tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84318488858865268172024-03-13T17:28:46.969-04:00Big Adventure CallingIn the span of 12 months, we got engaged, got married, moved to a new state, built a house, started new jobs, got pregnant and had a baby. It's been a BIG adventure! We are so blessed beyond measure and are busy enjoying the best days of our lives!GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.comBlogger608125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-825905379950897832015-01-01T20:35:00.000-05:002015-01-01T22:28:22.877-05:00Starting right here; Happy New Year.It's been over a year since I last blogged. I used to rely on my blog to take notes, share fun things, and keep a log of events that I'd print at the end of the year. I've missed it!<br />
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A lot has happened since that post. In my head, I've written this post a dozen times, but I've never typed it. Doing that would make it real and all I really want to do is pretend that the last year and a half didn't happen... but I know better. There has been beauty in that time period. It's been raw and ugly, but there have also been many answers to prayer. There have been things I didn't connect until only recently and while I know we aren't meant to know God's intentions and plans, the hints along the way have made trusting Him grow our mustard seed exponentially. </div>
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I made a video. It seemed to be the easiest way to sum up why I disappeared from social media - and really, most social functions in general. There were long days and lots of tears. There were also amazing friends. The kind you call and cry to when they can't understand your words. The kind that realize you've not been given the correct Rx and call in what you need. The kinds that send cards, flowers, and care packages when the bad seems to keep stacking up... </div>
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Things could have been so much harder and when I step back, I feel silly and dramatic because families all over the world deal with much, much worse. Our storm was nothing in comparison. But that doesn't take away the fear, the anxiety, or the unknown. Thanks for hanging with me and for simply being there when I was not.</div>
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(<a href="http://flipagram.com/f/OWIrRTQO9L" target="_blank">Video link.</a> If you follow me on IG you saw the short version.)<br />
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I kind of adore JJ Heller. She and her husband, Dave, wrote and posted this video today. It's the perfect way to end this... or rather, begin. :)</div>
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This year.... </div>
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(<a href="http://youtu.be/cmL8TbBSKJ0" target="_blank">Video link.</a>)</div>
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GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-58124542855492508532013-04-29T11:22:00.001-04:002013-04-29T11:22:57.522-04:00Color Me Rad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sunday morning we got up early to run in the Color Me Rad 5k up on the peninsula. It was SO MUCH FUN! We met up with friends and had a blast. Oliver slept through most of it - he was an angry toddler when he realized the rain cover was not optional. We bought the $40 cover thinking it might be a good idea and it ended up being essential. Poor guy went to sleep and woke up with a green mama!</div>
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If you ever do a Color Me Rad, know that it doesn't matter what heat you sign up for - when you get there you can pretty much line up at any race call and have at it. Also know that if you're a serious runner, this isn't likely the race for you unless you're in the front of the line in the first heat. Chandler left us in the color dust and we stayed with a friend - it was hard to run, especially with the stroller, because so many people were walking. I ran over one person (oops!) and another person told me to slow down (no joke). Who says that when you're in a race??? It was fine b/c it was all for fun, but still slightly annoying too. I almost didn't wear a white shirt, but SO glad I did - definitely worth it. We will be doing this race again for sure. There's another one next weekend (sold out) and a Color Vibe in July (too hot), but if The Color Run comes in the fall, we'll be signing up!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain cover = trashed. Boy = sleeping (and relatively clueless).</td></tr>
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-36625368239883578562013-03-05T16:10:00.003-05:002013-03-05T16:11:09.372-05:00**Blink**<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I don't really know where the last few months have gone... I blinked and it's almost Spring.</div>
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Until I can get motivated to write some things about O being 2 (!!!), I thought I'd post a few pictures that are on the downstairs computer. I've been slow at posting because my hard drive was full so I couldn't dump and sort my pictures. We finally bought a new one and I was able to dump 4,000+ pictures to sort and now my excuse is that I have no time to sort. Instead of going back through, I'll probably just start fresh with the exception of birthday photos! :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday boy the morning of his actual birthday!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for some warm Spring weather, but until then winter isn't keeping us inside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday boy at his NC party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest EVER!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from November, voting day!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(another from November, playing with a friend's Pamir - my most favorite Pamir to date!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from October, in MD for Henry's 2nd birthday!)</td></tr>
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-73536005154307361072012-10-07T09:19:00.001-04:002012-10-07T09:19:31.601-04:00Fun at the farmPumpkins are just more fun at the farm! This is the same farm we went to last year and it was fun to go again! LuLu and GiGi the goats were glad to see us :)<br />
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Oliver found the 'tractor' and didn't want to leave. <br />
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Here are pics from last years trip to the farm: http://iseehope.blogspot.com/2011/10/fun-at-farm.html?m=0<br />
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(Mobile posting right now so can't hyperlink)<br />
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Not sure how the picture order will show up but I particularly like seeing Chandler and O together so sweetest year and then with such toddlertude this year!! <div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PwENMVJPfic/UHGBSGDogeI/AAAAAAAAIHY/LbaloGpz0gU/s640/blogger-image-1398879785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PwENMVJPfic/UHGBSGDogeI/AAAAAAAAIHY/LbaloGpz0gU/s640/blogger-image-1398879785.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uW7AimUEhf0/UHGBSuyBc6I/AAAAAAAAIHg/6ES5EojQl_c/s640/blogger-image-1665693426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uW7AimUEhf0/UHGBSuyBc6I/AAAAAAAAIHg/6ES5EojQl_c/s640/blogger-image-1665693426.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kNM7LbxPju0/UHGBTRShG2I/AAAAAAAAIHo/3qqwzgdrX54/s640/blogger-image-427779636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kNM7LbxPju0/UHGBTRShG2I/AAAAAAAAIHo/3qqwzgdrX54/s640/blogger-image-427779636.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b-296qh4aDc/UHGBUF2FwPI/AAAAAAAAIHw/BGPL7vAbn5w/s640/blogger-image-1573641548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b-296qh4aDc/UHGBUF2FwPI/AAAAAAAAIHw/BGPL7vAbn5w/s640/blogger-image-1573641548.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-59PecCMnYmE/UHGBU-cPxsI/AAAAAAAAIH4/XpCmkf6pFIQ/s640/blogger-image--1175228437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-59PecCMnYmE/UHGBU-cPxsI/AAAAAAAAIH4/XpCmkf6pFIQ/s640/blogger-image--1175228437.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WYIhN86e6eI/UHGBVvpWqoI/AAAAAAAAIIA/J8KgqlCiY88/s640/blogger-image--2012716098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WYIhN86e6eI/UHGBVvpWqoI/AAAAAAAAIIA/J8KgqlCiY88/s640/blogger-image--2012716098.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ao3pfP6HSlg/UHGBWBZfBkI/AAAAAAAAIII/4b92N2r-2oc/s640/blogger-image--1180023604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ao3pfP6HSlg/UHGBWBZfBkI/AAAAAAAAIII/4b92N2r-2oc/s640/blogger-image--1180023604.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1fS2uDa6zMY/UHGBWkc24rI/AAAAAAAAIIQ/U2Dh1cHlnYo/s640/blogger-image-1982435121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1fS2uDa6zMY/UHGBWkc24rI/AAAAAAAAIIQ/U2Dh1cHlnYo/s640/blogger-image-1982435121.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OKUDTXC1Vjo/UHGBXYaCnkI/AAAAAAAAIIY/olHMRGBiBHI/s640/blogger-image-1867811223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OKUDTXC1Vjo/UHGBXYaCnkI/AAAAAAAAIIY/olHMRGBiBHI/s640/blogger-image-1867811223.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YinUpZJTKkQ/UHGBXpfqdQI/AAAAAAAAIIg/tWi07wAfRhY/s640/blogger-image--1154895667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YinUpZJTKkQ/UHGBXpfqdQI/AAAAAAAAIIg/tWi07wAfRhY/s640/blogger-image--1154895667.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5H3V7t7bpxo/UHGBYrNzTuI/AAAAAAAAIIo/HHLS6j6E4Do/s640/blogger-image--136895936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5H3V7t7bpxo/UHGBYrNzTuI/AAAAAAAAIIo/HHLS6j6E4Do/s640/blogger-image--136895936.jpg" /></a></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-47392075173598677462012-09-17T16:18:00.002-04:002012-09-17T16:19:09.352-04:0019 Months!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Oliver is 19 Months!</b></span></div>
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(Since I just updated with months 17/18, not a lot has changed...)</div>
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<b>In brief......</b></div>
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<b>-Height: </b>~30.5"</div>
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<b>-Weight: </b>22 lbs</div>
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<b>-Teeth: </b>16 (I think 2-year molars are in the early stages of moving.)</div>
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<b>-Shoe size: </b>5</div>
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<b>-Clothing size:</b> Mostly 12 and 18m. He has a few 24m but pants are still 12m for a perfect fit. He wore 18m pants today and they were rolled up.</div>
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<b>-Diapers: </b>bumGenius 4.0s and Elementals, size 4 in disposable</div>
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<b>-Words: </b>SO MANY!</div>
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<b>-Food: </b>He used to eat everything, now he's hit or miss. He nurses 4-5x/day.</div>
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-<b>Naps: </b>9-11 AM and 2-4 PM. Every now and then he'll wake up late and won't take a morning nap. I've learned that if he's up by 6:30 he'll take a morning nap, but if he's up after 7:00 then he won't take a morning nap and will go down earlier for his afternoon nap.</div>
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<b>Other.......</b></div>
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-He talks all the time. </div>
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-He knows basic shapes (circle, star, oval, square, rectangle, diamond, octagon, heart).</div>
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-He knows numbers 1-10 with the exception of 6 and 7. He thinks 6s are 9s. Understandable. We're working on that. He knows how many fingers we hold up with one hand. Haven't moved to two yet.</div>
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-He knows some colors (blue, pink, yellow, red). If he doesn't know the color, it's always yellow. For some reason he struggles with colors. </div>
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-When he's ready to eat, he needs food quick. Nursing included.</div>
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-He LOVES things with wheels. Cars. Trucks. Tractors. Airplanes.</div>
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-When he hears an airplane he immediately points up and says with a really deep monotone voice, 'Airplane!' (ae-pwane!).</div>
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-He still smiles all the time and charms just about everyone when we're out and about.</div>
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I'm probably missing a lot - I really should keep better notes. He is sooo much fun! I cut his hair recently and he looks really big. Like a toddler. That happened a few months ago, but now he really looks the part. He's still pretty small overall though. </div>
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GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-36942830958585136652012-08-31T21:18:00.006-04:002012-08-31T21:18:43.482-04:0017/18 (almost 19) MonthsOliver is almost 19 months and I am SO behind! I hate that I've not posted before now since this is where I keep up with everything. We have had a busy summer. I'm skipping pictures for now and will post some when I can get to the other computer. <br />
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Stats (unofficial)<br />
<b>Height: </b>?<br />
<b>Weight:</b> 22lbs<br />
<b>Teeth: </b>16 (and working on 2-year molars I think; cuspids started coming in at the end of month 17)<br />
<b>Shoes:</b> 4.5<br />
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<b>Clothing sizes: </b>still 12m or 12-18m. Some 18m sizes and a few 24m sizes. He has a couple of 2T t-shirts, but those seem to run very small. His 18-24 size shorts are so big on him they fall off. With a cloth diaper, they work fine, but in a disposable, they're to his ankles. <br />
