bag with me to use at my wet bag and have Georgia in gCloths and only the cloth. I figure that if I'm going to do this I want to do it all the way, and after I'm used to it I can decide if I want to take the disposable hybrid inserts with me when I'm out. For this time, it is easier for me to only use one diapering system at a time. With that said, I am taking all of my cloth diapers to the Farm with us for the weekend. One full weekend away with the cloth diapers.
In a HUGE positive, I have been putting two cloth inserts on G at night and we haven't had one leak or problem. She is actually staying very dry and comfortable at night. And that is a big giant relief and positive points for the gCloths.
Day 5
Finally! Finally I have solved the always damp issue. After doing some more research on the gDiaper site I reread that the liner needs to go in the creases of the legs, just like underoos do, and after adjusting the liner to fit into its place the dampness has gone away. Hooray! Now I feel like my baby girl can go a reasonable amount of time in one cloth diaper and not smell or feel damp after 45 minutes. We are out at the Farm and I'm really starting to get the hang of this. I have a few Ziplocs where I'm tossing the dirties and then I am still one the same schedule of washing my one load of diapers at night and have them all ready again in the morning.
Day 6
This is getting easier. I don't hate cloth diapers today. I know what the expect with a normal cloth diaper change and that is probably the most helpful thing. I feel that I know how to handle the wetness and the dirtiness and have a simple plan in place for how to store the diapers and how and when to clean them. Today, I am not in deep love with the gCloth diapers but I am not loathing them either. This is getting better.
Day 7
No pins. No folding. No soaking. As far as cloth diapers go, I believe that these are about as easy as they come. I am feeling more confidant in this process and feeling like I can do this for awhile. I do need another pack of the gCloth inserts since I use up my whole stock in a day and it would be nice to have a few more in the drawer each morning, just in case the nightly load isn't dry. After getting home from the Farm I found that I needed to use one of the hybrid inserts while the diapers were in the dryer and was shocked with what I found. At changing time, I felt that the disposable inserts actually took longer to deal with post change than the cloth! My beloved flushables take more time post change to tear, tear, swish and flush than it takes me to toss the cloth in the bin. I laughed outloud when I had the thought "I wish I had a cloth!"
I may be a full convert yet.
The pigs are not soaring through the skies flying with freedom and flare, but the pigs have sprouted wings and gotten off the ground. The unthinkable, the unlikely is starting to happen. I am starting to actually like the cloth diapers.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
gDiapers takes on The Fair, Camping and Overnights
For days 5-9 gDiapers went on the road with us and proved to be a very accommodating travel companion.
First gDiapers came to the county Fair. It was the first time I had to changed one of the gDiapers in public but it turned out to be nothing, to be even a smidgen easier than changing a disposable. I have found that I don't have to "preload the Little G" like they tell you too on the videos on their website. So I can leave my baby's bare bum resting on the liner inside of her Little g pants and and then life her legs and slide insert right in. Being able to do this at the Fair made it so that her tiny little toosh was spared from any splinters the wooden bleachers may have tried to impose upon her. It was quick and easy and I tossed the insert with my empty peach milkshake cup and we were done with it.
Then gDiapers took on tent camping with us in Central Oregon. She swam in her blue little swimmers, I think it was her Shilo Pitt moment wearing boy cloths. That or I bought the wrong ones! Then she wore her Little G pants for the rest of the day and slept in the remaining Pampers diapers that I had taken with us. Not one leak or problem the entire weekend. Plus, I felt a nice sense of accomplishment about tossing away the biodegradable inserts while camping out in the wilderness.
Once home I was finally out of the back up Pampers. Now I was no longer just getting my feet wet, I was swimming. It came to be that Georgia had to sleep overnight in her Little G Pants. I checked it out on their gDiaper website and it suggests that you put two inserts into the Little g's for over night. So with fingers crossed and plans to do an entire load of crib sheets and baby cloths in the morning I doubled up the inserts and put her to bed. Much to my happy surprise she woke up dry! Again no leaks, no rashes, no trouble.
