On the Move

AJU6, at 10 months 1 day, took his first steps last Monday. Since then, he has increased to 5-6 steps in a row before falling down. The boy is definitely going to beat his sister to the independent walking stage, since she didn't get there until 13-14 months.

He has also learned to clap and has started to use it to get our attention. If he is done eating and has started to exit his chair, he claps half the time to "inform" us of his accomplishment.

It is fun to watch him grow. He is definitely doing things differently than his sister, and I bet part of it is because he has a role model. The other part is that he is boy.

AJU5 is a hoot these days too. She was "performing" for her daddy last night - singing songs for him to record. Her two favorites right now are ABCs and the Cubbies song. Now if only she would sing the Cubbies song at Cubbies class...

Sleep hasn't improved much. AJU6 can't have too much diary or his belly gets upset. And he doesn't like meat, so his diet is fruits, veggies, and starches mostly (and bm). None of these things really fill him up. So, Luckily he gets that one big stretch of sleep at night OR does 3 hours stretches. So, I am not a complete zombie.

Well, this post just went completely random... Maybe next time I can stick to my title :)

Yawn!

Between my two kids - I am tired! AJU5 has become an early bird most days. I am lucky to get to stay in bed past 6:30. This morning, she arrived at our bed around 5am - before AJU1 got up for the day. And, shortly after he left for work, she demanded I get out of bed too. It wasn't even 6am... Luckily her routine is to watch a show in the morning. So, twice this week I have gotten to snooze while she watches Veggie Tales "with me."

Then, you add AJU6 and his terrible sleeping. At 10 months old, he still wakes 3 times a night to nurse. The first two are on about 2 to 2.5 hour increments. Then, he sleeps for about 4 hours and then until he is woken up (or around 7am if AJU5 is actually quiet). I so wish he would sleep better. But, crying it out doesn't seem to be an option. Sometimes I let him fuss for a few minutes while I try to convince myself it isn't him I hear. But, he just gets louder. And, he throws all of his pacifiers out of his bed. So, his main comfort items are not available if he were to give up and try to go to sleep.

So, last night I thought I would try a little formula. Since the smallest "dosage" you can do with the powder is 2 ounces, that is what I tried. And guess what - he refused it! He took a few sips at his first two feedings, but he only drank 1 ounce total. Some of it may have been that it was cold (since I used the filtered water from the fridge). So, tonight I am going to try again. I am also going to try mixing a little bm in to see if that helps. I tried giving him the bottle, then letting him nurse, then when he was ready to switch sides, I tried the bottle again. But, by the second feeding, he was having none of it. And since he is really nursing, not just seeking comfort, I think he is actually hungry. Ugh! Hopefully by 15 months he will be sleeping through the night...

At least yhey both take decent naps right now so I can get a veg period each day!

Helicopter...

Last night I realized at times I am a helicopter parent. And I am not a huge fan of it.

I am totally not a helicopter parent when we are at home or with close friends. But I am when we are not in our norm. Cubbies is one of those places - and even then it is only in certain situations.

I don't helicopter during play time. I do little to no helicoptering during craft. But, other times I am right there with her making sure she "performs" as she should. Some of it is justified - she is younger than all the others by up to 2+ years (Cubbies is for Pre-K, so a few just turned 5, but most are 3 or 4). She is shy and hasn't had a lot of "social school" time. So, if I am not there, she may not do as asked. If I am not there for a few parts of the night (story, opening, etc), she will scream and cry. So, those are times I need to be there still. Luckily, she is getting used to the way things work, and she is starting to not fight me. But, if they loose her attention, she melts...

Then there is book time when they need to say their verses. I think she is warming up to the leader a little, but he was gone last night. And she is one of two kids using a different Bible version that the rest, so I don't want them to confuse her/think she isn't saying it right. So, I helicopter. My goal, now that I have realized it, is to back away a little and see what happens. I want to wait until she doesn't respond to them to step in and help. Hopefully that will work next week...

And I think some of it is that I want to show people what she can do. She is doing the "extra credit" mainly because she is good at memorizing verses. She still has the one memorized back in August at the front of her brain (and will tell it to us all the time). So, having her recite three "old" verses isn't a problem. The second half of the extra credit is sometimes a challenge because it is putting the week's lesson into action/making it tangible. Some concepts are harder for her, but I think without even trying, she would get less than she does with our sometimes-half-completed attempts.

So, there you go. That is how Cubbies is going. The end...

Searching for an Answer

AJU6 has had some not-so=pretty diapers lately. And now, I am searching for an answer! Is it the yogurt I started feeding him? Is it the cheese he has started eating (and loving)? Is it because he is nursing more lately?

Ugh! It isn't fun. And using cloth diapers is a mixed blessing in this case. I may have not noticed the change in the diapers as much if we were using disposables. It isn't diarrhea, but instead just more like infant poo. With the cloth diapers, I am having to rinse them off instead of just "dropping" the dirty into the toilet like I had been able to. And of course rinsing isn't that much fun.

So, now i have limited AJU6's diet a lot. He is going to eat cheerios, organic animal crackers, banana, and possibly some peas and corn until he is 'back to normal" (with the standard nursing on demand). Hopefully he will be "back to normal" soon. Hopefully it is just too much diary or teething that is causing him to be a little grumpier than normal...

An Update - From AJU5

You might remember that I posted my to-dos for this year way back in January. I thought I would let you know where I am on those:

• Learn my letters and numbers.
  The letters are DONE! I know them all, and I can even say what sound most of them make. Mommy and Daddy also say I am starting to sound out some words. On the number side of things, I am a little slower. I can count things fairly well, but I don't know all of my numbers just yet. I do know some of them though.

• Learn to use the potty.
  Done! I still wear diapers at night, but I rarely have an accident these days (except at night when I am sleeping). And, if I do have an accident, it is in the bathroom. I even made it to the state fair without an accident!
  
  
• Sleep in my big girl bed all the time.
  Done Again! Well, I occasionally sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed, especially for naps, but I don't sleep in a baby bed (crib) at all.
  
  
• Take swimming lessons.
  Nope. Didn't happen. Mommy said I am too clingy to try this past summer. But, we did get to swim some, and I liked that. Next summer I will do swim lessons though!
  
  
• Visit Grandpa's farm and Grampy's lake.
  Well, I got to go to Grandpa's farm this summer, but we didn't go to Grampy's lake. Something about a feud between some of Mommy's family, so she didn't want to try to go. But, we will be there before the new year. I just won't get to actually swim in the lake until next summer. But, Grandpa's farm was fun - I got to "ride" on a bunch of tractors and play with water.

So, I am almost there on my to-do list. Maybe I should work on a new one...

9 Years Ago

Nine years ago, I got up just like normal. I started the day just like normal. I walked to school. I taught my first class of the day (as a graduate student). I went to my second class directly from the first class and was greeted with what I thought was a weird question:
"Are we having class today?"

I had no clue what had happened. It all started minutes before my first class. So, none of us in that room had any idea. I had to ask the students to explainw hat had happened, and even then I really didn't complete grasp what had gone on.

We went through the second class fairly quickly, and I let them go early and returned to the building where my office was. I talked to the other grad students with offices near me, and I learned a little more. Then we headed upstairs to the main office for our department and saw some of it on the TV. Then it truly hit me what had happened and what was going on.

I don't think I will ever forget that day. Just like our grandparents probably won't forget Pearl Harbor, many of us have 9/11. But, I wonder how much the events of that day have really changed our country. I wonder how much that day really changed each one of us. For some people, I don't think it changed them at all. For others, it is a huge change. And, there are those like me who were changed some but not too much because it didn't "hit" close to home.

What about you?

Product Review Friday - PlaySet

After MONTHS of searching, and looking, and waiting, and looking, and researching and ... we finally bought a playset for the back yard. We knew we wanted wood with three swing spots, a slide, and a few climbing options. That was the easy part. The hard part was finding what we wanted in stock at a reasonable price. First we considered one brand that turned out to be EXPENSIVE - twice the price for a similar system. That brand is probably the best built, but we didn't think it was worth that price (they have some systems that cost more than an average new SUV...).

