Sibling fun

I know what the kids are doing in this video probably isn't on the "safest games to play" list, but they were having so much fun... :)

First try

I just put Lucy's first Bumgenius diaper on her. It looks so cute! But the funny part is that she is waddling a little bit to get used to the different feel. We'll see how it goes!

On another note, here she is last night after a bath:



8/8/08 Edited to add: I used two cloth diapers yesterday and loved them. I can't believe how soft and dry the first one was on the inside when I changed Lucy after 3+ hours (including her afternoon nap). The insert was soaked and worked great. The second diaper had to be changed quicker, if you know what I mean, and it was very easy. I'm waiting for the PUL bag I ordered to arrive; that will help make storing the dirty diapers easier. (The wetbags are washable, and you just wash them with the load of diapers, so I will eventually get a second one to use while the first is washing.) (And I'm also going to get a cute wetbag to keep in the car. Look at the ones at this girl's shop.)

Odds and ends update

We had a great weekend here, highlighted by a successful surprise birthday party for Jon on Saturday night. I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off--it's hard to surprise him--but he had no idea. We had 25 people (or thereabouts) and their kids (about 10) at the house. It was close to max capacity, and it was great. (As you can see, I got barely any pictures; I was holding Nate during Jon's entrance, which is why the one picture is not good at all!)




Our first real week of summer last week was nice. I want to give Nate lots of the fun play time he misses out on during school, so we had several fun activities: a pool/water park day in Ladera Ranch, a couple of hours in the fountains at the Spectrum, etc. He also came with me when I took Lucy to her hour of therapy on Wednesday at Cornerstone, where he used to go. He was really excited to see his favorite former therapists, and he started getting shy when so many adults were coming up to him to say how big he is, how much he is talking, and to ask him questions.

Today I'm in Long Beach for part of the day at the graphic design studio I do work from home for. The kids are at Ray and Colleen's house and, I'm sure, having a wonderful time.

A radical decision?

I've been thinking for a couple of weeks about using cloth diapers.

Every person I mention this to recoils with horror.

However, with all the research I have done so far, it seems like it might really be worth the extra hassle. The main reason I've thought about switching is that it can save a lot of money. Of course, it's also better for babies' skin and the environment. I would use cloth at home and disposables for nursery time at church, traveling, etc.

My plan is to buy several varieties of the different options (one each of my favorite ones I've found) and try them with Lucy. Even if I decide cloth diapering isn't for me, I will have ended up saving money using them for a while with Lucy. (I figure cloth diapering just part-time for even a year would more than pay for itself.)

My favorite varieties are, of course, the more expensive kind: all-in-ones or "pocket" diapers that require no covers or extra pieces--usually just the diaper, which closes with velcro or snaps, and a "soaker" insert. Some diapers even come in "one size" options, with lots of different snap options so they can fit from newborn to toddler. One-size diapers are probably much bulkier for the littlest babies, so I would probably get some smalls no matter what. Here are some of my bookmarked diapers:

BumGenius one-size: Good reviews no matter where I've read. Expensive but very beginner-friendly. The picture below shows all the different sizes of ONE diaper.


Wonderoos: another one-size option. I've read that snaps last better through multiple washes and don't gather lint like velcro does; however, snaps offer a little less size customizability.


Fuzzi Bunz: these are pocket diapers that come in various sizes. I like the snaps and the good reviews.


"WAHM" (work-at-home mom) diapers: I've found some cute designs on Etsy and Ebay made at home by moms. I plan on buying one from a couple of different sellers to test the quality and then might buy more.





Here are the links for the above diapers:
Pink and brown
Pink polka dot
Yellow with ruffles
Dinosaur

P.S. To be truly cost efficient, I probably won't buy any of the adorable obviously-girl designs (e.g., ruffles), since I wouldn't be able to reuse those on the new baby. (I guess I could, but I'm sure Jon wouldn't approve.) :)

And it's a...

boy! I'm excited! I love the thought of two boys and one girl, of Nate getting to have a brother (and Lucy too, of course). Our scanner isn't working; otherwise, I'd scan in the ultrasound pictures. The doctor said all the measurements look great.