All in all gDiapers took on The Fair, Camping and Overnights like a champ.
Now onto today... The cloth diaper portion of this trial has officially begun with Miss Georgia Sweet sitting next to me right now wearing her first ever cloth diaper.
Now, time to see if pigs really do fly...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
gDiapers days 3 & 4- The Flood
Day 3- The Flood
Georgia had just woken up from a perfect morning nap. Two full hours of sleeping gave me some great time to clean the kitchen, make the beds and enjoy a lovely cup of coffee and then she woke up at just the right time to get her ready to take her to her hip doctor appointment, which by the way was the best hip appointment we've ever had. She received a perfect on the x-rays and we don't have to go back in until she is 15 months old, that means January. The longest stretch between appointments we've been allowed so far and the closest thing to an "all clear" we could have gotten.
The day was lovely and the picture of perfection.
Until it all went down, or didn't.
It was day 3 of my gDiaper trial and I was sold. Loving these flushables and the sheer cuteness of the Little gPants. Everything had been so easy for three full days and I was proud of my diaper find. Then in the matter of minutes a too close for comfort catastrophe.
Rip. Rip. Swish, Flush...flush. Followed by the tell tale phrase "Go down! Go down! Ah crap, go down!!" and I reached for all of the towels in the bathroom in a flash. The gDiapers flushable refill was not flushing and the third story toilet in our 101 year old craftsman style house was seconds from overflowing. I reached for the plunger and shoved it quickly into the bowl.
Splash! Whoosh! Then the sound of way too much water flooding over onto our tile floor, the tile floor on our top floor. And it was still running!
I did the first thing that came to mind and grabbed that little thing that stops the water from running and in a MacGyver type moment grabbed for the only things I could reach, a hair ribbon and a pair of scissors. I tied the hair ribbon around that thing inside the back of the toilet, wrapped it around the scissors and hooked the scissors onto the handle and then quiet. It had worked! The water was stopped. It has since been pointed out to me, by both my mom and my husband, that I could have reach down and turned off the water. But that didn't occur to me at the time and I prefer a little MacGyver in my life anyhow.
I dashed out the door to the linen closet and pulled out literally everything it was holding and threw it with great force onto the flooded floor of our third story bathroom. Praying all the way.
Reaching for the trash can, I tossed all of its contents into the sink and began to scoop out as much water as I could and throw it into the bathtub. It was effective and I was able to lower the water level enough so that each plunge of the plunger did not splash more water out onto the sopping wet towels.
Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Faster. Then slower.
It wasn't working.
It was time. Time to reach into the bowl and see what I could find.
What I found was that a small bit of the inner liner of the refill had found a secret place to hid within the layers of the outer liner and once flushed had formed a gel ball that was lodged securely in my toilet.
First I tried with my bare right hand, up to the elbow in toilet water, and with each grab and tug small ineffective pieces came out in my fingers. Next I tried with my bare left hand with the same result. Before the end of my half hour escapade as the Bare Handed Plumber I had tried the swish stick, scissors, tweezers, and lots and lots of pleading prayers to Jesus.
Finally, with a new fangled technique of bare right hand work and a spinny pully moved I created with the swish stick the gel ball budged. Again I pulled and twisted. Two more times of the pull, twist, pray approach and it was free! We were all free!
Flush went the toilet!
And not a moment too soon since Georgia was more than done with her independent play time in her room around the corner.
I soaked up all remaining standing water, rolled all of the wet towels up into my bath mat and walked the nearly 50 pounds of wetness down the three flights to the laundry room, already preparing myself for having to tell Daren that I had I flooded the tip top bathroom in our house. Side note: He took it pretty well.
I believe that The Flood was cause by a combo of user error and product. Daren and I have decided to walk the flushables downstairs to the lower bathroom for the remaining days of the trial just in case. No diaper is worth a ruined house and the cost of a remodel or mold removal.
