You're Using WHAT???

They say the third time's the charm. I guess in our case, this is true. When we found out we were pregnant with Aiden, I immediately began researching cloth diapers. I had looked into briefly when pregnant with Colten and then abandoned the idea thinking that there were just too many to choose from and not completely sure I wanted to mess with "that mess."

This time around, the idea of not having to buy diapers all the time, saving money, decreasing landfill trash and it being better for our babies' bottoms had me seriously thinking about it. Well, it's moved on from thinking about it to actually doing it!

Yep, we're using cloth diapers!!!

I knew we needed an easy to use diaper. Brian had already nixed the idea of prefolds and covers (the cheapest way to cloth diaper) and when we lived in Arkansas, we had a great natural parenting store that stocked all kinds of diapers. So, I headed down there one day to look into a couple of diapers I had my eye on and then fell in love with a completely different diaper. I forced Brian to come back with me so he could see the diapers and we decided to go with FuzziBunz One Size diaper (FBOS from now on in this post).

I think THIS post on Styleberry Blog is an awesome way to learn more. She uses the same FBOS (but in the cute girly colors!) and describes the diapers in a MUCH better way than I could ever try to do. :-) She also has THIS tutorial on the nitty gritty of the "dirty diaper." Since that's usually the biggest reason people think using Cloth is gross, I figured it would be beneficial to show you that it's not really that bad. Ummm, yes, there is actual poo in the diaper she uses, so if you're sensitive to those types of images, then you might want to not watch it (but seriously, we all do it, so what's the big deal???).

We ordered our "stash" of FBOS a couple of weeks ago from an online store that was offering a free one-size diaper with a $25 order. I split my purchase up into two orders and ended up getting two Tweedle Bugs (TBs) diapers for free. These use the traditional "snap down" sytem to resize them, but I figured they would be perfect for Colten to use right now. They seem similar to the FBOS in terms of what materials are used.

I have to say that while they were freebies, the TBs worked awesome! He wore one for 3 hours with just one of the inserts in and didn't leak at all. He even loved wearing them. As soon as I put them on, he smiled and pointed to them and then started running around like a crazy person! I'm hoping he likes the FBOS just as much.

I still need to get a few things to round out my system. I need to figure out how I want to store the dirty/wet diapers at the house in between washings. I would like to buy some disposable liners (for easier poo removal), and I need to order a wet back for my diaper bag so I can store the wet/dirty diapers while we are out and about.

While I have just started putting Colten in them, we will take a break from them right after I have Aiden. It's for a couple of reasons...c-section recovery is hard enough when you don't have to worry about laundry, so I don't want to add on the task of another load everyday. The umbilical cord needs special care and I don't want the diaper to rub against it and hinder that healing (I'm not exactly sure how the FBOS will fit him since he's not here yet!). I also don't want to mess with meconium diapers or lots of vaseline (which is a no-no with cloth) that we'll probably have to use for his circumcision (yes, we circ...no, I don't need your opinion). So, we have a pack of Pampers for the first days at home and when I feel like we're ready to start with the cloth, we'll do it.

I know that some friends and family probably had questions about this decision, so I figured I would write a post on it. While Brian is a typical male and doesn't really get excited over things like this, I am super excited about it and was just disappointed by one thing...that I didn't get two of the colors I wanted because the company was out of stock. I'll probably buy a couple more from another site (or from a store near Cary, NC that stocks them) just so I can have the red color. Razorback game days require it! :-)

Kindergarten...and so it begins!

So, this is what a Kindergartener looks like!

Austin was just SO excited for his first day of school today! He picked out what he wanted to wear last week when we bought a school shirt at open house. He didn't want to wear anything else but that shirt. He's obviously very proud to be an Overhills Elementary Lynx!

When I went in to wake him up, he popped right up out of bed and got dressed. He really wanted to ride the bus this morning. I'm not sure when he started talking about it, but we heard about it all morning long. He didn't think it was fair that the other kids got to ride the bus and we were taking him to school this first day. In fact, we heard all about it on the way to school as well. I think that's all he talked about!

When we were taking pictures outside the front door today, he kept watching the little girl across the street walk down to the bus stop with her mom...I'm sure you can tell that he wasn't even looking at the camera and he's not exactly happy that he's not walking to the bus stop as well.

It wasn't anything a little tickle couldn't help though!

When we got to school, he was really embarrassed that we were going in with him and that (gasp!) Mom was going to take her camera! In fact, he told me that he didn't want me to take any pictures inside...I set him straight and told him that this is just what Mommy's do! That one day, he'll thank me for getting these important pictures.

I did keep it to a minimum in the hallway though. I told him I'd get one good picture and that was it in front of the banner. It's not the best picture, but I really didn't want him to get too embarrassed on his first day!

He is in a classroom full of green frogs, so it's perfect for my green-loving boy!

He and Daddy emptied all the school supplies into his cubby.