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<b>Diapers:</b> bumGenius 4.0 and Elementals. I think we'll stick with this until he's done with diapers. I really love bG for older babies. We moved to size 4 in disposable at the end of month 17 due to leaks at night. That seemed to do the trick. Daytime, a 3 would still be fine, but since he's at the top of the weight for 3s, I decided to just move to a 4. They still look really big on him, but he's not in them often so it made sense not to get something he might grow out of and we'd be stuck with later.<br />
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<b>Words:</b> Oh my! His vocabulary has literally sky rocketed since month 17. Every day is a new word. He actually says so much I couldn't list it all. We have some first word books that he loves to read and point out what he knows. His favorite is the page that has pictures of things that go - 'car!' 'airplane!' :) He <b>loves </b>cars, trucks, and airplanes. When he hears a plane he'll point to the sky and yell 'airplane!' Thunder is often confused for airplanes. If there's a long word he can't say, he'll use the syllables and make his own word. For example, strawberry is 'sta ba ba,' Rectangle is 'reh ta ba' (or something similar!). <br />
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He'll babble and say some words here and there and then will suddenly say, 'ooooh, ahhh, oh!, Mmm.' It is SO funny. And really, the cutest thing in the entire word. I promise, it is. <br />
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He knows more than he let's us know, which is frustrating because I never know how much or what he knows. Point in case, we talk about shapes, colors, numbers, letters a lot, but he rarely points to things on cue... night before last he was nursing before bed and then we read some books. On one of the pages there were shapes so I asked him to find what I <i>knew </i>he knew, circle/star/oval/triangle... then I asked him to find the rectangle, diamond, heart, square, etc... and he correctly identified each one. Last night, I didn't prompt him and just let him 'read' the book himself. He again identified each shape and said the name. He's also done that with colors - he was nursing and randomly sat up and pointed to a blanket behind us and said, 'bu' (blue) - so I know he's taking in a lot more than he lets on. He also knows 2, 4, 8, 9, a handful of letters and a few colors (yellow, red, blue, green). <br />
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It's so fun to teach him things!<br />
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<b>Food: </b>His favorite all time food is fruit. He'll eat almost any fruit but has the most love for red berries. He can put down a big Sam's Club container of raspberries in a day if we let him. Usually we can stretch that out to three days. He also loves strawberries, pears, banana, kiwi, peaches, and apples (and applesauce, specifically from a straw). He used to eat a lot of vegetables, but lately he just prefers peas. He will eat celery, carrots, and other vegetables if they're cooked so I tend to make a lot of casseroles that have vegetables hidden in with the chicken. He loves Chick-fil-A. (He gets that honest.) We often go there for lunch dates on Fridays or with daddy during the weekend. He also loves cheese and will eat just about anything if it's covered in cheese. Macaroni and cheese is included in that as is broccoli, which is often mixed in with his mac'n cheese otherwise he'd never eat it. He also loves yogurt. He still drinks only water. I have, on about three occasions, added about 1/8c juice to his water, but that has been when he's sick and needed fluids so it was more to trick him than anything.<br />
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<b>Naps: </b>9-11 AM and 2-4 PM. He still very much needs two and both are normally two hours. Often the afternoon nap is closer to 3 hours, just depends on the day. Two days/week he gets one nap due to my work schedule and those tend to be hell days for us. He's so grumpy and out of sorts that he's usually in bed between 7 and 7:30. Normal bedtime is 8:30 and he sleeps until 6:30 with a rare 7:30 sleep in - rare, but does happen from time to time. Like this morning. It was heaven. <br />
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<b>Nursing: </b>He nurses 4-5x/day. His quality of nursing has decreased most of the time, but he still very much enjoys nursing. It's both easier and harder to nurse in public now. Easier in that he can get to it by himself (which is fine when he's in a carrier) and harder in that he can get to it by himself. :) It's not uncommon for us to be walking through the mall while he's nursing - yet no one would know since he's bundled up for the most part. Nursing time often becomes learning time because he's normally very relaxed and I have his full attention. <br />
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<b>Toys: </b>He prefers cars and trucks to just about anything. We went to Target recently (daycare day, which meant he'd gotten half the nap he normally gets) and he found a pink jeep that ended up coming home with us. It was a battle I wasn't willing to get into - it helped that it was on clearance. Puzzles are fun if the shapes are big enough, otherwise he gets frustrated. Cutting food (a Melissa & Doug toy) is also a current favorite. He's really good at cutting and cleans up well too. He also enjoys coloring and play doh in his learning tower in the kitchen.<br />
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<b>Other: </b>He is already a joker - we were upstairs nursing before bed one recent evening and he was pointing and naming body parts. He went through the ones on his face (ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, chin) and then went to belly button and feet... then he pointed to my boobs and said, 'boo boo' (which is what he says when he wants to nurse). I said, 'right, 'boo boo.' He hesitated and grinned, then pointed to my boobs again and said, 'feet!' as he laughed and laughed. It was SO funny! He's the silliest! <br />
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He's normally good at following directions, but he's also in a stage where he's testing to see what he can get away with or stretch. He's also testing himself. At Gymboree this week he walked up a foam wedge and slowly started to let go of another foam block he was holding onto - he stood up cautiously and then slowly squatted back down, beaming that he'd done it. :) He rarely walks and is always running to where he wants to go - normally this is fine, but we're starting to work with him when he's on sidewalks. <br />
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He's a champ at having his teeth brushed. Aside from worrying he'll fall and chip a tooth, my next fear is that he'll get a cavity. I've never had one and I hope he'll be the same. His teeth are so close together and are not the ideal 'picket fence' so I'm really funny about making sure they're brushed well. The front teeth probably need to be flossed but I'm afraid that will hurt him. Any ideas for that? Taking all tips! <br />
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He loves to help do whatever we're doing. <br />
He also loves to take showers. <br />
He climbs on anything he can find.<br />
He taps his fingers on my shoulder when he nurses. <br />
He also taps them on his legs when he sits down. <br />
He likes to dance.<br />
He likes to close his eyes and make you think he's hiding b/c he can't see you.<br />
He'll let you know when he's pooped. (No, there will be no big potty in the near future.)<br />
He thinks it's fun to run with the big kids. <br />
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I'm really bummed I didn't post at 17 months because I just looked back at my post from 16 months and he was still saying 'bitta' babble with a few words here and there. Now, he's pointing at everything and saying all kinds of words. I'll have to do better about making time for blogging. I don't want to miss some of these things - especially when the next few months will be even more explosive with development. GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-85133097996717966012012-08-26T16:43:00.001-04:002012-08-26T16:43:39.534-04:00Recent phone pics August editionI am so behind! Just a few recent pics that will probably not be in order. <div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5uTBlXamEy0/UDqKNL-x7TI/AAAAAAAAIEE/lCGey4PoNPA/s640/blogger-image--931635601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5uTBlXamEy0/UDqKNL-x7TI/AAAAAAAAIEE/lCGey4PoNPA/s640/blogger-image--931635601.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MVsdofn20k4/UDqKN5-vbJI/AAAAAAAAIEM/arPs6-DDpwI/s640/blogger-image-441782770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MVsdofn20k4/UDqKN5-vbJI/AAAAAAAAIEM/arPs6-DDpwI/s640/blogger-image-441782770.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tBxiz8BikZA/UDqKPIa1jhI/AAAAAAAAIEU/K7oc51-USAg/s640/blogger-image-1925838635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tBxiz8BikZA/UDqKPIa1jhI/AAAAAAAAIEU/K7oc51-USAg/s640/blogger-image-1925838635.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S34kwzZoeLU/UDqKPzfbmWI/AAAAAAAAIEc/OmRrt3Yg-rw/s640/blogger-image--159723835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S34kwzZoeLU/UDqKPzfbmWI/AAAAAAAAIEc/OmRrt3Yg-rw/s640/blogger-image--159723835.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e3DAkkouN5U/UDqKQo6FrZI/AAAAAAAAIEk/KXIRFS35Z1w/s640/blogger-image--1078882238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e3DAkkouN5U/UDqKQo6FrZI/AAAAAAAAIEk/KXIRFS35Z1w/s640/blogger-image--1078882238.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DGoURBILVBc/UDqKRuB6MFI/AAAAAAAAIEs/NO0b7o9IBSU/s640/blogger-image-667785543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DGoURBILVBc/UDqKRuB6MFI/AAAAAAAAIEs/NO0b7o9IBSU/s640/blogger-image-667785543.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zasHSYbw0_U/UDqKSUWo8jI/AAAAAAAAIE0/1n0ckYh89_o/s640/blogger-image--1920502446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zasHSYbw0_U/UDqKSUWo8jI/AAAAAAAAIE0/1n0ckYh89_o/s640/blogger-image--1920502446.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QuDBvdNd3N8/UDqKTLT_09I/AAAAAAAAIE8/4i5_yeBkHaU/s640/blogger-image-502996085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QuDBvdNd3N8/UDqKTLT_09I/AAAAAAAAIE8/4i5_yeBkHaU/s640/blogger-image-502996085.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qzV1DptIeHk/UDqKT-37yRI/AAAAAAAAIFE/Mbkc_XTtxcA/s640/blogger-image-1492576181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qzV1DptIeHk/UDqKT-37yRI/AAAAAAAAIFE/Mbkc_XTtxcA/s640/blogger-image-1492576181.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WYZvdFfyD1A/UDqKUg0JK9I/AAAAAAAAIFM/MD0PUXNLC4E/s640/blogger-image--276603642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WYZvdFfyD1A/UDqKUg0JK9I/AAAAAAAAIFM/MD0PUXNLC4E/s640/blogger-image--276603642.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-htzBlll5B1o/UDqKVa11veI/AAAAAAAAIFU/MNP28wF_Ulc/s640/blogger-image-347626312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-htzBlll5B1o/UDqKVa11veI/AAAAAAAAIFU/MNP28wF_Ulc/s640/blogger-image-347626312.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bq2c1EjmxNM/UDqKbVZt_6I/AAAAAAAAIGM/UwvBRi7hQic/s640/blogger-image-1131330536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bq2c1EjmxNM/UDqKbVZt_6I/AAAAAAAAIGM/UwvBRi7hQic/s640/blogger-image-1131330536.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4JIomD3WAy8/UDqKcFTYWLI/AAAAAAAAIGU/8dIpmM7YhBo/s640/blogger-image-1330908418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4JIomD3WAy8/UDqKcFTYWLI/AAAAAAAAIGU/8dIpmM7YhBo/s640/blogger-image-1330908418.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Anq0ATZrAHI/UDqKcs6rjlI/AAAAAAAAIGc/-Rht7vTi35g/s640/blogger-image-747228386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Anq0ATZrAHI/UDqKcs6rjlI/AAAAAAAAIGc/-Rht7vTi35g/s640/blogger-image-747228386.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ct6CIq6qtbs/UDqKdjqt-PI/AAAAAAAAIGk/-GHvgeId8p8/s640/blogger-image-444091064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ct6CIq6qtbs/UDqKdjqt-PI/AAAAAAAAIGk/-GHvgeId8p8/s640/blogger-image-444091064.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HEFlS2GuF3U/UDqKeSqOs_I/AAAAAAAAIGs/PhJDocA3DX4/s640/blogger-image-1016898494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HEFlS2GuF3U/UDqKeSqOs_I/AAAAAAAAIGs/PhJDocA3DX4/s640/blogger-image-1016898494.jpg" /></a></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-26161117163129115312012-07-23T15:39:00.001-04:002012-07-23T15:39:07.259-04:00Hair cut!Posting mobile but had to share today's adventure. First hair cut!!! It was time. I was ready. Yesterday. So we drove about 45 minutes after morning nap and made it happen. <br />
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I'm sad the big curls are gone but it was getting fluffy and mullet like in the back and looked like wings on the sides. So.... He went from looking like a little toddler to a big toddler in about six minutes. <br />
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He did great though. We picked a bright yellow taxi and he held three yellow train cars. Yellow is the color of the moment. Yellow and circles specifically :). <br />
