Well, I am slacking already as he is now one month old and I haven't done any blog for him! So, first off the birth story.
This time was very different as I had scheduled c-section. It was very odd to know exactly what day he would be arriving. Though everyone told me he would come early and did not trust he would stay till the day before his due date, I knew he would!
So, at 5am on November 6th, we left for the hospital. Luckily, I had pre-registered and we were able to go straight to labor and delivery. There they got me settled in my room and started checking my vitals, getting me hooked up to the iv. Which was terrible, the nurse could not get it in and I had a bruise for two weeks!
Then at 7 they came and got me and took me to the OR. This is when I got nervous. It was a much smaller room than I had imagined. It was very cold and the anesthesiologist, was not the friendliest. They sat me up for the spinal and I knew I needed to stay very still. Well she stuck me and I felt a shock in my butt. I then panicked by moving I ruined something. She did a shot again and again I felt a shock and jumped a bit. They then laid me down and I just laid there while they chatted to each other and counted all the equipment in room. I started to feel numb and then nothing. I knew it was working when I saw my stomach going nuts with him moving around and I couldn't feel a bit of it. Such a bizarre feeling! Finally they said we were ready and Jon and my Mom were brought in. They out the screen up which is like 4 inches from my face, so I couldn't really see anything or turn head to look at Jon.
I then hear the doctor say ouch and the other doctor as if he was ok. Apparently, he burned himself! Before, I could think to much about that, they had pulled out my baby! They held him over the screen for me to see before taking him to the warmer. I tried to watch him but couldn't see anything at all. It was very annoying to not have him. Finally, they placed him on my and I just remembery first thought being how much he looked like Aurora! I just stared at him while they finished me up. Sadly, they took him while I went into recovery, but we were back together in about 30 minutes and I haven't let go of him since!
One Month
Orion,
It does not feel like it has been a month already since you arrived. It has been a whirlwind of a month, but I can't remember the time before (that could be lack of sleep though!).
We love you so much and you have been a wonderful addition to our family! Your big sister really loves you! She is constantly kissing and hugging you and asking to hold you. It is so great to see the two of you together. I hope you two are close and have a great sibling relationship!
At the moment, you do a lot of eating, sleeping, and pooing! You lobe to be on the move and close to me, so you don't sleep very well if you are down and alone. So, I spend most of my day rocking and holding you or wearing you in my carrier. We will need to get you to sleep on your own soon, but for now, I am enjoying the snuggle time with you!
You tend to eat around every two hours, but sometimes it feels like every hour! That is ok as you are growing like a weed and I can see that already! The newborn clothes that were loose on you, are now getting snug and tight! I am not ready to start packing up clothes already!
Sleep is sporadic. You seem to take a long nap in the late afternoon. This past week you have gone about 3 and a few nights 4 hours in the beginning of night, but then you want to me up and when you do go back down you then wake every two hours. Hopefully, we can start to stretch that first bit longer and longer!
You also have very strong neck muscles already. Like your sister, as soon as you were born, you were holding your head up!
I love you so much and am so happy you are here. I can't wait to watch you grow and see what your personality will be! I love you always and forever!
Mommy
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
2 Years Old!!
Aurora,
I am in denial about the fact that you are two. It just doesn't seem possible that you are already two! I can still remember you being born so clearly, and it does not feel like two years ago! Though on the other hand, I can't really remember a time that you were not in our lives either, so in some ways, it seems longer than two years. Either way, these past two years have been amazing with you!
Your speech and vocabulary amaze us every day. You talk non-stop and can count and say your colors. You LOVE to read books, which makes me so happy. You are often confused for being older than you are because people see you talking so much! You also love to sing all the time. We were in Target last weekend and you were belting out songs as we strolled through the whole store. I hope you keep this up as it is adorable and so much fun. You usually sing Disney songs and this past weekend you learned Hakuna Matata! It was one of the cutest things I have seen (though I may be a bit biased!).
You are VERY excited for your birthday as you understand that you get to go to Disneyland! Your favorite is It's a Small World, and you sing this song and request it to be played at all times. I really hope you also keep this love of Disney and always want to continue going to Disneyland. You told me the other day that you want to work at Disneyland! So, we will see if that continues to be true as you grow up!
You really enjoy being outside, whether that be on a walk, swimming in the pool, or playing in the sprinklers! We try and do a couple walks each week before bedtime, and man, we do not need a personal trainer when we have you around! You tell us on our walks to, Run Daddy, Run Mommy, and are keeping us all fit! :) You also are learning what it means to cross the street, and will now tell us, look left, look right, proceed with caution! I just hope you remember it when we are not around!
I think your favorite thing this past year, was probably Frozen. You seemed to get the Frozen fever and want to watch, play, or read about Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. You enjoy other princesses as well, but I would say overall this past year, Frozen has been the clear favorite. I was surprised though when I asked what you wanted to be for Halloween and you answered Rapunzel! I have asked you this for many days now and the answer stays the same, so I think we will have a Rapunzel this Halloween.
You have been very kind to us these past few weekends as I am still really tired, I bring you to bed and you just snuggle with me for a bit. Sometimes, I put on a Disney movie on my phone and you just snuggle and I love it. Such a great way to start our weekends!
I am so proud to be your Mommy. I am constantly being told when we are out how mature you are and how happy you are and how great you are! I know all these things to be true, but it is always nice to hear! You truly have added so much to our lives and I love watching you grow and learn and can't wait to see what you have in store for us this next year. I look forward to seeing how you react as a Big Sister (hopefully well!) and take on that new challenge. You have another year ahead of you in the Toddler room where I know they are working on challenging you each and every day!
Aurora, I love you more than words can describe and more and more each day. Thank you for these wonderful two years and all the joy you have brought. I just know each year will just get better and better! :)
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
I am in denial about the fact that you are two. It just doesn't seem possible that you are already two! I can still remember you being born so clearly, and it does not feel like two years ago! Though on the other hand, I can't really remember a time that you were not in our lives either, so in some ways, it seems longer than two years. Either way, these past two years have been amazing with you!
Your speech and vocabulary amaze us every day. You talk non-stop and can count and say your colors. You LOVE to read books, which makes me so happy. You are often confused for being older than you are because people see you talking so much! You also love to sing all the time. We were in Target last weekend and you were belting out songs as we strolled through the whole store. I hope you keep this up as it is adorable and so much fun. You usually sing Disney songs and this past weekend you learned Hakuna Matata! It was one of the cutest things I have seen (though I may be a bit biased!).
You are VERY excited for your birthday as you understand that you get to go to Disneyland! Your favorite is It's a Small World, and you sing this song and request it to be played at all times. I really hope you also keep this love of Disney and always want to continue going to Disneyland. You told me the other day that you want to work at Disneyland! So, we will see if that continues to be true as you grow up!
You really enjoy being outside, whether that be on a walk, swimming in the pool, or playing in the sprinklers! We try and do a couple walks each week before bedtime, and man, we do not need a personal trainer when we have you around! You tell us on our walks to, Run Daddy, Run Mommy, and are keeping us all fit! :) You also are learning what it means to cross the street, and will now tell us, look left, look right, proceed with caution! I just hope you remember it when we are not around!
I think your favorite thing this past year, was probably Frozen. You seemed to get the Frozen fever and want to watch, play, or read about Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. You enjoy other princesses as well, but I would say overall this past year, Frozen has been the clear favorite. I was surprised though when I asked what you wanted to be for Halloween and you answered Rapunzel! I have asked you this for many days now and the answer stays the same, so I think we will have a Rapunzel this Halloween.
You have been very kind to us these past few weekends as I am still really tired, I bring you to bed and you just snuggle with me for a bit. Sometimes, I put on a Disney movie on my phone and you just snuggle and I love it. Such a great way to start our weekends!
