Milestones

Once you hit one year of age the 'big' milestones of a baby's life are pretty much complete. The days of snapping crazy amounts of pictures are over and there are far fewer major milestones to be had. Drew has had quite a few smaller ones lately and I wanted to take a second to share the news on those and give my baby a nice, quiet golf clap for his accomplishments.

~ Cold Liquids: Drew never really liked anything cold and up until about a week ago, we had been warming up his milk for him. Not too warm, but just to take the edge off cold milk. Well our new daycare gives them milk straight from the fridge, so after a few rough days of milk protests, he's fully drinking cold milk! 

~ Learning: His little noggin is just soaking up so much. Mimi and Grandpa taught him where his arm is and if you ask where it is, he will now point to his wrist area. He has since learned where his toes and nose is and we're currently working on fingers and ears. He had caught onto the meaning of the word 'doggie' quite some time ago, but lately understands what a 'bath' is and also says 'bye' as soon as I lift him up at school. I like knowing that he understands words and their meaning instead of just repeating them. 

~ Utensils: Drew is doing really well with the plate and bowl at mealtime instead of us just plopping his food on the highchair. He really enjoys 'helping' guide the spoon to his mouth and seems to understand the point of utensils. Unfortunately, he still just chews on straws instead of sucking out of them. 

~ Brushing his teeth: Due to a technique the pediatric dentist taught me, Drew now loves brushing his teeth. He will let me do it for a few minutes knowing that he gets to take hold of the brush after that and do it himself.

~ Standing: He is getting so much more adventurous and can stand for quite a few seconds, sometimes even take a couple steps before losing balance. He isn't walking yet and because he is the size of a lot of 20-24 month olds, I don't blame the judging looks we get from others out in public. He we will get there when he is ready.

~ Signing: He has now signed the word for 'milk' a few times lately and we're working on the sign for 'more' in case he is every hungry. 

~ Laughing: While it's not a true 'milestone', there was a big shift. About a month ago, Drew began laughing at funny things, instead of only when we would make certain faces or tickle him. For instance, he burped loudly one evening and laughed immediately after. He's also laughed when we have dropped items and it's just adorable. I love that he understands humor. There can never be enough of that in this world.

I think that's about it for now! What small milestones did your child accomplish lately? I think we should reward those and not only always be focused on the larger ones! 

Cleveland Auto Show

Derek and I took my little brother to this show a couple years ago and let me just start by saying it is a WHOLE new experience with a baby. We debated about even going seeing as how Drew is not walking yet and didn't know if he would be a bit overstimulated by all the cars and people. Somewhat reluctantly, we decided to see how it went considering we could get a good look at the SUV's anyway for our next car.

It was worth every penny. Even the overpriced pretzel.

From the moment we walked in this little guy was in pure amazement. I'm not sure he blinked the entire 2.5 hours we were there and soaked it all up pointing to everything he could.

I snapped this picture to the right with my phone and was so glad I did as it shows basically how he was the entire time. In this particular moment he was staring at the ferris wheel (pictured below) but the cars and trucks elicited the same response.

It was beyond adorable.

Although I can't wait for him to partake in the toddler car-driving section next year, the Jeep off-road exhibit was pretty neat to watch. Essentially you could sit in a Jeep while one of their representatives drove it around this mini course including huge logs, some crazy tall bumps and then a ramp that almost went straight up and down.

Below is a quick video of Drew watching the Jeeps.

We will definitely be back next year!

Cloth Diaper Update

I officially have over a year of cloth diapering under my belt and had to update the world about my love for it. I've been answering some questions for friends and blogs on getting started and figured I would give the rundown here in case anyone is considering this option. Hopefully this will help convince others that it's a great option!

Let me start by saying that soliciting recommendations on diaper brands is great, but the BEST piece of advice that I received is that all babies are different and you need to find what works for YOU. Some babies have tiny thighs and some are gynormous. Some babies have round bellies and some have long torso's. Derek and I started with a few of several different brands in the beginning and ultimately fell in love with, and exclusively use FuzziBunz. And if you still think cloth diapering involves folding a piece of material and using clothespins to hold it together, you need to get out of the 1970's. They've come a LONG way since those days and are very efficient and economic for your baby!

