"My" Space

Just have to share in a little excitement around here! I sold my (stunning) YAMAHA grand piano to pay off a credit card this past week. My laptop, which is also our only computer, started to die this past week. 

Thankfully, we had just enough left over for Trev to outfit me with this! My little SAHM organizer/station. 

And a pretty HP desktop for blogging!  ;)

Woo! For organized bills, computer, printer, scanner, paper shredder, etc, etc 

And when I'm all done, I just close her up.

Love that we chose something that was simple, functional, & "discrete." Cheering for no more bills left out for every visitor to see!

Two thumbs up for organization!

For Trevor

Loves his truck

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Romans 12:9-10

This was the verse we read to each other & promised one another on our wedding day. I am so thankful to have a man that truly fulfills his promises.

Camping!

 Last night was a whirlwind. Alexis was being a pill, screaming, kicking, not eating her dinner, & fought to go to bed with fury. Kyla cried with gas pains. The sound of their cries & screams in stereo is enough to make a Mama lose it.
Trev worked overtime yesterday, came home, bathed both girls & got them to bed for me. I couldn't be more thankful for a man that is not only willing, but loves to invest in his children.

Thankful for his love for hunting & fishing.
His gracious attitude towards life.
Unfailing love for our God.


Thankful for his sincerity & comfort when things get rough.

vows

 Blessed beyond measure that he takes his wedding vows extremely serious. When I am an emotional wreck, weather it be from stressing over children, finances, work, or whatever, he is there. Trev holds me close & is reassuring as ever.

Humor. As much as I roll my eyes, I cannot believe how much this man makes me laugh. He is gentle & loving... yet... ALL MAN.

there are no words...

 His love for our children.
I could go on about this for a very long time. There is nothing quite as attractive as a man who strives to be an incredible father. Our girls have the ultimate example in front of them.

Trevor Ryan- I am thankful for you. Your hard work, your love, & your commitment. You are incredibly appreciated.
I'm the luckiest girl alive-I get to date you forever.

I love you.
xo  

Loving on sweet Kyla after she was born

Double stroller business

 Today the girls & I got the opportunity to take a walk with our new stroller!

Last week I took our double BOB back to REI (and got a full refund, even after owning it for 9+ months!; THANK you REI membership!) because of it's bulkiness. I was throwing my back out nearly every time I took it in and out of my truck.
Next best option for us was the Phil & Teds stroller with a doubles kit. Works like a charm!


The double BOB weighs around 40lbs & the Phil&Teds weighs closer to 28lbs. HUGE difference.

My little ladies & I

 Kyla used to just scream and scream in the BOB...  welp, she sleeps "like a baby" in the P&T (this stroller is DEFINITELY a keeper now!)

P&T Stroller officially passed the sleeping baby test

View from the Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve lookout

 The girls, my little sister, and I took a walk down the trail at Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve. Beautifully maintained trail, close to home, warm "Indian summer" day. . . what's not to like really?

Stopping at all the lookouts to see over the water was my favorite.

Fall colors are here already!

Love having my sister come along & help out with the kids

 With a teething 14 month old & a colicky 2.5 month old sisterly help is quite welcome.

Super fun trail to walk along

Stairs that led straight to the beach

 Had to get in a little extra picture taking. I think I'm waaay more excited about this stroller business than your average Mama.

Mom shot

Love

Phil & Teds Explorer Stroller with doubles kit. FABULOUS investment!

If the girlies are happy with it, I am surely happy with it.

I added in an infant insert for the back for Kyla (since she's younger than the recommended age to ride in the seat). It supports her head & neck fully & safely, as well as gives her extra cushion & warmth!

Venison "spaghetti"

I have been going crazy lately, thinking of ways to use the meat in our freezer. I have a little less than half a deer left & hunting season is a month away! Time to make room!

Again, it's been hard to shove vegetables into my family, so I buy the garden delight noodles. Good substitute? Good enough for tonight anyways. Some days it just isn't worth the fight.

One box garden delight rotini noodles (we choose these over regular spaghetti noodles because they're a toddler-friendly finger food!), a full jar (or better yet, make your own! Tonight I was too lazy) Cabernet Marinara sauce, and one pound venison (tonight I chose sausage) 

 Easiest meal ever. Cooked the noodles, added the sauce, chopped up some sausage (since it was already to eat), mixed it together over low heat & enjoyed!

This was a hit with the husband & my picky toddler tonight who topped theirs with Parmesan cheese & Chia seeds. Other nights, I'll toss in some fresh mushrooms & some greens, but tonight it was a lazy dinner night.
What was for dinner at your house tonight?

