The Holidays

Now that the craziness of family gatherings is over, it's time to update you on what's going on with Baby Bear, Papa Bear and I. I can't lie. It's not like I've been insanely busy since September and that is what has kept me from posting. The truth of it is, there's been a whole lot of nothing going on in my life. It's hard to update you all when it would sound something like, "Baby Bear ate a whole cup of peas today!" I don't know. Maybe you DO want to hear things like that. Either way, one of my resolutions is to keep up with this blog a little bit better. (I do also want to throw in that Papa Bear keeps telling me he's going to help me build a blog on our server; but like so many things he wants to get done, it hasn't happened yet. So, for a short while, I didn't update with the anticipation of moving this whole thing to the server.)
Anyway, Thanksgiving and Christmas were excellent. I throw them in together because we celebrated Christmas at Thanksgiving with the in-laws. We visited my family for Christmas, so it was fair.  Baby Bear received a boatload of toys and clothes, as well as some money for his college savings.  Natl-doo gets cuter every time we see her. She's growing up so fast! She was quick to share her toys with Baby Bear, like a good cousin does. I hope they become close. Sis and I always had (and have) a close relationship with our cousins growing up. I'd like for Baby Bear and Natl-doo to be the same way.
Speaking of cousins,  one of mine has moved to our area! He and his lovely new wife will still be an hour away from us, but it's a lot closer than before. Plus, it will give us even more excuse to visit the city now and then.
I was introduced to a great cloth diapering store recently. A friend took me there earlier this month and WOW! I was blown away. It's so cute! It's called Comfy Bummy and I am in love with it. The staff was super helpful and they have a great selection. A little background information: I'm currently using gDiapers with cloth inserts. The gCloth is outrageously priced, so I'm using prefolds and some inserts a friend made for me. (Her blog is here. Check out the cuteness!) I am planning on trying my hand at making a few inserts. However, the woman at Comfy Bummy was a spring of fluffy knowledge. She showed me all the inserts available, and also let me know about the basics, like using plain prefolds with covers vs. pockets vs. AIOs, etc. Now I just need to win the lottery so I can stock up on some fluff for Baby Bear. My prefolds are not the best... I want something better and am working on getting to that point.
Now for the fun. Here's a few Christmas pictures of Baby Bear and crew at Christmas.

Natl-doo and Baby Bear sharing.

The obligatory "bow on the head". Also Papa and Mama Bear.

The next day, playing with Uncle Ray.

Opening presents.

Well, naptime has ended abruptly, so I'll sign off here. See you soon!

Do you like my new layout?

It reminds me of a Prius commercial. It's so happy and upbeat and perfect. I want my life to be like a Prius commercial. Not that my life isn't happy. It's just not a Prius commercial.
It's winter! There's a crapload of snow! I'm in the house all day naming shapes and colors, singing silly songs, and doing other Mommy things.  Still, it's a good life.  But not a Prius commercial.

Huge update tomorrow during naptime. See you then.

Random Goings On

Hello. I am cute and I plan on eating all of these bananas.


I know it has been a long while since I posted, and I apologize for that. My life just isn't intresting enough for daily updates. Ha!
Baby Bear is doing well. He's almost gotten himself crawling. He actually has learned to commando crawl within the past two days, literally. Yesterday, we were all sitting in the living room, and the next thing I know-boom. He's in the kitchen. So, I guess it is about time we get some baby gates up. I also need to go on a major cleaning spree as he's all over the floor and I'm getting to be freaked out about what things are going in his mouth, since EVERYTHING does. I am not saying my floors are littered with crumbs, trash and debris-just that we walk on those floors with shoes. And who knows what you are bringing in on your shoes! It's a bothersome thought to me.

I got a phone call yesterday from the emergency clinic I interviewed at in July. Guess what? They offered me the job. I asked for some time to think about it. Pros: I'd be keeping up with my skills, could possibly go back to school. Cons: Childcare becomes an issue, I can't work all night and be up all day with Baby Bear, and it's an hour away from here. I think, for now, the cons are definitely overpowering the pros. So, I am planning on turning it down. It's just not right for me at the moment. Maybe when Brody is in school I can think about emergency medicine again, but until then, if I am thinking about a job, it needs to be a day clinic.

We had a housewarming party this weekend. I had a nice time and our friends did surprise us with some very nice gifts. Thank you again, everyone! That also means the house is finally unpacked, and I can send you all some pictures of the inside. Possibly, I will post a few on here, but expect an email. I suppose I should get going, and mop the floor whilst Baby Bear is napping.

I know, I promised.

