How did they work?

Some of you may be wondering... did Eva ever try out those cloth AIO (all in one) diapers? Yep, sure did! All three worked out great, I have likes and dislikes about each. All in all, each worked as well as a disposable.I used microfiber terry inserts, which also worked great. I bought a hemp insert, but haven't used it yet.

I tried Fuzzi Bunz first, and was surprised that Bella wore it for 6.5 hours and no leaks! She is not a heavy wetter. This diaper is very very simply made. Workmanship is not superior, but it did work. The elastic on one leg is tighter than the other. I've heard/read similar stories, apparently no diaper is exactly alike. They are very soft!! The second time she wore them, she made BIG POOPS, and it held too... Bella only poops once or twice a day, and when she does, Huggies cannot hold it. Very easy to clean, dries quickly. Price $17.95

Rumpsters were tried second. These are my favorite out of the three. Bella wore it for about 4 hours and stayed very dry, then pooped, all of it stayed in the diaper, no leaks! Made out of hemp & organic cotton. Inserts are sewn in, and unfold for washing, or adding additional inserts if you have a heavy wetter. They are trim, but I think they run a little small. A size small is for 8-22 lbs, but I don't think a 20 lb baby would fit these. I also don't think a really chubby baby would fit these. They have a low rise in the front, different from the others. They wash nicely, but take a little longer to dry. These are also the most expensive, running about $24 for one pair! OUCH

Bumgenius! are the most economical out of the three. You can get package deals, and they fit a baby weighing between 8-35 lbs. Basically, one size fits all. On Bella they seem a little big and bulky. I think she weighs about 11 or 12 lbs. They seem to be made better than Fuzzi Bunz, but worked just as well for me. Bella wore it for about 6 hours, and started to leak a little around the stretchy tabs. Sell individually for $17.95

These diapers can also be found used on Ebay, or craigslist. I have seen both Fuzzi Bunz & Bumgenius! on craigslist. These are much cheaper, you just don't know if they have been properly cared for. If you use the wrong detergent, your diaper could become leaky or repel urine. For the really ambitious who know how to sew, (I know there are a few of you out there)check this out.

Corn Chowder

Nothing like a nice hot soup to warm you on a cold winter day.
This is one of my favorites!

Corn Chowder:

Melt
2TB Butter
Splash of Olive Oil

Saute chopped
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
2-3 cloves garlic
Thyme- to taste

Cook until veggies are translucent
Add 1/4 cup flour, mix well

Add 4-5 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)
Bring to a boil

Add 2 cups milk & 3-4 chopped potatoes
Bring to boil for about 8-10 minutes

When potatoes are cooked
Add frozen corn (as much as you like)
Add canned smoked trout (any smoked fish will do, or smoked bacon)

YUMMY!
Great with a nice salad and some good bread.

Tree House

Jaime works incredibly long hours on a regular basis, and with Christmas being right around the corner he has been working even more. Despite having only one day a week off, Jaime has taken the time to build Noah a fanatistic tree house!! YAY DADDY!

Conversations

Chatting with Daddy

Telling Uncle Jeremy all about it.

Hee Hee, I'm wearing Uncle Jeremy's hat!

A Warm House

What am I thankful for today? Yes, a warm house! A storm passed through here on Thursday night, and over a million people were without power. I think many of them still don't have power. We were without for only 14 hours, which I thought was long. We are very close to SeaTac airport, maybe that's why we got our power back relatively quickly, compared to others. We have several huge trees on our property, which I love! One of the biggest trees is right outside our back door. I was so worried that one of the branches was going to fly through a window, or come down on the roof. Whew! We were spared. Others are not so fortunate. Many perfectly healthy strong trees came down.

Thank you for my safe warm house!

Turn OFF your TV

We've worked very hard to limit the amount of time Noah spends in front of the TV. It helps that we've put the TV in the basement, and only have about 4 channels. In the past, he has watched very very little, until Bella was born. It is winter, it is too cold/wet to be outside, Bella is crying, I need to cook dinner, clean house, wash laundry, these are all things I tell myself to validate Noah watching TV. Yesterday Noah wasn't listening, and was being very disrespectful. I took away TV time for the day. He was hysterical! I couldn't believe it. He screamed, cried, threatened...all for a television program. It blew me away, and made me realize I need to spend more time with him.

It took A LOT of effort, but we had a wonderful afternoon together.
We...