I am so proud to be your Mommy. I am constantly being told when we are out how mature you are and how happy you are and how great you are! I know all these things to be true, but it is always nice to hear! You truly have added so much to our lives and I love watching you grow and learn and can't wait to see what you have in store for us this next year. I look forward to seeing how you react as a Big Sister (hopefully well!) and take on that new challenge. You have another year ahead of you in the Toddler room where I know they are working on challenging you each and every day!
Aurora, I love you more than words can describe and more and more each day. Thank you for these wonderful two years and all the joy you have brought. I just know each year will just get better and better! :)
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
Monday, August 3, 2015
23 Months!
Aurora,
One more month and then you will be two. I am not sure how this happened! Where did my little baby go! You are such a big girl now!
In fact, we moved you this past month to your own big girl bedroom. I was a bit nervous about it, but we had been talking it up for awhile now, how you will move to your "Tiki Room", so when it came time to move, you did great! I was very surprised and happy to see how well you adjusted to your new room. You also, thank goodness, have decided to stay in bed and have not roamed out of it yet. I think adding the bed rail has helped, but either way, that was my big worry and so far you have stayed in bed. You also have stayed sleeping and haven't woken up in the middle of the night or earlier than normal, which both daddy and I are very thankful for! We are still transitioning though so most of your clothes are still in the nursery. Your dresser was just delivered, so hopefully soon you will be fully moved over to your new room. You have also taken well to the new routine needed to go to bed in your new bed. We had to cut out rocking as the rocking chair is in the nursery. You have only panicked once about that, which I was not sure how you would handle that as you love to rock. Instead though, I climb into bed with you and lay with you while you fall asleep. I know I should not stay with you as long as I do, but I know my nights of having just you are coming to an end soon, so I am soaking up as much just Aurora time as I can.
I know I say this every month, but you truly do amaze me each and every day. You are getting so smart and are talking SO much. You speak now almost always in sentences, which is amazing. You also are learning how to ask for things, which is important. You sometimes forget your please and thank yous, but we always remind you, and you are getting better and remembering on your own. You also will count now and have started to say your colors (though most things tend to be green!). Your counting is what really amazes me. I am shocked every time you do a countdown and do it correctly!
You also hit the tantrum stage a bit this past month. I know they say this is normal for two (or in your case almost two year olds), but I hope it is a quick stage! You really can go from totally find, to a major meltdown in 2.5 seconds. We try and not give in to the tantrums, but sometimes, to be honest, I am tired, so I will cave! Luckily, most tantrums seems to be at least short and you do not do the drag out lay on the ground and kick your feet forever type. You will lay on the ground and pout, but we can usually distract you out of it quickly enough.
This month was also the first time you became "scared", or at least you were able to verbalize it to us. You get a bit clingy and just say, I scared. We hold and comfort you. I actually wonder sometimes if you are really "scared" or you just like the attention. You tend to talk about it a lot afterwards. Same with when you get "hurt". You will talk days later about something that happened to you at school or if you fell down. You haven't gotten majorly hurt, but it seems to leave an impact on you as you bring it up a lot. I think it is because during these times you get a lot of attention, but what do I know!
I look so forward to this final month of you being a one-year old and look very forward to what being two will bring! I know you will continue to amaze me each and every day. And I am thankful every day that I get to be your Mommy. When you give me a hug, it is truly the best feeling in the world! Those little arms wrapped around my neck, I cherish each and every moment! I love you more than words can describe!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
One more month and then you will be two. I am not sure how this happened! Where did my little baby go! You are such a big girl now!
In fact, we moved you this past month to your own big girl bedroom. I was a bit nervous about it, but we had been talking it up for awhile now, how you will move to your "Tiki Room", so when it came time to move, you did great! I was very surprised and happy to see how well you adjusted to your new room. You also, thank goodness, have decided to stay in bed and have not roamed out of it yet. I think adding the bed rail has helped, but either way, that was my big worry and so far you have stayed in bed. You also have stayed sleeping and haven't woken up in the middle of the night or earlier than normal, which both daddy and I are very thankful for! We are still transitioning though so most of your clothes are still in the nursery. Your dresser was just delivered, so hopefully soon you will be fully moved over to your new room. You have also taken well to the new routine needed to go to bed in your new bed. We had to cut out rocking as the rocking chair is in the nursery. You have only panicked once about that, which I was not sure how you would handle that as you love to rock. Instead though, I climb into bed with you and lay with you while you fall asleep. I know I should not stay with you as long as I do, but I know my nights of having just you are coming to an end soon, so I am soaking up as much just Aurora time as I can.
I know I say this every month, but you truly do amaze me each and every day. You are getting so smart and are talking SO much. You speak now almost always in sentences, which is amazing. You also are learning how to ask for things, which is important. You sometimes forget your please and thank yous, but we always remind you, and you are getting better and remembering on your own. You also will count now and have started to say your colors (though most things tend to be green!). Your counting is what really amazes me. I am shocked every time you do a countdown and do it correctly!
You also hit the tantrum stage a bit this past month. I know they say this is normal for two (or in your case almost two year olds), but I hope it is a quick stage! You really can go from totally find, to a major meltdown in 2.5 seconds. We try and not give in to the tantrums, but sometimes, to be honest, I am tired, so I will cave! Luckily, most tantrums seems to be at least short and you do not do the drag out lay on the ground and kick your feet forever type. You will lay on the ground and pout, but we can usually distract you out of it quickly enough.
This month was also the first time you became "scared", or at least you were able to verbalize it to us. You get a bit clingy and just say, I scared. We hold and comfort you. I actually wonder sometimes if you are really "scared" or you just like the attention. You tend to talk about it a lot afterwards. Same with when you get "hurt". You will talk days later about something that happened to you at school or if you fell down. You haven't gotten majorly hurt, but it seems to leave an impact on you as you bring it up a lot. I think it is because during these times you get a lot of attention, but what do I know!
I look so forward to this final month of you being a one-year old and look very forward to what being two will bring! I know you will continue to amaze me each and every day. And I am thankful every day that I get to be your Mommy. When you give me a hug, it is truly the best feeling in the world! Those little arms wrapped around my neck, I cherish each and every moment! I love you more than words can describe!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
Monday, July 6, 2015
Gender Reveal!
It's a BOY!
We had a wonderful 4th of July party! Our family and friends showed up to celebrate the 4th as well as to find out what we were having. We decided to do the big reveal with sparklers as I had not heard of anyone else doing this kind of reveal. It did not go exactly as planned!
I found a great website that had smokeless sparklers a while back and I should have just ordered them then. I did not, and so 3 weeks ago when I went to order them, I found out that they no longer had blue. In fact, they emailed me back saying that there was a National shortage on blue sparklers! How is that even possible! So, I did some quick googling and found a somewhat sketchy site that did have blue. Once they arrived we did a test of them, and while the blue was light, we could see that it was clearly blue (the red was noticeable). They were also very smoky, but we figured it would be fine.
Well, the time arrived for the reveal. It was very awkward at first to have everyone just staring at us as we waited to get the sparklers! My mom was the one who was opening the envelope and was going to pass us the sparklers. I told her I was not going to look at her as I knew she would give it away. So, she handed them over and we lit them up!
They were BLUE! Well, to us they were! I didn't shout out because I assumed everyone could see, plus the smoke was in our face and I did not want to breathe too much in! I did "write" boy with my sparkler, not that anyone knew I was doing so. I was wondering why no one was saying anything, and then I heard, WHAT IS IT? I yelled out, It's a BOY! And then people were excited. I then found out after, that they just saw the fire and no blue and had no clue what it was! My Mom told me she was panicking she had passed us the wrong ones! WHOOPS!
