Jersey, Here we Come!!!

After one long year, we finally made our way back to New Jersey to see our friends and family. Ramie was a dream on the plane and we couldn't wait to see everyone.

Our trip back didn't go quite as smoothly, thanks to a 12 hour plane delay and our flight being postponed a day, but we were excited to return via 1st class. Ramie got to play on the floor in front of us (and even eat some of her Cheerios off of said floor *gag*) and snoozed comfortably across our laps (though not till 11pm.)

It was worth it, though, as Mama got her Jersey fix and ate all the foods she'd been missing while in California. Ramie returned with a tummy full of Jersey corn and a talking kitty named 'Yeah' that Aunt Stacy got for her. She listens to Aunt Stacy's voice often, by pressing the kitty's paw and blows kisses to it. Aww...




*more Jersey blogging to come!*

Making Up for Lost Time

Well, apparently it's been a good, oh...13 months since I've blogged. A lot has changed. The hour it took to upload the pictures onto this blog made it a much more time intensive project than I'd hoped for. Only 13 months later, I think I've found a solution to my problem. Let's see how this goes...going to backtrack a bit to June here.

Our first event of the summer was the St. Pius Festival at Daddy's old elementary school.
Uncle Jamie came along as we watched Daddy throw out his arm trying to show off his pitching skills. He threw until he got his name on the board for fastest pitch--sadly it was in the 'senior' division (aka 'men signifigantly past their prime.')

Ramie and I won Jama a beta fish which, by some small miracle is still alive 2 months later!
Maybe one day Ramie will get to go to school here--and she can put her Daddy to shame at that Fast Pitch booth.

Splish! Splash!

It seems like only yesterday Daddy could be found huffing and puffing away, with his mouth plastered to a shark's patootie.

I couldn't wait to get some pics of Ramie in her new pool (if only so I could post this pic of Daddy :) Well, that day came...and went. It hasn't been warm since, BUT...

we DID have one beautiful day in our backyard:

Ramie's pool is a like a mini water park~It's got a whale slide which lands onto a squirting padded clamshell (see left pic. below--she was a little wierded out by the clamshell squirting her,) a ride-on shark (she was just humoring me by sitting on it,) a rainfall palm tree, sprinkler pool edges, stacking starfish rings and a protected rainbow lounging area. Since it's still pretty cold, we have to fill it, leave the water to warm in the sun and sit her in the .5" of water. I think she liked laying under the rainbow the best...or maybe just being outside naked was what did it.

Looking forward to more sunny days so we can ALL go in the pool!

There Are THINGS All Around Me!

This picture was my first clue that Ramie was noticing things around her. After putting her down for a nap, I found her staring at the teddy bears hanging from her Pack 'n Play. It was at that moment I said goodbye to her naps...
It's pretty entertaining to see her in her crib watching her mobile spin around. She gets most excited watching the turtle come around. Unfortunately, she's so excited she forgets to sleep.
During changing time, I sign 'butterfly' and pull its' string. She kicks her feet and starts breathing heavily--she's a big fan of the butterfly. Now, I can make the 'butterfly' sign and she looks right at it, knowing I'm going to turn it on. SO cool!

We've implemented tummy time during which Ramie mostly stares and drools--she's entertained by her little gym for a good 3 minutes.
Let the good times roll!

Fuzzy Buns

Diapers are expensive--REALLY expensive. Once I realized we'd been spending $60/month on throw-away poo catchers and wipes, I decided there had to be another way.
One American Inventor-ish solution was the G-Diaper, found at Whole Foods. They consisted of a plastic cover and a biodegradable liner. In order for it to properly flush down the toilet, we'd have to stir it...with a stick. For that reason alone, it was a no-go. Turned out they were even more expensive than disposables anyway. (Phew!)
Our only other option was cloth diapers. Unlike what poor Grandmom B. went through with cloth diapering me so many years ago, there is no longer a need to become an origami master in order to fold a rectangle of fabric into a diaper, then pin it to your precious little one while trying not to stab her. Gone are the days when one must stick their hand into the toilet to swish a poopy diaper clean. (Amen to that!)
Today's diapers look like disposables, with either snaps or velcro...only prettier! They're available in colors, prints, embroidered, appliqued--the possibilities are endless.
After exhausting research online, I made our first diaper purchase--6 small Fuzzi Bunz. Here's Ramie in her first ever cloth diaper:
Turns out they're easy to use and, as long as we change Ramie regularly they don't leak. In fact, they hold in her poo explosions even better than the sposie! However, 6 diapers doesn't even last a full day SO I was back online getting some more diapers.
Now we've got mermaid prints, pastels, starfish batiks...and the oh-so-soft plush one you see at the top of this post. It feels just like the chamois collection from Pottery Barn Kids...mmm...
We've got lots more to buy--especially once I go back to work and can't do laundry everyday, but we're really happy with the switch. And of course, I've kicked into Martha Stewart gear--to save even more money, I'm learning to sew diapers out of those old-fashioned cloth rectangles from Grandmom B's days and adding fun prints to them:







SO, we're saving money and we're saving the environment, but most importantly, Ramie's got the cutest little padded bum around!

Welcome!

Well, I thought I'd set up a blog so everyone could see the latest on our newly-expanded family. I'll try to add to this weekly (maybe more, maybe less, depending on how busy I am) with all things Ramie (and a little about Daddy and I.) Come back often--Ramie's doing new and wonderful things everyday!

(P.S. For our family's safety, people will be referred to by their title--thus calling Ramie's Daddy "Daddy". Other characters: Grandmom B. (my Mom), G-Pop (my Dad), Jama (Daddy's Mom), Grandpa (Daddy's Dad). Hope this makes sense.