Green Baby

Yes, you heard right... we are using cloth diapers this time around. I did a lot of research and asking around while I was pregnant with Peter, trying to decide if this was something that would work for us. Luckily, Austin has wonderful cloth diapering resources for those who are interested, such as the Austin Baby Store. I guess we've lived here long enough that the green emphasis has started to rub off on us. But during the course of my investigation, I've determined that you really have to have multiple reasons for using cloth diapers if you are really going to stick with it. So here are my reasons for going green:

1. Better for the environment - I was starting to get the willies just thinking about all the diapers we'd be throwing away yet again.
2. Better for my baby - no chemicals up against his skin, which has turned out to be a very good thing since Peter has pretty sensitive skin. Also, I change him more often and don't have to worry about how fast I'm burning through the diapers.
3. Easier on the budget - I'll spend less than $300 on diapers that will last him through his first birthday - and can be used for subsequent babies at no extra cost! (I'm not counting the cost of water to wash them since I'm washing clothes anyway). Those of you with kids know that $300 worth of disposables will only last a couple of months!
4. Rumor has it that cloth diapers help potty train faster - not my main reason, but a nice side effect if it works out.

My mom thought I was crazy when I first told her I wanted to use cloth diapers, but then she saw how much they have changed since she had to use them... there are so many options that it's easy to find something that works for your lifestyle. As for me, I like the simple cotton prefolds and highly recommend the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap covers - I haven't had even one blowout on me.

Another nice byproduct of using cloth is that my laundry has gotten greener too! You can't use any detergents with fragrance or fabric softener on cloth diapers since they will make the stink stick, so we're now using a biodegradable, truly "free" detergent that I actually think works better.

So if you have ever thought about using cloth diapers... you should definitely find out more and give them a try! I don't think they're any harder to use than disposables, you just wash them instead of throwing them away. Happy diapering!

Don't Take it for Granted...

I don't make a habit of eavesdropping, but while at the playground the other day I happened to overhear one young mom giving advice to another about starting Bible study in their home. She was talking about how awkward it was for her and her husband to start their study together as a couple. I must admit I had never thought about how such a thing could be awkward and realize that in large part that is due to the gospel lifestyle in which my husband and I have been raised. It just seemed natural to pray together and study the scriptures together and wasn't really something we had to learn to do - although as our family grows, the habit has waxed and waned and required some tweaking here and there. I am so very grateful for the openness about spiritual things that our beliefs and traditions encourage while still keeping them sacred and special. I hope we can teach our children as well as our parents have taught us.

Playing Doctor

My kids are obsessed with Band Aids. If I let them, they would go through a box a week... or more. Sometimes they request a band aid only to realize they don't really have anywhere good to put it. This was the result of one of these times...

Of course, with Peter, more often than not he does need a band aid on his forehead (he's still a bit spastic with those sharp fingernails) - just not on this particular day.

On a side note, Peter has decided to wean himself at five months. He'll still nurse a couple of times a day, but that's just not enough for a growing boy so he's moved to formula. I have to thank my sister in law, Rebecca, for her recommendation from years ago to use Nestle Good Start. It has made the transition very easy and relatively spit up free! Now if I could just find a way to make it easier on my budget.

I must say, it is times like these that I am glad we're using cloth diapers because having to buy diapers and formula might just break this bank.

Mmm... Strawberries!

It's strawberry season here in Texas.... more than worthy of a trip out to Fredericksburg to pick a few (read 18) pounds. The kids had a great time looking for the ones that were red all the way to the top - although we seemed to end up with a few that weren't quite red as well.

And Lincoln helped out with a little bit of quality control.

So now we have buckets and buckets of strawberries to play with! Oh.... the possibilities are endless... I think we'll start with simple strawberries and cream and then move on to waffles with strawberries and strawberry trifle and strawberry cake and strawberry bread and, of course, strawberry jam and maybe even this lovely concoction. Mmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. By the way Grandma... Leah wants to make a strawberry pie just for you, so when should we expect to see you?

Mmm... Strawberries!

Peter's New Tricks

Peter cut his first tooth today, much to my surprise - apparently the boy has a rather high pain tolerance (which will probably come in handy around this house). In celebration of the event, I'm posting some pics of the tricks he's learned over the past month.Feeding himself... some of the time anyway

We're pretty vigilant about keeping him from sucking on his thumb, so he's figured out how to chew on his big toe instead.

He's working on sitting up... right now he can do it for short spurts if he puts most of his weight on his hands. The hard part is balancing that big head so it doesn't pull him over...

And he's successfully mastered rolling over from back to front. He'll occasionally go the other way, but always looks stunned that he's done it. Once he's on his belly, he starts either pushing himself backwards or pivots around in a circle by pushing himself up on his arms and moving his weight over.