Friday, November 30, 2012

lately ...

i suppose it's the holiday season now, seeing that thanksgiving is over and christmas is like 3 weeks away.  i'm just not feeling it this year, which is weird because normally i'm all about it.  we haven't even put our tree up yet (we usually do it right after thanksgiving).  i do have some presents for avery, my parents, and my sister but i still need something for charlie.  and i still have to write all of our christmas cards and send those out.  charlie's parents are coming this weekend and we're planning on putting our tree up so hopefully that'll help me get more into the christmas mood.  charlie also got seriously upset with me because i didn't want to put lights on the outside of our house.  he even called me the grinch.  not cool, charlie.  not cool.

A Christmas tree for A.

i have decorated a little bit.  i decorated the 'mantle' aka the shelf above our tv and i put a mini tree up in avery's room.  this is so not my usual style but i figured avery's room could use a little holiday cheer.  she likes to point at it and say "ba".  apparently that means tree.  

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Feeding the dog after putting a headband on him. I see lots of future dress-up torture in his future.

in other news avery and henry have been playing a lot together lately.  the other day she put a headband on him & then fed him her snack.  such a generous girl that one.  it's no wonder that he loves her too. 

  
Oh my goodness, a smile.

avery got this sweet hat from a coworker of mine last year.  it was obviously way to big to use last year but fits her well this year.  she hates most things on her head and keeping hats on his pretty much a constant battle.  it's a good thing that we're not getting a winter this year because she can't keep anything on her head for longer than 10 seconds.  

and just in case you thought she was always a happy kid, i assure you she is not.

Angry.

i can't look at this picture without laughing.  she's definitely gotten into the stage where she's throwing tantrums (not real, huge ones i think we have a few months before those hit) but she definitely lets us know when she's upset about something.  she pretty much hates having her diaper changed, getting dressed, having anything taken away from her, anyone using my phone but her, having her face wiped after meals, and being handed off to charlie when she's tired.  we're still working hard on the word 'no'. there are times when i think she totally gets it, although whether she chooses to listen is another story, and there are other times when i think she has no idea.  on the up side, she's getting so much more fun.  we can play games (hide and go seek is a favorite) and she understands so much more than she used to.  i still think she's a ways away from walking but whenever she's ready is fine with me.  i'm still happy to have my crawling baby around for a bit longer.

Where's mommy?

i asked her where mommy was.  and boom.  she nailed it. 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

cloth diapering v.3

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last time i left off we were now dealing with a baby who ate solid foods and still loving our prefolds and covers.  we were still using the 2 dozen small prefolds that i ordered before avery was born and trifolding them into the diapers.  i loved this method of cloth diapering for us because it was super easy, i could do laundry every 3 days, and i really love cotton for diapers.  cotton is so low maintenance, you can use diaper creams with it (although we never needed to), they dry quickly, and there's no folding or stuffing to worry about after they come out of the dryer.  however, once avery started crawling i had a problem with the trifolded prefold inside the cover because it wouldn't stay in place as well.  ours kept popping out of the top of the diaper cover.  unfortunately using a snappi or pins wasn't an option with the small diaper since my tiny girl was finally large enough where the diaper couldn't fit around her.  i started looking at other options for diapers and considered just ordering some medium prefolds because i really do love them.  however, one of the things i don't love about cloth diapers is their bulk, especially with a girl, i've had a hard time getting pants to fit over them.  i looked into other, slightly trimmer cloth diaper options and landed on pockets since they tend to be trimmer but you can still stuff them with whatever you want making them as absorbent as you need them to be.  

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i looked into cotton options because i really do love cotton but they tended to be pretty pricy.  i finally ended up trying to decide between the bum genius 4.0 one size and the fuzzibunz one size elites.  they're both one size diapers, which is something i definitely wanted for the money saving benefits.  i was leaning towards the bum genius since the covers i was previously using were the flip covers, which are made by the same company and fit the same way.  however, i ended up with the fuzzibunz because they're lined with a mircofleece vs. the microfiber that lines the bum genius.  i read that some babies have problems with the mircofiber and that it can be an ezcema irritant.  since avery's had some sensitive skin issues when she was little i decided to go with the fuzzibunz.  i originally ordered a 3 pack so that i could try them out before ordering more.  i know that there are several retailers out there that offer trials but i suck at returning things so i decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

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a flip cover with a prefold.

