September 3rd

So we took another trip down to West Palm to visit good ol' Uncle Milton. It was a lousy trip and started off pretty bad. We were getting everything ready and I noticed some wet clothes around the water heater. We cleaned a "path" through the garage a few weeks ago and there was a ton of moldy and wet stuff around the water heater then. I thought "it must need more room to breathe". So I gave it more space to breathe. Didn't seem to work. As it turns out, it is rusted and leaking from the power panel. This can't be good! We had a friend coming over to dog/house sit so we had to call her to let her know she would be staying without hot water and of course we paid her more for the inconvenience. We turned the water off to the machine and decided to still take the trip as Jeff had the days off and we couldn't imagine calling Uncle Milton to be late or not show up. So first thing Monday morning we took off.

Uncle Milton is sometimes glad to see us and sometimes not. This trip was a not so much one. It was still hotter than anything and he was grouchy. We spent a lot of time swimming and Nick learned how to swim with his life jacket thing on and no help! We were very proud of him and he is completely fearless. It took only a couple of hours for him to go from grabbing me with a death grip to jumping in and swimming alone!

Alex had a pretty good time. During this trip he learned to crawl. The cutest and saddest thing you have ever seen. Like a dead man crawling for water. What made him crawl you ask? That is right, this hideous monkey table that he thought was eating peanuts without him. We weren't kidding when we said he will do anything for food, including crawl!

September 2nd

Yay, we got Fluffy mail. For those of you not familiar with the term, it is when you get diapers in the mail. I am completely obsessed with the fruit and vegetable prints (as many diapering freaks are). I just started them and I truly cannot stop. It is a complete adiction and I need to go to a meeting. Unfortunately I can't even find other cloth diapering moms in my area to help talk me out of it! Oh well, I will just have to get a few more new diapers and sell some old ones.

PEAS!!

Nick fits in the diaper easier than Alex does, he is just longer. If Nick were still wearing diapers, we would only need one size!

Also - NICK IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY POTTY TRAINED!!!!! He has been in undies for about 3 weeks now and is doing great, all night, during naps and while out. He tells us when he has to pee (most of the time) and now tells us when he has to poo. We love it!


I know it is just wrong, but I couldn't resist this adorable shot of their little naked bums. Nick was holding Alex up and actually talking to him. How cute is that! (I may need to fear for my life when they are in high school!)

Nick doesn't watch a lot of TV so when I let him lay down to watch a program on the computer, he is pretty stoked. He gets his dolls and puts them to bed and climbs in himself. It is great while it lasts but you should be there when it is over. Nuclear melt-down! Not a pretty sight. As such, I have now eliminated this 15 minutes of fun and replaced it with reading or playing with cars. He is just as happy to have a book read to him, less time for me but it makes the entire day easier. My sister thinks I am nuts and that he is freaking out due to him NEEDING more TV, sugar or what have you. I disagree and since I am in control, it is no TV for Mr. Nick. He doesn't even notice it being gone and the melt-down for not being allowed to watch IF he asks is much better than after turning it off, and the remainder of the day after seeing just 5 minutes of TV.

Perhaps his love of books will be that much stronger later on. Let us hope. If not, I am so sorry he will not make it to the Superbowl of Pop Culture like his dad aspires to do himself.

Hello stranger . . .

So it has been a while. I have been so incredibly busy, busy and tired. I didn't realize it had been so long until just now, August 28th! Holy cow. But, hopefully I will be able to do a few posts over the next few days with all of the stuff that has been happening.

So, let us start at the beginning.

August 30th

We met Anissa and Peyton Mayhew for breakfast at Chick-fil-a. They are the greatest family and just crazy. Peyton has leukemia and is in the maintenance stage of her treatment. She is actually only a few weeks older than Nick but WOW. She is so much more advanced and smart. I don't know if this is a good thing for Anissa as she is such a teenager already. Peyton has two older siblings that are adorable as well but in school now. Jeff actually met the Mayhews at Cracker Barrel as the family eats there ALL the time. Petyon is an honorary employee and has the cutest little "rising star" apron they made for her. It is toooo cute!

