O.M.G.

I cannot believe it passed. It's surreal because I know that we all know there are changes to come. Feels strangely similar to the year 2000....we knew there were changes, not the end of the world but the end of something familiar and the beginning of something unknown. I'm scared to see what happens to our country now.

On a more fun note, Troy is now saying "da-da". He actually looks at Brian and says it. Did it yesterday and again this morning when he saw Brian. Took a month's worth of practice. Wonder what we should work on now?

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Parking Lot Stalkers/Hoarders

You know who you are. The ones who ride around the parking lot looking for the "best" spot you can find. You want to get inside Target or Wal-Mart but can't walk an extra 25 yards to get to the door. I know you. I watch you while I drive myself to the very back of the parking lot and park. By the time I'm in the door, you're still driving around trying to find that perfect parking spot.

Today, I'm at Wal-Mart driving around, trying to find a decent spot, find one and I'm in. The person whose spot I took left her cart just hanging out - not put up. So I figure I'll take that one (I'll get back to that in a minute). Wal-Mart is not my most favorite place, right? I sanitize the cart, put a seat thingy on the cart and stick Troy in it (no, I'm not really a germaphobe). I'm glad I did because he IMMEDIATELY sticks his entire mouth on the handle. Ladies and gentlemen, please don't just trust that those handles are clean because they're not - my child apparently likes to try to eat them!

So in we go, I get all of my stuff, check out and I'm out the door. I see those stalkers driving around. I make it to my car (and yes, I did have a pretty good parking spot). Park the cart at the back of the car, open the liftgate and before I even start loading my stuff in it, I hear it...that oblivious vehicle's roaring engine right behind me. I slowly turn my head to the right and there is a woman in the car with her blinker on as if to proclaim to the other stalkers that my currently occupied spot is HERS. She's taking it. Don't get in her way because she WILL get in yours. I'm not a fan of throwing things in the car - you know, things need to stay in order. So, as I unload my stuff, all I can hear is her car. I wonder if she realizes I have a baby. Of course she does! He's right THERE! Everything gets loaded, I shut the back and.....well, I can't just leave the cart hanging. This is my pet peeve. You ask me about my pet peeve over the last 10+ years and it is when people don't put their carts up! Had she rolled down her window and said she'd take my cart, I would have left that sucker. She didn't. I walked the cart to it's home and left her properly stowed. Carried Troy back to the car, placed him in the carseat, walked around, started the car, backed up and on we went.

So back to the deserted cart. Why? Seriously, why do people leave their carts in parking lots. You're pregnant? OH, okay.....wait, I was pregnant before, too. I still put mine up. Yes, my pregnancy was easy so maybe I should show a little patience in that arena. What? What did you say? You have a BABY! That's right, I would think that would make things harder, too. Guess what? I have a baby, too. I can still put my groceries up, drive my baby in the cart to put it up and still make it back to my car to put him in the carseat. Hmmmm.....

Just finding that interesting today (insert smiley face here)!!! I'm totally not bitter but I often think about that. The lady whose spot I took in the parking lot was pregnant. She probably put more effort in shoving the cart on top of the curve when she could have just walked it to its home.


Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Can I say that I'm glad hump day is just about over? I'm not one to be ready for a few days to be over but I am today! It's just been one of those weeks. I'm still working part time but it seems to be more than that sometimes. I'm grateful for my job, I love what I do but sometimes things get a bit hectic. This week (and the weeks before) have been that way. So, supposedly my week of work is over. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

One of my good friends is getting married soon. A group of us are throwing her an engagement party. It will be interesting to go shopping at Sam's with Troy and buy the beer, wine and some food for the group. Hmmm....

Anyway, happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone (although the day is just about over). Troy was sporting his onesie I appliqued. I usually use computer generated appliques but have toyed around with cutting them out myself and applying them without the hoop or a computer. I'm not happy with the top but it was fun to try something new! He wore it to the support group last week. I hope the other moms don't think I'm crazy with the amount of clothes this child has hand made and appliqued (that rhymes).

Oh yeah, and this past weekend T-man got to ride in his wagon for the first time. We stuffed it with a quilt I made the first year we were married (almost 10 years ago) because we were afraid he would get tired of sitting up and would plump right over. He decided to "hang" his arm over the side. Reminded me of someone who would ride low in a car.

So lastly, our friend's boy, Alan, turned a year a couple of weeks ago. His Birthday party was last weekend. It was neat for Troy to go to his first friends' first birthday!

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Troy is Six Months Old

So when you think of a human being at 30 years and 6 months, it isn't a big deal, right? Or, someone at 19 years and 6 months. 5 1/2 years old (by the way, when did we stop saying we were x-and a half years old?)...I now know that 6 months is a big difference from, say...6 weeks. A person changes more in the first year than any other year of their lives. Amazing.

So our little, or rather chunky, Troy is 6 months old. Below is a photo of his amazing, wonderful HALF birthday! We celebrated with pureed carrots - yummy. It's much more difficult to photo him....I hear it gets much, much more difficult. I made this little outfit with the bubble gum machine applique. It is also reversible. It has a giraffe on the other side. I thought I ordered a crocodile. I figured I might as well use it anyway. Oh well!

