Let's get dirty with Cloth Diapers

My cousin Mary, One Realistic Mom, has started a blog-hop called Frugal Friday!

So, I am working hard to be part of it and show her some bloggy love.  I'm going to write about cloth diapers and what they mean to me...and to my wallet.

Let's get down and dirty and talk about the Cons first:

Cloth diapers are work.  You have to be on top of the laundry or you'll run out.  And once they're clean you have to sometimes do some work to get them back in working order (stuff them, fold them so they'll fit in the drawer, etc).

Then there's the poop issue.  It's not a big deal when your baby is breastfed only, breastmilk poop can go in the dryer.  However, if they're on formula, or once they start eating solids (which aren't really solid, they're just liquids of other foods), you have to spray off the diapers before washing them.  This requires an attachment to the toilet called a diaper sprayer, and if you can swing it, an extra diaper pail in the bathroom so you don't have to carry the dripping wet diaper through the house back to the nursery where the changing table is. Oh, and this process can often cause poop-water to get on you.  So, if the idea of that makes you dry-heave, then just forget about cloth diapers at all!!!

And they smell.  Especially if you don't launder them every couple of days.  But even then, the amonia from the pee tends to get stuck in certain kinds of fabric (don't buy/make flannel cloth diapers!!) and then you have to strip them to get the amonia out, which requires soaking them in certain laundry detergents that are meant for cloth diapers, or, what I've found works well, is the fish tank cleaner that's meant to get amonia out of your fish bowl!!

Oh, and laundry detergent.  You can't just use any kind.  It needs to be gentle, or if you really want to splurge, you can buy special cloth diaper laundry soap.  Or you can get the kind of laundry soap that they sell at Whole Foods that is made from orange peels and lye or something...totally natural.  Or, you can make your own...but I've never tried.

So, after knowing all this...why would anyone want to use cloth diapers??!!!  They seem like a royal pain in the pooper!

Money.  They really will save you money, and that's the kicker right there.  It costs me almost $30 to buy Sadie about 2 weeks worth of disposable diapers (and I buy the Target brand, which are definitely the cheapest out there!).  That's $60 a month on average.  That's $720 a year (don't be impressed, I had to get out my calculator to do that!).  And let's just say your child is in diapers about 3 years, that's... over $2000!!  For the CHEAP diapers!!!

When I was pregnant with Sadie I went all gung-ho for cloth diapers and decided I could make my own.  I mean, I know how to sew and they can't be THAT hard, right?  The tricky part was finding the right kind of fabric.  I mean, you have to have safe-for-baby's-skin fabric on the inside, but not only that, the inside fabric has to "wick" moisture away from the skin so baby isn't wet all the time.  Then you have to buy the PUL, which is the fancy way of saying fabric-that's-been-laminated-on-one-side-so-it's-waterproof.  But, once you find this... easy.

I also bought some cloth diapers, to supplement what I had made, and also to get an idea for pattern/size (because really, I was making it up as I go along...some worked better than others).

So, last weekend, I pulled out all the cloth diapers I own to get ready for baby, and because I want to try to get Sadie back in cloth to save us some money.  I had NO IDEA how many I really had.  I was overwhelmed by the mountain of diapers I had just created on Sadie's bed, and I called Brian for help in organizing them.  I probably have about 2 dozen in sizes newborn, 0-3 months, 3-9 months, and 9+ months, plus I had a separate mountain that I had saved, but that I probably won't ever use again, but I'm not ready to throw them away quite yet.  It was when Sadie was about 18 months that I decided to buy a bunch of cloth diapers that adjust in size (so I can use them for the next baby, of course).  Luckily, these still fit her.  And after she turns 3, I believe the state will pay for her diapers, so at that point it doesn't matter if they fit her.  (Although, because for me, it's kind of about the environment and making trash, I may try to make some even bigger diapers...I found a pattern for youth-adult size)

All in all, I've probably spent over $1000 on cloth diaper supplies, and cloth diapers themselves, maybe even over $2000, who knows.  But I am using the same ones for the next kid.  And I will probably use them again on the third.  Oh, and here's the best part... when I'm done having kids, the diapers that are still usable and in good shape, I can sell used to other cloth diapering Mamas!!  So, really, all the cost is up front, which scares people initially, but with baby #2 and #3, that's where we're gonna see the savings!