Peyton didn't have any interest in playing with a boy and Nick was oblivious that she was even there. This was the best shot we got of the two of them. Isn't Peyton gorgeous. She has tons of hair coming in now and she is going to look so different with beautiful black hair!

August 31st

I went to my old boss at Fowler White, Shannon Campbell's bridal shower. It was INCREDIBLE! So Florida is surrounded by water but being on the water is still pretty expensive. As you are driving over the bridge from Tampa to St. Pete you look directly to your left and see a bunch of Ginormous (it is now officially a word) houses directly on the water. Well, that is where the bridal shower was, at Shannon's soon to be in-law's house. They had a gorgeous pool and directly behind that is the bay and their own private dock. Wow!

Here is a nice picture of Shannon, you can see the sunset reflected in the window behind her.

This is their house. Not as impressive from the outside as it was inside.

This table with the flowers is directly behind the house and you can see how close the ocean is to their door! The only drawback is the airport is extremely close and you can frequently hear the planes overhead.

This is also from their back door, what a view!

The food was incredible. Shannon loves shoes and this was an adorable cheesecake with a Manolo Blahnik shoe on top. It was delicious too!

I took a wrong turn and had to go through the neighborhood, darn! This is one of the houses being built on the same street. I couldn't even guess what a house like this might cost! I pitty them spending so much on these homes and then having to worry about the next hurricane or just a big storm.

The neighborhood was quite amusing. I saw a woman walking a Weimeriner (sp) who was in immaculate shape. Then I saw an older man walking with weights in his hands and pumping them up and down as he walked. I actually laughed out loud. It was seriously like Beverly Hills 90210.

Then I saw a woman drive by with two little white dogs on her lap. Then when I got their the hostess had two little white dogs. Then later someone arrived with her own little white dog. I think it was a white dog cult!

More to come later. . .

Octopussy?!?

Okay, so on Monday Nick and I went out to Bob's office to check the mail and pick some stuff up. While we were out there we decided to grab a bite to eat. There was the cutest little deli that had a good variety for a pretty good price. While ordering our Fritatas (2 for $.99) and our pigs in a blanket ($.99 each) I commented on how interesting the Rediculously garlicy baby octopus was. The lady asks "Would you like to try some?" I thought, $8.99 a lb. and I don't know if I would ever order it anywhere else - "yeah, sure". So she got a little cup and fork and handed it to me. Nick says "I want some of that". I slowly pulled off a piece for him and gave it to him with the strict instructions "just don't spit it out on the floor". He started eating it and LOVED IT! I did myself as well! It was soooo good, we got some more to go, even at $8.99 a lb., it was that good! The women at the deli were quite impressed with Nick's "mature palet" as was I. We tried to talk Jeff into eating some with us when we got home but he chose not too. It is similar to Calamari but way better and less chewy in my opinion. Alex got in on it for dinner and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. Much better without all the garlic though! I highly recommend it and I will definitely be trying it the next time I see it on a menu!

Alex spent about 25 minutes sucking and chewing the heck out of this thing. In the end he started crying because he couldn't get anything to eat! It was a lot of determination but really amusing to watch, I should have taken video!

(I called it Octopussy, like 007 and someone looked at us funny at the store. For some reason, I couldn't stop calling it that. It was hilarious to hear Nick say it but from now on, we will always have Octopussy - it was way more fun to say too!)

Nick's room!

A while back we got Nick a new bed at a yard sale. It cost about $15 and it was a bunkbed that had been cut in half. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for and Nick really likes it. Now that he is not scared to climb in and out of it he is doing great. You can see I put the crib bumper around it as he is a wild sleeper and I was worried about his huge noggin. We call it his "Cave".

I painted this mural when Nick was supposed to be a girl. The base color is a beautiful periwinkle, girlie but not enough to change the entire room. The turtle is my pride and joy, Nick's favorite too!

