When ordinary chores turn into the most fun she's ever had...

[airplane passing overhead]

The apple trees aren't doing great. But we keep watering and fertilizing and hoping...

You know its been a good day when it ends like this...

But wait, there's more!

Likey the new side bar picture?

Thanks.  :)

By the way, whew!   How's that for a full week of novel-length posts?  Give yourselves a pat on the back.  This one ought to be a nice break.  Mostly pictures.  :)

So one afternoon last week we had a little self-taken photo shoot, sitting in the rocking chair in the living room, while the sun was coming in through the blinds just the way I like it.

As always there were many, many outtakes (what did people do before digital cameras?!?!?!).  Here are some of the cuter/funnier ones...

(By the way, her hair is all crazy because it has some food rubbed in it.  That's all.)

 

Cloth diaper trial [pt 2]: FuzziBunz & bumGenius

Well, at first we liked the Fuzzibunz because they use only snaps, without any velcro.  We were afraid that she would be able to open the velcro herself.  Fuzzibunz also seemed to be the most adjustable, with all the different sets of snaps, and the adjustable leg elastic (love).  Unfortunately, we had to rule them out once we tried them on her, because even on the largest possible setting, they were a little snug. :( 

I feel like reminding you- No one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah.

Now we're trying the bumGenius. 

This decision has not been nearly as cut-and-dry as I expected it to be.  We've had to do a lot of experimenting, so please forgive the round-about style of this post.

Here's the kicker for us.  She's a big-time wetter at night, and these diapers (all of them) are very bulky (more on that later), especially when they're double-stuffed for overnight.  I think there are some other options we could look into for inserts, other than what comes included with the diaper, but up-up-up goes the cost...

To be fair, we tried the bumGenius overnight with both of the inserts provided...and it leaked.  *cringe*  Just a little, from one side, out the top.  

This may sound crazy, but tonight we're going to try putting a Sham-wow there with one insert.  We figured, hey, it's worth a shot, while we're just trying them out!  We'll put it beneath the insert, on the farthest side from her skin.

Back to the bulkiness.  There was one thing that I guess I failed to factor in when I was planning out how we would choose our diapers - Hollie's opinion.  When we put her in her very first cloth diaper, it was stiff and held it's shape very rigidly, as almost anything does when it's brand-new...and as she got up to walk around, her expression was one of obvious discomfort.  Now, nearly every time we start to put a cloth diaper on her, she squirms and whines and generally resists.
  
You should feel the insides of these diapers, though.  They're sooo fluffy and fleece-y and soft...it's the waterproof outer layer that's causing the problem.

Now that she's worn them a few times, she generally doesn't fuss after its on, when we use one insert.  With two, she pulls at the velcro and wordlessly begs to have the darn thing taken off.  It's incredibly discouraging, and could possibly be a deal-breaker for us.

I guess that's the main reason why we're trying the Sham-wow overnight.  Its thinner than any insert, and as the commercials would have you believe, even more absorbent.

But I had another idea, too!  Its the obviously the wideness of the part between her legs that's making it so uncomfortable for her, so I thought if maybe I put a small rubber band around the middle of the insert, it would reduce the bulk (but keep the absorbency) and impede her movement a little less.       

Or, you know, maybe after a bit of wearing and washing, the diapers will loosen up and relax their shape a little. 

So far, I have to say our overall impression of the bumGenius is favorable.  Not as they are, but maybe with some Sham-wow or rubber band modification (or both).  We'll let you know if, and how, we are able to make them work...then we'll move on to the Happy Heinys!

But first check out this adorable model...

Cloth diaper trial [pt 1]: They've arrived!

Cloth diapering is something that I've been thinking about for awhile (like 15 months), and just haven't been able to get around to actually doing.

For us, it was the start-up cost.  Those things are expensive.  Especially if you're not convinced of how well they'll work, the extra hassle they'll require, the accessories...a lot of unknowns, combined with the high initial cost...it was holding us back.  If only there were some way to just try them out...

But there is!

I found this place advertised in a magazine, and so we decided to give it a try.  It's a small price to pay for getting a real hands-on trial of a very expensive, but worthwhile, product.