Day 4- Falling in Love again
I love these stinking gDiapers. Mostly because they don't stink! They go away and I love that. Plus they are crazy cute on Georgia's little baby body. I don't know how feasible it is to actually walk each diaper downstairs to flush them for the rest of our diapering days, but its what I'm doing for the time being.
Now is the time you check to see if there is snow in Hades, because I, part of the "I will never ever in my whole life use cloth diapers" team, am seriously considering trying out the pure cloth diapers for the second week of this trial. The cloth diapers are really where the true savings are. I may pick up one pack of the cloth inserts and give it a go.
Plus, I figure if I love them great and if I hate them, well then at least I will know firsthand what I'm talking about when I proclaim that cloth diapers suck.
Here goes nothin'....
Georgia had just woken up from a perfect morning nap. Two full hours of sleeping gave me some great time to clean the kitchen, make the beds and enjoy a lovely cup of coffee and then she woke up at just the right time to get her ready to take her to her hip doctor appointment, which by the way was the best hip appointment we've ever had. She received a perfect on the x-rays and we don't have to go back in until she is 15 months old, that means January. The longest stretch between appointments we've been allowed so far and the closest thing to an "all clear" we could have gotten.
The day was lovely and the picture of perfection.
Until it all went down, or didn't.
It was day 3 of my gDiaper trial and I was sold. Loving these flushables and the sheer cuteness of the Little gPants. Everything had been so easy for three full days and I was proud of my diaper find. Then in the matter of minutes a too close for comfort catastrophe.
Rip. Rip. Swish, Flush...flush. Followed by the tell tale phrase "Go down! Go down! Ah crap, go down!!" and I reached for all of the towels in the bathroom in a flash. The gDiapers flushable refill was not flushing and the third story toilet in our 101 year old craftsman style house was seconds from overflowing. I reached for the plunger and shoved it quickly into the bowl.
Splash! Whoosh! Then the sound of way too much water flooding over onto our tile floor, the tile floor on our top floor. And it was still running!
I did the first thing that came to mind and grabbed that little thing that stops the water from running and in a MacGyver type moment grabbed for the only things I could reach, a hair ribbon and a pair of scissors. I tied the hair ribbon around that thing inside the back of the toilet, wrapped it around the scissors and hooked the scissors onto the handle and then quiet. It had worked! The water was stopped. It has since been pointed out to me, by both my mom and my husband, that I could have reach down and turned off the water. But that didn't occur to me at the time and I prefer a little MacGyver in my life anyhow.
I dashed out the door to the linen closet and pulled out literally everything it was holding and threw it with great force onto the flooded floor of our third story bathroom. Praying all the way.
Reaching for the trash can, I tossed all of its contents into the sink and began to scoop out as much water as I could and throw it into the bathtub. It was effective and I was able to lower the water level enough so that each plunge of the plunger did not splash more water out onto the sopping wet towels.
Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Plunge. Faster. Then slower.
It wasn't working.
It was time. Time to reach into the bowl and see what I could find.
What I found was that a small bit of the inner liner of the refill had found a secret place to hid within the layers of the outer liner and once flushed had formed a gel ball that was lodged securely in my toilet.
First I tried with my bare right hand, up to the elbow in toilet water, and with each grab and tug small ineffective pieces came out in my fingers. Next I tried with my bare left hand with the same result. Before the end of my half hour escapade as the Bare Handed Plumber I had tried the swish stick, scissors, tweezers, and lots and lots of pleading prayers to Jesus.
Finally, with a new fangled technique of bare right hand work and a spinny pully moved I created with the swish stick the gel ball budged. Again I pulled and twisted. Two more times of the pull, twist, pray approach and it was free! We were all free!
Flush went the toilet!
And not a moment too soon since Georgia was more than done with her independent play time in her room around the corner.
I soaked up all remaining standing water, rolled all of the wet towels up into my bath mat and walked the nearly 50 pounds of wetness down the three flights to the laundry room, already preparing myself for having to tell Daren that I had I flooded the tip top bathroom in our house. Side note: He took it pretty well.
