7 months old!

Christmas Eve we celebrated 7 months of having little Ephram in our lives :)

 

 

Someday I will get around to posting more than twice a month, I know I've dropped the ball lately, but at least I am remembering to do these little monthly updates!  It is something that I hope will be neat to look back on as our little mister continues to grow.

 

Here are some notable things from your 6th month of life, little man:

 

 

 

You said your first word, "MOM!" hooray!  There are many variations now, including "mama" "mommommom", etc...but you always get your point across- you want your mama!

 

You are rolling as a means of transportation these days.  Just recently I found you rolling yourself from your playmat to underneath the table. 

 

You LOVE your daddy & bounce up and down in excitement when he comes home from work each day.

 

You are still sitting up like a champ and becoming more adventurous each day in how far you stretch out your arms.  It is obvious you are wanting to become more & more mobile, but still figuring out how to get from place to place.

 

You love playing on the floor with mom & dad, singing songs & playing peekaboo.  On Saturdays you & daddy watch cartoons.

 

You are laughing more & more & learning to repeat an action if you get a good reaction out of mom & dad.

 

You also scrunch up your cute little nose these days & mimic mom & dad's facial expressions. 

 

You like apples, squash, bananas & blueberries, but are also willing to eat your greens.  You went through a major growth spurt this month, in part due to all these fun foods you've been getting!

 

We also had your first sick doctor's visit this month, for an ear infection.  :(  I think you handled it with much more ease than your momma!

 

 

We love making memories with you, sweet boy & cherish each new waking day that we have with you!

 

 

Its beginning to feel a lot like...

 

CHRISTMAS!

 

Ben & I were having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  It may have had something to do with our being sick for two days after Thanksgiving, thus rendering us unable to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving as we normally do.  Or it could have something to do with the 70+ degree weather we've been having, or maybe just simply that my mind was not prepared for the holidays to be here yet. 

 

Whatever it stemmed from, it just didn't feel like our favorite time of year.  We decided to make it our goal this past week & weekend to get a tree up & do a little decorating, really doing the tree was all we had planned to do.  Once we got started though, I think our spirits finally got caught up in the excitement of the season & we just kept going!  Holiday wreath, lights on the house, a trip to town to see holiday lights and this week I am working on our advent calendar.  We have the study we will be doing all ready to go.  I printed verses from here and I think we will go through the 24 Old Testement stories in the Jesus Storybook Bible (a fantastic children's Bible) that lead up to Christ's birth.  Ephram of course, is still too young to understand all of this, but I think it will be a great tradition to start now & to grow with as our family grows.

 

Once we finally were feeling festive, we remembered what a blessing it was to decorate and prepare for Christmas this week together as last year, Ben was deployed and little Ephram was still a wee little peanut in my belly :) I love having both my boys with me this year!

 

Here's some of the documentation from our week...

 

the naked tree

 

 

all dolled up with yarn balls & twinkling lights :)

 

 

 

our first time to light up the house...

 

a Christmas wreath to top off my husband's amazing light job...

 

 

scoping out the pretty lights around town...a favorite tradition of ours!

 (Ephram slept through most of it this year..hah!)

 

 

My two sweet men looking so handsome (and so happy!) in their holiday duds.

 

 

 

I hope to have some updates soon on our Advent study & calendar!  I am going to build the calendar as we go this year, as clearly, I dropped the ball on getting it made before Dec 1st! 

 

6 months old!

Sweet little man. Mom is a little behind on this 6 month post.  You will be 6 months & 1 week tomorrow, but mom & dad celebrated your half birthday from our sick beds with a stomach bug, so I am just now getting around to posting!

 

You turned 6 months old after Thanksgiving & celebrated with Lollie & Pop, who were way more fun than your nautious mom & dad that day. 

