Another Great App

I love finding new apps for my phone (and now my iPad!) and I love sharing them with others even more.  I especially love it when they're FREE!
So this week I bring you the recipe.com shopping list app. 

You can plug in your zipcode and it will find grocery stores near you and you can even set which stores you shop at most often.  Then you go and create your list.  You can say the item, scan it, or type it.  When you type it, it's kind of like a google search where popular matches show up as you type, which makes creating a list super easy!  Now the best part.....underneath the item on your list, if any stores are having specials on it, the app will list them!  I have found this to be super helpful as we shop at Aldi's, which doesn't really have "sales."  Sometimes we'll buy something at Aldi's and I'll wonder "is this item on sale for cheaper elsewhere?"  Now with this app, I can check.  The only other store we go to is Meijer so if it is cheaper at Meijer, then I know to wait and get it there.  It's fantastic!  (sidenote: there are VERY few items that are cheaper at Meijer, even with sales on the store brand, but it's still helpful to check!).
Another feature of the app, which I have not used yet, is you can sync it to recipes.com so that others can add to your list or use it to shop.  So potentially, you could create the list at home and then have your hubby pick it all up after work (and if any stay-at-home-moms are able to do that, you have a great hubby!)
This app is also available on the android store. 

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye....

....to my Sympony pump (and oh yes I did just sing that in my head and now you are too; nah-nah!).   But I had to pack her (it's a breast pump, it's female by default) the other day and bring her back to Carle Medical Supply.  Here she is, all ready to go.....

Bye-bye old friend....it's been a great 9 months.  ::sniff sniff::  (who cries over a pump, honestly?)
But on to the real reason for this post:  As Laura and Rachel correctly guessed yesterday (10 cool points to both of you, picked fresh this morning), my EPing ticker is no longer on display as I am no longer an EPing mom.  I like to summarize things with numbers so let's get down to business shall we?

8.5 months: amount of time I EP'd.  Actually it was exactly 8.5 months because I started on April 1st and ended December 15th.  (well okay, yesterday and today I had to use my manual pump because I was a little uncomfortable, but I'm not counting that)

789 hours, 27 minutes: Time I actually sat at the pump.  Yes I have it all recorded on my iphone (again, that Total Baby app was the best $5 I spent in the app store ever!).   Or we could say 47,367 minutes, or even 2,842,020 seconds, which equals almost 33 days.  Clearly I had nothing better to do yesterday than play with all these numbers (proof once again that I'm married to a nerd- it rubs off on me!).

112 hours, 23 minutes: How much time I spent pumping during the month of May, which is the highest total for one month.  December comes in at only a piddly 6 hours, 21 minutes. 

5,548: Roughly the number of ounces I produced.  This is a VERY rough estimate as I was good about keeping track of my output the first few months and then somewhere in the middle of June I apparently got lazy.  And in case you're wondering that 5,548 oz could fill 86.68 milk jugs.  Oh my gosh, could you imagine a milk jug full of breast milk?

345: How many ounces I have in my freezer stash.  Oh man, remember the day I hit 100 ounces?  I think I nearly cried!  Now I've only reached this high of a number because Lucy has been getting a lot of formula for the past 3-4 weeks.  But that 345 oz is divided into 91 containers so I'm very happy to say that I have enough breast milk for Lucy to get a bottle of breast milk every day until she is a year old.  That was my goal from the very get go: breast milk for a year (I just never said how much).

1,000: that is about how much money I think I've spent on all of this.  I mean the hospital pump was $75/month (I did get one month free), plus I bought my own pump (which then I resold), nursing bras, herbs, nursing tanks, pump parts, herbs, nursing tea, lanolin, herbs, storage bags, steam cleaning bags, and.... oh yeah, herbs.  I know I mentioned herbs a lot, but I seriously tried so many different kinds to help my supply....

13: How many different places I've pumped.  Now that doesn't really sound like a lot, especially when I feel like I've pumped just about everywhere!  But I counted my car as just one place.  Now I have pumped in many different locations while in my car, but I can't remember all of them so I'm not even going to count.  However if I did count those, I think this number would be much higher.  I think the 2 strangest locations were a party room at the Decatur Children's Museum (class field trip) and the back warehouse room of the former Hobby Lobby building (volunteered at the One Week Boutique sale).