Then we found something we liked on Sam's Club's website that was out of stock. They said they would be back in at the beginning of June (or end of May - I don't remember). By the time they were back in stock, we realized it was 2x4 construction - something we didn't like. So, we started looking again. Then we found one we liked at Costco.com. But, by the time we decided to buy it, it was out of stock. We waited, contacted both the manufacturer and Costco, and finally gave up because it didn't look like it would be back in stock this year. So, the search continued. We found two that we liked - one at Home Depot and one at Costco - next. Then we spent some time laying them out in our yard, talking, and finally we were close to a final decision. AJU1 looked at them again online, and the one at Costco was no longer on sale (but still available). The one at Home Depot was now on sale, and it was the one we were leaning to anyways. So, we bought it.

It is a Gorilla playset, and we think it is just fine for our yard. The wood isn't perfect, but we knew that was likely (after reading reviews of every playset in the $1500 price range, we knew what to expect). It went together fairly easily, and the kids like it. AJU5 is happy with it, and AJU6 even likes some parts too.

The biggest hits for AJU5 are the swing, wheel, and telescope. She refuses to slide, but she will try everything else. AJU6 likes to play in the fort part and occasionally likes the slide. We got him a swing (LittleTykes), and he isn't sure about it. But, AJU5 likes it (we can swing her really high in it). Hopefully the playset will grow with them and will be something they can explore ON THEIR OWN before too long :)

Wordless Wednesday - Approved!

Dinner Adventures

Part 1: "Conversation" between AJU6 and I
Me: AJU6, you need to eat your (green) beans before I give you more potato.
AJU6: Picks up beans and "eats" them.
Me; Give him more potato (and chicken).
AJU6: Eats some more, but not everything.

Later, I go to clean his chair,and I find the beans, uneaten, at the bottom. I hope this is not a sign of things to come...

Part 2: AJU5
I hear AJU5 mumble something, so I turn to look at her (she is sitting next to me), and I notice she is turning around in her chair. I think she is getting down, but then I look closer - her eyes are shut! She is asleep at the dinner table for the first time ever. And it wasn't even 6 (she normally goes to bed around 8). I was able to carry her to bed, put a diaper on her, and tuck her in without waking up. She later cried a little, but she was still asleep. Hopefully morning won't come too early...

Cubbie!

AJU5 is now a Cubbie in Awana. Awana is a Christian scout-type program that focuses on Scripture memory, and begins with 2-year olds. We decided to skip the 2 year old class (Puggles) with AJU5, and move her to the preschool class (Cubbies) because we plan on starting kindergarten with her when she is 4.5. Last night, the Cubbies who completed the first two weeks got their vests and books. AJU5 had to memorize three (shortened) verses and the Cubbies motto. I am surprised at how easily she learned the verses. I just had to repeat them a bunch of times during the week, and before too long she could repeat them to me. Plus, it is helping me learn verses too :)

She still isn't used to the format of Awana though. The group she is in starts with play time while everyone arrives. Then, they do a big group time with a puppet story, Bible story, and song. After that,t hey rotate through three stations - book/snack, craft, and game. The hardest thing for AJU5 is she doesn't always want to leave one activity - especially the play time with the play kitchen. Also, it ends right beofre her bedtime, so the closing time at the very end can be a struggle too. But, I think she is getting more and more comfortable with it. And, it doesn't hurt that her best friend is also in the class with her (and we make sure they are in the same rotation group). She was a little sad when her friends little brother (a very close second on the best friend status) didn't get to go with them this week. He is a Puggle, and he had to go to his class!

This morning the first thing she asked AJU1 for was her book and vest. She asked for them before juice, milk, and morning snack even. So, hopefully next Thursday will run even smoother for her!

Verses:
1 John 4:10 - God lvoed us and sent His Son.
Romans 3:23 - All have sinned.
Romans 5;8 - While we were sinners, Christ died for us.

Cubbies Motto; Jesus loves me.

Wow!

Let's just say AJU5 surprised me this morning - and last night.

First, she went to bed without a fight - something we had been dealing with for a week or two. Then she stayed in bed even though her door wasn't shut and just played until she fell asleep. We heard her singing the Awana Cubbie song at one point.

Then, I heard her this morning playing in her room. Then I heard AJU6 whine a little bit. The next thing I knew I heard them both laughing. She had gone to his room and was playing with him. It was a lot better way to wake than two screaming kids!

Next, once she came to get me, I noticed she had on different pants than she went to bed with. She had taken her pants off with the diaper inside (I knew she COULD do that), and then put on undies and different pants. Normally I have to ask her to change in the morning after her shows.

This little girl is growing up, and part of me is happy. But, then I miss my baby at times too...

I guess someone made a mistake

AJU6 is now 9 months old, and he is as active as can be. He can stand on his own, and just this weekend figured out how to push a toy around while standing. I wouldn't not be surprised if he was truly walking before a year.

At his check-up, he weighed 15 lbs 11.25 oz and was 27 inches long. I didn't look at the growth chart too quickly, but whoever plotted it must have been wrong. Our pediatrician said he was 25th percentile in weight and 10th in height. But, he weighs less than his sister did at 9 months, and she was 10th percentile in weight! I checked online, and it shows him less than 5th percentile. Part of me wonders if the number they wrote on our paper is wrong, as he doesn't look that skinny. It actually looks like he is a little chubbier than he was at 6 months. But I don't know. He is healthy and that is all that matters.

He isn't a talker just yet, but either was his sister. Neither of them waved, but I think it is more because we aren't wavers around here. I often wonder why that is always one of the milestones they ask about - I bet kids in other parts of the world don't wave either. But again I know he understands us and he is communicating in his own way. You should see how he reacts when he sees his crackers! He is definitely telling us that is what he wants.

Enough of the rambling. It is just one of those kind of days. First day of the Fall term, stayed up too late last night, and have been busy all day... But, all is good :)

Wordless Wednesday - Friday Evening "Activity"

Puddles, and More Puddles

Yesterday AJU5 decided she wanted to wear undies like Mommy. I took this as a sign she was ready to try potty training again, especially since she fought putting on a diaper for a good 30 minutes. So, she got undies for about 2 hours yesterday before we had to leave to go somewhere. And, there were accidents of course. Luckily AJU1 "caught" the big accident and cleaned it up.

This morning she wanted undies again (she actually had to be forced into a diaper to leave yesterday and at bedtime). So, I went with it. After four puddles and no success (and one heavily used diaper at nap time), I was about to give up. I posted on Facebook asking for ideas. AJU5 knew when she had to go. She would just dribble a tiny bit on her undies and let me know. We would sit on the potty, and nothing would happen. Repeat one more time, and then there would be ahuge puddle about 15 minutes after the second attempt. Clearly the problem was actually using the potty - not knowing that she needed to go. One friend suggested trying to have her sit on the potty while watching a show and drinking Gatorade. I gave it a try. After about an hour, she went. Then, about 45 minutes later, there was another puddle - luckily that one was outside in the grass so I didn't have to clean it up.

So, we will try again tomorrow. We will start with the potty/drink/show combo first thing in the morning. Then, we will probably try another suggestion - coloring while sitting on the potty - later. We have tried books with no results, but it might be that I am just not patient enough (20-30 minutes of reading kids books can wear me out, especially when AJU6 wants to play). Hopefully she figure it out. She really wants her trike - the current carrot for potty training.

Product Review Friday - Personal Financial Software

We started using MS Money shortly after we got married. In almost 8 years, it became very easy to use, and it was user friendly (as long as you are used to Microsoft at least). Then, about a year or so ago, they stopped selling it. My husband tried to adjust something on the version we had, it we lost the ability to download our transactions from our banking companies - about a year before this would have happened otherwise. So, we had to switch. Basically, the only option out there is Quicken, so he ordered that.

We aren't huge fans of it. It is harder to reconcile the transactions. You can't easily see the number of transactions needing to be reconciled per account. It does download the transactions "well," and it tracks our spending like we want. We don't have a set budget, so that isn't important to us. Maybe if we had a strict budget it would be a better program...

*We are fortunate at this point to have surplus each month after paying our bills, groceries, tithe, and depositing a set amount in savings. That remainder then is currently being used mostly for the backyard "remodeling" which is making our credit card bleed (well, until we pay it off each month). So, in a sense we have a budget, but because we have the surplus, we don't have to stress over it or even worry about it at all.