I believe that The Flood was cause by a combo of user error and product. Daren and I have decided to walk the flushables downstairs to the lower bathroom for the remaining days of the trial just in case. No diaper is worth a ruined house and the cost of a remodel or mold removal.
Day 4- Falling in Love again
I love these stinking gDiapers. Mostly because they don't stink! They go away and I love that. Plus they are crazy cute on Georgia's little baby body. I don't know how feasible it is to actually walk each diaper downstairs to flush them for the rest of our diapering days, but its what I'm doing for the time being.
Now is the time you check to see if there is snow in Hades, because I, part of the "I will never ever in my whole life use cloth diapers" team, am seriously considering trying out the pure cloth diapers for the second week of this trial. The cloth diapers are really where the true savings are. I may pick up one pack of the cloth inserts and give it a go.
Plus, I figure if I love them great and if I hate them, well then at least I will know firsthand what I'm talking about when I proclaim that cloth diapers suck.
Here goes nothin'....
Monday, August 9, 2010
5 months, 5 Miles and a 5 K
When Julie ran her marathon I cried.
As I sat in the chair in our living room with my cell phone in hand anxiously receiving text updates as she passed each marker, talking to my mom on our land line and my computer screen filled with the Seattle Rock-n-Roll course map, pace sheets, and the live feed of the finish line I cried. I cried joyful tears for Julie, for as long as I have known her a Marathon finish has been one of her biggest goals and I cried bittersweet tears for myself.
Sitting there in the throws of first trimester sedation and nausea, still adjusting to the fact that I was two months pregnant as my then 8 months old baby napped upstairs I cried.
When would I ever run again? Really run.
When would I ever feel like an athlete again, let alone actually be one?
When would I be me?
And I was inspired. For the first time in many months I began to envision myself crossing finish lines. I imagined how I would smile at the cheering sections. I thought of hearing my husbands voice as he cheered me on at a hard mile marker during some big race. I dreamt of the t-shirts I would make my children wear for family photos at a big post race block party. I dreamt of feeling like myself again, tough and athletic with an easy laugh and enjoying it all.
The next week as I poured over Julie's blog detailing her entire marathon experience I clicked on the Skirt Chaser 5k link. For a moment I was back. I felt the athletic drive and that old friend the competitive spirit swell up inside my gut. A quick check of the family calendar and I sent my husband a text proclaiming "We are running the Skirt Chaser 5k. I can totally bust out a 5k!" He was in and we were registered.
I had already been an active member of Baby Boot Camp where we work out with jogging, lunges, wall sits and resistance bands for 60-75 minute sessions all while pushing our little ones in strollers. So my fitness level was good and I was cleared to continue running.
A month ago Daren and I took Georgia on our first family fun. We ran for three miles around our neighborhood and I was so proud for making it the whole way and so grateful that Daren pushed the stroller. As a dating and newly married couple running together was our thing. We would meet up at the trail head for an evening running date or head out early on a Saturday for a long run then hit our favorite breakfast spot all sweaty and beaming with endorphins. We ran together, we raced together and we fell in love together. The first time Daren even said "I love you" was after a big hard race up in Seattle. Running was part of who we were as a couple and since I got pregnant with Georgia, that had been missing.
During my first pregnancy I was too afraid to run. Too afraid to do much of anything other than walking and some yoga. And I lost myself. I gained many many lbs and struggled with the massive physical changes and the mood swings that accompany any baby baking session. I had not completely come back to myself, or to Daren, when we found out we were expecting our second child.
Two weeks ago I ran five miles at five months pregnant. Daren, once again got me out onto the road and told me that he was certain that I could run the whole loop. I told him absolutely not and that I would be turning around at the 1.5 mile marker and heading back home. The mile marker came and went and I never turned around. I ran five miles. I ran five miles with Daren. I ran five miles with Daren, the only running partner I've ever had, while five months pregnant with our second baby and it was awesome.
