Pacifier

I just got my Hevea (made by the Natural Baby Co) pacifier in the mail. I love how the whole pacifier is made from elastic and natural rubber, no hard parts to come off and baby to choke on or secret places for anything to grow! There is cute design cutouts, stars and moon so it's gender neutral. The shape conforms to his mouth well. Isaac seems to like it, it seems to fit his mouth well. We always leave a pacifier on the crib during the night in case we need one we know where it is. Well, this morning after his nap he found his Hevea pacifier and put it in his mouth :). We like it, we'd definately buy one! If you'd like to buy one clik it. Or check out their facebook page ! 

Blow-Outs

Blow-Outs... what they mean to you is probably different than what they mean to me. They mean poop up the back and out the sides of a diaper! Unfortunately we still use disposable diapers at night. We use Huggies Pure and Natural because they seem to work the best and don't give little guy a rash. But we always get blow outs. This morning I got to Isaac and there was poo every where, all up the back of him, poor little guy! It just makes me think that he usually poos in a cloth diaper, and we use many different brands... Bottom Bumpers, Bum Genius, Flip, GroVia, and we NEVER have had a blow out using cloth, but it seems if he poops in a disposable it's everywhere! I guess this means I should go cloth at night... I have a booster for my GroVias that I've been too scared to try, but I feel like I have to tonight to avoid a huge mess in the morning.. Reviews to come!

(Shutter)FLYAWAY

Shutterfly is by far the best online photo store that I have used. The delivery is fast, the picture quality is amazing. I've had prints enlarged, baby anouncements ,  used their photocards and just had memories put on paper, and I've never had one complaint. This year, again, they have a fantastic holiday card selection. Last year, we used their holiday cards to share happy holiday greetings and our pregnancy. This year we will be using their Pictures in Red 5x7 Stationary Card to say "Merry Christmas" from our son, Isaac. This card has space for 6 photos which is extremely important to us, as we want to share many picture/meories. It is wonderful to have an affordable way to share memories and holiday wishes. We just used Shutterfly for their Halloween photocard (see picture!), everyone couldn't believe the paper and photo quality, they were just fantastic. We think it is important to capture each and every memory from our son's first years and share them with our family and Shutterfly photo cards have allowed us to do so. This year we also plan on sharing memories in the form of a calendar to show pictures of our son each month of the year. So if anyone is looking for a place that delivers fast shipping, affordable prices and unforgettable memories, Shutterfly is the place to go!

Cloth Diapering!

I just want to shoot out some fast facts about cloth diapering.. Most people don't realize that cloth diapers have EVOLVED! So I just want to share some pictures and some facts. I use mulitple kinds of diapers and I will be reviewing all of them in the near future so keep checking in.
Waste:

• 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces,

plastic and paper are added to landfills annually.

Better for Baby:

• Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper- bleaching
  process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals.
  It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
• Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in
  humans and animals
• Disposables also contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. This had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome and banned from use.
• Some experts say (and all the women I have met that cloth diaper) that using cloth diapers usually means potty training earlier, most by 2 years old!

Cost:

• On average it will cost $1,500 to $2,000 or more on disposables
• On average it costs $300 (for the cheapest option-prefolds and covers) to possibly $1000 (I find this number outrageous, but it could happen) if you want organic and special brands.
• Personally, we cloth full time (except at night) and I have spent roughly $400 and I bought all name brand diapers and no prefolds/covers!
• Cloth can be used to multiple children, so you more than double your savings right there!

Convenience:

• If you use cloth, even just part time, you won't have to run to the store to buy disposables because you'll already have your reusable diapers!
• Velcro or snap closures! No more pins! Just as easy as a disposable.

Cute factor:

• I know this sounds ridiculous but it's really the first reason I chose cloth!

Cons:

• Time consuming, well sort of, you will need to wash your diapers. It is recommended to wash them every other day or every third day to prevent stink issues.
• You have to use special detergent. Now, it's not expensive but you can't use just any old detergent. You can get these online when you order your diapers.
• You can't just run to the general store and buy them, esp where I live, so you have to order them online.
• Upfront cost, while you stand to save thousands of dollars there is an upfront cost that can be a little scary, but in the long run you'll save a TON.
• Inconvience while out, now I don't think this is a con, we just use those diaper bags and put the dirty diapers in those.
• Cleaning poop. However this was made way easier by the invention of a diaper sprayer that hooks to your toilet and you just spray them out, it's very simple.

All in all, cloth diapering can seem like a chore, but we choose not to look at it that way. We are saving thousands of dollars and doing what's best for our baby. Additionally we are doing something good for the environment. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'll be posting more about cloth diapering in the future.

Best breast pump

Okay, so here's the deal... we do the whole breastfeeding thing. But I work full time so that requires me to pump, ALOT. When he was 2-6 months I pumped 5x day, once in the morning to increase supply, once before work to make sure I was empty and then three times at work so he could have enough milk to drink the next day. At first I used the Ameda Purely Yours breast pump. It is a really good little pump. I like that the user is able to control how much (or little) suction and the speed, fast at first for let down then slower to get more milk. Then I heard how everyone LOVES the Medela pumps, so I bought a Pump In Style Advanced with the shoulder bag. Now this pump is my best friend. I love that you just turn it on and adjust the suction and you're good to go. It knows to pump fast at first and then after about 2 min it goes slower to get the most milk out. It's basically a "set it and forget it" deal. The suction is better than the Ameda Purely Yours as well. Now I got the same amount of milk from each pump, but with the Medela PISA it took a lot less time and if you are a working mom you understand that time is of the essence when you have a bunch of stuff going on at work and you just have a few minutes to pump! So the hands down winner of best pump is the Medela Pump in Style Advanced.

Such a newbie

Okay, well I am totally new to this so I am very sorry if I do anything wrong or stupid. But, here goes... I am a new mommy, little guy is 6 1/2 months old and a newlywed, we've been married a little over a year. We live in the sticks, I mean the closest mall is an hour away, probably about 40miles! But we love it, little crime, very homey, everyone knows everyone! We have a dog, Kacey, and a cat, Garfield. We live on my husband's father's land right next door to them, which really has more ups than downs, believe it or not! I am a nurse and right now I am in the transition from working 5 days a week 3-11 to now working Sat. and Sun. 7p-7a. Thank God. I love my family and hate being away from them as often as I've had to. We cloth diaper our son, usually using a mix of Hybrid Diapers, a couple pocket diapers and all in one's. I plan on doing some reviews of diapers and other baby products here. I also make my own baby food, but I do use some packaged (ugh), I am not super mom but I try to give little guy everything I think is best for him. He has been breasfed from birth. I was blessed with great supply and he has never had formula! I just donated 300oz of milk for the first time this weekend to a great family with an 8 month old little girl. That pretty much sums it up, I'll be posting more on here soon!