I must say it was more exciting waiting until the baby was born to find out the sex, but this time around it was fun to do something different. Now we only have to come up with one name! :)

The fair

We took the children to the Orange County Fair yesterday and had a great time! We did the petting zoo and all the barns and ate some good food (why does grilled corn taste the best at the fair?), and Nate went on a couple of rides with Jon. (The verdict on the rides: they were too scary. Later, we discovered an entire kids ride section with scaled-down versions that Nate would have loved! Oh well--next year.)









And here is Nate trying to whistle:

A full picture

Here I am yesterday in a non-cropped picture with a new haircut. :)

10-minute chore jar

My house cleaning habits are quite sporadic. I usually get a lot done on Mondays but get less and less inspired as the week progresses. One thing I've started that is really helping is a 10-minute chore jar. My friend Casey gave me the idea. I printed off all the cleaning chores I want to get done on a weekly basis, cut them out, and put them in a jar. Each day, usually at the beginning of the kids' afternoon nap time, I pick out one piece of paper and do that chore. Then I feel like I've gotten something done and can relax!

I broke them down into quick tasks:

• Dust and Swiffer
• Clean toilets
• Clean and organize kitchen counter (the clutter magnet!)
• Clean out refrigerator
• Clean bathroom counters
• Empty trash cans and Diaper Genie (though Jon usually does this one)
• Clean all mirrors
• Organize top of washer/dryer (also a clutter magnet)

I picked relatively quiet chores; vacuuming could be on the list, but I do that separately since I really don't do that during nap time. Some days I just do one chore, but other days I get inspired and do two or three. This is all in addition to the regular cooking, laundry, dishes, and toy pick-up that already gets done!

I have been accomplishing all tasks pretty much within a week, and once I do, I put all the pieces back in the jar and start again.

I've been thinking about also creating a jar for tasks I want to do once a month. Which tasks would you all put in that jar? Which would you add to my weekly list?

Fame is hard

She tried to get out of the shot, but the paparazzi caught a picture of a famous baby last week in Starbucks...

For those who want to know

I put sunscreen on Nate's face, neck, and arms each morning when I drop him off at school. I've been using the California Baby brand. It's pretty good--goes on easy enough--but it leaves him looking a bit ghostly and doesn't wipe off my hands well at all.

Sara had a great post about safemama.com and also on using chemical-free cleaning products, which I'm starting to do. Anyway, through safemama, I found other sunscreen recommendations and was excited to buy the TruKid natural sunscreen online today. It's just one more thing I can do to keep Nate away from chemicals that may be harmful!

UPDATE: I received the TruKid sunscreen and used it this morning. It smells good, rubs in very well, and doesn't leave Nate looking pasty. An A+ in my book! I bought it on TruKid's ebay store using my Paypal money.

Saturday morning: pajama time

Fun with Daddy

Jon is a great dad. Part of the proof of that is the children's reactions when he comes home from work. They drop whatever they're doing (or if it's Lucy, she might throw whatever she's doing) and run to him, faces beaming, calling his name. He picks both of them up, and they just can't get enough. Here are some pictures of them playing with Daddy last night.

A first

Nate and Lucy are out on the front patio (it's enclosed) playing. Nate has spent more and more time out there lately (riding his bike around in circles), but this is the first time both of them have spent time out there together for more than a minute or two. Lucy is finally stable enough for me not to worry about her falling/getting hurt (too much). I've been checking on them out the window every minute or two. It's cute to see what they're doing. One minute, they were in the utility closet handing pieces of sidewalk chalk to each other; the next, Lucy was organizing a few pieces of chalk on the step while Nate rode his bike around. Fun. :)

Family Sunday

We took the kids to the Spectrum after naps yesterday. They ran in the fountain for a while, and then they ate the dinner I brought while we sat in the shade. Because he ate all of his grapes and cashews (two not-very-favorite foods), Nate got to go on the train with Jon. It was a fun evening.

Favorite meal: Torta di Pasta

This is one of Giada's recipes, and I've made it five or six times. It turns out like a pasta-quiche-pie sort of thing that you cut into wedges. (It isn't as mushy as a quiche; the noodles stay intact and stick together to form the tort.) I just love it!