We were back!
We were back because I was back.
I was running.
Saturday we ran in the Skirt Chaser 5k! The women started three minutes before the guys and they had to chase us down, chase the skirts if you will. I took off knowing that my main man would catch me and when he did, about the mile and a half in, I was so happy. I was so excited to see him! The conditions were hot and muggy and I was starting to overheat so for the sake of the baby in the belly I walked for a bit, and Daren being the incredibly supportive race partner that he has always been, walked with me. Then ran me all the way into the finish line.
We were us. We were Daren and Sarah the couple, more than Daren and Sarah the parents. We were running a race together and we loved it and we loved each other and it was wonderful.
And I am me.
I am running.
Running has saved me in these last few months. Its saved me from the pregnancy blues and the massive weight gain I had the first time around. It has brought me back to myself, even while pregnant, and in fact its even lifted my bum a little!
So thank you to the road and to the miles, though few today will be fast and far again soon.
Thank you to Julie for inspiring me to Run Like a Mother.
Thank you Daren for running with me and pushing the stroller.
And thank you to my body, for holding together and holding my babies.
Running I love you, even when I hate you.
As I sat in the chair in our living room with my cell phone in hand anxiously receiving text updates as she passed each marker, talking to my mom on our land line and my computer screen filled with the Seattle Rock-n-Roll course map, pace sheets, and the live feed of the finish line I cried. I cried joyful tears for Julie, for as long as I have known her a Marathon finish has been one of her biggest goals and I cried bittersweet tears for myself.
Sitting there in the throws of first trimester sedation and nausea, still adjusting to the fact that I was two months pregnant as my then 8 months old baby napped upstairs I cried.
When would I ever run again? Really run.
When would I ever feel like an athlete again, let alone actually be one?
When would I be me?
And I was inspired. For the first time in many months I began to envision myself crossing finish lines. I imagined how I would smile at the cheering sections. I thought of hearing my husbands voice as he cheered me on at a hard mile marker during some big race. I dreamt of the t-shirts I would make my children wear for family photos at a big post race block party. I dreamt of feeling like myself again, tough and athletic with an easy laugh and enjoying it all.
The next week as I poured over Julie's blog detailing her entire marathon experience I clicked on the Skirt Chaser 5k link. For a moment I was back. I felt the athletic drive and that old friend the competitive spirit swell up inside my gut. A quick check of the family calendar and I sent my husband a text proclaiming "We are running the Skirt Chaser 5k. I can totally bust out a 5k!" He was in and we were registered.
I had already been an active member of Baby Boot Camp where we work out with jogging, lunges, wall sits and resistance bands for 60-75 minute sessions all while pushing our little ones in strollers. So my fitness level was good and I was cleared to continue running.
A month ago Daren and I took Georgia on our first family fun. We ran for three miles around our neighborhood and I was so proud for making it the whole way and so grateful that Daren pushed the stroller. As a dating and newly married couple running together was our thing. We would meet up at the trail head for an evening running date or head out early on a Saturday for a long run then hit our favorite breakfast spot all sweaty and beaming with endorphins. We ran together, we raced together and we fell in love together. The first time Daren even said "I love you" was after a big hard race up in Seattle. Running was part of who we were as a couple and since I got pregnant with Georgia, that had been missing.
During my first pregnancy I was too afraid to run. Too afraid to do much of anything other than walking and some yoga. And I lost myself. I gained many many lbs and struggled with the massive physical changes and the mood swings that accompany any baby baking session. I had not completely come back to myself, or to Daren, when we found out we were expecting our second child.
Two weeks ago I ran five miles at five months pregnant. Daren, once again got me out onto the road and told me that he was certain that I could run the whole loop. I told him absolutely not and that I would be turning around at the 1.5 mile marker and heading back home. The mile marker came and went and I never turned around. I ran five miles. I ran five miles with Daren. I ran five miles with Daren, the only running partner I've ever had, while five months pregnant with our second baby and it was awesome.