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fuzzibunz one size elite.

there are a lot of things i love about the fuzzibunz compared to using a prefold and a cover.  

1.  i love that the diapers are trimmer.
this has been especially helpful now that it's winter and she's wearing pants pretty much every day.
2.  i love that they basically go on like a disposable.  avery is terrible during diaper changes.  she rolls and screams and basically does everything she can to make it a miserable time, pinning her down with one arm, while trying to arrange a prefold and a cover on a sqwirming baby isn't easy and most often did not make for the best arrangement of the prefold in the cover.  the fuzzibunz are pretty easy to put on a moving baby, there are three snaps on each side instead of the two like a lot of covers but i don't find this an issue.  i had the snap closures with our flip covers and definitely would buy them again.  i hate velcro.
3.  i also like that the fleece keeps her a little drier than cotton does.  it wicks the moisture away from the diaper to the insert.  i never had diaper rash issues with cotton prefolds, but if she's in a diaper for a long time it's nice to know that it's not super wet against her skin.
4.  also, avery's slimmed down a lot since she started crawling and the fuzzibunz seem to fit her better.  i occasionally use a flip cover with a hemp insert or a prefold and there are some pretty big gaps around the leg holds.  i've never had leaking issues because the inserts i'm using are really absorbent, but the fuzzibunz to seem to fit better without being tight or leaving marks on her legs.  
5.  they're easier when traveling.  it's just easier to grab a pocket diaper than a prefold and a cover and it takes up way less space in my purse.  i don't use a diaper bag because all i ever really bring when we're out is an extra diaper and an aden & anais blanket.


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flip cover with a prefold.

there's also some things that i'm not in love with.  
01. this isn't fuzzibunz specific but i don't love (in fact i sort of hate) stuffing the pocket diapers.  with the prefolds and covers when laundry was done i just threw it in the dresser drawer, but with pockets i have to stuff the inserts into the diapers before they're good to go.  the flip side is that then i can put the diaper on without having to worry about a diaper insert and cover.
02.  i don't like the way they adjust.  the adjusting elastic is a huge pain in my opinion.  yes, you only have to do this once in a while, but still, it sucks.  also, i have to make sure the fleece on the back is covering the button, otherwise it'll rub on her skin.
03.  they're expensive.  they're not the most expensive and i really believe they save us a bunch of money, but it's a lot of money to drop all at once.  i did get a pretty good deal from the fuzzibunz site when i ordered them & i did a lot of shopping around to see which site was cheapest.  fuzzibunz won only because i think they were having a 20% off sale when i ordered another dozen after our initial 'trial' with the 3 pack.

overall, i'm happy that i made the switch to pockets and it's worked out well for avery. i was worried about having laundry issues since cotton is so low maintenance and synthetic fibers are not.  i don't use any special cloth diaper detergents, i just use the free and clear stuff that we've always used for our clothes & avery's too.  i only add a tiny, tiny bit of detergent.  i do this with clothes, too as you really don't need much in general. also, we don't have a high efficiency washer.  i know some people love their's but i've heard they can be sort of high maintenance especially when dealing with diapers.  and although they look so fancy and pretty i've been very happy with our water guzzling washer that came with our house.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

thanksgiving.

we've had a lot going on over here recently, with all of us being sick, big decisions being made about 2013, and of course the start of the holidays.  i had big plans to be way ahead with shopping and present making this year and then we all got sick and all thoughts of christmas presents just left my head.  avery ended up getting the stomach flu that charlie and i had just as she was getting over the first virus that she had, which made for two straight weeks of a sick baby.  thank goodness for breastfeeding because she didn't eat solids for over 10 days, like not a single bite of food.  and despite the breastfeeding she's definitely lost weight from everything, so we're trying to chunk her back up.  