 

You just get more & more handsome by the day & we love every new little thing we learn about you as we watch your personality bloom :) 

 

Notable things from this month:

 

You have not one, but two teeth that came through in the last month & you handled it like a champ!  Minor fussing, and chomping down on teething rings, but overall quite a successful first round of teething.  Makes a momma proud :)

You are also sitting up like a pro these days, no more tripoding for you! Now you are getting more and more adventurous and lean forward as far as you can to reach new toys.  I can hardly get you to do tummy or back time any more, sitting is the bees knees in your book. 

You are also "bum scootching" while sitting, inching your way closer & closer to objects of interest.

When I DO put you on your tummy, you immediately roll over.  You like that trick. And apparently don't like tummy time.

However, when it comes to sleeping, you are quite the opposite.  I lay you on your back & you have started to roll over & sleep on your belly.  You know how to keep your momma nervous & on her toes. 

We've caught you studying your hands lately; it's quite cute.

You love your pacifier, car rides & playing with mom & dad & bob.

Your favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me"

I think you have discovered how to throw a temper tantrum.  You are letting mommy know quite certainly when you do NOT like something. 

You are getting more interested in playdates with little friends.

 

 

Hands down, you're the sweetest.  And I think we'll keep ya ;)



Powerpacked Pumpkin Smoothie {Dairy Free}

 

I know, I know, another pumpkin post.
They are all over the place this time of year.

 

I just finished pureeing about 12 cups of pumpkin so I am trying to come up with some creative ways to enjoy pumpkin this season!

 

I've seen several recipes for pumpkin smoothies on pinterest & such & decided to give it a go & came up with a scrumptious one that is also dairy free (which is hard to find!) to keep babycakes happy :).  You can easily substitute dairy back in for my dairy free items & I'm sure it would be just as tasty.

 

Not only was this delish, but it got extra points in my book for having some extra health benefits too! 

 

Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe:

 

1 cup pumpkin puree (frozen prefered)

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp soy protein powder

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp soy vanilla yogurt (mine was the trader joe's brand)

1/4 cup almond milk (or other dairy free milk)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

 

Blend all ingredients in a blender, adding a handful of ice cubes as needed (may need more if your puree was not frozen).  Pour yourself a glass & enjoy!

 

 

My Little Fledgling

 

 

This is my sweet little owl baby on his first Halloween.  Our squadron put on a little trunk-or-treat & although there will be no candy for E this year (not really sure if I ever want to start that tradition...I know, lamest mom ever), I couldn't pass up a chance to dress my little munckin up :)

 

What is it with babies & ridiculous costumes that make them all the more scrumptious?!  I don't know, but I love it. 

 

As I was deciding on what E would be, I wanted something that I could make for him myself, but with a very small degree of difficulty and involvement.  I didn't want to spend very much time or $$ on it. I mean, really, he will probably only wear it this once and basically just for the photo-op & memory.  I found this tutorial from the one and only, Martha Stewart & just eyeballed it (I mean really, who has access to a photocopier to print a template off at 375%), used some things I had on hand and came up with this. 

The little eye goggles were never going to stay around his eyes like the picture showed, so I opted to keep them out of the little guys reach, & atop his knit hat.  The hat, although missing it's owl ears, was perfect to help keep the little guy warm in the chilly weather we've been having.

 

Here's one more picture of this owl mama and her little fledgling :)  Love him.

 

 

5 months old!

 

 

A few days ago our little man turned 5 months old!  He's as sweet and handsome as ever and our love grows for him more and more each day.

 

Here are some highlights from this past month:

 

 

Giggles & squeals are an every day affair with you.  We are learning new ways to make you laugh each day & it's so fun to figure out your favorite was to play.

 

Peek-a-boo is one of your favorite games to play with us this month. We throw a little towel on your head & ask, "Where's Ephram?" and you pull it off & smile with delight!

 

It seems that every outing I take you on these days, people comment on how smiley you are!  You seem to be a very social kiddo & love to engage people :)

 

Just yesterday, we felt your first tooth (or maybe teeth) coming in on your bottom gum.  Today has been a little painful for you & you've wanted lots of momma cuddles.