----:  Well, try as you might, you just can't put a number on a baby satisfied on mommy's milk

What's Missing?

There's something missing from my blog....can you spot it?  10 cool points if you can.   Follow-up blog post will come soon on what is missing and my thoughts on it.  Now try to contain your excitement ;)

Let's Get Crafty!

Okay I've been on Pinterest for a few months now and I recently tried 2 more ideas I've seen on there.  The first is a headband holder.  I love wearing headbands and I needed a better way to store them.   So when I saw this

I knew it would be perfect.  To be perfectly honest, my headbands sat on a plain undecorated oatmeal container for at least a month before I finally got around to buying the materials to finish the project.
I bought some scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby.  I picked out paper that was one color but had a nice texture to it.  If you use an oatmeal container, you will need 2 12X12 sheets to do this.  I recommend getting paper that is really pliable.  Sometimes scrapbook paper is really stiff and I don't think it would work as well if you used the stiff thick paper.
Anyway, my headband holder turned out pretty well (except getting the paper to stay glued to the top of the lid proved tricky) so I decided to make one for Lucy as well.  For hers, I used a formula can.  I must say, this worked MUCH better.  I only needed 1 sheet of scrapbook paper and I think the lid turned out nicer.  The bonus of using these containers is you can store hairbands and other things inside the container.  Here are my finished products:

It's kinda hard to see mine, but I used a dark brown paper that has an "alligator" texture to it.  Lucy's is easier to see.  The formula cans aren't as tall as oatmeal cans but they are about the same diameter.  So if anyone reading this would like me to save them a formula can, just let me know.  I actually have a shorter one that's empty already.

And the other project I found  on Pinterest is a holiday craft.  I'm not even going to show you what it was supposed to look like; ours didn't really turn out that well.  But the idea is to use handprints to create a Christmas tree.  I bought a small canvas and some finger paint and did my best in getting the girls to cooperate (if you do this with young children, use washable paint!).  Anyway, here is our Christmas tree picture:

Taylor's tree is on the left and Lucy's is on the right

Oh yeah, I sprinkled iridescent glitter over the paint before it dried.  Our trees may not be perfect, but they are sparkly!!

I Heart Faces Challenge- Furry Faces

My entry for the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge "Furry Faces"

This is our dog Sadie.  She was my brother's dog, but long story short, she came to live with us last year.  I was trying to take our daughter's picture in front of these beautiful flowers and Sadie decided she wanted a picture done too.  I know this picture makes her look like a dippy dog, but trust me, she is very, very smart. 

Happy 9 Months to Lucy!

Weight: 16 lbs 7.5 oz
Height: 26.5 inches

Lucy is a whole pound heavier than Taylor was at 9 months, but funnily, she's 1/2 inch shorter.  So congratulations Lucy, you're still my "fat" baby.

What's New:
-Crawling: not on all fours.  It's more of an army inchworm crawl.  She'll get up on all fours, scooch her knees forward a bit, and then flop down on her belly and stretch her arms out.  It's not very efficient but it gets her where she wants to go.
-Eating puffs: she would not eat these a few months ago, but now Lucy happily mushes them up.  And she even gets 1 out of 10 puffs in her mouth.
-Saying Mama: I'd like to assume she knows exactly what she's saying...I'm not sure yet.  But she does say it when she's looking at me and not really anytime else so maybe.....
-Eating table food: Lucy hasn't had much, but she thoroughly enjoys mash potatoes and yesterday she mooched quite a few green beans from her Aunt Kelly.  And she might have had just a little taste of birthday cake.....
 -Not sleeping through the night:  I never thought I could jinx myself by bragging about how she was such a good sleeper but for the past month Lucy has been waking up at night about 4-5 times a week.  Funnily enough, this started when we started giving her more formula (so I could build up the breastmilk freezer stash).  So to all those breastfeeding mommas whose babies don't sleep through the night, don't listen to anyone who says giving them formula will make them sleep through the night.  Clearly, giving Lucy formula has done the opposite!

