I'm not sure whether to be flattered or horrified. But I love it!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Kid Drawings - A Portrait of Mommy
Just in case you were wondering what I look like these days, Evelyn is here to help you out.
I'm not sure whether to be flattered or horrified. But I love it!
I'm not sure whether to be flattered or horrified. But I love it!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
We Do the Cloth Diaper Thing
Four years into cloth diapering, I feel ready to write about it. I've read way too many sanctimonious cloth diaper blog posts to want to add to that. The reality is that I don't think disposables are a bad thing; I don't care if people chose to use them. But, cloth diapering has worked well for us. I enjoy using them on our kids, and I think they can be great a great solution for diapering your kids bums. So rather than tout the wonders of cloth diapers and demonize disposables, I'm just going to lay our what we do to make cloth work for our family.
First off, what we have.
I luuurve Bum Genius diapers. They make several different styles, but I prefer the 4.0 pocket diapers.
The diaper is 2 parts: the diaper portion and the stuffing. You can stuff it with any type of stuffing you like based on how heavy of a wetter your kid is and how long they will be wearing it. I stuff mine with newborn sized cotton prefolds during the day because that will hold 2-3 hours worth of pee with no problems. Overnight it gets stuffed with a larger bamboo/cotton prefold and a piece of microfiber because he's wearing that diaper for 12 hours so it needs to hold more.
Now, I need to store the diapers somewhere. I like to store diapers both in the living room on the first floor and the nursery on the second floor. I don't like having to go up or down stairs to get a clean diaper. These cheap fabric boxes work great for containing the clean diapers.
For wipes, I use Thirsties brand Fab Wipes. They are soooo soft. I just wet them down with water when needed.
Dirty diaper storage is actually easier than one may think. In the nursery I have an old 13 gallon garbage can with a pail liner in it that I drop the dirties into.
In the living room I have a wet bag that hangs on the side of the shelves that I stick the diapers in.
Poop. The worst part about cloth diapering is the poop. Poop that comes from an exclusively breastfed baby can go straight into the pail. It's water soluable and will disappear in the wash. Once you start on solids or formula though, you will have to get that poop into the toilet before you put the diapers in the pail. You don't want that business in your washing machine. Some people swear by diaper sprayers. I've never tried one, so I can't say anything about them other than I don't trust Evelyn near a water spraying device in the house. I just have an old plastic spatula that I use to scrape whatever won't plop into the toilet on it's own. Most of the time it's no big deal.
Once it's time to actually wash the diapers, it's much simpler than you might think. If you have an HE washer, it can be a lot trickier since they use so little water, but I have an old school top loader that I refuse to get rid of until we are done with the diapering years.
I dump the diapers out of the bag straight into the washer and throw the bag in with them. I then run a cold pre-rinse to help rinse the pee out of the diapers and loosen up any solids so that when I actually wash them, the detergent can do it's job. Once they are rinsed, I add some Tide up to the 1 or 2 line depending on how big the load is, a couple tablespoons of oxy clean, and fill the fabric softener holder with white vinegar. I run a HOT wash and a double rinse to make sure all the detergent gets out of the diapers. When they're done I throw them in the dryer on medium heat. When they're all dry, I put the two parts back together and store them in their fabric boxes.
Bonus! Cotton Babies, the makers of Bum Genius, are having a sale right now!
First off, what we have.
I luuurve Bum Genius diapers. They make several different styles, but I prefer the 4.0 pocket diapers.
The diaper is 2 parts: the diaper portion and the stuffing. You can stuff it with any type of stuffing you like based on how heavy of a wetter your kid is and how long they will be wearing it. I stuff mine with newborn sized cotton prefolds during the day because that will hold 2-3 hours worth of pee with no problems. Overnight it gets stuffed with a larger bamboo/cotton prefold and a piece of microfiber because he's wearing that diaper for 12 hours so it needs to hold more.
Now, I need to store the diapers somewhere. I like to store diapers both in the living room on the first floor and the nursery on the second floor. I don't like having to go up or down stairs to get a clean diaper. These cheap fabric boxes work great for containing the clean diapers.
For wipes, I use Thirsties brand Fab Wipes. They are soooo soft. I just wet them down with water when needed.
Dirty diaper storage is actually easier than one may think. In the nursery I have an old 13 gallon garbage can with a pail liner in it that I drop the dirties into.
In the living room I have a wet bag that hangs on the side of the shelves that I stick the diapers in.