And there you have it, folks!  My tip for Frugal Friday.  If you can get past the convenience of disposables in order to save a little money (an honestly, how convenient is coupon clipping and organizing and remembering to use-ing?  But people are all about that!), then I say give it a try!!

Oh, and we still use some disposables...like when we leave the house, and at night.  But WAAAAYYYYY fewer than if we weren't using any cloth at all!  So, don't feel like a traitor or a hypocrite if you only go half-way!

Cute, right?

Bump Watch 34 weeks

Can you believe I've been doing this for so long?  I think it makes it go by a little faster when I always have Thursday to look forward to.  Although, I am a little sad that I'm only at 34, I feel so much farther along than that!

Things are still going well.  I visited the midwife this week and I'm not really gaining weight (which is okay, because I gained so much in the beginning), I'm measuring right where I should be, and baby's heart-rate is consistently in the 150s.  We watched a video at our Family Circle group prenatal care meeting this week.  It was about the stages of labor.  Nothing like a video of a bunch of women in labor to get you excited to have a baby, right?

I left there thinking, "oh yeah, I have to do THAT again!"  Pregnancy is so exciting, and the the thought of a new baby so fun, that you forget that actually HAVING the baby sucks.  Oh well, it's worth it, right?

How far along?  34 weeks!!  

Weight Gain? I forgot to weigh myself this morning, but at the midwife on Tuesday night I weighed exactly the same as I did 3 weeks prior at our midwife appointment.  I know this because they give us a little chart to keep track on, not because I'm THAT obsessed with my weight! haha

What's up with my Body?  This baby is REALLY low.  I have a hard time even sitting up straight because my belly gets in the way.  It's so weird.  And he MUST be sitting right on my bladder, because I have to pee, like, every 10 minutes!

And then there are the usuals: I'm not, I'm sweaty, Sadie is heavy, etc.

I'll tell you what, though, I had to drive my old car to the midwife on Tuesday night (long story, I overbooked myself, so I had to send Brian to the airport to pick up some friends), and I am so thankful for our new van!  That little tiny car was hard to get into, and uncomfortable to drive.  Plus I didn't have navigation or a nice stereo, or bluetooth to talk to my mom (I actually had to use my phone!!!).  I am so spoiled now.

Sleeping?  Sleeping isn't as bad as it was with Sadie, but it's uncomfortable.  I have to lay on my side, but often my top arm goes to sleep, so I have to lay with it in an awkward position so that I can keep the blood circulating.  I'm not sure why this happens, but it happened when I was pregnant with Sadie too!

The hardest part about sleeping right now is turning over.  You know what I mean, the 7-point bounce-turn complete with the sighing and moaning.  It's like a full-on workout in the middle of the night!!

Dreams: I had a dream the other night that we had the baby and, surprise!!!  It was a girl!  I don't know if it's my fear of this happening, or my hope that this happens that causes me to have dreams like this, but it was strange.  Luckily, we're working on a backup girl's name... just in case.  

And for those of you who say, "you saw the ultrasound and there was a penis!"  I say, we saw ONE ultrasound and something that LOOKED like a penis.  Ultrasounds are fuzzy and it's not easy to tell what you're looking at...mistakes have been made in the past, and they can still be made.

Food Cravings?  The salt craving is back.  I want salt on everything.  I even put salt on my oatmeal in the morning... instant oatmeal.  And I bought potato chips at the store last night.  Tonight I get to go out to dinner with my spesh-moms group and I am SOOOOO looking forward to french fries.  In fact, that might just be what I order for dinner.  Just french fries please.

Gender? It's a boy!  You can read about our ultrasound appointment and see pictures if you go to this post here.

Emotions: My emotions are pretty well in check.  I did cry during that video when the babies were finally born.  But I probably wasn't the only one!!  I met the new midwife that was just hired where I go, and we had a good talk about Sadie, and I managed to keep it under control with her.  So, that's good!

