The Sweetest Morning

Today was a day in the world of mommyhood that you don’t want to forget. We got up on time. I got Taylin off to school without any major issues. No attitudes. We weren’t running for the bus. She remembered her lunch. You know, all the millions of details that take over my mind each morning. Our routine is to get her off to school then Bry and I eat breakfast and then our day together begins. Today he was full of sweetness and I don’t want to forget it.

Often as mom’s our days are so full of keeping the house running, picking up after the kids, laundry, changing diapers, kissing owies and figuring out why our kids are screaming or whining AGAIN!!! Today I just sat and enjoyed the sweetness of my son. He is almost 20 months and is so full of personality. Just recently he really wants me to be part of his world, playing, showing me things, snuggling and it’s just so precious.

Here are a few pictures from our morning.
IMG_9267IMG_9272_edited-1 IMG_9278_edited-1IMG_9303_edited-1 IMG_9290_edited-1 IMG_9307_edited-1Let me be the first to admit I need to do this more. To stop. Play. Listen. It’s not in my personality to just “sit around”. I have to feel like I did something each day. Today I did. I hung out with my son. There are toys everywhere. I have no makeup on & I haven’t even brushed my hair, but I had the best morning just playing with my son.

Don’t let these sweet moments pass you by!

Bryson’s First Birthday

So I’m a little late (his birthday was in MAY!!!) but I just found a post about my son’s first birthday sitting in my drafts! Not sure how I never published it but I figured I would share the pictures anyways!

I really enjoy putting on birthday parties for my kids but I can’t justify a large budget…it’s just a party after all. Over the years I have tried to come up with cost effective decor and I think I accomplished that with Bry’s first birthday! IMG_5084_edited-1I sewed a scrap fabric banner to hang in the living room and I made the number 1 out of cardboard that I painted with some acrylic paint I had on hand. IMG_5080_edited-1

These decorative balls were made out of construction paper. They were super easy and a cheap way to add a pop of color to the party! IMG_5144_edited-1

I made a giant cupcake for Bry which I also did for my daughters first birthday.IMG_5127_edited-1I added a cute bunting on top instead of a candle.IMG_5198_edited-1 IMG_5202_edited-1 IMG_5212_edited-1

12-12 monthsIt was a simple and fun party to celebrate this sweet boy! I can’t believe how fast time goes! I guess I better start planning his 2nd birthday!

Why {& How} I Decided to Cloth Diaper

Cloth diapers…I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is ewww, gross, poop, pee!! It’s really not as bad as you’re imaging! IMG_2713_edited-2Once I was pregnant with baby #2  I knew that we would have a much tighter budget so one way I knew we could save money was by using cloth diapers. At first I thought it was going to be really gross and that I wouldn’t want to do it but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do some research.

The more research I did the more I realized that there are A LOT of different kinds of diapers and first I would have to try to figure out what kind would work with our lifestyle. I settled on “hybrid” diapers. Hybrid diapers have a shell and then some sort of insert. Often they also have a disposable insert option. I liked the idea of hybrid diapers so then I started researching all the different brands.

I decided to try out Best Bottom Diapers, Flip Diapers, and Econobum Diapers. I settled on these after watching tons of You Tube videos and reading lots of reviews online. From what learned it’s best to try a few different brands on your child. Since all babies are built different one brand may fit better then another. Overall I think it’s just good to have options!

Here is some of my stash:

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My faves are the Best Bottom ones. They are the cutest – with lots of color options and they almost never leak! Second are Flip – overall I like them but I never have him nap in them – they always leak. I think this is mainly because they don’t have any elastic on the front to keep them tight to the belly while he sleep (he is a stomach sleeper). And Econobum – I don’t use them. I don’t like them at all – good thing I got them on sale and they only cost me $20!!

After using cloth for about 5 months here is what I have learned…

  1. I didn’t CD (cloth diaper) my newborn. Bry was 7lbs 10ounces and still WAY to small for the diapers I bought him. I started him around 3 months old. You can buy special newborn diapers but I chose to skip that.
  2. I mainly CD at home. It’s just easier to use a disposable when I’m on the run. I have friends that do it but I’ve just decided that using a few disposables here and there works for me.
  3. Buy a wet bag, diaper pail liner and diaper sprayer. These are a must when CDing.
  4. Decide how often you want to do laundry – then buy enough diapers. I didn’t want to do laundry every day or every other day (like most sites recommend) so I bought more diapers.  I do CD laundry every 3-4 days – some people say this causes your diapers to stink – I haven’t had any issues with that.
  5. I don’t CD at night. My son is a heavy wetter and pees through everything. I’ve actually had to start buying him special nighttime disposable diapers (which are A-MA-ZING!)
  6. Learn about diaper stripping
  7. Some pants won’t fit a baby in a CD. Weird – yes – just thought you should know 😉
  8. Do what works for you! Even if you CD 50% of the time that is a 50% savings over disposable.

I’m happy I decided to do it – do your research – and ask around. I think you’ll be surprised at how many people actually still cloth diaper!

