five years

Happy FIFTH Anniversary to this precious man. 

I am beyond thankful for you, David Geyer. You've made these last five years more fun than I ever could have dreamed. Thank you for loving me so well!

cloth diaper update

I've had several friends lately who want to get into cloth diapering. It can be SO overwhelming and complex, I decided to just write what works for US down so I can share it easily. I figured the best place to save it is here on the ol' blog for easy reference. Most of you will want to ignore this :)

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Here's the first post I wrote back when we first started CDing Crawford. Surprisingly, not too much has changed about our actual system. When he began eating solid foods (around 6mo), his poop became disgusting so we couldn't just drop the whole diaper in the pail. Now we spray them out into the toilet and keep a large zippered wet bag in the bathroom just for used-to-have-poo-on-them diapers. We found they stunk up the regular can if we added them in there, plus they are usually wet from spraying so it's best to not have to carry them too far.

However, LOTS has changed about our actual diapers. I started off buying mainstream diapers (BumGenius, Bumkins, Charlie Banana, Best Bottoms, etc.) from traditional sources  - UNTIL I learned about coops. Facebook is chalk full of these groups that do large bulk buys directly from the manufacturers in China, and you can get great deals on some of my favorite diapers (and accessories). I’ve since sold all my “name brand” stuff and replaced it with muuuuch cheaper (and better, in my opinion) diapers. You do have to wait longer to get your diapers, and you pay shipping and a handful of fees. Even still, the diapers are significantly cheaper than what you find in mainstream venues. Also, facebook has lots of groups for re-selling your used (or sometimes new) diapers. People will often over-buy from a coop and then resell. The benefit there is getting what you need much quicker than waiting for a large buy to run in a group. And, it's nice to know that you can try different things and resell whatever doesn't work for you.

Here is my list of what I would recommend/what works for us:

Cloth Diaper supplies:

·      Wet bags- 2-4. I prefer wet/dry bags that have 2 zippers so you can put your clean diapers in the front and dirty ones in the big pouch. http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-Wet-Dry-Diaper/dp/B005WWI0DA/ref=pd_cp_ba_0 (~$20 from Amazon, ~$3 from a coop)

·      Rubbish sack/elastic diaper pail liner-2. (http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-Diaper-Pail-Liner/dp/B003XSEV2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334242982&sr=8-3) (~$16 from Amazon, ~$4-5 from a coop)

·      Trashcan- It’s nice for us to have one that has the foot lever since my hands are usually full of a wiggly toddler.

·      Cloth-diaper safe detergent. This is a great chart showing you what is safe: https://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm. I wanted to find ONE detergent to use for all of our laundry that I could buy somewhere I regularly visit, so we’ve been using Publix Free and Clear and it works great.

Optional:

·      Cloth wipes and spray- I use a solution of 2 c water + 2 T baby soap in a spray bottle

·      Toilet sprayer- We would consider this not optional, but I know some people don’t have one or don’t use it. I don’t know how. Crawford’s poop (since eating real food) has mostly been a peanut-buttery consistency.  Diaper sprayer is critical!

Geyer diaper preferences:

·      One-size pockets and covers/inserts, all with snaps

o   Alva 4.0/Double Gusset http://www.alvababy.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=59 (more pics here: http://www.getbacktobasics.net/Alvababy-40.html) ($6.99 compared to a BumGenius 4.0 that is about $17.95)

·      Covers/inserts

o   Flips or knock offs like Happy Flutes/Pororos from a coop http://www.flipdiapers.com/flipcover.php (~$2.75 from a coop compared to a Flip that is $14.95)

o   Charcoal Bamboo Inserts  http://www.getbacktobasics.net/Charcoal-Bamboo-Insert.html (~$1.75 from a coop)

Now that I’m preparing to cloth diaper both boys simultaneously, I’ve really beefed up my stash. I have about 30 (I think) diapers. About half of mine are Alva 4.0s and half are Pororo/Flip covers (which can usually be used for several diaper changes each by changing out the insert at each change).  Starting off, especially if you’re not using cloth at night (we didn’t for a LONG time because he leaked out of everything and it wasn’t worth messing up good sleep), I think a stash of 18 or so is more than enough to get your feet wet. I recently helped a friend get 18 of my favorite diapers + inserts, 2 wet bags and 2 pail liners for $200 total. Considering that that could theoretically diaper her little boy all the way through to potty training, you can't beat that kind of deal!

