Bounce U!

Peter and I took Alli and Eliza to Bounce U the other night for open bounce.Here are the pics. I can certainly say a good time was had by all- and Alli and Pete were in rough shape from all the playing. I really didn't like not being able to join in the fun. You better believe we are going back as soon as physically possible.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Maternity Shoot- Sneak peek!

We took a trip to the beach yesterday. It was a blast and E had an amazing time. She is my lil beach bum. Pete also took some pictures of me on the beach. Here is a sneak peek from the shoot.



I am going to the doctor every two weeks now. I am almost 32 weeks pregnant. I haven't been feeling great lately- mainly due to feeling dizzy and having lots of BH! I really need to up my water intake to help with the contractions. Otherwise, everything looked good at the doctor. My blood pressure is fine and I don't have any swelling. My weight gain is appropriate and I am measuring right on target. Baby is doing lots of gymnastics in the belly which makes me happy.

I had Eliza at 38 weeks. That is only 7 weeks away. You can pretty much assume I am starting to nest big time. However, with Eliza running around I don't think I will ever feel ready!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, June 22, 2009

Eliza is 21 Months Old

Eliza is 21 Months Old

She turned 21 months last week but I have been the world's worst blogger lately. Anyway, Eliza is a little ball of fire. She is talking up a storm. She basically narrates what everyone is doing all day long. I would try to make a list of her words but I would never finish.

Instead, here are some of her favorite phrases to say.

Mommy do it.
Mommy get it.
Za Za do it too.
Za Za eat some.
Pop's favorite orange.
Mommy's favorite purple.
Pop weedwackin.
Pop fix it Signing Time. My dad fixed the DVD player for her once.
Nana's house watermelon. My mom gave her watermelon for the first time.
____________ sleeping. Enter whatever name you like human or pet.
Baby's heartbeat.
Dump it.
Dump pee in the potty.
Flush it.

Daddy working.

Daddy edit.

and many many more that I can't think of at the moment.

She is pretty much getting into everything and anything. She has dumped entire rolls of toilet paper into the toilet bowl. She opens whatever doors and cabinets she likes to get whatever she wants. She stands on the dining room table. She loves to jump and tries to jump down the stairs. I get tired just writing about everything she does.

She is obsessed with colors and favorite colors. She enjoys color everything but paper. She even likes to sort her toys into color categories.

I can't believe my baby is almost two. She seems like such a little person these days.

Happy 21 months to my sweet little E!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Cloth Diaper Blog Thirsties Giveaway!

Looking to grow your cloth diaper stash or give cloth a try? Check out the Thirsties giveaway at The Cloth Diaper Blog!

The winner will receive:

(1) One absorbent and trim Thirsties Fab Fitted Diaper
(1) One leak-free Thirsties Diaper Cover
(1) One Thirsties All In One Diaper (a pocket diaper and AIO combined!)
(1) One Package of 3 Thirsties Fab Doublers

The winner will get to select both colors and sizes of their Thirsties products!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Fluffy Wish List- Part 1

The thought of cloth diapering another little tush has sent my desire for cloth diapers into overdrive. I really never explored much with E. We tried a few brands but then I stuck mostly with BumGenius. I have been using GroBaby as well and so far so good. However, there are many amazing cloth diapers available and I would like to try them out so I can make recommendations to people. I have put together a fluffy wish list. These are the cloth diapers I would love to try in the future. I am sure I could have added about ten more but I held myself back. Of course if anyone would like to send me cloth diapers to review I would be honored to let Eliza give them a go and of course my hubs will take some adorable photos to boot!

Here are some pics from his latest shoot. I think the babies would look even cuter in cloth!


Swaddlebees Econappi All in Two! $28.95


Applecheeks! $18.00

GADBaby $14.95

Smartipants 3 for $36.95 right now!
I also created a registry at Kelly's Closet. Check it out! Magic Word- CRUNCHY!

Potty Learning Update

I have been totally MIA from posting and reading blogs. My husband has been working insane hours and 12-14 hr days alone with a toddler at 30 weeks preggers is wearing on me a bit.

Anyhoo...

We are trucking along with the potty learning. We have good days and not so good days but I really feel we have made progress overall.

E usually has only a few accidents a day.

She almost always pees when you sit her on the potty.