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After his hair cut we went to the cafe next door to get gelato. We had nectarine (yum) and chocolate bc we couldn't decide. <br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8t4ER0ZK9GA/UA2oQBgGNsI/AAAAAAAAICw/FLUdX_2Riu4/s640/blogger-image--1245101816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8t4ER0ZK9GA/UA2oQBgGNsI/AAAAAAAAICw/FLUdX_2Riu4/s640/blogger-image--1245101816.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xADaY-5n4D0/UA2oRM8wR1I/AAAAAAAAIC4/0ONWwx9yHZY/s640/blogger-image-1720484580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xADaY-5n4D0/UA2oRM8wR1I/AAAAAAAAIC4/0ONWwx9yHZY/s640/blogger-image-1720484580.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SJc284ORC_A/UA2oRmSu2JI/AAAAAAAAIDA/qtSXB69n6_g/s640/blogger-image--775547985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SJc284ORC_A/UA2oRmSu2JI/AAAAAAAAIDA/qtSXB69n6_g/s640/blogger-image--775547985.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zZJffaL1AO8/UA2oS2gOplI/AAAAAAAAIDI/yo-haRrLTD4/s640/blogger-image-1547379756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zZJffaL1AO8/UA2oS2gOplI/AAAAAAAAIDI/yo-haRrLTD4/s640/blogger-image-1547379756.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NXnHziyYyOg/UA2oTpw0YLI/AAAAAAAAIDQ/8RNkqoBpYRk/s640/blogger-image--1365049878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NXnHziyYyOg/UA2oTpw0YLI/AAAAAAAAIDQ/8RNkqoBpYRk/s640/blogger-image--1365049878.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hW98TtqtW60/UA2oUbVVidI/AAAAAAAAIDY/A0HrGojGcyU/s640/blogger-image--1600879556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hW98TtqtW60/UA2oUbVVidI/AAAAAAAAIDY/A0HrGojGcyU/s640/blogger-image--1600879556.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zZJUZs_J4kE/UA2oVB5LYkI/AAAAAAAAIDg/_j22FLbCuNw/s640/blogger-image--939266392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zZJUZs_J4kE/UA2oVB5LYkI/AAAAAAAAIDg/_j22FLbCuNw/s640/blogger-image--939266392.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nRZdNJf25y8/UA2oV-EoXQI/AAAAAAAAIDo/B6MWuc69qY0/s640/blogger-image-446714920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nRZdNJf25y8/UA2oV-EoXQI/AAAAAAAAIDo/B6MWuc69qY0/s640/blogger-image-446714920.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GfRCMgfWqiY/UA2oWvh3f_I/AAAAAAAAIDw/NGhrACZdEIc/s640/blogger-image-280266060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GfRCMgfWqiY/UA2oWvh3f_I/AAAAAAAAIDw/NGhrACZdEIc/s640/blogger-image-280266060.jpg" /></a></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-13052428506671907592012-07-02T23:09:00.001-04:002012-07-02T23:09:35.964-04:00Project Life 2011Project life 2011 was a chronicle of my pregnancy, Oliver's birth, and his first year. I just finished it and am so glad to be done finally!! <br />
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I've not started this years album yet but I'm glad because as I was gathering all my pictures I realized I am much less emotionally attached and it's easier to just print the ones I will really use. Jess B of you're reading this I swear you and Ten would looove Project Life. It's so you! <br />
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Blogging from my phone so will keep it brief but just had to share this!! Everyone should do Project Life. :)<br />
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(just took these pics on my phone so no idea what order they will show up in... )<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AK30IvU7PCI/T-emsLec5vI/AAAAAAAAIAc/YbfRu1nBC4k/s640/blogger-image--1494928752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AK30IvU7PCI/T-emsLec5vI/AAAAAAAAIAc/YbfRu1nBC4k/s640/blogger-image--1494928752.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sCmhfoD5B84/T-emp_KJm0I/AAAAAAAAIAU/eEFBUvJjAZo/s640/blogger-image-1842073924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sCmhfoD5B84/T-emp_KJm0I/AAAAAAAAIAU/eEFBUvJjAZo/s640/blogger-image-1842073924.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-imn4FbsWhuw/T_JibnrEFDI/AAAAAAAAICI/1qV4PPsEmes/s640/blogger-image-421639382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-imn4FbsWhuw/T_JibnrEFDI/AAAAAAAAICI/1qV4PPsEmes/s640/blogger-image-421639382.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rTVSFKjMzsE/T-emuV4wYHI/AAAAAAAAIAs/1iKpL8QK5sQ/s640/blogger-image-1781840374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rTVSFKjMzsE/T-emuV4wYHI/AAAAAAAAIAs/1iKpL8QK5sQ/s640/blogger-image-1781840374.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XJfcPcdxlZY/T-emtMqJ4BI/AAAAAAAAIAk/l8nLROxw5aA/s640/blogger-image-886280816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XJfcPcdxlZY/T-emtMqJ4BI/AAAAAAAAIAk/l8nLROxw5aA/s640/blogger-image-886280816.jpg" /></a></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-35049396813380119722012-06-22T21:21:00.002-04:002012-06-22T21:21:14.594-04:00Freezer Cooking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've had several requests for recipes I use for freezer cooking. Honestly, before Oliver and Pinterest, I never cooked to freeze - now it's how we eat! If you follow me on <a href="http://pinterest.com/ginhatcher/bon-appetit/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, you have all of my recipes - but if you don't, here are some of our favorites.</div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/02/spinach-artichoke-baked-pasta/" target="_blank">Spinach & Artichoke Pasta</a></div>
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<a href="http://picky-palate.com/2010/09/13/cheesy-chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole/" target="_blank">Chicken and Wild Rice I</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/06/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake.html" target="_blank">Tomato & Spinach Pasta</a></div>
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<a href="http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/chicken-and-wild-rice-freezer-meal.html" target="_blank">Chicken and Wild Rice II</a></div>
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<a href="http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/layered-enchilada-casserole-freezer.html" target="_blank">Mexican Layer Bake</a></div>
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<a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-lasagna-casserole-day-12.html" target="_blank">Lasagna Layers</a></div>
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There are probably others I'm forgetting, I make these most frequently and other times just toss random things in a dish and bake it. My sister and I lived together for eight years and she'd often pick on me for making up random casseroles. I like to keep things interesting :) Granted, they weren't all very good!</div>
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The Chicken and Wild Rice I is by far my most favorite. Another one we like frozen is penne pasta with a jar of marinara sauce and a jar of alfredo sauce mixed and topped with mozzarella cheese. I think there's a pin for that on my recipe board, but it's so easy there's no point in directing you to it.</div>
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For now, since Oliver eats so little, I can get two meals from each recipe. Sometimes I'll double the recipe to have four meals. I mainly do that with the Chicken and Wild Rice I b/c it takes a little longer to make and we all love it. We use the small square baking foils and cover with two layers of heavy duty foil. I normally just write what's inside along with baking instructions and the date so Chandler can pop them in the oven if I'm not home. <br />
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I normally devote an afternoon to cooking and make several things at once. I find that it's much easier for me that way, and I like knowing I have a few weeks worth of meals. It's also easy to coordinate ingredients that way too - for instance, today I made four recipes and three called for sauteed onions and most all had pasta. It's just nice to be able to use and re-use pots and pans without completely overloading the dishwasher. Every now and then I'll cook during the week, but usually I only make crock pot recipes during the week and pull out freezer meals or something else to fill in the other days.</div>
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I'm a huge fan of crock pot/slow cooker meals. I have a handful of go-to meals for that, again, on<a href="http://pinterest.com/ginhatcher/bon-appetit/" target="_blank"> Pinterest</a>.</div>
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What are your favorite recipes? </div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-68686905885027043392012-06-12T21:03:00.001-04:002012-06-12T21:04:03.782-04:0016 Months!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oliver is 16 months old!</span></h2>
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<b>-Height: </b>29"</div>
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<b>-Weight: </b>21 lbs</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(both official as of today)</span></div>
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<b>-Teeth: </b>10 or 12 depending on how you count them, 10 are completely in and two molars are almost in with two points out on one and three points out on the other - neither middle crown is out yet. Perhaps that's when they officially 'count' as a tooth? One cuspid is starting to move up and I can see the white under his gum.</div>
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<b>-Shoe size:</b> 4, but will probably be a 4.5 very soon.</div>
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<b>-Clothing size:</b> 12-18 months mostly, but still some 9-12 month sizes here and there. He has Chandler's build so his shoulders are wide, but his waist and hips are tiny. Thank goodness for shorts with adjustable elastic. He really needs a 9-12 month sometimes, but I just can't bring myself to buy that size knowing he's just going to grow.</div>
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<b>-Diapers: </b>bumGenius 4.0 & Elementals. When we travel, The Honest Company or 7th Generation disposables. Lately, he's been soaking through his cloth diapers at night no matter how full I stuff them, so we're going to start using Huggies Overnights at night. Changing sheets on a king size bed more than once/week is no fun. </div>
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<b>-Naps: </b>Two nice, long ones from 9:00-11:00 AM and 2:00-? (usually between 4:00 and 5:00). </div>
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<b>-Words: </b>Same as last month... with the addition of 'ball.' Anything could be dada, but dad is 'dod' - it is really funny. 'Bitta' is a commonly heard along with lots and lots of other babble. He is really not interesting in saying new words, but I'll occasionally hear him try to say things. Just yesterday he was watching a pre-school shapes DVD in the car and I heard him trying to say octagon - 'gon, gon.' He's also tried to say star. He's also started to say Nola a little better. </div>
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<b>-Other:</b></div>
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-He can correctly identify eyes, nose, mouth & head. I really haven't worked with him a whole lot on these things, it took him a day for each and he knew them. He is, for the most part, not interested in paying attention to anything I do unless he's nursing or in the bathtub - I believe I've noted that in these monthly updates before.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Penguin ice cream from the Blue Bunny ice cream truck!)</span></div>
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-He became a walker in the last month and thinks he is 100% big. He goes to Gymboree (play & learn) and when we go to open gym there's usually two groups of children, the younger ones who tend to congregate together because the moms chat, and the older ones, who run wild. He tends to prefer the older ones despite being two or three years younger. Fantastic. We're constantly scooping him up before he's run down. </div>
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-Independence. Enough said.</div>
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-He's become a toddler overnight.</div>
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-He is a lover. He loves to run (yes, didn't take long) up to the cats and lay on them and hug them. He will also pick up a stuffed animal and hug it, smiling. So sweet! I love to see him do this. What's funny is that we've never really showed him this or taught him to do it - he's very affectionate. </div>
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-Now that he's walking, we're using the learning tower and love it. So glad we have it - he enjoys playing with play-doh, splashing in the water, and otherwise just being able to hang out with me in the kitchen.</div>
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-He taps his fingers. He does it on my chest, face and shoulder when he nurses and I've noticed him tapping his legs in the car and sometimes in the stroller.</div>
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-He blows kisses when I leave his room for nap.</div>
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-He's the most amazing thing I've ever made and I love every day of him!</div>
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<br /></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-42802168756203453112012-06-03T22:55:00.003-04:002012-06-03T22:55:48.521-04:00Playroom!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Welcome to Oliver's play space. </span> </div>
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I intended to wait until this room was complete to share, but I have no idea when that will be and for the sake of documentation, I'm posting it now. :) I have tossed around several ideas for the wall above the train/play table, but haven't settled on anything yet. I would really like to put some of Oliver's artwork on the walls, but unfortunately, the shape of this room makes anything on the walls without a shelf or other barrier too unsafe. I may look into a decal instead.</div>
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This is the view when you walk into the room. I have a better photo somewhere, but it took less time to take one with bad light than to look for the other one.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBw2BxZpIxo/T8vNTKzcmII/AAAAAAAAH9M/IjIyhD-OolE/s1600/IMG_4354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBw2BxZpIxo/T8vNTKzcmII/AAAAAAAAH9M/IjIyhD-OolE/s640/IMG_4354.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I originally made this bunting for O's birthday. I really love it in here now!</div>
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My child is 100% boy. He likes all things stereotypical for a boy. Trucks galore. Wheels and balls are also high on the list as are dogs and dirt.</div>
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I love this print, it was originally going to be in his nursery, which is why the colors are a little muted, but I decided not to use it in there after afterall.</div>
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This decal was also purchased for his nursery, but I couldn't find the right spot for it. </div>
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We use the baskets both for storage and for keeping like toys together, such as music. </div>
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The music basket and the car basket are favorites.</div>