** I know have another blog for my cloth diapering journey. If you want the url, let me know. I am using my name there (but not the kids), so I won't link to it here.

Glad That is Over

Last February I found a lump in my right breast. It felt like a cyst - and I thought there was a very good chance it was just acne (I have had ones similar a little closer to the surface before). A week or so later, AJU6 was conceived. Then, I found out I was pregnant, and it felt like it was getting bigger. So, I mentioned it to my OB/Gyn at my first appointment, and she sent me to get a breast ultrasound. She said it felt like a fibroid, but she wanted to make sure. I then of course Google fibroid and determined it was likely. The ultrasound again showed it was likely a fibroid, but it wasn't 100% certain. So, they said to come back in 3 months. Well, fibroids tend to grow with hormones related to pregnancy. So, 3 months later it was larger. That was a year ago. They decided to have me come back in 6 months - after AJU6 was born - to see what it had done. By then it was slightly smaller than it had been last August, but it was still there and fairly large. So, I got to go back this month. It is still there, but it is drastically smaller. So, that is enough evidence for them that it is just a fibroid (breastfeeding = enough hormones to allow it to still live). That means I don't have to go back to that place for 8 years (when I turn 40 for my first mammogram) or if I feel it growing again.

I didn't share it with many people because at first I wasn't ready to share the pregnancy. So, I couldn't really share the fibroid since it was most likely related. Then, I just didn't. But, before every ultrasound I would get slightly nervous. Luckily it is over. I am glad that fear is gone...

Let the Whining... I Mean Weaning Begin

I decided to "force" the pacifier weaning on Saturday. AJU5 has gotten WAY too whiny about her pacifiers, so I knew it was time. With VBS over, I was ready to take the "plunge." We had friends suggest (via my husband) cutting the tip off of the pacifier a little bit at a time until they didn't want it any more. So I tried it Saturday night before she went to bed. Well, I guess I cut too much off. She has not wanted that pacifier since that night...

She woke a few times Saturday night/Sunday morning, and finally around 5:30, I gave her a different pacifier so I could get a little more sleep. Sunday at church, I offered her the cut one, and she refused it. She fell asleep in the pew without it - snuggled up next to me. Sunday night, she told me it was broken, and when I gave it to her, she threw it. I had to lay down with her in the middle of the night to get her back to sleep, but she didn't want a pacifier.

Yesterday's nap was a challenge. She refused to go down at her normal time. Then, around 3pm, while I was busy folding clothes, she fell asleep in our bed. There were more cries out of her during her nap than normal, but she was completely pacifier free. Last night she didn't even ask for her "other" pacifiers like she did at the failed nap time. She wanted me to lay with her for a while, but eventually she went to sleep on her own. AND!!! she didn't wake us up last night with her crying. So, I think the weaning (for her) is over.

I also started keeping AJU6's pacifier in his bed unless we are leaving the house. He seems okay with this. We do occasionally have to get it out about an hour before bed time, but that is it. We have tried putting him down an hour earlier, and he refuses. He wants to snuggle and be held before bed, and he wants his pacifier then too. And, I am okay with that. Hopefully he will be easier to break of the bedtime habit than AJU5. But, only time will tell...

Is It Nap Time Yet?

This week is killing me! VBS is a lot of work. We are averaging 34 kids with under 10 adult helpers and under 10 teen helpers. Oh, and I am not counting AJU6 in those 34 kids...

Add to that a teething infant who is waking every few hours at night, and you have one tired mommy. (The boy has cute 3 teeth in less than a month, and a fourth one is coming soon)

Luckily VBS is going well. We had a great family night yesterday at church, and the kids are enjoying the whole experience. Games have been hit or miss, but that is mainly due to heat (middle group - too hot and tired to play much by their turn) and age (youngest group). Lunch has been a huge hit, and the crafts have gone well. I haven't seen much of the lesson (since there are secluded for maximum attention), but supposedly that has been going well too.

One more day... I can make it...

Famous.. Sort Of...

I had a blog post "published" on a bigger site!
http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2010/08/ready-for-anything.html
This is the site run by the owner of the cloth diaper store I have bought from (twice). Checked it out if you would like!

Splish Splash

How is it that months ago both my kids hated baths and now they yearn for them? And how did my daughter who would SCREAM when I turned the shower head on (even if she wasn't in the tub) become a girl who ASKED to take a shower with me?

AJU6 got upset one night because he didn't get a bath. He was asleep through most of AJU5s bath before church Wednesday night, so I just rinsed him off (there was a little frozen yogurt incident at Costco - both kids were a little sticky). He let me know he wanted into the tub to play too. He cried until we were out of the bathroom and on our way out the door.

AJU5 now asks for a bath at least once a day. If AJU6 is awake, she asks for him to take a bath with her. But, she also enjoys the alone bath time because then she can "paint" the tub with an old tooth brush and body wash.

Our outdoor little pool isn't getting as much use though - I think because it is so hot outside most days. I know I would rather be inside than out! And I am not crazy enough to try to take the kids to the real pool these days (alone). So, the bath has to do...

Getting Ready

Next week is our church's VBS. So, I am working on getting the kids on a good schedule for that - and it hasn't been easy. Sunday went great - AJU5 took a late nap and we had no issues. Monday was okay - a little fight to get her to actually nap after 1pm once I had pushed her passed the normal 11 or 12 - but it worked.

Then came Tuesday...

AJU1 is on a different work schedule this week because of a class he is taking at work. He now leaves just before 7am and gets home around 6pm. Well, AJU5 started to fuss at 5:30am, and he let her out of bed. So, at 6:30 when she normally gets up, she had already had her two morning shows - the shows I count on to wake up, get a shower, and check my work things (plus Facebook and Google Reader of course). To top it off, she bawled when he left because she thought he would be home all day (like the weekend). She fell asleep on our walk - in an uncomfortable position at that - long before her normal nap. She did take a nap later in the day, but it still wasn't fun.

That night she didn't sleep well. I finally realized it was because she was cold at 5am - and I had already had to comfort her twice before then. She did sleep until almost 7 - just early enough to see daddy and bawl when he left. Luckily she napped well around 12:30.

Today has been okay. Nap at 1ish, etc. Luckily AJU6 FINALLY got with the picture and napped some while she napped. The lack of simul-nap was killing me! That, and having to deal with the kids for 1-2 more waking hours by myself... at the cranky/needy hours...

Lets see if this works for next week...

SLACKER!

I have been slacking on my posting. And I will blame it on three things:

1. The kids. They are active as ever and rarely do I get time to just sit at the computer and write (other than the items below).
2. Work. It is the busy time in the summer term. Almost finals, lts to grade/deal with, etc. So, this is taking most of my free time away from the kids.
3. ScrapbookSteals. They have a weekly sccrapbook challenge wehre they give you a layout and you create a page (or two). I am loving this, but again it is taking away from my computer time. But, maybe I will finish our honeymoon album before our 10th anniversary in two years (and hopefully our dating album too).

A little update on the kids:

• AJU5 still has no interest in potty training. I tried to get her to use the potty yesterday, and she was not happy about that at all (i.e. force was required to get her to sit). So, maybe in a few weeks we will try again.
• AJU6 is in love with his spoons. He crawls all over the house with one or two spoons in his hands. It does make finding him easier (if he is downstairs).
• AJU6 keeps trying to give me a heart attack by crawling to the edge of our stairs. He thinks it is funny - I don't. (No gate because it would mean a very unhappy AJU5 and because it would be a pain to install)
• AJU5 has returned to liking baths. Some days she is requesting two. If I was more adventurous, we might go to a public pool. But, two kids, alone, doesn't sound too fun :)

Maybe next week I will do better at blogging...

July Trip 2010 - Part 3

The third part of the adventure was a VBS for a Native American chapter that our church has run the past 7 or 8 years. This was my third time going, and I have enjoyed it each year. I love seeing the kids learn about God and enjoy the activities we have for them. I would show more pictures, but I decided not to post ones with other kids in them.

