I wish: Parenting edition.

I wish I had given Adalyn a pacifier in the hospital. She gags on them now and will only take them for naps. But who knows - she might have hated them still anyway..

I wish I didn't let my blood pressure go through the roof when Ad cries in the car. I just don't deal well with driving & crying...

I wish I had worn her in the Moby more when she was a newborn. I miss her newborn newness.

I wish I had photographed her more in her first week home. I feel like I don't remember enough about that magnificent time in our lives.

I wish I could remember to get our blasted video camera out and make some home movies!!!

I wish I could have brought Adalyn's Kolcraft bassinet to Kentucky. She loved that thing and hasn't slept well since the day Mark left.

I wish I didn't have to ask God to forgive me every.single.night. for flipping out (over something dumb, no less..) again. Sigh.

I wish I could learn to roll with the punches. Will I ever just relax?! Doubt it.

I wish I hadn't held Adalyn so much while she slept... But she was so darn cute :) (still is!!)

I wish I could bottle her up and save her. I'm proud to admit that I'm one of those nutty people who never want their children to grow. I absolutely love her infancy.

The end.

Ps. I'm holding her through this nap. I need the break. :)

And just for fun, a glimpse of tonight's meal at Chick-fil-A:







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Stream of consciousness!

Today was full of greatness. We started the day with Lucky Charms and ended it with pizza. And there was so much packed in between those two of my favorite foods.

I missed the entire sermon today. Adalyn was overtired and wasn't having it. I hung out in the nursery while she slept. The cause of this whole mess was that I left every single pacifier at home, so I couldn't get her to sleep in the service. I walked into the nursery, and there it was: a brand new Nuk pink pacifier still in the package. Thank you, God!

We have a photoshoot set up for this weekend with MckMama. Excited is an understatement. I just hope Ad isn't asleep or nursing during my time slot. I have this outfit picked out:



Hope it warms up a little!

We did lots of shopping today. I escaped the mall with only one bag in my hand - can't pass up a Children's Place sale! Adalyn fell asleep while I was in Bath & Body Works. She is a great shopping buddy:



Clayton has now lost 4 teeth and is a super big kid. But you know what? He intensely loves Adalyn. Yesterday, I spotted him holding her hand in the car:



He sings to her, plays with her, and keeps her so happy. He has a precious heart and such a kind spirit. I love him so much, and so does Ad!!


It has been a fantastic weekend. I'm looking forward to Coming Home, Sister Wives, the Duggars, and the season premiere of Secret Life. Normally I hate tv, but I love these shows.

Almost time for bed!! Cuddling with this sweet girl now:



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5 months!!!

I'm nursing my 5-month old daughter to bed right now. It's hard to believe that she is almost halfway to 1, but time seems to be moving much slower with Mark gone.


Parenting Adalyn is relatively easy. Aside from her disliking naps, we have an extremely predictable schedule and it goes smoothly! Our days are spent singing songs about everything. I love love love to rhyme and find myself making up songs over diaper changes or getting dressed. She thinks it's hilarious, and her smiles keep me going!

I often feel lonely, sad, and just emotional over things. I definitely never imagined raising her alone, and I think about Mark all day long. I wish he could be here to go to church with us. To give Adalyn baths with me. To watch her grow and reach milestones. It feels like my heart has a ginormous hole and time is standing still until June. I definitely feel incomplete without my best friend here, and I feel a constant state of hurt. But our little girl, the spitting image of her daddy, is growing and changing and greets me each morning with the biggest grins on earth. He is so, so proud of her and thinks she's the "greatest baby on earth!" I find joy in photographing and video taping Adalyn for Mark. We talk about Daddy often:

Daddy's coming home,
Yes, he's coming home in June!
Daddy's coming back
He's coming home so soon!

..part of a song I sing her! :)

Adalyn is our greatest accomplishment and the best addition to our lives. So, without further ado, an update on our precious miracle:

Adalyn, you now have a spunky personality that is anything but easy-going. Your favorite spot is in my arms, and you let it be known! You can't last more than 2 hours of awake time without needing a nap, and you go to bed at 8pm on the dot every single night.

You can now sit up, which you started doing toward the end of 4 months! You're great at it and think you're big stuff!


I give you food when I feel like it. You're a great eater and am contemplating baby-led weaning. You try to snatch my flood away from me at every single meal and have almost pulled my plate off the table more times than I could count.