So, lesson learned, next time, we will just do cupcakes! haha
We had a wonderful 4th of July party! Our family and friends showed up to celebrate the 4th as well as to find out what we were having. We decided to do the big reveal with sparklers as I had not heard of anyone else doing this kind of reveal. It did not go exactly as planned!
I found a great website that had smokeless sparklers a while back and I should have just ordered them then. I did not, and so 3 weeks ago when I went to order them, I found out that they no longer had blue. In fact, they emailed me back saying that there was a National shortage on blue sparklers! How is that even possible! So, I did some quick googling and found a somewhat sketchy site that did have blue. Once they arrived we did a test of them, and while the blue was light, we could see that it was clearly blue (the red was noticeable). They were also very smoky, but we figured it would be fine.
Well, the time arrived for the reveal. It was very awkward at first to have everyone just staring at us as we waited to get the sparklers! My mom was the one who was opening the envelope and was going to pass us the sparklers. I told her I was not going to look at her as I knew she would give it away. So, she handed them over and we lit them up!
They were BLUE! Well, to us they were! I didn't shout out because I assumed everyone could see, plus the smoke was in our face and I did not want to breathe too much in! I did "write" boy with my sparkler, not that anyone knew I was doing so. I was wondering why no one was saying anything, and then I heard, WHAT IS IT? I yelled out, It's a BOY! And then people were excited. I then found out after, that they just saw the fire and no blue and had no clue what it was! My Mom told me she was panicking she had passed us the wrong ones! WHOOPS!
So, lesson learned, next time, we will just do cupcakes! haha
Friday, July 3, 2015
22 Months!
Aurora,
This year seems to be going faster than last year! I am struggling with the fact that in 2 months you will be 2 years old! This is just crazy and does not seem real. Yet, here we are, and you are now 22 months old. You are really starting to look more and more like a little girl and all "babyness" is really leaving you.
You, as always, continue to amaze me. You are so smart and lately have been using your smarts to get you what you want! You know if you ask Daddy for one more dinosaur book, he will read it to you. You also know when you are about to be in trouble and will suddenly run up and give us a hug and say, I love you.
Though, you have started to become a bit more of a troublemaker lately. You have really started to test your boundaries and the rules. The other day, I told you not to touch something, you stared at it, stared at me, I know you knew what I said, and then you deliberately touched it. Of course that meant a time out, which you do not love. What we really need to work on is you running away in parking lots! You seem to think that is a playground and you give me a heart attack each time you try and dart out into it. No matter how many times we have said to hold hands, not to run in parking lots, for some reason, you see it, and try and break free and run!
While your trouble maker streak is coming out, you are still the sweetest (I am not biased at all!). You want to have me read stories to you all the time, which I love! You love to play with your dolls and push them around in your stroller. You also now will come up and pat my tummy and say, Hi baby, which of course is the cutest thing ever. You like to go on walks and love to be outside!
We now have a very good night time routine for you as well. You just started taking baths in the "big girl" bath and you love it! You will point out all the animals in the tub, my favorite being how you say octopus (apple-puss). It is adorable and so we ask you to name that one all the time! You then always need your blankie and an animal with you. It was Mickey Mouse for quite a while, but the past week you have become obsessed with a triceratops (ceratops) that you got. I think this is because daddy plays dinosaurs with you all the time and you two are always roaring at each other! You call him daddysaurous as well sometimes! You two are so cute to watch playing together!
One of my favorite things you started doing this past month was singing! You would in the past sing a long occasionally with us, but now you will just start singing on your own. Your favorite songs at the moment are It's a Small World (you sing this the most), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and ABC's. I really need to record you singing soon, I just haven't been able to capture it just yet!
I look forward to these last two months of you being 1! I have been teaching you to do the number two with your fingers and asking how old you will be on your next birthday! I love you my little dinosaur princess! You light up my life and make me so happy each and every day!
Always and forever,
Mommy
This year seems to be going faster than last year! I am struggling with the fact that in 2 months you will be 2 years old! This is just crazy and does not seem real. Yet, here we are, and you are now 22 months old. You are really starting to look more and more like a little girl and all "babyness" is really leaving you.
You, as always, continue to amaze me. You are so smart and lately have been using your smarts to get you what you want! You know if you ask Daddy for one more dinosaur book, he will read it to you. You also know when you are about to be in trouble and will suddenly run up and give us a hug and say, I love you.
Though, you have started to become a bit more of a troublemaker lately. You have really started to test your boundaries and the rules. The other day, I told you not to touch something, you stared at it, stared at me, I know you knew what I said, and then you deliberately touched it. Of course that meant a time out, which you do not love. What we really need to work on is you running away in parking lots! You seem to think that is a playground and you give me a heart attack each time you try and dart out into it. No matter how many times we have said to hold hands, not to run in parking lots, for some reason, you see it, and try and break free and run!
While your trouble maker streak is coming out, you are still the sweetest (I am not biased at all!). You want to have me read stories to you all the time, which I love! You love to play with your dolls and push them around in your stroller. You also now will come up and pat my tummy and say, Hi baby, which of course is the cutest thing ever. You like to go on walks and love to be outside!
We now have a very good night time routine for you as well. You just started taking baths in the "big girl" bath and you love it! You will point out all the animals in the tub, my favorite being how you say octopus (apple-puss). It is adorable and so we ask you to name that one all the time! You then always need your blankie and an animal with you. It was Mickey Mouse for quite a while, but the past week you have become obsessed with a triceratops (ceratops) that you got. I think this is because daddy plays dinosaurs with you all the time and you two are always roaring at each other! You call him daddysaurous as well sometimes! You two are so cute to watch playing together!
One of my favorite things you started doing this past month was singing! You would in the past sing a long occasionally with us, but now you will just start singing on your own. Your favorite songs at the moment are It's a Small World (you sing this the most), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and ABC's. I really need to record you singing soon, I just haven't been able to capture it just yet!
I look forward to these last two months of you being 1! I have been teaching you to do the number two with your fingers and asking how old you will be on your next birthday! I love you my little dinosaur princess! You light up my life and make me so happy each and every day!
Always and forever,
Mommy
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
21 Months!
Aurora,
I am sorry, I missed your 20 month update. May is a busy month and suddenly it was June! But, you were amazing as always, so don't worry! :)
You crack me up on a daily basis! The facial expressions and comments you make are just hilarious. I swear, every time I turn around, you have learned a new word. You really enjoy being silly and then saying, "Look at me! Look at me!" until we look at you and tell you how silly you are! You have also started to say, now, mine, and go away. So, we are working on manners and being nice as well. Though, I am still very proud because more times than not, you will say please when asking for something and thank you, once you have gotten something. There are still many times when you are having full conversations, but I just do not know what you are saying. Often times, this comes with much finger pointing to get a point across. I just nod my head and say, oh really, wow, and hope that was the appropriate response for what you were saying!
You really love your dolls as well and usually have at least one stuffed animal in your bed with you. You also still use your pacifier at night and ask for you blankie. Though you don't see to care what blanket it is, as long as you have one. We are working on slowly taking the pacifier away, but will probably wait until your molars have all come in before officially taking it away. You also really enjoy coloring and we now have crayons all over the living room.
My favorite activity you do though is reading. You LOVE to read and it makes me so happy! We have to read at least two books a night, though you always try for more. Actually, you have become quite the distractor when it comes to bed time. You will do anything to delay bedtime. Most nights we will cave and read a third book, just because we love to read to you!
