My Busy Week in Photos

 Have you ever seen a cuter pair of jammies?  They're for 6-month-olds!  They're a bit big for August, but he's already outgrown most of his 3-month pj's.  TIME FLIES.

 Last Saturday, Belen and I ran a 5k color run; very fun, but my face was dyed blue for the rest of the day!  It was quite a look.  Finished with about a 10-minute mile, and I feel really good about that time!

 On Saturday night, Hein got in and went straight to the baby boy.  He was freshly bathed and in his bear jammies, ready for a brief snuggle before bed.
JP was out of town at a conference for four days last week, so my mom was in town to help out.  She was so amazingly helpful, and I didn't want her to leave!  August was happy to spend time with her, too.
We went to story time at the library, a few walks, and he met a lot of wonderful family members.  September was definitely a good month for us!

 The little man napping.  I love how coordinated his outfit is with blue pacifier, T-shirt and diaper.

 On Monday, August got to meet his Great-Papa!  It was very cool, and a little surreal, to see my grandpa holding my son.  Things got very meta.

 August really enjoyed discussing his future career plans with his Great-Grandma.  I think the decided he would be a guitarist, which he seems very happy about.

 Four generations on one couch!  So, so cool that August has so many great-grandparents in good shape.  He'll get to meet one more in a few weeks!

 Oh my goodness, my heart just melts when he smiles like that.  August's eyes do the same squinty thing that mine do; they look practically closed.

 We spent Wednesday morning watching the ceiling fan.  Things get very exciting around these parts.

August was very happy with his new fall wardrobe!  Mom and I went shopping for some cool-weather necessities Wednesday afternoon, and you will see a very stylish little man when the temperatures drop a bit.  There may be a hoodie with teddy bear ears involved; you'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Aunt Karol came up for a couple of nights, and was such a lovely houseguest!  She and Mom were on babysitting duty Wednesday night, and did a phenomenal job.  They're pros at this whole 'care for a baby' thing. 

The cultivation of the double chin continues.

August started batting at his toys this week!  While talking to one of my friends with a 6-month old, she backed up how thrilling it is to watch him finally realize that he can interact with the world around him. So, so incredible to watch his brain develop as he gets a little older!

Three Weeks in with Cloth Diapering

I honestly cannot believe that we're cloth diapering at home.  If you'd told 17-year old me what my laundry pile would look like at 27, I would be all like, 'Whaaaa...?'

But here I am, snapping on reusable diapers on my firstborn and not even thinking twice about it.

While pregnant, I did a lot of online research into cloth diapering.  It's somewhat of an investment at the beginning, but I knew that it would save us money in the long run, and it's supposed to be easier to potty train kids who have been in CD.  Also, August had a recurring diaper rash for his first month because disposables are better about masking the scent of his dirty diapers; with cloth, there's nothing to mask the smell, so he gets changed way quicker when he really needs it.  Since we've been CD, he hasn't had any redness of his cute little tush!  I call that a win.
After just two months of disposables, I can tell you that they are a) expensive and b) oddly smelly.  Not just what goes inside, but the diapers themselves.
Plus, look how cute this kid is in his new duds.  They're like a part of the outfit!

After looking into all of the options and talking with JP, I decided that All-in-Ones would be best for us.  There are a dizzying number of cloth diaper options (just take a look), but this is the easiest and least-intrusive type for us.  We went with Bumgenius Freetimes, which are not only super cute, but should fit him up to over 30 lbs!  I love the adjustable waist, and how many color options are available.

We have two changing stations: upstairs in the nursery and downstairs in the living room.  I spend the vast majority of my day downstairs, and, confession time, we only CD during the day.  We would need way more diapers to do it all the time, and I wanted to have everything consolidated in one location.  August goes through way more diapers during the day, so we're still not using nearly as many disposables as we used to.
Our CD stash consists of 15 diapers and lots of cloth wipes.  This is our set-up downstairs: changing table on top of our Chicco Playard, diapers prepped in a little basket, spray bottle with water, and CD-friendly diaper cream.