We read "Won't You Be My Kissaroo?" each night before bed. You smile through the whole book, and we act out the kisses. I love it and it is my favorite part of the day!

You have turned into a big girl before my very eyes and can now: sit up in a cart, drink water from a sippy cup, stand and play with a music table, and more!








You like to scratch things. It's bizarre. But you dig your nails onto the onto the couch, car seat, whatever you can find! Today you scratched Clayton's face. Ow.

You now love to touch my mouth when you're going to sleep for naps. I guess it's comforting for you, and I think it's sweet!

You have a new-found interest in Piper and always try to pet her. You grab a fist of fur and pull! We'll have to work on that!






Adalyn, you are changing and are a complete joy to me! Your daddy and I think you are amazing and more than we could have dreamed of!


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How I wash Adalyn's diapers

Washing my cloth diapers is oh-so easy. I have so many friends who are seriously considering CDing but still have some questions. So, I thought I would open up my laundry room to you and show you how it's done! I have about 20 cloth diapers, or so. 15 FuzziBunz, 3 Blueberry, and 2 Thirsties. So on with the show! (How many times did I say "so"?! Hehe!)

Here is a pile of her dirty diapers. It's amazing how much urine can be soaked up by cloth.







First, I take out the inserts in the cloth diapers. There's a little pocket in the diaper where these inserts slide in -- they soak up all the urine and poop. You can add extra inserts for extra absorption. I add hemp inserts at night which soaks up urine for 12 hours.







Here's a "pee pee" diaper. I pull out the insert and throw them both in the washing machine together. I then run a COLD RINSE with NO detergent. This just takes a few minutes.

Once that's done, I whip out my detergent. I use Rockin Green, which is bought online. You have to use scent-free detergent, but some people use All Free & Clear! Rockin Green always leaves my diapers spotless. I've never had a stain!






The bag on the right is the FuzziBunz edition of Rockin Green, but I prefer the regular version.

3 scoops get dumped in the washer! And yes, this handy scoop comes in the bag!







I then run a HOT wash with cold rinse. That's it!







Then I pull them out of the washer and hang them up to dry. You can throw them in the dryer if you're in a hurry.






And they're done! So easy; the washer does all the work. And this will save us thousands of dollars.

No blow-outs
Saves thousands of dollars
No rashes
And CUTE!!







The end :)

Edited to add: Breastfed poop is like non-smelly liquid, and her diapers absorb almost all of it. So there's nothing to shake off into the toilet! It just gets thrown right into the washer. When we're out, her diapers go into a wet bag in my diaper bag. There's zero smell because she's still breastfed! :) Once we start solids for real, I'll knock off poopies in the toilet and use rice paper. More on that later!


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Our Date: a poem by yours truly

Today we had a little date
On this dreary, frigid day!
We took a little drive
To good ol' Chick-fil-A




Our most beloved establishment
Full of chicken & waffle fries
I guzzled lots of coke --
I had it coming out of my eyes!

Adalyn was pretty feisty
Trying to grab my tray
Dropped my croutons in the floor
Oh well, they're fattening anyway!




I took her in her Carter's suit
"What a cute boy!!" they thought.
Have you ever seen a little boy
In such sweet polka dots?!




So I threw off her bunny ears
And stuck on her Girly hat*
'Cause everyone thought she was a boy
And mama just couldn't have that..

So after my lunch was finished
We zoomed right off to Target!
Just to waste some time..
There was nothing I needed to get.




And right there in the baby aisle
Something cute caught my eye..
It was the Aden + Anais blankets!!
Something I just had to buy!




I threw them in the cart
Along with a Just One You dress
When Adalyn & I get in Target??
Oh.. It's nothing but a mess.

A quick trot through the clothes
A gallop through the books
Sweet Ad in her big flower hat
Got many, many looks!




And then our date came to an end
I buckled her in her seat
Chick-fil-A and our favorite store?
This day could not be beat!!





*Also, I may or may not have dropped a glob of Chick-fil-A sauce on her bunny hat. Ahem.


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5 things this mommy wants

My dream list. Things I'll probably never get but definitely have my eye on them. If I had an unlimited stash of money, I'd get them all. But that probably isn't true, because I'm a big saver. But a girl can wish, right?

1. A woven wrap: Yes, another baby carrier. But this one lets you pack your baby on your back!

This photo abounds with cuteness, does it not? Sadly, you can't (safely..) pack a baby on your back with the Moby. But this little sucker is made extra sturdy with babywearing in mind. Too bad they're priced out the wazoo. But guys, I wish so bad that I could put Adalyn on my back. Holds kids up to 30 pounds. Guess we'll stick with the Ergo for back-riding!


