A pictorial of our lives...

Our days are full of:



And:




And this is how it makes us feel:




Disclaimer: All those stickers are the times Jake sat on the potty for a minute "trying" ... Which means all of the actual "going" has been mopped up off the floor between the "tries". We'll get there eventually...

Also, neither of the houses in the photo are ours but I made sure the addresses were covered. The sign and the over-watered lawn, however, are ours! (Writing on the sign has been whited-out, but basically, it's a FOR SALE sign! Which has kept us quite busy, what with the keeping the house spotless in the midst of life with 2 toddlers! And being pregnant on top of it, you can understand why the last picture is perfect for describing how we feel at the end of the day! And sometimes the beginning, and middle!)

We're doing great though. The boys are adorable and the itty-bitty is growing stronger every day. At 17 1/7 weeks I'm already 'showing', though my baby-belly is a lot softer than I would like it... which means it's more belly than baby!!! But what're ya gonna do? Just resolve to lose it at the end of it all, that's about it! I hope it comes off as easy as it did last time. I can't believe my due date is in just 160 days, according to that little counter on my sidebar. Doesn't that make it sound much closer than it is!?!

Well I better get back to the kids and continue flitting around the house cleaning. You wouldn't believe the mess they made over the last 10 minutes that I actually spent sitting down! (An overturned bucket of cars, a scattered pile of papers from off the desk, and the newly emptied hamper contents. Little tornadoes!)

Have a beautiful day! We're going to head out to the park. I'm debating whether to keep Jake in his cloth "big boy pants" or do a pull-up. I think cloth, for consistency. But maybe I should line his carseat with plastic!

The Unmentioned Truth

Our home is not peaceful these days.

I thought it was just a phase... but it's been about 3 weeks now. It feels like more!

The truth is, I have no idea what to do.

Austin doesn't just cry. He screams. And I think, although Jake is a saint and always responds to Austin's screams with compassion (unlike this tired mommy), it wears on him too because he's been on the fussy side as well.

Here's a little sampler of my day: I've spent the last 3 hours putting kids to bed. They take turns crying, non-stop, for 3 hours. MY three hours. You know, because after bedtime is mommy-time. And unfortunately, I've been looking forward to cleaning the house after bedtime today, so I've had to push that back for 3 hours, and now I'm up late again!

Confession time: I had a moment yesterday where I couldn't wait until my next workday. I have been at my wits end so many times over the last 8 months, I can't even count. I do feel like a failure sometimes. Like I should be able to handle this better. I want a million kids, remember. And don't anybody tell me I told you so, because I know we'll get through this and I know we will (God willing) have more. But I'm keeping it real here. We've hit a rough patch and I'm a little hormonal and, well, I'm just tired! I'm not living up to my own expectations. I lose my cool. I tell my kids to stop crying. I think, "I can't do this anymore," sometimes.

I do care what you think. (Whomever you are.) I think that you could do it better than me, have endless patience, give instruction and discipline without a hint of frustration or desperation, never get weary from the unrest, sleepless nights & screaming.

((you = everyone...))

Quick side bar: I've wanted to say this for a long time now, but haven't. But right now I have to! My in-laws are AMAZING! They have saved me more times than I can count. They are both "givers" and I know without a doubt that if we needed it, they would freely give us every ounce of their time and energy and means without asking anything in return. I am eternally grateful, I simply can't thank them enough. I wish I could write more here & list everything, but that would take too long!

So anyways, back to my downer of a blog post. That's where I'm at this moment. It's not that bad, but I'm exposing the moments that are hard. They're hard to go through and even harder to talk about.

Most of the time, we're great. We go to the park & beach often, we're happy, we're just normal. I work hard, but our home is happy. But like I said, these last 3(ish) weeks have been crazy!

I really, truely don't want sympathy. But it would be cool if you've been there, to just tell me I'm not alone!

I am reminding myself that God will equip me for this, and that even when I feel like I can't do it, He can.

I'm also wondering if it's possible for Austin's colic to have come back... at 8 months old! :) I'm working out a schedule and we're going to be tweaking naptimes and feeding times. Desperately trying to figure out what the heck is going on in my house! Kevin & I keep encouraging eachother that it will get better, but I'm starting to wonder if that's true, because Austin has reverted to his colicky behaviour & it's gotta get better!