The routine goes like this: August needs a change.  Take him to the table, remove diaper, throw it into our trashcan with tight-fitting lid and washable liner.  Spray wipes with water and wipe him down if needed.  Put on new diaper.  Done.

I do laundry every other day, using Rockin' Green detergent in lavender-mint.  It smells amazing.  It's just a cold pre-rinse, warm wash, cold rinse, dry.  Once a week, I dry everything in the sun to bleach stains.
Mia is confused by the process, but I promise that it's easy.  A few extra loads of laundry a week, but with our new HE washer/dryer, it doesn't add up to much with water or electricity.

It's kind of amazing how easy the transition to a mostly-CD lifestyle has been.  I thought it was going to be much more intimidating and scary, but it's just a matter of finding what works best for you and your daily routine.  There are people who are really into it, and more power to them; I can see how this fits in perfectly with a very green lifestyle.  For our small family, it's more a matter of being cost effective and easier in the long haul, while not stressing about being completely rigid.  My motto for parenting so far is basically, 'Be flexible.'  If I'm out and didn't restock the diaper bag with cloth, I'm not beating myself up for using disposables.
I'll post another update in several months to let you know how we've been keeping up with it.  To be honest, I'm curious about how it will work out once he starts solids; we'll find out!

My (Last) Week in Photos

Don't worry, that title doesn't mean it's my last post!  Last week, I was caught up in my first playdate (!!), mommy group, recuperating from a visit from my fabulous, newly-engaged cousin, and trying to get August in a sleep routine.  This post is late, so I'll make up for it with extra cuteness from my little man.

Before JP heads out to work, August and I try to get some face time in our jammies.  It's like our little morning conference, although it involves more kisses and giggles than most of JP's work meetings.  Probably.

 Aunt Summer came for a visit last weekend!  So wonderful to introduce August to all of his wonderful familiy.

Sleepy snuggles.
Confession: I usually just nap with August after his 6am feeding.  It's just so much easier than swaddling him again.

 This is actually from Labor Day, but thought August's first attempt to pick up a girl was too cute not to share.  They're just 2 days apart!

He loves his Aunt Summer!  August is smiling a lot more now, and it is enough to make everyone around him melt.
P.S. How awesome is Summer's leopard print dress?!

 My men!

 The many faces of David Augustine Diego.

Doing some tummy time at our breastfeeding support group.  We've got to strengthen those neck muscles so he can hold his head up!  The little man is getting a bald strip around his head from laying down all the time.  

 Getting some QT with my babygirl during August's nap.  She's still such a cuddlebug.

 I so love this shirt on him.  Something about it looks so stylish for a 12-week old.

We went to a food truck station here in Roswell last Thursday night for a family outing!  August slept the evening away while strapped to JP's chest, which gave the parents time to chat with neighbors (who have a 5-month old!), eat tacos, drink Mexican Coke, and slurp down chocolate-sea salt popsicles.  I was as happy as August looks in this picture.

I just love him so much!  August is turning into a chunky monkey; think it's time to get him one of these?

And now for some of the little man in action.  This is what JP and I do in the evening- talk about how our son looks like a small frat boy.  Being a grown-up isn't so bad sometimes.

My Week in Photos

 This picture just kills me!  I love how tightly August is holding onto his dad's hand.

August has officially become the party animal of the house; he can stay up way later than JP and I!

My morning goes something like this: JP feeds August and hands him off to me before heading into to work, I spend the next hour gazing at the little man and snuggling with him before getting up and starting the day.  It's rough, but someone has to admire him early in the morning.
Also, he's getting a bald stripe around his head.  Is August already losing his baby hair?!  I feel old!  Slow down, clock!

