When hippie goes wrong

gdiapers... let me take a sit back and take a deep breath. I will start by saying, I am trying. I am really trying to leave Chase with a better world then the direction it's headed now. However, what is a better world worth if his mom goes insane in the process? Yeah, that's about how things went today.

First let me say, carrots do not like my son and he is NOT so fond of them. He has been gassy and uncomfortable for the past 2 days... "waking in the middle of the night with painful gas" uncomfortable... I really feel for the little guy. I say all that to say... today, he is much happier... if you get my drift. Without being too graphic, all that was making him sad is (hopefully) now out of him. Which leads us back to hippie gone wrong.

The gdiaper. It did very little to contain Chase's 'relief'. And when I say very little I mean grown men were weeping, women were howling and young children were running in fear. Now, I actually expected this because yesterdays 'relief' (albeit smaller) wasn't contained either... although the clean up was much easier. Today's... well I already said... men, women and children... the whole nine yards. So I clean up the baby and set out to dispose of the diaper. First step, tear and put a certain part in the toilet to flush, then while it's flushing add the last part. Great in theory... sucks in practice. We have done this a few times so far but this time... yeah, not so much. And no amount of plunging worked so that was left for daddy when he got home. I still had to deal with a crappy liner and crabby baby.

I like the idea of the gdiaper but there are 2 problems I have with the execution of it.
1. the 'relief' is not contained. You might say 2 dirty diapers is not enough to really gage the effectiveness but you do it twice and tell me if you want to try again.
2. flushable... I am not convinced. Maybe our toilet is weak but I gotta think our toilet is probably the mainstream commode... I am sure there are higher and lower models but if we are the average, shouldn't it be able to handle the diaper? Could be too much to ask, I realize this.

Here's the thing... if it were just the commode problem, I could deal. I would buy biodegradable trash bags and they would degrade in the landfill. But it isn't just the commode... it's the 'relief' too and that, that I can't handle. As much as I hate to admit, I don't think I will continue using the gdiapers. It's really a shame because look how cute his little butt is in the gdiaper.

How much have I changed?

***8 years ago (2000)***

1) How old were you?
I was 21

2) Where did you go to school?
UMBC

3) Where did you work?
On campus at any number of jobs, Operations, CIRC, Student Development

4) Where did you live?
My parents house in Baltimore

5) Where did you hang out?
School (on the plaza and in the darkroom!), clubs, with friends... the usual

6) Did you wear contacts?
nope

7) Who was your best friend?
Jaime, Christine, Rose, Simon

8) How many tattoos did you have?
none yet

9) How many piercings did you have?
6

10) Did you drive a car?
yep, my first car... a blue honda civic.

11) Had you been to a real party?
I have to ask... what constitutes a real party? kegger... yes. bridal shower... yes. chill relaxing social event... yes.

12) Had you had your heart broken?
I thought so but I had no idea how a heart could break

13) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?
I am sure I was dating... I think Mike S was that year... I was still 2 years out from getting together with the present day squeeze

14) Any Kids?
thank goodness no

***4 years ago (2004)***

1) How old were you?
25

2) Where did you go to school??
I was done out and in the working world ;~)

3) Where did you work?
Advertising.com

4) Where did you live?
with my parents in Baltimore

5)Where did you hang out?
church, home, wherever Adam was

6) Did you wear glasses?
nope

7) Who were your best friend(s)?
Adam, Christine, Jaime, Rose

8) How many tattoos did you have?
2 at this point

9) How many piercings did you have?
same old 6

10) What car did you drive?
2000 Jeep at the beginning of the year... then the 2003 Honda... then the 1998 Jeep.... it was a weird year for cars.

11) Had your heart broken?
yeah... my future bro in law died in March and my mom died in Nov... that is heartbreak

12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?
I was on my way to being taken for good. Adam and I were engaged and married this year!

13) Any Kids?
thank goodness no

***Today/2008***

1) How old are you?
29 (gak, almost 30!)