I just got off the phone with my husband (for our daily "goodnight" phonecall) who gently reminded me to count my blessings. Luckily, I appreciated it and did change my focus a bit- it came from a loving place. How easy it would have been to be closed off and snap back: "I am!" haha (I have plenty experience with that as well.) It'd be nice to end this post with a Bible verse or a comforting epiphany, but even though I'm feeling better, I'm just going to call it a day here!

The messy house is calling me, and my bed too. Kids are sleeping (yes!) I'm doing the quickest EVER cleaning job. A quick sweep, run dishwasher, wash poopy blowout clothes, & crash. Don't think I just sat here and spent all this quiet time writing this whole post. It's been on my screen ALL day long, and I've been coming back adding sentences here & there. (Thus the fragmeted nature of it). So the rest of the post was from about noon today. I love that it's a brighter note to end on.

My favorite new words of Jake's are:

Motorcycle = My.za
Helicopter = Oiee.dah.tah

I love hearing him trying to pronounce all the parts of the longer words now, whereas he used to just say the first syllable.

I also love how he says "mess" (Myce).

He's been talking about the fireworks ever since the 4th. He points up, and he says UP! Sky ("dye"), BOOM! while motioning an explosion with his hand. Sometimes he does sprinkling motion with his fingers after the 'explosion'. It's so cute!

Our Wednesday

THESE THINGS MADE ME SMILE TODAY...

*~ A large Zebra Mocha (from the drive-through cafe) and Quiet Time while in the beach parking lot with two well-behaving kids in the back seat... ahh! Good start to a day!

*~ Watching Jake run back and forth at the beach with GLEE, laughing. This made me smile ALL OVER!

*~ Smothering Austin with kisses, and noticing that no matter what he is doing, every time I kiss him, he smiles. Even when he's entranced by a toy, and I just kiss the back of his head, I notice a quiet little smile come over his face... that is the sweetest thing!!!

*~ Our new book, especially the last line, which has made me tear-up every single night for the last week: "I love you through and through... Yesterday, today, and tomorrow too."

*~ A quick straightening-up of the house, where I only did 50% of the work. Did you hear that?!? I only did HALF of it! My hubby did the other half!!!

*~ Two kids taking two long naps at the same time!

*~ Having lunch ready when my husband came home from running errands, and sitting together as a family to eat.

*~ Sneaking a big, fat, inappropriate kiss (from my hubby) when our visitor was in the bathroom. Then acting like nothing happened when he came out!

*~ Watching Jake follow Kevin around the yard as he was mowing the lawn, back and forth, Jake follows him-- every strip of the lawn!

*~ (ETA) For the FIRST time since his birth (7 months ago), Austin had a day completely free of reflux! Oh momentous day! (I'm adding this one on Thurs, didn't want to speak too soon.)

*~ This: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

*~ Experimental baking ... Putting Oatmeal Cookie Dough into MINI-CUPCAKE trays! Yummy!! Oatmeal cookie cupcakes! (And then eating about 4 of them while they're still hot and gooey, oh so good!)

*~ Sneaking a peek at my husband outside when he's not looking, and seeing that he is emptying the ashes out of the fire pit with JAKES TINY YELLOW SAND SHOVEL!

*~ Being humbled by these blessings, these lives that are such a part of mine.

I love days like these...

Disclaimer: they're not all like this!

MIA

That's me. Sorry friends! But I'm just writing to say that I'm going to continue to take the MIA route for now. My life has been keeping me busy. So busy that I feel like I'm just barely keeping my head above water at times!

There are some people whose togetherness make me feel like I'm the only one on the planet who isn't caught up in my housework or who has ever felt this tired. And then there are those who confide that they've been there too. Aah! I'm so thankful for my friends here who have shared glimpses of their lives, and made me realize that I'm not alone!

So let me just expose, once-and-for-all, something that I've been feeling horrible about for the last few days. My house is a wreck.

There. I said it.