You are also so smart (and while I am biased, your teachers tell me all the time how smart you are so I know it is true!). You are starting to say your colors, you will count to three (though you still occasionally like to skip two and go right to three!), you can name all the princesses (another proud mommy moment), and can name most animals and the sounds that they make. And that is just the stuff I can remember at the moment!
You have become quite the picky eater though, and I wish you would go back to eating most foods! All you want to eat now is cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks, and luckily all fruit. So, basically, you have fruit for meals and then we attempt to get you to eat the rest of whatever it is. Lately, you have been starting to eat sausage, so we have been making that, but it is still hit or miss. You do not like pasta or potatoes (so sad as I can make those easily for dinners!) and you will rarely eat vegetables. I even eat my veggies, to be a good example, and you still do not (which to be honest is quite annoying!), but we keep trying. Hopefully, you will decide to eat a variety of foods again!
You are now sleeping most nights from 8pm-7am. For some reasons you seem to know when it is the weekend and wake up earlier and I wish you would sleep in a bit more on those days! You also have now had a cough for what feels like two months. It is usually only at night and we keep trying things. I put the diffuser in your room and that helps, but it only runs 4 hours, so I have to replace it in the night because as soon as it stops, you cough again. So, I am finally buying an 8 hour one (which I should have done awhile back!). Hopefully, the cough will go away. Some have said it is allergies, others that it is still lingering from your cold awhile back, but who really knows. If it doesn't get better soon, we will go back to the doctor. But, during the day, you are happy and healthy and no issues whatsoever!
You have also become a big fan of Disneyland (you really know how to make your mommy proud). A could weeks back, you walked up to me and said, I am going. I asked you where you were going to and you said, I am going to Disneyland (so proud). So, a couple weeks later we took you! You ask to go all the time now, and luckily we have passes so we can go. You LOVE the Tiki Room, and when you get your big girl room this summer, it will be a Tiki Room! You seem to be happy about that decision as whenever we ask you about your new room, you get very excited and tell us it will be a Tiki Room. So, hopefully, when you do move, it goes smoothly! You are also a big fan of It's a Small World and will now very cutely, sing the song! It is probably the most adorable thing ever. I really need to record it!
Actually, you have been doing a lot of singing and dancing lately, and it is just too cute! You also "hop" which is adorable. You can't actually hop, but do more of a skip type movement, but you say "hop hop" every time you do it in the sweetest voice! We have also started to try and do more walks at night (to help tire you out) and you seem to really enjoy those. Hopefully, we can keep up with doing them.
Lastly, you found out that you are going to be a big sister! I know you do not really understand what that means yet, and you still have 5 months until the baby arrives, but I know you will be a great big sister! I am sad that we are going to lose this one on one time with you, but know that seeing you with your baby brother/sister will be so amazing and I know you will love them so much. You already say "nigh nigh" to the baby and sometimes "hi" to the baby in the morning. It melts my heart every time. So, these last 5 months that it is just us though, I am going to truly cherish and soak in as much, Aurora time as possible. I know you won't even remember this time as you get older, but we want to make it as special as possible as we are in our last months as a family of three.
Love you always and forever, more and more each day,
Mommy
I am sorry, I missed your 20 month update. May is a busy month and suddenly it was June! But, you were amazing as always, so don't worry! :)
You crack me up on a daily basis! The facial expressions and comments you make are just hilarious. I swear, every time I turn around, you have learned a new word. You really enjoy being silly and then saying, "Look at me! Look at me!" until we look at you and tell you how silly you are! You have also started to say, now, mine, and go away. So, we are working on manners and being nice as well. Though, I am still very proud because more times than not, you will say please when asking for something and thank you, once you have gotten something. There are still many times when you are having full conversations, but I just do not know what you are saying. Often times, this comes with much finger pointing to get a point across. I just nod my head and say, oh really, wow, and hope that was the appropriate response for what you were saying!
You really love your dolls as well and usually have at least one stuffed animal in your bed with you. You also still use your pacifier at night and ask for you blankie. Though you don't see to care what blanket it is, as long as you have one. We are working on slowly taking the pacifier away, but will probably wait until your molars have all come in before officially taking it away. You also really enjoy coloring and we now have crayons all over the living room.
My favorite activity you do though is reading. You LOVE to read and it makes me so happy! We have to read at least two books a night, though you always try for more. Actually, you have become quite the distractor when it comes to bed time. You will do anything to delay bedtime. Most nights we will cave and read a third book, just because we love to read to you!
You are also so smart (and while I am biased, your teachers tell me all the time how smart you are so I know it is true!). You are starting to say your colors, you will count to three (though you still occasionally like to skip two and go right to three!), you can name all the princesses (another proud mommy moment), and can name most animals and the sounds that they make. And that is just the stuff I can remember at the moment!
You have become quite the picky eater though, and I wish you would go back to eating most foods! All you want to eat now is cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks, and luckily all fruit. So, basically, you have fruit for meals and then we attempt to get you to eat the rest of whatever it is. Lately, you have been starting to eat sausage, so we have been making that, but it is still hit or miss. You do not like pasta or potatoes (so sad as I can make those easily for dinners!) and you will rarely eat vegetables. I even eat my veggies, to be a good example, and you still do not (which to be honest is quite annoying!), but we keep trying. Hopefully, you will decide to eat a variety of foods again!
You are now sleeping most nights from 8pm-7am. For some reasons you seem to know when it is the weekend and wake up earlier and I wish you would sleep in a bit more on those days! You also have now had a cough for what feels like two months. It is usually only at night and we keep trying things. I put the diffuser in your room and that helps, but it only runs 4 hours, so I have to replace it in the night because as soon as it stops, you cough again. So, I am finally buying an 8 hour one (which I should have done awhile back!). Hopefully, the cough will go away. Some have said it is allergies, others that it is still lingering from your cold awhile back, but who really knows. If it doesn't get better soon, we will go back to the doctor. But, during the day, you are happy and healthy and no issues whatsoever!
You have also become a big fan of Disneyland (you really know how to make your mommy proud). A could weeks back, you walked up to me and said, I am going. I asked you where you were going to and you said, I am going to Disneyland (so proud). So, a couple weeks later we took you! You ask to go all the time now, and luckily we have passes so we can go. You LOVE the Tiki Room, and when you get your big girl room this summer, it will be a Tiki Room! You seem to be happy about that decision as whenever we ask you about your new room, you get very excited and tell us it will be a Tiki Room. So, hopefully, when you do move, it goes smoothly! You are also a big fan of It's a Small World and will now very cutely, sing the song! It is probably the most adorable thing ever. I really need to record it!
Actually, you have been doing a lot of singing and dancing lately, and it is just too cute! You also "hop" which is adorable. You can't actually hop, but do more of a skip type movement, but you say "hop hop" every time you do it in the sweetest voice! We have also started to try and do more walks at night (to help tire you out) and you seem to really enjoy those. Hopefully, we can keep up with doing them.
Lastly, you found out that you are going to be a big sister! I know you do not really understand what that means yet, and you still have 5 months until the baby arrives, but I know you will be a great big sister! I am sad that we are going to lose this one on one time with you, but know that seeing you with your baby brother/sister will be so amazing and I know you will love them so much. You already say "nigh nigh" to the baby and sometimes "hi" to the baby in the morning. It melts my heart every time. So, these last 5 months that it is just us though, I am going to truly cherish and soak in as much, Aurora time as possible. I know you won't even remember this time as you get older, but we want to make it as special as possible as we are in our last months as a family of three.
Love you always and forever, more and more each day,
Mommy
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
1st Beta and Ultrasound
2/28/15
So, I had my first beta on Saturday and it came back at 157! So, I am officially pregnant! :) I am thinking it is just one as Aurora's beta was 147 and this is only 10 more than that. But, I will have to wait 3 more weeks to find out for sure how many are in there!
