Cloth Diapering

If you would have asked me if I would ever use cloth diapers, I would have said NEVER!

And then I had to buy swim diapers.

Since we swim a lot around here, I bought some and was so sad at the price. Eleven bucks for 20 diapers! That's ridiculous! Thankfully, Target put washable swim diapers right next to the disposables. I thought, "That wouldn't be too bad. Ashton never even goes to the bathroom in the stupid swim diapers." So for ten dollars, I left with a washable swim diaper. We used it a couple of times and I didn't mind washing it. I felt a lot better because I wasn't throwing away a diaper that wasn't peed in.

Then, Ashton started getting a persistent diaper rash. No matter how often I changed her and how much diaper rash cream I put on her, it never completely went away. So I did some digging and started using coconut oil, which helped immensely. After three weeks, we finally figured out it was a yeast infection from taking antibiotics for her strep throat. But I just couldn't help but think that the paper-y diaper rubbing against her as she crawls and walks around must not be comfortable. She kept getting red marks on her inner thighs too. So I thought about cloth diapers. Then I remembered a family in town who uses them. I went over to see their collection and was amazed at what cloth diapers look like nowadays. They're much different then I thought.

So I found some new/slightly used ones on eBay to keep costs even lower and I won some auctions. We bought Gro-Via hybrid diapers and we are now the proud parents of a cloth diapered baby. I made a wet bag to use since I couldn't bring myself to spend 30 dollars for one from Amazon. Total, it cost about 10 dollars to make and a trip to Hobby Lobby. Looking back, I'm not sure it was worth the savings because the waterproof material is tricky to sew with. It only took an hour, which isn't much. Thank goodness I'm not a perfectionist. Also, the type of diapers we got sell a flushable liner that costs about two cents each. This allows us to literally flush away messes. No scraping or spraying poop off!

So far, the only two things I don't like about cloth diapering are laundry and trying to change the cloth diaper on an active baby. Changing Ashton with disposables was already a challenge and then you add in the extra steps/time with cloth. But, I guess it teaches both of us patience, which we could use a lot more of. Laundry gets old but then again, I was doing laundry once or twice a week anyways. I like the fact that our garbage output as a family has decreased since we're not filling it up with diapers. That makes me happy. I also like not feeling guilty when I change her often because I am not throwing away money in diapers. Overall, we're pretty happy. Here are some pictures of Ashton showing off her diapers.

She loves that rocking chair.

A little close to the TV. I'm sure she'll be blind in a few years.

And an added bonus of her sleeping in her stroller. A rarity around here!

Double Digits

Weight:  21 pounds

Height: 30 inches
At my nine month appointment, I continue to be very tall and am finally averaging out in weight.

Clothing Size: Mix of 12-18 month stuff. Still have the issue of pants being too long and onesies being too short.

Special Outings: The beach and swimming a lot

Firsts: First word, "MaMa," and first time being babysat while awake! I did great!

Likes: Swimming, walks with my cheerios, unstacking blocks and towers, taking EVERYTHING off surfaces around the house, playing with Mom's hair, playing "shot put" with my parents (Dad pretends I'm a shot put ball and launches me to Mom), playing on my mattress, playing with the Wii remote, and rolling the ball to Mom

Dislikes: Mom walking away from me, water in my eyes, rashes, mosquitoes, solids most of the time (still not hooked on eating solids), taking naps, sleeping through the night, and being sick

Any big changes: Nope, I'm a happy little girl who loves Mommy and Daddy

Biggest Lessons Learned: I can honestly say that I love this stage that Ashton is at. I didn't think I would with her mobility increasing every day. Once again, Ashton surprises me. She loves exploring and learning. Sometimes, she'll just being sitting still on the floor opening and closing her hands. She'll be looking at that so intently and I love imagining what she's thinking. She learns more things each day and I love being able to witness that first hand.

Monthly Pictures:

Pulling books off. We recently moved these bookcases to our spare bedroom for this reason.

 

 

Laying in bed one morning.

I love this trick of Ashton's but Joseph is not a huge fan. She has started pulling out silverware to help us.

 

Monthly Video: Sorry it's long. Just watch the first minute or so.