I haven't dared to bring her to a store with just her trainers on yet.

She doesn't like the feel of poop anymore and will ask to be changed.

She is napping in her undies!

On occasion she tells me she needs to pee and then actually goes!

All in all I am pleased with our progress.


We do keep to somewhat of a schedule with potty breaks. We usually sit on the potty upon waking in the morning and from her nap. We also usually try to go before leaving the house and when we get home. Otherwise she goes two hours after waking up and every hour until nap time. The she goes two hours after her nap and every hour until bed. So far this has been working well for us. I think it is important that she learns to try to go at certain times- like before leaving the house- then to only go when she feels the urge.

Hopefully I will get another chance to post soon- and to stop by all of your blogs to see what you have been doing!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Pregnancy Update- 29 weeks

I had my Ob appointment this morning. I can't believe I am 29 weeks. I delivered E at 38 weeks and that seems so close. Everything is going well. I think I have gained about 22lbs so far. I have been having lots of Braxton Hicks. They said if I have more than 4 in a hour to let them know. I think I have def. had more than four in an hour but it is usually when I am I busy with E. If I take time to lay down and relax they stop. I had my RhoGam shot and passed my glucose test. My platelets are a little low and will need to be checked again when I go into the hospital for delivery. My one major complaint has been that this baby is laying on my lungs sometimes and I feel like I can't breathe. It is a very uncomfortable feeling. Otherwise, I have had some indigestion and leg cramps but nothing I can really moan about.

and now the belly pics...

Here I am at about 27 weeks with Eliza

Here I am at 29 weeks with #2.

Here I am at about 30 weeks with E.

I think I look about the same. People say I am carrying different this time around but it looks the same to me.

So what do you think? Boy? Girl? Don't forget to stop by Expectnet to participate in my online baby pool!

Last Sunday I attended my friend Erika's shower. She used to live in my development and everyone in the pic. was neighbors. The three of us in white are due within about a week of each other. Crazy right? Stacie (in green) has a little man about 5 months. Why am I such a Hobbit? Seriously, I think Froto would tower over me.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Cloth Training Pants Review

Since E is potty learning I decided to try out a few different types of training pants. I figured I would share my thoughts in case anyone was interested in using cloth trainers.

In the beginning I ran out to Target and picked up some good ol' cotton Gerber training pants. I have a bunch of these and they definitely come in handy. Eliza really doesn't want to wear a diaper most of the time and we usually throw a pair of these on her. They are a little bit thicker than undies but if she does pee a lot we DO end up with a puddle on the floor. Sometimes she decides she wants to wear two pairs at once and this actually works a better. She can feel the wetness and no puddle. They are also reasonably priced (3 pairs for $10) which is a PLUS!

I also ordered two different trainers from Kelly's Closet- the Bummis trainer and the Imse Vimse organic cloth trainer. I have been using them both for a little over a week.

Bummis

The Bummis trainer has a polyester knit outside and 3 layers of terry pad topped with soft flannel on the inside. My one complaint about the Bummis is that they resemble a huge parachute. E is on the skinny side and the Bummis are huge. It is actually kinda tough to get clothes on over these trainers. However, they do a pretty good job of containing mess and if she is just running around the house they are a good option. She is actually taking her nap in her Bummis trainer now and I feel pretty confident that even if she does go it won't leak. One trainer runs $11 in white and $12 in print.

Imse Vimse

The Imse Vimse trainer has three layers of absorbent terry fabric and a layer of PUL. It is made with soft organic cotton and fits like a dream. I really love this trainer but it is a bit pricier than the Bummis @ $14.30 a pop. Eliza has the jungle print and it is adorable. I will probably order one or two more pair.

I haven't tried but would love to try the following trainers. I am considering ECing with baby #2 part time and might give these a go.

Fuzzies!
Fuzzies have a fleece outer and hemp/cotton knit inside, with microfiber terry sandwiched between. They run $17.50 but sound very comfy!


Little Beetle Learner

The Little Beetle Learner has two layers of fair trade organic velour cotton, with a third layer tucked into the wet zone. They run $17.00 a piece.

I am sure I could go on and on and on about cloth trainers. There are so many options available I can't see why anyone would choose Pull Ups. You could easily get a few great cloth trainers for the same price you will spend on Pull Ups and you can reuse the trainers for more than on child.