Here are my thoughts on a few of the main concerns/myths about cloth diapering:

Difficulty Level - None. After the first couple of weeks washing your cloth diapers, it becomes normal routine and just as easy as disposables. I'm really not joking here. Our parents and Drew's daycare all agree that they don't add any more time or difficulty to changing diapers. Period. In fact, most diaper services have disappeared as it's become so easy with the new, modern cloth diapers!

Leakage Issues - Rarely. Sure babies will have blowouts! But honestly, if you find the correct fit for your baby and change it as much as you would a disposable, you'll be just fine. Drew can last overnight for 13-14 hours as long as we have hemp inserts inside his FuzziBunz diaper.

One Size vs Perfect Size - Often people prefer the One Size as they 'grow' with the baby. I preferred the perfect size as I felt they were a lot less bulky. Going with the perfect size, however, is a bit more money, but you'll still be saving TONS by not using disposables.

Velcro vs Snaps - A couple years ago when I was researching all of this, the pro and cons list for these seemed to be about even. Within the last year, however, there seems to be a shift within the cloth diaper world of online boards and blogs. In general, the velcro just doesn't hold up when you're washing them every few days versus the snaps. Also, FuzziBunz snaps now have a lifetime warranty. Good to know, but I honestly have only had to replace one diaper this entire year due to a snap breaking off!

Touching Poo - Sometimes you can't help the accidental mess that comes with a major runny poo, but I have never touched poo on purpose. Not sure why people think you would more with cloth diapers!

Bulkier Baby Bags - Not really. I only stick one in there along with a few disposables unless we're leaving the house all day then I just take a wet bag with a few more and stick it in my stroller. It really shouldn't add much more to your baby bag.

Washing - Can I use the term 'easy' yet again on this post? Cold rinse, hot cycle and a second cold rinse, then air dry. That's it. I also am in LOVE with Charlie's Soap but my BFF swears by Rockin Green. They both do the trick. And for any stains that are there post-washing, just stick them in the sun for a few hours and they'll be zapped out. The sun is your best friend when you cloth diaper.

Cloth Diapers Smell More - FALSE! In fact, if you think about it, the poo flushes down the toilet or gets sprayed down the toilet, whereas the disposable poo sits in the nursery trashcan for days. YUCK!

Diaper Rash - None. In fact, I generally hear that most babies get less diaper rash with cloth diapers. Personally, Drew has really not had a serious diaper rash (that didn't go away within a few hours) ever.

Cloth Diapers are Expensive - At first, a bit, but ultimately you only spend a few hundred dollars and that lasts until they are potty trained. Also, people buy used diapers all the time on the web and I've found that I could get about a 50%-60% return when I would sell my smaller sizes to upgrade to my larger size. When we consider that Drew will probably stay in his current size until he is potty trained, we think we will have spent only $350 - $400 total on the diapers, detergent, wet bags, deodorizers and hemp liners. When most websites say the average person spends $1500 - $2000 on disposables per kid, doing cloth has been a good choice in my opinion!

In the end, I'm so glad that I made this decision. My contribution to landfills with diapers has remained extremely tiny and I take comfort knowing that Drew's bum is not surrounded in gross-smelling, man-made plastic. But most of all? They are WAY cuter than boring white diapers. :)

(Feel free to leave any questions you might have in the comment section and I'd be happy to respond with my opinions and suggestions!)

Happy Birthday Matt!

Can't believe you are almost in your late-20's! I still remember the days watching you play high school basketball and how excited we were that you were going to KU. 

Thank you for being a great brother to us and wonderful uncle to Drew! We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and look forward to what your future holds! Love you!

We miss Mimi and Gramps

Just a few more pics I had from our time with Mimi and Grandpa last week!

Chicago Recap

Wanted to throw out a quick recap of what we did along with some Instagram pictures I took while there!