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I realized when I was uploading pictures that all of the balls are green! We do have a few blue ones too!</div>
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Just this week, Oliver has started to actually climb on these ride-on toys. Before now he would just push them around - except for the plane, that one, he'd sit in front of and just watch the propeller spin. :)</div>
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This is the back view of the playroom. The empty frame used to be downstairs and I moved it thinking I'd frame the elephant, but it didn't work and I just haven't moved it yet. I plan to put a shelf in that same space for crayons, markers, other craft supplies. There will also be either shelving or a small bookshelf on the wall under the elephant for things like paper, play-doh, etc... Of course all of this may change. I haven't decided if I want this to be a space where he can play unattended when he's older (likely) or if we'll always be close - so the craft plans may change completely!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-te3T8QzEiBY/T8vTcZ8I1gI/AAAAAAAAH-Y/74vuW53vrPQ/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-te3T8QzEiBY/T8vTcZ8I1gI/AAAAAAAAH-Y/74vuW53vrPQ/s640/IMG_4370.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just found out this book shelf has been discontinued and I am SO glad we bought it when we did. </div>
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This was another piece I wanted for the nursery, but there just wasn't a good place for it there.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTHpZCKw2H4/T8vL3Z2oYgI/AAAAAAAAH8w/yrcCATteLdI/s1600/IMG_4350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTHpZCKw2H4/T8vL3Z2oYgI/AAAAAAAAH8w/yrcCATteLdI/s640/IMG_4350.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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I LOVE this elephant. It's an original painting and one I ordered from a sweet artist in Canada. I was browsing through People.com's 'Babies' blog and saw a swag basket of items that celebrities received from some sort of function and a painting like this was in that grouping. I contacted the artist and ordered one - I love that it ties in to the classic elephant silhouettes in the nursery and brings a playful splash of color to the playroom. At some point I plan to make it stand out a little more, but not sure how yet.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UbWY2wKCMA4/T8vMiIId_mI/AAAAAAAAH84/c6DU51btkKc/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UbWY2wKCMA4/T8vMiIId_mI/AAAAAAAAH84/c6DU51btkKc/s640/IMG_4351.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PK7cHcVwYU/T8vSikxTI2I/AAAAAAAAH-M/d-t9-03TtTo/s1600/IMG_4368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PK7cHcVwYU/T8vSikxTI2I/AAAAAAAAH-M/d-t9-03TtTo/s640/IMG_4368.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The room overall is a little odd - it's the room above the garage, so the shape of it alone is a challenge - but it's 24' x 12' so it's a really good sized room. It used to be the best sleeping room because it was the coolest in the summer and the warmest in the winter. </div>
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I'm still not done with this space yet - the wall color is original from when we used this room as a guest room with two twin beds on either sides of the window. I love the neutral green color and I think it works nicely, but I think I'd like something a little more fun. I'm scouting Pinterest for ideas. </div>
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The walls are also an issue - still trying to figure out what to do on some of them. And the rug was purchased at Target, but it's not my favorite and I'd like something a little thicker and possibly bigger. We could still use this one but have it rolled up and under the play table. </div>
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We've talked about making this room a guest room, keeping the bookshelf in the back and having a reading corner/library area in the room. I think we've settled on keeping it a playroom though. Lighting is very difficult in this room because we didn't think to add an overhead light when we built the house. That leaves us with only two options, lamps (which we do now) or having it re-wired (not appealing).</div>
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So that's the playroom - hope you'll come and play with us!</div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-30539691057137079742012-05-30T23:04:00.001-04:002012-05-30T23:04:01.995-04:00Life according to my iPhone(mobile posting so I doubt these are in order)<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iEmIxC2mTNQ/T8bdp1TipZI/AAAAAAAAHy4/q0SDEkexpMM/s640/blogger-image-1567739929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iEmIxC2mTNQ/T8bdp1TipZI/AAAAAAAAHy4/q0SDEkexpMM/s640/blogger-image-1567739929.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-32SYF0-7jfQ/T8bdqfVIgKI/AAAAAAAAHzA/XRm0qNV5HTw/s640/blogger-image--1276074598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-32SYF0-7jfQ/T8bdqfVIgKI/AAAAAAAAHzA/XRm0qNV5HTw/s640/blogger-image--1276074598.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n1fwVSiVSn8/T8bflG3d5qI/AAAAAAAAH2M/ZIejLheKqro/s640/blogger-image-1786165090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n1fwVSiVSn8/T8bflG3d5qI/AAAAAAAAH2M/ZIejLheKqro/s640/blogger-image-1786165090.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C9eUKeC1FLk/T8bfmDYlodI/AAAAAAAAH2U/QN6E2U-V1ew/s640/blogger-image-1095624192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C9eUKeC1FLk/T8bfmDYlodI/AAAAAAAAH2U/QN6E2U-V1ew/s640/blogger-image-1095624192.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J0HEhBbex0Y/T8bfmwUS9kI/AAAAAAAAH2c/ie4qpTCYuFI/s640/blogger-image--205885916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J0HEhBbex0Y/T8bfmwUS9kI/AAAAAAAAH2c/ie4qpTCYuFI/s640/blogger-image--205885916.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z5bU7ElTQuc/T8bfntrWjqI/AAAAAAAAH2k/gwizGnmbOyk/s640/blogger-image--140497806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z5bU7ElTQuc/T8bfntrWjqI/AAAAAAAAH2k/gwizGnmbOyk/s640/blogger-image--140497806.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aNRGkpDTqn8/T8bfoAjooLI/AAAAAAAAH2s/xND6duGNrrI/s640/blogger-image--458456775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aNRGkpDTqn8/T8bfoAjooLI/AAAAAAAAH2s/xND6duGNrrI/s640/blogger-image--458456775.jpg" /></a></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-1971413024329008532012-05-28T21:46:00.001-04:002012-05-28T21:46:15.414-04:00Sprinkler fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45eSawVKgZ4/T8P2dYnVFgI/AAAAAAAAHos/95PVKuiKt-0/s640/IMG_3723.jpg" width="426" /></div>
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I swear I just HAD this child. When did he turn into a little boy?!</div>
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He's an official walker now. No more crawling. </div>
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Playing in the sprinkler was fun! </div>
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But there was also lots of this...</div>
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We have new neighbors and their 20-month old, R, came over to play. I love, love, love having sweet, new neighbors that also have a toddler. Such fun! <strike>They play well together.</strike> She likes to share and loves to give things to Oliver. Can't wait to see these two have baby conversations in a few months. Cuteness!</div>
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Happy Memorial Day!</div>
<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-91921160787507994372012-05-27T23:45:00.001-04:002012-05-27T23:45:44.401-04:00Candid Prof Pics... a few recent prof pics. I need to get in touch with our VA photographer to schedule some spring pictures now that Rover is walking. Full time walker here - ahh! I know I posted a couple of these already, but I love them all. So candid and so us!<br />
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-1554769672757776082012-05-22T22:31:00.001-04:002012-05-22T22:31:30.020-04:00My most favorite...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been awful about posting lately and wanted to be sure I documented my current most favorite thing about <span style="font-size: x-large;">Oliver</span>. When I put him down for a nap or right before bed, I give him<b> kisses</b> all over and as I pull away, he places both of his hands on either side of my face and pulls me to him for more kisses. He <b>giggles</b> and just rubs his face on mine. Nothing in the whole wide world is sweeter! <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b> Love, love, love. </b></span><br />
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I also usually blow him one last kiss before I leave his room and he's started to blow a kiss back. The first time he did it, he even made a kiss noise. Normally he just uses his hand - I'll take it. Preciousness! And he gets so tickled with himself. He's such a lover. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(photos from a recent picnic on the water)</span></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-40709704936732546182012-05-20T22:25:00.003-04:002012-05-20T22:25:41.800-04:00Months 14 & 15 Photo Dump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Aunt B came to visit right before Easter! I swear Oliver could be her child. :)</div>
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This picture captures his personality perfectly!</div>
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That red, furry thing is Murray from Sesame Street. He'd seen it in the store one day and we were playing with it and decided to get it for his Easter basket since he loved it so much. This picture makes me smile because when he saw Murray he acted like he remembered him and was SO excited to see him again. No idea if he really remembered him or if he just liked it...</div>
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His favorite toy ever, a Hess car (that is probably for children over the age of 6).</div>
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LOVE these curls!</div>
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He's not shy about snack time. Grocery store, on walks, you name it.</div>
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He will stand on his tippy toes to throw out shoes until he finds a matching pair.</div>
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I don't know what's funnier, this picture of the next one. </div>
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The boy loves tampons. He goes for them pretty much every day.</div>
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BUSY!</div>
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We had some awesome friends come visit - the boys are 13 days apart - and it was SO. MUCH. FUN.</div>
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(This picture is so weird to see now because we've totally changed that side of the room now!)</div>
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I bought Oliver a Corolle doll - I love the way new dolls smell. I'd forgotten about that until I opened the box, yum. He was so sweet putting the baby's paci in his mouth. We can't decide if the baby should be Max or Sam. We keep coming back to those names.</div>
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...and he's done. Ha! Love this picture.</div>
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Our laundry room is right around the corner from the playroom and I often dump piles of clothes in here to fold. This is what I found when I rounded the corner with my basket.</div>
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Oliver is very into sorting and matching right now. I'm trying to take advantage of that with different games. This was after church one day and he was matching the colors. Smart boy!</div>
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He loves being outside - to the point of screaming if we can't go out for whatever reason. </div>
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Oops. Daddy didn't want to walk around the entire neighborhood buddy...</div>
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LOVE this boy.</div>
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LOVE, LOVE, LOVE</div>
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I love this picture - he'd just started walking really well (but not consistently) and it's one of the only pictures I have of him in action.</div>
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(Hess car!)</div>
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Daddy came home and turned on the T.V. A fun treat.</div>
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Still watching T.V.</div>
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Looking like a toddler - ahh!</div>
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Sweetness!!!</div>
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I love this picture... we had just gotten home from church and I was changing him. I put his shoes aside so I could take them upstairs and was getting irritated that he wanted to carry them around knowing we'd surely lose one. He took them both down the hall near the front door and dropped them in our shoe pile. !!!! Smart boy !!!! </div>
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...and then it was time to nap. :)</div>
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Perfect for a 'wordless Wednesday' post I think!</div>
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We moved the crib mattress down today. We've done it twice before, but always moved it back up because I liked the skirt. I finally decided it was time - and I don't know why because he is NEVER in the crib. Not even for playtime anymore because he can get out. Seriously, never. It was a fun project anyway.</div>
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...and I got some snuggles out of the deal. :)</div>
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-40187633950246542112012-05-14T12:13:00.001-04:002012-05-14T12:13:23.347-04:0014/15 Months!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Oliver is <strike>14</strike> 15 Months Old!!!</span></div>
