Never ending pajamas!

Hunt's parents sent the PJ's on the left in the 18 month size, and Archie has been enjoying them regularly for quite some time (as you can probably tell from the fade from frequent washing). Imagine our delight when we realized his sports PJ fun doesn't have to end anytime soon! Totally unaware of Archie's 18 month PJs, my parents sent the SAME PJs in the 24 month size. SCORE for us! How funny! They're Little Me brand, and that's one of my favorites because the stuff is just so cute. (The one thing to be aware of is the sizes run a little small - especially in the 0-12 month sizes.)

Grace already has an extensive clothing collection going thanks to the generosity of our parents and Aunt Kay. Here's a sampling of some of her newborn goods. Some friends brought the stuff over, and I had such fun unpacking everything.

Archie's New Favorite Toy!

Thanks to Memaw and Papa, Archie is already getting into the Christmas spirit with his brand new nativity set. I seldom get so excited about a toy! Honestly, at first glance I wasn't too enthusiastic about a toy with a million little people that I knew Archie would enjoy scattering around the house (which he does) and that made noise (i.e. plays "Away in the Manger"), but first glances can be deceiving. Seldom does Archie so enjoy a toy, and it's a great teaching tool for him, too. Another of his favorite games (and this one is free) is giving things to Hunter and me. What better things for him to give us than Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus? And, to top it all off, he'll walk (yes, WALK) all the way across the room to bring us a piece. I credit this with helping turn Archie into a bi-ped over the last few days. (I'm sure videos will be following on that soon.) Last but not least, it's a great conversation starter when friends come over. I think some of the college students we hang out with enjoy playing with it as much as Archie.

I promise, I'm not getting commission from Fisher Price, but click the link and check it out. The one downside, pieces vary from set to set. (Ours has wise men but no shepherds, and our animals are different, too.)

Quality Issues

During the first few weeks we were overseas, we went through two mops, one broom and dustpan, a complete silverware set, two vegetable peelers and about a million other home gadgets that were made with exceedingly poor quality. Since then, we've learned some exceedingly helpful tips for shopping in Asia. Number One: Don't buy the cheapest thing you see even if it is only $0.30 at the local $0.30 store - you'll regret it! While in Thailand in February, Hunter and I purchased Archie his first stroller. We figured because we were in a nice department store, we could forgo our number one rule. Oops!

Poor Archie, he was sitting in it on Saturday and it just collapsed in about three places! (He got a surprised look on his face but wasn't hurt at all - no worries!)

Off we set for the local baby store and purchased a Combi brand stroller. I don't know if Combi is really the best brand on the planet, but it sure seems like it after the last stroller. (I did a Google search and couldn't even find the brand name on Stroller #1!) Archie loves the footrest because he strains forward as hard as he can in the harness, leans over the bar, and pushes up with his feet to ride in a standing position. I love the umbrella shade to protect his skin from the sun and the ease with which I can collapse it. Daddy loves it because it has BIG wheels (that hopefully won't break on the rough ground).

When Archie is not riding around in his stroller, he likes to ride on Daddy's shoulders :)

All tired out!

There's nothing more precious than a sleeping baby. I was pretty surprised, though, when Hunter called me over this morning to find him sleeping on the floor. Shortly after birth, we put him on a schedule and started teaching him how to fall asleep in his own bed. As a result, he rarely takes naps anywhere besides his crib or his stroller if we are pushing it. It's been awhile since he's be so tired he just conked out while playing. Nonetheless, there have been a few other times...(I love seeing how much he's grown from picture to picture.)

Clockwise from top: approximately 3 months, 4 months, 4 months and 8 months

Here's one more favorite also from around 4 months.

All of these sleeping on mat pictures make me really glad we have it. Without a doubt, the six most useful baby toy/furniture type supplies we've bought are
1. His crib (of course)!
2. His infant seat complete with a battery operated vibrating mechanism that lulls him into a calm mood when he's upset
3. His play mat
4. His stroller (because we like to go out on the town together!)
5. His high chair
6. His bathtub

We've gotten every penny's worth out of these items. Believe it or not, I don't have a changing table, and I haven't missed one. I simply keep all the supplies (including a small mat) in a basket and change him on the sofa or bed. I like the flexibility it gives!

However, if I had it to do over again, I would have bought a different brand seat and mat because I've found the quality of Fischer Price to be pretty poor. The Velcro on the mobile that comes with the chair was not adequate, and I had to sew the toys on myself.

Yes, this picture is unrelated, but I promised the grandparents a Peach Expressions collage!

Diapering fun!

Diapering and fun! I know, it seems like it doesn't even belong in the same sentence. Actually, it's not really that fun, either, but cloth diaper products from companies like Cotton Babies make it easier. Now, if you're not a mom of a baby or toddler, just enjoy the pictures. However, if you're one of my cloth diapering mom friends, enjoy the reviews. Recently, we just added Bum Genius 3.0 cloth diapers to our diaper stash! They come in blue, pink (which I didn't buy), yellow, green and white and are the cutest of my diapers (although also the bulkiest). Bum Genius run about $17.95 through Cotton Babies, but you only have to buy one set as they fit babies from 7-35 lbs! This means they're the biggest savings on a quality diaper in the long run if you start at the beginning.




When Archie was about six weeks old, we switched him over from disposables to cloth primarily to save some cash (as is the case with most of my cloth diapering friends). The first route I tried was cotton cloth diapers I had made from a local seamstress shop with diaper covers bought locally (native brand). These worked quite well while he was young but as he got bigger, they started leaking badly...

Archie in disposable diaper at 2.5 months

Archie in a locally bought cloth diaper around 3 months

Next, we got some Proraps Classics from the Internet. These are still my favorites as far as ease of use. These diaper covers work great and really have low leaking. I don't like prefolds and pins so I just do a simple fold and let the cover keep the diaper in place. (I also don't have to do the insert stuffing Bum Genius requires.) They run about $8.95 so they're a more affordable option for starting. Here's the drawback: if you start at the beginning, you'll probably have to buy a complete set in several different sizes which will cost more than other more expensive brands in the long run. If you're thinking about trying cloth, this is a good one for experimenting because the investment isn't too heavy. If you're baby is already in one of the upper weight categories, you might want to go with this one, too. They get excellent reviews on the Cotton Babies website.

Leslie's easy folding techniques with Proraps (using any cotton material)

What gets bad reviews in my book? The Bummis Whisper Pants. To use these covers, you have to use pins or clips and do fancy folding! I'm really not a fan!

What are the best diapering resources? I think Cotton Babies (www.cottonbabies.com) is the most comprehensive as far as reviews and product lines available.
My friend really likes Diaper Swappers (www.diaperswappers.com) because you can buy used cloth diapers for cheaper, but I find this site a little difficult to navigate. Diaper Pin (www.diaperpin.com) is one more alternative.