We reorganized the room today when I decided that Nick has WAY too many toys and he needs some help in deciding what to play with. So we got rid of about 5 garbage bags and some other large stuff and put his train table and one train in his bedroom. What a difference that makes!

The "CAVE" and his train. I wanted to make it a reading nook but that hasn't really worked out too well, so it is just a fun cave. We got rid of all of the other toys that were in here, Nick has already started playing more!

You can almost read our "rules" on the back of the door.

1) Show Respect! (our hardest learned lesson yet)

2) Be Kind

3) Be Truthful

We figured everything would pretty much fall under one of these categories and it has worked really well for us.

And lastly, a great video of Nick from tonight. He took a quick cat nap while being punished in his bed and therefore was up WAY too late. This is what happens when he stays up past his bed time - he was literally crawling the walls! Jeff got home from work and we couldn't stop laughing while watching this video. I hope you enjoy the good laugh!

Diaper tutorial

So this is a quick little video about what I use for my cloth diapers and an overall of what is what. Not too detailed so let me know if you want more information or descriptions. Our diapering journey started as such:

I got knocked up. I had a SUPER hippy friend I worked with and we started talking about the effect of diapers on the environment and our dumps, as human feces were not intended to be put into our landfills. I started searching the net and found some really cheap and easy cloth diapers at Babies R Us. After some more searching I found the DiaperPin.com and looked up some reviews. I was really happy with pocket dipes and that is what I went for.

We had a large number of pocket diapers called Wonderoos. They were a little expensive but a one-size diaper so we didn't need to get new sizes with the growing of the baby and therefore would spend less overall. Not really true but that is what we believed.

After Nick was about 2 I started looking at Diaperswappers and found a whole world of other diapers out there as we had always had a leaking problem with Wonderoos. We started getting some used fitteds and really liked Little Beetle brand as they are extremely absorbant and trim fitting under clothes.

After I got knocked up again I started looking into it more and found wool options. I got some and LOVED it! So great for Nick at night and for once he didn't leak during the night as he did with every other diaper including disposables. Wool was the way to go. We ordered mainly Little Beetles and other fitteds and wool - specifically Celtic Wolf Creations, by far the best wool out there for a wrap. There are also Longies - crocheted or knitted pants, Shorties - crocheted or knitted shorts, Merino wool - a wrap or shorts or pants in a cotton type of cover. The great thing about Little Beetles is they have fit both Nick and Alex at the same time and that was awesome! Alex can still fit in them and will for a very long time and then I can re-sell them to regain some of the money.

We have been really happy but now the Little Beetles have started to fall apart in our really strong washer and I have tried other fitteds and loved them, such as Bizzy Bee Hive diapers, Peewells, Little Fishey and First Class. All have been excellent and I specifically enjoy Peewells and Bizzy Bee Hive. They are rare on Diaperswappers but worth it if you can find a deal. I am in between on wool or PUL but have pros and cons with both, leaning more towards PUL right now.

(FYI: PUL - outside waterproof material, Polyester Urethane Layer; Aplix - velcro; Snaps - snapping closure - I think I named some of these wrong in the videos)




*Please excuse the twig and berries!*

DIAPERS!

(I got most of these in the picture except the purple one in the far right and the pink one) Since Nick was supposed to be a girl pink and purple aren't so bad on a boy!

There is a circus, tie dyed ones, baseball and dragons!

I am sooo excited!

I just got some new diapers in and it is too much to bear. I got some new fitteds (these go next to the bum with a cover that is waterproof, wool, or fleece over that) and they are the cutest things. They are a new brand that I got a great deal on from a mom who no longer needed them, $5.00 each which is dirt cheap as these run for $18 new. They are called Bizzy Bee Hive dipers (http://www.bizzybhive.com/) and so far they are great. I have more that are coming this week that are called All in 2s (AI2) they are a water resistent outer and two layers of absorbing material inside, when the inside is dirty, you remove it and put in a new soaker and you do that until the outside is dirty/wet. Pretty cool - might sound gross but it is awesome! I only have 2 AIO (all in ones) which are just a diaper that you throw on and don't do any extra layers or inserts. I mainly have wool covers and hemp fitteds along with my cotton prefolds (the old fashioned kind). Diapers have come a LONG way from where they used to be and I love it!