3/16/15
Had our ultraound! I was right and it is just one perfect little bean in there. I am still in shock that it worked the first time! I mean, last time we did FET, it did work the first time and that is how we got Aurora, but it was two years until that happened. This time, a call to start, did meds, no canceled cycle, no lining issues, just straight to transfer! And then this! So happy and our official due date is 11/7/15!
So, I had my first beta on Saturday and it came back at 157! So, I am officially pregnant! :) I am thinking it is just one as Aurora's beta was 147 and this is only 10 more than that. But, I will have to wait 3 more weeks to find out for sure how many are in there!
3/16/15
Had our ultraound! I was right and it is just one perfect little bean in there. I am still in shock that it worked the first time! I mean, last time we did FET, it did work the first time and that is how we got Aurora, but it was two years until that happened. This time, a call to start, did meds, no canceled cycle, no lining issues, just straight to transfer! And then this! So happy and our official due date is 11/7/15!
6dp5dt
In the IVF world that means 6 days past 5 day transfer (the embryos were frozen 5 days after retrieval). This was when I got my first positive with Aurora, so I chose this to be my first test day this time around. And... it worked! The Wondfo tests that I bought from Amazon were terrible. It showed a maybe hint of a line after 5 minutes or so. But, I can't take just one test, so I had also done a Clearblue Digital and that showed in very clear words - Pregnant! So, now I just need to wait until Saturday to get the official blood beta test results!
Transfer
I wrote these while happening, but didn't want it "out" in the world so saved them until ready to announce.
After much discussion and debate, we decided we were ready to try for another baby! This time around it was so much easier. No two years waiting and wondering what was going on. This time, we knew we had frozen eggs, and so when we were ready, we called up and started our FET cycle! We started our cycle on January 25th. For the first time in the whole year of fertility issues, a cycle went completely smooth (we will see if it works or not though). I got my blood taken and amazingly did not need to go on birth control and could start my meds right away. This time I even got to take estrogen as a pill and not as a shot! Then each appointment went well and all looked good. At my third appointment, I had a minor worry as the nurse did not tell me to up my dose from last time, but shockingly, I was still ok! So, on February 19th, I went in and had my transfer! They transferred two blasts. It was really cool because this time we got an ultrasound picture of them in my lining! We saw them go right where they belong. So crazy to see the very beginning of process that most people don't get to see. Gotta find a bonus in this infertility stuff!
So, now the long wait to see if it works. This is the worst. I hate waiting! 10 days to go...
After much discussion and debate, we decided we were ready to try for another baby! This time around it was so much easier. No two years waiting and wondering what was going on. This time, we knew we had frozen eggs, and so when we were ready, we called up and started our FET cycle! We started our cycle on January 25th. For the first time in the whole year of fertility issues, a cycle went completely smooth (we will see if it works or not though). I got my blood taken and amazingly did not need to go on birth control and could start my meds right away. This time I even got to take estrogen as a pill and not as a shot! Then each appointment went well and all looked good. At my third appointment, I had a minor worry as the nurse did not tell me to up my dose from last time, but shockingly, I was still ok! So, on February 19th, I went in and had my transfer! They transferred two blasts. It was really cool because this time we got an ultrasound picture of them in my lining! We saw them go right where they belong. So crazy to see the very beginning of process that most people don't get to see. Gotta find a bonus in this infertility stuff!
So, now the long wait to see if it works. This is the worst. I hate waiting! 10 days to go...
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
19 Months!
I started this on the actual day, but time got away from me...
A,
This month had a big change in it. You moved to the Toddler Room! You were sad to leave your favorite teacher (Miss Cheryl), but were very ready to move in with the big kids. You seem to be doing well in your new room (better than me!). Though in your first month you got sick by the end of the first week and then had to be out for the next week. Then you returned and got bite by someone! So, it has been an interesting transition! Overall though, I know you are having fun being in the bigger yard and getting to do more activities throughout the day. You also are starting to get attached to one of your new teachers already and have started to ask for Miss Lee. I love when I drop you off and your morning teaching, Miss Miriam, tells me how smart you are! I mean, I knew you were, but it is nice to have a teacher say it as well :)
You crack Daddy and I up all the time. You are starting to get to be a little miss bossy and will now tell Daddy or I to "sit" where you want us too. It is really funny! You are getting much better at communicating what you want with us. And, what makes me really happy, is that you are starting to use please and thank you without us having to prompt you!
You are still funny with your food. Some days, you will eat everything in site and ask for more and more. And then other days, you want nothing to do with food and we have to try everything we can just to get you to eat! You still love your blueberries though and we can pretty much count on you eating those.
This month, you also got really sick :( You got RSV and an ear infection. You were out for a whole week! I felt so bad for you! Daddy and I shared staying home with you and giving you lots of cuddles to help you feel better. I was so happy when your medicine started to work and you were getting back to your rambunctious self! Though, you did pass the sickness on to me which was no fun!
These months are going by so fast, and you just keep growing and growing! I was just looking at pictures of you from a year ago and it is so hard to believe that they are you. You were so little and now you are becoming such a big girl! I love watching you grow and learn and seeing your personality blossom. I just love being your mommy and having fun and reading stories and singing songs with you. You truly light up my life and I love you so much!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
A,
This month had a big change in it. You moved to the Toddler Room! You were sad to leave your favorite teacher (Miss Cheryl), but were very ready to move in with the big kids. You seem to be doing well in your new room (better than me!). Though in your first month you got sick by the end of the first week and then had to be out for the next week. Then you returned and got bite by someone! So, it has been an interesting transition! Overall though, I know you are having fun being in the bigger yard and getting to do more activities throughout the day. You also are starting to get attached to one of your new teachers already and have started to ask for Miss Lee. I love when I drop you off and your morning teaching, Miss Miriam, tells me how smart you are! I mean, I knew you were, but it is nice to have a teacher say it as well :)
You crack Daddy and I up all the time. You are starting to get to be a little miss bossy and will now tell Daddy or I to "sit" where you want us too. It is really funny! You are getting much better at communicating what you want with us. And, what makes me really happy, is that you are starting to use please and thank you without us having to prompt you!
You are still funny with your food. Some days, you will eat everything in site and ask for more and more. And then other days, you want nothing to do with food and we have to try everything we can just to get you to eat! You still love your blueberries though and we can pretty much count on you eating those.
This month, you also got really sick :( You got RSV and an ear infection. You were out for a whole week! I felt so bad for you! Daddy and I shared staying home with you and giving you lots of cuddles to help you feel better. I was so happy when your medicine started to work and you were getting back to your rambunctious self! Though, you did pass the sickness on to me which was no fun!
These months are going by so fast, and you just keep growing and growing! I was just looking at pictures of you from a year ago and it is so hard to believe that they are you. You were so little and now you are becoming such a big girl! I love watching you grow and learn and seeing your personality blossom. I just love being your mommy and having fun and reading stories and singing songs with you. You truly light up my life and I love you so much!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Worst Mother
So, I feel like the worst mother every. I was playing with Aurora and lifted her up and swung her around from her hands. Now, I know not to do this, I have even told my husband not to do this, so I do not know what possessed me to do it. So, I set her down and she suddenly starts crying and saying ouchie. She was holding her wrist and so I put some ice on it and she seemed to like that. She stopped crying and we sat and read books and she kept making sure that the ice was on her wrist. I noticed though that she was not moving her arm. I tried to distract her and then get her to move it and she would move her hands and could lift her arm. By this point, it was past her bedtime and she started to get really cranky and asking for nigh nigh. So, we put her pajamas on and I rocked her and she fell asleep. I was worried about her but as she seemed to fall asleep, I assumed she was not in pain. I also knew we had her 18 month check up early the next morning and I could ask more about it then. Well, when she woke up, she wasn't moving her arm. We again got her to pick things up with her hand, but she wouldn't lift her arm up. I was in a panic and thought I had broken her and felt awful. So, we head to the doctor.