I feel like I'm being overtaken by laundry. My sister (who is on top of everything, including taking-in everbody else's children {and foreign exchange students too}) told me today that she's been there. WHAT!?!?!? It felt so good to hear that!! Misery does love company, my friends. LOL I just wonder why she couldn't have told me that before, it would have saved me a whole lot of beating myself up! Because if she has been there, then I HAVE to surmise that every mom has. At least, every mom who doesn't have help. Or most.

Not that I've been busy doing laundry the past week, but I have spent today dwelling on the sinking feeling this mess is giving me! (That's productive, hah!) I haven't exactly been sitting around doing nothing either. (Oh the joy that would be!) Our TV stopped working and I realized that I'm actually craving it, isn't that terrible!? (But I have a sick toddler with no TV... how will I keep his mind off his sorrows for yet ANOTHER day without at least one sitting of Baby Einstein or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!?!)

None of this is explaining why I've been missing from the blogosphere. I guess the answer is, with all the building up housework and bills and everything else I have to do, along with my precious little ones who fill my days (& whose days I strive to fill), ... I just haven't been able to bring myself here to write lately!

And now that I have, I'm really not liking what's coming out!!! LOL So my moment of dreariness is forever recorded in bloggy history. That's what I get for writing when I should be cleaning! Or sleeping! So I will end on a brighter note... The charity scrapbooking event (Fantasyland Crop) that my mom, sister & I participated in over the weekend raised >$6,000 for Rady Children's Hospital Oncology Unit!! (Final totals not in yet). It was a blast and very exciting to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Woo Hoo!

Okay, back to MIA... (AKA: consoling crying babies, trying to catch up, working, yes I'm back to work, and reading/playingwith/feeding/raising/nurturing my babies!)

I'll try to come back soon! *HUGS*

4/14 EDITED TO ADD:
THE NEW TOTAL FOR THE FUNDS RAISED AT THE EVENT IS $10,829! A PORTION OF THAT IS FOR THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB (I'M GUESSING ~$2,500 OR SO BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY TOTALS AT THE EVENT... WE GOT TO CHOOSE WHICH CAUSE OUR MONEY WOULD GO TO) - THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE CHOSE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ONCOLOGY UNIT.

THERE ARE THREE *GREAT* RAFFLES THAT WE KICKED OFF AT THE EVENT- I THOUGHT I'D PASS THEM ALONG IN CASE ANYBOY IS INTERESTED.

1- A CRICUT MACHINE, ($300 VALUE)
2- WALL PORTRAIT OF YOUR CHILD, HAND EMBELLISHED, ($1000 VALUE)
3- AN AMAZING PROFESSIONALLY PAINTED FAMILY PORTRAIT ($3000 VALUE)

CHECK THEM OUT &/OR ENTER HERE.

Dropps Laundry Detergent

I'm not writing this so I'll have an extra entry in the giveaway (though it's a cool bonus!) I'm really excited about it. I've heard such great things about this laundry detergent (Dropps), and the contest is to win a years supply. (I currently use Charlie's Soap, and *love* it! This detergent is also earth-friendly, enzyme free, etc...) So I definitely entered and wanted to share the opportunity with all of yous!!! {{ Head over HERE to enter! }}

Pictures of my boys!

This post is all about the pictures...


Productivity! (I had no choice!) Yesterday I finished the last-minute shopping I had to do. I spent the entire day out with the boys... we started out at CostCo, had lunch, dropped groceries off at home, straight to chiropracters, and then to WalMart... wooh! It was a full day!!! Today I also forced myself to be majorly productive, even after a *horrible* night lastnight! Jake wouldn't take his first nap, and I worked straight through his 2nd nap (or should I say wrapped... Almost all the gifts are wrapped! No bows yet though.) Housework is halfway there, just have to fold some laundry and mop tonight after Jake's asleep. And tomorrow morning, my LAST task... is to fix the Christmas tree! I haven't re-decorated it since it fell a few weeks ago, but it has to be ready for Christmas morning! Oh yeah, and I have lots of baking to do!!! I bought butter/milk/eggs in bulk in preparation, but I also bought some pre-made cookie dough because I know my life and, although I've been DYING to bake for the last 4 weeks, who knows if I'll actually be able to with these little guys! Cross your fingers that I get some me-time in the kitchen tomorrow (ahh, that would be wonderful!)