Baby name: The good news on this front is that we still both like the name we liked last week.  Brian isn't convinced that this is "the one," he still thinks there might be a perfect name out there just waiting for us...but I think this just might be it.

Best moment of the week: Because my mommy felt bad for me and my meltdown 2 weeks ago, and because she couldn't be here to do anything to help me, or even give me a hug, she sent me a present.  This is how my mom operates.  I think sending the present is more for her than for me, but I did appreciate the timing and the stuff that was in it.  Mostly, I appreciated the tank top she bought me at Old Navy.  The Old Navy by her house has maternity clothes (unlike the Old Navy by my house) and these tank tops were on sale (probably because she actually lives somewhere where the weather is starting to cool down...I used to love Septemeber.  Now I loathe it.)  So, she thought of me, and bought me a black one.  

It is the best thing ever.  It's LONG enough, which is awesome because most of what I wear doesn't go over this LOW belly, and then I look like trash when I go out with my belly hanging out the bottom of my clothes.  (you might be asking why I don't just wear pants then with a pregnancy panel that goes up over my belly?  I do.  But since this baby is so low, they slip down and end up under my bump anyway...it's really inconvenient.)  

Anyway, so I called my mom that night, after receiving this present, and I said, "can you go back and buy me like 3 or 4 more of those tank tops?  I don't even care what color, I hardly leave the house anyway...but they just might be the only thing that will go over my belly for another 6 weeks!"  She called me the next morning from Old Navy and asked, "do you want another black one?"  I told her they can all be black, I don't even care.  As long as they fit, beggars can't be choosers!!  

They are in the mail and I should have them by this weekend!!  Aren't Mommies great?

What I'm looking forward to: Duh!  Those tank tops coming in the mail!!!

How baby's growing: Baby is about 5lbs and close to 18 inches long...which is why I'm feeling so much stretching and pressure.  I'm eating and eating to try to keep up with his growth!!  He's getting fatter and rounder and his skin is smoothing out.  Really, at this point, I could have a healthy premature baby who might need to stay in the NICU for a couple of days, but really would probably not develop any long-term health problems.  So, that's exciting...although, because of scheduling, I'd rather he come on his due date or within a couple days of it.

34 weeks.  That mirror is so gross, I'm sorry!

Mommy and Me Monday #13 - school time!

I have the best job.  I work from home, and I get to do what I love - teach.  I teach online High School. It's such a great marriage of both worlds... those being my love for wearing my jammies all day, and creating fun and awesome powerpoint presentations!  No really, the best part is that I get to be home with Sadie all day, so when she needs some Mama, I can still do my work.  Oh, and the couch has become my office...

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Bump Watch 33 weeks!!

Last week after I posted my bumpwatch, I had a complete meltdown.  Brian was out of town, Sadie is working on that last tooth and IMPOSSIBLE, I am so tired, the barometer is all over the place as we are well into monsoon season, and I am not feeding myself well enough.  I texted my mom and asked if she could change her flight and come earlier... like a MONTH earlier!  I just need the help!  Sadie is gaining so much weight that I just don't carry her or lift her if I don't have to.  Feeding her is a constant battle against the clock, especially when I'm working...and then I have to also feed myself.  And if I don't feed myself then I feel like crap and it starts this great spiral downward into a black hole.

My mom was worried, as naturally moms should be when getting a text like that from their daughter, and so we talked on the phone.  Correction: I cried on the phone while she wished as hard as she could that she could hug me.  But then we got down to business and started coming up with some ideas.  No, I can't ask my husband to pay for a live-in mommy's helper.  But I can start buying some frozen and premade meals and keeping stuff in the freezer for easy grabbing.  That has helped a lot.  And Brian is really good about giving me breaks.  The other night I just spent an hour out at the grocery store with a friend, and when I came back, I was head over heels in love with Sadie all over again (when I left I was ready to give her up for adoption!! haha).  

So, I guess it's better.  The weather has cooled off a little for the last few days (although it's more humid) and that really makes a big difference.  I'll make it through, and I'm glad I have help.

How far along?  33 weeks!!  

Weight Gain? I weighed myself yesterday and my scale said exactly 199.0.  I keep wondering when I'll break that 200 mark, I thought for sure it'd be by now!!  Also, until I break the 200 mark, I don't break the +50 mark!!