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The days are going by too fast. So fast, in fact, that I have put off writing about month 14 and now it's close enough that I'm just going to group 14 and 15 together. I hate that. I tend to think about writing all of these things a couple weeks before the 10th of the month actually comes and then I end up getting busy and don't do it until a week or so later... I especially hate that I put month 14 off because in the last week Oliver has had a lot of developmental moments and I would have loved to reflect on the previous month. <br />
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I also typically start writing the months post and then go back and add pictures - which are stored on an external drive compatible with my upstairs computer (don't ask)... so I do things separately, which isn't working for me right now!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(On that note: to prevent this from becoming 16 months, I'm posting without pictures and will add them separately.)</span><br />
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We ended up in the emergency room on Easter afternoon, two days before his 14 month birthday (monthday?). He fell and bit through his bottom lip. Surprisingly, I was completely calm and held it together better than I imagined I could have. They wanted to stitch him, but I requested DermaBond knowing his personality. That started to peel less than 24 hours after it was applied, but he was completely healed after about three or four days. So thankful we had a good experience in the ER.<br />
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Moving on...<br />
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Here's what I know to be true:<br />
<b>Weight: </b>21.5lbs<br />
<b>Height: </b>no idea, but probably just a half inch taller?<br />
<b>Teeth: </b>9, four on top, four on the bottom and one bottom molar<br />
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<b>Wears:</b> mostly sizes 12m and 18m, some 6-12m but mostly 12-18m. I do have a couple 18-24m shirts I picked up accidentally thinking they were smaller, but they seem to fit okay and will last quite a while.<br />
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<b>Diapers:</b> Still going strong with cloth. bumGenius 4.0 are the current go-tos. When we use disposables he's still in a size 3. (I think he's been a size 3 for 8 months at least!)<br />
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<b>Words:</b> Mama, Dada, Hi (very southern!), Bye (even more southern!), 'Nay Nay' (for Nola) - when I call Nola I tend to use some voice inflection and he uses the same tones, its' cute to hear his little voice go even higher in pitch. He's very recently started saying 'Ba Ba' when he wants to nurse. I find this interesting because I've never called it that. He can almost say 'bubble,' he said something that sounded like 'chicken' when he heard it said just today (5/2/12), and he says 'Mmm' for 'moo.' I think he's trying to say 'kitty' because he often takes off after Luka or Finley and says the same thing each time. <br />
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-He's very into imitating us and will try to figure out how to make certain noises or wrinkle his brow. He likes to stick his tongue out and enjoys seeing himself in the mirror doing it. He recently picked up a tissue and tried to wipe his nose. He also has taken initiative to try to fork pieces of food - we have not encouraged this or shown him how to do it yet so we were excited he had picked that up from observing us feed him (which we only do with something like yogurt, otherwise he feeds himself). <br />
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-I always blow him kisses after I give him real kisses before I leave his room for nap and today (5/9/12) he blew me a kiss! So sweet. He even made a little sucking noise that sounded like a kiss. <br />
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-He likes to stand on his toes to reach inside his dresser drawers and the shoe drawer is his favorite. Yesterday, he pulled out one shoe and continued to pull out shoes and put them back until he found the match. He then sat down and looked at them as if checking to be sure it was correct. It's fun watching him make these associations! Speaking of shoes, he loves them. I am NOT a shoe person at all, I like them fine, but I am not crazy about shoes so it's hilarious that he likes them so much - especially when I try to keep him barefooted as much as possible. Go figure. He thinks it's the most fun in the world to find shoes and try to put them on.<br />
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-He can walk, but doesn't. He prefers crawling still. I'm more than ready for him to be a full-time walker though because crawling in mulch and on concrete is no fun and that's his plan when we're outside. He has moments where he'll walk for a good half hour, then it's back to crawling. He loves how excited we get when he does walk and he's getting better and better. He literally runs with his push toys, so we're in for it when he does walk full time. We've found that he walks more when he's tired. I think this is because he has less energy and can focus better because he isn't go-go-go. <br />
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-He nurses 4-6 times each day and the week after Easter is when we really started to notice him eating more during the day so he's finally getting three meals of solid foods each day. Before, it was hit or miss during lunch, but he's eating consistently around lunchtime lately. <br />
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-Favorite foods include: any fruit, especially strawberries, pears and peaches, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, a red/white sauce pasta dish I make, pancakes, yogurt.<br />
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-He continues to nap twice each day, but his morning naps are sometimes as long as his afternoon naps. I usually try to keep his morning nap to an hour or hour and a half max, otherwise he's napping later in the afternoons and I try to be sure he's up by four o'clock so we have a decent bedtime. Overall, he's sleeping 3-4 hours during the day.<br />
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-He's usually awake between 6:30 and 7:00 AM and is in bed between 8:00 and 8:30 PM. Sometimes he's up closer to 9:00 PM, but that's only when he napped later (i.e. not awake until 6 or later). <br />
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-His favorite toy since his birthday has been a white and green Hess car. He also enjoys his wooden shapes sorter and he's gotten really good and learning to move the shape to find the right fit. He is also crazy about pushing his riding toys.<br />
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-He LOVES animals. Loves them. I keep talking about taking him to the zoo. Chandler thinks he's too young to appreciate it, but finally agreed that we'll go when Oliver walks. (Lovely, so instead of having fun I'll be chasing a wild toddler who refuses to be carried because he can walk... fun time....)<br />
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-He got a Learning Tower for his birthday and I cannot wait to use it in the kitchen. <br />
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-He enjoys 'talking' on the phone. It's hilarious to watch, especially since the phone is usually being held behind his head. I remember other children doing this too, it's way cuter with my own child and it was super cute then :)<br />
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I'm sure I could think of a hundred more things to write, but for the sake of all who read this, I'll stop here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy 15 months sweetness!</span></div>
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-52133645175076356552012-03-24T16:35:00.001-04:002012-03-24T17:15:33.390-04:00Friday in pictures.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Suo_5w1LWSc/T24v1VZY6OI/AAAAAAAAGqI/0iM3BdhwxkQ/s640/blogger-image--863362596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Suo_5w1LWSc/T24v1VZY6OI/AAAAAAAAGqI/0iM3BdhwxkQ/s640/blogger-image--863362596.jpg" /></a></div>
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Playing with bathtub toys while mama gets ready.</div>
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Laundry: still a favorite (lost the pants)</div>
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Headed to the farm to see some animals!</div>
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It's an emu!</div>
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An inch worm found its way inside the car... Chandler was holding it so we could put him on some grass.</div>
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Hanging out with Sesame Street & Cheerios while mama cooks dinner.</div>
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Happy Weekend!</div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-90241735436821801972012-03-23T21:24:00.001-04:002012-03-24T14:25:44.525-04:0013 Months!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Oliver is 13 months and 13 days old!!!</span></div>
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I actually uploaded pictures the day before he was 13 months and well, life happened, so13 days later I'm just now filling in the gaps. :) </div>
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He is BUSY! </div>
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Stats:</div>
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Height: no idea, probably a little taller than last month so maybe 29" </div>
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Weight: 20lbs at least (I haven't weighed him actually so this is a guess.)</div>
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Teeth: 8 (molars are coming though, you can see them beneath his gums)</div>
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Says: Mama, Dada, NayNay for Nola, Bye Bye, Hi</div>
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Shakes his head side to side, but this doesn't necessarily mean 'no.'</div>
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(We try not to use the word 'no' so he doesn't get stuck on saying it to everything...)</div>
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I have WAY more pictures on my phone than I took on my camera. I need to upload phone pics soon! The overall theme for 13 months is BUSY! He is into just about everything and is fast.</div>
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He was sick, sick, sick for an entire week with a fever of 102. Tylenol would bring it down, but it would spike back up after a few hours. Most of these days, it was a struggle getting much of anything done when he was awake, including getting his diaper changed! These pictures equally make me laugh and make me sad. He was so pitiful. He nursed when he was awake and would sleep about seven hours during the <i>day</i>. He was a sick, sick boy! Chandler took these pictures because we couldn't stop laughing at how latched he was this day. He would seriously not unlatch to get his diaper changed so this is how it was done. Haha!</div>
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(sick baby in these two pictures)</div>
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Molars coming in...</div>
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<b>Food: </b>breakfast is normally yogurt and cherrios (sometimes fruit, nutrigrain bars, pancakes), lunch is still not consistent. If he gets lunch, it is small and he doesn't eat a lot. Dinner is whatever we are having. So far the only food he's not wild about is broccoli and I think it's the way it feels in his hand because he'll eat it if I feed it to him. </div>
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<b>Nursing:</b> he nurses five or more times/day and is quite the little acrobat. Still hasn't bitten me but will test how much pressure he can use at times. Some of my most favorite moments with him are when he's nursing and he stops to just look up and say 'mama' in his sweet little voice. Melt. My. Heart.</div>
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<b>Clothes:</b> He's finally in his age size for clothing. He has a few 6-12 month sizes an a couple 9 month sizes, but for the most part he's in 12 month or 12-18 month sizes. His 3.5 size shoes still fit as do his 6-12m soft shoes that he primarily wears. </div>
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Cat chasing. A new hobby.</div>
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Where's Waldo -----> Where's Oliver.</div>
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I have so many things I need to blog so I can come back and read through them later... things like, </div>
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....he used to pat with his whole hand, now he rests his hand in one place and pats with his fingers. (It's the sweetest.) ...he kisses with a big, wide open mouth. ...he is super giggly in the morning. ...he says 'Hi' really southern! ...slightly velco'ed to his mama (love). ...gets excited when Daddy comes home from work. ...loves pulling cat tails. ...Nola makes him laugh like no one can.</div>
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<br /></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-82045520140979128922012-03-10T17:08:00.000-05:002012-03-10T17:08:26.693-05:00Diaper Details: a very long post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8uG0T2Bmm8/T1kzkyc_zwI/AAAAAAAAGlI/c0LBFt0lfhw/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8uG0T2Bmm8/T1kzkyc_zwI/AAAAAAAAGlI/c0LBFt0lfhw/s400/IMG_1606.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've posted details about <a href="http://iseehope.blogspot.com/2011/04/cloth-diaper-post.html" target="_blank">cloth diapers before</a>, but I've been thinking that I need to break it down a little more. One, because I think it could be helpful and two, because I want to be sure I remember which diapers I like for what stages. </div>
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(bumGenius Elemental (AIO/OS), Clementine)</div>
