7 Quick Takes

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Friday keeps sneaking up on me! I missed last week's Quick Takes because we were so busy getting ready for our trip to MD. Charlie met his great aunts for the first time and got to see his grandparents house. He was such a good little traveller. He slept in the car both ways. It helped that we travelled at night and has practically no traffic! We made it door to door in 4 hours on the way back!

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We had a blast celebrating St. Nicholas day yesterday! I can't wait until Charlie is a little older and he can verbalize his excitement. However, his squeals when he was pulling things out of his bag were priceless. How did you and your family celebrate St. Nicholas day? 

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This is a big "church" weekend! Tomorrow is a holy day of obligation, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Which means that you have to get to church tonight or tomorrow morning. The Saturday night vigil Mass does NOT count for both! 

via

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We will have a special visitor this weekend who will be with us until Wednesday morning. We are so excited! We bought a tree early this morning and will decorate it later.  The hubby and I are thinking of getting a small tree for Charlie so, we can put our ornaments up. I love going through the boxes and looking at the ornaments we have been given by different people. It is always fun to remember when/how we got them. As part of Charlie's St. Nicholas gift, he was given a little Santa ornament to put on the the tree. 

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On Sunday, we will be participating in a craft fair at the school where I used to work. It will be nice to spend time with friends. I'm sharing a table with a great friend of mine so there will definitely be lots of chatting. 

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Next week we have two opportunities to go to Christmas concerts so, hopefully we'll be able to make at least one! One of them we can definitely bring Charlie to...the other we might just show up and see what they say. He loves music and is usually pretty quiet. 

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My  little boy is asleep in my arms and he looks like an absolute angel! 

Happy Halloween!

7 Quick Takes

1. I've started so many posts this week and haven't been able to finish any of them since Charlie appears to have given up sleeping again. Could this be another growth spurt?
   
2. We are going to a play date today with some other baby wearing moms. If any of you are locals, there is a group called Long Island Baby Wearing on Facebook. The women there are wonderful and friendly! We try to have play dates/ meetings each month at a different person's house.
   
3. We are preparing for the possibility of Hurricane Sandy heading our way. When Irene hit this area, my parents were without power and phone for seven days. So, if I disappear next week, that would be why. Please say some prayers for everyone's safety.
   
   O Heavenly Father, all the elements of nature obey Your commands, including hurricanes. Calm the storms that threaten us and turn our fear of Your power into praise of Your goodness. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
    via
   
4. I hope Charlie will get to wear his cute dinosaur costume for Halloween!
   
5. The exterior of my parents house is being painted therefore, I am becoming well versed in Spanish language opera. The gentlemen enjoy singing opera at the top of their lungs.
   
6. I am trying desperately to finish these before Charlie wakes up.
   
7. I made these to share with the play group today. I made them with the dark chocolate version of the fudge stripes cookies and green icing. Since I did it with the dark chocolate version, you didn't have to flip the cookie over and it added a little bit of decoration. They came out really cute and tasty!

Source: womendres.blogspot.com via Elvin on Pinterest

Wordless Wednesday

"Daddy, I'm going to eat your face." - Charlie

You are my I Love You!

We received this book at my baby shower and I still can't read it without crying but, it is a beautiful poem. I thought I would share since our baby boy will be FIVE MONTHS OLD on Monday!

You are my I love you 

by Maryann K Cusimano 

I am your parent, you are my child

I am your quiet place, you are my wild

I am your calm face, you are my giggle

I am your wait, you are my wiggle

I am your dinner you are my chocolate cake

I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake

I am your favorite book, you are my new lines

I am your nightlight, you are my sunshine

I am your lullaby, you are my peek-a-boo

I am your kiss goodnight, you are my I love you

Infant Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

via

It is no secret that I love the library and everything it has to offer. As a special education major, we spent a lot time learning how to make reading fun. During this time I developed a passion for children's literacy. There are several reasons for this not, the least of which is that literacy is one of the most important parts of a child's development. One of the best ways to begin teaching your child about reading is by reading and singing with them. I have dedicated a page on the blog to the books that we are reading with Charlie with the hope that you might find something fun to share with a little one in your life.