This leg was just the kids an I - AJU1 had to return to work. Luckily I did have help from the rest of our "mission" team with the kids when I needed it. AJU6 was passed around a lot at dinners. It was really cute seeing the male teens wanting to hold him! They were great wtih him too. As long as he didn't see me, he was happy with whoever was willing to hold him.

Each day we would get up fairly early and have breakfast at the hotel. Then, sometime between 8;30 and 9:00 we would leave for VBS (the teens and most adults left around 8). VBS ran from 10-12 (ish) each day. This year we were outside teh whole time as they were remodeling the chapter house. This meant AJU6 was stuck attached to some adult/teen ALL the time. I tried to put him down a few times,a nd he crawled right off the blanket to the dirt. And then he picked up rocks and tried to eat them. After a few attempts to get him to stop, I gave up. Luckily I had a carrier for him with me...

AJU5 did okay with her class. Some times she behaved, and other times she wanted me. But, that was to be expected. She loved the craft time the most, and finally on the last day participated in the music. I hope she does even better at our church VBS in a few weeks!

In the afternoons we went swimming at the hotel pool. AJU5 did not like her swimsuit/flotation device combo that much, but I was very thankful for it. It meant I didn't have to watch her like a hawk. If she stepped off the steps, she wouldn't go under compeltely - if she relaxed she had no issues whatsoever. Some days she was adventurous - jumping off the side of the pool without hands, floating near the steps on her own, etc. Other days she wouldn't leave the top step without me. AJU6 liked the water too - he even fell asleep in the pool one day!

The hardest part was sleeping. AJU6 cut his upper two teeth while we were there, so he wasn't a happy camper. Since I couldn't "lock" AJU5 in a room by herself, it was hard to get her to fall asleep too. Some nights she was up until 10:30. The latest we slept in was 7am. Each day both kids would fall asleep on the way back to the hotel, but they would wake up once I got them out of the van. I tried to get them to sleep/nap before swimming, but it never worked. Luckily, the both took naps from 3ish until I woke them for dinner.

I wan't wait until next year - I already miss the kids out there!

The kids and i at Wednesday evening service.

AJU5 and I at the missionaries' house at sunset (ignore the wrinkled skort - I was too lazy to iron it)

I will let you interpret this one yourself...

AJU5 with bubbles at VBS.

July Trip 2010 - Part 2

From the in-laws, we traveled to see some friends. We hadn't seen them in almost three years since they were stationed over seas with the military. The last time we saw them, both families were pregnant with their first child. Now we each have two. We were there for just over two days, and since their youngest was only 3 weeks old, we didn't do too much. We went to a park with a spray area on Friday and then just hung out on Saturday (well, the guys went window shopping for electronics, but the kids and moms stayed home). AJU5 and AJU6 loved playing with different toys, so all was good. It was really fun to see AJU5 interact with their 2 year old (4 months younger than her). Those two were a hoot! And since our friends now live within a days drive, I bet we will be seeing more of each other for sure!

AJU1 with AJU5 and Boy leaving the restaurant.

AJU6 on a trike.

AJU5 and AJU6 checking out Boy's toys before he got up on Friday.

AJU6 and boy at the spray area (AJU5 barely got near the water).

July Trip 2010 - Part 1

The first part of our trip was to the in-laws. They live on a small farm, about 30 minutes from almost anything other than other farms. So, it was almost a week of quietness - spending our days outside walking around while the "guys" worked on building a metal shop building. The temperature was cool to very nice while we were there - lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s to 80s. It was a nice relaxing way to start our "vacation." AJU5 warmed up to the cat and actually held her the last day. But, she never warmed up to the dogs completely. She actually refused to go outside on Saturday because my BILs black lab was there. She did "take pictures" of the Great Pyrenees. AJU6 on the other hand didn't have any fear about any of the animals. He let the black lab lick him; he pet the cat, and he "rode" the Great Pyrenees.

AJU5 "driving" the bail wagon

AJU3 on an OLD tractor.

AJU5 ready to play in the water and dirt - her two favorite hobbies.

AJU5 and MIL walking around the house.

Still Alive

It has been a busy week and a half - hence the lack of posts and commenting on your blogs.

Here is a little recap:

Left July 1 for the in-laws. 18 hours later - arrived at first destination

Left in-laws on July 8 for friends. 12 hours later - arrived

Left friends on July 11. 6.5 hours later arrive at mission trip VBS location.

Hopefully once I get back home I can write more. Lots of fun has been had, but I think I will be happy to be home soon!

Just Hanging Around...

Nothing too exciting going on over here. I spent a good portion of last week preparing for a scrapbooking night last night at church. I had fun but only got 4 pages done.

AJU6 is crawling all over the place. He went up four stairs on our main stair case the other day. Luckily he doesn't go near the stairs while we are upstairs or while we are in the family room. I only have to worry about the stairs when we are in the living room right now. And, yesterday and today he has decided to go down the hall instead of up. But, I don't know if that is better or not. The end of the hall is a one step down to the family room. And the stair is 2/3 tile, 1/3 laminate over concrete. So yeah, I don't want him trying them one either!

Oh, and the boy turns 7 months old today. Time is flying! He has finally started to like solids. He is often not satisfied with nursing and DEMANDS something else to eat. Currently we are working on a pea/apple/brown rice combo. I was able to "top" him off with some banana yesterday, and he ate that with out a fuss either. Oh, how much has changed in a month!

Well, off to help AJU1 organize the garage/tend to the kids. We got our outside storage shed operable last weekend, so now we can start using it! Hopefully we won't just get more stuff to fillt he garage....

Product Review Friday - Cloth Diapers Part 2

So, Monday I got a package. Iw as so excited. It contained an Econobum package (three covers and twelve prefolds), a FuzziBunz one size pocket diaper, a Bummis Swimmi diaper, and a Kushies swim diaper. Since I have only used the FuzziBunz and swim diapers once, I will just review the Econobum now.

After playing with them for a day or two, I have decided to use the Econobum package for AJU5 and stick with the GroBaby covers and Gerber DSQ prefolds for AJU6. The main reason is that the Econobum works great for AJU5, where the other option led to more leaking. AJU6 has only leaked a few times, and those I think would have happened regardless of what kind of diaper he was in! Also, the Econobums are thicker, so they look big on him.

So, here is what I like about them:
Covers are big! AJU5 is only on the middle setting (she was on the last setting for GroBaby).
The covers are easy to rinse and dry if it is a very soggy diaper.
The prefolds are very soft and hold a lot.
They don't leak until the prefold is almost completely soaked. GroBaby would leak once the "target" was soaked, but these tend to allow for more distribution of liquid.

Negatives:
Covers are fairly thin. Some reviews I read/watched were worried that the covers would tear, but I don't see that happening unless you really tugged too hard.
Bulky. The softer, more absorbent prefolds are also thicker. On AJU5, this isn't a problem. She is big enough that you don't notice. But, on AJU6 they look big.
It is made by the same people that make Flip and BumGenius diapers. This company is very strict on pricing, meaning you often can't use coupons with them (like save $5 on a purchase of $40 or more). Luckily the site I bought from had a free diaper coupon that does work (which is how I got the FuzziBunz).


For $50, I think this is a great package! It works okay for smaller babies and great for toddlers.

Escape!

AJU6 is now officially crawling and going up steps! He is ahead of his sister for sure - as she didn't start crawling until she was this age, and then it took her a few weeks to master the stairs. This weekend he mastered the one step between the dining room and living room. Today, he made the two steps from the living room to the entry. I had run upstairs to get something, and when I went downstairs to see why he was fussing, I found him in the entry trying to headbutt the post for the railing. Luckily he is still slow at crawling so we haven't had to break out the baby gates just yet!

He can also pull to a kneeling position to play. He loves a toy chair we have, and he will either kneel or get into the push-up position to play with it. It is the first thing he goes for in their room when I put him on the floor. I don't think it will be long until he truly pulls himself up to a standing position. Then, the fun will begin. Well, it already has, but I am expecting more falls and tears once he gets higher up!

Sleeping on the couch isn't terrible...