I also got some prefolds - a larger size of what I had before - Indian unbleached DSQ and I am expecting some Dream-Eze diapers and some Motherease covers this week. Woo Hoo!!

So now I am selling some of my old stuff and it is so much fun. There is a lot of interest and I am making some good money. Not if you do the actual math of how much I spent, but I choose not to look at it like that. I am sure if we had used disposables it would have been much more!

we got this car one too!

Cloth diapers ROCK!!!

If you want to see the HUGE amount of diapers I am selling, check them out at: http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=207718&highlight=aristocrat

I have a posting in every section but they are all the same.

Welcome to the new diapering world. Where we not only reuse our diapers, we reuse others diapers as well! Don't even get me started on Mamma cloth!

The boys

Here are some pictures I got of the kids this morning. I think they turned out great and I can't wait to get some new frames to hang these up. The girls working there this morning did a much better job then usual and I was really happy!

We got this one of them on their tummies. It was sooo cute!

I was tempted on this one of them holding hands but Nick looked like a goof and Alex looked weird.

(see them here: http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/my/images?tk=eef0603b-1937-46be-8617-2c931d3d17f9&cmpn=emailalbum)

What the hey!

So I am not trying to be a downer but a lot has happened lately. My boss decided to close the firm since we can't get our bills paid from our #1 client (90k outstanding) and since he is not in great health and therefore can't get insurance - life insurance, disability or just plain old health insurance, we have to close shop. I personally believe it is more his wife's choice, but what difference does it make. He is moving to Tallahassee to work for Citizens at the end of the month. Soooo, I am out to look for some attorneys who will pay me on a monthly basis to work from home. I know the attorneys are out there, I just have to find them! So we are crazy busy with transferring files and finishing up the basics on everything.

Sunday, our car was broken into. They broke the driver's window and stole my walet/day planner. Not a huge deal and I was able to cancel everything and there was only about $10 in my wallet at the time. It cost $175 to fix the window and we don't dare make an insurance claim because we don't want to get kicked out and because our deductible is $500. They didn't even unlock the door or take the hundreds of other items scattered throughout the van. Perhaps they felt the same way I do every time I look at it that it just isn't worth it to search for something. The worst part of it is I think it might have been our new neighbors across the street. I try not to make impressions early on but they are missing teeth and have no phone or jobs. One of the daughters (around 40 years old) came over to use the phone several times during the day and during one of the times she was out front for about 30 minutes right next to the van. So today when she came to borrow the phone again, she was told "no, it isn't a good time right now", I have to wait until she tries again so I can have Jeff tell her she isn't welcome anymore. I am such a wimp.

Jeff is working 6 days a week right now to get his hours to an acceptable average before the end of the quarter for benefits. They have to stay at an average of 32 even when you go out of town and take a few days off. We only have until the end of the month so for the last 3 weeks he has only taken 1 day a week off. It is rough for him but I think worse for me since it is during the evening and I have to take care of so much at that time - feed girls, dinner, baths, bedtime, etc. Doesn't sound like a lot but it sure feels like it.

(Carrying roughly 50 lbs. and walking two dogs!)
On the upside, I only have about 10 more pounds to lose to get all of the baby-weight gone. So I went for a walk today with the girls. I usually put Nick in a backpack and push Alex in the stroller, but I am desperate now. I threw Alex in my Mai-Tai carrier and Nick on my back and huffed and sweat all the way around the block. Now I just need to do some sit-ups and I will be all set for the night.

I also got to talk to my Mom tonight which was great. We had a wonderful adult conversation and it was really pleasant. She actually has a lot going on right now and I am really proud of her!

Morphing brothers

The boys have started to look alike! Not that they started out that far from eachother but they seem to be looking more alike every day. Alex adores Nick and Nick will adore Alex if it gets him some attention from us.

Alex is a food HOG!

What a happy little boy!