What's up with my Body?  My body is off balance.  This baby is really low and so I find myself straining in my lower back just to stand up straight and to walk.  I also am finding it hard to get something off the floor if I'm sitting on the couch... because there's just too much belly way down low.

I've gotten to the point that when bathing Sadie, it's easier to get in with her, but I have to get in, then have Brian hand her to me, because getting down to the ground requires falling a little bit, and I don't want to break my tailbone!!

Sleeping?  Sleeping is finally getting tough.  I am so thankful that I've made it this long without having too many problems sleeping.  But I wake up frequently now because either my shoulder or my hip hurts, and if I turn over the other shoulder or hip hurts!!  And sleeping on my back is a lost cause.  However, it's still not as bad as it was with Sadie, so I'm counting my blessings there. 

I wish I had MORE sleep.  I go to bed one or two hours before Brian and I'm so dead tired I don't even remember him coming to bed!!  Then when his alarm goes off in the morning, that's usually when I get up, but I wish that I could lay there for another 2 hours.  

Food Cravings?  Mostly I just crave liquids.  I have a hard time drinking enough during the day.  Then I drink like 48 ounces in the evening...and then I'm up and down all night peeing.  Not good.

Gender? It's a boy!  You can read about our ultrasound appointment and see pictures if you go to this post here.

Emotions: I've been okay with my emotions.  After that meltdown, and a good, hard cry, I feel better about things.

Baby name: I think we may have found a winner!!  Everyday I ask Brian if he still likes it, because I REALLY like it and I don't want him to change his mind.  The best part about this name is it's meaning.  It has a great meaning that is very appropriate for the role this baby is going to be born into in this family!

Best moment of the week: Sadie's getting a new Happy Chair!  My favorite grocery store just opened a new branch WAAAAYYYY closer to my home!!  I am able to help and take my friend and her family to the airport in the morning because I actually have a big enough vehicle to fit 3 adults, 3 children in car seats, and all their luggage!!!

What I'm looking forward to: My friends want to throw me a baby shower.  I didn't really care if I got one or not since this is my second kid and I don't really need anything.  But it's nice to know they care and want to celebrate me and my baby.  So, I'm looking forward to that... when I was pregnant with Sadie, I was sort of in transition in my life/job, so like, 6 people came, and 1 was my mother in law, 1 lived across the street, and 3 were actually GIVING the shower.  So, now I feel like I have a lot more friends and, I don't want presents, so I think it'll actually just be fun to have a party and see everyone!

How baby's growing: Baby weighs over 4lbs, and is about 17 inches long!!  His bones are hardening and his skin is smoothing out as he continues to get fatter and ready for birth!  And my baby specifically is still a little sideways, he's diagonal.  I know this because I only feel movement in my lower left abdomen and upper right abdomen...sometimes even at the same time.  I'm not sure which end is his head, but I hope it's the lower one and that he gets into position soon!!

Last week (because I never posted a pic) - 32 weeks

33 weeks

Bump Watch - 32 Weeks!!!

I have reached the point where I just want to be done.  Too bad I have 2 months left, right?  I am aware of how large I am with everything I do.  From cooking on the stove (I need longer arms) to getting in the tub with Sadie to sitting up in bed after laying down all night.  I'm just large and uncomfortable all the time.

My stomach is starting to cramp at night.  I don't know if it's out of hunger or if it's Braxton Hicks.  I've never really had a lot of Braxton Hicks, so I'm not really familiar with how they feel.  But when I feel this at night, my brain goes into overload about going into labor early, having a preemie, the NICU, etc.  It's pretty stressful until I can talk myself out of it and go back to sleep!!

Last night I stood in front of the mirror in my underwear...bad idea.  I almost started crying.  This baby is so low that I just look ridiculous!  Being pregnant is so weird.

How far along?  32 weeks!!  

Weight Gain? I weighed in yesterday at +43lbs, but this morning it was +42lbs...and with every step I take I feel that extra weight.  Ugh.

