Ornaments: 2012 Edition

Here's a peek at the DIY ornaments that I made this year.

These four were the first that I made this year. Known as "Scrappy Ornaments" on Pinterest, The were super easy to make and turned out great! I sent these four to a friend and made two more for our tree.

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These rolled paper ornaments were up next and, BY FAR, my favorite ornaments I've ever made, especially the star. I would link to a tutorial, but I used bits and pieces of different tutorials to get what I was looking for.

If anyone is interested in a tutorial, let me know and I'll piece one together from the ones I used.

They were time consuming for sure, but the outcome was worth it! I'm just sad I couldn't keep these for myself, but the recipient was happy with them I think :)

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This next group was an experimentation of sorts. I wandered through Joann's and grabbed whatever I thought I could fill an ornament with. Here are just a few that I came up with!

The bottom one is my favorite I think, so sparkley!

 

That's all I've got for "DIY Ornaments 2012"! 

I have a little something something in the works for 2013, more to come soon on that! 

Hope everyone had a great Holiday season!

Book Review: "Never Smile At Strangers"

"Never Smile At Strangers" by Jennifer Minar-Jaynes

SUMMARY from Goodreads
WHEN TEENAGE GIRLS VANISH in what was once considered a safe, Louisiana bayou town, the lives of four desperate young locals take unexpected turns, begging the crucial question: Do you every truly know those closest to you?

When nineteen-year-old Tiffany Perron vanishes from rural Grand Trespass, Louisiana, best friend HALEY LANDRY's relationship with her boyfriend becomes increasingly strained. To make matters worse, her impressionable younger sister BECKY has begun idolizing an impetuous, seductive 15 year old who's encouraging her to do dangerous things.

Meanwhile, ERICA DUVALL, a reclusive 19-year-old aspiring writer, befriends Haley. Ten years earlier, Erica’s mother abandoned her, leaving her with the womanizing used car salesman father she loathes. She’s decided to write a novel based on Tiffany’s disappearance; a novel that she hopes will lead to a reunion with her estranged novelist mother.

RACHEL ANDERSON, a 36-year-old mother of two, is having trouble coming to terms with her husband, TOM’s, affair with the missing girl—a relationship that supposedly ended shortly before Tiffany’s disappearance. What’s more, she comes to the blood curdling realization that someone is watching her through the large back windows of her house.

A DISTURBED MAN also lives in the area. Ever since his mother’s murder four years earlier, he’s been raising his insolent teenage sister, ALLIE, who sleeps with truck drivers for money. He considers women to be dangerous—and his world revolves around his fear and hatred for them. He’s terrified of his sister, knowing she’s intent on pushing him over the edge.

MY RATING

MY THOUGHTS
This is the first book I've had the chance to finish in quite a while! It was also my first read on my brand new Kindle Fire!

I pretty much loved this book. I won't lie, I chose it because it was a free download on Amazon at the time, so I honestly didn't have very high hopes. However, it ended up being pretty darn good.

The story jumps characters (as you can tell from the Summary), but it's still surprisingly easy to follow the story line. The chapters are short, but still manage to leave you with cliffhangers when jumping to the next character. The author does a great job of making you WANT to keep reading to see what happens.

I'm usually pretty good at guessing the outcome before I get to the "big reveal", but this one kind of blew my mind. I did not see it coming at all. Towards the end, little details come out and they kind of make you guess, but yet you still feel like you're wrong. Really keeps the wheels turning!

Would I recommend this book? If you're looking for a read to keep you on your toes and suck you in, then absolutely yes! 

Outtake

If you've ever tried to take a decent photo of a baby or toddler, you know what a work out it can be!

You know those cute photos I've been posting each month?
Well, the first few months were no big deal. I mean, he just stayed where I put him, I snapped the picture and went about our day!

Once he started crawling though.... LOOK OUT!! There were sometimes when I swear I'd break a sweat just trying to get one or two usable photos.. haha It's always fun getting smiles and giggles out of him though :)

Here's a little peek "behind the scenes" from his 12 month photos:


Outtake from Michelle N on Vimeo.

Happy Monday everyone!

One.

This is that emotional sappy post I hinted at yesterday. You've been warned.

How did this year go so fast? 2012 was one of the quickest yet.

It's hard to believe we've gone from this...

...to this...

..all in only twelve months.