Of course, no one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah.

The package includes one (1) bumGenius, one (1) Fuzzibunz, and one (1) Happy Heinys.  Those brand names are just too cute.  :)  Here they are, with their inserts, in that order...

In case you're more familiar with old-school cloth diapers that involved lots of folding and safety pins, here's what those inserts are for...

They go in there.

Cloth diapering has certainly come a long way.  Anyways,we'll be trying them out, one at a time, and let you know how it goes!  I'm so excited.  :)

The plunge

We did it.  We took the plunge.  We left our first-born with a babysitter who was not a grandparent, aunt, or uncle.

So, it was our second wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.  We hadn't ever intended to go out together to celebrate, because we don't have any family nearby to watch Hollie.  And leaving her with a stranger is just not something we're ready for yet.  Or even a friend - because all of our friends here are people we've only known for about a year (or less), and none of them have kids...need I say more?

But then we found out recently that two of said friends (we'll call them R and M), a married couple about our age, are expecting their first child!  They offered to babysit for us sometime, to get some practice.

I'm not sure, but they may have been joking at first.  Really, it's not the greatest idea to start out with a 15-month-old to...get some practice.

Like I said, seeking out another person, friend or stranger, to take care of our baby girl, alone, in our house or anywhere else, was just not something we could bring ourselves to do...but when they just flat-out offered...

...we thought, what the heck?  It will be good her, good for us, and good for them.  A win-win-win.  And it's not like we're leaving the planet.  This is Wichita...we'll be twenty minutes away, tops.  :)

R and M have already spent some time at our house, with Hollie, so at least they weren't completely unfamiliar to her.  After they came over to the house, Hollie was sitting in M's lap eating a snack out of a bowl within a half hour.

We kissed her (Hollie) goodbye, and went into the garage.  Our plan was to sit out there for 5 or 10 minutes, and if she hadn't stopped crying by then, we would call the whole thing off and not go.  In our limited experience (leaving her with grandparents), she typically fusses a little when we leave, but calms down soon and has plenty of fun when she realizes that grandparents are awesome.

Imagine our surprise, as we stood out there with our ears pressed to the door, not hearing a peep from inside!  I was relieved for about two seconds until I thought...oh no, she didn't realize we were leaving.  She's going to freak out later, and this is all going to backfire horribly.

But, out we went.  Had a good time.  Sweated a little, thinking about Hollie, but mostly had a good time.  We only called once to check up, and she was still doing great.  I tried my first ever martini (bleh), and Daniel had a Bloody Mary garnished with a stick of beef jerky instead of celery.

When we got back home, we found Hollie fast asleep in M's lap even though it was well before bedtime.  I guess they wore her out!  They said she never fussed, though she did lead them around the house by the finger, presumably looking for us.

When she woke up and saw me, she got this bewildered look on her face and came right over for a big hug.  She didn't seem upset at all, until...R and M started to leave!  How bizarre!  I feel kind of good about the fact that she was sad to see them go.  It really helped to alleviate my mommy-guilt over the whole thing.

Despite the overall success of the evening, we don't have any plans in the works for another.  However, I cannot wait to baby-sit for them!  It will be so interesting to see how Hollie does she doesn't have our undivided attention.  Because that could be the case...at some point...

Note: I should mention that this post is really outdated.  The anniversary was June 7th, and the night out was the 10th. 

I just had to create a new label for "Spontaneity"

...because this is getting out of hand.  We took another road trip this weekend!

We drove up to Omaha to see our alma mater, Arizona State, in the opening round of the college baseball world series.

Five hour drive!  Easy peasy.  The little bear did great.  Here she is during our stop for lunch on the way up.  She is sitting in a booster seat, instead of a high chair!  She got a kick out of it.  And look at those baby blues!

Hellooooo, weather delay!

Long story short, the game, which was scheduled for that evening, was postponed due to the weather until the next morning.  We decided to stay, partly because we had spent a little extra money on nicer seats (in the shade), and partly because this is the last chance we would get to watch a game in historic Rosenblatt Stadium!

So, the game went great (for us, but unfortunately, not for the team).  Hollie and I took walks around the concourse when she got antsy (and got tired of playing with Dada's hat).