What's Not New:
-No teeth: Lucy's pediatrician said she's not even close to getting teeth.  Then what's with all the gnawing?!?
-Eczema: Yep we're still dealing with this.  However, her skin now looks the best it has in months.  It was really bad at the time of her appointment and the pediatrician kind of got on my case for not using the hydrocortisone (I tried more natural remedies) so for the past few days I've been following a strict regimen of hydrocortisone twice a day and Vaseline several times a day and there are virtually no red spots any more and not even any scabs.  You know part of the problem is Lucy grows daggers as fingernails.  Maybe she moonlights as Wolverine (good Lord I can't believe I just made an X-men reference; I really am married to a nerd!).  Basically anytime her clothes are off, she immediately starts trying to scratch herself.  But hopefully we've turned a corner.  I think as long as Walker and I (and our sitter) stay vigilant about applying the Vaseline we won't have any more problems.
-Adorableness: I offer these pictures as proof ;)

Dear Mom

It's been six years, but wasn't it just yesterday?  It doesn't seem to hurt as bad, or maybe I've just become accustomed to it.  I can't tell you how many times I've needed you since you've been gone.  There are some things that a girl can only talk about with her mom.  Like my pregnancies.  Why didn't I ever ask you about what it was like being pregnant, or how you managed to go through 3 very long births naturally?  I guess I wasn't at that stage in my life where I thought about those things.  I took for granted that you would be around to see me go through them.  I know I could ask Dad about it, but men don't remember those things as well as women do.  And all those hours I spent crying while trying to nurse both Taylor and Lucy....maybe it would have been easier if I had been able to hear your words of wisdom or even just a word of encouragement. 
You know I still think back to my wedding day and I imagine the expression that would have been on your face as I walked down the aisle.  I know you were with me in spirit, but I still selfishly wish that you had been there in person.
But you know I have to keep telling myself that God did some wonderful things in my life after you passed.  I don't think my faith would have been reawakened.  I probably would not have gone to Emily's house that Easter, or gone to the Vineyard.  And if I had never stepped inside the Vineyard, I never would have met Walker.  To be honest Mom, I'd be a hot mess without him in my life!  You would love him so much.  He is definitely the guy you wanted me to end up with; smart, funny, so caring and patient (especially with me!), and such a good dad.  You know how you would ask people lots of questions about things and sometimes we'd get annoyed?  Walker isn't like that; he would have answered every single one of your questions!  I know in my heart you two would have gotten along so well.  I know he wishes he could have met you too.
I guess I don't really have a lot else to say; I wish I could just call you, just to say hi.  Just to tell you that I love you and I miss you.
I love you, Mom and I miss you every day. 
Love,
Joanna

I Heart Faces Challenge

This week's iheartfaces challenge is called "On Your Feet."  It was hard to pick a picture.  Apparently I really like taking pictures of feet.  Especially baby feet.  Those are my favorite =)
Anyway, I decided on this picture of  Taylor's foot on top of mine, taken at Fairy State Park beach in Virginia.  She really liked walking around in the sand, but of course walking around on top of my feet was way more fun ;)

Breakdown of Taylor's Birthday

Oh this post is way over due.....
When it came to making plans for Taylor's birthday I thought about doing a party with some of her friends, but then I started thinking of how much money it would cost (even if I did things on the cheap), how we didn't have room for presents (even though I would ask people not to bring them; whoever pays attention to that?), and how really, she still doesn't get "birthdays" and she wouldn't remember if she had a party with friends or a party with the 3 coolest people on Earth (a.k.a.her parents and sister).  So we decided to just do a small party at home.  So if you were wondering why you weren't invited to a party; that's why.  So don't feel left out because really, we left everyone out.  =)

Anyway, we celebrated the Saturday before Taylor's birthday.  I made her a super yummy and super cute (if I do say so myself) cake. 

 

It may not look like much on the outside but check out the inside:

I saw this idea on Pinterest, and it was actually a rainbow cake.  That's what I was going to do until I was in the middle of making the cake, opened the cabinet to find we only had green and red food coloring.  So a graduated pink cake it became.  I'm actually quite happy with how it came out.  =)

Anyway back to the birthday fun.....

Taylor liked opening her presents but she still seems to like the tissue paper more.  

A potty!

A bowling set!

Puzzles!

Elf on a Shelf!

