Dirt and Lace

Facts About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Today’s challenge from Boy Oh Boy is to list 20 facts about myself. Here goes…

1. I have an unhealthy obsession with 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom. I guess because I can slightly relate?

2. I took horseback riding lessons for a year when I was 12. I wish I had taken them longer.

3. If I was better at math, I’d probably be a lawyer or doctor or something equally important and financially rewarding. Unfortunately I would have never passed the math classes required for those degrees.

4. I haven’t gone to college and it makes me sad. Some day.

5. I had really hairy arms as a child, with dark hair. I thought they were so awful, I wore sweatshirts to school in May and I shaved my arms from 9th grade until a few years ago. Looking back, I doubt they were as bad as I thought.

6. I love to wear nice, coordinating, stylish clothes… but I have SO much trouble putting outfits together and I hate to shop. I get overwhelmed and end up walking around in circles.

7. I have wanted to be a foster parent and/or adopt a child since I was a child myself. I don’t see it happening, but you never know.

8. I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding my girls and it didn’t last long with either of them. With Jace I was determined and we are now going strong at three months. I LOVE IT and want to somehow help other women get through it and succeed.

9. I had a wart on my knee in the same exact place my dad had a wart on his knee.

10. My first concert was Britney Spears. My second was N Sync.

11. My second toe is shorter than my third toe on my left foot.

12. I had my tonsils and adnoids removed when I was 8.

13. My nephew Camden died of SIDS at 9 weeks last year and it has made me super paranoid about Jace whenever he is asleep.

14. I have a bit of OCD that makes me need everything to be in it’s place and nice and neat, but I’m also really lazy. It’s a vicious cycle.

15. I looooove coffee. And ice cream. And wine.

16. After years of proclaiming I will NEVER drive a mini-van…… guess what I drive.

17. When I was younger, I had an imaginary family that included 16 brothers and sisters. I can still remember their names.

18. After I had Camryn, I developed really bad anxiety and had to go on a medication. It helped and still helps tremendously.

19. I played the cello in the orchestra from 6th grade until I graduated high school.

20. My favorite place to be is the beach. I love Louisville, but if it were up to me, all my family and friends would pack up and move to Florida with me.

BONUS: 21. I started an Instagram account today and I’m in love. Follow me! Stephanie_L_Mullins

So, that’s it! Join in if you’d like!

Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Since I feel like my blog is seriously lacking in interesting content lately, I’m participating in Emma’s 31 Day Blog Challenge this month. Today is the first day, and we’re supposed to introduce ourselves and post a recent photo.

I’m Stephanie, a 25-year-old wife and mom to three adorable kids. Summer is 5, Camryn is 4, and Jace is 3 months. We live in Louisville, Kentucky, where I’ve lived my whole life.

My husband Joe and I met in 2005, right after I graduated high school. We had Summer in 2006, had Camryn and then got married in 2007, and then bought a house in 2009. Crazy, I know.

Joe is a plumber and I stay at home with the kids. A few years ago I started a blog design business and have been doing that on the side ever since.

We have a dog, Harley, a cat, Jack, a ball python, Patches, and a fish tank full of African Cichlids. I love animals and wish I could be a vegetarian… but I also love hamburgers. And bacon.

I enjoy being outdoors, arts and crafts projects, watching movies, reading good books, and photography, among other things. I started a photography business last year, but it was too much responsibility so I’m taking an infinite break.

I’ve turned into a bit of a hippie since having Jace… I’m one of those breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby-wearing, co-sleeping moms, and I love it!

I love blogging, and meeting new people, so I hope to get to know a lot of you during this challenge!

Last Week

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:30:00 +0000

That’s my girl… eating a tangerine with a funnel on her head.

Sweet baby boy. One of the good things about Joe working second shift is I get to leave Jace at home to sleep more while I take the girls to school.

Watching the fish while I work. He’s always so content staring at them. Who needs Baby Einstein?

Jack is an indoor cat but escapes every once in awhile. I’m pretty sure he was saying, “Haha, looks who’s outside.”

Christine had to leave for California on Saturday so she came over one last time. We made artichoke spaghetti and Bok Choy. It was delicious.

Baby Bok Choy is my new favorite vegetable. Joe and the girls really like it too.

Just wash it, cut the ends off and separate the stalks, sautee half an onion and some minced ginger root in olive oil for a few minutes, add a little rice vinegar, vegetable or chicken broth, and soy sauce, toss in the bok choy and turn it to coat, then cook for about 8 minutes. Our family of four eats two bunches at a time. Try it!

After dinner, we played Pretty Pretty Princess with the girls and had popcorn and candy. Yes, they were in heaven.

Play-Dough!

Yes, this is a lemon. Yes we let Jace taste it. Yes, we took a video.

Yes, I felt slightly bad since he has only had breastmilk every day of his life so far. But we had to. I knew I wanted a third baby this time last year after spending an hour watching “Babies Eating Lemons” videos on YouTube. You know you want to watch…

Adventures in Weed-Eating

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:11:00 +0000

This is the true story of my first time weed-eating our yard. I thought it was best told in picture form. Yes mom, I did wear safety glasses in real life. And yes, these horrible drawings are what I was doing this morning when I should have been working.

Never. Again.

I Am A Cell Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:47:00 +0000

You know how after you have a cell phone for awhile it starts to lose it’s charge more and more quickly? You plug it in and charge it all night long, but by 2pm, the battery image is red and blinking, and you’re one text message away from having a dead phone?