2. Aden + Anais blankets: It seems like everyone has these blankets!! EVERYONE. The reviews are amazing and people claim that these blankets are their "must-have" baby item. They're made from muslin and can squish up to a teeny size to be packed away in a diaper bag REALLY easy. Plus they're the perfect size for nursing covers (I hate actual nursing covers. Haven't used them.. EVER! I just use blankets.) or a mat for tummy time or a shade from the sun or anything.

They're kind of pricey, so guess what? Target, our beloved store, has their own Target line of Aden & Anais blankets! They're $32 or so, and I just love them.


3. The Beaba & Baby Magic Bullet: Yes, we discussed this yesterday. But I can't imagine the ease of making baby food with these contraptions. I don't exactly want to stand in front of a stove and steam and puree. Lazy? Maybe. But I'd rather be doing other things. I would love to throw carrots into a steamer and leave.. only to come back to a pot of food ready to go. Doesn't get any better than that.

4. Rumparooz & Kawaii cloth diapers: Yep, I'm still moderately obsessed with cloth diapering. I wish I could convince the world to forget about Pampers and Huggies and buy cloth diapers. (Read: IT SAVES YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, PEOPLE!!!!!!!) Rumparooz are just too cute, and Kawaii cloth diapers get great reviews. If I only had unlimited money, I would build a stash of cloth diapers to the moon.

5. A mommy necklace from Etsy: I just can't get enough of these adorable necklaces from Etsy. I dream of having one that says "Adalyn 10-20-10" to go around my neck. They're just too sweet!!

Baby food!!

These days, what gets me going is baby food. Cloth diapers used to be my favorite obsession, but now that Little Toot is inching closer and closer to 6 months?? I can't wait to make her food!!

Ad has had her tastes of baby food and loves (loves!) it... Unless it's Gerber, apparently. The other day she got nibbles of peaches and hated them. Then she got nibbles of bananas and ate them well, but Little Toot turned into BIG TOOTS and we dealt with major gas (and lots of fussing) for two days after the bananas. So we're holding off on food, with the exception of a few nibbles of Plum/Ella's here and there.

And on that note, it's amazing how much pain, tears, and general fussiness can come from one fart.

So there are two baby food makers that I have my eye on: the Beaba Babycook and the Magic Baby Bullet.





A few of my friends have the Babycook and seem to love it. I love it because it steams and seems incredibly easy. You just flip a switch and it does it all. It's pretty pricey, though.. But it seems perfect.

Or the Baby Bullet





Look at those adorable smiley jars to store the food! And those freezer trays that come with it!! As far as I can see, this gadget doesn't stream, but you just add water and push down. Voilà! Baby food! I love that this system comes with all the accessories needed, pretty much. The cups also come with a dial to turn for the date of the month, so you know exactly how old your frozen food is!

Do any of you sweet readers have experience with either? I can't wait to purchase a system and start whipping up meals for our little one!!



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Fritter @ 4.5!

This little girl...







~Loves to have her hand held when I put her to sleep!

~Also loves to have her hair/forehead stroked as she drifts off to sleep.

~Now laughs out loud, especially when I sing. Coincidence? Is my singing voice that funny?!

~Understands and loves toys.. And her mama really loves buying toys.. Not a good match!







~Goes to sleep in about 20 seconds, literally, but only takes 30 minute naps. I'm just going to embrace it. That's apparently just her style!

~Doesn't like riding in strollers and prefers her mode of transportation to be the Moby Wrap. Still :) (except for walks outside!!)






(yes, that's Adalyn in there, fast asleep!!)






~Weighs around 14.5lbs and has recently been fighting a runny nose & cough.. And is slowly but surely winning the battle.







~Has a special bond with Gradma.

~Smiles big at Daddy and babbles to him via Skype. He loves it!!




~Is fascinated with her nephews and Piper. She now smiles big at Piper and tries to pet her.




~Hates about 60% of people who try to hold her or talk loudly to her. She'll let Hudson hold her but screams her head off when great-grandmas come around!

~Is Mama's Little Toot! And is nearly 5 months old.







This was mostly for my personal records to remember this beautiful, precious time with my 4.5-month baby :)

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Wordless Wednesday: a girl & her pup

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