It's been a whirlwind, that's for sure. Being a mother ranks up there amongst the most challenging things I've ever done. And I'm sure the years to come will only come with more challenges. But you know what? I think if I can handle the life-altering thing that we call parenthood, I'll be ready for pretty much anything.

I don't think I ever could have imagined how much one little person could so greatly change my life. You don't really realize how many things are going to change until you really experience it. I mean, yes, you KNOW life will change when you have a baby... but even little things.. like going grocery shopping or running to the bank. Everything is impacted by baby!

Instead of life revolving around "youyouyou"... it turns into "babybabybaby". It's an eye-opener, that's for sure.

But you know what?
I wouldn't change one thing about this past year. Not one.

You know why?
Because while there were plenty of challenges that made me want to rip my hair out some days, the rewards of parenting were well worth it.

Seeing that first smile. Hearing that first precious giggle. Crawling. First steps. Watching him learn new things and become an independent little man... all that made me forget the hard, challenging stuff. Being one of the people to help him grow into a well-rounded, smart little boy is the biggest reward of all. Knowing that I have a hand in what he could become, that's fulfilling stuff right there.

**
We successfully made it to one whole year of breastfeeding.

Back in that first month? There's no way in hell I EVER would have imagined making it this far. I wanted to quit on a daily basis. But anyone who knows me, knows that I'm FAR to stubborn to give up.

I stuck it out though. Not even once having to use to formula (not that it's horrible, there's nothing wrong with formula!). It took months of nursing around the clock. Months of using that awful shield. Months of weight gain worries. Months of having the slowest nurser on the planet. But I stuck it out. I know I'm incredibly blessed to have made it this far.

About a month ago my husband told me "I'm proud of you". At the time I said something about my stubborness to make a joke.. but honestly? I'm really glad that he said that.

To know that he is proud of me makes me that much more happy about my decision to stick with it and not give up. Knowing that I had his support through everything is wonderful. I'm grateful to have such a great support system.

We've started the weaning process now. Every time I nurse him, I take advantage of that "us" time. Now that we're nearing the end, it's actually a little emotional to think that each time is one step closer to the last time.

I know we had a great run, and for that, I'm incredibly happy.

**
So yeah. One year. How my life has changed.

At least it changed for the better.

I'm so blessed to have Charlie in my life and I feel lucky that I get to be his Mommy.

Lots of love to my little man. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us!

Twelve Months

Twelve Month Stats:

Weight: 18lbs 14oz (14%) *I was apparently way off on my guess*

Height:  31" (76%)

Clothing: Pretty much all 12 month. He has an 18 month snow suit that fits!

Diapers: Cloth at home, Size 3 Disposables

Eating:
He's pretty much all on finger foods now, he's such a big boy! He will pretty much eat (or at least try) anything you put in front of him, so that's good. I dread the day when the toddler pickiness kicks in!

We've slowly started the weaning process. I'm so incredibly happy that we were able to make it to a year with breastfeeding. In the beginning, this point seemed SO far off that I was sure there was no way we'd make it. But we did, and I couldn't be happier with the decision to stick it out! ( More on that in a different post!)

So anyways, weaning. It so happened that nearly all of his bottles/nursing sessions coincide with either a snack or a meal, so dropping sessions has been fairly easy so far. I decided to drop the snack sessions first, so now he gets whole milk with a snack twice a day. My goal is to have him all on whole milk during the day at daycare by the end of next week. We're taking things a day at a time and I'm trying not to rush things right now. We'll get there.

Sleep:
Same old, same old here.

Napping on Mommy :)

Although *knock on wood*, his naps have been getting better. We're still not getting those glorious 3 hour naps that I've only heard about (myth? I think so), but we're usually around an hour twice a day, sometimes more. I'll take it! 

Playing:
Charlie continues to blow my mind daily. He's always learning new things and acquiring new skills. It's so neat to watch the gears turn.

Jungle-jim Daddy!

He can turn pretty much anything into a toy. He particularly loves my pots, pans and strainers - those usually keep him occupied while I'm making dinner.
 

Being nosy around the Christmas tree!

He loves to throw things, turn things, bang on things and make anything and everything into a walker!

Other Things:
Charlie has become a pointing and clapping machine! He will point at something and say "wassat" (what's that?) over and over again, it's adorable.

We're SO CLOSE to walking! He takes quite a few steps at a time, but he's still pretty wobbley and prefers crawling as his go to form of transportation. I think we'll have a full-blown walker by New Years! Exciting stuff!