 We've started cloth diapering during the day!  How cute are his little bottoms here?  They have little math equations on them and say, "I'm a genius."  Of course, we already knew that, but it's nice to have it verified.

How absolutely gorgeous does Olga look at her bridal shower last weekend?

My little man. When he nestles into my neck like that, I'm done.  This kid has me wrapped around his finger.

Post-afternoon lunch cuddles with his mama.

On Wednesday, we got some big smiles while playing with Sophie!

Personalized Quote Painting

 This is possibly the easiest craft in the history of easy crafts.  Find a piece of art you're not super crazy about, stick on vinyl letters into your favorite sayings, paint, peel off letters, hang.  I would say more about how easy this is, but, honestly, it would be beating a point to death.
You can find instructions on this 1-hour DIY at A Beautiful Mess.

Perhaps a better post would be about why I chose these particular sayings.  The first one is currently hanging in our guest room, as I thought it would be a fun mantra for people visiting.  However, it's also not a bad idea to wake up remembering that each day is a new beginning.  We are in charge of how we feel and perceive our days and, if we say a day is going to be damn fine, it probably will be.
The second is something I have been easing into.  Since having August, it's amazing how my to-do lists have shrunk into nearly nothing.  With an infant in the house (who are we kidding, ruling the house), it's just impossible to get everything done.  I've learned to let go.  Let go of having a perfectly spotless house, let go of to-the-minute schedules, let go of stressing over fitting into those size 2 jeans.  What's important is that, at the end of my damn fine day, my family is happy and fed.  Sometimes this is easier said than done, but I've got a great reminder hanging in my house in case I forget.

Peach Couscous

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the wedding shower for the wonderful Olga Diego (remember her from these photos?).  She is marrying the equally sweet and adorable Chester next month here in Atlanta, so a group of us got together to celebrate their new life together.  It was a lovely event!

In between courses of chilled green tomato gazpacho (above) and apricot & vanilla cake (below), we were served a side of couscous with peaches and red onion.  I'm probably really late to this flavor train, but what an amazing combination!

As soon as I got home from the party, I added that dish to our list of meals for this week, and I'm tempted to make it every week until peaches aren't in season.  It's that good.  And simple!  There are 5 ingredients in this perfect end-of-summer dish, and would be a great side for a potluck or barbecue.  Picture sweet, soft peaches with the tang of red onions and earthiness of couscous.  Toss in some lemon juice and olive oil, and you're done!  Flavor heaven!

Peach Couscous
2 c. prepared couscous (just follow instructions on box)
1 peach, chopped into roughly 1-inch cubes
1/4 red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt to taste

Combine everything in a bowl, and toss to coat.  Add chopped parsley if desired.

We savored this on Sunday night with some filets and asparagus.  It was wonderful!

My Week in Photos

 He's a pretty cute guy.

 On Sunday afternoon, JP, August, and I head over to Phipps Plaza to resize my new ring, which gave my man a chance to be a kid in the Lego store.  His favorite set was $400, and for ages 16+!  Who knew they were so fancy?

 Apparently, last Saturday's breakfast was not up to August's standards.

 He looks quite smug in this photo, doesn't he?

How about a very dark, cropped outfit photo?  Boyfriend jeans- Lucky, sweater- LOFT, sandals- Bamboo, vintage scarf in hair.  This is my look these days.  Nursing does not look kindly on dresses.
Also, these jeans are from an afternoon spent trying on 20+ pairs to find a few that fit my post-pregnancy body.  Lucky, Levi's, and American Eagle won the challenge!

 August has the sweetest sleeping face.

The ladies' man.  Hopefully he loses the double chin before he starts seriously hitting on babes.

I was so excited to go for my first run with the stroller, Mia, and August on Wednesday.  We found a sidewalk trail by the Chattahoochee, and set out for a 2-miler.  August's feet made an appearance, and he didn't make a peep the whole run.

Mia was so happy to be out, too!  She is a good pup.