The cubbies were quite full when all was said and done.

Then, he went over and put his frog at the lunch option that he had for the day. He wanted to bring his lunch the first day. However, Thursday is pizza day, so he has already decided to buy that day. (He doesn't go on Wednesday...this school has a really weird start schedule for the Kindergarten!).

Mrs. Bruner, his teacher, gave him his "morning work" and he went to his seat and started working.

Our little boy is no longer so little!

This is where a picture of him getting off the bus should be. However, his regular bus driver wasn't here today and she had a sub. Apparently, this sub is a bit faster than the regular driver and was dropping the kids off before we could get down to the corner. All of the moms in the neighborhood were just walking out of their houses, so I know it wasn't just me! LOL. I'll get some pictures on Thursday since it will be his first time at the bus stop in the morning.

When he got in the house, I asked him how school was. I am not kidding when he said, "Not so good...we only got to play outside for just a little bit!" I'm guessing recess was high on his priority and it just wasn't long enough for him! Plus, he said that it was ALLLLLLLL the way at the end of the day. When I asked him more about school, it seemed like he had fun despite recess not being long enough. He's the type of kid that needs some reminding as to what he did...we can't just ask him what he did because he won't remember. We have to ask specific questions, so it takes a little longer to get the details out of him. :-)

No, I didn't cry. Yes, it's hard to believe he's in school already, but I am so excited for him! I guess that excitement kind of overshadows anything else. I know that school is the best thing for him and that he is just going to grow so much this year! It seems like just yesterday he was this little baby in my arms...and I know that in 13 years, I'll look back on this day and think the same thing. They can't stay little no matter how hard we try to keep them that way!

Handsome Boys

The boys had gotten haircuts and when we went out to play that evening, I wanted to get pictures of my handsome boys!

Colten just LOVES to ride on his green 4 Wheeler. You can't really see it in this picture, but Aunt Nancy got it for him when we lived in Arkansas and he is really good at driving it now! The steering is still a little tricky for him, but he's learning more and more.

Austin is still not allowed to ride his bike, but is allowed to ride his scooter. It's so low to the ground that it's just about the same as him running around and we knew he'd go crazy if he couldn't do ANYTHING outside when his friends were all riding their bikes and Power Wheels.

I wish he would have taken his helmet off at one point for me to get a picture of his haircut, but I LOVED this picture of him anyway! You'll see his haircut in another post soon.

Soon, we'll have THREE handsome boys (and their handsome Daddy).

Getaway...Weekend One

Austin had been begging to go to the beach all summer. With moving and the usual stuff that goes along with moving, we hadn't had the time to do it until this particular weekend. It was basically this weekend or not at all since the other weekends before Aiden is born were full.

We mentioned to our friends, the Fleshman Family, what we were planning on doing and they decided to go as well! What fun! Our families have so much fun together and the kids all love each other so much...sometimes enough that they fight like brothers and sisters!

We decided on Carolina Beach, which is just outside of Wilmington. We got there a little before lunch and got the cars unloaded and our stuff lugged to the beach. The kiddos were all anxious to get in the water, but sunscreen had to be applied first. When we finally all got out to the water, it was apparent that we were going to have some very tired kids by the end of the day! They had SO much fun!

Colten is a fishy. However, the waves made him a little apprehensive at first. He tried to walk in the shallower water, but the waves were hard to fight for him. He was pretty good in Daddy's arms for a while, but you could tell he really wanted to get in the water. He just had to get used to it first. By the end of the day, he was trying to swim away from us and walk and jump through the waves.

Austin has turned a 180 since living in Hawaii! He was not that fond of the beach and ocean while living there. It made for some very relaxing trips to the beach since we didn't have to worry too much about him getting close to the water. Not anymore!!! This kid spent all but about 15 minutes in the water. He didn't really want to come out of the water for lunch and as soon as he was done eating, he wanted to go back in. He got irritated that he had to wait for an adult to go back in with him. It was funny that when we got in the car to leave, he kept saying how it still felt like the waves were hitting him...he was in the water that much!

Pure Joy.

Still a little apprehensive, but it was shortly after this picture was taken that he was in the water full force.

Our friends' daughter, Sydney. LOVE the puddle jumpers that the "little girls" have. Austin's too big for them so he wears a regular life jacket. Colten isn't quite big enough to wear them. Maybe next year.

The older three Fleshman kids...Autumn, Tiffani, and John. These kids are so great. I know they give their parents problems just like any other teenager, but I am so impressed with them!

Fun jumping over the waves.

Strong Man! These three are hilarious together.

Colten LOVED the birds on the beach. He just kept chasing after them.

I'm not sure if he thought he would eventually be able to touch one or not, but he had fun trying!

After a fun day at the beach, we got some quick showers at the hotel room that the Fleshman's rented to stay in that night (we had to drive back since we had the dogs) and then headed out to a Japanese Steakhouse. I'd post more pictures, but this post is getting long enough as it is!