Apparently, she had what is called, nursemaid elbow. Basically, her elbow tendon had popped out of place. And I know officially feel like the worst mother. The doctor had to pop it back in which was very loud. Aurora cried, but only for a minute and then was using her arm as if nothing had happened. I was so relieved! The doctor said this is very common and to not feel bad, but I still do.
Lesson learned, never, ever, swing a kid around by their arms/hands!
Apparently, she had what is called, nursemaid elbow. Basically, her elbow tendon had popped out of place. And I know officially feel like the worst mother. The doctor had to pop it back in which was very loud. Aurora cried, but only for a minute and then was using her arm as if nothing had happened. I was so relieved! The doctor said this is very common and to not feel bad, but I still do.
Lesson learned, never, ever, swing a kid around by their arms/hands!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
18 Months!
A,
A year and a half year's old! Already halfway through another year. They always say time flies, but I never knew how true that statement could be!
You had a big change this month as you had your last day in the Infant room and officially moved to the Toddler room. You were very ready for this change though, so I know you are going to do just fine in your new room!
You also learned a new skill this month - singing! It is so adorable! At the moment you will sing along to Let It Go, from Frozen, and It's a Small World, the song from the ride. You also are dancing a lot more and ask to watch Elsa. I love seeing you get into the music and hope you appreciate musicals and Disney as much as I do :)
Your talking also continues to grow. You have become quite the little parrot and we really need to start watching what we are saying! Some words you say are clear as day and then others I still need to decipher (such as what sounds like pot pie to me really means pacifier). And then of course you sometimes go off on your own Aurora language that I have not been able to interpret at all!
We can see that you are going to be tall as you are the youngest in the class now, but you are one of the tallest. You are wearing starting to wear 2T clothing already and many of your 18 month pants are turning into capri's for you. It is time to do another closet clean out!
You are also quite the mountain goat as daddy would say, as you are now climbing on everything! You can get up on the couch on your own and try and climb pretty much anything that you think is climbable. It is fun to watch, but also scares me as some places should not be climbed!
You are very fearless in some areas (such as climbing), but are still a bit shy around people. Especially, if we are in a large crowd, you tend to hang back with my until you understand the situation. Once you are comfortable though, you join in with full gusto! I am curious too see if this is a stage or if you will be shy as you get older.
I look forward to watching and seeing what you learn and do this next month! I have never felt greater joy that watching you, reading with you, and now singing with you. I love you with my whole heart always and forever!
Love always,
Mommy
A year and a half year's old! Already halfway through another year. They always say time flies, but I never knew how true that statement could be!
You had a big change this month as you had your last day in the Infant room and officially moved to the Toddler room. You were very ready for this change though, so I know you are going to do just fine in your new room!
You also learned a new skill this month - singing! It is so adorable! At the moment you will sing along to Let It Go, from Frozen, and It's a Small World, the song from the ride. You also are dancing a lot more and ask to watch Elsa. I love seeing you get into the music and hope you appreciate musicals and Disney as much as I do :)
Your talking also continues to grow. You have become quite the little parrot and we really need to start watching what we are saying! Some words you say are clear as day and then others I still need to decipher (such as what sounds like pot pie to me really means pacifier). And then of course you sometimes go off on your own Aurora language that I have not been able to interpret at all!
We can see that you are going to be tall as you are the youngest in the class now, but you are one of the tallest. You are wearing starting to wear 2T clothing already and many of your 18 month pants are turning into capri's for you. It is time to do another closet clean out!
You are also quite the mountain goat as daddy would say, as you are now climbing on everything! You can get up on the couch on your own and try and climb pretty much anything that you think is climbable. It is fun to watch, but also scares me as some places should not be climbed!
You are very fearless in some areas (such as climbing), but are still a bit shy around people. Especially, if we are in a large crowd, you tend to hang back with my until you understand the situation. Once you are comfortable though, you join in with full gusto! I am curious too see if this is a stage or if you will be shy as you get older.
I look forward to watching and seeing what you learn and do this next month! I have never felt greater joy that watching you, reading with you, and now singing with you. I love you with my whole heart always and forever!
Love always,
Mommy
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
17 Months! (and a day!)
A,
Here we are, another month that has flown by! You has a very busy month. You participated in your very first run! We did the Star Wars Disney Run at Disneyland. Daddy, Grandma, and I did the 5k and then you did the 100 meter dash! It was so much fun to be apart of it all. We then also spent two days at the parks. We did Ariel's Grotto for the first time with you. You were so funny! When the princesses were far away, you would point and be excited, and then the second they got close to you, you would clam up and not smile but just stare. You have also gotten bitten by the Frozen bug! You seem to love Elsa and ask to watch her now all the time. We actually went and saw Elsa, but you did the same thing where in line, you were very excited, but then I think you get star struck and again just stared when we actually saw her and Anna!
I am going to start with sleep this month, because you are actually sleeping! It is lovely for everyone :) You have now been consistently sleeping through the night, which makes mommy and daddy very happy! You still have a few nights here and there where you wake up, but it is not bad and you usually settle yourself. So, bedtime is now bath, book (usually), and then bed between 7:30-8 and you wake anywhere from 6-7am.
This month, we finally said goodbye to "mama milk". We had been working on weaning fully, but the last to go was the right before bedtime feed. You did much better than I thought you would! I think it was harder on me than it was on you! We still snuggle before bed, but mama milk is now officially gone. You are doing really well on the goat's milk though, which is good. We will try cow's milk again someday, but for now, we are going with what works! And you seem to enjoy it, which is what really matters. You have become a better eater as well. Before, you had the feast or famine thing going on, but now, you pretty much eat well at every meal! Blueberries are still your favorite as well as beans. You also still love your pouches and we will give you one if we feel you haven't eaten enough as we know you will eat one of them!
You are becoming more and more you own person and it is so fun to watch you grow! Your personality really cracks me up sometimes. You are talking more and more and have really gotten used to the word, no. You like to say it, a lot. But, you also have been saying please and thank you, more and more, which that I am happy about. You also will say two. You won't say one, or three, but if we countdown, you will always chime in with two! You also make up your own dances now which are of course the most adorable thing I have ever seen.
Watching you grow and learn really is the best thing I have ever done. I am truly grateful that I get to be your mommy (and I know daddy feels the same - even though you have not been very nice to him and say no to him when he tries to give you kisses!). I look forward to each and every day with you and watching you to continue to grow into the toddle you are becoming.
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
Here we are, another month that has flown by! You has a very busy month. You participated in your very first run! We did the Star Wars Disney Run at Disneyland. Daddy, Grandma, and I did the 5k and then you did the 100 meter dash! It was so much fun to be apart of it all. We then also spent two days at the parks. We did Ariel's Grotto for the first time with you. You were so funny! When the princesses were far away, you would point and be excited, and then the second they got close to you, you would clam up and not smile but just stare. You have also gotten bitten by the Frozen bug! You seem to love Elsa and ask to watch her now all the time. We actually went and saw Elsa, but you did the same thing where in line, you were very excited, but then I think you get star struck and again just stared when we actually saw her and Anna!
I am going to start with sleep this month, because you are actually sleeping! It is lovely for everyone :) You have now been consistently sleeping through the night, which makes mommy and daddy very happy! You still have a few nights here and there where you wake up, but it is not bad and you usually settle yourself. So, bedtime is now bath, book (usually), and then bed between 7:30-8 and you wake anywhere from 6-7am.