And of course after the presents we had the cake.  Taylor didn't understand to blow out the candles until I pointed to them and said "hot!"  Then she blew on them.  =P

On her actual birthday, Walker's dad came over and she opened more presents (lots of books!!) and we went to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse (which was really good!!).  

I'd say Taylor had a very enjoyable 2nd birthday.....well other than Walker and I waking her up at 6 AM to sing to her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5wSYEqUN8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Showing Off

So I guess Taylor knows more letters than I thought.....

We'll start working on the sounds of the letters next ;)

Christmas Card

Why is it so hard for me to pick out a Christmas card to send out?  Because Shutterfly has too many choices!  Yes, this is another blog post on why I [hear] Shutterfly.
Now I pretty much have our card designed, but I won't post the final product on here (what fun would that be?).  Instead I will share some cards that I was debating between.....

Now, since the photos I'm using are black and white, I had to look for cards that would look good with that (so unfortunately, I  wasn't able to consider any cards with a brown background).
I like the flowers on this one:

And the colors on the letters really pop with this one:

And this one is just plain cute:

Right now, all photo cards are 40% off so if you plan on getting your cards from Shutterfly (and I highly recommend you do- they have GREAT customer service!) you better do so soon.  And also they're offering free shipping, and buy one get one 50% off on products like photo books, calendars, etc.  And thus ends my post on why Shutterfly rocks.  =)

You can check out ALL of the current Shutterfly promos here

Taylor Turns Two!

Weight: 21.4 lbs
Height: 31.25 in.

I was kind of surprised the doctor didn't comment on this.  All she said was "well now she's at the 1% for weight."   I didn't ask her if I should be worried....maybe I should have.   But I guess I think that if the doctor was that worried, wouldn't she have told me that Taylor needs to gain weight?  Or we need to give her some sort of dietary supplement?  I get the feeling that our doctor doesn't like to bring up things that could be wrong with children.  And the more I think about it, the more I start to worry again about how little she has grown.  Okay, moving on before I drive myself crazy.

Developmentally, I actually know exactly where Taylor's at.  Her language (both expressive and receptive) is at about a 15 month level.  The good thing is, this qualifies her for services and hopefully those start soon.  And I'm apologizing right now if I've already shared this on here....I know I composed a blog post about the results of her evaluation in my head; I just can't remember for the life of me if I actually posted it.  Anyway, since the evaluation, I feel Taylor has made some big improvements in her language.  She repeats more words now and she's starting to use more and more on her own in context.  And we've even had a few phrases come out.  Like this morning, I was taking a shower and she came to the door of the shower and I said "Hi Taylor!" and she distinctly said "Hi Mommy!"  That may not seem like a big deal, but I have been waiting two years for that, so to me, it was huge.
Now even though Taylor is delayed in her speech, she does know several letters.  I kid you not- she will see letters and start naming them.  So far the ones she absolutely knows for sure are i, s, o, t, and y.  She also is getting better at a, b, j, m, q, u, and z.   Taylor loves looking at her alphabet book and she will sit down and look at the back inside cover (where all the letters are) and she'll start pointing to the ones she knows and saying what they are.  And last night on our way down Prospect Ave, she was naming letters that she saw in the signs of the stores and restaurants.  I cannot get enough of seeing her do this.   As a reading teacher, it makes me very proud!
Taylor loves to do many other things: coloring (with a very good pencil grip by the way; we don't even bother with toddler crayons anymore- she likes the regular ones), twirling around and laughing hysterically (Ring Around the Rosy is huge in our house), puzzles, playing her little keyboard book, and singing.  Right now, her favorite songs are ABC, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat so I get to sing them over and over and over....
Taylor is still quite the picky eater.  In fact, I feel like she's become even more picky.  It is so hard to get vegetables in her!  I actually have resorted to feeding her baby food a few times because she will happily scarf down purees. I'm sure her picky eating has something to do with her size.  It's not just that she is picky, but she just doesn't eat a lot in general.  For example, most mornings we give her a piece of toast or a frozen waffle (okay not the best breakfast but it has to be something quick and easy so we can all get out the door on time).  She usually does not finish eating either of those things.  If anyone has insight on getting your child to eat more, please share it!  Otherwise I might have to resort to toddler formula or something!