  

We made a quite meal of these shoestring french fries.  

I love ballpark food, but in smaller doses, I think, from now on.

We passed this place on the way out- a little sports memorabilia shop/museum that Daniel had heard about.  Apparently the owner likes to give beer to anyone who comes in.  We didn't stop to see if it was true.

And finally, on the way home, we had to stop at our new-old favorite: Steak n Shake.  They're pretty good.  Not the best burgers we've ever had, but for some reason we always stop when we see one on the road.  Tradition, I guess.

We are falling in love with these little weekend family getaways.  I can't wait for the next one...

Hindsight - gotta love/hate it

Subtitled: "Now I know where gray hairs come from"

We had an interesting little series of events go down recently.

For the past week or so, Hollie has been waking up in the morning at 6 or 6:30-ish...very early for her. She's got a few new teeth coming in, so I assumed that was the "root", so to speak (pun intended)...except that each time, she stayed awake to nurse for awhile, telling me that she was actually hungry, not just needing the comfort. Then she would go back to sleep for another hour or two.

It seems obvious, doesn't it?

She wasn't getting enough to eat in the evenings, so she was waking up hungry. Somehow it took me a week to figure that out.

It's not for actual lack of food, I promise. Lack of appetite, rather. She hasn't had much of an appetite at dinner lately. Maybe she feels bedtime coming up and starts winding down on her own...who knows?  Maybe I'll figure that one out later in another hindsight epiphany.  I'll let you know.

Rather than try to get her to eat more at dinner if she doesn't want to, I'm going to offer her more small snacks during the day.  Up til now, I've been giving her food when she tells me she's hungry...which apparently isn't working.  Either she's just not telling me she's hungry until she's starving, or I'm just not attentive enough to her early hunger cues and not noticing until she's starving.  Equally probable, and equally depressing.

Anyways, it's working!  She's been snacking well, and eating well at meals...and sleeping much better again!

Gah.  This has been another one of those "horrible mother" moments.  I try not to let them get to me; I try to learn from them, and let them pass.  Hollie is a healthy, happy, loving, and incredibly forgiving girl.    

Wow.

First blackberries

The "lawn" and short of it [pt. 3]

I briefly tried to come up with an even wittier title for this series of posts, but I've got nuthin'.  We are open to suggestions...

On a whim, last Friday (wow, spontaneity is becoming our thing) we decided to plant some trees in the front yard.  Being the only house on the street without a single tree, we were getting self-conscious.

We went shopping without any particular kind of tree in mind, other than something, well...cheap.  Ended up coming home with two apple trees - a MacIntosh and a Golden Delicious.

We took turns digging and following Hollie up and down the street.

Here she is, a true Kansan (?), testing the wind direction and speed (using the neighbor's grass trimmings).  Look at those pink cheeks!

One down...

...one to go.

Someone had waaay too much fun with the empty buckets!

All done!

In case you can't distinguish our little toothpicks (I mean trees), there's one on either side of the driveway.

As for that drainage problem I mentioned awhile ago, we're scheduling that for sometime in the next few weeks, so I'll post something about that soon. 

'Pasgetti

15 month stats

Weight: 21 lbs. (21st percentile) -- Gained 3 lbs in 3 months!
Height: 30 and 1/4 inches (45th percentile)


Also, from three days ago-
     
"We had zero indication from her that she was teething..."

I should have added "knock on wood" because the night after I wrote that, she was up twice!  :(

Probably because there are two new teeth coming in, bringing our total up to 10.

Our little monkey

We recently bought this awesome old bakers rack for our dining room.  Finally got all those cook books off the counter!  The chair is pushed up against it just until we can secure it to the wall -- it's slightly top-heavy and much too easy for a surprisingly strong toddler to pull down.

Anyways, I witnessed this little feat yesterday...

 

So proud of herself!  I have been trying to capture that little grin forever.  :)

Also...Daniel and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary yesterday...with chocolate and flowers!  And some great background action in these pictures...

This was about an hour after that first climb took place.  She just climbed right up onto the chair...without going through the bakers rack first!  Nothing is safe anymore.  :)