What are your Christmas traditions? We haven't gone to church since Austin was born. But we *HAVE* to go to a Christmas Eve service!!! Last year was my first year EVER missing the eve service, because Jake was 5-months-old and sound asleep, and we were tired & let it slide, but I was sad later! I am desperate to go to church- Austin has just been so difficult during his unconsolable times that we haven't been able to every time we try! But we're going to try on Monday. I *will* get there. Whether or not we'll be able to stay there is another story! But we're getting there.



Austin has been sooo smiley today! He turned 7-weeks old yesterday. His first smile was at 4 weeks, but he hasn't 'practiced' this new skill very often, and I haven't been able to get it on camera. Today he was babbling away and smiling lots, it was so cute! The pics above were the best I could get, though. That sweet smile comes so quick and then it's gone before my (slow) camera captures! These pics are of the aftermath of the cute wide-mouthed "laugh" smiles. He's so cute!

(This little Christmas outfit came in the mail today from a friend of mine from work. I HAD to put it on immediately and snap some pics. SO CUTE! He'll be wearing this Christmas morning)

Some Cutie-PaTootie Boys!!!



Here are the cousin-boys, Jake & Robby, in their Halloween costumes. They were so cute together! (Spider & Cheetah)


Kevin's Aunt (Carleen) was in town to visit & got to meet the two 'great' nephews for the first time. It was such a nice time hanging out, but I'm afraid I was a little tired & preoccupied, that I feel like it flew by too fast. I barely got to 'really' talk to anybody & am so *totally* bummed that I didn't even get a picture of Jake with his great auntie!!!! What is wrong with me!?!? (Have you ever done that? Gone to a get-together, and drove away thinking, "I barely *really* talked to anybody!")

Chalk it up to my hurty/crampy pregnant tummy... which is actually a good thing because today we have an exciting progress report... I'm 1 cm dilated!!! Not that it means much- last time I was 1cm for 3 weeks before Jake actually came. But it's still exciting! The doctor could feel baby's little head (he's head-down, obviously). The closer it gets, the more excited I get. I can't wait to hold my sweet baby boy!!


So I'm (pretty much) ready for him to come. I do want him to stay in at least another week, of course. (He'll be "term" on Wed, plus Grandma Judy has to get back in town first!) But it feels soooo good to have my biggest 'loose ends' finally tied!! His closet is done! Changing table ready! Cloth diapers in the mail- and my grandma, mom & I are having a diaper-sewing marathon tomorrow to fluff up my stash. And the most exciting thing ever... is THIS!!! (see pic)


I know it's not baby-related, but it's been hanging over my head for so long and it makes me feel more organized & 'ready' run this home more effectively in the midst of mommy-of-two-hood. Whatever that means, I can't really explain it.

Before Jake was born we tore out our storage nook, with the intention of getting a desk & storage unit to put in it's place. (We did it because Jake's room was the 'computer room', and so we would need a new place for the computer stuff.) I've regretted it ever since, because we lost a ton of storage, but never replaced it with a desk or storage! For the last 17 months we've been sitting in a chair, crouched over a piano bench (our make-shift "computer desk") in this empty nook in the living room/hallway. Ugh! So ugly, embarassing, & uncomfortable!


So my wonderful father-in-law, who is the most talented wood-worker I've ever seen, offered to make us a custom unit. Look at how PERFECT it is!!! I can't believe he made it for us, and how it fits our needs so perfectly. We have storage and a desk and, on top of that, it's BEAUTIFUL! (P.S. the keyboard & mouse will go in the drawer... we just have to adjust the wood a little because our keyboard is thick.)

Before Jake was born, he also made us the most amazing changing table ever-- I told him what I wanted, showed pics for ideas, and he *made* it. Everything he's ever made us has SOOOOO exceeded my expectations/imaginations! I just can't say enough about it! So I had to show it off. (P.S. the wood looks a little orange in the picture, but it's not, it's a perfect brown.)

So I am able to take all of our 'office' stuff (envelopes, stamps, bills, files, pens, etc) out of the boxes & baskets, bags & piles, and they now have an organized home and we have more living space. Feng Shui! Ahh it feels so good! Stay tuned... we have more projects on the way in the next few months!!! (A new linen cabinet, drawer set, and toddler bed!)