• played legos
• talked story
• made & shared a snack
• bathed Bella (he was most helpful)
• danced in the living room
• played paper airplanes
• he read Bella a book
• Noah peeled & chopped carrots for dinner
• Noah set the table with silverware, poured water for us

While tucking Noah in, he gave me a hug and said, "I love you sweetheart" That's what I always say to him! I left his room with tears in my eyes.

You Did Not!

It's been really windy and rainy here. So windy that our power went out last night. As a result of lost power, my alarm clock failed to wake me this morning. I finally woke on my own, to a gloomy morning. I decided to wake up slowly, after all, it is still so dark, it must be early. When I finally get outta bed and checked the time... GOOD GRIEF it is late! I had only 30 minutes to get Noah out of bed, dressed, fed, school lunch made. Anyone who knows Noah, also knows that sometimes he can take almost 30 minutes just to start eating. He likes to take it slow, talk, and enjoy himself. I also had to change and nurse Bella.

As we're heading out the door, I decided to trade my jammies for jeans, and threw on a jacket. As I'm driving, I notice my hair is everywhere... very messy. Oh Well, I can drop Noah off quickly and no one will notice. I'm telling Noah a story, and... oh my... what's that smell??? Great, I forgot to brush my teeth. Wonderful. NO PROBLEM, I tell myself. I won't talk to anyone, just smile and nod. I drop Noah, and head home. Whew... Then I remember we have no bread, potatoes.. etc, so I drop by the store, since it is on the way. I tell ya, I just wanted to get in and out, not talk to anyone since I had morning dragon breath. Babies are huge people magnets... especially ity bity ones. So of course, several people stop to chat at the store. At this point I thought... Screw it! I'm talking to everyone who looks our way! And so I did. It was great fun! Try it sometime.

Yes I did. I went out in public without combing my hair or brushing my teeth. EEWWWWWWW
Hopefully that won't happen again!

They're Here!!

In an effort to create less waste, I've decided that cloth diapers are worth a try. I ordered three different ones, Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, and Rumpsters. The Fuzzi Bunz are the thinnest softest ones, and the Rumpster is really cool because it has an insert as part of the design, and you can still add another insert if you need more absorption. I'm just worried that they won't wash clean, or that Bella will be wet and leaky. It is definitely worth a try. I'll let you all know how well they work, and which ones are my favorite.
I'm so excited to try these!

Freedom

I had an outing today. All by MYSELF! Bella was napping, and the guys were making rubber band guns out of left-over bamboo scraps from our flooring. So where did I go? The library, just six streets over. I know... DORK!! Right? I absolutely love going to the library. As a child I read quite a bit, but lost the joy of reading as a teenager and young adult. When Noah was born, I rediscovered books, and the library for that matter. It was fun and so quiet! Here are a few of my latest finds. I can't wait to read! The funny thing is, I don't have enough time to read all of these books. Oh Well, I can try.

• My Friend Leonard by James Frey (very twisted)
• Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (thanks Rachel)
• Clearly Delicious by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz & Judy Ridgway
• the petit appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes
• Kidnapped in Yemen by Mary Quin

Treasure

As some of you may or may not know, laundry is a chore that I avoid at all costs. Until Noah complains he has no clean clothes, and I have already worn everything I have several times. Lately laundry has taken on a new twist. Who is designing pants for young boys these days? Have you ever noticed that most of them have anywhere from 6-8 pockets???? This person obviously doens't do laundry. For Noah, pants with multiple pockets are his favorite. He loves to stash things away for later. Today while doing the wash, I had to check EVERY SINGLE POCKET on I don't know how many pairs of pants. Here are a few things I have found over the last month or so:

• Pennies
• Rocks, sticks etc
• Hand-drawn treasure maps
• Snacks
• Sticky candy
• Smashed Spider
• Snot rag
• Rollie Pollie

Shattered

I have... had ONE very nice piece of cookware. It was an oval white casserole dish that my friend Heather gave me about 5 or 6 years ago for Christmas. I absolutely love it and use it all the time. Tonight, I made it explode...shattered it in my kitchen. How??? I placed it on the stove due to lack of counter space, accidentally turned on the wrong eye on my stove, which apparently concentrated too much heat on one particular spot of the dish. As much as I love to cook, I'm dangerous in the kitchen! There you have it. I don't think I should be allowed in the kitchen for the rest of the week! I haven't even thrown it away yet... it's just sitting on my kitchen counter... in many pieces. I will miss the oval white casserole dish. Noah has offered to buy me a new one for Christmas.

Hawaii

It is winter, it is wet and grey, and I REALLY miss Hawaii.

