Saturday, September 25, 2010

A boy's best friends :)

My favorite things in life are rocks and water; especially if there's a combination of both. I love them at home... at the park... anywhere really.

I even got to play with them in the parking lot of the park while mama and I waited for my doctor's appointment.















I also got to look at shiny rocks and climb pretend ones. We had lots of fun.

Two appointments down!

This may surprise some of you, but I'm not much of a talker. In fact, my talking is waaay behind where it should be for someone who's two and a half + a week. So, my mama and daddy decided to take me to the doctor to help me out.

I visited my normal doctor two days ago, and a hearing doctor yesterday. As a bonus, I got a sticker from each one! One with a kitty, and one with a car. They are two of my favoritest things.

However, I did have to earn the stickers. I did have to answer lots of questions, and have doctors look in my ears. I also got to sit in a little room and listen to sounds. You'll be glad to know that my hearing is perfect. So that's not the reason my talking isn't.

I have more appointments coming up, so I'll keep you all posted.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

All about... Slides!!

One of my most favorite things in the world is a slide. And I love ANY slide! I like to go down them, and it's always fun to get up to them.











There are many ways to get to a slide. You can take the stairs or go through tunnels...

















Climb a ladder... or another...
















You can even climb UP the SLIDE!











But there's only one way to go down... well, make that two ways! Weeeeeeee!!

















And at the bottom... I can even do my yoga on a slide!
















However you decide to go up or down a slide, and whatever you do at the end, just be warned: it can do funny things to your hair.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I learned about something new today...


SiDeWaLK CHaLK.


Have you heard of it?

It's only the GREATEST thing ever invented!

It lets you color on the sidewalk!

And no one gets mad at you.

{WoW}

Friday, July 16, 2010

They're here! They're here!!

BumGenius 3.0s are my very favorite diapers in the whole wide world. Not too long ago, they announced that they were coming out with a new diaper - BumGenius 4.0s. We ordered a couple of 'em... and they arrived today!












The first big change is the colors! BumGenius recently stopped making bright colors, and now are making pretty pastels with these diapers. The older colors also looked brighter on their website, but are the same as before. The lighter color is "Sweet", which is a light green {the camera flash makes it look white}. The other green is "Grasshopper", which is the same as an older color. You can see them in this picture - the two on top are 4.0s, and the bottom is a 3.0:












The next big thing is that they are way bigger than the older style. In fact, they are a whole size bigger! Now, both versions are considered a "one size" diaper {that fit from small babies to large}. On the highest setting, the 3.0s are about the same size as a medium sized BG. The new 4.0s are about the same size as a large diaper. The Grasshopper color is the 3.0, the Sweet is the 4.0:












The size is also a big deal because they were smaller than other one size diapers before. Now they're even as big as Fuzzibunz diapers.












Another HUGE change is the fasteners. They now offer snaps, and the hook and loop is a lot different than the previous styles. Hopefully it lasts better!












That being said, our first cloth diapers we bought almost 2 years ago were BumGenius 3.0s, and they still work great! The hook and loop fasteners are a little curly and worn, the inners are dingy, and the elastics are a little stretched though. And these new BumGenius 4.0s make it easier to change the elastics if they get stretched and worn. Here's a picture of our old and new version 3.0s:















Overall, I'd say these are huge changes, and super great for me. Now I can wear my BumGenius diapers even longer. Here's me in my old 3.0, and in my new 4.0. As you can see, I have a whole snap setting of room to grow!












Have you tried the new BumGenius 4.0 diapers? Let me know what you think of them! If you haven't, but want to, Mom's Milk Boutique has them in stock with free shipping!!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I'm a learnin' man!

I'm trying to learn my letters.

In fact, I'm pretty obsessed with them.

Wherever I go, I find letters to look at. And say their name. "L" is my very favoritest.

When mama and I go to the park, we like to write letters in the sand.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Going down... down... down!

Ahhhh... nice weather! We had a break from the heat today, and even a little bit of rain. And do you know what rain leads to?

Puddles!

Do you know what you can do in puddles?

Jump and splash and fall down! Again and again and again!!


Wheeeee!!! So much fun!!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Why would you use cloth diapers?

Nothing blogerific has happened recently. Yep, nothin'. It's been too hot to go out and play, or to cook anything. So, we're just gonna talk about diapers again.

In my last post, we talked about different types of cloth diapers {and there are many!}. This time we'll talk about they whys. Why on earth would about 10% of mamas and daddys cloth diaper their babies?

To start with, cloth diapers are super cute! You can get diapers and covers in a variety of prints and colors. Although new sposie diapers are coming out with cute prints and colors, you still have to throw them away. Cloth diapers can be worn over and over again. The cuteness keeps on coming!

They are also greener - both environmentally and color-ly. Although cloth diapers do use water and energy to wash them, they don't end up in a landfill. For 500 years. By the time my sposie diapers break down and go away, my great {x16) grandchildren will be wearing diapers. And considering that a baby goes through about 7,000 diaper changes before potty learnin', that's a lot of landfill waste.

Then, when you consider that if those 7,000 diapers are sposies, and cost about 25 cents each, that's $1,750.00 spent. Cloth diapers are more expensive per diaper, but can be used over and over and over. The cost savings add up, especially if you use cheaper dipes like prefolds or flats. Prefolds or flats can also be used as rags when you're done, or you can also resell most diapers, to get back some of your money. Or use them for more babies for real money savings!