Poop. The worst part about cloth diapering is the poop. Poop that comes from an exclusively breastfed baby can go straight into the pail. It's water soluable and will disappear in the wash. Once you start on solids or formula though, you will have to get that poop into the toilet before you put the diapers in the pail. You don't want that business in your washing machine. Some people swear by diaper sprayers. I've never tried one, so I can't say anything about them other than I don't trust Evelyn near a water spraying device in the house. I just have an old plastic spatula that I use to scrape whatever won't plop into the toilet on it's own. Most of the time it's no big deal.
Once it's time to actually wash the diapers, it's much simpler than you might think. If you have an HE washer, it can be a lot trickier since they use so little water, but I have an old school top loader that I refuse to get rid of until we are done with the diapering years.
I dump the diapers out of the bag straight into the washer and throw the bag in with them. I then run a cold pre-rinse to help rinse the pee out of the diapers and loosen up any solids so that when I actually wash them, the detergent can do it's job. Once they are rinsed, I add some Tide up to the 1 or 2 line depending on how big the load is, a couple tablespoons of oxy clean, and fill the fabric softener holder with white vinegar. I run a HOT wash and a double rinse to make sure all the detergent gets out of the diapers. When they're done I throw them in the dryer on medium heat. When they're all dry, I put the two parts back together and store them in their fabric boxes.
Bonus! Cotton Babies, the makers of Bum Genius, are having a sale right now!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Evelyn: 5
My sweet, spunky Evelyn is officially 5. Something about 5 just seems so big to me. Maybe it's just because she's in the 90th percentile for height at 43 inches tall and a whopping 36 pounds.
This year has brought a lot of new firsts for her, the biggest of which is definitely starting school. She's still loving school each day and I'm loving watching her learn new things.
She wanted to spend her birthday going to the zoo, eating lunch at her favorite restaurant (a burger joint that has gluten free options and are careful about cross-contamination), and then having lamb chops for dinner. Yes, lamb chops. She clearly takes after her dad more than her mom.
What is your favorite color? red and pink
What is your favorite animal? zebras and elephants
What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the zoo!
What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Go to work with him.
What is your favorite thing to do with mommy? Help you cook.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom.
What do you want to say about yourself on my blog? That I'm gluten free and I like it.
This year has brought a lot of new firsts for her, the biggest of which is definitely starting school. She's still loving school each day and I'm loving watching her learn new things.
She wanted to spend her birthday going to the zoo, eating lunch at her favorite restaurant (a burger joint that has gluten free options and are careful about cross-contamination), and then having lamb chops for dinner. Yes, lamb chops. She clearly takes after her dad more than her mom.
Here's her birthday interview for this year:
Who is your best friend? Greta and Pela
What is your favorite color? red and pink
What is your favorite animal? zebras and elephants
What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the zoo!
Evelyn is enamored with birds and is always checking out other people's bird feeders. She got one of her very own for her birthday. Such a classic 5-year-old birthday gift.
What is your favorite thing to wear? pajamas
What is your favorite food? strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
What is your favorite TV show? My Little Pony
What is your favorite thing to do when we visit Iowa? Play with Abby (my parent's dog)
What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Go to work with him.
What is your favorite thing to do with mommy? Help you cook.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom.
What do you want to say about yourself on my blog? That I'm gluten free and I like it.
That's a Hello Kitty cake (as if it's not OBVIOUS!). Hello Kitty is a favorite around here.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Cooking With No Ingredients
I distinctly remember a conversation I had with some coworkers before I got married. We were discussing household chores and which you like best and dreaded most. For the record, I loathe cleaning the kitchen and like to vacuum.
Someone mentioned cooking being their least favorite chore and my response was, "that's considered a chore?" For serious. I saw getting to cook as one of the fun parts of life, not one of the evil things that's considered a chore.
I'm here today to announce to the internets that cooking is a chore. Most of you are shaking your head at me, you knew that already.
This is a tough one for me, though. I still love cooking and baking so, so much. But the last 3 years have brought some intense dietary needs to our household that have left me in a place where I just don't find much joy in cooking anymore.
Some days I feel utterly defeated by trying to feed my family with no gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, peanuts, or eggs. It's daunting and it tends to suck the creativity and fun out of finding and trying new recipes. I'm tired of plain meat and vegetables, but that's my rut and I don't see a way out most days.
I've realized, beyond the basic "what to make for dinner" rut, one of the other really tricky things is figuring out easy breakfasts and snacks. It's a busy time of day, I don't have time to spoon feed over-priced coconut yogurt or roast vegetables, but he still needs to eat. So I've come up with 2 muffin recipes that are pretty good that all my kids can eat. I usually leave a few out on the counter and the rest go in the freezer. In the morning I can pop one out, zap it for 30 seconds in the microwave, and put it in front of Abraham while the rest of us are getting ready.