I know, my blog is super exciting, right? LOL
Sorry!


Fire update- family is all well and properties intact! Sis still at friends house with the baby. Their home & business is fine but their neighbor (4-houses-down) lost their home. These fires have been so devastating to so many. On a bit brighter note, Jake got to go outside today for the 1st time in 5(?) days. He was LOVING it! So nice to be able to breathe a bit better! Things are looking up as the fires are moving away from homes and getting closer to containment, but the firefighters are still working around the clock.


Anyways, hopefully this next week brings some fun and exciting things. Halloween fun, pumpkin carving, maybe some creative creations (knitting, sewing, scrapbooking), yummy cooking, family time, and of course some more cleaning/organizing... that's my plan anyways. What are yours?

THE FIRES

Here's a quick little update on us & the fires.
{{And a great website on the San Diego fires... the San Diego County Emergency Homepage.}}

As you know, there are fires popping up everywhere in So Cal. And, as you may or may not know, most of our family is in San Diego (where many of the fires are concentrated)-- and we have family members out there fighting them.

So I just wanted to post a little update- thank you to all those who have been concerned about our safety! We're all doing great. "Our" firefighters are all safe, (Kevin's brother,his uncle, & my nephews dad (former-bro-in-law)). They are working so hard with very little sleep.

My sister and her family (with newborn Finn) have been mandatory evacuated and are safely staying with a friend. Their home is intact at this time, and I pray it stays so. The Fallbrook (Mission) fire is a few blocks east of their house, but across the highway. We also have family in Ramona (Kev's aunt/uncle/cousins) who has been evacuated as well. I've been thinking about them a lot, especially with uncle being out fighting the fire as well. They are all safe, but I haven't heard about their properties. His/our cousin JUST moved into her home the week or two prior!

My in-laws have voluntary evac orders, but the fire is nowhere near them & all are safe. (FIL has a fire/disaster radio as he's a retired fire captain, so they're still in their home & listening for all the updates... no mandatory orders.) My parents are in Lakeside where there have been some evacs, but sofar it looks like they'll be out of the path of the fire/evacuations. Other siblings/family doing well.

Oh yah, and us! We're not really near the fires- the Irvine fire is about 20-30 miles north and the San Marcos is about 20-25? miles south of us, so we just have lots of ashes raining around us. Staying indoors & being creative to keep Jake busy & stimulated, (hating keeping him cooped up for 3-days!)

Please keep our firefighter family members in your prayers (and their wives/family members at home waiting) -- as well as all of the firefighters & police officers out there. And a quick prayer as well for our families, friends, and all those who are affected by the fires.

In other household news... I've been nurturing a sick hubby, a baby recovering from tummy bug & coming down with daddy's cold, who also just cut his bottom left molar (#4) & had vaccines... As well as preparing the nest for the new baby! I still have 4 weeks to go, (36 weeks), hopefully he'll come a little early! Maybe at 38 wk? Of course, when he's ready... but a girl can wish!

Today's 'nesting' task... I'm rearranging Jake's drawers, splitting closet space, & pulling out some of Jake's old clothes for the new baby. I started making the changing table a table-for-two! It's hard to fit two sizes of diapers on there! (& imagine having a diaper bag for two... how will I ever fit everything I need for 2 babies in ONE diaper bag!?) lol Lastnight I placed another order for some itty-bitty-fluffies! (translation: some more newborn cloth diapers, so cute and soft!) I think my stash will finally be complete, I've been building it up slowly over the last few months- thanks to my *favorite* online diaper store, Nicki's Diapers.

And maybe if I feel like SITTING DOWN (imagine that!), I can try for the 20th time to get the carseat cover off of the newborn carseat so I can wash it. Now that's a nice relaxing down-time project, isn't it? Because, god-forbid I actually sit down and accomplish NOTHING for a few minutes of my day! haha The crazy busy-ness of an expecting mama... I wish I had this much drive all the time! {{I'll admit, I probably spent an hour pampering my feet lastnight as we watched news coverage during Jake's nap... felt like I was 'wasting time', but my feet felt sooo goooood! After doing a pampering treatment & pedicure (minus the paint), I put a thick overnight salve on them and let them REST-- then put socks over it for the rest of the evening. I want soft feet when I'm in my birthing time!}}

I hope you and yours are all doing well~*

What have I been doing lately? Nesting & Cooking!


