Cloth Diaper Update (a.k.a. the We Love Thirsties blog)

Back here I wrote about our experience with cloth diapers thus far. At the time I was still torn between which brands were my absolute favorite. But now, five months in, I am definitely sure that Thirsties are the far and away winners.

Still not sure if pockets or all-in-ones are the best. It literally changes day to day. I love the fit on both types, especially in the front. The fit stays flat, with no inner fluff poking out on the tummy and wetting the front of his jimmies. This is where the Alva babies finally failed us. (They're still great for the most part, but that gets super annoying.)

So if you're thinking of doing cloth diapers, I love, love, love Thirsties. Love. I may have an addiction to buying them. (Which I'm trying to break, since we now have ten total in our stash, along with all our other BumGenius and Alvas.)

But they're so stinking cute! How can I stop until I have all of the woodland and sea creature collections?

Going oily

All righty, people, I've taken up distributing with Young Living. If you're unfamiliar, Young Living is one of the top two companies selling 100% pure essential oils. (And you want the pure ones, believe me.) Essential oils probably seem like the latest "gimmick" these days, especially if you, like me, see everyone and their mother trying to convince you to try them. But if you're also like me, you're starting to become very aware of all the chemicals that show up in pretty much everything these days, including air fresheners, lotions, salves, even diaper rash cream! Having a brand new human to take care of has really made me start looking at ingredients and doing some research, and while I don't know nearly everything I'd like to on the nasty chemicals topic, I've learned enough to be convinced that essential oils are the first big step.

So if you're interested in seeing what this oil thing is all about, let me know. I'm going to be posting some sweet deals and freebies in the next week or so (including a free diffuser!), but if you know you're interested in trying anything specific, I can make a deal specific to what you'd like. Deals for you means deals for me, so it's a win-win.

And if you've been on the fence but you're ready to go all out, the starter kit has some sweet oils in it right now. I haven't tried several, so I'm excited to look up some uses and get started with them. And, no, I did not set up this photo with Lincoln's hands; when I put the box on the floor to photograph it, he swung himself around and pulled himself forward to try grabbing for them. Just another reason I'd like to get all the chemicals out of the house, with a baby grabbing at everything these days!

Sunday sleep-in

This morning all three of us are lounging in bed, recovering from a big family wedding weekend. Lincoln pretty much didn't nap at all yesterday, so we're trying to give him as much time as possible to catch up on those zzz's.

He sleeps really well in our bed in the mornings, and even though I'm squished on the edge, unable to really move, and constantly checking him to make sure he didn't move his face into a pillow or flip over on his tummy, I really love these times he's sleeping peacefully between us.

During mornings like these is when I really get a chance to look at him, and it hits me all over again that this is my baby.  I made this baby. He's got my nose and, according to Chris' uncle Ron, my smile. He lights up when he sees me, and has conversations with me, and strokes my face at night as he's falling asleep.

People say once you have a baby, it's so easy to forget the hard part of bringing them into the world. Man, is that true. I barely remember being pregnant–was I really pregnant twice as long as Lincoln's been with us? And his birth... I remember it, but I also feel removed from it at this point, like it didn't really happen to me. Even the first week home, which was pretty bad emotionally and physically for me, is hard to really feel now. I remember it, but I can't really conjure up how it felt.

Being a mother is kind of weird like that. (And also, it just hit me all over again that I'm a mother. What?) Maybe I'm just an overly reflective person. Or maybe I just like this baby so much my mind is willing to shut off those other memories. 

I mean, he is pretty cute.

Lincoln 4 Months

Oh, this stinking cutie. I can't handle him sometimes.

I feel like he has an old soul. Maybe it's the hair, but he really seems so much older sometimes. Not the times he's screaming his head off because he thinks I've cut him off of the milk supply (though even his sad pout face is freaking adorable). It's when he stares at me suddenly like he's trying to figure me out. Usually this is after he's eaten and he looks straight into my eyes with this amused and quizzical expression.

At 4 months, Lincoln...

-weighs 13 pounds (picture is incorrect)
-flips over onto his tummy any chance he gets
-is super into his own feet
-has moved up to six month clothes
-tries to turn the pages in his books
- grabs everything... his toys, others’ fingers, others‘ faces, cloth wipes, his feet, blankets, mama’s hair...
-loves toys that light up
-ends up all over the bed when he sleeps
-can hold his own bottle with a teeny bit of help from mama

Happy April

Someone suggested I do a Lincoln calendar, so here's the first month! I'm excited to put these up in my classroom; my 7th graders go ga-ga over Lincoln every chance they get. :)