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Back Row Stacks Left to Right: FuzziBunz Pocket OS, FuzziBunz Pocket OS, Rump*a*Rooz Pocket OS, bumGenius Pocket OS (there's actually one bG Freetime mixed in that stack), bumGenius Elemtental OS. Front Row Stacks Left to Right: GroVia (AIO & AI2), Thirsties Duo Pocket Size 1, Thirsties Duo Pocket Size 1, Thirsties AIO/OS.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--eNWCyxYFVU/T1kyXMqiNmI/AAAAAAAAGk0/_i9_MxdyKnQ/s1600/IMG_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--eNWCyxYFVU/T1kyXMqiNmI/AAAAAAAAGk0/_i9_MxdyKnQ/s400/IMG_1600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My thoughts on what we have...</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/" target="_blank">Thirsties </a></b></div>
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<b>-</b>Duo Size 1: these were awesome when O was tiny. I've mentioned before, and everyone will tell you, a 'one size' diaper is not really going to fit a newborn. It's just not practical. We have about a dozen Thirsties in Size 1 and I loved them for newborn stages. It was still a couple of months before he fit well in them, but they were great because the fleece is soft and the gussets were really great for containing breastmilk poop. They fit him until around five months. I ordered a set of Size 2s, but they were huge. At 18lbs, even the small setting was big. I sent them back. They are no longer a favorite for his current stage.</div>
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<b>-</b>I have one fitted and one cover. I LOVE the fitted for when we need to air out - ha funny story... we went on a walk last summer and Oliver was wearing the fitted (sans cover) and a tshirt. I forgot to grab the cover since I'm used to pocket or AIO and as we were almost home I was suddenly wet all over before realizing why... oops. This combo is a little bulkier, but overall I like it. I am not a fitteds type mom, but I can see why people like them.</div>
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<b>-</b>Thirsties All in Ones are new. I ordered four to try them out... don't like. They are super bulky and the snaps cause them to sit low on Oliver. I primarily use them at night. They take a lot longer to dry but I've found that flipping them inside out makes it speedy and they're dry about the same time as inserts. There is a tunnel under the absorbent middle and you could stuff that with another insert for extra absorbency. I did this the first couple of nights to be sure we didn't have any leaks, but found that it was completely unnecessary as they're super absorbent. </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.fuzzibunz.com/" target="_blank">FuzziBunz</a></b></div>
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<b>-</b>FuzziBunz were my favorite after Thirsties. I used them both for a while but FB were my absolute favorite until we started solid food. For some reason, the fleece is thicker and the poop stuck to it like glue. It made for some nasty spraying. They are decently trim and have a great fit. I pulled them out recently and thought I needed to loosen the elastic, had some leaking when I did that and ended up going back to the original setting I'd had it on. I rarely use FB anymore. They're packed up in the closet with our Thirsties. We have 17 of these.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvMq6lF2aUY/T1kzBRtqsJI/AAAAAAAAGk8/hjFbR8tyWuA/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvMq6lF2aUY/T1kzBRtqsJI/AAAAAAAAGk8/hjFbR8tyWuA/s320/IMG_1602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.rumparooz.com/" target="_blank">Rump*a*Rooz</a></b></div>
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<b>-</b>I'm fairly new to these. A friend ordered a dozen and really liked them so I bought a couple to try out. Initially, I loved them. They are super, super soft inside and have an inner gusset that's fleece and not PUL like the Thirsties. (PUL is the waterproof lining inside the covers.) I loved that and I think that for a second baby I will look into buying a few in the Lil' Joey newborn sizes. These diapers are bulky in the front. I have the insert set on medium and it's really annoying how fluffy the front of O's pants are in this diaper. I have been using it at night or in the mornings before he's changed out of pajamas. We have 8 of these.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.gro-via.com/" target="_blank">GroVia</a></b><br />
<b>-</b>We have one GroVia All in Two (AI2) and one All in One (AIO). The AI2 was part of the Jillian's Drawers trial we did and I kept it when I sent some back... I LOVE the cover. This diaper is super trim, the velcro (most companies call velcro 'hook and loop' since Velcro is a name brand, I'll refer to hook and loop as velcro because it's what I'm used to - sorry Velcro company) - so the velcro is AMAZING. It's got teeny tiny loops and it sticks like magic. Love. I don't know why I don't have more of these... There's an insert that snaps inside instead of one that is stuffed. The idea is that you snap new liners in and reuse the cover through a few changes so that you'd only need three-ish covers each day. I think it's great for multiple children, but with one child you wouldn't have enough diaper laundry for a load every other day. I do need to get a few more inserts and covers though. Maybe one more cover and a pack of inserts? Hm. This diaper is NOT good for newborns as it doesn't contain breastmilk poop at all. <br />
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<b>-</b>The AIO is just okay. It's trim but not as trim as the AI2. I hate the snaps. It doesn't come in a velcro style so snaps are the only option. It has a flap for quicker dry time, which is really nice. It's also cotton, as are the inserts for the AI2. This is also not a good breastfed baby diaper. Great for a solids eater though.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/" target="_blank">bumGenius</a></b><br />
<b>-</b>bG Elementals were the first diapers we bought. I ordered six from Cotton Babies thinking that we only needed 12 and I'd get six then and six later. I never bought another six. I actually hated them until recently. They were HUGE on my guy for months and months. Now that Oliver is bigger, I LOVE bumGenius and know I know why everyone raves about them being a favorite. They are my current favorite. All of them. If I had to pick <i>one</i> I'd say the pockets, but the Elementals are close behind. These are by far the trimmest of all our diapers. They are seriously just the same as a disposable with regard to trimness. I love that. Especially now that we're sort of in between clothing sizes. They required a lot of prep washing, but I really really like them. They take a while to dry, but just as with the Thirsties, I flip them and they dry faster. Dry time is really about three times longer even still but that is mainly due to the inside being organic cotton and not polyester fleece like most other diapers.<br />
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<b>-</b>bG Pockets are my go-to diaper. I am always bummed when I've gone through our almost dozen stash of them and realize I have to grab something else. It doesn't happen often since we're only using about 6-8/day now, but I am loving them and wish we had more. I keep ordering more. Every week or so I'll add another to the mix. I'll probably stop soon though because we really have plenty of diapers. These are just the best for us right now though. Seriously, I am LOVING these. They are trim, the velcro gets super tight and is a great fit, they are absorbent... I actually have the insert on the small setting but the cover on medium because it reduces the bulk in the front of the diaper. I am giddy even writing about this diaper, no joke. <br />
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<b>-</b>Freetime... so this is a new diaper. It's their new All in One. We have one. I originally thought I'd get more, but now I think I'm good with just the one. That may change, WHO KNOWS?! It's essentially the same idea as the Elementals, but it's not organic cotton and it's got flaps instead of being sewn together. <br />
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Left: bG Elemental AIO OS (Twilight) Right: bG Freetime AIO (Mirror)</div>
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I mentioned that GroVia and bG were the super trim diapers - here's a comparison those two. Under clothing, you wouldn't be able to distinguish which he was wearing, but I thought it would be good to see the width side by side. Really, the bulk is the insert (on the left below is GroVia AIO/OS and on the right bG Elemental AIO/OS) and because these don't have an insert that automatically makes them a little more trim than other diapers, especially too because they are both cotton and not fleece/microfiber. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwMcuuHVFwI/T1k1a00jb5I/AAAAAAAAGlk/34rbH0Q_kz8/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwMcuuHVFwI/T1k1a00jb5I/AAAAAAAAGlk/34rbH0Q_kz8/s640/IMG_1615.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Both Thirsties and Rump*a*Rooz have inner gussets. Here's a shot at how they compare. The Thirsties' gusset is made from PUL (the liner of the cover that makes the diaper waterproof) and is part of the cover itself and the Rump*a*Rooz gusset is made of fleece and is sewn more inside the diaper rather than part of the PUL cover. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DMm8SbpndvE/T1k1_WDKCqI/AAAAAAAAGlw/gdWVoK-Pc9Q/s1600/IMG_1616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DMm8SbpndvE/T1k1_WDKCqI/AAAAAAAAGlw/gdWVoK-Pc9Q/s640/IMG_1616.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Top: Thirsties Duo Size 1 (Honeydew) Bottom: Rump*a*Rooz Pocket OS (Platinum)</div>
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Top: Rump*a*Rooz Pocket OS (Platinum) Bottom: Thirsties Duo Size 1 (Honeydew)</div>
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This next photo shows the differences in the AIO diapers.</div>
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Left to Right: GroVIa AIO, Thirsties AIO, bG Elementals AIO, bG Freetime AIO</div>
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Finally, here's a comparison of GroVia AIO (left) and GroVia AI2 (right). You can see on the left how the flap has a snap so you could add extra for more absorbency. I never use it. I will say however, if you aren't using that extra snap-in and you miss the first pee and a second pee happens, you <i>will </i>have a leak. I've only had it happen once because I'm pretty robotic about checking for a wet diaper, but it's not fun when it does happen. And if I could only find the extra snap-in, I'd just use it so I wouldn't have to worry... :) I really only use this diaper because of the cute airplane print because the snaps are just awful! Also below, it appears that the insert on the right is longer than the diaper cover, it's not. It's just the way it's laying on the table... the cover stretches and fits well over the insert, which snaps in at both the front and back.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvM2ccEOXCg/T1k45e5X9bI/AAAAAAAAGmM/5a0g4o6mdwo/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvM2ccEOXCg/T1k45e5X9bI/AAAAAAAAGmM/5a0g4o6mdwo/s640/IMG_1631.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS</b></div>
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I think this just about covers every detail I can think of with regard to diapering. Whew. I doubt I'll write another post this in depth about cloth diapers again. I might modify this post and write a new post that just let's you know I've updated it... but I think I'm done. :) Before I really knew much about using cloth and the different types, I wish I'd found something that showed pictures like this comparing. I think it would have helped me a little, so I hope it helps someone else. I tend to stick to the 'name brands' and haven't ventured out to the smaller, newer companies like Kiwi Pie, Tot Bots, Blueberry, etc... There are also a lot of moms who make their own diapers. I have a friend who does this and her diapers are so, so cute!</div>
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If you're new to cloth, thinking about trying it, or just want to try some new types, I cannot say enough good or encourage you enough to sign up for the trial at <a href="http://jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10" target="_blank">Jillian's Drawers</a>. You basically pay about $150 up front, get a package of about a dozen NEW diapers of different brands and styles and try them for two weeks. You can either send them all back and get a refund of all but $10 OR you can keep what you want and send the rest back. I ended up keeping several of mine. </div>
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I primarily order my diapers from <a href="http://www.diaperjunction.com/" target="_blank">Diaper Junction</a> because they have a points program and I've been able to earn enough points for several free diapers. Also, they're local for me and I love being able to support that... and because they are awesome girls who love cloth diapering and know tons and tons of information! It also helps that I get my orders overnight since they're just a few (or 40) minutes away.</div>
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One last thing... Rump*a*Rooz recommends a different wash routine than ALL of the other diapers. It's because they use TPU instead of PUL. The difference is a little more eco-friendly because it's thermal instead of chemical bonding. Gotta love that... because of that, they recommend Tide over other non-additive, enzyme free detergents. I was bothered by the disturbance of my routine and had several long conversations with a few companies. What I found was that it ultimately <b>does not matter </b>what kind of detergent you use (the exception is anything free & clear, still stay away from those) as long as you RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. So... with that, we switched to Tide and added an extra rinse.</div>
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<b>CURRENT WASH ROUTINE</b></div>
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Now, my wash routine (with an HE front loader) is as follows:</div>
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-<b>Rinse & Spin</b> (cold/cold) with water booster (diapers only)</div>