Four Points by Sheraton - Perfect location, very nice hotel and an awesome hot tub. Thanks so much again Mimi and Grandpa for the room!!
Murphy's Bleachers - Great food, atmosphere and yummy bloody mary's!
The Rink at Wrigley - Tiny and not recommended. It would have cost $40 for us to ice skate on this TINY little rink outside of the stadium. No thanks.
Trattoria No. 10 - DELICIOUS food. Absolutely wonderful.
Redhead Piano Bar - Hardly any seating at all, only one piano (we prefer dueling) and much older crowd, but overall good music.
Pops for Champagne - Really neat, modern bar but beware, the champagne's are super pricey. I ordered a basic one and it was $20!
E.Leaven - Homemade bagels that were soft and full of flavor! Wish we had one in Ohio.
Second City - A regular for us when we go to Chicago. Always a good laugh.
Benchmark - Awesome bar with great music and drinks and tons of TV's!
Yolk - Great breakfast foods. The cinnamon roll french toast I had was to die for.
Lou Malnati's Pizza - So good!
P.O.S.H. - One of the cutest stores I've ever been in to!
Sprinkles - Wonderful cupcakes, but they don't beat our favorite; Georgetown Cupcakes.
Bandera - Probably the best chicken I've ever tasted.
The Vow - GREAT movie. And yes, we saw a movie in Chicago. We're old.

Weekend Getaway

I guess part of getting older is enjoying the small stuff right? That seemed to be our theme of the weekend in Chicago where we visited sans baby for three days as my birthday gift from Derek. Sure, the sights were great and the weather was AMAZING, but what did we enjoy the most? Let me list those items out for you.

In no particular order:
Naps
The hot tub
Taking our time at restaurants
Not carrying a baby bag
Being on our schedule
The hot tub
Meals without highchairs and food all over
Getting dressed up
Not working out
The hot tub

You would think the list should include amazing food, wonderful shopping, great museums and theatre. Well it did (except we didn't do a museum this time), but the above list was what we had been excited the most for. The mini-vacay was just a needed getaway. An escape from our remote lives up here in Ohio.

And it was WON-DER-FUL.

I took my camera but enjoyed not snapping too many pictures and just being with my best friend.We sipped wine, strolled down the streets and it felt like we were 'dating' and falling in love all over again.

Bliss.

72 hours away from my little man was enough though. By day 3 I was ready to see his face again but knew he was in good hands. Mimi and Grandpa did an awesome job with him (and the dogs) and we are so thankful they took care of our angel while we were away!

Cleveland Aquarium

Despite the crowds that gather around new community attractions, we decided that a visit to the aquarium was in store with Mimi and Grandpa. Only having been opened four weeks ago, it was packed with people, but it was also packed with fish and boy did we make the right decision in going there!

Drew was one of these two pictures the entire time.... either very happy or extremely excited.

The kid probably laid eyes on every fish and could have spent hours pointing to each one. He was enamored by every tank and even felt brave enough to touch some sort of starfish they had. 

The aquarium will be a wonderful place to visit for many years and will be a great adventure on a cold winter day! 

Thanks for the fun Mimi and Grandpa!

 

A visit from M&G

It's so exciting when family comes to visit! Derek and I always squeeze in a date night, but just having an extra hand with Drew or people to go out to eat with is always nice.

More pictures to come, but here's a couple we snapped of Drew with Derek's parents...

And hooray for another family shot. I take so many pictures, but a good hair-done-dressed-up picture is a rarity these days. Too bad Drew didn't want to show his pearly whites for our picture and gave his 'in deep thought' face instead. 

Who doesn't love a baby in a fuzzy vest?!

A Working Mother's Internal Struggle

There will always be a debate among new mothers. Working mothers say stay-at-home moms are crazy for wanting to be at home all day and stay-at-home moms say that working mothers are crazy for not wanting to be with their children. Some people find the decision difficult and others have always known what they wanted. 


Personally, I was very open-minded about the situation, but knew ultimately I would most likely continue working. Derek and I agreed that we would see how maternity leave went and make a decision after those 13 weeks. The first few weeks I was an emotional wreck. The ups and downs were extreme and I said no way was I going to be a stay-at-home mom. But then there would be the most perfect week in which I would say there was no way I would ever leave him for 9-10 hours at a time. After this cycle continued for a few months, I decided that I would rather work and provide more for Drew's future. Do I regret this decision at times? Of course. Knowing Drew is changing daily and I'm missing seeing those changes is a difficult notion to swallow. There are times when work is so stressful and I long to just be in bed napping or playing alongside my little man. For now though, working is the winning option for me. 