What's up with my Body?  This is where I'm gonna whine and complain.  My body officially is uncomfortable.  My ligaments hurt, my skin is stretching, my feet ache even if I've sat down most of the day.  If I sleep on my right side my hip hurts and if I sleep on my left side my shoulder hurts.  I can't breathe very well when I sleep on my back, so I toss and turn most of the night.  The barometer dropped (monsoon season here in Phx!) and that's not helping!  I can't eat enough to fill me up for more than about 2 hours or to satisfy my mouth.  I'm starving in the middle of the night to the point that my stomach is cramping.

...and I still have 2 months of this!!

Food Cravings?  Still eating as much fruit as I can.  But really, nothing sounds good most of the time.  This makes it hard to fix dinner.  It also makes it hard to make myself eat in the middle of the day.  

Gender? It's a boy!  You can read about our ultrasound appointment and see pictures if you go to this post here.

Emotions: I was able to control myself when buying the van.  Well, mostly.  I was SO TIRED and SO HUNGRY by the time we left there with the keys that I had to hold my tongue in order NOT to be super bitch.  Brian was like, "I was pretty annoyed with you, I almost just sent you home...accept that I knew you wanted to drive the van home."  I could barely even enjoy driving it home because I was so grumpy!!

Baby name: We're still struggling.  My heart is broken that Brian doesn't like my current favorite.  He says it's too much like a girl's name.  By the way, I'm always up for suggestions!  We want something unique, but not weird.  And not necessarily something that can be nicknamed.  Sadie is the perfect example...everyone has heard the name, but there are very few other kids her age with that name.  And it'll always be Sadie, unlike my name, which is really Christina.

Best moment of the week: Buying a new car, definitely.  I love it.  It's so pretty, so comfortable, so keyless!!  Oh, and I got a raise this week...so that's a little extra money each month that I can look forward to!!

What I'm looking forward to: The weekend.  Since school started last week I've been working twice as many hours, and often late into the evening.  I really need the weekend so i can slow down and relax.  And I really need to find my groove this semester so that I don't have to continue working overtime (that I don't get paid for!).

How baby's growing: Baby weighs 3.75-4lbs and will gain half of his birth weight in the next 7 weeks!  I should be gaining about a pound a week at this point.  He has toenails and fingernails and hair on his head...will it be red?  What do you guys think?  Another red-head?

S0, according to Baby Center, this is what my baby looks like this week.  However, my belly is NOT shaped like the one in the picture.  I've drawn in black more the shape of my belly.  I'm convinced this kid is NOT head down yet.  I get little arms or legs pushing on my upper right belly and my lower left belly... I think he's diagonal.  And he must be in a little ball down toward the bottom instead of stretched out nicely and evenly distributed!

Project Pack-on-the-Pounds

Remember our GI checkup 4 weeks ago? The one where the doctor told me Sadie was losing weight and too skinny and we had that talk with the nutritionist about giving her more high calorie foods?  I was given suggestions to add things to Sadie's diet like chicken, potatoes, pasta, oil, whole milk, etc.

The thing is, when we got home, I was all gung ho for this...and I made Sadie throw up like everyday.  Brian told me I needed to slow down and ease her into this diet change.  I hate when he tells me what to do...especially when he's right!  But, after about a week, we found our groove.

First I started adding oil.  Sadie gets 1.5-2 Tbs of Olive oil added to her food everyday.  That right there is an extra 180-240 calories.

Then I realized that the yogurt we were giving her was only 60 calories a cup, and I knew we could do better than that!  I found Kroger brand yogurt that is 190 calories per cup!!  Do you know how hard it is to find HIGH calorie foods?!  Most people was low fat and low calorie yogurt.  So, finding 190 calorie yogurt was like hitting the jackpot!

Then we started giving her a little whole milk with each meal.  Soon we had a goal of 12 syringes of milk a day (it's doable), which is 10 ounces.  That is another 187.5 calories per day.

I started making her peanut butter in the vitamix.  Just peanuts and oil, and I can make it a little thinner/runnier so it's easier to mix into her fruit puree.  And since we're trying to add texture to her foods, I put some Life cereal in her fruit puree and peanut butter, which doesn't add a lot of calories, but adds some starch.  At our house we call it Sadie's peanut butter sandwich.  She gets this meal everyday.