anyway, we had plans to spend thanksgiving with some friends but when avery got the stomach bug that we had, we decided not to show up with a sick baby.  one of our hosts is very pregnant and i would have felt terrible if we got her sick, not to mention i'd have been pretty pissed when i was that pregnant if someone had brought their vomity kid over to my house.  so we did some last minute turkey dinner shopping on wednesday night.  surprisingly the stores weren't as crowded as i was expecting.  i guess most people don't wait to do their shopping like we did.  we had a really nice relaxing day as a family.  we watched the macy's day parade in the morning.  this has always been one of my favorite parts of thanksgiving.  and then traded cooking and baby playing throughout the day.

Every year I forget how I cooked it the year before.
is it weird that i don't really like turkey, yet i cook one every year?

charlie and avery took a nap on the couch while watching football.  i wish i could say that this was an unusual occurence but since she got sick she's gotten used to sleeping in someone's arms and naps in her crib have been few and far between.  

Requisite thanksgiving nap.

we took a quick trip to the playground for some swinging time in the afternoon.  avery did not want to leave and threw a huge tantrum when i tried to get her out of the swing.  charlie thought this was pretty funny but i have a feeling it will be less funny as these start happening more often.  

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Afternoon trip to the swings.

avery had her first rice ball, which i think she really liked.  she also liked the turkey and the green bean casserole and then spit out the sweet potatoes that i thought for sure she'd love since she's had those a million times before.

Slightly overlooked turkey.

the turkey which i successfully transferred from the pan to the platter by myself.  a thanksgiving miracle.

it's always nice to have a relaxing day with family, especially because i know the next month is going to be full of craziness.  we're hoping to get some more painting done this weekend, some christmas presents wrapped, and the christmas tree up and decorated.  i almost don't want to do that this year because it'll just be one more thing to attempt to keep avery away from.  does that make me grinch-like?    

Thursday, November 22, 2012

thankful.

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i'm thankful for so many things this year, both big and little:  all the time i've been able to spend with this lady this year, the fact that we're all feeling better enough to eat turkey today, a husband who is not only my best friend but a great dad, and all the friends and family we couldn't celebrate with this year.  but mostly it's the family thing.  right now we have a turkey in the oven, a baby napping on charlie, and we're already full from riceballs and stuffed mushrooms.  if thanksgiving happened once a month it wouldn't be such a bad thing.  

Sunday, November 18, 2012

sick.

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last week we were sick.  all of us.  it wasn't terribly fun.  avery had a virus that resulted in a 104 fever for 4 straight days and charlie and i had the stomach flu.  trying to breastfeed a child who's refusing to eat any solid foods while being unable to eat or drink anything isn't exactly fun or easy.  luckily, by friday we were feeling slightly better and by sunday we were almost back to normal (except for charlie).  i didn't get much work done last week, and avery took every single nap in my arms, and slept in our bed each night.  i was worried that her fever was going to keep climbing and having her with me was really the only way i could keep track of how warm she was.  needless to say, on friday night when she woke up and i tried to put her back in her crib she was all 'what? are you kidding me?  i sleep with you now.'  so none of us slept much that night.  i have a feeling it's going to take a while to get her back into the 'nap and sleep in my crib' routine.  

ironically, the week before went exceptionally well.  it was one of those weeks where i felt like i had a great balance between work and home life, i worked until my set hours, walked with avery and the dogs every afternoon, and managed to figure out how to get dinner on the table (this is the ultimate challenge for me).  i was also planning christmas gifts and decorations and thanksgiving menu items. then we all got sick and all thoughts of anything but 'don't throw up on the baby' and 'what's avery's temperature?' went out the window.  it's sort of nice to be back to normal-ish now.

and now, we have thanksgiving next week, which i am not ready for, and two birthdays and christmas in the four weeks after.  it's going to be a busy next month for us.  charlie turns 30, avery turns 1, charlie's parents are visiting, and we're trying to take a weekend trip to the mountains (charlie's birthday present).  luckily all fun stuff.  i just hope that i can manage to get my christmas shopping done and gifts shipped out so we can enjoy the fun stuff.      