One way to blend reading and singing together is with nursery rhymes. Rhymes are a great way to introduce children to the ebb and flow of speech. They are also highly entertaining. I like to use the traditional Mother Goose nursery rhymes and change the names or the words to things I know will make Charlie laugh. When I am bored with nursery rhymes, we do action rhymes and fingerplays like the Itsy, Bitsy spider, Open Shut Them, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Another excellent time to incorporate rhymes and songs into your day is in the car. Charlie hates waiting at red lights. In fact, he wakes up as soon as the car stops. It helps to calm him down by singing little songs with repetition or rhymes in them. (His favorite at the moment is Apples and Bananas.)

I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat apples and bananas.
I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat apples and bananas.

I like to ate, ate, ate, ate. I like to ate aipples and banainais.
I like to ate, ate, ate, ate. I like to ate aipples and banainais.

I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat eapples and banenes.
I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat eapples and banenes.

I like to ite, ite, ite, ite. I like to ite ipples and baninis.
I like to ite, ite, ite, ite. I like to ite ipples and baninis.

I like to ote, ote, ote, ote. I like to ote opples and banonos.
I like to ote, ote, ote, ote. I like to ote opples and banonos.

I like to ute, ute, ute, ute. I like to ute uepples and banunus.
I like to ute, ute, ute, ute. I like to ute uepples and banunus.

I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat apples and bananas.
I like to eat, eat, eat, eat. I like to eat apples and bananas

Here are some online resources to get you started:
6 Great Tips with Links
Phonological Awareness and Activities for Toddlers and Infants
The Importance of Rhyming
Rhyme A Week Curriculum
Baby and Infant Action Rhymes
Toddler Fingerplays and Action Rhymes
Infant Storytime - October

7 Quick Takes

1. This week absolutely flew by! I can't believe it is Friday already. We've been super busy. You may have noticed our new Facebook page! Please like us!

2. Charlie and I went to Shake N Make Music this week! Check out her website!

3. We went to a meetup with a bunch of Long Island Babywearing moms. I was great to meet such a wonderful group of ladies, especially since it is International Babywearing Week!

4. Charlie is so alert and is really enjoying his books, rhymes, and songs! What was your favorite book, rhyme or song when you were little?

5. A dear friend opened her very own Etsy shop! Check out her shop! Like her on Facebook for discounts and giveaways!

6. I have definitely spent waaaay to many hours waiting for this baby giraffe to be born.

7. I am not a deal blogger but, Shutterfly has had two great promos this week. 2 Free 8x10s - backtoschool AND 1 Free 11 oz White Mug - halloweenmug

Ten Things I'm Grateful For Thursday

A blogger friend of mine, Sarah, has set up a weekly link up for things you are grateful for:

1. My beautiful son who makes everyday worth living.

2. My loving, patient, and considerate husband - namely because I've been very sleep deprived and therefore not so nice to be around.

3. My supportive parents who couldn't be more generous

4. My in laws who will be coming up from MD for one day to spend it with Charlie

5. The ability to stay home with Charlie because of #s 2, 3, 4

6. My father's health - although fragile be is home with us instead of in the hospital

7. Medical professionals who are working tirelessly to try to encourage my father to take care of himself and his medical needs

8. The public library - they provide endless hours of free, wholesome entertainment for my family and employment for my mother

9. Generous, caring friends who give up their time off to visit with us and love on Charlie

10. The women of #CathSorority because without them I would be in the loony bin this week.

Making Your Own Baby Food

I have always enjoyed cooking therefore the thought of making my own baby food has excited me from the time I found out I was pregnant. Friends of ours had a little boy about six months before Charlie was born. They made their own baby food and it just seemed so easy. Since I am home and have the time to do it, I might as well!

(If you've been reading my previous posts, you know I'm a bit of a library addict.) I checked out a great book from the library called Top 100 Baby Purees. It is a great way to jump into making your own baby food. So far, we have introduced avocado (no-cook), sweet potatoes (boil and mash), apple sauce (heat w/ 2 tbsp of water for 4 min. and mash), and pears (heat for 4 min. and mash). SUPER EASY! You really don't need any special equipment to make your own baby food. You can use your blender/immersion blender/bullet/fork to mash.

SUPER ECONOMICAL! We buy the same produce we would buy for ourselves. The little market in town has fruit and veggies 10% off every Tuesday. The little packages of baby food cost more than one piece of fruit and yield less in terms of meals. Not to mention the real fruit and veggies will never go to waste because someone will eat them! (I can't say that I would baby food out of an already opened jar but, apple sauce/sweet potatoes/avocado will definitely get eaten!)