Baby Food Making & Reusable Baby Food Pouch

Let’s talk about making baby food…I started making baby food when my daughter Taylin was a baby. I had never thought about it but our pediatrician mentioned it and told me to check out the website wholesomebabyfood.com. I thought I’d give it a try and now I’m hooked! Now I’m making food for my 8 month old son and what he likes is totally different from what his sister liked. He tends to like the veggies more then the fruits (weird right??). Also he doesn’t have as many teeth so I’m still really pureeing things.

Today I made two different kinds of baby food so I’m going to share the step by step process I followed. I used a food processor but you can use a blender, Magic Bullet, or baby food making appliances.

Blueberries, Banana & Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 large banana
1/3 cup plain yogurtIMG_3598IMG_3599Puree everything until it’s really smooth – Once I think it’s smooth I stir it up and see if there are any chunks left. Puree again, if necessary. IMG_3601Once everything is the texture you want transfer the puree to a Ziplock bag and cut the tip off IMG_3603Fill the ice cube trays with the puree, cover with plastic wrap (to help prevent freezer burn) and put into the freezer.

One thing I want to point out is that this was really runny…more like a smoothie so I plan to mix this in with his baby cereal just to thicken it up. If you want it thicker try adding more blueberries or banana to the puree.

IMG_3645Once frozen, pop the cubes out and transfer to a freezer safe bag

For more detailed information on pureeing and baby food storage check this link out – Baby Food Storage/Puree

Carrots/Applesauce

Ingredients:

8 pealed and cut up carrots
3/4 Cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3-1/2 Cup of leftover water from boiling

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Put carrots into a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for about 10 minutes or until tender. IMG_3613

Remove from pan with a slotted spoon – DO NOT DISCARD JUICES – we may need them later to thin out the puree. The juices have a lot of nutrientes so it’s best to use them to thin out the puree. IMG_3614I moved mine to this loaf pan to let them cool a little bit before pureeing them.
IMG_3619I pureed them with about 1/3-1/2 cup of the juices, stirred, then pureed again. Once they were the right consistency (similar to the consistency of apple sauce), I added in the apple sauce and turned it back on to mix it all together.IMG_3625

Put it in my Ziploc back, cut the tip off and filled the ice cube trays! IMG_3627 Each cube is roughly 1 ounce. My son started out doing one or two cubes but now eats roughly 4-6 cubes for lunch and 6-8 cubes for dinner (in addition to his normal bottles of formula).

So here is the other thing I wanted to mention. Baby food pouches…they are A-MA-ZING! But can be really expensive. I love them for when we are on the go so I broke down and bought some Little Green Pouches. They are reusable and are $14.99 for a 4 pack. They hold 6 ounces (a lot of the other ones on the market only hold 2-4 ounces). The reviews are great on them and I love that they are dishwasher and freezer safe. They are back ordered right now so I’ll let you guys know how I like them after they arrive in a couple of weeks!

The other awesome thing about these is that my daughter can use them next year for kindergarten in her lunch box. I plan to fill them with applesauce, smoothies and yogurt!

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Let me know if you have any questions about baby food making. I’d love to help you get started. I love knowing exactly what my son is eating, and it’s a lot cheaper to make your own food!

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or baby food expert. This is just what I do for my son and it seems to be working well. If you have questions or concerns about introducing food to your baby please talk to your pediatrician.

Monthly Photo Project

Well I’m a bit behind with posting my photos for Bryson’s baby book..but I have been taking the pictures and making the pages. I can’t wait to get this book printed! it’s going to be awesome! He is almost 8 months old and is an extremely happy baby! He adds so much joy to our house and I’m so blessed to be his mom!

5-5 months 6-6 months 7-7 months 8-8 months

Untitled-2_edited-1I love tracking his growth and milestones this way I think I’ll try to continue his monthly photos past the first year!

Sweet Sleepy Boy

Bryson is finally become a pretty good sleeper! We are following the Baby Wise schedule for him which has completely changed his sleep habits. Before this schedule he was getting up 4 times a night within 4 days of switching to the Baby Wise schedule he was down to getting up once a night!! Seriously AMAZING!! Currently he sleeps from 8:00PM-4:30AM or 5:00AM eats, then goes back to sleep until 8:00AM. I totally recommend the book (I only read the chapter about sleep schedules because I hate to read!). Here is a link.

Today while he was napping I decided to take a couple pictures of him sleeping…I could watch him sleep for hour…creepy?? Maybe but I just love how peaceful he looks!

I don’t want to forget the memories of him peacefully sleeping…

And then I accidentally woke him up…oops…to many camera clicks!!

Poor baby…I kept taking pictures because I even want to remember this sad face!

I love him so much..he is really aware of the world around him right now. He ADORES his sister and loves to smile at anyone that will talk to him. He has a such a sweet personality I can’t wait to see what kind of little boy he turns into!

One Month Old

It’s crazy to think that Bry is already one month old! Time goes by so quick!!

This is an ongoing project I will be working on over the next year or two. I set a reminder on my phone so I remember to take monthly photos of Bryson. Then I will write down things he loves to do! After the year I will compile them into a baby book for him!

I’m excited!! I think it will turn out really cool…I just need to follow through on it!