Playing!

Yesterday I noticed that Fiona was starting to reach for her toys. She has a toy cow that hangs from the ceiling in the Element & she kept motioning like she was going to grab it but never did. However, today Fiona actually grabbed onto one of her toys and was totally mesmerized by the noises and lights. I am so excited!!!

Strangers make me laugh.

So I just got home from the thrift store where I was shopping for some warm things for Fiona. While I was there she was asleep in her car seat, so I just toted her along.

As I was standing near the sweaters a lady walks up and says "So how far along are you?"

Thinking she meant to ask how old Fiona is, I said "Oh...you mean, well, she's 2 months."

At which point she turns and says "Oh! I didn't even see her! Sorry! I guess you're still just losing the baby weight."

.....Uh, yeah.

I don't know who was more embarassed me or her.

To try and make a joke out of things I said "Well, it sure would be funny if I were pregnant."

At which point she turned and said "You have been using protection haven't you?"

......Ok, awkward...time to check out.

Hahahaha. Ahh, strangers make me laugh.

Fiona update!

Yesterday Fiona had her 2 month checkup...wow, has it really been 2 months already? Yeppers, she's 9 weeks old today. I remember when she was only 9 weeks old in my belly. :o)

So here is the update on Miss Fiona:

Weight 10lbs 15.5oz (50th %)
Length 24 inches (75th %)
Head 15.5 inches (50th %)

She also got her first shots yesterday. It was pitiful, but she was a champ and did great. I think it wrecked my nerves more than hers. Anyhow - here are some new pics...enjoy!

Fiona and I relaxing this morning.

This is for all of you who don't believe that Fiona makes mad faces.

Sitting up!

Visiting Faithdog with Daddy.


Startled by the camera.

Comfy on Mommy.

Canning

As some of you may know, we (as in Will and my Dad) have had quite the garden this year. We've grown everything from tomatoes to peppers, collards to cucumbers, eggplants to watermelons, and everything in between.

On this gardening adventure we have also learned to can food in order not to waste anything. We now have a pantry FULL of canned foods. The list includes the following -

Pear preserves
Fig preserves
Tomato concentrate
Heirloom tomato soup
Vegetable soup
Salsa
Green beans
Dill pickles
Bread and Butter pickles

Overall, we have approximately 150 quart jars full of yummy food from the garden.
For those of you who are intrigued by this amazing plethora of food, I highly suggest you splurge on the $68_ canner at Wal-Mart and go for it! It is wonderfully simple and definately worth the time. Some would say its domestic, but I say its earthy. :o)

Cloth Diaper Update

Fiona chillin in her Fuzzi Bunz

So like our friend Jessica, I thought I would give ya'll a cloth diaper update. Who knows - maybe one of you other mamas out there will be able to use this info. All babies are different and require different diapering techniques to keep them, and their bottoms happy. Just as an FYI - Fiona has a very sensitive bottom & doesn't tolerate being wet very well if at all.

First of all let me say that I would not recommend using cloth diapers on your newborn until s/he is a few weeks old. Especially if this is your first baby or your first cloth diapering experience.

When Fiona was a newborn she used up to 25 diapers a day. You say this doesn't seem like a lot, but disposables are ~$0.25 each...which amounts to several dollars a day.

I bought cloth pre-folds from Green Mountain Diapers at $1.75 each (I bought 3 dozen - a total of $63.) These pre-folds are held together by something called a snappi fastner (another few dollars for a package of three). And then covered with an outter cover to keep the moisture from seeping through onto clothes.

The covers that I originally bought were Bummis Super Snaps. These covers just snap in place over top of the cloth diaper. The positives to this type of cover is that they are not expensive (~$12 each), and you re-use them through several diaper changes until they are wet or stinky. The downside to these is that there is no protective layer to keep babies from being wet. The layering order goes: Bottom, Cotton pre-fold diaper, Bummis cover. Therefore once baby is wet or dirty they are going to sit in it until you change them. Now some babies don't mind this and don't fuss very much when wet. Well...not Fiona. As soon as Fiona would become even the slightest bit wet she would scream and scream and scream until she was changed.

Needless to say - this type of cover just wasn't going to work for us. We needed a type of cloth diapering style that would keep Fiona's bum dry even if she was wet, capiche?