 

You also ate your first solid yesterday...Bananas!  I think you're a fan :)  You kept reaching for the spoon to put it in your mouth.

 

You are an expert at rolling from tummy to back & have even rolled over from back to tummy once, so time playing on the floor is getting more & more interesting.

 

You are "tripoding" as I like to call it.  Sitting, with hands propped out in front of you for support- you love the new view it gives you.

 

We love you baby cakes!

 

Exercising + Motherhood

 

Ahh, such a sweet face. :)  But I'm actually going to refrain from talking about my little cutie pants boy to talk about exercise, more specifically, running!

 

During my preggo & pre-preggo days I was pretty active with soccer, yoga, cycling, any sort of group or team exercise--count me in!  I love social exercising & even more, I love the feeling of doing something active.  I was fortunate to be able to do cycling and yoga until I was 38 weeks pregnant and I can't say enough about exercising during pregnancy- it kept me feeling good & energetic (and there's the added plus of not gaining too many baby pounds!)

 

You can imagine the conundrum I was in 6 weeks post-baby when I realized I could no longer go to cycling class or yoga class with a baby in arm! What to do, what to do.  I considered doing a work out DVD, but can never seem to keep myself accountable to doing those consistently. 

I also considered running, but hated the idea.  Yes, I love exercising, but I hate running, or at least running just for the sake of running.

 

After spinning my wheels & trying to come with other things that would work for me, I eventually came back to running. It's something I can easily do with a baby, anytime & basically, anywhere & we have this really great jogging stroller that I hoped would fool people into thinking I was a runner, but had never actually used for running.  When I made the decision to start running, I immediately signed up for a local 5K (something I've never done), knowing that if I didn't have a goal like that to reach toward, I would never keep up with it.  I also enlisted the help of my husband, again, I knew I would need some extra accountability for this one.  He LOVED the idea & has always wanted me to run with him so he was all in!

 

We've been at it for about a month or so  now & I can now run for 30 minutes straight! Something I haven't done in I don't know how long.  It's been great so far, I can't say that I love running yet, but I do love spending time exercising as a family (such a blessing!) and I love the way I feel after finishing a run. 

 

 

3 more weeks 'til race day!  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.  In the meantime, if you're like me & having a hard time figuring out the best way to workout in the midst of life & all it's busyness & challenges, I just wanted to send some encouragement your way!  Set some goals, get some accountability & have fun with it!  This has been a huge part of our family time lately & has blessed us in more ways than keeping us healthy & fit.  :)

My new favorite :: family wall

I am loving our newly completed wall art and have been itching to share it with you! It adds so much fullness and cheer to our dining area and so well depicts the things dearest to our hearts. We have a collage of family pictures including one from Ben's return from his deployment, E's newborn picture, and our first family photo shoot. All three are filled with such sweet memories and I can't help but smile when I look at them. God is so good! Centered in all of these canvases is the saying, "what I love most about my home is who I share it with." So true:) Completing our little family wall is a canvas I made last week that is such a sweet reminder to us of the aroma we want our lives to be filled with: joy, prayer and thankfulness. I think it's so important to have things like this around the home to remind you of God's blessings and refocus us on what's important. It's easy to forget how richly blessed our lives are and when I look at this wall I can't help but think about how abundantly god has blessed our little family.

Family Photo Shoot at 3.5 months

We had some beautiful fall family photos taken a few weeks ago, when Ephram was about 3.5 months. The sweet little lady behind It's Me, Eloise! Photography was amazing and we were SO pleased with the results. I mean, it's hard not to take a good picture of this handsome little man, but she was so fun to work with and so talented!  Not to mention we got to drive around in a golf cart to our photo shoot destinations.  Entertainment + Family Photos = Win.

 

Here are some of our favorites from the session! And yes, we have a lot of favorites.  He's just too stinkin' cute :)

 

4 months old

Another month has just flown by!  We had E's 4 month appointment today and he weighed 14.2 lbs (35th percentile) & stretched over 26" (83rd percentile).  My tall, skinny boy!  Sounds like someone else I know ;)

 

Ephram has become SO much more engaging this month and we are definitely starting to see little bits of personality coming out. 