He popped out two more teeth in the last few days! Apparently, he didn't feel like waiting until Christmas for his two front teeth... see what I did there? Yep :)

His big thing is giving kisses. Big sloppy, wet kisses. It's so stinkin' cute! Sometimes he'll give them when you ask, or even better yet, he sometimes will just randomly grab your face and lay one on you. I love it!

Kisses!!

***

I have a few more posts planned in the next few days. I'll save my emotionally sappy "my baby is one" post for tomorrow. Also, a Charlie Party post. Then I'd like to share a few of my holiday crafts and maybe even a book review!

And I leave you with a little Charlie Cake Smash Action:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!!

Party Planning

In just 7 short days, my baby will be one. ONE. I can't believe how fast this year has gone.

However, in only 4 days, we will be having a first birthday PARTY!

There will be food to enjoy, yummy cake, gifts to rip open, and most importantly, a celebration.

It won't be super extravagant or overboard, but it will be a party none the less. Just a gathering of family and friends to celebrate one year of Charlie.

*Excuse me while I go get all emotional over my little guy being not so little anymore*

Since Charlie doesn't have much of an opinion on things yet (I'm sure next year that will change!), I went ahead and chose a 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' (VHC) theme. I use the word "theme" loosely, because really the only things VHC themed are the invites, cake and the colors. Nothing overboard, just enough to placate my OCD tendencies :)

Here's a little preview/idea board:

After the party, I'll share some photos of everything in more detail!

Dancing Machine

If Charlie happens to be in a good mood, he sometimes chooses to grace us with his adorable dancing skills...

Charlie Dances from Michelle N on Vimeo.


This video was taken a couple weeks ago, he's since started dancing while standing as well.

Sitting, standing... doesn't matter... it's all cute!

Eleven Months

Eleven Month Stats:

Weight: About 20lbs

Height:  I'll say 31"

Clothing: A mix of 6-9 month onesies/shirts/pants and 12 month footed sleepers

Diapers: Cloth at home, Size 3 Disposables

 
Eating:
He's doing pretty well with finger foods as of late. He's eating three solid meals a day and two small snacks. He still eats some purees, but seems to prefer feeding himself. I tend to give him pureed fruits or veggies when I don't have a good option of either on hand for a finger food.

We're still nursing (or getting bottles at daycare) six times per day between 6am and 7pm. He's averaging about 24oz per day.

With his first birthday fast approaching, I'm thinking a lot about the weaning process. I'll be honest, I'm SO NERVOUS. I've gotten a lot of great advice from other ladies in the same boat though, so I think I have a good game plan. I hope anyway.

Sleep:
Let me just say this: I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME.

This image about sums it up:

 

Charlie, being a baby, doesn't believe in this whole time change thing. So he's up and ready to party at 5am most days. It pretty much sucks! Fortunately, he's managed to stay on schedule with everything else. It's just his sleep that's all jacked up.

Naps are still a disaster. I'm hoping at some point he'll just "grow into" naps... here's to hoping!

Playing:
This kid is a ball of energy, that's for sure. Who need a gym when you have a baby? Chasing after him is a workout!

It blows my mind the things he just "knows" how to do. For example: he loves toy cars and trucks. He pushes them around and makes "car noises". You know the "pffffftttt" sound? He does that. It's SO CUTE. I have a video that I'm going to attempt to upload.

Another favorite of his is playing catch! He will push or throw a ball to me or Daddy and we push or toss it back. This can go back and forth for quite a while. I didn't think that this was something a young baby would know how to do, but he does it and he loves it! He gets really into it - I also have a video of this that I'm going to try and share (I never have luck uploading videos on here for some reason!).

Other Things:
My baby can wave! Sometimes it takes a little coaxing, but he does it. He will flap his little hand and say "ba" - which we assume means "bye". Again with the adorableness!

On the topic of words - he sometimes says "mama" or "dada", but it's not always in the correct context. We'll get there soon though!

He cruises along furniture now quite well. He's also able to stand up unassisted and he looks like he's thinking about taking some steps. Not to long now and I think we'll have a walker - yikes! I don't know if I'm ready for that.

Birthday party plans are full swing and I can't believe Charlie will be ONE in less than a month! This year really has flown by.

Happy Halloween!