2) Where do you work?
in the home.... I am a SAHM

3) Where do you live?
Crofton

4) Do you wear glasses?
nope

5) Who is/are your closest friend(s)?
Adam, Christine, Jaime, Rose, Danielle

6) Do you talk to your old friends?
Some I do... some not so much. I have reconnected with a few and that is pretty cool

7) How many piercings do you have?
same 6 but I am thinking that the one on the top of my ear has closed... so maybe just the 5. I did manage to save my belly ring through the pregnancy!

8) How many tattoos?
same 2

9) What kind of car do you have?
2003 Jeep and 2003 Honda... and they will be our cars for a long time!!!

10) Has your heart been broken?
Won't ever truly heal from the 2004 break

11) Single/taken/married/divorced?
Married and loving it

12) Any Children?
thank goodness yes.

If you feels so inspired, please repost... just let me know if you do! I would love to check it out!

I Finally Understand

what they mean when they say 'sleep like a baby'! Chase has been doing really well with the napping (knock on wood). He has currently been asleep since 9:30 am... no 45 minute waking, just straight sleeping! I LOVE it. I have time to shower, do my makeup, eat, put jewelry on, think about what I need to get at Target... all before he wakes up! Which in turn means when he gets up, he eats and we leave! And life works that much better!

So, in an effort to 'go green' we have made a few more changes...

• I forgot to say that we use our own cloth bags instead of grocery store bags. I am learning to remember to bring them in each time. It's a little bulkier but well worth it!
  
• I bought the starter kit for gdiapers. I am not sure how this will pan out... they will probably require some extra work (especially in the beginning) and they are definitely more expensive (not a great thing for the struggling family) but I think the good will outweigh the bad. They are extremely environmentally friendly which is my main concern. I didn't think I would care so much but every time I change Chase I think about that diaper cluttering a landfill and it makes me sick. I definitely cannot stomach cloth diapers... this seems like the best of both worlds. Fingers crossed. I have faith that if this is what we are supposed to be doing, God will provide the means for us to buy them. It may seem like a silly thing to have faith in... sue me. I think God is smiling.
• I am shopping at Whole Foods more often now. The location isn't exactly convenient but when it comes to meat, fish, chicken, veggies and fruit... you really can't beat the quality. I am working on knowing what to buy where... for instance, all the above I buy from Whole Foods... baby food I buy from Target.... gdiaper refills, well I am still shopping around.
  
• I am learning how to make my own household supplies. Weed killer, cleaning supplies, deoderizer. It's pretty amazing how cheaply this stuff can be made... I will let you know how well it works (I still have my skeptical hat on ;~)

Well... little man is still sleeping so I am going to take this opportunity to relax a bit! Adios!

St Johns vs. Midshipmen

The story of Sunday. It was supposed to rain buckets... I mean downpour, thunder and lightening... the whole shebang. However, this man and this woman had a dream. They dreamed of dressing up, relaxing match side, sipping champagne and generally just being posh. Rain or shine they would watch the St. John students take on the Midshipmen in the epic battle of croquet.

Little did they know they would have an epic battle of their own. The tent was a wise idea... dry shelter to enjoy the game. They were told it would take 2 to set it up, they had 4... then they enlisted the help of 6 complete strangers. Fair trade good sirs... help up set up the tent and we will share our dry shelter with you and your fellow good sirs.

The tent was pitched and the food was laid out. Croquet was not the only sport that day... people watching was the sport to be played. Men in seersuckers, women in sun dresses and hats... oh the hats. These 2 are just a mere inkling of the hat revelry that ensued. I thought they were the cutest though.

The young couple that envisioned this great event had a child. Miss Anna Stuart... how would she do at such an event? Would she cry and fuss? Would she hate all this poshness and hoopla? Not when she met the baby whisper... Sarah. Sarah sat and loved on Miss Anna and Miss Anna loved the attention.

Families were brought together for good times and happy memories. Fathers and mothers relaxed on picnic blankets and babies enjoyed the attention.