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-<b>Normal Hot/Cold cycle</b> - I use about a teaspoon of Country Save in the pre-wash and then Tide in the regular detergent spot... the amount varies on the diaper load I have, but it's usually about half the amount suggested by the manufacturer for a regular load. Both the amount of Country Save and Tide changes each wash cycle more or less depending on how dirty my diapers are, how long it's been since I last washed, and how many diapers are in the load. If you want details, email me. I add an extra rinse and push the button for water booster during this cycle. I add my wet bags to this cycle. Usually, I fill a wet bag with some water to trick the washer into thinking there is a big load so I get more water. LOTS of water is the key to cleaner diapers.</div>
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-<b>Rinse & Spin</b> (hot/cold) with water booster. I sometimes add an extra rinse to this rinse.</div>
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Sometimes I hang dry my covers, but most of the time I toss everything in the dryer on low heat for 40 minutes. If any inserts are still damp where they're folder and snapped, I take the covers out and dry the inserts for 20 minutes on medium or high heat. When I used FuzziBunz, I had enough that I could hang dry my covers and it wasn't a big deal... now I usually want whatever diapers I just washed which is why I usually just toss them in the dryer.</div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-14324043192262314922012-03-07T14:25:00.003-05:002012-03-07T14:25:58.504-05:00To-Do ListThere are so many things I've been wanting to post lately. And by 'lately' I mean for several months now. There just never seems to be enough time. That, or I waste that time I *do* get hanging out on Facebook and Pinterest instead of doing things I'd really rather do... I'm slowly learning. Actually, I've found that I'm much happier and productive when I'm off the computer. Peeling myself away is a completely different story however. It's hard to do. <br />
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I'm thinking that if I post the things I want to eventually publish here, then I'll actually get them done. <br />
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-One year post birth reflection. I've been thinking about these things pretty much since eight or ten months ago. Where I am today, things I'd do differently, thinking about another one, etc...<br />
-Cloth diapers, broken down into brand and personal thoughts with pros/cons, etc...<br />
-Baby gear in general, things that worked for us - things I wouldn't have wanted to live without - things that were a complete waste, etc...<br />
-Being a mom/parenting/making-decisions-for-another-human-being/etc...<br />
-Oliver & Nola. :)<br />
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I think that covers it. These are the ones that keep swirling around. Now I have a sudden energy to write - right now. But alas, time to close my screen and get some real work done around here. Much to do!<br />
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<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-56559965067873430322012-02-19T21:38:00.000-05:002012-02-19T21:41:43.248-05:00HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY OLIVER!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFg1xOFWNnQ/T0Gn2KhcLwI/AAAAAAAAGjI/uysvhI7Hsv4/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFg1xOFWNnQ/T0Gn2KhcLwI/AAAAAAAAGjI/uysvhI7Hsv4/s400/IMG_0389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oliver was born on a Friday and this year, his birthday (2/10) was also on a Friday. We had a relaxed day. After his morning nap we went to Target and he picked out a toy and I realized he needed a balloon for his birthday... we went to the grocery store and were told that he could get a free cake. So we ended up with the cake above that I'd ordered from a bakery downtown and a free grocery store cake. </div>
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We gave him his first cake that evening after dinner. He pushed it away and was completely uninterested. We decided presents would be more fun... we'd gotten him a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Jr-Jumpin-First-Trampoline/dp/B0026HXVQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329703571&sr=8-1" target="_blank">mini trampoline</a> that came earlier in the week along with a couple other things. His Aunt B sent him a fun package filled with birthday and Valentine treats so we called her and opened a few gifts. </div>
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We gave him the second cake the following day and he pushed it away too. Both cakes were really good, the grocery store cake was actually better than the bakery cake, but we like all cake around here. All in all, his actual birthday was quiet yet still special. The day before his birthday was a little more 'remember when' for me since I had such a <a href="http://iseehope.blogspot.com/2011/02/labor-delivery-short-version.html" target="_blank">long labor</a>. </div>
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We decided to have his BIG birthday celebration after his birthday and scheduled it for Feb. 18th in North Carolina so all of our family and friends could share with us. We chose a penguin/polar bear/snow theme since it snowed the night he was born. A friend recently reminded me that it also snowed the afternoon of my baby shower as guests were leaving... AND yesterday evening snow was predicted (but didn't happen). Winter/Snow theme just seemed perfect. I started thinking about it several months ago, end of summer maybe? So glad I did because I was able to take my time collecting things for the party.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5JfQLmxjRpM/T0GumKuGcqI/AAAAAAAAGjs/59o2DZ4ZERo/s1600/ginger-h-penguin+&+polarbear+flattened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5JfQLmxjRpM/T0GumKuGcqI/AAAAAAAAGjs/59o2DZ4ZERo/s640/ginger-h-penguin+&+polarbear+flattened.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
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(There was a bubble machine blowing bubbles for snow as guests arrived.)</div>
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(Hot chocolate and marshmallow favors for the adults)</div>
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(Polar bears with ice cream shaped bubbles for the dozen babies.)</div>
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CAKE! </div>
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...special cake shirt...</div>
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(the good news is that he didn't push it away this time...)</div>
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(he did however gag a little with his first bite!)</div>
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(after a little help things started picking up)</div>
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(and there was no stopping him)</div>
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(full on smash)</div>
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We had a GREAT time and are SO thankful to all of our family and friends (some who drove almost 8 hours (!) and many who drove one or more hours) for coming and sharing his special day. I'll post my party thoughts separate. There was definitely a handful of things I learned :)</div>
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(the famous pinterest penguins that we forgot to put on the table. oops.)</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0b5394; color: cyan; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">HAPPY, HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY OLIVER!!!</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0b5394; color: cyan; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">XOXOXOXO</span></b></div>
<br />GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-45833351729018802402012-02-10T10:27:00.001-05:002012-09-17T16:48:11.852-04:00The Honest Company - Review (Updated 9-17-12)<b>UPDATED 9/17/12</b><br />
<b>(Updates in bold are from June 2012 update those in red are from September 2012 update)</b><br />
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I've been following a new company, <a href="https://www.honest.com/" target="_blank">The Honest Company</a>, for a while now. It's basically an all natural-eco-friendly company started by Jessica Alba and Chris Gavigan. Their products boast to be the best and after reading about them, we decided to give it a try. <br />
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<b>We signed up for Honest Company's subscription on their opening day and have been using their products for almost <strike>six</strike><span style="color: red;"> nine</span> full months now. </b><br />
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I was a little disappointed to find that you can't just buy individual products, but since there were several I liked, it wasn't bad. So... you decide you want to try the products and you go sign up for a $4.95 trial. The trial includes travel/sample sizes of shampoo, lotion, hand soap, laundry detergent, and healing balm. You can also sign up for a trial of diapers and they send you 7 - more or less enough for one day. The company is in California and I'm in VA - I got my package in two days once shipped (so three or four total, very fast considering I ordered the first day they opened).</div>
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<b>Honest has added ordering for individual products - yay! Shipping is a little high, but overall not bad. </b><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Honest now allows those who have a subscription bundle to add products (up to 3 per month) to their bundle for the individual price. We are adding a product next month. Excited for this!</b></span><br />
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When you order the trial, you provide your credit card. If you don't cancel within 7 days of receiving the trial, you'll be charged $36.95 each month for the Family Essentials Bundle (the five items, but you get to pick other items once your first bundle is delivered), and $70 for the diaper bundle (you get four packs of diapers, definitely enough for a month if you use disposables). </div>
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I actually caught a great Zulily deal for $52 for both bundles so we did that and ordered before our trial was over. Before I get started with my thoughts on each item, I want to just share that I've called customer service several times about different things and they are fantastic. Seriously the best customer services I have, hands down, ever experienced. I don't know how they did it, but each one of their girls is amazing. I think I've talked to four different people now. My favorite was a girl who said, 'Oh I see you're in VA, I went to JMU...' We started talking and I casually asked if they got to hang out with Jessica Alba and she said yes and talked about how down to earth and nice she is. So cool, right?!</div>
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<b>We received several months bundles and then I realized we were pretty stocked and decided to call Honest and have them push back our next delivery date. The day I called, our bundle was already processing to ship - I decided to call anyway and they were able to stop it. Amazing customer service!! They are so, so nice and the program is actually a lot more flexible than they advertise. Once you're a customer, you really do get the feeling that you're part of their family. I've always felt very valued when I call and considering $40/month isn't a lot, it's really nice to feel that way from a company that is growing so quickly. I love how flexible and down to earth they are.</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Now, you can control when your bundles ship. It used to be that you had only seven days earlier or after about the 30th day in your cycle. It's been updated so you can adjust it however you like. We have been getting deliveries about every other month. It's just what works with our family's consumption. I love that I don't have to call each time.</span></b><br />
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So as I mentioned, the first month you get the automatic bundle that includes each full size of the trial items. I called though to see if they'd shipped our first bundle out because I wanted to see if they'd swap the laundry detergent for the multi-purpose cleaner. She said they couldn't do that b/c the bundle had shipped but offered to send me two free products. So, I got the cleaner and another hand soap (it's amazing). Free. And it came three days later. I called again just this week to cancel the diaper bundle because we still have every single pack and the person accidentally canceled both bundles. She set it back up (but I can't edit it now until after it ships, bummer) and offered to send me two more trial kits (I asked :)) since she goofed. So sweet. </div>
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Ok... now my thoughts:</div>
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-Shampoo: (It's also body wash but I prefer Dove soap.) I didn't care for the smell initially because it reminded me of the polish that my dentist uses (orange creme), but then I used it a couple times and ohmygosh, my hair was SO soft. Seriously, so so soft. After I used it for a few days, I got over the smell and now love it. The shampoo is my favorite. My only complaint is that you only get something like 6.5 oz while most comparable shampoos are closer to 10 or 12 oz. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">-Lotion: Another love. It says it's fragrance free, but it's not really. It may not have any additives to make it smell, but it does have a very light scent <b>(think rose oil) </b>that is so fresh and amazing. I keep this on top of the shower so I can use it while still damp. I wish the lotion was in a tube rather than a bottle.</span><br />
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-Healing Balm: I have used it on Oliver's bottom once and on very dry skin once. I really haven't used it enough to say much. I'm sure it's better than petroleum. <b>We've used the healing balm for various things and I love it. Dry skin, diaper area, chapped lips - you name it. I love that it's petroleum free.</b><br />