We were back!
We were back because I was back.
I was running.
Saturday we ran in the Skirt Chaser 5k! The women started three minutes before the guys and they had to chase us down, chase the skirts if you will. I took off knowing that my main man would catch me and when he did, about the mile and a half in, I was so happy. I was so excited to see him! The conditions were hot and muggy and I was starting to overheat so for the sake of the baby in the belly I walked for a bit, and Daren being the incredibly supportive race partner that he has always been, walked with me. Then ran me all the way into the finish line.
We were us. We were Daren and Sarah the couple, more than Daren and Sarah the parents. We were running a race together and we loved it and we loved each other and it was wonderful.
And I am me.
I am running.
Running has saved me in these last few months. Its saved me from the pregnancy blues and the massive weight gain I had the first time around. It has brought me back to myself, even while pregnant, and in fact its even lifted my bum a little!
So thank you to the road and to the miles, though few today will be fast and far again soon.
Thank you to Julie for inspiring me to Run Like a Mother.
Thank you Daren for running with me and pushing the stroller.
And thank you to my body, for holding together and holding my babies.
Running I love you, even when I hate you.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
gDiapers trial day 2
Today is day two of my two week trial with the gDiapers and I still like them and find them adorable.
They actually are simple to use. In truth, they are not as simple as a true disposable diaper but they are still easy. With a disposable you take it off and wrap it up on itself and toss it into the bucket. With these you there are a few extra steps with the loading of the gDiaper, the tearing of the sides, swish and of course, the walk to the bathroom. All in all those steps only take a minute or two more and I am curious to see if that time lapse shortens even more once I have a routine in place. For me, when my rating scale of easy to hard diaper changes runs the gauntlet from normal disposable diapers all they way up to Spica Cast diapering, these are pretty stinking easy.
I did have one small set back this morning when the inner lining of the insert fell not into the toilet where it belongs but onto the floor of my bathroom. The insert was swinging back and forth while I held it by a corner and worked to tear the two sides off and splat, onto the floor it fell into its tiny disintegrating pieces. Therefore I had to proceed to wash my bathroom floor while half dressed about ready to step into the shower. I don't know many women who like to spend that much time in the reaching for the floor to clean position while in that particular state of attire.
Today's enlightened moment was when I realized the simple notion, that if we go with these gDiapers permanently it would be very handy to have a swish stick next to each toilet in the house. That way no matter where you change your baby you can walk it to the nearest bathroom, not just hiking it upstairs to the one with the sparkly clean floor.
I was laughing today as I exclaimed to Daren what a silly sense of accomplishment I feel as I flush these things. It just feels like "Ta Da" I just flushed a diaper!
They actually are simple to use. In truth, they are not as simple as a true disposable diaper but they are still easy. With a disposable you take it off and wrap it up on itself and toss it into the bucket. With these you there are a few extra steps with the loading of the gDiaper, the tearing of the sides, swish and of course, the walk to the bathroom. All in all those steps only take a minute or two more and I am curious to see if that time lapse shortens even more once I have a routine in place. For me, when my rating scale of easy to hard diaper changes runs the gauntlet from normal disposable diapers all they way up to Spica Cast diapering, these are pretty stinking easy.
I did have one small set back this morning when the inner lining of the insert fell not into the toilet where it belongs but onto the floor of my bathroom. The insert was swinging back and forth while I held it by a corner and worked to tear the two sides off and splat, onto the floor it fell into its tiny disintegrating pieces. Therefore I had to proceed to wash my bathroom floor while half dressed about ready to step into the shower. I don't know many women who like to spend that much time in the reaching for the floor to clean position while in that particular state of attire.
Today's enlightened moment was when I realized the simple notion, that if we go with these gDiapers permanently it would be very handy to have a swish stick next to each toilet in the house. That way no matter where you change your baby you can walk it to the nearest bathroom, not just hiking it upstairs to the one with the sparkly clean floor.