This month, we finally said goodbye to "mama milk". We had been working on weaning fully, but the last to go was the right before bedtime feed. You did much better than I thought you would! I think it was harder on me than it was on you! We still snuggle before bed, but mama milk is now officially gone. You are doing really well on the goat's milk though, which is good. We will try cow's milk again someday, but for now, we are going with what works! And you seem to enjoy it, which is what really matters. You have become a better eater as well. Before, you had the feast or famine thing going on, but now, you pretty much eat well at every meal! Blueberries are still your favorite as well as beans. You also still love your pouches and we will give you one if we feel you haven't eaten enough as we know you will eat one of them!
You are becoming more and more you own person and it is so fun to watch you grow! Your personality really cracks me up sometimes. You are talking more and more and have really gotten used to the word, no. You like to say it, a lot. But, you also have been saying please and thank you, more and more, which that I am happy about. You also will say two. You won't say one, or three, but if we countdown, you will always chime in with two! You also make up your own dances now which are of course the most adorable thing I have ever seen.
Watching you grow and learn really is the best thing I have ever done. I am truly grateful that I get to be your mommy (and I know daddy feels the same - even though you have not been very nice to him and say no to him when he tries to give you kisses!). I look forward to each and every day with you and watching you to continue to grow into the toddle you are becoming.
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
Monday, February 2, 2015
Parenting Fail - How we made our daughter afraid of birds
So, we may have accidentally installed a fear of birds into our daughter. We were out to breakfast yesterday and we sat outside. This place tends to have a lot of birds flying around, which has never bothered Aurora before. So, yesterday though, she had an extra crumby croissant that got all over her. Now, we know Aurora is picking up more and more and understanding more and more, but we sometimes forget that, and we forget that she doesn't understand jokes. So, when my husband jokingly said, Aurora, those birds are going to come eat you with all those crumbs on you. I think she understood what was said, but not that it was a joke. Because, suddenly she started pointing at any bird nearby and getting visibly upset. We had to shoo the birds away and tell her the rest of the meal that she was ok and that the birds were not going to get her...
So, hopefully, this has not installed a life long fear of birds into her!
So, hopefully, this has not installed a life long fear of birds into her!
Friday, January 23, 2015
The Last Night (Our Journey has ended)
So, our journey has finally
come to an end. Last night, was the last night that I will have breastfed
Aurora. We had been slowly weaning since December. She handled all the other transitions
pretty well. The morning one, which we removed at the beginning of the year,
she handled much better than I thought she would. She had a few fussy days, but
overall, did really well. But, this one, the right before bed one, I worry.
She LOVES her right before
bed feeding. Last night she was crying and trying to pull me to the rocking
chair to start it right away, rather than to read a book first. We did finish
the book, and then for one last time, we had our night time feeding. Now, these
feedings have been getting shorter and shorter where they were lasting less
than 5 minutes. But, I think she knew something was up, because she stayed on
much longer this time. And then when she did finally finish, she just laid her
head there and looked at me.
I had done really well at not
getting emotional, up until that point. When I rocked her as she sucked on her
pacifier and I tried to get her to sleep. The tears just ran down my face. I
thought back to all the times I had fed her, many right in that chair rocking
her, and just was sad and happy at the journey we had taken.
It was a long journey. Longer
that I ever thought it would be. I was very nervous about breastfeeding and I did
not know if I could do it. But, I tied and I kept at it, and with some help, we
got into a really nice rhythm and I really enjoyed being able to feed and
nourish her. I enjoyed those cuddles before bed. And while I enjoy my sleep
now, I do sometimes miss those middle of the night quiet feeding sessions (not
the middle of the night crying won’t go to sleep sessions!). I made it through
a year of pumping at work and dealing with the panic of not having enough milk,
of then feeding past on year and getting all the comments about why aren't we
done, and now here we are 16 and a half months later finally finishing this
special journey.
I think she knew at some
level that something was up, because she woke up many times in the night
screaming, MOMMY, over and over again. It breaks my heart because I know that
is how she felt a special connection to me and how I could easily comfort her.
Now, my hugs and kisses will have to be enough. I know the next few nights will
be rough, but we will get through, and just lead her into the next stage of her
being the big girl that she is becoming.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
What do you do with the poo!
The title is especially for my husband :)
I have recently had a few friends interested in cloth diapering. It is fun to share this with them, but the big question I always get is, but what about the poo!
When I started out, I searched how to wash cloth diapers. And man, is there A LOT of opinions on this! And they are all different and contradict one another. So, I thought I would add to the mess and share what I do.
I try and keep it as simple as possible.
Before I even get to washing them in a machine, any diaper that has that dreaded poo, I first take and dunk shake the poo off into the toilet. I then use my Spray Pal (amazing invention!) and sprayer to spray off anything that may have been left behind. So, there is no actual poo going into the washer (as many fear).
As for the actual washing portion. I have a front loading he washing machine. I do a rinse cycle first, then do a heavy duty cycle with an extra rinse at the end. That is it!
I originally did not use anything extra in the rinse, but now use Eco Nuts ammonia bouncer. I also used to use Tide Free and Gentle which worked great for the first few months. My diapers just didn't seem to be getting as clean as I would like and I won a sample of Molly's Suds and so I tried that. It was great and worked well! I decided I liked using a specific detergent for Cloth Diapers, so I decided to get GroVia's Tiny Bubbles detergent and then also a packet of their Might Bubbles to try. I chose them as I have a lot of GroVia products (I think I have most of them now!) and have always had good luck with them. They work great! I use the Might Bubbles when I have a load that sometimes goes that extra day before cleaning and they always come out nice and clean. So, I will continue to use this awesome product!
For drying, I line dry them outside. Since we are in California and it is usually sunny, I like hanging the diapers outside to dry. The sun helps with any stains and I don't have to run the dryer forever to dry them. At the end of the day when I bring them in, I just pop the inserts in quickly to fluff them back up as the sun can make them a bit rough.
The other question I am often asked, is how many extra loads of laundry does this really add. Well, for me, it is two. I do laundry on Tuesday night and then Friday or Saturday night depending on what is going on that weekend. I do the rinse cycle at night. And then set my timer to do the heavy duty cycle at 4am so it is done when I wake up. I then put them out on the line in the morning and then bring them back in that night.
I have recently had a few friends interested in cloth diapering. It is fun to share this with them, but the big question I always get is, but what about the poo!
When I started out, I searched how to wash cloth diapers. And man, is there A LOT of opinions on this! And they are all different and contradict one another. So, I thought I would add to the mess and share what I do.
I try and keep it as simple as possible.
Before I even get to washing them in a machine, any diaper that has that dreaded poo, I first take and dunk shake the poo off into the toilet. I then use my Spray Pal (amazing invention!) and sprayer to spray off anything that may have been left behind. So, there is no actual poo going into the washer (as many fear).
As for the actual washing portion. I have a front loading he washing machine. I do a rinse cycle first, then do a heavy duty cycle with an extra rinse at the end. That is it!
I originally did not use anything extra in the rinse, but now use Eco Nuts ammonia bouncer. I also used to use Tide Free and Gentle which worked great for the first few months. My diapers just didn't seem to be getting as clean as I would like and I won a sample of Molly's Suds and so I tried that. It was great and worked well! I decided I liked using a specific detergent for Cloth Diapers, so I decided to get GroVia's Tiny Bubbles detergent and then also a packet of their Might Bubbles to try. I chose them as I have a lot of GroVia products (I think I have most of them now!) and have always had good luck with them. They work great! I use the Might Bubbles when I have a load that sometimes goes that extra day before cleaning and they always come out nice and clean. So, I will continue to use this awesome product!For drying, I line dry them outside. Since we are in California and it is usually sunny, I like hanging the diapers outside to dry. The sun helps with any stains and I don't have to run the dryer forever to dry them. At the end of the day when I bring them in, I just pop the inserts in quickly to fluff them back up as the sun can make them a bit rough.
