Cloth Diapered Kiddos

I have finally started cloth diapering Mr. Man during the day time...I am in the process of buying some new ones for him but in the meantime, I have a few I can put on him that Miss A doesn't fit anymore. I do have one brand new one for him and I got a photo of him wearing it the other day while Miss A was wearing a Bum Genius. In this photo, he's wearing a GroBaby...I like these because they are All-in-Two's which means you can snap in the soaker and take it out and put a new one in without having to wash the outer cover (as long as it's not wet or poopy)-

This time around I know that I want to use different cloth diapers for him than I did for her. I am tired of the velcro dipes because when I pull them out of the dryer it's just a big mass or string of diapers all balled up or attached to one another. So, I want diapers that snap this time! I also don't want pocket diapers anymore because I don't enjoy stuffing them when they are cleaned and ready to be put away. I want to use All-in-Ones (AIO) or All-in-Twos (AI2) this time and I want them in One Size (OS) so that they can be used as he grows. This limits my choices majorly. There are only a handful of companies or WAHM's that make what I am looking for and especially in prints. I found a couple of ladies through Diaper Swappers and etsy.com that make what I am looking for and Bum Genius also makes an option but they are the priciest and they only come in a few colors. I did order one velcro AIO for F.J. but hopefully I will be able to wash it with the rest of his snapping diapers and it won't be that bad when I pull them out of the dryer.

After putting Mr. Man in regular diapers for the first 7 months, I am enjoying putting him in cloth diapers and getting cute boy prints and colors. I read an article in Mothering Magazine on cloth diapers that reignited the excitement about cloth diapering and got me back into it. (Miss A has continued to be cloth diapered in the hopes that she will not enjoy being wet and will potty train soon...I think it's gonna take me buying her some regular panties though.)

Parks and More Parks

We've been hitting up lots of parks around here lately...I found a nice soft-ground playground and Miss A loved playing there because of all the different little "stores" it had there. We also went on a playdate outting to a local animal park. We had a wagon (hayride) ride when we first arrived and then Miss A got to ride in a smaller wagon with her friend, P. Here are some photos from the different parks:
At Frying Pan Park-A Mama pig with her piglets...I realized I don't think I've ever seen this in real life...at least that I can remember...

 

Miss A and P looking at the chickens-

 

Playing on the playground-

At Hadley's Park-

 

F.J.'s spot-

Dinosaur park-
It was sweet being here again because I brought Miss A here back in October of '08 right after she had started crawling-
now-

and then-

now-

 

and then-

Truck Days

We went to Truck Days a couple of Fridays ago and Miss A got to climb up into some big trucks! She loved getting to do this but you know what she really loved? The yellow construction hat that she got (she calls it her "fire engine hat") and the butterfly tattoo the man put on her arm. Hey, the girl loves her "accessories"!
We went with a couple of friends and their boys so I've got some photos of them all in their strollers. Miss A is sitting on the front of our BOB stroller while F.J. is actually buckled into the seat part...yeah, we REALLY need to decide on a double stroller soon.

 Miss A and her friend, Mr. I-

 Showing off that tatt on her arm-

Crawling!

Mother's day weekend F.J. was able to sit up with out propping himself and then a week later...this past Saturday, while I was grocery shopping at Wegman's with Miss A, he started crawling...like for real crawling with both knees. He's been doing a hybrid crawl for a month now but this time it was with both knees and both hands!

He has also been trying to get up on his knees! Today I saw him pulling up on the stairs and standing up on his knees. I can't believe this little guy is mobile!

Next week, we are traveling to Louisiana to visit my family so the rest of my family can finally meet F.J. I am so ready for them all to see him. MIss A and I haven't been home in almost a year and E hasn't been to Louisiana in a year and a half. We will have two flights so it will be another "adventure" for us...I am already writing up a packing list and mentally preparing. Pray for safe and easy travels and for good health before we leave and while we are there.

Baby Dedication

We had our baby boy dedicated at our church on Mother's Day. We were blessed to have E's mom there and his aunt and uncle came all the way from NJ and his dad came from MD. Some photos from the weekend-

Baby F sat up without propping himself up that weekend for the first time Baby F sat up without propping himself up that weekend for the first time - 

Love this pic of Uncle Rob and F.J.smiling- 

Some funny faces of baby F-

Miss A leaning over to give her baby brother a kiss on his head-Baby F being dedicated by our pastor, Chris-

A family photo-from left, Grandpapa holding baby F, E holding Miss A, Me, and Gramma on the end or as Miss A would call her "Grandmon"...Uncle Rob thought that sounded Rastafarian...
A family photo taken by our neighbor, Danielle-

7 Months Old!

Our little guy turned 7 months old last weekend and he also had a surprise visit to the doctor last Saturday due to being "hemmed up" as my husband likes to say.
Poor little guy! He loves to eat solid foods but they don't seem to agree with him though. Last Saturday was a really rough day starting with a doctor's visit, and then progressing to the use of suppositories and then finally some good messy diapers that made him feel better. But he got hemmed up again a couple of days later and I was feeling like giving up on the solids! However, after some internet research and a good trip to the grocery store, I feel like I am better prepared for his sensitive intestines.

So here are some stats and firsts:
-He had his first X-ray yesterday. The X-ray was of his chest and the second opinion doctor prefers to have one done before seeing a patient. They like to do a pulmonary function test during the visit and compare it to the x-ray. Anyway, he cried during the x-ray but he didn't scream and was happy when it was over.
The new doctor's visit will be next Thursday.

-He now weighs 16 pounds and is 27 inches long. His head measures 44 cm.

-A few weeks ago he sat up all on his own while we were at the park and now he loves to do that.

-He can sit up for longer periods of time now. He is also able to sit up without using his hands but still usually prefers to lean over on his hands.

-He has a hybrid crawl that Miss A also did when she first started trying to crawl. He pulls one knee in and then kind of pushes along with the other foot.

-He also likes to hold himself up on one arm.

-He is blowing raspberries all the time and I sense the "b" sound coming soon.

-He found his feet!


At the park-The first time he sat up all on his own (then he proceeded to fall over...poor guy!)-
One-arm push ups-
Trying to crawl-
Got that foot-
"Yeah...I'm sucking my thumb...And?"