Toddler breakfast foods

Lately, Alexis absolutely will not eat anything off a spoon or fork. Little miss independent wants to eat with her fingers all by herself. Finding healthy, easy breakfast finger foods have been a challenge. Finally found some she likes!   

Cheerios are everywhere in our house. And she knows it.

Cheerios: I always have these on hand while I'm preparing something else for her. As soon as I open the fridge the hollering begins (and what can I say, the whining gets old quickly!)

Sausages & homemade hash-browns: A little more labor intensive, but delicious. We have sausage from the deer I hunted last fall. I'll throw it in a skillet with some shredded potatoes and viola! Good breakfast. 

Fruit: I always make sure we all eat some form of fruit in the mornings.  Weather it's diced peaches, bananas, strawberries or a whole pear, it's fresh & finger food friendly!

sausages (venison) and a whole pear

Ham & cheesey noodles with scrambled eggs

Eggs: Always room for a good scramble! We like to toss in cheese, fresh peppers, & some hearty greens.

Waffles & Pancakes: One of Trev's favorite things to do is cook breakfast. He's currently perfecting the "mickey mouse" pancake. Super easy to make these packed with goodness. Throw in fruits & dice up some spinich & kale for hidden greens! Love tossing chia seeds in the batter. Spread some home-made strawberry freezer jam (YUM) on top and go! Makes for thick, fluffy & healthy-ish pancakes!

English muffins: Ok, this is my hurry up and go breakfast. I'll toast one (we LOVE the ones with raisins!), put a little cream cheese on it, tear it into bite size pieces and go. Perfect for little fingers and it fills her up fast!

    

Redeeming Birth, Redeeming Love

I have had the privilege of reading so many birth stories lately.
 

Kyla Ann (1 month old)

Having the gumption to write my own is another story, however. I don't have a pretty story. But, it IS my story.

On October 30, 2010 I woke up feeling ill. . . It was then we discovered I was pregnant with our first baby!! Everything went as planned & we had a pretty uneventful pregnancy until May (middle of 3rd trimester) came around.
I started feeling exceptionally weak & sick. I thought it was just my morning sickness returning, so I blew it off. I started waking in the middle of the night with uncontrollable itching on the palms of my hands and the bottoms of my feet.
One week later I was admitted into labor & delivery due to persistent throwing up, shakes & itching.  I was having steady contractions 2-3 min apart. At 33 weeks pregnant I was terrified for both the baby & myself. This was not what was supposed to be happening.

Right after my C-Section with Kyla

Blood work was done & I was diagnosed with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy. Long story short, my bile acids were seeping into my blood stream & making baby toxic as well as making me quite ill. The doctors were able to stop the labor at 33 weeks and I was put on rest until 37 weeks when the doctors would induce me to avoid further complications & risk to my baby.

I'm pretty sure I couldn't have been happier at this moment

28 hours into labor with Alexis-Finally dilating. Right before epidural

 The evening of June 24 rolled around & I was admitted to the hospital for an induction. I was SO excited to meet this baby!!
Cervidil was given to soften the cervix to make dilation possible. We were told to get some sleep while it worked (which was impossible... we were MUCH too excited!)
Contractions began and started getting closer together. We finally came to a stand-still around 4cm dilated so pitocin was started. Holy hell contractions went from bearable to "I want an out of body experience" within minutes. I was 28hrs into labor since having steady, working contractions & we all consented that an epidural was the smartest decision so I could relax and rest.
Trevor & I both slept for a couple of hours and I woke with a pressure that was unreal & the need to throw up. I puked, called for the nurse, & was told I was fully dilated-It was time to push.
I pushed for 4hrs. Baby girl got so far we could touch her head & feel her hair. We were SO close to meeting her.
The doctors told me she was jammed behind my pubic bone; my hips weren't flexing to let her through. We tried different positions and more and more pushing, but nothing progressed.
Suddenly the monitor started freaking out-
After being told the baby's heart rate stopped for too long & was becoming erratic I was being wheeled into the operating room.
I remember getting a bolus in my epidural that shot the worst pain of my life through my back, neck & head. Instant migraine & more throwing up. I.Was.Terrified.
Even numb, I could feel my body being wrenched back & forth. A nurse gasped as my blood sprayed the operating team, including my anesthesiologist who was behind the curtain by my face.
The baby was stuck so hard they had to use reverse suction to get her out. The machine slipped off her head twice, cutting her head & spraying my blood everywhere.
She was OUT!!
My body started shaking so hard & losing blood quickly. I was in shock. Last thing I remember was Trevor holding my hand tightly & everything.went.black.