The other question I am often asked, is how many extra loads of laundry does this really add. Well, for me, it is two. I do laundry on Tuesday night and then Friday or Saturday night depending on what is going on that weekend. I do the rinse cycle at night. And then set my timer to do the heavy duty cycle at 4am so it is done when I wake up. I then put them out on the line in the morning and then bring them back in that night.
Monday, January 5, 2015
16 Months!
A,
Another month has flown by! This month went particularly fast because of all the holidays. It was, as always, an amazing month, watching you grow, and grow, and grow!
I am going to start with the one thing I am very excited about, and that is sleep. Yes, glorious sleep! You are now sleeping through the night! It has been wonderful and amazing. You still will wake some nights, but usually we do not have to go in and you will settle yourself back down. Even these past two weeks when you have been sick, you will cough in the middle of the night, but again, will settle yourself. It has been wonderful!
You had started to wake up the past couple days by standing up and just saying, Hi, Hi, Hi, into the monitor. It was a wonderful way to wake up. I hope you continue this morning ritual. I did just change your morning ritual on you though, which you are not happy about. We just stopped the morning feeds with mama. You actually did amazing the first day, but I think it helped that Grandma was there to distract you. The last two days, you did not like that I gave you a sippy cup. But, I know in time, you will forget and move to just a sippy (and then we will work on nighttime!).
You have become a great eater. You started out with feast or famine days. Some days you would not eat anything and we finally would cave and give blueberries, because it was the only thing you would eat. And then other days you just ate, and ate, and ate. Lately, though, you have been having more feast days, which makes me happy as I know you are then getting all the good stuff that you need! You also have become in love with "Elmo" which is crackers in a box with Elmo on them. I assume daycare showed you Elmo, because we never did, but you certainly know who he is!
You still love your Disney as well (probably because that is all I show you!). You got to see Disney On Ice this month and go to Disneyland again. You had a great time at both! Disney on Ice, we were not sure if you liked it or not as at first you just sat on Grandma's lap and stared, but then in the second act, you were pointing and waving. I think you were just taking it all in at first. Then, Disneyland was on Christmas Eve as is our family tradition. You did so great! We went on rides, saw the parade, and walked around the lands. You didn't nap until 5pm as you were enjoying it so much. You finally fell asleep when Uncle Garrett held you.
Christmas Day was at our house. Santa came to visit and you got a Train Set which you LOVE. We also got you a Princess Castle that you can play in and you seem to really enjoy playing in, especially when we put your princess castle inside the big one. Or, if we sit in with you and read. Your other favorite toy this Christmas is probably your baby doll, you hold your "Baybee" around the house and even into the car at times. A few times, we even had to feed the baby before you would eat!
You seem to have stopped caring for the potty. Not sure what caused it, but you don't seem to want to go in the potty anymore. Oh well, no rush there! I do think though once you move up to the Toddler Room and see the "big" kids using the potty, you will go right back to it. Right now, you are the oldest in the room, and just in the 30 minutes I saw you there today, I think you hit all three babies... so, you still are not loving having babies around! You really like the older kids. You had a great time with your cousins on Christmas Day and New Years Eve/Day, especially Freya. She really loves you and wants to spend every moment with you, and you seemed to be pretty happy playing with her as well.
This month, I think was one of the funnest months. You are becoming so independent now, or at least trying to, and it is so amazing to watch. At dinner, you always ask for a spoon (poon), and try really hard to eat with it. You now say Please (pees) and Thank you (dank yu), and so many other words. You also have conversations with yourself that I wish I understood as it would be amazing to hear what you are saying. But, still fascinating all the same! You truly are the joy and light of our life! Daddy and I love you so much! You just started giving out hugs and kisses and it is probably the best thing in the world to feel your little arms wrapped around my neck and to get a kiss on the cheek! I look so forward to seeing what fun adventures this month brings us :)
Love always and forever,
Mommy
Another month has flown by! This month went particularly fast because of all the holidays. It was, as always, an amazing month, watching you grow, and grow, and grow!
I am going to start with the one thing I am very excited about, and that is sleep. Yes, glorious sleep! You are now sleeping through the night! It has been wonderful and amazing. You still will wake some nights, but usually we do not have to go in and you will settle yourself back down. Even these past two weeks when you have been sick, you will cough in the middle of the night, but again, will settle yourself. It has been wonderful!
You had started to wake up the past couple days by standing up and just saying, Hi, Hi, Hi, into the monitor. It was a wonderful way to wake up. I hope you continue this morning ritual. I did just change your morning ritual on you though, which you are not happy about. We just stopped the morning feeds with mama. You actually did amazing the first day, but I think it helped that Grandma was there to distract you. The last two days, you did not like that I gave you a sippy cup. But, I know in time, you will forget and move to just a sippy (and then we will work on nighttime!).
You have become a great eater. You started out with feast or famine days. Some days you would not eat anything and we finally would cave and give blueberries, because it was the only thing you would eat. And then other days you just ate, and ate, and ate. Lately, though, you have been having more feast days, which makes me happy as I know you are then getting all the good stuff that you need! You also have become in love with "Elmo" which is crackers in a box with Elmo on them. I assume daycare showed you Elmo, because we never did, but you certainly know who he is!
You still love your Disney as well (probably because that is all I show you!). You got to see Disney On Ice this month and go to Disneyland again. You had a great time at both! Disney on Ice, we were not sure if you liked it or not as at first you just sat on Grandma's lap and stared, but then in the second act, you were pointing and waving. I think you were just taking it all in at first. Then, Disneyland was on Christmas Eve as is our family tradition. You did so great! We went on rides, saw the parade, and walked around the lands. You didn't nap until 5pm as you were enjoying it so much. You finally fell asleep when Uncle Garrett held you.
Christmas Day was at our house. Santa came to visit and you got a Train Set which you LOVE. We also got you a Princess Castle that you can play in and you seem to really enjoy playing in, especially when we put your princess castle inside the big one. Or, if we sit in with you and read. Your other favorite toy this Christmas is probably your baby doll, you hold your "Baybee" around the house and even into the car at times. A few times, we even had to feed the baby before you would eat!
You seem to have stopped caring for the potty. Not sure what caused it, but you don't seem to want to go in the potty anymore. Oh well, no rush there! I do think though once you move up to the Toddler Room and see the "big" kids using the potty, you will go right back to it. Right now, you are the oldest in the room, and just in the 30 minutes I saw you there today, I think you hit all three babies... so, you still are not loving having babies around! You really like the older kids. You had a great time with your cousins on Christmas Day and New Years Eve/Day, especially Freya. She really loves you and wants to spend every moment with you, and you seemed to be pretty happy playing with her as well.
This month, I think was one of the funnest months. You are becoming so independent now, or at least trying to, and it is so amazing to watch. At dinner, you always ask for a spoon (poon), and try really hard to eat with it. You now say Please (pees) and Thank you (dank yu), and so many other words. You also have conversations with yourself that I wish I understood as it would be amazing to hear what you are saying. But, still fascinating all the same! You truly are the joy and light of our life! Daddy and I love you so much! You just started giving out hugs and kisses and it is probably the best thing in the world to feel your little arms wrapped around my neck and to get a kiss on the cheek! I look so forward to seeing what fun adventures this month brings us :)
Love always and forever,
Mommy
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