From the cutest bear on the planet :)

Ten Months

Ten Month Stats:

Weight: My best guess is about 18lbs

Height:  29"ish, maybe 30"

Clothing: 6-9 month, borderline 9 month sleepers. He'll probably be in 12 month sleepers soon.

Diapers: Cloth at home, Size 2 or 3 in disposables at daycare

Eating

This kid LOVES to feed himself. We've made the switch to mostly finger foods now. He'll still eat purees, but seems to prefer the independence of doing it himself.

Snack time!

I'm completely ok with that! He has his new freedom, and therefore so does Mom :) While he's eating his dinner (between 5/530), I can park his high chair in the kitchen right next to me while I make up his bottles for the next day, make dinner and "chat" with him.

I've noticed that he doesn't seem to be a big "breakfast person", he eats very little in the way of solids for breakfast. Usually just a little fruit and maybe some Cheerios or raisins. However, at the other meals? Look out! This kid eats like a horse!

(I'm going to *knock on wood* for this next statement)... I haven't had to nurse him overnight for a little over a week now!! So now we're down to 6 nursing sessions and/or bottles per day. Once he started with 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, he seemed ready to drop that overnight feed.

Sleep

It seems that the last month may have been a phase. He was going through a lot of developmental changes, so that may have been the reason behind all the night waking. The last few weeks have been great!

His naps are still crap most days, but I'm trying to figure out a solution to that.

We've had an issue with him being a super early riser as of late. This makes me nervous for Daylight Savings Time!! Those 5:30 wake ups could easily become 4:30 wake ups... YIKES. I'm wondering if trying to push back his bedtime a bit (maybe by 30 minutes or so) might help him sleep a little later? We may give it a shot.

Playing
Gogogogogogo.... this seems to be the theme over the last month :) Charlie is a champion speed crawler and is always up for a rousing game of "I'm Gonna Get You!!".

And he's off!!

He's at such a fun age. You can just see the little wheels turning all the time. If you show him how to do something, he usually will try to imitate what you've shown him. It's really neat to watch him learn new things all the time.

I scored a great deal on the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Farm at a rummage sale a few weeks ago, he LOVES this thing. LOVES.

Exciting eggs!

For whatever reason, his favorite part seems to be the plain white eggs that came with it. Not sure why, but whatever!

Other Things
Charlie can pull himself up on pretty much anything now. Once in a while he will shuffle his feet and walk a little, but it doesn't happen too often (yet!).

So proud of himself :)

He has tooth number 2!!! The second one just kind of popped out over night. So now he has his two middle teeth on the bottom. It's pretty cute :)

We're in the process of planning Charlies first birthday party! I can't believe in less than two months we will have a ONE YEAR OLD. Time certainly has flown!

Cloth Diapers

I've mentioned a few times in Charlies monthly updates that we've been using cloth diapers. So I figured I should show of the stash!!

The stash!

I think there are A LOT of misconceptions about cloth diapers. It's not all pins, complicated folds and rubber pants anymore. They've evolved quite a bit over the years. There are so many options out there it's almost ridiculous, you really need to do your research to figure out what option is best for your baby and your family.

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A lot of people get caught up in the vanity aspect of cloth diapering and end up spending a ton of money - more than they would spend on disposables in babies diapering lifetime. But this doesn't need to be the case at all! With a little research, great sales and help from some ladies with experience, I was able to complete our stash for about $380.00.

How much do you spend on disposables from birth to age two? Using a rough average of 25cents per diaper, and a guess of 6,000 diapers used in the first two years of life - that adds up to about $1,600 for diapers. That you THROW AWAY. Diapers that sit in a landfill. It's kind of crazy when you think about it.

I feel like I should tell you that we don't use cloth full-time. Charlie is in daycare 3 days a week, where he's in disposables. But still, the overall savings is pretty amazing when you really look at it. Only buying one pack of diapers MAYBE once a month is great! He generally goes through about a dozen disposables a week at daycare, which is very little in the grand scheme of things.

We did get a late start in the cloth game, starting at about 7 months. But the savings is still there and I think it's still worth it. Especially considering they can be used for more than one child.

If you're looking for more information, Lindsey at The Accidental Wallflower did an entire month devoted to cloth diapers. She did a great job covering everything - Go Here To Read More!

Ok... so here's the breakdown on what I have!