Friday night and last night I sleep part of the night on the couch. And no, AJU1 did not kick me out of bed. AJU6 (and AJU1 and AJU5) is sick. He has a head cold sort of bug, and laying flat makes it almost impossible to breathe. Both nights, I have tried and tried to get him to sleep - in his bed, in my arms, anywhere. Both nights I found success in his car seat. It keeps him reclined but not flat, and he can't escape! Our pediatrician recommended it when he had RSV, so it was on the list of things to try this time around (I have also put a pillow under the "mattress" of him pack n play so that has an incline too).

I wanted to sleep near him so I could pop the pacifier back in when he spit it out - hopefully before he was too awake to fall back asleep. So, I was relegated to the couch. For some reason he is awake for over an hour every night (while sick) between midnight and 3am. It is getting old for sure! Last night is was about an hour and a half. Then he finally agreed to sleeping in his pack n play, and slept for almost 4 hours (a huge relief).

As you can guess, I am a bit of a zombie. I was hoping AJU5 would sleep until 7 this morning, but she was up at 6. So, I put on an hour long Veggie Tales. Now to go take a nap...

Slacking and Eating

I have been slacking on my blogging lately. I can blame it on Bible studies I guess. Most of my computer/quiet time has been spent on them. The class I take at church during the Fall and Spring had extra reading to do for a month after the class was over. I need to average 2 chapters a day to get through all of that. Then, just as that class was ending, we started a Bible study on Sunday nights that has a workbook we complete during the week. Top that off with me teaching Sunday School for the next two months, and you can see where some of my time has gone. Add in a fairly mobile AJU6 who wants to just go, go, go, and yeah, not much time to blog. Well, I bet I would have time if I didn't do other things online too. But, yeah, I am addicted to Facebook too!

As for eating, AJU6 was not a huge fan of avocados to say the least. He refused more than one bite on day two and three. So, we went to bananas. He agreed to eat one slice twice a day - and that was it. Then we went to carrots. He would eat about one baby carrot twice a day. So, I was getting in one slice of banana and one to two baby carrots a day. Then yesterday I gave him some apple. He ate more than I expected - twice what I defrosted to begin with - at lunch. He ate almost the same amount at dinner. So, I think I have found a favorite. For breakfast this morning, we did carrots and apples. He ate about 2/3 of what he had eaten at lunch volume wise, so not bad! Next up - peas or beans!

Moved

AJU6 moved rooms this weekend. He is now sleeping in the guest bedroom. And I think I like this.

It all started when he slept terribly a few nights in a row. I think it was Thursday night that he cried and fussed for an hour- and nothing I did helped. So, I decided to move him to the guest room. That way only one of us would be awake with him, instead of two. So, Friday he made the big move to his own room. I start the night in our bed, and when he wakes I go deal with him. Sometimes I go back to our bed, some times I sleep on the guest bed. Sunday night I figured out what was actually the issue most likely - he is working on his top teeth! I thought it was his belly (we just started solids), but Motrin did the trick Sunday night. Since then, he is sleeping a lot better (with a dose of Motrin at night if he is being fussy). He doesn't want to co-sleep anymore, so I just put him back in his pack-n-play after he eats. Half of the time he wakes just because he needs his pacifier back. He only needed to eat twice last night, and I was very happy about that!

He is also on the move these days! He is a master of the reverse, and can now creep forward. He gets into a push-up position, and lunges forward most of the time. It isn't very affective, but it does get the job done sometimes. He just needs to get the coordination of the arms and legs, and he will be crawling. Then I will have my hands full...

Product Review Friday - Cloth Diapers (The Early Stages)

A few weeks ago, I actually ordered something from BabySteals.com - three GroBaby shells with 150 of their disposable liners. Once they arrived, I also bought a dozen Gerber Diaper Service Quality PreFolds. And so the cloth diapering began.

So far, I am not minding the change. We still use disposables for night time and if we are going to be out of the house for more than an hour or two. But, I am saving at least 4 disposables a day this way. So, in about 4 months I will have paid for what I bought (about $100 so far). I have 15 prefolds (had a few already that I used as burp clothes) and three covers, and I have realized I need more. I want at least two more covers and another dozen prefolds (or other reusable liners) so I don't have to do laundry each day. I can reuse the covers if the kids don't get too soggy or have a blow-out, but often I am ending up with both kids needing a new cover within an hour or two of each other. It takes 3-4 hours for the covers to dry (hanging up), so I either have to use a disposable or throw a cover in the dryer most of the time. I am waiting to see if BabySteals has any good steals in the next week or so though before I spend about $60 on what I still need (there are hints they are having cloth diapering things up soon).

As for work, it isn't a lot more effort for me to cloth diaper. I do have to rinse off some of AJU6's dirty diapers, but other than that, it might take me an extra 15-20 minutes a day to load the washer, take everything out and hang it up, and then fold the prefolds so I can just put them in the covers.

One thing I do like about the GroBaby covers is they are one-sized. I can use the same cover for AJU5 and AJU6. I just have to use the snaps to make it a little shorter for AJU6, and that is easy to do. I also fold the prefolds differently for each kid. The Gerber prefolds are a little too long for the covers "naturally", so I fold them the other direction for AJU5. This gives her extra material to fill where a girl natural needs it. For AJU6, I just fold down 1/3 of the diaper, giving him more absorbency where boys need it. I will probably buy the Green Mountain prefolds next, and they might be a little smaller. Hopefully they won't be quite a bulky on AJU6, as some of his shorts just don't fit over the diaper well.

And now I know some of you might be wondering why I changed - I was tired of having to buy diapers for AJU5. She is resisting potty training, and spending about $40 a month on her diapers alone was getting to be a pain. Now my diaper purchases go at least twice as far, meaning I don't have to buy them nearly as often!

REJECTED!

At church on Sunday, I was sitting in the pew with AJU5 and AJU6 during the first song. AJU6 was asleep in my arms, and AJU5 was looking at the hymnal. Then I hear the paper tearing. AJU1 had just come to sit with us, so I give him a look and point him towards AJU5. He takes the hymnal from her, and she goes crying and running to the back of the church. I hand AJU6 off to him and go after her. I am able to calm her down, and we return to the pew. I hold her for the songs, and before too long she is asleep in my arms. All is good! Then AJU6 wakes up. And he is hungry. And I didn't pack a bottle for him. So, I try to lay AJU5 down in the pew. No luck. Before too long AJU6 is really hungry (whining), so I have to trade kids with AJU1. I lay AJU5 down next to AJU1, take AJU6, and head to the back of the church to feed him. AJU1 tries to grab AJU5 and hold her, but she rejects him. She moves to the opposite side of the pew - as far away from him as she can while staying in the pew. I return from feeding AJU6 to this picture.

It has been like this a lot. Whomever has been playing or caring for AJU5 is the only parent she wants. There is no substitutions allowed in the game supposedly in her mind. The "funny" thing is that it isn't always mommy or always daddy. But, rarely will she allow us to tag in and out as needed.

I better go. AJU6 is making circle on the floor trying to get to toys. He is starting to learn that if he turns around, he can go backwards to the item he wants. This is not good....

Almost Went Crazy

So, we found out Tuesday that Jersey #2 might be discharged Wednesday, and if she wasn't discharged then she would most likely be discharged on Thursday. So, we thought we had until Thursday to get everything ready to surprise them - food, welcome home banner, etc. So, yesterday (Wednesday) morning we made plans to deliver everything Thursday morning. It was still a rush because we originally didn't expect them until Saturday at the earliest, but it was do-able. We could work on the decorations during Wednesday evening service, and we still had about 24 hours to cook. Around noon, Coach Mom posted that she was being discharged. She had also posted a question on facebook to another friend (who I knew was out of town), so I started a chat with her to answer the question. I subtly tried to push for them to return Thursday, and I was elated when she agreed. She got off Facebook, and I thought everything was fine. Then my husband called. He said they were flying back in a few hours!* I didn't believe him. So, he sent me the email with the information. I checked for myself. Then I started to panic a little. I called my two main helpers. The first one didn't answer her phones, so I called the second and relayed all of the information. We both were ready to rush and get things done and delivered in time. I called the other friend back - left a message on her cell and a message with her mom at home. Then I got to work. I have about 10 letters to make in the Welcome Home sign. Luckily, both kids were asleep! I barely got them all done and my enchiladas put together before it was time to meet to decorate/deposit food. Luckily we made it!