A few things of note from this month:

 

TEETHING.  Your picture from this month was all too appropriate, because for the past 2 weeks your hands have been almost constantly in your mouth.  You even fall asleep chewing on them at times.  The amber necklace or hippie beads, as Ben calls them, (pictured above) seems to help with some of the symptoms.

 

Your hand-eye coordination gets better & better every day!  You are even successfully reinserting your pacifier or sophie the giraffe into your mouth. 

 

Your squeals, laughs and coos are much more frequent and the "mmmms" have entered your vocabulary.  "Mama" may not be too far off!

 

You are rolling over from tummy to back these days- it's so fun to watch! 

 

My favorite time of day with you is when I go to get you from your crib in the morning & you grin at me with the sweetest smile and start moving arms & legs in sheer excitement to see me.  I melt.

 

Your feet are a new found discovery!  Every time I lay you down to play or to change you, your feet are the first thing you grab.  So cute.

 

Bob is still your wingman during tummy & play mat time.  He hardly leaves your side & you can't get enough of him. 

 

Bath time has moved from the sink to the tub & it is one of your favorite times of the day.  You kick and splash at the water with such determination & delight.  I think your Dad & I enjoy it almost as much as you do!

 

Love you, little man!

 



Upcycled :: Fall Wreath

I was so excited to get my fall wreath up today! We've had such great weather lately that I've really been in the mood to get my fall decorations up. 

 

 

Between taking care of the little mister & working on sewing orders, I haven't had much time to make a new wreath for the fall season.  I really loved my wreath from last year but like to change things up & update my style ever so often, so I was looking for something a little different.  Rather than jumping into a time consuming new wreath project (the one I make last year took hours to cut out all the little felt pieces) I decided to upcycle my old wreath & give it a little face lift :)  Here's what it used to look like: 

Add a little grey ruffling & a painted wooden letter "C" and I feel like I have a whole new wreath! It took me about 30 minutes to re-do during E's nap time & I still had time to spare to write this little blog post :)  Productive nap times are the best!

 

 

 

 

Happy Fall!  :)

Snapshots from our week

Play dates, extra weekday time with dad, loads of laundry and jogging with mom. Just a few photo highlights from our week! :) Happy Friday!

Photo shoot!

This weekend we took advantage of a special deal from a local photographer and had some pictures of our little family of three made! It was our first little family photo shoot. We had a great time scouting out a couple of great locations at sunset and Ephram was a model baby- not a single whine or cry. He must like having his picture made! Here's a sneak peek of the little man himself- cant wait to see the rest!

Best Buds

Ephram has been gaining interest in his buddy Bob over the past few weeks. It's cute to watch him try to interact with Bob & Bob is all too delighted to oblige. Usually with plenty of toe licking and a face lick if he can sneak it past me. He hardly leaves Ephram's side. I think a solid friendship is in the works :)

Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Pizza

 

On E's dairy free diet, I have really been missing homemade pizza nights.  I decided to give goat cheese a try as some dairy intolerant babies do tolerate goat cheese.  The pizza ended up being delicious & one of my husband's favorites so I had to share.   If you are a goat cheese fan, you will LOVE this pizza.

 

Here's what we used:

 

pizza dough (homemade or frozen, thawed)

1 TBSP oil

2 bell peppers (I used one yellow & one red)

1/4 tsp. black pepper, salt & garlic powder

2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1 poblano pepper, thinly sliced

2 TBSP fresh basil, torn in large pieces

 

 

And here's what we did:

 

Preheat oven to 450*.  Roll out dough onto pizza stone.  Roast bell peppers over gas flame or in oven until charred all the way around. Set aside to cool, then deseed & chop into large pieces. Puree bell pepper with oil, salt, pepper & garlic until nice & smooth in food processor or blender.  Spread bell pepper puree over pizza dough.  Spread tomatoes, goat cheese, poblano & fresh basil over pizza.  Cook in oven 15-20 minutes or until crust is slightly browned around edges.  Let cool, slice & enjoy!!