If you have any questions, please let me know! I am NO expert, but I know what has worked for us for the past 18ish months.

Life lately

I've been trying to be better lately about taking pictures with the "real" camera, and it turns out that I just get pictures at meal times and playing outside. But really, we spend about 70% of our time doing one of those two things so I guess this is an accurate depiction of our daily lives. 

A few related things to note: 

1) Crawford hates it when I take pictures of him on my phone, but when I pull out the real camera (especially when he is eating) he makes this awesome squinty face. 

2) Obviously this child is infatuated with balls. And, he largely knows what to do with them (dribble a soccer ball, hit with a hockey stick, throw a football, etc.). I think David breathes a sigh of relief each time he sees him throw a ball that he got his coordination not mine. I'm ok with that too.

So precious. Daddy getting home is the best part of the day!

cousins visit

Last weekend the Johnsons stopped in for a weekend visit on their way to vacation in Gatlinburg. We finished the new room literally hours before their arrival, and boy were we glad to have that out of our hair for their visit! They have had a new baby (Hadley!) since they were here last, so their four kiddos and our one made for a fun and lively weekend. We had such a great time together. The twins and Crawford are into just about the same stuff, so they played well "together" (C is still learning how to share...). It was so fun having a new baby around too. Crawford didn't care much about her, but when he periodically noticed her he just said "baby!" and moved on. We'll see how he feels when baby Lawson never leaves... 

Saturday night Jim and Cathy were passing through town on their way from Florida to Ohio, so we got to all be together for dinner. What a special treat!

Crawford, true life.

Where do I begin? I just put the little boy down for bed (to him saying "vacuum! vacuum?" because David is cutting the grass), and my heart is full. And exhausted.

I'm afraid I've been too positive in my monthly updates of this little guy, and I haven't adequately expressed the difficulty that is Crawford these days. I want to remember the fun and the joy, but I want to be realistic and not just paint some picnics and butterflies picture of our jolly little life. Especially because I have a feeling that I'll look back on these posts when Lawson is X months and see how the two compare, I want to record it all - the good, bad and the frustrating.

And, to be honest, there's a lot of "frustrating" going on these days.

I think we do pretty well at home when it is just the two of us, but when we are around other people (which is every day!) I feel like I am constantly making excuses for his crankiness. He's teething. He woke up early. He woke up late. He is hungry. yadda, yadda, yadda... I think I so desperately want people to think he is a good, fun kid (he is! I promise!) and to approve my parenting "skills". Or, at least not judge my lack thereof.

I tell people regularly that God is so good to simultaneously make kids more fun as they become more challenging. I am constantly thankful that Crawford can give kisses and make silly faces and talk so much and dunk a basketball and color pictures (well, you know...) because without those simple joys, the tantrums and whining and defiance would maybe be too much to handle some days.

What I remember being the most difficult about the first few months of Crawford's life was the mental stress of knowing/not knowing how to care for a child. How to feed him enough and sleep train and buy the right car seat and the list goes on and on. I'm realizing now (finally! 17 months into this whole ordeal!) that that mental engagement NEVER ends, and I need to figure out how to handle it in a healthy way. I need to seek advice from godly friends and older women (choose selectively people I won't feel judged by!); genuinely trust the Lord, even with the simplest of decisions (has he slept too long? should I wake him up? will he sleep later?); discern the guiding of the Spirit throughout my mundane-ist of days, when a simple trip to the park will revolutionize our attitudes.

I prayed with him as I put him down, and I thanked the Lord for the good times and the hard times because they edify us and make us rely on Him more. I pray that Crawford feels that way about life some day. And in the mean time, I need a lot of edification. And chocolate.