Someone mentioned cooking being their least favorite chore and my response was, "that's considered a chore?" For serious. I saw getting to cook as one of the fun parts of life, not one of the evil things that's considered a chore.
I'm here today to announce to the internets that cooking is a chore. Most of you are shaking your head at me, you knew that already.
This is a tough one for me, though. I still love cooking and baking so, so much. But the last 3 years have brought some intense dietary needs to our household that have left me in a place where I just don't find much joy in cooking anymore.
Some days I feel utterly defeated by trying to feed my family with no gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, peanuts, or eggs. It's daunting and it tends to suck the creativity and fun out of finding and trying new recipes. I'm tired of plain meat and vegetables, but that's my rut and I don't see a way out most days.
I've realized, beyond the basic "what to make for dinner" rut, one of the other really tricky things is figuring out easy breakfasts and snacks. It's a busy time of day, I don't have time to spoon feed over-priced coconut yogurt or roast vegetables, but he still needs to eat. So I've come up with 2 muffin recipes that are pretty good that all my kids can eat. I usually leave a few out on the counter and the rest go in the freezer. In the morning I can pop one out, zap it for 30 seconds in the microwave, and put it in front of Abraham while the rest of us are getting ready.
Banana Muffins
Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
egg replacer for 2 eggs (I use Ener-G)
1/4 cup olive oil
Combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet and beat until well blended.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Made 18 muffins for me.
Squash/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Muffins
Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
1 can squash/pumpkin/sweet potato puree
Combine your dry ingredients. Blend in the vanilla and puree until moistened.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Reunion
I've spoken some here about the ins and outs of our open adoption. And while there are some definite draw backs to having an open adoption, by and large for us, it is a really good experience. Part of our agreement with K is that we will visit. We don't really have specified times in which this will happen, just that it will. And while there is nothing binding us legally to do so, we feel its a really important piece of our adoption puzzle.
Visits are tricky though when his birth family is a 14 hour drive away. This meant that this year's visit including take a 1-year-old on a plane. Not something I recommend. But we all survived the trip and are so thankful that we went.
Our adventure started when we left the house at 7 am on Saturday morning. I was so excited and anxious about the trip that I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn't fall back asleep.
Our first flight was then delayed an hour and a half meaning we were going to miss our connecting flight. We were able to rebook for a later flight, which also meant we would be spending over 3 hours in the Dallas airport. This made for a long day with a very cranky baby.
Abraham sprawled out across both of us and fell asleep, finally, about half way through the first flight.
He decided lunch was torture in Dallas.
Until the nice men at the table next to us let him play with their dogs. Happiest. Baby. Ever.
A rare photo of him enjoying the view. He found opening and closing the window shade far more enjoyable, unlike the passengers around us who had to deal with light, dark, light, dark.
Look who's excited that we made it to the hotel at 5:30 that night.
The next morning we had some time to kill before K was able to meet up with us. We went down to LSU to visit the tiger habitat they have on campus.
And then finally in the afternoon, we were able to experience what we had done all this travel for.
Abraham and his birth mom, reunited.
He wasn't quite sure what to think of his new biological brother. He mostly just wanted to stick his finger in the baby's mouth.
The next morning we got up and did the whole flight thing back home. Thankfully this time there were no delays and Abraham did a lot better.
Overall it was a great visit. It was really fun to see K watch Abraham, love on him, and enjoy seeing what a fun baby he is. She's extremely respectful of us as Abraham's parents, so the visit went really smoothly. We love having her be a part of his life still and also respect the important roll she has played in it and will continue to play as he grows older.
Visits are tricky though when his birth family is a 14 hour drive away. This meant that this year's visit including take a 1-year-old on a plane. Not something I recommend. But we all survived the trip and are so thankful that we went.
Our adventure started when we left the house at 7 am on Saturday morning. I was so excited and anxious about the trip that I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn't fall back asleep.
Our first flight was then delayed an hour and a half meaning we were going to miss our connecting flight. We were able to rebook for a later flight, which also meant we would be spending over 3 hours in the Dallas airport. This made for a long day with a very cranky baby.
Abraham sprawled out across both of us and fell asleep, finally, about half way through the first flight.
He decided lunch was torture in Dallas.
Until the nice men at the table next to us let him play with their dogs. Happiest. Baby. Ever.
A rare photo of him enjoying the view. He found opening and closing the window shade far more enjoyable, unlike the passengers around us who had to deal with light, dark, light, dark.
Look who's excited that we made it to the hotel at 5:30 that night.
The next morning we had some time to kill before K was able to meet up with us. We went down to LSU to visit the tiger habitat they have on campus.
And then finally in the afternoon, we were able to experience what we had done all this travel for.