 

We paired our pizza with a spinach salad with walnuts, avocado & grape tomatoes, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. A great compliment!



3 months old

Sweet little Ephram Fletcher is 3 months old today!

It is amazing how quickly time is passing & how much our handsome little man changes daily.  Weighing in at over 13 lbs & stretching past 25" long, he really is becoming a big boy!

Some things of note from this past month:

You took your first airplane ride (first four, actually) and did so well!  You even earned your wings.

You also took your first trip to Texas & loved it & met lots of new friends & family.  I think it's safe to say you're a Texas boy :) 

You have been examining your fingers quite studiously and they often end up in your mouth.

You have learned to reach for & grab objects; some favorites include your pacifier, monkey rattle & O-ball.

I heard my first true "haha" laugh from you yesterday!  I was playing with your feet (those who know me well, know the irony in this one) and you were overtaken with delight as I blew raspberries on your little feetsies & clapped them to my face.  

In the past week, I've seen the first signs of teething. No teeth yet, but plenty of drool, gnawing at fingers & little red cheeks all point to teething.

Bob has started to catch your attention!  You will only tolerate tummy time when he is around to entertain you.  I think a long lasting friendship is forming already :)
You can support your own head now--every now & again it gets a little wobbly, but for the most part you've got it down!

We love you little E man! 

Dairy Free Key Lime Gelato

credit


With the extreme heat we've been having lately, I have had some major cravings for icey cold drinks & treats. Unfortunately, E has me on a no dairy diet as he doesn't seem to tolerate it well, so many of my favorite drinks & treats are off the table. 

A few weeks ago I decided to try my hand at adapting an Epicurious recipe for Key Lime Gelato to meet my dairy free needs & I have to say it turned out to be quite a success! I love when that happens :)

Here's the recipe:

2- 14 oz. cans lite coconut milk
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup raw sugar
3 TBSP lime juice (key limes if available)
2 tsp lime zest

 Pour coconut milk into a double boiler or heavy bottomed saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil. Let cool at room temperature, cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Gently whisk lime juice & zest into the base. Pour mixture into ice cream machine & churn according to product directions; freeze at least two hours before serving.


 ENJOY!

2 months old

And looking SO handsome!  Of course, I am just a wee bit partial :)

We haven't yet had his two month appointment but already, I can tell little man is getting SO long and if my vintage scale is right, he weighs upwards of 12lbs.

I think someone is taking after his daddy!

This month has been so fun; mommy & daddy soak up every little coo, smile and squeal.

A few noteworthy things from the second month:

You are smiling more and more every day & love smiling back at mommy and daddy.

In addition to lots and lots of cooing & "ahgoos" you have started these little exclamatory squeals...so cute!

Bath time is one of your favorites, it always calms you down.

Even more than bath time though, you love to have your hair washed and massaged.  We get the most smiles and even the beginnings of little giggles out of that. 

Mom & dad went on their first date without you this month & you were quite the sport.

At 6 weeks you started sleeping through the night (and mommy is so thankful!) and average about 8-9 hours per night.

You also moved to your big boy crib this month & are loving your superhero room :)

We have been so blessed in these two months & can't imagine life without you.

Love you, little man!



Has it really been four years?

Today I get to celebrate four wonderful years with my amazing husband. Four years seems like such a long time to me and yet I feel like it has just flown by. I am so thankful to God for the gift
He gave me in Ben.

Thank you, Ben for being a great leader and an amazing representation of Christ to me. I am sharpened and encouraged daily by your integrity, strength, love, humility and sweet spirit. You are the best daddy little Ephram could hope for and I am glad he has a man like you to look up to. Here's to the next four years and the many adventures to come! I am so glad to walk this life with you by my side :)

Cloth Diapering Review: Part II

In case you missed it, you can read Part I here.

So, now that I've talked about our decision on which type & brand we went with--onto our day to day process of using cloth diapers! 