I promised to put those pictures up, and here it is nearly two weeks later and I have not done it. Sorry. I'll try to get on it this week.
Nothing much new here. I've pretty much decided not to apply for that job, for a number of reasons. Because my whole paycheck would be going to child care, I'd be working for free. Which isn't a big deal, but I can't wrap my head around having someone else watch Baby Bear. I know other people do it all the time, and there are laws and regulations caregivers must abide by, but I'm just uneasy about it. I feel like someone would totally ignore my parenting style and do something I am completely against, like letting Baby Bear cry for hours. I mean, I don't instantaneously pick him up when he starts to fuss, but that is because I usually know what he wants. I know when he gets hungry, I know when he gets tired, I know when he's just bored. I feel like other people wouldn't pick up on that quickly enough, or would try to let him cry it out at naptime instead of spending five minutes rocking him. So, perhaps when he is one or one and a half, our financial situation may allow me to go back to work comfortably, and I can afford the excellent daycare I took a tour of. I'm still rather torn. I don't want to miss any opportunities for myself, but I feel like I might be more comfortable leaving him with someone when he is older.
The cloth diapering is going really well. We are saving a ton of money-all because we don't have to buy disposable diapers. I almost wish we would have started this sooner! Well, it would have been impossible in the apartment. The washer and dryer were so small I was constantly doing laundry. I couldn't have kept up with the amount of diapers he goes through. Making my own baby food is also going well. I just need to devote more time to it. I feel like I'm always running out, even though I have a nice stockpile of foods. I would be happier if I had more stored up. I made a big batch this weekend. I still have apples, plums and oatmeal to make. I hope I can get to that tomorrow while Baby Bear naps. He seems to enjoy everything I've made so far, even peas! (I know,Oma and Opa, he can't possibly be my child if he likes peas! Haha!) I guess I just need to get to work on these things, instead of the sleeping...
I've been sleeping so much lately. I go to bed at about 10:30. Baby Bear gets up at about 5:30. This should be plenty of sleep, but most mornings, after I feed him and change him, we'll go snuggle on the couch and I always fall asleep. I need to get the coffee brewing in the mornings. I know when I had to get up at 5:00AM for work on Saturdays and Sundays, coffee was just about the only thing that got me through until 9AM when I finally "woke up". I'll make a pot tomorrow. I need to get things done around here! The house is a scary mess, I have laundry to put away! Ugh! I need a helper with Baby Bear around. He can't keep himself entertained for long.
Anyway, that's enough complaining for one day. Talk to you soon!

Diaper Sprayer

We made our diaper sprayer this weekend. We got the basics of the operation here : http://gidgetgoeshome.com/2008/08/25/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-diaper-sprayer/. But we have some modifications. I'm going to post our step by step instructions here in the next week or so, but I sort of need to brush up on my HTML first. It will be the easiest way to post pics in the thread without having to link to Photobucket. I know you're all on the edge of your seats for that!

Also- I received my cloth inserts in the mail yesterday! Oh man, they are so cute. It's almost a shame that they are just for poop and pee. I'll post pics of them as well, here in a few days. Again, if the powers that be want to get together and place a sewing machine under the Christmas tree, I'll be able to make my own. Heck, I can make my own and make some to sell to other people. I'll be so crafty! And have money to spend! Maybe... =)

What's new here? There's a part time job available at a daytime vet in Naperville. I am considering applying for it. I would need to figure out child care for the days that I'd be working, though. There are a few ladies from church who run a home daycare, so maybe that is an option. I'm really rather torn. I would love to have a few hours of my day to be an adult. I would like to keep up my technical skills until I am able to go back to school to get my certification. On the other hand, I like being home with Baby Bear. I like being able to play with him and do things with him. I think with a part time job, I would be able to have the best of both worlds. I'm just not sure what to do. I never planned on being a stay at home mom. I always thought I would be a working mom. I love the fact that I am able to be home with Baby Bear, but I also feel like I'm letting my goal slip away slowly. I don't want to wait until he is 6 years old and have lost ALL of my technical skills. I just can't decide. I don't know what the right thing to do is. I suppose I just need some time to weigh all the options.

A New Adventure

Recently, I thought that I haven't been doing enough to capture these moments in Baby Bear's life. Though I should have started this about 6 months ago, I suppose it's better late than never.

For a little background information, if you're not family: Baby Bear is my February baby. He came three weeks early on an unseasonably warm day with no major complications. The first four months of his life were filled with colic, postpartum depression, and lots of frustrations while I learned how to be a mommy. We lived in a not so nice part of the city, so safety was always a concern. We moved out to the suburbs and are having a much happier life. I stay at home with Baby Bear and his Daddy brings home the bacon. I decided to start this blog to keep everyone updated and to keep myself sane. It's kind of like adult conversation-though it may be one sided.

Anyway, whats new? Baby Bear has had a lot of changes recently, considering the move. He's handling it all in stride. He's even begun to sleep through the night again, a feat that Daddy and I appreciate. We've started solids-sort of. He doesn't get them as a meal yet, just as an accompaniment for the time being. He's crazy for bananas, enjoys squash and pretty much hates avocados. He's going for his well visit next week, so I'm looking forward to getting him on a food schedule. I guess it's about time that we get a high chair. Also-we've made the move into cloth diapers. I'm a bit of a granola mommy at heart. Though co-sleeping and breastfeeding didn't work out for us, I'd like to do as much for him as I can, while I can. So, we'll cloth diaper to save both the environment and our money. It seems to be going well. I've just ordered some more inserts. The prefolds are a bit bulky and not as absorbent as I'd like, so we just change more often. The inserts should change that. Once I get a sewing machine, I'll make my own and save us even more money. (Hint hint hint *Christmas Gift* Hint hint hint). I'm also making my own baby food. It's surprisingly easy and not time consuming. It's also much more economical to make my own, versus buying those tiny jars for $.75 each. I like the fact that I know exactly what is going into his food. I pick out the produce, I wash it and prepare it. From store to freezer, I'm giving Baby Bear the best of the best. Next summer, though he'll have teeth, I'm going to plant a garden to ensure I know what is happening to those vegetables from seed to plate. I want to give him the best. Isn't that what we all want, as parents, for our children? The very best? I'm grateful that I have the time and financial stability to stay at home with Baby Bear and give him the best things. And by "things" I don't necessarily mean physical items. I want to give him the best foundation for a good life. And I think that is what parenting about: changing the focus of your life from yourself to your children. I plan on going back to school eventually; I haven't given up all my sense of self. But I know that what is important right now is raising happy, healthy, self-confident child.
I guess I've rambled enough for today. I'll keep you posted as things come up. =)