So onto ebay I went and bought some diaper covers called Fuzzi Bunz. Fuzzi Bunz are a pocket style cover which means that you slip the cloth diaper inside a pouch in the cover and that there is a layer between the cloth diaper and the baby's bottom. The positives to this type of cover is that it keeps baby's bottom dryer and keeps the wetness contained in the cloth diaper in the pocket. The downside is that they are expensive brand new (~$18 each...I bought mine secondhand for ~$12 each), and they can only be used once then must be washed. The way I use my Fuzzi Bunz is to stuff the pocket with a folded cloth pre-fold diaper (which I already had, so I didn't buy any additional "inserts"). So, the layering order goes: Bottom, fleece layer of the Fuzzi Bunz to keep baby dry, Cotton pre-fold, outter waterproof layer of the Fuzzi Bunz.

This method has worked wonders for us! Fiona loves her Fuzzi Bunz and rarely fusses about being wet. We wash the FB and cotton pre-folds daily because I don't have enough Fuzzi Bunz to last us more than a day. I am also still using ~4 disposable diapers during the night in order to have all the FB washed and ready for the next day. If I had enough FB to last me through the night I would definately use them - they're just so easy.

Overall - if you have never used cloth diapers I would seriously recommend purchasing a trial pack from a company like Green Mountain Diapers. That way you can test out several different types before deciding which one will work best for your child and your budget.

Last of all, I would like to pitch the idea for cloth wipes. I'm using cotton flannel wipes for Fiona. They're just two pieces of flannel sewn together ~6"x6" and I use a spray bottle with a diluted mixture of California Baby Diaper Area Wash to make them wet before using. The benefit is the cost is cheap, and I can just wash and re-use when done. For you sewing mamas these are super easy to make. Just get some flannel, cut into 6x6 squares. Place wrong-sides together and serge the edges. Voila! For you non-sewing mamas, you can buy some online at Green Mountain Diapers.

For additional resources on how-to cloth diaper check out these videos on You-Tube:
Using cloth pre-fold, snappi, and bummis cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPGsB8k5sM
Using Fuzzi Bunz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj3PqDPloSQ

Yippee!!!

Yippee!!! My best friend is moving back to NC!!!!!!!!!!!! Catherine and her lovely family are moving home (hopefully next week) after being away for over 2 years. I am so excited! God is so good! Yippee!!!

Coffee

Just a warning - this may make some of you yack or just gross out. This is the disclaimer - if you loose your lunch, its your own doing. You could have stopped reading here.

Recently Will decided to quit his job in the effort of finding a new job that better suits him/us. Its been really really nice having him around the house. I get to share Fiona with him and its been lovely.

He was so sweet - yesterday morning he got up early and fixed me coffee and oatmeal. Now, I haven't had regular coffee in the mornings since before I was pregnant, so this was a real treat for me. And he fixed it just perfect with cream and sugar, which none should be without (how people drink black coffee I have no idea).

When he handed me the cup of coffee I looked at it and thought "Hum, thats funny. I thought we were out of milk. Oh well, guess I was wrong." So I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast and played with Fiona while Will went and fed the dogs. Later on he came back in and said "You make good milk, huh?" I didn't get it & just looked at him funny. His response... "Yeah, we were out of milk, so I used some of your breastmilk for the coffee. I didn't think you or Fiona would mind. Besides we're the only animals on the planet that don't drink our own milk."

WOW. Well, the coffee was tasty. No worries though, this is not going to become a regular habit. The fridge is now stocked with half & half.

Hiccups

This morning Fiona had the hiccups but was still nice enough to give her Daddy a smile or two. You can also see her track him with her eyes as he moved from one side of the bed to the other.

Lastly - you'll hear us calling her "Nona Bear" - this is our nickname for her...which if you ever get to witness one of her crying fits, you'll understand why. :o)

Enjoy!

I Dream of Fiona...

Recently I've been having these dreams. They happen about 3-4 times a night, depending on how many times Fiona wakes up.

You see, each night I'll be perfectly sound asleep having a normal dream (say something about walking the dogs)...then all of a sudden my dream comes to a complete halt and changes into a dream about picking Fiona up from her bassinette, changing her diaper, feeding her, and then laying her back down in her bassinette.

The reality of it is that my dream does this each time Fiona is actually waking up. So when I finally get up I think that I've already changed and fed her and that she's just squirming and needs her pacifier. (doh - bad mommy)

The funny thing is - last night I finally realized what was happening when Fiona wasn't wearing the same PJ's as she had just been wearing just a moment ago (DUH - different jammies in my dream than what she was actually wearing).

So am I that sleep deprived that my body is trying to trick me into staying asleep through Fiona's squirming by dreaming about what I should actually be waking up to do? Does this make any sense?

Here is to sleep - or the lack of.

I love you Fiona. XOXO