Thursday, November 8, 2012

d.c.

i got my computer back (yay!).  actually what happened is that charlie took it to the apple store and found out that it was just the battery, so he decided to save the computer which means that we're still a 2 computer household.  so in honor of that i finally went through the rest of the pictures from our trip back to maryland, which was almost a month ago at this point.  

one of the things i wanted to make sure that we did was to show avery the ocean.  she loved it. the ocean + the sand = one happy baby.  she ate a few handfuls but didn't seem to mind too much.


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beach

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we also took her down to d.c. for her first carousel ride.  she liked it in her own serious way.
  
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aside from the wedding (still have to go through those pictures) that about sums up our vacation last month.  it flew by and was so nice to spend the time with family and friends.  avery loved all the attention she got and it took her about a week to get used to the fact that she couldn't sit in someone's lap during each meal and actually had to play by herself sometimes.  

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

henry + avery.

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she starts off with some hearty pats... 

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then fondles/grabs his ears...

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decides that his toes are much more exciting ...

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goes in for the nose grab ...

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and then ends with a hug.

so i mentioned that avery was pretty excited to see the cats when we got back from our trip.  they're definitely still a favorite, although she's been paying a lot more attention to henry than she was before.  he's really been great with her.  i was a little worried about him before she was born but he's so tolerant and will let her to just about anything she wants to him.  she climbs all over him, lifts up his lips to inspect his teeth, and loves his paws.  he really could care less other than to give her a few licks every once in a while.  she's also into hugging the animals and henry is a frequent recipient of those hugs.  

Monday, November 5, 2012

lately ...

01.  in the 5 days after we got back from maryland everything started falling apart in our house.  in 5 days we had a broken sink, a leaking roof, a cat with a huge abscess, and my computer crashed.  luckily we were able to fix the sink and the cat ourselves and the roof repair was very small and free of charge.  however the computer is dead and i haven't figured out what we're going to do about it.  we have two computers (well one working one now) and i'm not really interested in getting another one and making us a two computer house again.  however, we can't figure out a solution that we're both okay with that can also store all of our stuff.  currently all of my stuff (grad school work, resumes, music, and photos) is sitting on a hard drive.  but we can't fit everything on our current computer's hard drive.  so we've debated about trading in the current laptop for a desktop or just getting a network drive to store anything.  all that to say that i still have pictures from our trip that i was planning on doing things with but i no longer have a computer with PSE on it or easy access to my files.  until then i'll be relying on my iphone for pictures.  

02.  we celebrated halloween.  barely.  by handing out candy to a few trick-or-treaters and dressing avery up in a last minute costume.  she wasn't into it at all and the only thing that kept her from screaming was the fact that henry was right next to her and she was entertained by his leash.  he was dressed in his squirrel costume from 2 years ago and helped us answer the door.  he did much better in his costume than avery did.

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03.  avery was beyond excited to see the cats when we got back and has been chasing them around ever since.  they're definitely losing patience with her and she's ended up with a few battle wounds from when she gets too excited.  
Avery the lion tamer.

04.  i feel like fall is officially over, almost all of the leaves are gone from the trees thanks to the recent snow that we've had.  charlie's very happy that he doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore until spring.  avery's really like the crunchy leaves because not only are they fun to play with but they taste good too.

Crunchy leaves make the best toys.

05.  i am so excited that the election is almost over.  if i have to see another political ad i'm going to scream.  next election, i'm moving to a non-swing state for the 4 months prior to the election.  

06.  i can't believe that avery's almost a year old.  she's been really fun and challanging lately.  she's saying more words, developing a personality, and into everything.  she's crawling all over the place and  pulling herself up on everything, which means that there's nothing off limits to her.  she also has the ability to find the smallest things and eat them faster than i can figure out what she just put in her mouth.   we've started to work on 'no' but unfortunately she just laughs at me every time i say it.  apparently the concept that there's something she can't do is a complete joke to her.  i have a feeling we're going to have our hands full in the next few months.  

Scrunch face.