I was laughing today as I exclaimed to Daren what a silly sense of accomplishment I feel as I flush these things. It just feels like "Ta Da" I just flushed a diaper!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Miss G in her LittleG's - gDiaper trial day 1
As life would have it, I have found a touch of hippie in me and Motherhood has been really trying to bring it out. I've been trying to make my own baby food, but Georgia won't eat it. This fact makes me laugh every time I think of it. She prefers the organic stuff in the jar over just about anything I mix up in my new Magic Bullet and offer to her.
When I say a touch of hippie that is exactly what I mean. More like a smidge or a dash of hippie. I recycle, as long as its convinent. We eat the mostly organic food, the dirty dozen of fruits and veggies and much of our meat and dairy but if there is a sale on something non-organic I don't hesitate to go that route and Doritos and Hershey's Bars have yet to be seen with an organic stamp. I like to use all natural Butt Paste and washes on my baby if I have them, but it doesn't bother me if we're at the farm and I use whatever is available. I nursed my baby the best I could for six months but when it was time to switch to formula I was not afraid that I would be giving my baby "poison in a can". I enjoy pursing the most healthy options I can find for my family but sometimes it is not the most economical way to stay on budget.
So a smidgen of hippie it is and today I purchased our first two week trial of a cloth/disposable hybrind diaper called gDiapers.
I have been so surprised by how much I spend on diapers each month. And with another adorable baby booty on its way I started to look into other options that were affordable and easy. My priorities in finding a new diapering option are 1.Affordabliity. and 2. Ease.
I know that, especially in the part of the country I live in, I'm supposed to be this all organic, cloth diaper loving, baby food making, non-chemical wearing, music class going, non-spanking, no sugar giving, always covered in sunscreen mother and I'm just not. Its the new Super Mom of this decade. As Mother's we're no loner looked down on if we don't work outside of the house, but we are looked down on if we give our children sugar and choose an epidural over an all natural delivery. As women we all get to be whatever kind of mother we want to be and we each mother out of who we already are and I was not the Earth Mother before I became Georgia's mother. Though I am finding I am turing into a bit of a hybrid, just like the gDiapers.
My cousin first introduced the brand to me and after much research I have decided to give them a try. According to my math, after the initial invesment the insterts are cheaper per diaper than the disposables that I use. I bought the starter kit at the Whole Foods up the block which includes 2 LIttle G pants, a swish stick, and 32 biodgradable intert refills. The refills either flush, compost or toss. The website has videos of each and I am going to flushing route during the trial while we're at home and then the tossing when we're out and about. I just flushed my first one and it actually did break up and go down without any problems in our 101 year old plumbing.
Four hours into my two week gDiaper trial and I like them. We'll see how I feel in two weeks and if it does actually end up to be a more economical choice for our family.
I'll keep you posted.
Here is my Miss G sporting her gPants this morning.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A moment
I was trying to capture a fun posed picture with Georgia smiling and then this happened and my heart grew.
Its the first picture of my two babies.
20 weeks pregnant with Lil B The Sequel and my 9 month old Georgia.
Its the first picture of my two babies.
20 weeks pregnant with Lil B The Sequel and my 9 month old Georgia.
Monday, August 2, 2010
How to woo your wife and build a fort
I have yet to find anything sweeter than finding my husband playing with our baby. To hear him reading her a bedtime story through the baby monitor melts my heart like never before and she sparkles the minute he walks into a room. As I was cooking breakfast recently I heard squeals of laughter coming from the living room. When I walked around the corner I found this, Georgia's first lesson in Fort Building by Daddy.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thats better.
Every other picture in this shoot she looks appropriately like my baby. And then there are those two where she looks like a little girl! She is starting to assert her independence more and more too and as I told Daren this weekend "We're about to get a kid out this baby"
Here are a few more where she looks much more like the nine month old Little Miss that she is
Here are a few more where she looks much more like the nine month old Little Miss that she is
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