And lastly, the pictures.  Have you ever tried to get a 2 year old to sit still for pictures?  Practically impossible.  I tell her "say cheese!" and she'll say "cheeeese" and run towards the camera.  So this was the best I could do...=)

I Set a Date!

December 15th is the day.  The day that I will pump for the last time....probably in my whole life.  Walker and I discussed this about a week ago and we decided it was in our best interest for me to wean myself from pumping.  We did not make this decision lightly.  I don't want to say I've enjoyed pumping for the last 7+ months, but I have greatly enjoyed being able to provide Lucy everything she needs nutritionally.   Now, Lucy could still be on straight breastmilk and solid foods right now, but I chose to introduce re-introduce (I forgot she had it as an infant) formula.  I wanted to make sure she would take it- that would be horrible if I went through my entire freezer stash and then found out she wouldn't drink formula!!  But thankfully Lucy is taking her formula bottles just fine.  The other reason for  giving her formula now is I can really build up my freezer stash now so that hopefully Lucy will still get at least some breastmilk every day until her first birthday.  That was my initial goal: breastmilk for the first year.  I never said how much breastmilk!  So right now, she gets breastmilk at daycare and formula at home.  This means I only need to make sure she has 12 oz and the rest I get to freeze! 
So why December 15th?  Well, the day for the start of the new month of pump rental for me is the 18th.  Obviously I won't be turning in my pump tomorrow.  So I want to turn it in by Dec. 18th in order to avoid paying for a full month's pump rental if I only have it for a few days for that time period.  Dec. 18th is a Sunday so I plan on returning it the Friday before, which is the 16th.  So I've worked out a schedule so that I'll be ready to return it then.  I realize I might have to some hand expression after the 15th but I really don't know how much I'll have to do because the schedule I worked out has me pumping twice for 5 minutes on the 15th.  I really don't think that by that point, I'll be so full that I'll need to hand express.  I'm sure by that point, I'll be getting very little from pumping. 
Anyway, I might write more later on how I'm feeling about all of this in another post.  But for right now, I'm counting down to the 15th; maybe I'll make one of those paper chains.....

Update On Taylor

I realized today that I never updated after my last (rather whiny and ranting) post about Taylor's language development.
So last Friday, 2 ladies from Early Intervention came to our house to do the evaluation.  One was a speech language pathologist (SLP) and the other one...well I can't remember her official title but she looks at children more globally; basically all areas of development. 
So the two ladies (of course I can't remember their names) spent about 45 minutes playing with Taylor, and asking me questions.  The SLP did an oral exam of Taylor's mouth to make sure everything looked good.  Taylor actually did very well with that part- she didn't cry at all!
What they concluded is that Taylor is behind in language and cognitive development.  However, they said that her cognitive functioning is at 18 mos. but that score is largely affected by language and since her language (both receptive and expressive) function was at about 15 mos. they're not too concerned about the cognitive score.  She actually came up advanced in fine motor skills.  That one didn't surprise me really- Taylor knows her way around the iPhone apps and she has a great pencil grip.  She actually prefers to color with regular crayons rather than the chunky ones we have bought for her.
So what does this mean?  Well her delay in language is 35% which is just high enough to qualify for services.  So as soon as they find an SLP to provide services she'll get therapy (at our daycare provider's home most likely) once a week.  She has a Individual Family Service Plan which is like an IEP.  She has a goal of increasing her vocabulary by 100-150 words in 6 months.  That sounds like so many right now!!  But I'm hoping with the intense services she'll meet that goal easily. 
In the short time since the previous post, I feel like Taylor has increased her vocabulary a little.  She is saying more animal names and sounds and she is repeating more words in general.  I'm also very proud that she knows the names of some letters already! 
I'm not sure exactly why we've started seeing more gains lately other than I know Walker and I are being much more focused on language with her.  We've looked at a few resources for parents of "late talkers" and they've been very helpful. 
Taylor's language delay still bothers me a bit here and there but I have been feeling more at peace with it knowing that she's going to get the help she needs and that even in the time we've been focusing our energies on language activities with her, she's made progress. I'm thinking that with the therapy and our support she will make great strides and get caught up in no time.

Lucy is 8 Months!

I really need to think of a more clever title than "Lucy is __ months!"  Anyway....
Weight: 15.4 lbs
Height: 27.75 in.