After living there for half of my life, it feels like home. I miss the ocean, warm breezes, and the smell of tropical rain. I know in my heart that one day we will return.

Jaime and Noah playing on the beach.

Bananas

Wapio Valley (Big Island)

Favorite time of day

My favorite/busiet time of the day is Dinner Time. Why? Jaime comes home from work, the house smells great, and we all sit down at the table together to reconnect. It is a special time in our day, especially since Jaime works so much, and so late. He often tells me to eat without him... but I don't. It is the only quality time on a weekday that our family has. When we first sit down, we all are tired, hungry, and down right crabby. After our bellies are filled with a nourishing home cooked meal, everyone feels better and we laugh and joke before getting ready for another day. So... Friday nights are extra special, because there is no rush to get Noah to bed, and we can sit at the table and chat that much longer. I especially love having breakfast for dinner! Breakfast is my favorite meal... so why not combine the two?

What is your favorite time of day?

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling Rivalry... not here, not yet.
Noah is so sweet to Isabella, here a few things he regulary says regarding his new sister:

• Is she my 'REAL' baby sister?
• Can I pet her?
• Can I wash her toes?
• Can I touch her butt?
• Mom, she pooped... again!
• She's crying, pick her up RIGHT NOW!
• Don't be a fussy baby (high-pitched voice)
• Isabella is a kind baby (this is new)

I'm excited to watch their relationship blossom.

Thank you Fatima for being my beautiful sister and friend. Life would be empty without you!

I love them

Flowers...

Lunch with Isabella

Isabella and I are reading an animal book, chatting about the pictures, animals, colors...etc It's 11:30 am, and my stomach is demanding I feed it. So, Isabella and I go to the kitchen while I figure out what I want to eat. Suddenly, she becomes unhappy, starts to cry, and shortly after falls asleep on my shoulder. SWEET!!! Now I can eat lunch. I lay her down, and heat up some left-over tomato soup. As I sit down to eat, she starts crying again. Convincing myself that I can eat really fast and go settle her, I take a huge gulp of soup, successfully burning my mouth. Okay, maybe I'll settle her while my soup cools. Again, she quickly falls asleep as I am holding her... I decide to eat. Every slurp of my soup results in murmurs of protest, until she is completely in dreamland. I lay her down and go to finish my lunch. Guess what happens next? Yes, she starts crying again. Is it just me... or is there a pattern developing here?

And that...was lunch with Isabella.

Ecological Footprint

What are you doing to minimize your ecological footprint?

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately... maybe because being wasteful, taking advantage of our disposal society makes me feel so guilty. Usually it is out of laziness. For example, I purchased cloth shopping bags, to take shopping of course, and I often leave them at home. Why??? I'm not sure. Lack of planning? Perhaps. Although I am getting better. Currently all I do is:

• recycle (mandated in Seattle, and so so easy)
• use cloth shopping bags, sometimes

A few things I plan to do to reduce my waste, minimizing my ecological footprint:

• use cloth bags for ALL shopping
• buy cloth napkins
• buy quality food storage containers... (I tend to toss cheap recyclable tupperware)
• buy products with minimal packaging
• buy food composting bins, to compost veggie scraps
• think more about cloth diapers... (having trouble with this one)
• buy used if possible Freecycle, Craigslist

Also, I ran across a yahoo group called The Compact, and its members pledge not to buy anything new for an entire year. Food and medicine being the exception of course. You buy used, borrow, or barter. HMMM intriguing, although I would have to get Jaime to go in with me or it wouldn't work.

Noah Bakes

We borrowed a kids baking book from the library, and Noah REALLY wanted to make this cake. The candy sprinkles sucked him in. Can you blame him? He was so proud of himself and his cake. He even made the frosting. It was so so sweet. Just to his liking!

Life has many surprises

Here are a few surprises we've had in the past year or so.
Some made me pull my hair out, some brought tears of joy.

*We found a 2 bedroom house we love in our price range
*Discovered our lot is twice as big as we originally thought
*Master bath has no heat (not sure how we missed this)
*1 month after moving in, main water line from house to street meter breaks
*After Jaime cleared the lot of blackberry bushes, we discovered a landfill in our backyard
*4 months after moving in, I realize I'm pregnant (need 3rd bedroom)
*The basement is wet, and our new carpet is moldy and wet in some spots
*Realized I love the outdoor fireplace, which I wanted to demolish.
*We notice a major rail system being built just two blocks away.
*8 months after moving in, our roof is leaking
*1 year after moving in, we have a beautiful daughter

I wonder what the new year will bring?