I was reading about a study that was published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology. Essentially, it said that mothers who have jobs are healthier than those who are not employed, at least when their children are very young. Working mothers in the study were less depressed and reported better overall health than moms who stayed at home with their young children. The study discussed how stay-at-home moms are more socially isolated than working moms, which might increase their chances of being depressed. I struggled to place myself on either side of this point as I work from home and am definitely socially isolated. There are days when I yearn to be in an office again and enjoy all the benefits of being surrounded by fun, entertaining peers. Don't get me wrong though. As I've mentioned before, there are perks to working from home, and I'm thankful I have this opportunity. That being said, when I know my co-workers are enjoying the annual scavenger hunt around the town, having fun pranking others, or playing ping-pong on a break, I get a pang of annoyance as I work quietly with my sleeping dog at my side. 

Per the report also, stay-at-home moms might also be under more stress as a result of being at home with their children all day. The study did elude to the fact that their stress could be relieved a bit when their children start school, and that the link generally disappeared when children entered preschool. I can see this and have always told my stay-at-home mom friends that I admire them. Being a parent to young children takes a lot of energy and attention. You can't leave their side for even 60 seconds or they'll find a piece of plastic to eat or a door to jam their fingers in. It's non-stop (except for naps!) and stressful work. 

I don't know how my decision will affect Drew and I might never know. I'm sure some mothers out there think I'm selfish and non-maternal for wanting to work. Most of all, I just hope Drew doesn't think I'm abandoning him everyday, or wanting to be apart from him. I hope he'll understand that I did it so that we could do and see more as a family. I hope he realizes the BEST part of my day is the 5pm ride to daycare and that I can't wait for weekends together.


This choice to work is the right one for me. I am a working mother and proud to be one.

Swimming Lessons

We started our second round of swimming lessons this week and it was fun! Here's a couple quick clips of Drew in the water. The second shows how he has no fear 'jumping' into my arms in the pool!

(They are slightly blurry as Derek had to zoom in quite a bit)

We're also enjoying fresh roses, playdates, gourmet chocolate covered strawberries and gourmet cupcakes this week as well!

But are we enjoying the MOST this week? Why having Mimi in town of course!

Can't wait to see you also Grandpa!

Happy Heart Day

I love reading random quotes. They inspire, encourage and they energize me. I saw this one a while back and saved it for a love-filled day like Valentine's Day. It's short, perfect and exactly how I feel about my two boys. Derek has changed me in so many ways that I'm thankful for and I love how we are together. But becoming a mother to Drew changed me even more. I love how he has molded me into the person I am today simply by being born. 

"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you".   ~Roy Croft

Puppy Love

Bailey has always been by our side since a puppy, following us wherever we went in the house. Lacy is quite the opposite; an independent dog who spends most of her time sleeping or off by herself. Bailey has to be within 2 feet of either one of us at all times or she gets worried. This means, she's around Drew a ton more than Lacy and you can really tell. Drew loves both dogs, but he's really formed a relationship with Bailey since he sees her all the time. If he's playing with something and notices her laying near, he will drop the toy and crawl to her as fast as he can while squealing in delight that he's about to reach her. It's absolutely adorable and I had to share these pictures I captured earlier this week.

You can definitely see his love for her. And while her face looks more like 'tolerance' rather than love, she is normally showering him with kisses and wags her tail when he comes home or wakes up everyday.

Yes, they can be annoying, but being great with children in one of the best qualities about our dogs.

Happy Birthday Bean!

Happy Birthday to my little brother. I'm so proud of all you have accomplished and can't wait to find out where residency takes you here in a month! (Hopefully not somewhere TOO far!) Hope you have another wonderful birthday and wish I could be there to celebrate with you. 


                                                XOXO, Sarah




"Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.     
                                                       ~Susan Scarf Merrell"

Pink Eye

I think the other kids at daycare were mad that Drew is leaving and they decided to team up and rub their eyes all over him giving him pink eye on Monday. His friend Jack got it Friday and my heart sunk when I saw the name of his daycare on our caller ID early Monday morning. Mother's intuition or not, I knew it. Nice going away gift right?

And they were right. The full-blown crusty, pink and puffy eye stared back at me when I went to pick him up. Within a few hours, we had eye drops in hand and were ready to fight this battle, determined not to let it spread to his other eye, nor our eyes. Although the drops are near impossible to administer to a 1 year old, I did get a lot of good advice from friends on facebook and appreciate that!

Today is day three and he woke up looking much better. I've washed his sheets, bibs and blankets daily and he's worn clean PJ's each night as well. Over my lunch breaks I've taken to spraying Lysol all over the house in an effort to kill anything I could. This morning his eye looked already 80% better and despite Derek and I feeling some eye itchiness (it's probably just in our head), I think we're all in the clear!