So with cloth, you're saving money and the environment, while looking super cute. But that isn't all! Cloth diapers are soft and comfy too. Plus, they don't have the yucky chemicals that sposies do. However, those chemicals keep sposies super trim without making them less absorbent. Cloth diapers tend to get bulkier and fluffier the more absorbent you make 'em. But who doesn't love a fluffy baby bum?!?!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Let's Talk About Cloth Diapers!!

Some of you may think that it's outdated to use a piece of cloth for a diaper and pins for its fasteners. Well, you're only sort of wrong. Cloth diapers have come a long way since your grandma used them, and a lot of them are pretty similar to the sposie diapers your mama probably used.











My mama uses cloth diapers, and not the ones like my grandma used. In fact, she has lots of options, including the old school types called flats. Flats are the super duperest cheapest option. They're basically just a square of cloth, usually 27"x27" cotton. You take that square and fold it up, and usually fasten it with a snappi fastener or pins.












If you want something more than a square of cloth, but still pretty super duper cheap, you can go with prefolds. Prefolds are a square of fabric (usually hemp, bamboo, or cotton), but they have layers of absorbency, rather than just one flat sheet. And there are different sizes for prefolds for itty bitty babies, to babies my size, to big toddlers. They also have to be folded, and usually fastened with pins or a snappi to work.











Both of those diapers need covers 'cause they aren't waterproof, and will get wetness onto your clothes. A cover is just something that goes over the diaper to hold the moisture in. The diaper can be fastened or folded under the cover. Sometimes they're made with a waterproof material called PUL, sometimes fleece, and sometimes wool. We'll talk more about wool on another day.











Another diaper that needs a cover is called a fitted. Even though it needs a cover, it's more like a sposie diaper than flats or prefolds. However, like a flat or prefold, it is usually made from hemp, bamboo, or cotton. Like a sposie, it doesn't need fancy folding, and usually has fasteners (snaps or velcro) built in. These are more expensive than flats or prefolds.
















A diaper like a fitted, but that doesn't need a cover is an all-in-one (AIO) diaper. These diapers have the waterproofness and absorbencies built in. They can also have a variety of different fabrics, which can be natural like the other diapers, or synthetic.











A diaper that's a lot like an AIO is a pocket diaper. This diaper is like an AIO, but it doesn't have the absorbency built in. It has a pocket built in, and needs to have an insert put in for absorbency. These diapers usually dry faster than AIOs.
















The last type of diaper we'll talk about is called a hybrid. This diaper is like a pocket diaper, but different. Instead of having a pocket for the insert, the insert is just placed or snapped on top. That way if the diaper cover/shell doesn't get dirty, just the insert can be changed. This makes it less expensive than a pocket diaper because you don't have to change the whole diaper each time. You can make your own hybrid diaper by folding a prefold or flat into thirds and placing them on a cover.











Any of these types of diapers can be bought as a sized diaper (small, medium or large) or a one size diaper. The one size diapers are adjustable so you can change the size to fit different sized babies. All cloth diapers are bulkier/fluffier than a sposie, but the sized diapers are less bulky than one size diapers. However, one size diapers fit longer.











And if you're looking to buy some cloth diapers, here are some good websites to check out:
Mom's Milk Boutique, Squishy Tushy or Franklin Goose.

In fact, for your first purchase from Mom's Milk Boutique, use discount code MMB10 to save $10. They also have free shipping. Squishy Tushy and Franklin Goose both have pretty cheap shipping too!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Hooray for Summertime!

The living really is easy! Today mama and I walked to the little park by our house and played on the slide. And in the sand. And got our bums dirty! Isn't summertime the bestest?!?!

Monday, June 28, 2010

My Latest Artwork!

I've recently gotten into body art. Here's my latest design:


p.s. I think my in'ernet is working again, so I'll be back with more! And more often!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Mmmmm... Graham Crackers...

Hello to my bloggy friends! It's been a little while, and I'm trying to get all caughted up. For today, we have a yummy recipe!! There will be pictures later on, but my internet connection is being bad =(

{Homemade Graham Crackers}
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups graham flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 c molasses
4 tbsp honey
1/4 cup cold water

Mix the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon) together in a large bowl.



Cut the butter into pieces, add a few pieces at a time, and mix it into the dry ingredients. It's easiest to use an electric mixer for this. Mix it until the butter pieces are itty bitty and well blended.


Now add the wet/sticky ingredients (honey, molasses, water & vanilla) to the mixture. Mix everything together until it makes a sticky dough.


Put the dough between sheets of parchment paper, and roll it out until it's about a half an inch thick.


Let the dough chill for about an hour. Once it's chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Separate the dough into two equal sized pieces. Roll each one out until it's about half as thick as it was. Make sure it's nice and square, and the edges aren't too thin. If they're too thin, they burn.


Use a small knife (mama uses a butter knife), and cut the dough into squares. We cut ours into smallish pieces, and get about three dozen crackers.


Put your cracker dough & parchment papers on a couple of cookies sheets, and poke some holes in the crackers with a fork. Bake them for about 10 minutes, or until they start to brown. Let them cool on the cookies sheets and ENJOY!

And best of all, these graham crackers don't have high fructose corn syrup or any artificial ingredients :)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

A Step Closer to Big Boyhood

Well my bloggy friends, I am officially {almost!} a big boy! My mama and daddy turned my baby crib into a toddler bed. I can now come and go as I please. If I wanna go night-night I can. Whenever I wanna.

And if I wanna get my binkies... I can! However, mama and daddy take them away and hide them. Then we can't find them when I do go night-night. With big boyhood comes responsibility, I guess.

I've gone night-night for one whole night and one nap, and haven't fallen out of bed yet! Go me!!











Next up for big boyhood... potty training!
 
Made by Lena