And from his camping chair, the Godfather sat back and watched approvingly. If anyone dare step out of line, they dropped to one knee to kiss the Godfather's binky ring.

The day began and ended with a downpour but the middle was nothing but pure fun! Until next year mes amis!

Going Green

Well it's official. Our family is going green. Ever since Chase came along I have felt the need to 'clean up' after myself environmentally speaking. Now that I have a handle on life again, I am putting my thoughts into action.

Some things we are doing around the house...

• recycling... complete with the free bin they give out. And we recycle as much as we possibly can. They allow you to put paper and plastic in the same bin... 'One day, One bin' is the initiative. Worked on us.
• turning off the water when brushing my teeth. It's so easy but for some reason I never did it. Do now.
• use hand/dish towels instead of paper towels. Don't get me wrong, we still have the paper towels (they are dinner napkins for us!) but for drying of hands, wiping up water spills and underneath hand washed dishes, the towels do the job. Bonus *This will save us money!
  
• using rechargeable batteries. Not only is this good for the environment but it saves us $$$ the baby items that require batteries suck the juice out of them so quickly!
  

Some things we are doing for the body...

• As of right now little man will only be eating USDA Organic marked foods. Specifically we are starting with Earth's Best rice cereal and fruits (haven't started the fruits yet but they are on the next shopping list!) Before everyone starts preaching about not being able to keep this up and the fact that he's a kid and will want to eat stuff other than organic... yeah, I know. However, right now I am the one in charge and right now, it's all organic.
  
• We already buy Laura's beef but I am going to look into other places that sell organic grain fed meats. I miss being right next to a Whole Foods. Yes the prices were a little higher but I worried way less about what I ate.
  
• On the same note... I want to find somewhere to buy organic fruits and vegetables.
  
• I switched Chase from Avent bottles to Born Free bottles which aren't made with BPA. I won't go into all the details here because 1. there is a lot to know about it and 2. I am still learning. Just google it sometime and you will get more information than you can imagine. And yes I know that there is always a study and something is always bad for us but if I look back in 30 years and could have prevented an illness, I want to know that I did everything I could.
  

This is only a little but you gotta start somewhere!

On another note... I found this interesting and wanted to share. The fam was out taking a walk (I will pause for a collective "awwww".... .... thank you) and we started talking to a neighbor. She asked if I was still staying at home with Chase... as opposed to talking to adults. I said yes and still really liking it. I mentioned that I manage to get out and spend time with friends but that went by without really sinking in. Instead she went on about getting bored and getting to a point where you know what comes on when... Oprah at 4. First and foremost... if I start watching Oprah, please slap me... hard. I pretty much hate Oprah and wish that she would disappear into oblivion. Secondly, I won't lie, I do tend to know what shows are on that I would watch at any given time but that doesn't mean I watch them. I am careful not to get sucked into the bon bon eating Peg lifestyle. If the TV is on during the day it is generally because I need some background noise... for me and for Chase (nice background noise really offsets the closing of a dryer door or the doing of dishes... the rooms are in VERY close proximity to one another). However, I am learning to rely more on the ipod and bose for that. Thirdly.... BORED, are you freaking kidding me? I have a to do list that goes everywhere with me and I'll be darned if I don't add 3 'to do's' for every 1 I get to take off. I will never ever be done with all that I want to do... housework, errand and crafts. My husband laughs anytime anyone asks me if I get bored... he knows better.

Here is a look at my current to do list.

Tshirt quilt
clean carpet
swim class for Chase
recipe book
dental insurance
pick up picture and negative from Severn Graphics
rebate
engagement ring fixed and cleaned
research Costco and BJ's
vacuum Jeep
check out high interest savings account
get shorts and pants tailored
make a gift for Rob
find out about baby dedication class
button holes in dishcloths
drop off old cell phones for donation

That list doesn't include
update the G's scrapbook
start and update Chase's scrapbook
Chase's first year quilt
sew unused receiving blankets to make picnic blanket

There are also a million other things that I think of on a minute by minute basis... all while raising a happy healthy God fearing little boy and being a loving supportive wife.