Those are unofficial.  I'm sure the weight is pretty accurate because she was naked.  The height I'm not sure on just because it's kinda hard to measure her (she's so squirmy!).

Physical development: well, still no crawling.  I swear she's getting closer.  When she's sitting up she'll lean over to one side with her hands on the ground like she's going to take off but then nothing happens.  And when she's on her tummy she'll push herself up to all fours and rock, but then she'll flop down on her belly again.  But I know once she's crawling she'll get into even more things so I'm fine with this for now.

Language: man is she a talker!  Lucy is constantly babbling.  She has many different consonant sounds.  And I swear she said "mama" several times last week and she was looking at me.  Could this be a first word?  Well it's too early for me to say for sure. 

Sleep: awesome as always.  In bed by 7, up at 6; I can't complain.  Naps are great too. 

Teeth: ha- what teeth?  Lucy is still gnawing on everything but those teeth are determined to stay hidden.

Food: still doing 2 meals a day.  We did try 3 meals over the weekend and Lucy got a little constipated.  I think it was because she didn't have as much liquids.  She's still getting plenty of breast milk.  I really need to write a whole different post about the breast milk situation.  But she definitely loves food and she really likes the fruits and veggies we give her. 

And the real reason for this post:

Reason #23 I switched to cloth diapers: how cute is this print?!?

  

 

 

 

 

I know this isn't a particularly good picture but I just had to document how chunky her legs are.  I never want to forget this chub!!!

An Important Lesson Was Learned

Okay we've all heard the dangers of putting car seats on top of grocery carts right?  And I will fully admit we were guilty of this as well until recently.  Well this morning we learned an important lesson that car seats should not go on ANY elevated surface.  Walker and I were both rushing around this morning in the usual chaos that is our morning routine.  I was in the bedroom finishing getting dressed and Walker was in the family room getting the girls ready to go.  He put Lucy in her car seat but did not buckle her in and put the car seat up on our counter-height table.  A minute later, I hear a thud, Sadie bark, Walker curse, and Lucy cry.  I ran out and found the car seat on the floor (upright) and Walker holding a crying Lucy.  I said, "What the hell happened?" (please excuse my language).  Well Walker didn't see what happened either but obviously, the car seat had fallen off the table and taken Lucy with it!  Thank God (seriously, praise Jesus!) she didn't seem to be seriously injured.  She calmed down within a few minutes.  But as I was leaving the neighborhood I thought, maybe I should get this checked out (and this was confirmed after talking to my sitter).  So off to convenient care.  They referred us to the pediatrician on call.  The pediatrician didn't think she was seriously hurt but he wanted to x-ray her ribs just to make sure because she got upset every time he put pressure on them.  So we go over to radiology.  When they finally called us, we went into this room and the radiologists said for me to put my things on the table.  I was a little confused because I wondered why they would want my things on the table if that's where Lucy was going to be.  Oh wait, Lucy wasn't going to lay on the table.  No, no, no.....they have a little contraption to x-ray babies ribs.  This is what my precious little child was put into:

Now imagine your child in there (screaming his/her head off) and tell me you wouldn't start crying!   They asked me to go behind a wall (for safety obviously) and there was a little window in the wall so that if I wanted to watch I could.  Let me tell you, I was not about to look at Lucy in that horrible thing anymore than I had to!  It physically hurt me to see her in it.  I was SO happy to get her out of it (and she was happy to be out!).
Thankfully, x-ray came back clean.  Lucy is doing very well- she's been a happy baby the rest of the day.  But to reiterate- DO NOT PLACE YOUR CHILD ON AN ELEVATED SURFACE IN ANY SORT OF CARRIER OR CHAIR UNLESS IT IS STRAPPED TO THAT SURFACE!  Seriously folks, I don't want any momma (or daddy) to go through what I went through this morning, or go through something even worse!!

I Heart Faces Challenge

This is my first time entering a challenge for I Heart Faces but I've been following their blog for several months (I believe I found them through Pinterest!).  Anyway, this week's challenge is "Let Them Be Little."  Here is my photo entry:

I took this photo of my husband and our second daughter Lucy about 2 hours after giving birth (yes I was still in the hospital bed when I took this!).  I love this photo because it captures how quiet the room was and how at that moment, nothing else mattered in the world but this new little life.