Of course the AJU's didn't sleep through all of my prep work. AJU5 wanted to help, and I wanted to let her play some with the paper. So, I left her in my closet with everything I didn't need and I took everything else (and AJU6) to the office to work. Unfortunately, I forgot to check and see what she could get into. She found my ink pad (for stamps), and had covered her hands. Luckily, she didn't get any on the carpet! Other than that, she had just spread things out.

It was a little crazy, but we had fun! They didn't get all of the food we had planned, but we can just deliver things as they are ready. We could have decorated more, but this means less mess for Coach Mom to clean up. We are just happy Jersey32 recovered so well that she was able to return home only 5 days after open heart surgery. We did laugh last night at church that the next time we pray for a fast recovery we will stipulate the length (let them recover in 7-10 days). We definitely learned (relearned) that God likes to laugh at our plans!

*We donated one of AJU1's free frequent flyer tickets to their family. So, when the flight was changed, the airline automatically sent AJU1 an email with the changed itinerary. It gave me about 30-45 minutes advanced notice before Coach Mom could update the journal with the news. I was very thankful for those 30-45 minutes!

Feeling Good!

First, Jersey #2 is feeling pretty good. She even startled the nurses this morning by getting out of bed all by herself (and tried to get back in alone too, but they caught her). She is really recovering well from everything, but there are still a few hurdles to cross before she can come home!

Second, a friend and I have been walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been great. The walking is making both of us feel better, and having a chance to talk to another adult is also nice. We stop at the park near the end to let the kids play, so there is an added bonus for AJU5 there.

In other news, AJU6 can now roll over. This is a mixed blessing. First, once he crawls he will be truly mobile (and he is getting close). Second, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls over. And of course he doesn't want to sleep on his stomach, so he cries. I had to flip him three times this afternoon before he finally fell asleep. At least he isn't cranky like he was yesterday. What ended up being a 2.5 hour visit to the service shop for my car got him off schedule. He was cranky as all get out yesterday afternoon - refusing to eat because he was so tired but refusing to sleep because he was hungry.

What has been making you feel good lately?

Ramblings

First, thanks for the prayers for Jersey #2. She made it through surgery just fine, and just a little while ago she had her breathing tube removed. She is showing her strength and joy with lots of smiles and requests for food and drink (no drinks for a few hours and no food until tomorrow).

Second, AJU6's second tooth popped through yesterday. Hopefully we will have a little break before the top teeth come in. He handled the teething fairly well, but a non-teething AJU6 is less work for sure!

Third, my brother-in-law is giving me a little bit of a math work-out. He is taking college Calculus I, and I am tutoring him. We spent 3 hours last night on Skype working problems together. Unfortunately I didn't know how to do one problem (well, one part of one problem) and it wasn't in AJU1's or my calc books. Oh well.

AJU5 wants a bath - so I am bring pulled away. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Prayer Request (and Milestone)

If you ever read the comments on my blog, you might recognize the name Coach Mom. She is an IRL friend. Tomorrow, her daughter (Jersey #2) will undergo a five hour open heart surgery to replace a heart valve. Jersey #2 was born with Tetraology of Fallot, and underwent an even longer and more difficult surgery at almost 3 months old. Now she is 6.5 years old and in need of another surgery so she can be active again. Please pray for this family. Tomorrow many of us are wearing either crazy socks or rainbow colored clothes in honor of Jersey #2, as this is the type of clothing she loves to wear. If you join us, send me a picture so I can pass it on to her mom. They are going to show Jersey #2 all of the pictures to pass the time when she is stuck in bed.



In other news, AJU6 has a tooth now. You can't see it really yet, but I can feel it. I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised to feel it this morning. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight...

Injustices

Yippie! I finally was able to steal Mommy's computer so I could write a post. It is me - AJU6 - and I am here to tell you about all of the injustices in my world.

First, why is it that I can't move forward? No matter what I do, I only can spin in circles or move backwards. Occasionally I can move maybe an inch forward, but that doesn't really help. I just want to get to my toys or Mommy and Daddy!

Second, why is it that no one understands me? I say all these things, and all I get out of Mommy is "that is a good story." Hello. I am trying to tell you what I want. I am not telling a story!

Third, where is my food? I see everyone else eating around me, and all I get is plastic spoons to chew on. Why isn't there food on my spoons? Mommy was nice enough to let me suck on an apple Saturday night, but I want more!

Those are the big three. Occasionally there are other small ones, but I don't want to sound like my life is that bad.

Love,
AJU6

Busy Day

So, here is how our day went:
4l30 - AJU5 comes ot my side of the bed and hands me her duck, a blanket, and her water cup. I tell her to hold on a second so I can put AJU6 back in his bed (he is out). She goes crying to her room. Moments later AJU1's alarm goes off. After one snooze (10 minutes), he is up and getting ready for work. His plan is to take our "work" truck and pick up a trencher so he can work on the backyard in the afternoon. But, he notices that the back license plate is missing (most likely fell off), so he has to take his car and go to the DMV on the way home.
6:00 - AJU6 is awake and wants to be out of bed, so I am up for the day.
7:00- AJU5 wakes for the day.
10:00 - Head to story time. Today's topic was robots, and we got to make a robot for AJU5 to wear that had "wings" (arms).
11:30 - Leave the library and head to Costco for a few things.
1ish - Get home from Costco and try to get the kids to nap. AJU6 agrees, but AJU5 stays up until 1:45
4:00ish = AJU1 gets home after spending an extended period of time at the DMV because the computer system went down. AJU5 also wakes from her nap and AJU6 is back down for his long nap.
4AJU5 and I help AJU1 in the back yard until 5;30. Then we come inside, clean up, and get ready to go.
6:00 - Leave for an evening of indoor miniature golf with our churches "youth" group. It is more the children's group, but it was a fun evening none the less.
8:30 - Head home and get AJU5 into bed.
AJU6 is still up since he napped at the golf place, although he is about ready to crash. His bottom middle teeth are about to break through, so he is having a hard time falling asleep these days.

My Purchases

Here are the shirts I bought. I didn't iron them or anything, so that is why there are some wrinkles. Tell me what you think.

Deals?

So, I became a "fan" of BabySteals and KidSteals on Facebook a few weeks ago. I like to see what is for sale, but I have yet to buy anything. Some things I don't think are real steals. Hats for $20? No thank you. I bought one for AJU5 for $4 today at Wal-Mart. It may not be "name brand," but she doesn't care. Fancy diaper bags? Nope. Already have a few diaper bags, and I still just use the one because it is too much of a hassle to switch bags.

I am surprised by the number of people who buy multiple times a week. Yes, the stuff is about 50% off, but do you really need it? I guess I am just cheap. I have a hard time buying most stuff. I think that because we are getting by with what we have that we don't need more.

I still splurge occasionally. I buy things for the kids that we don't need. I am very guilty of buying lots of cheap things - like the 8 plastic baskets I bought today at Wal-Mart for $4 plus tax. Luckily my husband is the same way. He buys big things occasionally, but normally he spends very little (except for basics like gas, etc). We don't eat out much because it is more work some times and costs so much more than homemade food. It has allowed us to have the big things we want.

Today I also bought four new shirts. The ladies over at All Kinds of Pretty have made it very obvious to me that I shouldn't we wearing my unisex t=shirts (that I got free) all summer. And, since I am bigger than I was 3 years ago when I bought most of the short sleeved shirts I own, I needed a few new ones. The one I like the best my husband thinks is ugly though. He hasn't seen it on me though, so maybe then he will change his mind (it was a clearance shirt, so I can't find a pic online). Actually, there was only one shirt he didn't make a negative comment about - the most basic shirt. Oh well. He likes solids and that is about it. So, It doesn't surprise me he doesn't like the ones with a little color on them.

Now - those four shirts cost me under $60 with tax. So, I am happy! I do know how to find deals. I just have to decide I need to buy something first...