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-Laundry Detergent: I really want to like this. It's super concentrated (70 loads in each bottle) and I used half of it along with half Tide and had to rinse the load twice because of all the suds. Oops. I just need my clothes to smell fresh, but this detergent does clean well. If it had a smell, I would totally switch. <span style="color: red;"><b>Because it's such a good deal in the bundle, I still order this from time to time. I like it for random loads that aren't necessarily clothing or towels. Every now and then I'll use it on towels if I know I plan to use a fabric softener b/c then the softener smells so I still have the 'freshness.'</b></span><br />
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-Hand Soap: Love this too. It's lemon scented and delicious. We have two bottles and keep one in the kitchen and one in our bathroom. <br />
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-Multi-Purpose Cleaner: This is good too. My favorite thing about it is its light grapefruit scent (shocking since I don't like grapefruit as a food) and that it cleans my flat top stove with no streaks whatsoever. It's a winner.<br />
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<b>-Sunscreen: We like Honest sunscreen a lot. It is very, very thick. Beware! Chandler forgot once and looked like a ghost. :) It's not as strong as I'd prefer and I feel like I have to stay on top of re-application, but so far none of us have been burned while using it. Definitely be careful when using near clothing - we have one spot on a dark shirt, but it's light and not too noticeable. The only other sunscreen we use is Badger brand because it's SPF 30.</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">-Automatic Dishwasher Liquid Soap: Don't like at all. The several times we've used it our dishes have not come out clean :( Not sure if it's just our washer type (Kenmore) or the soap. We are back to big box brand for the dishwasher.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">-Dish Soap: The best comparison for Honest's dish soap is 7th Generation. I don't really have a lot to say about it... it's good. It doesn't have a scent. I think I've made it clear that I'd prefer a scent, but only because it make washing things by hand a little more fun. We use this and like it as much as you can like dish soap!</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">-Bug Spray: Really, really liked this! It was a new product launched late summer. It's a lot like California Baby. We used it on all of us and never had a problem with bugs. I'm hopeful that it will keep until next Spring.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">-Hair Conditioning Mist: Think spray detangler for your hair. I use it on my one-year old's hair in the morning and after naps. It works the same way Johnson and Johnson's detangler works but smells like Honest's shampoo. Yum! </span></b><br />
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-Diapers/Wipes: We have used only a handful but as far as disposable diapers are concerned, I love them. They are more absorbent than Earth's Best and 7the Generation. I think they are most comparable to an overnight diaper, but without the extra padding. I love the prints they come in - so cute. We ordered the skull and cross bone print and the anchor print. The wipes come with the bundle. I'll be honest, they're just okay. They are similar to other 'natural' wipes in that they are thin. I prefer Huggies wipes or cloth wipes. They're just thicker. We keep these in each bathroom and in the car for miscellaneous use.<br />
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<b>We got the diaper bundle in January and because we mainly use cloth, it lasted us 6 months. I will order again, but am waiting until Oliver is in a solid size 4 because he definitely won't be a size 3 for another 6 months and a 4 is still a little too big right now. </b><br />
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<b>I would LOVE if you could add a pack of diapers to the family bundle. </b><br />
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<b>I'm not a huge fan of the wipes, they're a little too thin for my liking - but I do like the concept and I keep a pack on the back of each toilet for adult use. I also keep a pack in the car for wiping dirty hands and faces.</b><br />
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Overall, I'm really impressed with The Honest Company. If I could make changes I would make the shampoo and lotion in a tube rather than a bottle and I'd prefer to have different bundle options. For example, the only options now are monthly and you get a set number of products (5). It would be nice to have options for that, 3-product bundle, 5-product bundle - and then have an option to add a product to that if you only needed one more. <br />
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Right now the only option is to subscribe for two bundles, which is silly. They are awesome in that you can order one month and then cancel. Then wait a month and subscribe again... that's annoying though. They need to set up different options for people and I think they will. I've been keeping up with them on Facebook and they've had a lot of great feedback like this from other people. A great example are the number of people who, like us, cloth diaper and only use a handful of disposables at a time. Having a quarterly diaper bundle would be great for that situation. <br />
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<b>See above for my comments on their monthly service, but you don't have to cancel and re-start, <span style="color: red;">just log into your account and adjust the date of your next deliver. </span><strike>you can simply call them and they'll just not send a bundle during the month(s) you don't need it. </strike> They rock like that :)</b><br />
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We will keep the Family Essentials bundle subscription indefinitely. Even Chandler likes it. :)<br />
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<b>After <strike>six</strike> <span style="color: red;">nine </span>months of using products from the Honest Company - we are still very pleased and like the product and the company very much. I would encourage you to try it if you prefer a more natural product. We check EWG.org for just about everything and Honest has consistently rated very well. We're impressed!</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Honest recently started a referral program. For every friend you refer you get $10 credit. Here's my referral link </span></b><span style="color: red;"><b>http://honest.com/19383 if you feel led to join right now :) xo</b></span><br />
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(Disclaimer: I did not receive any of these items free. I simply thought it would be helpful to write a review since the company is new and people were probably curious about the products.)</div>
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GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431848885886526817.post-52967378121225725542012-02-09T23:45:00.003-05:002012-02-09T23:47:35.138-05:0012 Months!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;"><b>Oliver is 12 months!</b></span></div>
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<b>Weight: </b>20lbs (unofficial, but seems consistent every time I weigh him)<br />
<b>Height:</b> Probably the same as last month, 27.5" but possibly 28" <br />
<b>Teeth:</b> 8, more coming in slowly (very, very slowly - as in not sure which ones, but having classic teething symptoms as with the previous eight)<br />
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<b>Diapers: </b>Just wrote a <a href="http://iseehope.blogspot.com/2012/02/cloth-diapering-one-year-later.html" target="_blank">detailed diaper post</a>. The short version is this... still using disposables when it's necessary (travel or running around) - cloth at home (which is most of the time). I have noticed my preference for type and brand has changed. A friend recently had a baby (Sweet Ruby!) and liked Rumparooz. I ordered a couple, liked them, got another half a dozen. I'm also loving bumGenius right now. All of them. Elementals, 4.0 (tried and true despite that I kind of hated them a while back), and Freetime. <br />
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<b>Clothes: </b>Mostly 9 month. Some 12 month sizes. Carter's 12m is still too big, 9m fits perfect - except pajamas. We have a couple zipper 9m that he can still wear but otherwise the 9m are too short and the 12m are way too long. PJs without feet, 12m is fine. Gymboree he can actually still wear 3-6m tops. Go figure. He can also pull off 6-12m and sometimes 12-18m. Who does these sizes anyway?! I really don't understand why they don't use weight instead of age. Size 3.5 shoe (in Stride Rite).<br />
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<b>Food: </b>We are still nursing and doing solids about 50/50. He nurses in the morning when he wakes up. Has breakfast (usually Cheerios and yogurt or a waffle and yogurt or fruit) and nurses briefly again before his AM nap. We aren't really giving him lunch in a routine yet. He nurses well midday and then goes down for a nap, wakes up and nurses briefly. He eats a solid dinner and then nurses before bed. When I move him from the swing to our bed around 10:30, he nurses briefly then and maybe once at night if he wakes up. He eats just about any food. So far there is nothing he has spit out or not eaten. He loves macaroni, yogurt, apples/applesauce, and Cheerios (This makes his Aunt B very proud!). Oh, when he's done nursing he clicks his tongue. It's the cutest. ...and he's a super wiggly nurser. It drives me crazy most of the time. He still hasn't bitten me but I fear my time is coming. I try to redirect him when he's done and just hanging out to prevent it. He also likes to fiddle with whatever side he's not nursing on at that time. ...and he'll often blow raspberries on me. He's a hoot to nurse lately. <br />
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<b>Sleep/Naps: </b>Wakes up around 6:30, after he's been up for a couple hours, takes a one hour AM nap. (He would sleep two hours most days if I let him, but if I do, he won't take a good PM nap and that one is more valuable.) He naps again between 12:30 and 2:00 depending on the day. Tues/Thurs when I go into work for a few hours, he doesn't nap until close to 2:00 when we get home. Other days, it's all I can do to try to keep him up until 1:00. This nap is usually 2.5-3 hours long. Lately they've been 2.5 hours. He goes to bed around 8:00. He still sleeps with us and has become a rather wild sleeper. He twists and literally makes a snow angle go 360. Thank goodness I have a bed rail on my side!<br />
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<b>Says: </b>Mama, Dada, bye, hi.<br />
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<b>What he's up to?</b><br />
-He continues to be the fastest crawler I've ever seen. People are always telling me how fast he is. Mm hm. Yes. We think he will be slow to walk because he's easily frustrated and has an extremely short attention span and prefers to crawl to get to where he wants to go since he can do that faster. I'm fine with him not walking. I prefer it actually. Once he walks, he'll officially be a toddler and no longer a sweet, needy baby. Sigh. Guess we'll have to make another pretty soon. <br />
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-He hasn't shown a lot of interest in communication. Lately, I've found that I have his attention the best in the bathtub. He's learned 'bye' and where mama's nose is from hanging out in the bathtub. If a bath is what it takes, then smart and clean he will be. :)<br />
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-He LOVES his toys. As much as I hate being a consumer, it's hard not to want to buy him fun things when I see how much he enjoys them. I never understood parents waiting in line for the best new toy until seeing Oliver get excited about something. I can no longer say I won't be that parent. However, I have another post in my head about consumerism and materialism and general clutter. One day...<br />
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-He still loves Nola. She yawns and he thinks it's the funniest thing he's seen. Her tail wags and he falls over laughing. Heaven help him when she comes up to sniff his milk breath. He's hilarious. And she is SO good with him. I was worried about how she'd be since we had some aggression issues. We're still extremely careful to keep her food off the floor when he's crawling or to keep them separate in general when food is involved. She loves licking his fingers when he holds his hands down on the sides of the high chair. Gross and cute all at the same time.<br />
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-His hair is sooooo long. I will not cut it. I'm holding out until the summer. Or later. Or sooner if I decide I can't take it anymore. He's totally rocking out a mullet. And it's in his eyes. He can deal. Mama has issues. Admitting it is part of the solution. Perhaps by summer I'll be cured and he can have a haircut.<br />
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-He's recently been okay with me cutting his finger/toenails. I used to have to wait until he was asleep, until it woke him up. Now, he sits in my lap and watches. I'm amazed at how well he does. Big boy!<br />
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(No diaper in this picture, I like to live on the edge. :))</div>
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-BIG NEWS this month, he's learned to use a sippy cup! He prefers a Playtex style that has a straw but he also likes a Nuk that has an all silicone spout. It's so odd that he prefers the soft spouts since he never took a bottle. I'm half tempted to give him a bottle of water just to see what he'd do, but I'm too lazy to climb up to the top shelf to get them down. <br />
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I know there are more things I'm forgetting. I used to be better about keeping up with milestones and then I got a new phone that is way better (went from android to iPhone), but the apps are different so my notepad is not as easy to use for bullets. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (I can't believe I'm getting this posted EARLY! Only an hour and twenty minutes early, but early no less!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>GinHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03322213876092601832noreply@blogger.com3