Sadie's daily diet that she's settled into looks something like this:

8:30/9:00ish we give her 6oz of tube food.  This can be anything from leftovers of our dinner the night before to just milk and some veggies.  Or sometimes I mix her some Cheerios with milk and banana.

11:00/11:30ish she gets yogurt and some water.  This is also when I make her peanut butter sandwich so that the cereal will be soggy when it's time to eat it.

1:00/1:30ish Sadie eats her peanut butter sandwich (there is oil mixed into this), with 3-4 syringes of milk.

3:30 She eats something hearty.  Sometimes it's rice pudding, sometimes it's black beans with rice and bananas, sometimes it's veggies and quinoa.  Whatever she has, this also has some oil mixed into it and she gets 3-4 syringes of water.

Sadie doesn't eat again until 6:00.  She gets her second dose of medicine at 5:15 and we have to wait at least a half hour until she eats again.

6:00 Sadie gets something high in protein.  Usually she gets chicken and potatoes with vegetables and quinoa.  She likes this.  I bought some organic, cage free chicken tenders for her and boiled them up.  Then I put them in Food Saver bags individually and froze them.  We seem to always have potatoes that we can't use fast enough, so it's been easy to boil some potatoes, make some brown rice or quinoa, steam some frozen vegetables, then add it all to the blender with some milk.  It's pretty hearty, and she usually eats a lot at this time of day because she hasn't eaten for quite a while and is hungry.  I also add a little oil to this meal and give her 2-3 syringes of milk.  Sometimes I can finish up her 12 syringes at this meal, sometimes I take it easy and don't push it.

8:00 If Sadie still needs some more milk, I give her 2-3oz of fruit with some oil and the rest of her milk. If she has had all her milk, I might give her a little yogurt.  I don't give her a lot of food at this time of day, but I try to give her something with protein so it sticks with her through the night, because she's not going to eat again for 12 hours.

My goal in Project Pack-on-the-Pounds isn't just to fatten Sadie up, but to feed her body good, nutritious food in the process.  I don't want to clog her arteries or fill her body with chemicals (otherwise I'd just give her the formula through her tube that the doctor recommends!).  So, below are some of my "recipes."  I know that there are many special needs kids who struggle with gaining weight.  I also know that many of them don't want to eat or struggle with eating more than Sadie.  But in case you can use these, here they are...

Rice Pudding - I bought Sadie some vanilla pudding Snack Packs, then I added cooked brown rice, some whole milk and a little cinnamon to the blender.  She LOVES this.  I tasted some too, I'd eat it, it's super yummy.

Sweet Potatoes - 1 small yam, and an apple, cubed and steamed.  Add these to the blender with a little of the cooking water and a small amount of cinnamon.  You could even add a grain to this if you wanted to make it heartier, or add some protein.

Oatmeal - Oatmeal is so easy, so good, and you have endless variety possibilities.  I cook up some oatmeal, sometimes enough to make 2 or 3 different batches at a time.  Some things I add are: brown sugar and cinnamon (I use a lot of cinnamon because it aids digestion), apples and cinnamon, dried fruit (if you put raisins or dried cranberries in with the oatmeal while it's cooking, it'll reconstitute them and make them easy to blend), anything that you might eat in your oatmeal, your child will likely eat also.  I make sure it's blended well with milk.

Fruit purees - This is just like making a smoothie.  We buy frozen berries at Costco, so we always have some strawberries or blueberries.  Then I mix in a banana usually and whatever we have... peaches, mangos, etc.  That vitamix will blend ANYTHING, even with the peels on, it's amazing.

Quinoa - Cooked quinoa in vegetable broth (Sadie's like me, she's not a huge fan of quinoa, but if it's cooked in vegetable broth, she'll eat it), then I add either frozen mixed vegetables or carrots only.

This seems like we don't give Sadie a lot of vegetables, but we've found that the easiest way to give her veggies is to put them in her tube food.  Her tube food often has spinach, cucumbers, broccoli, kale, green peppers, etc.  We often get this is our bountiful basket (it's like a food co-op) and can't eat it fast enough before it goes bad.