More about food... just skip this post if you aren't into cooking! Don't you love trying new recipes, though? I love baking and cooking-- when I actually make time to do it! After baby is born, there probably won't be much creativity happening in the kitchen, so I'm having so much fun doing it right now! This morning I tried a new recipe for Banana Sour Cream Waffles. Yummy! They were *by-far* the most moist waffles I've ever had. (I made them with a Belgian Waffle maker, so the recipe that was supposed to make 4-6 waffles, only made 3 belgian waffles. That's all we needed, though.)







BANANA SOUR CREAM WAFFLES


1 C flour
1 C sour cream
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C milk
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 C butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg, separated


In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In small bowl, beat the egg white with whisk until light peaks form; set aside. Add eff yolk, sour cream, milk, butter, and banana to the flour mixture & mix well. Fold in the whipped egg white. Follow instructions on your waffle maker. For the Hamilton Beach Waffle Baker (Belgian): pour 3/4 C of batter into waffle waker & cook "6-7 min" until golden brown... but mine only needed 3 minutes on the golden setting. Enjoy!




Jake got yogurt and strawberries on his,





and Mommy & Daddy got BUTTER, strawberries, and POWDERED SUGAR!


{{I'd be so much healthier if I avoided the things I don't feed my babies!}} P.S. This waffle is very moist, but not sugary at all... Jake wasn't totally crazy about it- he ate the toppings off.

Add a little powdered sugar and it's perfect, if you have a sweet tooth like me.


On a quick note, regarding children & eating/health... My sister bought me a book for my bday called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. Have you heard of it? I actually just started reading it, and it looks REALLY GOOD! I wish I had it when Jake was younger! Check it out.

I also recently saw an Oprah about Jessica Seinfelds, "Deceptively Delicious" and Dr. Oz came on and did a whole show on children and eating. It was really wonderful! If your children (or HUSBANDS, ahem!) don't eat enough veggies, I would strongly recommend the book! Instead of "giving up", you 'hide' pureed veggies in their food... while at the same time serving fresh veggies so they learn that they still have to eat them, but that way you have peace that they're getting enough in the mean time. This book is definitely on my Christmas list. Even though Jake loves eating certain veggies, he's developed a distaste for others. I also want to sneak other yummy foods (fiber- wheat germ, & flax seed) into some of our recipes. Anyways, sorry for the RANDOM spiel!



Here is a sweet picture of my dad and Jake looking at the sunset at one of my favorite restaurants on the pier (The Fisherman's Wharf). My grandma (from NY) and parents came by yesterday- I wish I had more pics but my camera ran out of batteries!) Jake loves his grandpa soooo much!!!!! (He was sleepy and was snuggling with grandpa, so cute!)

Have a great day!!!

YAY! We're getting excited about little brother!!!

Nesting is in full-swing! Although it's killing me to have to limit my activity, due to the ridiculous fundal (uterine) pain I've been having. (Which has taken me off work 3 weeks earlier than anticipated!) I'm glad to finally have an answer to what is causing it (it's some sort of neuropathic pain caused by nerve entrapment, and is very rare but not dangerous at all), but nothing will really help it except birth. In the meantime, I'm DYING to get some stuff done but at the same time trying to take it slowly so I don't hurt too bad. It's very unsettling to have so much undone and baby's 'guess-date' approaching so quickly! Luckily, we have everything we need-- it's just some deep cleaning stuff I want to get done. RANDOM! All that was just to say that we're excited about baby, and happily preparing! Which brings me to:

AN ITTY-BITTY NEWBORN DIAPEE!


I'm so sorry about yet another post about cloth diapers! But I think I revised the pattern a little so that it's a bit easier for me. (Changed the steps to creating the back edge & elastic. The front edge is just a bit less "finished" looking in the umbilical cord cutout, but it's worth it for me... I was having trouble with finishing the back the other way! And without the cord cutout, I'll be able to make the front look much better. Visions of alterations were running through my head as I tried to fall asleep lastnight!)