Some "Make Your Own Baby Food" Websites:
*Wholesome Baby Food - MY FAVE!
*Dr. Sears On Make Your Own Baby Food
*Baby food recipes
*Baby-led Weaning

Mr. Bobbily Head

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Mr. Bobbily Head 

I love you 

how could any

baby be so good

and so alert

and so sensitive

and so beautiful

Mr. Bobbily Head 

Thank you so much 

for being born 

~Susan Polis Schutz

July 4, 1975 

We took our little one to a local park yesterday.   It was a lot of fun.   As you can see, we took lots of pictures.   The hubby found the above poem in a book called "Someone Else to Love."   It reminds us so much of our little guy, especially when he tries so hard to hold his head up on his own.   He enjoys his trips outdoors.   Hopefully the weather holds up and we can get in a few more adventures before summer's end.     

Cloth Diapering: Day 1

Today is the first official day of cloth diapering.

Stash: We have 8 flip covers, 4 bumkins covers, 1 govia cover, 2 bumgenius 4.0, 12 infant prefolds, 18 flip stay dry inserts.

LO has been in a flip cover with stay dry inserts since around ten this morning. So far so good. No leaks. No explosions. All is well. I'm not finding cloth diapering anymore difficult than using disposables. We will still use disposables when we go out and when he goes to bed for the night (at least for the time being). I'm too chicken to dive in head first.

Interestingly, the only difficulty I'm running into is where to put the disposable wipes. When using a disposable diaper, I would just put them in the soiled diaper as I used them and throw them out together. Now, without the disposable diaper, I need to find another solution. Clearly this is why many people who cloth diaper use cloth wipes as well because then they all just go into the same bag.

So, far I'm not sure how many diapers I'm going to go through in a day. I've been trying to change him about every 2 hours. (Now, he's throwing me for a loop with this spontaneous nap so, we'll see what happens.) I've planned for approximately 12 diapers a day.

We are going to use the rock n green detergent for the diapers for the time being. Namely because I know it won't ruin the diapers. As time goes on I'll look for more economical detergent. I was just having too much trouble sifting through all of the information out there.

Why am I trying to cloth diaper? 

The first reason is it will save money in the long run. The side effect is that we will be making less trash. I don't like the way the natural diapers feel. It is kind of like wrapping him in a paper towel. So, this is better for the environment as well. The diaper covers and pocket diapers are so cute! I love the patterns and colors! (They are much more fun than the disposables.)

Where did I get my information? 

FRIENDS! (Yes, I have several friends who CD.)
http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a16235/cloth_diapering
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/diaperrashcreams.htm
http://thecrunchywife.com/2012/06/how-to-cloth-diaper-prefolds.html

Where did I get my cloth diapering supplies? 

www.cottonbabies.com
www.nickisdiapers.com
www.diapers.com

7 Quick Takes

-1-

Well, our little man is such a happy camper. He is thrilled with his house guest. He gets up every morning nice and early to get some play time in before Charlie's morning nap. I am amazed at how much Charlie seems to interact and play with his special guest.

-2-

Yesterday, the little guy and I went to Mommy & Me Yoga at one of the local libraries. (Yay for free activities!) The other mommies and I had a great time. Charlie enjoyed watching the other babies and even laughed a few times during the activities. It was nice to be out of the house for awhile. Two other moms invited us to join them for a music class on Monday so, we'll be heading back to the library again next week. It is nice to have some interaction with other parents.

-3-

Blogging has been put on the back burner this week since we have a house guest. I feel like it is more important to spend time with family. 

-4-

I miss blogging when I can't get to it each day. 

-5- 

Charlie has made himself a little schedule. (Clearly, he is my son.) Due to the festivities over the weekend, he got all messed up with his naps and such. At least he seems to be back in the swing of things now...a week later. 

-6-

I applied for a part time job this week shelving books at a local library. I haven't decided whether I hope I get it or not but, it would be good to have a little more income so things aren't so strapped. 

-7-

This week I am reading: 

How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between)

So far I'm about halfway through, I am finding it refreshing because I am someone who feels pressured to do "everything right", especially when it comes to Charlie. However, what I am quickly realizing is that, what is right when it comes to Charlie is what makes him happy and healthy. So what if he won't nap in a crib/pac n play/bassinet? If he naps on the couch/my bed/ in the Moby/ in my arms/ in the car/ in the stroller and he is happy, then I am doing a good job.