I mentioned briefly in the first post that I use Ruby Moon cloth diaper detergent.  I haven't had any experience with using any detergent beside this one, but I can say that I do enjoy my Ruby Moon.  For HE washers, the recommended amount per load is 2 TBSP and one package is supposed to last for 90 HE loads. In almost 2 months of use, I am about halfway through the bag which seems to coincide with what the package claims. One of my cloth diapering friends gave me this link to all the cloth diaper approved detergents on the market with their rating & cost per load--very helpful chart, I recommend taking a look! 

I have REALLY enjoyed cloth diapering.  I can honestly say that I do prefer it to using disposable, one because we are saving money & I am always on board for that, but also, I just genuinely enjoy the process of it all and don't find it to be a great burden.  Maybe I just hate going through so many trash bags, I don't know, but it makes me happy not to throw things away.  Also, have you noticed how cheery the colors are?  I love grabbing a new diaper each time & being surprised by which color he will wear next!  It's almost like an outfit change ;)  And sometimes the diaper is his full outfit (we like naked days!), so at least its a cute one, right?

A few things differ from disposable when changing a cloth diaper.  One is rash cream.  Just as there are special cloth diaper detergents, there are also rash creams that are made specifically for cloth diapering.  Using normal rash creams will stick to the cloth & ruin the absorbancy of the diaper.  So be careful when choosing a rash cream!  I have heard that just using straight olive oil or coconut oil on their little bums will work just fine with cloth.  I bought a Kansas City local's homemade hiney rub and we are liking it so far--it smells like lavender, which always makes me happy.

Target also sells a brand called California Baby that is safe for cloth. 

With cloth, you can also choose to use cloth wipes.  It's recommended to have somewhere between 25-50 cloth wipes if you choose to go this route.  In preparation for using cloth wipes (I haven't fully transitioned over yet), I made a cloth wipe spray consisting of water and a few drops of lavender added to a spray bottle, which I will spray on the wipes before cleaning his hiney.  Lavender has antibacterial properties & it also smells great.  Win win.

You also need a wetbag or a diaper pail with wetbag pail liner for storing dirty diapers after a changing.  With all in one diapers, you can just throw them in the pail after cleaning off the dirty diaper (a nice perk), but with pocket, you need  to remove the pocket insert from the diaper cover so that when you throw them in the wash, they are cleaned thoroughly. The pocket is not very difficult to remove though, just an extra step in the process.  I made two wetbags which I wrote about here.

I do love my wetbags.  When they are full & ready for a wash, I just dump the contents into the washing machine, along with the wetbag...super easy & minimal touching of dirty diapers ;)
I think, eventually, though I will invest in some sort of diaper pail with a foot press that lifts the lid.  It can be very difficult to supervise a baby on a changing table & unzip a wetbag at the same time.  I think a hands-free diaper pail would be much easier to use! 

Ben & I also invested in a diaper sprayer & have been very glad that we did so.  It's not quite as necessary to have with newborn poo, although we still use it, but I think it will really be needed when he starts on solids.

As far as the "hassle" of cloth diapering goes, I really haven't found it to be an extra burden.  I just have to be mindful of when my clean diaper count is getting low & throw the dirties into the wash.
It takes about 2 hours to wash the diapers as they need to run through a cold water quick wash cycle, as well as a hot water heavy duty cycle.  I usually throw the dirties in after E's early morning feeding and they are ready to hang out to dry by 9 am or so.  In my opinion, the washing machine really does all the work.  The extra laundry doesn't really bother me because having a baby creates plenty of extra laundry any way, so what's one more thing? ;)

On top of the two wetbags I made for the home, I also made a portable wetbag that fits 2-3 diapers in it.  When we go out for the afternoon, I take this wetbag with me, along with a couple of extra cloth dipes & when he needs a changing, store the dirty ones in the wetbag.  I haven't had any problems with odor (typically newborn poo is not too smelly), but there are odor sprays & pail powders that you can use to neutralize smells.  Also, Sassy sells a brand of disposable bags that are odor neutralizing, I've found these to be a good option as well.
Of course, if we are on a trip and will be gone more than just one afternoon, I do switch over to disposable. But for day errands  & trips, I've found that I can still use my cloth without any extra difficulty.