This one has an inner of black suedecloth and outer of 2mil black PUL, with a 3-layer microfiber sewn-in soaker.

Below are just 2 pictures (close-up) of the back elastic right after I did it-- I wanted to show Kayla. (Rest of the diaper is not done yet in those pics.)

Have a beautiful day, friends!!!

WOO HOO! I finished my 2nd diaper today...

About the performance, I LOVE IT! It is sooo soft inside, and when it was wet, I couldn't even tell by touching it! It's the *least* bulky AIO diaper ever, and super absorbant. I'm not bragging... I didn't do anything except follow directions on a pattern! I think the material makes all the difference though. This combo is just perfect for us right now~*

P.S. Kayla pointed out the downward slant of my tabs in the picture where Jake is wearing it. (Previous post.) They actually do fit right, but that was just me being rushed... he was squirming so I put it on as quickly as possible and he hit the ground running (toddling). That's how most of our diaper changes go... as quick as possible... sometimes cotton hanging out from around our covers, most of the time the pants or shorts don't get put back on... Miss Preggo here is having a hard time maneuvering this little guy against his will- he's strong & my back & tummy are killing me! (And since he's so much more mobile, most of the time he doesn't want to waste his time with diaper changes... wants up the minute you put him down!)

P.S. Check out this picture... Jake must know that the housework is getting a bit harder for mama... he's trying to pitch in and do some sweeping! (It was so cute! He was moving it back & forth, so adorable!)

Sweet Daddy Time!

Natural Living~~~
I try so hard!!!
What are those 'crystals' in diapers that make them so unnaturally super-absorbant that a baby can pee in them a zillion times and they'll expand to four times their usual size before even feeling wet or leaking? I always wonder. What chemicals am I putting against my son's skin? (I've tried Seventh Generation diapers, no bleach or crystals... better than the others but not as absorbant!) I try so hard to cloth diaper most of the time, but still use disposables sometimes out of convenience. Anyways, every time I throw a disposable out, I think, "that'll take 500 years to biodegrade"... is it worth it? {{Not to mention that nagging question about the chemicals in them!}} Each child creates 2 tons of diaper landfill, which will remain there for 500 years! What am I contributing to the earth, and who will my actions affect and for how long? Long before I'm gone, and my children too. Anyways, I don't consider myself a super crazy environmentalist, but I try so hard to be ecofriendly and... my driving factor is actually the health of my family. And I do get sad about what we do to the earth!

So we've been trying to eat whole organic foods for a while, not always totally successful, but we do alright! I also try to avoid chemicals in the house/yard, but since my veggie garden died, I've actually let some pesticides & fertilizers creep into the garage shelves.

Here's the point of my post! No matter how hard I try, there is so much out of our control! I promise I'm not neurotic or stressed out about this, but it gets to me when I think of it... and I have nothing against China, but I am not buying anything from there for a LONG time because it seems that all of the (MANY) recalls lately have been from there. Like I said, nothing against the country, but there is something lacking in the inspection process or the safety guidelines. So anyways, besides the millions of childrens toys that were just recalled (from China, due to lead as well)... some of the vinyl bibs that we've been using on Jake for the past 6 months were recalled because they *just* found out that they have LEAD in them! Three times the safe levels! (Lead, can cause neurological damage & death!) I'm not afraid, I know Jake is fine, but it really irks me that I bought them here on the shelves of Babies R Us and they are just now finding this out.

Okay, so I'm getting rid of the bibs... feeding him naked & hosing him off afterward :) lol No big deal. But then yesterday I read that plastic baby bottles have toxic chemicals (bisphenol A: BPA), which are released into the bottles contents. BPA can lead to cancer, impaired immune function, hyperactivity & other problems. If your bottles are heated in any way (microwave, sterilizer, dishwasher), then the plastic degrades quicker, releasing more chemicals into the contents. Lovely! Hard polycarbonate BPA containing plastics are the worst, so we should try to use safer, softer plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyamide. Better yet, is glass, or an alltogether BPA-free bottle. So I'm off to Babies R Us to get new bottles/sippy cups. If you are going to do the same, go for either glass or the following brands make BPA-free bottles: Born Free (ALL theirs are BPA-free), Gerber, Sassy, and Medela. Make sure you read the labels, and that they say BPA-free.