Sure I hate that Drew has this now on top of his current coughing, other bruises and black eye, but it did mean I got to play "stay-at-home" mom for a couple half days and enjoy the perks of that lifestyle. To take advantage of our time together, we bundled up and ventured to a playground to get some sunshine and enjoy the unseasonably nice weather on Monday.

Drew was in pretty good spirits enjoying swinging and cruising along anything he could, but mostly trying to eat mulch.

The best part was at the end of our adventure. There was a big porch swing right by the water. I plopped him on my lap with a blanket and we watched the birds and ducks together as the wind whispered at our backs. Those 5 minutes were pure bliss as he snuggled in to listen to my stories about boats and fish in the water. Pink eye or not, I cherish those times.

TAG! You are it!

I'm sure someone has seen a blog here or there that has been challenged to answer 11 random questions so I'm keeping the chain going! I was tagged by Stephanie and here are the rules! 

#1 - Post these rules.

#2 - Answer the 11 questions from the person who tagged you. 

#3 - Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.
#4 - Tag 11 people and link them to your post. (I tagged 12)
#5 - Let them know that you tagged them.

 My answers to her questions:

1.   What is your favorite thing about blogging? How it keeps me connected with my family in Kansas City!

2.   What is one thing that makes you unique? My height. 

3.   Have you lost someone close to you? I've lost grandparents, but not really anyone who I was super close with and for that I'm thankful!

4.   Were you named after anyone? My middle name yes! It's my mother’s name in French.

5.   Tell us about an embarrassing moment. Throwing up at not only one, but TWO houses during rush. Mid-sentence I jetted to the nearest bathroom only to lose my entire lunch. Twice. 

6.   What did you want to be when you grew up, and did you accomplish it? A vet and a good mother. Yes to the good mother part (I hope at least!) and no to the vet. 

7.   Why did you start your blog? To keep an online journal of our lives for our children to read someday.

8.   What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Vacuuming. HATE it! I would rather scrub toilets.

9.   What celebrity do you think you look like? Oh wow... can I go with phone a friend here?

10. What songs are included on the soundtrack of your life? Pretty much any theme songs by John Williams and Hans Zimmer!

11.  What story does your family always tell about you? Probably how I couldn't say grasshopper (said hopper-grass) and other embarrassing stories that are wayyyyy to much for my blog!

 My questions to you:

1.  Why did you chose to start blogging and how much time do you spend a week doing it?

2.  What 5 things would you grab if your residence caught on fire?

3.  Who are your favorite sports teams?

4.  What is your favorite type of food?

5.  If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who would it be (let's go with only alive people here!)?

6.  How will you most likely celebrate Valentine's Day?

7.  Did you play any sports growing up?

8.  What was the best vacation you ever took and why?

9.  Do you have a motto or words of wisdom that you try to live by?

10.  What is your favorite outdoor activity?

11.  Do you have pets?

 The bloggers I'm tagging:

1. Michelle at Step by Step
2. Desiree from Macke Monologues
3. Laura at Laura's Latest In Life
4. Emily from 2 Dogs and a Baby
5. Betsy at The Bets Week Ever
6. Mama G from Growing Up Geeky
7. Ashley from Keeping Up With The Jones'
8. Kyla from The Booth Family
9. Maureen from Adventures with Drew & Anna
10. E from Life On A Quilt
11. Lindsey from The Becker Family
12. Jenny from Anything Pretty

                                                                     .... AND GO!

Fuzzi Bum

What is it about babies in diapers that causes us to melt? From the wrist rolls to the cankles, I get so giddy and excited to see these parts before bath time. I'm beyond jealous of his perfect, unscathed skin that is soft as a pillow and find myself impulsively squishing his numerous rolls. To us, he already looks skinnier than he once was, due primarily to how mobile he is now. I'm sure the baby fat will continue to peal off and I wish I could jar up the pieces to tuck away and save forever. A bit too much? Maybe. But any mother reading this understands exactly what I mean.

Picture of the Moment

If Derek or I leave the fridge open for one second, the little monkey's eye light up and he crawls over to it as fast as he can. He loves standing in the bottom reaching whatever his little fingers can get to and playing with everything located in the door shelves. 

His inquisitive side is adorable and I love seeing his wheels turn.