I am by no means an old pro at this cloth diapering thing, but this is what has worked for us so far!  I was intimidated by it all at first, but have been pleasantly surprised by how easily it has flowed into our daily routine!  Hopefully I covered most things, but if you have a question or something to add, please feel free to leave a comment!

Cloth Diapering Review: Part I

Cloth diapering has been one of the fun experiments of new mommyhood. I was very excited about the prospect of it & talked about how we prepped for cloth diapering here.

Now that we are almost 2 months into it, I thought I'd give a little update for those interested.  I am going to break it up into two parts, because apparently I have a lot to say on the subject. This post will cover the type, brand & number that I use, along with detergent. 

I've had many people ask me about cloth diapering...what we are doing, our experience with it so far, etc..hopefully this post will shed a little light on the subject, for those who are curious!

One of the first steps in cloth diapering research is choosing the type of cloth diapering you want to do.  There are several types including: pocket, All-in-One & prefold. 

After much research, we decided to go with the pocket option.  Basically, with pocket diapers you have a diaper cover (shown above on my man's cute little hiney) with a "pocket" inside and cloth insert that slips inside of the pocket.  The cloth insert does most of the absorbing, but the pocket cover acts as an additional absorbant layer.  The outer side of the diaper cover is water proof to help with leaking.  On the flip side, All-in-One's are just what they sound like, the cover & cloth inserts are one and the same, no assembly required.

I opted to go for the pocket over the All-in-Ones namely because they tend to be much faster drying than All-in-Ones. And believe me, I have learned that drying time really makes a difference when I'm running low on diapers.  Being that you can disassemble the layers of the pocket diapers when you lay them out to dry, they dry much faster!  In this crazy heat, they dry in about 30 minutes in full sun.  I have a couple of All-in-Ones and even in full sun they take at least a couple of hours to dry.

The next step for me was deciding which brand of pockets to go with.  After reading lots of mommy blogs I decided on BumGenius.  I know there are many great brands but this particular brand seemed to get the most positive reviews from the most mommies (less leakage, great warranty, good durability & longevity) so I took the leap & ordered all BumGenius.  I really have no other brand to compare them to as I haven't tried any of the others...but while I can't give an opinion on any other brands, I can say that I LOVE my BumGenius diapers.  As E was a chunky little monkey, we were able to start him on the diapers when he was about 2 weeks old.  BumGenius diapers are OneSize diapers, meaning they are adjustable for all baby sizes, but typically are too large for those little newborn legs. 

Even at 2 weeks old we had no leaking problems & although they did engulf his little body, they did the trick!

It is recommended to start with 24 diapers for one baby.  At the time that I purchased mine, there was a buy 5 get the 6th free sale, so I ended up buying 15 and getting 3 free for a total of 18. 

With 18, I do laundry about every other day, but sometimes I end up having to launder every day. Not the end of the world, but  I decided recently to invest in a few more (again I found a sale! yay!) and will now have 22 which should ensure that I only have to do laundry every other day. 

As for detergent, there are several great ones out there, you just need to make sure they are approved for cloth diapering.  I have been using Ruby Moon & love it-- no residue to speak of & gets out most stains!  If I do have a little stainage left, the sunshine usually bleaches it out!

TO BE CONTINUED...



Newborn Photos

I know, I'm a little behind in blogging these days...something about having a newborn, maybe?

Even though my little man is now a whole month old, I wanted to share some of his newborn photos, at 8 days old from Kari Wright Photography.  She was a great joy to work with & he was such a handsome little model, that the session couldn't help but be successful!   I loved that we were able to bring some of our own props & personality to the session.  The pepsi crate is an item from our home & the little tie is one that I made for him :)

Enjoy!