If you're interested in following I Heart Faces or participating in their weekly challenges, click on the button below!

Boo at the Zoo!

Yesterday we all went to our first Boo at the Zoo at Scoville Zoo in Decatur.  It did not start until 5:30 so I figured if we left the house at 5, we'd get there in plenty of time.  But of course, we did not leave the house at 5 and then we had to get gas, and put some air in the tires (side rant: since when does air cost $1.00??).  So by the time we got on the road, it was already 5:30.  Then of course neither Walker nor I got directions before we left so we missed the exit for the zoo (why isn't that marked on 72?  It should be!) and we had to navigate through Decatur.  We probably didn't get there until 6:15 so it was already pretty dark.  I was kind of bummed because we couldn't really see any of the animals.  We did see some owls and some wolves because their cages were lit up.  Taylor was greatly entertained by the wolf pacing back and forth in front of the fence.  I was less amused as it was clear the wolf was hell-bent on escaping!
Taylor was of course shy with all the people running the stations.  She liked carrying her tickets, but did not want to give them up.   Lucy was just content to be held the entire time.  The girls got tons of compliments on their matching costumes.  I can't believe I found them at OneWeekBoutique in the right sizes- what are the odds?  (Bonus, they weren't ever worn because the tags were still on- and they were only $9 each!).  Oh I'm starting to ramble.....anyway, the girls had a great time.  I think next time we'll try and go when the zoo offers more daytime hours so we can see some of the animals as well. 
I only got 2 half decent pictures because I had to make sure Taylor didn't escape us and I will fully admit, I really don't know how to use my camera to get good nighttime pictures.  Time to revisit my camera manual!

Haha- yes I am "that" mom who is making her child where a long sleeve shirt under her costume and socks and tennis shoes!  lol

Lucy is 7 Months!

Weight: don't know
Height: don't know

I guess maybe I should have attempted to get her measurements before sitting down to write this....eh I'm not going to worry about it.  She is bigger than what she was at 6 months; let's go with that!

Physical Development: Lucy can scoot...backwards.  Or in a circle.  And then she gets stuck somewhere and cries until we come rescue her.  :)  I don't think she'll be crawling anytime soon.  Maybe that's my fault because we don't really give her a lot of tummy time anymore.  She enjoys sitting up and playing or standing in the exersaucer.

Language: Still getting lots of vowel sounds.  She has not added a whole lot of syllables but honestly I'm so focused on Taylor's language these days that I can't worry about Lucy's that much.  I'm pretty sure her language is where it needs to be.  She definitely uses noise to communicate.  I love how excited she gets when she sees her bottle- lots of "oooo"ing and hand flapping!

Cognitive:  I'm trying to work on clapping with her.  She is fascinated by me doing it and I'll even put her hands together to show her how to clap.  Lucy enjoys exploring her toys (aka chewing on them) and she enjoys listening to Walker and I read to her.  She looks at the pictures with great interest and we've been showing her how to touch the books when they have different textures.

Teeth: Still no teeth!  I really thought we'd have one by now.  And I swear her gums were swollen earlier this week but still no tooth.  I'm not complaining; I love her little toothless grin and I will be sad the day it disappears.

Food: Nothing has changed much.  She eats about 20-24 oz of breastmilk and 2 solid meals of cereal and/or fruit and veggies.  She really likes the combination purees I give her.  Oh in case you need to make your baby poop, I recommend the Plum Organics plum and purple carrot puree.  That did wonders for her constipation!  Oh yes we have started yogurt and I think she's still getting used to the texture.  But she does like it.

Sleep: Still a wonderful sleeper!  She goes down around 7-7:30 and sleeps until 6-6:30.  Actually on weekends she usually sleeps until 7:30 or 8.  We have had to do a little bit of CIO with her because she doesn't always fall asleep with her last bottle.  But if she cries when we put her down, it's only for 2-3 minutes and then she usually goes to sleep.  And really I can think of maybe 3 times she has cried so really we're not having any problems.  And during the day her naps vary.  We usually get at least one good hour nap out of her; the rest are usually cat naps.  Actually she may only take one nap at the sitter's but I know it's a long one- 2 hours I think.