Here are his stats:

Weight: 20 pounds (90th percentile)

Height: 28 inches (90th percentile)

Head: 17.2 inches (50th percentile)

He's a ham STILL. He still loves to smile, he's learned to "tap" as we call it but it's more like hitting. Not sure what to do about that yet. He puts everything in his mouth, including as much of a person's face, hair, etc. he can fit in his mouth. He's started saying 'ba' and I just heard him say "DA" tonight. It's about time. We've been saying 'da da' to him daily for at least a month. Of course "mama" is his favorite and he seems to say it mostly when he's hungry. He sits up pretty good for several minutes, rolls over like crazy, loves his jumperoo and his Lamaze butterfly.

He sleeps about 10-11 hours at night. As I am typing this, he has discovered the keyboard and wants to type. If only I could take a picture of me restraining him with my elbows as I type and he puts his mouth on my arms...I think that's it...

I've been busy sewing. The outfits he is wearing (minus the Auburn one) are ones I've made recently. I just love sewing for him! Or maybe it is that I love sewing, I don't know. I'll have to post some photos of what I've made recently. Selfishly, I've made things mostly for Troy. There are babies born who I want to make things for but haven't made the time. I will one of these days. After all, most of the things I make aren't for newborns anyway!

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

I hope this video works!

Cloth Diaperin'

Why? Well, for the cost, the environment and because they’re so darn cute!

I chose the highest-rated-least-expensive route I could find. I’ve only used gdiapers. I have about a dozen now. Started out by purchasing one pack of 6 – this came to $11 per diaper. My husband saw them and said, “What’s up with the weird vanilla and orange colored ones, don’t they have more boy-ish ones?”. My answer was, “yes, they do, but they cost a lot more. If I’m going to get you on board with this cloth diapering thing, I’d like to make sure I don’t waste a lot of money.” No comment was received. Anywhoo…I did not purchase any of the biodegradable refills (or gfills) because they’re over .40 cents each – more than a disposable diaper. I might get a wild hair and buy some cute, decorative ones at one point. I have monogrammed one of his diapers - why not, right?

So here’s what we have: about a dozen gdiapers. You can see the snap-in liner in the middle, left (came with the gdiapers):

You have to purchase the inserts (absorbent part) separately to go inside the liners. A few extra inserts:
Even some cloth wipes. I asked some people from support group and they suggested I try Abby’s Lane if I was going to purchase a few things and they have FREE SHIPPING! Compared the prices to amazon and it was about the same. I purchased the following wipes: thirsties, happy heiny and swaddlebees. They're all good and useful in and of themselves.

Then I purchased a “pail” liner from Abby’s Lane. I placed it in a regular garbage can with a lid which seems to keep everything tidy, clean and smelling good.

And a waterproof bag for the diaper bag. The one below from Planet Wise is nice because it has 2 zipper sections. One is for the dirty stuff and the other is for the clean stuff. I got a recipe for a wipe liquid form my friend Lindsay. It's very simple: baby oil, baby soap and water. Smells good and works great.

We have even taken them out of town and used only cloth diapers. No accidents, no messed up outfits – it was awesome! If you don't change the diaper every 2-3 hours, you may end up with a wet diaper but other than that, there aren't any issues. B is totally on board, too. I was very surprised but for now, it really hasn't been an issue. We've been at this for about 2 months and so far, so good!

There are some extra steps to take to clean them. I use Charlie's liquid soap, about 1/4 of a cap to a small load. Use hot water, set to soak for 30 minutes, add a 2nd rinse, wash every 2 days and dry in a medium dryer.

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Milkin'

If you’re male, this post is NOT for you…

I’m sharing this for a few reasons: 1. People have asked; 2. I want to remember; 3. I think it’s important. So…I’m still a nursing. There are several reasons for that (of which I’ll detail another time). But, for now…I thought I should share my insights on the subject. I bought a pre-owned Medela Pump in Style pump (yes, U-S-E-D)! So what – it seems to be fine and my child is fine – so far. I spent approximately $219 less than I would have if purchased new (not counting tax/shipping). It’s been cleaned thoroughly.

Now what? Well, you have to get parts. Should you already have them, skip this part. I purchased my parts from a store in Northport, AL. However, our local hospital has them and if purchased, there is no tax added. It was cheaper for me to purchase them from the site in Northport, AL. They also have information on what is needed for your particular pump.

Storage: This is what got me. What to buy? Do you get the same brand as your pump? Not necessarily. I prefer the Lansinoh bags. They are made of durable plastic. I’ve tried Gerber and Medela brands (uh, why are these also sold @ BBandBeyond?). When traveling, the Medela bag is nice because it has a neat little paper part that holds onto the end of the pump (that attaches to you). Gerber doesn’t freeze as well for me. Be careful when sealing the Medela ones – they can leak. Bottles are nice because you don’t have to deal with a mess. At first, the 2 oz. ones are perfect. When your baby gets bigger and eats more, the 7 or 8 oz bottles are ideal. When at home, I use a bottle and pour the milk into the plastic bags to freeze.