What the next month should bring: Switching to cloth diapering

Fourth of July- Baby Style

No fireworks for us this year. I could see the tops of some from our window but that's all. Ashton's bedtime is 8:00pm, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So we'll have to wait for a few more years before we celebrate this holiday with fireworks. However, we did have some fun. We mowed the lawn, went on a walk, and met up with some friends for dinner and swimming. I realized after the fact that I didn't buy Ashton her first 4th of July outfit. Luckily, a friend gave us a bunch of clothes and that included a festive skirt. Then Ashton wore her BYU shirt that sort of fits her. I'm not the best at buying Ashton festive, holiday outfits. Here are a few pictures of us celebrating the weekend.

Matching shirts

A little side part going on

First tasting of ice cream

Love at first taste

Weekend Excursions

Last weekend, we had Joseph's brother and his family visit from Austin. It is always fun to see Ashton with her cousins. It reminds me of my childhood filled with big family gatherings. We played at the splashpad and then went to the beach on Saturday. It was Ashton's first time playing in the ocean and she warmed up to it. At first, she didn't really like it but once she realized she could eat the sand, she loved it. I learned that I can no longer say, "I never burn." My back burned pretty badly to the point of peeling. Overall, it was a great day at the beach. Joe's family watched Ashton for a little bit so Joseph and I could swim in the ocean.

This weekend, we visited the city of Sugar Land. We wanted to go to Joann's (well, I wanted to) because Lake Jackson only has a Hobby Lobby. Their choices of fabrics is not the best so any chance I get, I want to visit Joann's. I found awesome fabric for a new dress for Ashton. We also went to a local farmer's market and the mall. After that, we stopped by a few furniture stores because we're still looking for a tv armoire. Ashton loved playing and smiling at all the people everywhere we went. After our day in Sugar Land, I bought a little pool for Ashton. She loves it as long as someone is in it with her.

Playing at some pond thing outside a mall

In other news, our air conditioner broke. We noticed it at about 8am so I called our home warranty company. The repairman was unable to make it until the next day. Fans are much cheaper than a hotel room so we ran out to the store. Ashton and I spent the day swimming at a friend's pool, walking around the mall, and playing at the splashpad. While it gets hot during the day, it never really cools off at night so our house was about 80 degrees at night. Ashton slept just fine but Joseph and I tossed and turned a lot. The repairman came the next morning and fixed the part in about ten minutes. Fortunately, we didn't have to pay much because of our warranty! Hooray!

A fun train ride I made for Ashton. She was less than impressed.

9 Months Old

Weight: 20 pounds
Height: 29 inches

Clothing Size: 12 month

Special Outings: Splash pad at the park, a day in Houston, and feeding ducks with Mom and Dad

Firsts: First official time pulling up and standing, first cookie (an arrowroot Gerber one), first time with lots of more foods

Likes: Walks, the splash pad, pulling up on the rocking chair, listening to "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan (Mom has been watching Parenthood obviously), music in general, my rollie walker thing, Cheerios, feeding myself, finding dirt and grass on the floor and eating it, and playgroups

Dislikes: When Dad takes me to Young Men's, when Mom takes me to Primary (Sundays are not my favorite day of the week!), and eating solids on a spoon

Any big changes: Just a busy little girl. I am constantly moving and on the go. Even when I hit my head, I don't slow down enough to be reassured. Mom hugs me and then I'm off again.

Biggest Lessons Learned: During a recent family home evening activity, we were asked to write down talents, gifts, and abilities of each member of the family. We believe in inclusion so Ashton was included. It was a very interesting activity to look at Ashton and think of her gifts, talents, and abilities. We decided she is fearless, determined, persistent, confident in herself, energetic, forgiving, a good crawler, a good puller-upper, and enjoys making people laugh. While most babies have these abilities, it definitely made me look at Ashton's behaviors in a more positive light. Instead of thinking she always fusses when she wants something, I think of her as very persistent. It helps change my attitude towards her and the situation.

Monthly Pictures:

We used this carseat once when we took Joe's car. I couldn't believe  how big she is in it.

 

Splashpad time!

Puff in the hair. A usual circumstance.