Giada's Torta di Pasta

8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup grated fontina (a soft cheese I get from Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
I also add 1/2 to 1 tsp Italian seasoning with the egg mixture

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss with the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside to cool completely (otherwise, the hot pasta could curdle the eggs when you add them later on). It helps to spread the noodle-tomato mix onto a cookie sheet; this helps it cool faster.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, pepper, Parmesan, fontina, and Italian seasoning to blend. Add the cooled spaghetti mixture; toss to coat.

Preheat the broiler. Melt the butter and oil in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick* skillet over medium heat. Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the skillet, pressing to form an even layer. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the broiler. Broil until the top is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cool in the skillet for at least a few minutes.

Invert the torta onto a platter. Cut into wedges. Giada says to serve at room temperature, but I like it a little warmer.

*My nonstick skillets do not tolerate the broiler's heat, so I use my regular stainless steel skillet.

Other recommendations: Jon doesn't love sundried tomatoes, so I pick them out of one part of the torta before I put the skillet in the broiler. Other good things to add in addition to or instead of the tomatoes are chopped mushrooms, peppers (haven't done these but would work well), black olives, or most anything you can think of!

Showing

I broke out the maternity clothes in the last week or so. I'm in that dreadful in-between stage where I feel extremely fat, nothing fits, and most maternity stuff still looks silly. The shirt I have on here isn't maternity, but the style works well. I did purposely crop out my face because, like I said, I feel fat! :) :) :)

Kid quotes

We're having a nice, normal week here. I can't think of much to post, so I'll make a list of some of the cute things the kids are saying:

Nate:

• He still sometimes calls stop signs on the street "stop buttons."
• He had been starting to pronounce the word thanks as "hanks." I showed him how to form the th sound, and he can now say "thanks" correctly if he thinks about it.
• Today he has been singing the months of the year song. Sing January-December, then, "These are the months of the year. Let's take it from the top!" and sing again. He jumbles up October-November-December, and then he gets very into the "take it from the top" part.
• He greets everyone with either, "Hi, how are you today?" or, "I'm so glad to see you!" I think he got the glad to see you thing from Virginia (my mom).
• To him, we eat breakfast, munch, and dinner.
• When Lucy is crying, he either ignores her or comforts her very sweetly: "It's OK Woocy. We're almost there sweet baby. Don't cwy."
• He calls Lucy "Precious," as in, "Good morning, Pwecious!" He did not get this from Jon or me, except that sometimes I call her a precious baby or him a precious boy. He also has never seen Lord of the Rings, so he didn't get it from Gollum. ;)
• He can sometimes read 3-letter words by sounding them out, but he tries to do it with longer words too. He often will say all the letters and then announce what it spells and be completely off. Examples: "H-E-I-N-Z T-O-M-A-T-O K-E-T-C-H-U-P..... dip dip!" or "R-I-T-E A-I-D... grocery store!"

Lucy:

• She started saying "paci" (for pacifier) nearly perfectly last week.
• She is saying over 30 words and she understands SO much.
• When I say it's time to change her diaper (and if she's in a good mood), she gets a diaper out of the basket, then walks to the place on the rug where I often change her and lies down.

These hugs do look more like strangles, but trust me, both kids were happy...

A new week

We had a lovely long weekend here. Here are the kids before we headed out to hot Hesperia on the 4th to visit with Jon's extended family:







Nate's at school this morning, and I'm taking advantage of the quiet (paying bills, posting on here) while Lucy naps.

Happy 4th!

The kids put on a 4th of July parade today at Nate's school. He told me all about it--he got to play a drum and a triangle, and it was lots of fun. He also wore this hat all day. He still had it on when I picked him up, and he wore it home up until nap time. I like the first picture, because he had just stopped crying (he didn't want me to take a picture because he wanted to play with the camera), and I just think it's funny and sweet. The second picture was later, and the pic of Lucy is just a cute one from tonight.

Have a great holiday!

Nate's sleeping chair

Nate often falls asleep on the recliner we have in his room. I like to take a picture of the funny/cute ones before I turn off the lights and move him to his bed.




And from the "archives," here he is this past winter.



I have a new post up on the autism blog, with another one coming tomorrow. :)