So 'bored'... nope, not me.

For the love of a spoon

Ok, I try not to post too many videos... I don't want to be 'that' parent. However, I couldn't help this one...



Enjoy!

Dose of Chase

For those suffering from lack of Chase... a few random pictures!


Riley loves to be near his little bro


Just a little dirty laundry!


This rice cereal eating kid loves his Grandma!


Some tummy time on the floor with mommy.

Admittedly this kid has been driving me batty the past 2 days... not sleeping longer than 45 minutes, not going to sleep before 11 and being a general crankpot. Despite all that, I look into this face and just melt. Being a stay at home mom is hard but even on my worst day... it's still better than my best day at work!

I LOVE this face.

For all you mamas and papas out there

New child safety seat regulations! Check it out ~

Scooter update

I am happy to report that Scooter is home with C and G! Sunday night his bilirubin number was 18 (which is very high) and C asked what it would have to be in order for them to be discharged. The nurse answered 13 but don't count on that... going from 18 to 13 is more than not likely... it doesn't happen. The very next foot prick... you guessed it, Scooter came in with a 13! They were discharged at 1 am and back at 10 am to get another foot prick. He is now trending downward and couldn't be happier. C was also able to hold her ground about breastfeeding and now that they are home in the calm environment, it is going beautifully. There's nothing like the noise and disruption of a hospital to stress a family out!

Thank you for all your prayers. I know without a shadow of a doubt they are what made the difference!

The incredible sitting man

Prayer Request

If you find it in your heart, please keep C, G and baby Scooter in your prayers. Early early this morning Scooter was admitted to the pediatric unit because of his jaundice. His numbers are extremely high and has to spend time under the Bilirubin lights until he starts showing smaller numbers. C is also feeling pressure from the nurses to give Scooter formula... something she really does not want to do. Please pray for her ability to stand up for her decisions.

Thanks!

Classics Revisited

Classic Version:

Hush little baby, Don't say a word
Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird
If that mocking bird don't sing
Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring
If that diamond ring turns brass
Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass
If that looking glass gets broke
Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat
If that billy goat don't pull
Daddy's gonna buy you a cart and bull
If that cart and bull turn over
Daddy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover
If that dog named Rover don't bark
Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart
If that horse and cart fall down
You'll still be the sweetest baby in town

Updated version:

Hush little baby, Don't cry much
Daddy's gonna buy you an ipod touch
If that ipod touch gets hot
Daddy's gonna buy you a powershot
If that powershot don't snap
Daddy's gonna buy you a baseball bat
If that baseball bat gets a crack
Daddy's gonna buy you a brand new mac
If that brand new mac don't boot
Daddy's gonna buy you a lawyer suit
If that lawyer suit don't fit
Daddy's gonna buy you a catcher's mitt
If that catcher's mitt is wrong
Daddy's gonna buy you digg.com
If digg.com gets lost in the fog
Daddy's gonna buy you a Riley dog
If that Riley dog gets flees
Daddy's gonna buy you a PS3
If that PS3 breaks down
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

You watch, it will sweep the world!

Scooter is here!

UPDATE
C, G and baby Scooter! Everyone is doing well... sleep deprived but well. Daddy even went home today to work on finishing the bathroom construction so it's all done when they all go home! (FYI - G is an amazing carpenter and runs his own business so if anyone in the area needs anything done around their house, just let me know!)


C had her baby yesterday! He was 7 lbs and 11 ozs and 19 inches long ;~) I am going to see her today at some point so there will be pictures soon. I have to say, C by far wins the prize for most difficult labor... hands down and bar none. After 20 hours of labor and 3 and a half hours of pushing, they took her for an emergency C-section. In just the short time I spoke with her last night it sounded like an absolute whirlwind of insanity! Thank the Lord that everyone was healthy and happy!

Admittedly

I don't dust very often... and my house probably shows it. Then why do I have 4 cans of Pledge?