Do you use cloth trainers? Please let me know if you have a great cloth trainer suggestion.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

I am not going to be completely wordless. I promised my husband I would write that I took these pictures. I usually post his work- but these are mine!

Monday, June 8, 2009

My Cloth Diaper System

I have posted several times about cloth diapering. However, I wanted to go into a little more detail about the I use process- so here it is!

I currently use Bum genius one size and Bum genius AIO (all-in-one). I am trying out Grobaby cloth diapering system as well. I would like to use a cloth diaper with snaps but Eliza is way too wiggly.

I keep my cloth diapering supplies in my downstairs bathroom. I have a little garbage can I use as a diaper pail. I have been meaning to get a pail liner, but have been a slacker. I have never had a problem with odor. I spray my pail and wipe it with a cloth wipe every other day when I do a load of diapers. Then I throw the wipe in with the diapers.

In one basket I have diapers, inserts and doublers. In the other basket we have E's trainers (she calls them undies) and cloth wipes. I make my own wipe solution as well. I keep that in spray bottle in the the bathroom too.

Like I said above, I usually do a load of diapers every other night. It definitely helps to have more diapers. I need to make sure I have enough diapers to last me while the other ones are drying. This hasn't been too tough lately because with potty training E only wears a couple (2-4) diapers each day. Most of the time she has been waking up from her naps dry so I am able to reuse that diaper again later.

Sometimes I dry them in the dryer and other times I put them on the drying rack. I would love to have a clothesline because the sun would do a wonderful job of drying and bleaching the diapers. I make do with a drying rack and a window. I am trying to use the diaper rack even more because I think less drying will help to conserve the Velcro. I am currently waiting for Velcro replacement kits (FREE!) for my Bum Genius so I can revamp them for baby #2.

If you cloth diaper you must use a detergent that will not harm the diapers. I have used Allen's Naturally and Planet Ultra and they both worked extrememly well. There are quite a few that are OK to use and it is really an individual preference. I also use cloth wipes and they are washed along with the diapers. The entire process is really quite simple.

My one pet peeve is that I can't find great cloth diapering products ( diapers, wipes, detergents, pails, pail liners, etc) at major stores like Babies R Us & Target. Target carried Bum Genius for a little while but I haven't' seen them in a while. Unfortunately, these companies do little to promote cloth diapering even though it is becoming a more popular diapering choice. The current economic state has actually sent cloth diaper sales soaring- even used diaper sales. I would estimate that disposables- at the very least- cost about $1,500 from birth to potty training. I have defnitely not spent that much on cloth diapering. Additonally, cloth diapers can be reused with siblings or resold at site likes Diaper Swappers.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

My Prenatal Yoga Class

I had my first prenatal yoga class on Sunday and it was awesome. I was very nervous before I went. It was a new building for me,with new people, and a new experience. I had taken yoga once before but that was years ago and only one class. All of these things combined made me anxious. It is ironic that such a relaxing activity caused me anxiety. However, once I was in the car and on my way I immediately felt better.

Alicia, the instructor, is amazing. She is very sweet and genuine. She started the class by having everyone introduce themselves and talk a little bit about their pregnancy. There are women at all different stages of pregnancy in the class and it was nice to share and hear what they had to say.

I thoroughly enjoyed the class. it is an hour and a half long. We focused on breathing, chanting, relaxation and positions that ease the pains of pregnancy. It was very relaxing. The last pose we practiced was actually the suggested labor position from The Bradley Method.

Here is a pic from Pregnancy 360 of someone in a pose similar to the one we did. We actually used a bolster to support our leg. It is a very comfortable position if you are laying on a flat surface. I actually find that is uncomfortable for me on a soft surface like my bed.
We also did some squatting on blocks. The instructor recommended at least eight minutes of squatting a day. The Bradley Method also suggests that moms-to-be spend time squatting and not bending at the waist. It helps to tone and stretch the pelvic floor muscles that are used during vaginal birth.

I am looking forward to next week. The class is from 4:30-6:00 and when I arrived at home dinner was waiting! An hour and a half of relaxation followed by a dinner I didn't have to prepare. What could be more relaxing than that?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Pete's Latest Pics- First Birthday Fun!

Pete did a 1st birthday shoot this past weekend.



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