And now for some fluff!

Snap Converting Your Cloth Diapers

Any mom who cloth diapers for awhile knows that velcro does not last.   It starts pilling and the closure tabs start curling, or in the case of a few of my diapers, going bald.  The solution is to order a velcro replacement kit and replace the velcro.  However, a sewing machine is an absolute must to do this and so are some sort of sewing skills.  I possess neither.  So I decided to convert the diaper closures to snaps.  It actually wasn't that hard to do and I figured I would share the process on here for anyone who is curious or is looking for the how-to.

Materials: snap pliers, stiletto (no not the shoe), snaps, paper, pencil, something to rip stitches

I purchased the pliers, stiletto, and snaps at JoAnn fabrics.  They have a whole new line called Babyville Boutique.  The pliers and stiletto actually came in a kit along with a small screw driver and different sized snap mounts.  They run about $20 but the cashier found a 50% off coupon for me so I got mine for $10.  The packages of snaps are $8 each. 

Step 1: Remove the velcro from the diaper.  Now I don't have a seam ripper or some fancy sewing tool to rip out stitches (my sewing kit came from the dollar store; what do you expect?) but I found small nail scissors did a pretty good job.  Just be careful not to rip the fabric as you pull out the stitches.  After the velcro is removed, pull out all the little remaining threads.

Also remove the velcro from the closure tabs.  If you choose you can remove the laundry tabs as well but they're really not hurting anything by leaving them on there so I left them.

Before I go any further, I just want to point out that when I got this diaper, it was already very well-loved (code for used) so pardon the worn out quality.
Step 2: Create a template for where the snaps will go on the diaper.  Now, the diaper tutorial I found online suggested tracing the top of the diaper onto paper, cutting it out, and measuring out where you want the snaps and marking it with a pencil.  By all means you can do it this way and the first diaper I converted, I did do it this way; it was kind of hard because I wasn't totally sure how far apart to put the snaps and what-not.  OR you can do what I did for this diaper:  I found a diaper that already had snaps, laid it under the paper, and used a crayon to make a rubbing.  Voila!

I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of that.  After you make the rubbing, go ahead and trace the top of your diaper and cut out the template (by the way, if you want to use this template multiple times,  make it out of card stock so it lasts longer).
After you cut out the template, take your stiletto and poke holes in the template.
Don't forget to make a template for the closure tabs as well!
Step 3: Place the template over your diaper and use a pencil to mark your diaper through the holes.

When you get done doing this, remove the template and you can see exactly where your snaps will go.

Step 4: Use the stiletto to poke holes in the fabric.  Now this is the tricky part because you need to poke through the outer PUL, but NOT the inner liner.  You will probably have to put your hand inside the pocket to spread the fabric apart.  Just be sure not to put a hole in your hand!  The closure tabs are easier since you stick the stiletto through the whole tab.

Step 5: Stick the prong of a snap cap through the hole.

Step 6: Place a socket (the outer socket; it has a bigger diameter than the smaller inner socket) over the prong.

Step 7: Place the snap pliers over the snap setting.  This part is kinda tricky because you have to line it up carefully in order to get the snap centered in the pliers.  Once it's lined up, squeeze the pliers hard.  But be careful- you dont' want to crack the snaps in half (which I did a few times).  I think as long as the snap is centered in the pliers you won't run the risk of breaking the snap.  Remove pliers and you should have something like this:

Step 8: Repeat steps 5-7.

Step 9: Now it's time for the closure tabs.  Stick a prong through the hole making sure the back of the snap is on the outside of the tab. 

Place the other kind of socket (smaller diameter) over the prong and use the snap pliers to press them together.  I found it was much easier to get these snaps centered in the pliers.  Then repeat on the other tab.

Step 10: Sit back and admire your work!

Now the book I looked at in JoAnn's said something about attaching an extra piece of PUL to the inside of the diaper to reinforce the snaps.  And I checked all my snap diapers and they do have this in place.  However, I forgot to do that with both of the diapers I've done so far.  I will attempt to do so on my next diaper.  I think it might be a little tricky for me since I won't be sewing it in.  But I figure I can hold it in place with some safety pins until I get some snaps in place to hold it.