Wet Bags 
These are used in the diaper bag and on the go. Basically they're lined, zippered bags that contain the dirty diapers. I also have two pail liners (Cloth Diaper Clearance) - same concept, except they don't zip and fit in a 13 gallon diaper pail.

Left: Swaddlebees (Owl) Wet Bag (Amazon) - Right: Planet Wise Wet Bag (Cloth Diaper Clearance)

Now on to the diapers! I'll start in the upper left of the stash picture...

FLIP Covers (Cotton Babies)

Flip Covers in Grasshopper, Moonbeam & Ribbit

These are the only cover type diapers we have. They were the first ones that I bought because there was a Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale going on. These fit my long, skinny baby fairly well. They have a Stay Dry Insert that lays inside the cover. You can swap out the insert when it's wet and reuse the cover.

TotsBots Easyfit (TotsBots)

TotBots Easyfits in Chicken Little & Enormous Turnip

TotsBots are quickly becoming my favorite diaper! They are technically an "All-In-One" diaper, meaning that there is no insert to stuff. The only downside to that is that they take a little longer to line-dry. These are currently the only APLIX (velcro) diapers we have. I'm considering selling a few that don't get used often to fund a few more of these. While they are my current favorites, they are unfortunately the most expensive and hard to find here in the US (they are UK based).

FuzziBunz One Size Elite Pocket (FuzziBunz)

FuzziBunz in Kumquat

If I had to choose a least favorite diaper, this would be it. I can't seem to get a good fit on Charlie with this one. The sizing is a bit different as well. While it's still a one size, you re-size it by adjusting the leg and waist elastic rather than snapping it up or down. The plus is that if the elastic wears out, it's super easy to replace. I purchased this one used for about $7.00.

Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0 (Swaddlebees)

Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0 in Owls

I won't lie - I bought this one just for the print!! This is a sized all-in-one diaper. The one I have is a size Medium, which fits approximately 12 to 25 pounds. It's not my favorite, but it fits Charlie fairly well. This is another one I purchased used from a diaper swap, I think it was $12.00.

Sunbaby Pockets (Sunbaby)

Sunbaby in (top L to R): Red, Brown x2, Blue Dot, Shapes, Yellow Car (bottom L to R): Cream Zoo, Paint, Blue Car, Blue Star, Yellow Strips

For an inexpensive diaper (around $5 each) these are GREAT quality. They come in two "sizes" - Size 1 and Size 2. Technically they are "one-size" (I know, it doesn't make much sense), but the sizes are designed to fit differently "shaped" little ones. They are essentially the same, but the Size 1's are supposedly better for smaller/skinny babies, while the Size 2's are better for bigger/chunky babies. Honestly I don't even know what I have - I think I have some of each. Sunbaby diapers ship from China, so I purchased all of mind through swaps and co-ops. They make up the majority of my stash - we have 11 of them! These are a wonderful option for cloth diapering on a tight budget!

Kawaii Cross-Over Square Tab Pockets (Kawaii)

Kawaii in Green, Baby Blue, Sapphire, Sky Blue & Light Yellow

Considering these are cheap diapers, they are pretty great! I was able to buy these for about $5.00 a piece through diaper swaps. They are pockets, meaning they need to be stuffed with an insert (or two). I love the solid colors on these as well, the colors are bright and the material is very soft to the touch.

Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetters (Kawaii)

Kawaii GNHW in Green and White Animal Print

These are wonderful for overnights. The outer layer is a bit thicker, so it's built to hold a lot more for a longer period of time. Charlie wears one for about 11 hours overnight with no leaks so far! They are a bit bulky (ok, A LOT bulky), but at night that doesn't really matter since he's just sleeping anyway and it doesn't deter his movement at all. I stuff them with two microfiber inserts and they work great! I purchased these through the same swap I used for the other Kawaiis.

Whew! That's all I have! Sorry that got a little long :)

I think variety is important. If you are just getting started and buy all one type, how will you truly know what works best for your baby? Every little one is shaped a little differently, as is every cloth diaper. What works for your friends baby, might not be so great for yours!


If you're interested in cloth but not sure where to start, there are a number of "Trial" programs out there. Here are links to just a few:

Jillian's Drawers Cloth Diaper Trial
Moms Milk Boutique Cloth Diaper Trial
Diaper Daisy Cloth Diaper Trial

The internet has a wealth of cloth diaper knowledge and it can be overwhelming. I encourage new parents to at least consider it!