Before I pour the milk into the bag, I label the same with the date and number of ounces. I make different sizes because he doesn't always drink a certain amount each time. Sometimes it's 4, 5, 6 or 7:

Next, I lay it flat in this little container and place it in the freezer. Thanks to Mary, I know that freezing them flat equals easy thawing.

The only downside to freezing the bags is you have to throw them away afterwards – and it’s plastic!

Lastly, here is my collection as of the end of January. As you can see from the date, I took the photos in January. Over a month later, I am now running out of space for milk. I'm grateful because I think it's a good problem to have. Thank goodness we have a refrigerator/freezer outside - I've taken up one shelf out there. I don't want to waste any milk, either. Storing it in a freezer like this is okay for 3, maybe 4 months. In a deep freeze, it's good for 6 months. In the refrigerator, 5 days (about the same as cow's milk). Room temperature milk (not previously frozen) is good for up to 10 hours although I don't keep it for more than 6 or 7 hours. Thawed milk is okay for about an hour.

If you see the photo correctly, you'll notice we have 2 shelves for our frozen food. Hmmmmm...

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Last Basketball Game at Beard Eaves

Troy and I had our first "date" last night. Auburn Men's Basketball played their last game in the Beard-Eaves Coliseum last night. The new coliseum is just about finished. I have to say it is a little sad that the old one is going away. There are a lot of memories, for so so many, in that building!

Our family split season tickets with another family and we ended up with tickets to the last game. Brian has had meetings every night this week and I knew 5 1/2 month old Troy was dying to go to the game. He's been to basketball games before but I wasn't sure how things would be with just me but he was great! He really enjoyed watching people walk up and down the stairs, smile at them and see them smile back at him! Again, a little ham he is!

Here are some photos I took with my camera phone. Not the best quality at all. But, Troy was dressed appropriately in his Auburn attire, thanks to a few appliques by mother dearest.

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Troy's Christening

I'm quite late at posting due to being busy at home, going out of town and just not taking the time to sit down and blog.
Troy was Christened (or dedicated) on Sunday, February 21st. B and I want to be good role models for him, raise him in the church, pray for him, pray with him and generally plant the seeds God leads us to plant in an effort to lead him in the correct direction. We pray he will accept Christ into his heart one special day. Sunday was absolutely beautiful. After having some cold and crazy (snow, rain) weather, God really made the day perfect! The ceremony was at our church, Cornerstone UMC in Auburn. Ironically, the four other children dedicated were in our small group! One would assume that we planned it but none of us did. We still are in awe with that situation!


We had friends and family come to witness this special day including my mom, dad, B's parents, Grandma, Mamama, Crawford, Jeff, Amy, Jake, Brooke, Lanier, Jeannie, Becky, Bill, Hank, Anna, Mary, Josh, Colt, Kenny, Jennifer, Evelyn, Eve, Reagan, Doug, Bucky, Meredith, Claire, Greg, Michelle, Laura, Jack and Alan. With the help of Memama, we had a few appetizers, salad, lasagna and a cute cake with Troy's name, a cross and Proverbs 22:6 written below the cross. I think we had 33 people?

He was a ham. And, I mean a HAM! We joked that he was the youngest child, with the least amount of hair and the most fabric. While we stood in front of the church, he babbled the WHOLE time! Thankfully Josh got it on camera. He was so sweet, too! Thanks to Evelyn for taking about 250 photos at the house - it has taken me a while to go through them all!

I haven't taken the time to edit any of these photos but I thought I should go ahead and post them now anyway!

I have so many photos of the day but can only put a few on here at a time. I've included a few of my favorites.

Here is my mom and me with T and the gown that we worked so hard to make...

Most of our family made it for the photo. We are missing Rebecca, Amy, Brooke and Bill.

I love this photo of Jeannie with Troy. She has a great smile.

I love this photo of Jennifer and Colt. He was all about some JuJu!

Me and Mary with our boys.

KK and Troy:

The invitation:

The cake:

Our small group is so special and we are very grateful to be a part of such a loving, praying and special community. If you have a special prayer request, our small group has your back, 110%. It's truly amazing. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed with the response (multiple emails) but I'm grateful for the consistency and dedication. Katie graciously took many photos for us and I'm so grateful! Thank you Katie! Below is a photo of most of the folks from our small group. We're missing two couples...doesn't look so small in this photo, I guess! You'll see the "Love Wins" sign. One of the men in our group was baptized that Sunday. He was Jewish!

The night before the dedication (and before our friends/family came over to eat), Brian and I went to a Masquerade Ball. I was a bit tired after planning and preparing the meals and the house so it was nice to have a little break. Memama and Grandy babysat. Thanks guys!

Before we left to go out:

My little man...He is so charming! Okay...so his first word is Mama. Not kidding. He first said "Ma" right at 5 months. I went out of town for the first time without him (overnight), came back and he was saying Mama like it was going out of style. I have to admit that I've been working on him with it a lot! I'll post a video of it soon if I can figure out how to get it from my phone onto the pc.

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own