Product Review Friday - Wrap & Tie Carrier

So, I bought an Infantino SlingRider when AJU6 was born. I read about possible suffication, but because of how I planned on using it, I wasn't worried. I would walk around with im in it (and my arms under him) until he crashed, and then I would sit down and let him lay in my lap. Doing that, I wasn't afraid of him suffocating because I wasn't keeping his neck pushed to his chin. But, when they were recalled, I decided to send it in. I wasn't using it anymore, so why not get something different? I chose the Wrap & Tie because the other options we either already had (shopping car cover) or didn't need (plastic toys). Our other carrier was showing signs of wear, and this one was cuter and had a higher weight limit.

I am happy with the new carrier. I have only used it around the house, but it is very cute. I first tried it out with AJU5 because she is still about 8 pounds litter than the max weight and AJU6 was asleep. She rode on my back for a good 30 minutes and loved it! She has gotten in once or twice since then (because she asked). AJU6 isn't so quick to go for a "ride," but he is still fairly happy it in. One thing I don't like is the amount of fabric at the legs. It is fine for AJU5 since she is bigger, but I have to do a lot of adjusting so I am not making AJU6 do the splits. It has a band to wrap around this area for when the baby faces out, and I have to use that when he faces in as well.

It some ways it is easier to use than my Snugli, but in other ways it is harder. I have found it is easier to put the straps through the loops before putting it on, and then I just slide AJU6 in once I have it on and tighten it. It was a huge challenge to put the straps through the loops and balance him the first time! I do love the amount of adjust-ability. I found the buckles and straps on the Snugli to be a pain to adjust because there were so many places you could adjust them.

The Ergo or other carrier might be better, but for the price, I like the two I have. They work well for us, and that is all that really matters!

No Wonder People Are Confused!

In the past few weeks. I have read, discussed, heard, etc a lot about how much babies and young children eat. One thing I have concluded is that there are a lot of mixed messages out there about what to fed, when to fed, and how to fed our kids.

Some women are told to start solids at 4 months (or earlier).
Others are told to wait until 6 months.
Some moms chose to wait even longer and never spoon feed.

Some doctors are very concerned about children becoming over-weight.
Others seem to not worry either way.

Some doctors push to move kids to skim milk at 2 years.
Some doctors recommend changing to 2% milk.
Others don't say anything about the kind of milk a child drinks.

No wonder moms are going crazy!

A friend on Facebook was told her 4 month old was over weight. The boy was only drinking bm, and the doctor recommended the mom switch to formula and to start solids. Other friends and I were astonished! It seemed so counter-intuitive to us. In my opinion, I was glad the mom didn't take all of the doctor's advice. She did start solids, but she didn't switch to formula (and she switched doctors for her son).

I know childhood obesity is on the rise. But, I think we have gone too far in preventing it. As moms we need to make smart choices as to what we feed our kids. But, we don't need to be so rigid that we put our kids on a true diet.

With AJU5, we let her have as much milk as she wants (normally 2 tall sippy cups), and it is whole milk at this point because she is fairly slender. I don't limit the glasses of juice she has either, but I do water it down a lot (about 1 part juice to 5 parts water). We don't keep too many sugary things in the house, so she doesn't get a lot of sweets. If we have cookies, she gets one or two (depending on size) a day. She loves chocolate chips, but again we limit how many she gets. We are lucky that she loves raisins and peas and cheese. I have made choices on what I buy again after reading some labels, but I won't interfere if someone else offers her those things.

So, I bet I have rambled some. Where are you on this food debate? Are you worried about childhood obesity in your kids? Or, do you ever worry you child isn't eating enough or might be too skinny?

Abort and Other Short Outtakes

We have aborted potty training at least for a few days. Here is what happened yesterday:
At 9, I got AJU5 dressed and we got ready to go outside. AJU6 woke up, so I ran to get him while AJU5 lingered in the bathroom. Next thing I know she comes up to me and her pants are wet. So, I change her and we go outside. After 45 minutes, we sat on the potty. Then we repeated 30 minutes later. Almost 30 minutes later, AJU5 was ready to go inside. She was clearly tired, so I told her she needed to sit on the potty and then we would go inside and she could nap. She very reluctantly agreed - crying during most of the experience. I of course put a diaper on her because I didn't want a wet bed (there had been no success with the use of the potty). She was almost completely dry when she woke up, so I tried to get her to sit on the potty. But, she wasn't having it. AJU6 was asleep in the same room, so I couldn't push too hard (for fear of waking him). She didn't want to wear a diaper, so I eventually succeeded in putting her in undies, pull-up, and then pants. She uses the pull-up and doesn't care that she has the wet undies up against her skim. I tried to get her to sit on the potty again (because I can tell she isn't done), and it was a battle with tears. So, potty training is aborted. I am not going to force her to sit on the potty if it is making her that upset. We will keep trying to get her to sit ont he potty when we go and before bath time. Maybe in a week or two she will be ready.

Last night she confirmed to me that this was a good idea. AJU1 and I asked her if she wanted a bath. She said yes, but insisted he take her to the bathroom. Reason - he doesn't make her sit on the potty before baths, and I do.


In other news - AJU5 was a dare-devil on Sunday. She tried to scale her dresser. The result was in falling down on top of her. Luckily, her TinkerToy can was there to support the dresser. The only damage to her was a few very tiny little pink/red marks. But, it sure did scare everyone!

AJU6 has been a handful. I think the boy is teething. He is demanding to be rocked to sleep AND stay in my arms for the whole nap (other than his first morning nap). Yesterday I was finally able to get him to sleep in the crib at 5pm. He took one nap in the stroller for about 30 minutes after I walked and walked and walked him to sleep. It made for a long day.

Now to write my last final. Then I just have to do some grading before the term is over. I am so ready for 2 weeks off! Well, I will have to get my classes ready for the summer, but that isn't too hard to do.

Quick Update

Great grandparents left this morning.
I almost got the house cleaned before they got here (didn't get the family room mopped - that is it).
Had a great visit with them.
AJU6's dedication was wonderful.
Trying to potty train AJU5 today.
AJU6 turned 5 months old yesterday.
My semester at work will be before next Friday.

Will write more when i have time...

Keeping Up

First, a little AJU6 update since I don't talk about him too much on here. The boy is growing like crazy! And he is quite active. He plays with toys on the exersaucer that AJU5 never did because they were harder to reach. He is also slowly creeping a little bit. I can lay him on his belly, and he will inch (truly - only about an inch) forward to grab toys. He is also trying to master sitting on his own and spinning on his belly. He has no desire to roll from his back to his belly yet though (AJU5 didn't do that until she was crawling, so I am not surprised). He still wakes a bunch at night to eat, but that doesn't surprise me either.

Now for the keeping up part. The great-grandparents (AJU1's maternal grandparents) are coming this weekend. We were given about 2 weeks' notice on this, although we had been asking them to come for a while. Great-granddad is a preacher, and will be dedicating AJU6 at our church on Sunday. He dedicated AJU5 at what was his church almost two years ago, so we wanted him to dedicate AJU6 as well. That means I have to get the house cleaned! And get ready for finals! All this week!

My plan is to clean the kitchen and finish the laundry today. Tomorrow I will do the bathrooms. Wednesday I will dust, and Thursday I will do the floors. I picked up AJU5's toys and tried to organize those this weekend. So, now I just have to keep those picked up as well. Hopefully I will get it all done... We will see... Having my in-laws come is always stressful because I want the house to look nice... So, if you don't hear from me this week, you know why!

Product Review Friday - Store-Brand Diapers

Like I said before, I love the Kirkland diapers. They are soft, hold quite a bit, come in a huge box, and are fairly cheap. One big problem is the diaper sizes though. They start with a Size 1-2, and there is no overlap is weight sizing between this size and Size 3. So, we had to start with other brands for AJU6, and we are using another brand now for him as well. I initially bought Pampers newborns, because I love the wet indicator line. We also had some other samples (free) that we used. After going through a box of newborns and a box of Size 1 Pampers, I decided to try the Parent's Choice brand at Wal-Mart. They worked, but I didn't like them. They were very stiff and had no softness to them. Luckily by the time we had used all of those, AJU6 was big enough for the Kirkland 1-2's. So, we stuck with them until recently when we started to have a little leakage with big explosions. He leaks around the leg openings, so it is a size issue mainly.