Abraham and his birth mom, reunited.
He wasn't quite sure what to think of his new biological brother. He mostly just wanted to stick his finger in the baby's mouth.
The next morning we got up and did the whole flight thing back home. Thankfully this time there were no delays and Abraham did a lot better.
Overall it was a great visit. It was really fun to see K watch Abraham, love on him, and enjoy seeing what a fun baby he is. She's extremely respectful of us as Abraham's parents, so the visit went really smoothly. We love having her be a part of his life still and also respect the important roll she has played in it and will continue to play as he grows older.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Evelyn Starts School
I have agonized about school for Evelyn. Sometimes on here, but mostly just in my own head. What Scott and I wanted above all, was what was best for her and feasible for the rest of the family. Having Celiac disease added an extra layer of difficulty to the decision.
After much discussion and research, we finally decided to send her to a small, local private school (Whitefield Academy) instead of the original plan to homeschool. It was a HARD decision. But at the end of the day, we decided it was an environment that would allow her to flourish and that homeschooling wasn't the best option for me.
And let me tell you, one week in, it's one of the best decisions we've ever made for her and our family.
She adores her school. She excitedly gets dressed in her uniform each morning, runs into the building, and has a giant smile on her face every day when I go to pick her up. The highly structured environment with lots of stimulation and activity is the perfect fit for her. Seeing her do so well makes me laugh at how stressed I was about the whole thing.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Annabelle: 3
You're three now my little Annie. And you are every ounce of it.
You appear to have two distinct personalities. There's the side of you that is so talkative, joyful, and loving. The side that wants to wear pigtails and princess dresses and tell strangers your name. Then there's the side of you that is frustrated that you don't run the world and will let us know it. It's amazing how fast the switch from one personality to the other can happen.
You and I started out your 3rd year at a donut shop. A brand new experience for you, and your eyes lit up when you saw the case full of donuts. You quickly decided on a pink on though; which came as no surprise.
You wanted your birthday party to be at the Deanna Rose Farmstead, one of your very favorite places.
You requested m & m cake and were thrilled to see a giant cake covered in your favorite candy.
For the first time this year you were able to answer the birthday interview questions.
Who is your best friend?
Shepherd!
What is your favorite color?
purple
What is your favorite animal?
horsies
What is your favorite thing to do?
put on makeup
What is your favorite thing to do when we go to Iowa?
build towers
What is your favorite thing to do with daddy?
go somewhere to get cake
What is your favorite thing to do with mommy?
wash dishes
What do you want to be when you grow up?
a mama
What should I tell everyone about you on the blog?
That I'm Annie.
Oh yes, you are. My little Annie who thinks just about everything is scary (slides, swings, fast moving vehicles, the car wash...).
You love all things carbohydrates. Particularly baked goods and french fries.
You appear to have two distinct personalities. There's the side of you that is so talkative, joyful, and loving. The side that wants to wear pigtails and princess dresses and tell strangers your name. Then there's the side of you that is frustrated that you don't run the world and will let us know it. It's amazing how fast the switch from one personality to the other can happen.
You and I started out your 3rd year at a donut shop. A brand new experience for you, and your eyes lit up when you saw the case full of donuts. You quickly decided on a pink on though; which came as no surprise.
You wanted your birthday party to be at the Deanna Rose Farmstead, one of your very favorite places.
You requested m & m cake and were thrilled to see a giant cake covered in your favorite candy.
For the first time this year you were able to answer the birthday interview questions.
Who is your best friend?
Shepherd!
What is your favorite color?
purple
What is your favorite animal?
horsies
What is your favorite thing to do?
put on makeup
What is your favorite thing to wear?
my heart dress!
What is your favorite food?
cake
What is your favorite show to watch?
the catepillar movie
What is your favorite thing to do when we go to Iowa?
build towers
What is your favorite thing to do with daddy?
go somewhere to get cake
What is your favorite thing to do with mommy?
wash dishes
What do you want to be when you grow up?
a mama
What should I tell everyone about you on the blog?
That I'm Annie.
Oh yes, you are. My little Annie who thinks just about everything is scary (slides, swings, fast moving vehicles, the car wash...).
You love all things carbohydrates. Particularly baked goods and french fries.
You still sleep with your sheepie and blanket every night. You take a nap most days right now, but a couple of times a week I find you up in your room having a good ole time instead of sleeping. Thankfully your version of a good time is a bit different from your big sisters and you mostly just play with toys in bed when you don't fall asleep.
At your 3-year-old check-up the doctor said you were very healthy and seemed to be developing right on track. You weighed 30.4 lbs. and are 37 inches tall (putting you in the 50th percentile for both).
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