P.S. The comment I've gotten from many... we all consumed these chemicals and we're fine. I KNOW! But does that mean I should feed them to my children!?! With cancer and especially autism rates rising to strikingly high numbers... (both with unknown causes)... why not try to live more naturally and healthily?

P.S. I'm not over-protective or controlling or neurotic- I am pretty laid back with Jake, especially when he's out with other people, because I know that things in moderation are good and a little junk food or whatever won't kill him-- but when I can help it, when he's home with me and/or I'm feeding him or changing his diapers or maintaining the home we live in, I am doing so in the most natural, healthy & earth-friendly way that I can. (And I am glad that I am the one doing most of that stuff most of the time!!!) So there's my crazy blog rant #2... hopefully this one was a bit more useful than my last! I am afraid this note will present me as a little high-strung, but oh well. I'm not. (Maybe a little more than usual when I'm pregnant, but not usually!) lol

We LOVE the summertime!!!!

I can't believe it's already the end of August... sad! But in the mean time we're enjoying every minute. {{Well, minus the ones that we're dying of heat, trying to find an excuse to get out of the house.}} Pregnancy and hot non-air-conditioned hot days don't work well together! haha But we've been spending lots of time relaxing in the shade outside, going to parks, beaches, and visiting other peoples pools or air-conditioned malls/etc. One things for sure, if I'm home during the hottest part of the day, I'm absolutely NOT doing anything productive!!! haha I'm usually lounging with baby.



About above pic, yes, I did let Jake sit naked in the grass. I was worried about his poor little bottom getting itchy but he didn't mind. I had to set him down while I ran inside to get a towel & hat before putting him in the little pool (below), but had to take a pic of my little naked boy!



P.S. I have something exciting on my mind... Jake is sleeping better than he ever has!!!! When he was born we put him to sleep with a pacifier because it's one of the recommendations to prevent SIDS. (With the intention of taking it away at 4 months). We never stopped! Until 3 nights ago. The first night was hard, but now he sleeps through the night without any wake-ups, without calling us in there to replace it. I've been absolutely dreading it, but he has learned in just 3 short days how to self-soothe and put himself to sleep on his own. Lastnight he went down without even ONE PEEP... he watched me say goodnight, and rolled over and hugged his "baby" lamb. YAY!!!!!!!!

Really quick, on a different note, I've been inspired recently to try my hand at a veggie garden again. Still trying to figure out where to start, because this time I want to do it right and have enough food to feed my family... but I'm hoping to get one started in the next few months. Seeing pics of my friend's garden totally inspired me, so if anybody has any tips, I would love to hear them! The other thing is that I'm going to pick up some knitting again-- make some things for my new baby, who I am suddenly sooo excited to get things ready for. (Nesting has begun!!!) We don't have much to do to prepare for another BABY (we have everything we need), but there are things around the house that I definitely want to get done before he gets here. We have things that were supposed to be done 16 months ago (when I was "nesting" and preparing the house for Jake), that still haven't been done! We tore out our linen cabinets in the hallway to create a computer nook (with built-in desk and overhead cabinets for linens)... but it's still just an empty nook with the computer sitting on a piano bench and wires strewn across the house!!! Ah, it drives me nuts!! Every time someone comes over I have to explain because it's so embarassing! So we're going to get that done before this baby comes and have someone convert our desktop to "wireless". YAY! My old piano was also sitting on the patio for the last 16 months (since it got put out in the RAIN during hardwood installation...grrr...) and it was finally hauled away last week. (Another thing I'm always trying to make excuses for... our ghetto yard with old pianos and stuff in it... I say "we're still under construction, excuse the mess... for 16 months! Sometimes it's so hard to get things done around here, but I think Kevin is feeling a little "nesting bug" too, thank goodness! He's just as inspired as I am right now! YAY!!!) Little by little! I'm so happy. Getting rid of stuff feels so good! I'm sure I'll keep you all posted on the garden & knitting projects. I can't wait! :)