I realized the Size 3's were just too big. I knew I could go with Huggies (like I did with AJU5), but I thought I would try the Up and Up diapers (Target brand). They seem to be working well. I like the pattern on them (blue and green dots), and they are somewhat soft - not as soft as Pampers and Kirkland, but no where near as abrasive as Parent's Choice.

Enjoying the Outdoors

AJU5 and I are outside. AJU6 is inside asleep (window open so I can hear him), and AJU1 is getting composite for the backyard (run 2 of 4 most likely). And I am enjoying it! Today is a practice to see how spending the day outside would go. In a week (or 3 or 4), I plan on potty training AJU5. We will spend out days outside to avoid accidents inside. So, I just need to make sure my plan will work :)

AJU5 has played in the dirt. She has played with water. She did a little short stint on her cars, andnow she is walking around upset because I won't let her push buttons... I may need to come up with a few more distractions though - any ideas?

At least she loves me...

AJU5 has become a complete Mommy's girl lately. She rejects AJU1 often, which I don't think he likes. She hasn't completely rejected him luckily, but he has mentioned that he hopes AJU6 doesn't hate him when he turns 2.

She insists I put her in the car. She sits behind the driver seat, so if we are all going somewhere these means that we have to put our respective children in and then walk around the vehicle to get to our seat. Annoying...

About 75% of the time she insists on getting out on AJU6's side - i.e. where I am. I took Sarah's suggestion from way back and unbuckle AJU5 first when it is just me and the kids.. Then, I go get AJU6, the diaper bag, and finally AJU5 out on his side. Now she insists on this order even if AJU1 is the one unbuckling her. Well, unless I am fast enough and get AJU6 out and the door shut before she is out of her seat that is.

During Sunday morning service, she insists on sitting with me/on me. This is fine until AJU6 is hungry. Yesterday we tried to get her to sit with AJU1 when she was 90% asleep, and she just screamed. So, I had her snuggled up next to me while I fed AJU6. It didn't work so well as she decided to rest her head on his head. Luckily he was no longer too hungry...

There are other times she insists on me, but it isn't consistent as to what those things are. Luckily during the middle of the night she normally goes to AJU1's side of the bed! Unfortunately on days like today, AJU1 is already out of the house when she comes looking (i.e. 5:30). I thought she would sleep in since she didn't give up and sleep until almost 10 last night...

And to think just before and just after AJU6 was born she was a total Daddy's girl. Jealousy has sure set in!

Change of Plans

I was going to do a little review of another diaper we are trying with AJU6 (since he is between sizes for the Kirkland ones), but I am not in the mood. Maybe next week...

The ick may hopefully have finally left our house. AJU5 had an ick free night last night, and she seems to be 100% today. So, that is a huge relief! After almost a week of all variations of stomach issues, I am ready to be over with it. The big thing we have to deal with now is retraining AJU5 and ourselves. AJU5 got more juice in her juice because I just wanted her to stay hydrated. Now she is refusing her juice because I am trying to bring it back to the 1/3 juice- 2/3 water combo we had. She used to even drink it more diluted sometimes, but not now. She has also figured out that "oh-no" will get a quick response from us. This is what she said often when she need assistance with ick, so I would run to her whenever I heard it. This morning she used the same tone when she spilled water on herself. Now, I know to her it might be just as bad as ick, but to me it isn't!. A wet shirt does not require me to run as fast as I can to her side...

But the most frustrating thing right now is a student I have. After the first exam, he went on a tirade in an email to me about how unfair the exam was. He also complained on the course discussion board, where other students (thankfully) voiced their disagreement with him. I did my best to deal with him politely, and he chose not to do most of the work for Exam 2. He did take Exam 2, but of course he bombed it. Then Saturday he emails me asking if he can still pass the course. Well, I had already posted the grades and explained to the course how many points are left. So, he could easily calculate his current total and see that yes, technically he can still pass the course but he has to do very well on everything from here on out. I didn't get a chance to reply to the email because of the ick on Saturday (and I take Sundays off from work). During this time period AJU5 restarted my computer, so I forgot about the email. So, this morning I had two emails from him. One asking if I was still around and the second saying I was the worst teacher ever and he was going to set up a meeting for us with the dean. Luckily I had already talked to our associate dean about the Exam 1 issues. I am fairly certain they will not make me sit int he same room with this student after what he said in some of those emails... I did email him back and explained that I was sorry I had not gotten back to him and it was because I had been dealing with sickness in the family, etc and he could have answered the question himself. Oh, and of course the end of the email I got from him was again not something any student should say to his/her professor. He went off on how I had been scammed into being a Christian. Now, I don't expect all of my students to agree with my beliefs. Actually, I expect many to have different beliefs. But, even if you don't agree with what I believe, it doesn't mean you have to basically say I am stupid as a result.

So yeah, I am glad I got that off my chest. I am glad I don't have to see this student face to face. Although, I bet if we were face to face, he either would not have said these things OR I would have gotten him removed from my course. Hopefully he will either get over his issues or the dean will back me up.

Wordless Wednesday - Helping Daddy

More Fun

So, after the ick of Saturday morning, things looked up. AJU5 returned to her normal self by 11am, and we were able to run a few errands in the afternoon. Easter Sunday started off great. AJU5 loved her basket and found a few of the eggs before heading to church. Church went well, and we came home to enjoy a nice dinner with a recent widower in our church. After he left, we all ended up napping. When AJU1 woke up, he didn't feel good. It only got worse. He spent about 8 hours running to the bathroom every half hour to hour. Luckily, by Monday morning he was starting to feel better. He spent yesterday home in bed, but today he made it to work. He even survived watching AJU5 last night so AJU6 and I could go to class (he normally goes and we watch at home, but since he wasn't 100% he decided to let me go). Then 12:30am came, and AJU5 woke up throwing up again. Luckily it was a once and done sort of thing. Later today I am taking AJU6 to get his 4 month shots, so hopefully we will all stay healthy...

I actually have a hypothesis as to why AJU5 threw up yesterday. I think she had hidden a pickle somewhere and found it. That girl is getting very sneaky about things, and she LOVES pickles. Based on what I saw last night, it was what she threw up and neither AJU1 nor I had given her one yesterday...

Here are some pictures from Easter. I took the easy route and didn't dye eggs with the kids this year again. We went with the plastic eggs with fun foam stickers (which AJU5 likes to peel off the eggs). Maybe next year I will be ambitious enough to let the kids dye eggs...

Ready!

Baskets are done and out.
Eggs (plastic) are hidden.
Clothes are clean and ready to be worn.
Two parts to dinner are made (deviled eggs and orange jello salad).

Now to wait until morning!

Ick!

AJU5 came to our room early this morning - probably around 4:30 or 5:00. She went to AJU1's side and talked to him. She agreed to climb into bed instead of going downstairs. The next thing I remember was him asking her if she wanted to go back to her bed. Then it happened. And AJU1 asked for help. AJU5 threw up all over him (and the bed). I got up and took her to the bathroom. I stripped her down and waited to make sure she was done. Then we went to her room and put on new jammies. She asked to g back to her bed, and then asked for me to sleep with her. I went and got AJU6 (he had been eating when all of this happened, and AJU1 was taking a much needed shower). AJU6 was not hungry any more and so I took him back to his bed. AJU5 asked for juice and milk at this point, so I went and got those for her. And we snuggled in bed and fell asleep.

Then I noticed she was stirring. And then it happened AGAIN. This time it was all over her bed. So, I called for AJU1 to come help. We convinced her to take a bath, and we started stripping both beds. She didn't stay in the bath too long, and then she wanted out. I wrapped her up in a towel, and I noticed she was hiccuping and didn't look great. So we snuggled for a while. Then we got up to go downstairs and watch some TV. We stopped at the linen closet to get a sheet to protect the couch. And it happened AGAIN.

This time it was on the floor mostly. I took her to the bathroom to finish up, and then we headed downstairs to watch TV. I got her some juice (after seeing what came out the previous two times, milk wasn't allowed for a while). After I thought she was okay (i.e. after 2 showers), I went to take a shower. On my way back downstairs, I saw her coming up. I gt t her and picked her up. And it happened AGAIN. This time on my shirt.

I hope we are done for a while...

At least AJU6 is basically all better now...