In recovery being monitored after my C-Section with Alexis

I woke up in recovery surrounded by some fabulous nurses, my husband, and a darling little bundle. Little did I know it had been 4hrs since my daughter was born. Trevor and Alexis were taken out of the operating room as I was put completely out so the doctors could sew me up and control the bleeding. We were in the hospital for 8 days due to Alexis being severely jaundiced. I, however, was feeling MUCH better. Weaker than I had expected, but much better. I didn't care. We got our baby girl, she was here safe and sound, and my cholestasis was gone.  Alexis Renee was born June 27, 2011.

Alexis Renee (1 month old)

October 17, 2011 (my 23rd birthday, woot woot!) I got a big fat positive... I was pregnant AGAIN. 

This pregnancy started off shaky with a lot of bleeding in the beginning & many MANY graphic nightmares from my previous labor & delivery, but all was well. I met and prayed with many people to deal with the PTSD from my previous birth.   

Around 28/29weeks the pre-term labor started. I was in and out of the hospital more times than I'd like to remember. My cholestasis was back. 

I was a wreck. Thinking that I was going to repeat what happened last June was terrifying. We decided on a scheduled C-Section this time around.

My C-Section date came & I was feeling pretty good. Alexis was at home with my older sister & Trevor and I headed to the hospital in good spirits. 

Nurses came in and prepped me, started my IV, & I got my consult with my anesthesiologist. It was TIME! We all started walking back to the operating room. Trevor had to wait outside until I had my spinal & was fully prepped, draped & ready to go. He kissed me on the forehead & told me it was going to be ok. I lost it.

I was trembling and the tears were flowing as I walked (what seemed for miles) alone with the nurse down the hallway to the ice cold operating room.  

My spinal was given and I was laid back down and draped. I almost immediately started throwing up (nerves, spinal... it ALL had to do with it). As soon as Trevor met my side I was calm. We chatted about our daughter off and on.

A big surge of pressure on my abdomen and Kyla Ann came out screaming! When I saw her, heard her, touched her... such an intense rush of emotions flooded through me. She came out with the best apgar score a baby can so I got to hold her & kiss her the entire time they were sewing me up. We went into recovery together where I breastfed her & laughed with Trev. I did it. It was a PERFECT delivery for me! It was redeeming, it was beautiful. I had two healthy baby girls.

Kyla Ann was born June 27, 2012. 

I have 2 girls born exactly, to the day, one year apart. My "Irish Twins."

I praise the Lord for a happy, healthy family of FOUR!!

We couldn't be happier. I praise God daily for our story. And I am so thankful that I can finally find the time & emotion to write it all out.

Cradle renovation

I was given a family heirloom to pass down to my girls. My Grandmother saved a doll cradle that was made for my Mom by my Great-Grandfather. 

Upon receiving it I wasn't sure if we had room for it, or what to do with it exactly. The girls needed a toy bin, so it quickly became a catch-all for the toys, blocks, etc. 

After searching Pinterest I couldn't help myself, I just HAD to use some of that chalkboard paint that so many people are using. 

A little bit of sanding, primer & spray paint brought this darling heirloom to life!

Here it is!  

Before/After

I used a turquoise spray pain for the body of the crib & painted the ends in chalkboard paint. My 14 month old is loving scribbling on it & it still holds all her toys (including an old cabbage patch doll that was given to me when I was 3 years old).

Not bad for my first round with chalkboard paint! :)

Cloth Diapers Galore

I've been asked to write about cloth diapering two babies under two years old quite a few times. So I thought it was time to write a blog post about it!

Cloth Diapers are by far my FAVORITE baby item!

I have Alvas, BumGenius 4.0 & SoftBums in my stash. I have 26 diapers per child (2 babies here!) & that accounts for every other day washing. 

When you first buy your diapers you want to make sure to prep them properly once. Simply with 3 HOT washes; first with soap, and last two without. Then you want to dry the inserts and covers on HIGH heat for 15min to seal the seams to ensure no leaking. (Every other time you wash you want to line-dry the covers so it doesn't break down the PUL (the waterproof lining within the diaper) & will help the longevity of your stash!

Lexi at almost a year hanging out while I sun her diapers (9mo pregnant)

Most of the Alva Baby diapers from my stash

Alva Baby diapers have been, by far, the most cost effective diapers of the whole lot (and they have the cutest prints!). I ordered them from AlvaBaby.com for around $6 per diaper. Each diaper came with a microfiber insert & I ordered an additional 20 bamboo inserts to go along with those for double stuffing the diapers for night use (can I get a woot woot for babies that sleep through the night?!)