It was a great day though and was exactly what Austin had wanted. He was so happy! In fact, that morning, before we had even left, he showed his appreciation for this trip. I had woken him up and he was climbing down from his bed and he stopped, looked up and said, "Mommy, thanks for the beach day!" I knew that it was going to be a good day no matter what and I was so happy to give our kids a day of fun in the sun!

A Year and a Half

At a year and a half, our soon-to-be middle son makes us laugh each and everyday! While he can sometimes turn cranky in a split second, he has such a FUN personality! I must tell him multiple times a day that he's silly. From putting drums on his head to smearing Mac and Cheese all over his head, he has so much fun doing what he does!

It's so funny to have two boys that seem so much alike, yet are so different from one another! I KNOW I have a picture of Austin doing this same thing with his shirt. It's funny how they both just pulled their shirt up over their head like this and enjoyed the reaction they got.

Comparing the boys doesn't go much further than pointing out how each are special in their own ways. Colten loves to "dance" around to music or sometimes to the beat of his own drum. He hasn't once told me to stop singing like Austin used to do! :-) He has had a lot of fun dancing in these wooden clogs on our wood floors.

We have used this growth chart to measure Austin since his Nana and Papa sent it to him for Easter one year. We decided to use it for all 3 of the boys and measured Colten a few days after he turned 18 months old. We'll do it every year around their birthday, but since we started Austin at 16 and 18 months on this, we decided to start at 18 months for the other two.

He's a little shorter than Austin was at this age. About 2 inches, actually! He makes up for it though...he's a strong kid and has been known to tackle Austin to the ground when he feels like it.

Soon, Colten will be the big brother. He just doesn't quite realize it yet! He's going to do great though...if not at the beginning, then eventually. :-) I've seen the sweetness in him. Sometimes, it's hard to see when he's got that mischievious grin on his face as he is about to whack you with a golf club, but I know it's there. I've seen him love on a friend's baby, run to give hugs to people he knows, and check on his big brother when he thinks he's hurt. It's going to be fun to watch him figure things out in the next few months and adjust to his new life.

Austin Update

First, I want to say thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. It means a lot to us and I know that whatever we find out, we have our friends and family surrounding us (even if it can't be in person!).

We have tried very hard to just go on with life normally. I try not to ask Austin how he's feeling all the time or treat him any differently unless it truly is something I have to do. For instance, keeping him off his bike. It's very hard to do and there are days when he'll ask me again why he can't ride it, but when he is reminded about his safety, he is ok with it. He doesn't like it and I hate telling him no, but it's not a huge fight and for that I am grateful!

The hardest part for me is at night. Since it happened while he was sleeping, I have turned our baby monitor up all the way and every time I wake up at night (which is often since I'm at that uncomfortable point in my pregnancy), I listen to the monitor for a moment or two to make sure I don't hear any weird noises. Sometimes I go in there and just check on him. I don't think that will go away anytime soon. I wonder all the time if this has happened before and we just didn't know it.

Anyway, we had been waiting until sometime this week to be able to call the pediatric neurologist for an appointment. I started calling Tricare for the authorization number on Monday, a little earlier than the referral office told me to start calling, but I figured it couldn't hurt. It wasn't until Wednesday that they had processed the request and I had the number written on a piece of paper. I called the doctor's office and was told that they get the information from the insurance company and then call us.

That didn't work for me. I called later that day and talked to the lady that was in charge of doing that and explained that while I understood that they usually did things a different way, that I just couldn't wait any longer. She completely understood and said that she gets that a lot with parents who have kids coming to see the doctor after a first seizure. She said she'd be doing the same thing if it was her kid.

I got Austin an appointment for an EEG and then a consult with the doctor. I wish it was a little sooner, but I was actually expecting a little longer wait, so I'm pretty happy. Today, I got a call from them because as they were making the appt for his EEG, someone else was also making an appointment for an EEG and had gotten the same spot she scheduled him for. It just didn't show up on the computer until later that he didn't actually get scheduled for that time. Now it's just a few days later.

So, he'll have his EEG at the very beginning of September. He has to be sleep deprived for it and they want him to fall asleep during the procedure after staying awake for part of it. We'll see how that goes. I predict a hard day with him, but it's worth it to get the test done. The consult with the doctor isn't until mid-September.

We'll keep everyone updated as we know more, but so far, he's been doing great.

Oh, and I will be posting more pictures soon. I just haven't felt like uploading them from the camera. I have a few posts that need to be written, so look for those in the next few days!

Eviction Notice

I, the landlord (aka Mommy), am issuing a notice for eviction. Tenant (Aiden Parker Steele) will have until September 9th at 12:30pm to vacate the current premises. After which, he will be physically removed from the property.

The tenant is being evicted due to breach of contract and destruction of property. Expansions ONLY to the front of the property, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only were these limits exceeded, but expansions to the rest of the property were also made without approval by the landlord.