And because I'm obsessed with Sadie gaining weight, I've been weighing her at home regularly.  The last time we weighed her was Sunday night and she weighed over 31lbs!!!  She has gained 4lbs since we saw the GI doctor!!  It sort of sucks that I have to get her heavier while it's harder and harder for me to carry her.  But I'm glad all of this is working and I'm excited to see what Dr. Wendy says when we go to weigh in in October!!!

Sam Sam the PT man

Yesterday was our first appointment with our new PT, Sam.  We have decided to take a different direction with PT and go back to center-based therapy.  Unfortunately, that meant we had to say goodbye to Denise.  But it also means that we say hello to Sam!

Sam is a brand new PT, which makes him eager to work with Sadie, but also awkward in handling her.  You can really tell the difference between someone like Tami or Denise, who have been doing this for years, and Sam, who's brand new.  He'll get the hang of it though, and being in a clinic/center, he has a lot of resources to draw from, seasoned veterans to learn from, and equipment to use.

Sam and Sadie working on sitting

Trying to get her to push up on her arms

Yay Sadie!!  I don't think she's been in this position for a LONG time!

This was right before she threw up...the first time

She liked this, the idea is to stretch out her back and shoulders to prevent scoliosis from developing due to rounding

We also brought our Happy Chair with us so Sam could see it, and he confirmed what I kind of already thought...she's too big for it.  Plus, we kind of felt like it needed to support her in a different way.  So, I called them today to ask for a re-evaluation of that.  I'm thinking we need a whole new chair, possibly.

Anyway, we'll be seeing Sam on Mondays and Fridays.  He's only about 15 minutes away, and I'm excited to see how far he can bring Sadie in her physical development!

Mommy and Me Monday #12 - The new van!!

You might remember that Brian got into a car accident a couple of weeks ago.  It was annoying, and inconvenient, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Not only did his accident allow us to get a "family vehicle" sooner than expected (which we desperately needed), but since his truck was deemed a total loss, we actually ended up getting a check from the insurance company for twice as much as we expected.  In fact, the amount we got for that truck is more than we probably could have traded it for or sold it for, which put us in a great position to go ahead an buy our van.

We have been saving up since last December when we completely depleted our savings account to buy our house, so we had a good chunk of money, and with the money we got from the insurance company, we were prepared to put down $23,000!!

So, last Thursday night we went off to the Toyota and Honda dealerships to test drive, push buttons, touch stuff, etc.  And after just driving 3 vans, I was in love with the Sienna that was a little out of our price range, but had everything I wanted...and more.  It was late by the time we were done test driving, so we went home and then called the salesman to tell him we'd be back tomorrow to purchase it.

It's beautiful, don't you think?  It has a push-button start (that's what I'm mostly in love with), all the doors are automatic, it has leather interior, and even a navigation system which lets me hook up my phone through blue tooth and see the backup camera when I'm in reverse.  It is amazing.  We found out when we got to look at the carfax that it was previously owned by a Toyota executive, so it was well taken care of, and had all the fancy bells and whistles.  We also learned that what we thought were high miles for a van that was only a year old, weren't.  The van was actually "purchased" in June of 2010, so really it's been driven for 2 years, not one, which puts it at relatively low miles!

We left the dealership REALLY late Friday night.  I had NO IDEA it would take so long to buy a car, so I totally wasn't prepared with food for Sadie, snacks for us, etc.  I was really grumpy and tired and hungry by the time we left.  So, Brian went back on Saturday to ask for a "tour" of the van. 

He met the fleet manager, who showed him way more stuff that we didn't even know it could do!!  It's amazing that I NEVER have to even take my keys out of my purse to activate everything.  Anyway, she also told him that she almost sold this van to someone else on Friday before we came in.  Apparently, some people came in and were trying to purchase it for someone else...but that someone else went into labor and the deal couldn't be closed.  It's like it was meant to be ours (Brian hates when I say things like that because he doesn't believe in fate, but I totally do).

So, if you see me on the road now, I'll totally be the pregnant mommy driving the Swagger Wagon.

This is totally us...well, sort of! haha

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?