At a park having a picnic

Modeling pose with her fat rolls

Monthly Video:

What the next month should bring: Weekend with family, going to the beach, fireworks, and more of a hot summer

Top Ten Highlights

Here are the top ten highlights from the past week or so.
1. We went to Houston last weekend. We haven't been there for a few months so it was nice to go again. We went to the temple and then went to a flea market. We set high expectations for the flea market and were disappointed. Also, we were weirded out by the homeless man who asked for money in exchange for "watching our car." Needless to say, I don't think we'll go back there. Then, we went shopping at Sam's Club. We also had lunch at Whataburger since we had a free sandwich coupon from the Easter Egg Hunt. Ashton did great the whole day!
2. Our garden is growing! A few years ago, we had a garden in Utah but sadly most of it died. Not this one! Our beets were pretty small so we only had enough for one meal. However, we have TONS of squash! We planted five squash plants assuming one or two would survive. Well, all five survived and are producing large summer squash. Our broccoli and cantaloupe are growing well. I'm excited to eat them.
3. We entered the real world and finally got smartphones. Except, I am pretty sure any kid in the primary could work it better than I can. Joseph has adapted well to it. Me, on the other hand, I am struggling. Once, I was trying to call my voicemail and somehow called my mom. I still don't know how to get to my voicemail. And I haven't even added my own message on it so if you call, sorry. It takes me a long time to figure out how do a simple task. Trying to keep up with the times though.
4. We got landscaping rocks around our fruit trees. We put this off for a while and finally bit the bullet and bought them. 72 dollars later, our trees/yard look much nicer. However, we weren't sure if our car could make the trip from Home Depot to our house with 36 bricks that weigh 22 poundseach . It did.
5. Ashton learned to feed herself puffs. She is so proud of her little self.
6. We had the missionaries over a few times this month, which gave me a reason to cook and bake a lot. I made homemade apple pie for the first time and it turned out great! I also made some cool cupcakes with fondant that I made. They turned out pretty cool.

7. Joseph didn't blow up the plant last week. That is always a highlight in my world.
8.Finally, Ashton has realized it's okay to nap in our arms. This is her after going on a walk with dad. May I also add that Joseph dressed her in all pink that day.

 

9. I have had no graduate school these past few weeks, which has been a great break! My internship is starting up soon so that will take up my summer.
10. No mosquitoes yet! When we moved here a year ago, I recall there being mosquitoes so we're happy!

As you can tell, our life is pretty uneventful.

8 Months Old

Wearing her first pair of skinny jeans/jeggings. Not sure how I feel about those yet...

Weight: 20 pounds

Height: 28.5 inches

Clothing Size: A collection of 6-9 and 9-12 month

Special Outings: Trip to Austin, went out for an Easter egg hunt, and a baby shower for one of Mommy's friends

Firsts: Teeth (well at least the start of two), successful crawling, and pulling up on things

Likes: Eating lots of yummy food including beets, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, and bread, playing with flour, squealing in Mommy's ear, playing with Mommy's hair, being tickled, getting into everything Mom and Dad tell me not to, singing in the bathtub, falling asleep in Mommy's arms, plastic bags, shopping with Mom, riding on Dad's shoulders, and chewing on the toothpaste bottle

Dislikes: The sun in my eyes during walks, hot weather, being left alone, getting two teeth at once, falling on my face, having toys (i.e tv remote, phone) taken away from me, and people talking about my chubby thighs

Any big changes: I am into EVERYTHING! I always want to be holding something, whether it be a toy, the phone, computer, etc. Recently, I discovered that I can crawl to boxes/containers/buckets and reach in to see what's in them. Mom really likes that new trick of mine... I am a very active little baby, even in my sleep. Feeding me has become quite the production as I am easily distracted. There's always something to look at and try to touch.

Biggest Lessons Learned: This month, it has finally dawned on me that I have the potential to really mess Ashton up. I have no clue how my parenting will affect her until it's too late. I hope she turns into a smart, lovely young lady who people want to be around. I can try my best to raise her to know right from wrong and how to be kind. But parenting seems to be the ultimate form of delayed gratification. I won't know how anything turns out for several years from now! Oh and I've perfected the art of changing a diaper of a crawling, nonstop baby.

Monthly Pictures:

Beets for dinner

Daddy time

 

Playing in a box

Helping Mom with laundry

Swinging at the park

Sticking her face in flour on her highchair

What she looks like after sticking her face in flour

Monthly Video:

What the next month should bring: Father's Day celebrations, day at the beach, and lots of time with Mom and Dad