The bamboo inserts are awesome- they are much thinner than the microfiber inserts & just as absorbent. Definitely worth the investment there. 

The Alva Baby diapers are AIO (all in one) diapers, meaning you stuff the inserts inside the pocket & toss the whole diaper in the diaper pail every use. Similar to a disposable in that way I suppose.  

The BumGenius 4.0 diapers are extremely similar to the Alvas. They are also an AIO, and the ones I bought come with snap closure, but they are offered in velcro as well (Alvas are not). These work about the same as the Alvas, but at a cost around $17-$20 per diaper. All of my BumGenius diapers were bought from a local baby company "Along Comes A Baby" but you can find them on many different sites as well from many WAHM (work at home mom) retailers. 

SoftBums are certainly my favorite cloth diaper. They are the truest "One Size Fits All" diaper that I have tried on my girls. They have fit my ittty bitty at 8lbs and my biggest little at 26lbs (and still growing!). The difference in the SoftBums is that they have an elastic band in the legs that is adjustable for a perfect, custom fit for each baby; they have snap-in inserts that have fleece on one side & microfiber (or bamboo) on the other; they are an AI2 (all in two!). The snap-in inserts are awesome because if the baby has just peed a bit in the diaper I can just change the insert & keep the cover for another change (or two!). You can also stuff an insert in the pocket and use the diaper as an AIO just like the Alvas & BG's. I bought all of my SoftBums with velcro, which is fabulous for the itty bitty babies, but I do prefer snap closure when they are older (only because then they can't rip the diaper off as easily)... 

Almost every SoftBum in my stash is an "Omni." I do have a few "Echo" SoftBums also. The Echos do not have a pocket to stuff and are also trimmer in the thighs. I like using the Echos for the smaller babes, but the Omnis are my "preferred diaper."   The only downside to the SoftBums is that they come at a pretty steep price of $21 per diaper (which does NOT include any inserts).

Flannel/Velour cloth wipes

In addition to using cloth diapers I use cloth wipes. These wipes were bought from a local Mama & are 8x8 flannel/velour serged together.
I fold them like disposable wipes would be & put them in a regular wipe box so they come out like every other wipe would!
I use a wipe solution of warm water & a squirt of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. Any baby soap will do though. I like using the peppermint soap so baby always smells super fresh after every change.

SUPER cute prints!

 Diaper rash is bound to happen to any babe at some point. With cloth diapers you do NOT want to use regular creams because they will clog the fabric & cause repelling issues with your diapers.
I use regular baby powder with every diaper change, and if they start getting a rash (hello teething toddler poos!) I rub some extra virgin coconut oil on her bum & give it lots of air time.
There isn't anything wrong, by the way, with switching to a disposable for a little time to lather your babe in a zinc-based diaper cream to blast that rash quickly.

You will hear of many people using wet or dry diaper pails. I prefer a dry pail. I use a regular kitchen sized garbage can with a reusable water-proof liner inside for my diapers. I wash every other day. Here's my wash routine:
One warm/cold rinse with no detergent
One HOT wash with detergent
One HOT wash/extra rinse with no detergent
I ONLY use Rock in Green cloth diaper detergent. It is made for cloth diapers & I have had zero build-up or repelling issues since switching to it. I do make my own laundry detergent, but a few of the ingredients started building of over time & I had to strip my stash of diapers (NOT FUN).
To strip diapers I use 1/4 cup bleach after regular washing, and rinse rinse rinse until I cannot smell ammonia or bleach anymore. (If the bleachy smell lingers a bit sun your diapers, the sun will turn the bleach to salt (essentially) so there won't be any irritation to your baby's bum.

Nothing prettier than cloth hanging on the line in the sun! (When we have sun that is) 

Sunning your diapers is the best! The sun is a natural disinfectant & keeps away any odors that could build up in your inserts & covers. Plus, nothing is better than saving money by not having to run the dryer!

I bought all my Alvas from www.alvababy.com
I bought all my BumGenius 4.0 diapers from http://www.alongcomesababy.com
I bought all my SoftBums, water proof pail liners, & Rock in Green detergent from http://greendiaperdemos.corecommerce.com/Home-Page.html
I bought all my cloth wipes from http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrinchables

*Find & like all these on Facebook also for discounts & specials!*
The Dr. Bronners Castile Soap I got from Target & the extra virgin coconut oil is from the local food co-op.

If you have any questions about cloth I'm more than happy to answer!