That’s how I feel today. And most days. It doesn’t matter how much sleep I get, by 2pm my battery is drained and my red light is blinking. I am so looking forward to summer break.

You mean I have to wash.. the poop..

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:38:00 +0000

When I was a kid, the idea of putting a cloth diaper on a baby and then having to scrape off poop and –oh the horror- put the poopy diaper in the washing machine grossed me out. Cloth diapers in my mind were like the kind my mom used on my little brother - white cloths pinned together, covered with rubber underwear. And they were way too much trouble.

When I had Summer, I discovered that cloth diapers were actually pretty cute and not as hard to deal with as I imagined. But we lived in an apartment that didn’t have a washer and dryer, so it really wasn’t an option. With Camryn, we had moved into an apartment with a washer and dryer. I seriously considered going the cloth diapering route. But Summer was only 11 and a half months old, still in diapers herself, and it felt like too much. I probably could have done it, but everyone around me said it would be too hard. They gave me a pass and I took it – although I wished I hadn’t.

When I got pregnant with Jace, I was excited to have another chance to try out cloth diapering.

I had planned on starting to use them as soon as we came home from the hospital, but I had forgotten how much newborns poop. I know there are plenty of people who cloth diaper from the very beginning, but it would have required a ridiculous number of diapers and a ridiculous amount of laundry, so I waited till he was around 4 weeks old when he wasn’t pooping 12 times a day, and then got a set of gDiapers from Babies R Us. gDiapers are hybrid diapers, meaning you can use their disposable inserts, or cloth inserts. I got the cloth.

Let me say now, that a lot of dads are hesitant, or outright against, cloth diapering. They may agree that the financial and environmental benefits are great, but the whole poop in the washing machine thing? No go. So ladies, just do what I did. Buy them anyway without discussing it first, put the diaper on your baby, then ask him to change his diaper. He will be so stunned at how adorable the baby looks and how easy the process actually is once you show them, that they won’t get mad at you and they will be with you on the cloth diapering bandwagon forever. Or uh, maybe he will grumble and complain for a little while but get over it eventually when he realizes he doesn’t really have a choice.

I have really enjoyed the gDiapers. I think we’ve only had one leak after a long nap. I’ve even used them at night a few times without an issue. They’re very simple to use.. just put the insert into the waterproof liner that snaps into the cloth, and velcro the diaper on. After 2-4 hours when baby is ready to be changed, just un-velcro, remove the insert, put it into whatever you use to put the dirty things in (I’m using a gallon-sized zipper ziplock bag), replace with a clean insert, and you’re done. Every once in awhile if they poop you may have to change the waterproof snap-on part or the cover, but normally you don’t.

For washing, I just put all the dirty stuff in the washing machine with some Charlie’s Laundry Soap (it’s all-natural to prevent detergent build-up and chemicals getting on the diapers), wash in warm water, do an extra rinse, and then dry on low.

Poop hasn’t been an issue so far. Breastfed babies have really runny stools so it just soaks right in. No scraping into the toilet required. Yet.

I was having to do diaper laundry almost every day since I only had six inserts, so I went to a local store called Amazing Green Planet yesterday and got two All-In-One One Size BumGenius diapers. I tried them out and LOVE them. They’re all one piece – the inserts are sewn into the cover. So you just remove the whole thing and replace with a fresh one. They seem pretty absorbent and they’re one-size with snaps so they should fit him until he is potty-trained. It was $20 for one diaper, and since you will be using it over and over, you can see how you quickly get your money back and then some with cloth diapering.

I just love it. Disposable diapers have chemicals in them, and babies skin is so sensitive. It just makes sense to use something natural instead of something man-made. And they are SO CUTE!

Since we’re brand new to this, we (yes, Joe is finally interested now, too) would love to hear your cloth-diapering advice… what is your favorite brand? What is your laundry process? Where do you buy or sell your diapers?

Spring Break Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Spring Break coincided with one of my best friends since high school, Christine, returning home from California for a visit. She hadn’t seen Jace yet so met up at the park on Wednesday.

We stopped at an Indian restaurant for dinner. Summer and Camryn had never had Indian food before.

They liked a lot of it, surprisingly.

Friday was Christine’s birthday, so that night she and two other friends, Nicole and Jessica, came over to celebrate.

Christine recently graduated from the Make-Up Designory School in Burbank, CA. She’s staying out there and working as a freelance make-up artist, hoping to eventually work on films. I miss her but it’s so awesome to see someone follow their dreams!

Jace was our chaperone.

Yesterday was the last day of Spring Break. We met my friend Audrey, her daughter Olivia, and her fiance Austin at the park for a cookout.

Joe and Austin took off to fish in the creek and the girls had a lot of fun playing together.

It was a great Spring Break, I’m sad it’s over. Less than two months and it will be time for Summer break!

Booby Trapped

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:48:00 +0000

I have had so many thoughts and emotions swirling in my heart and soul since January 16th. The day I gave birth to my son.

Most days I’m okay. I have my healthy, happy boy. I’m his mommy. I do everything for him and keep him with me always.

Other days, I remember. I get angry. I feel frustrated and sad and violated. Today is one of those days and as the anger swirls around I thought it might help to write about what is going through my head.

After a scheduled c-section (my third, which is a whole ‘nother post), my beautiful baby boy, Jace Carter, was born. He was pulled out and held out for me to see upside down, and quickly taken away out of sight, where nurses slapped his bottom and told me he had swallowed fluid. I was worried, but knew this was fairly common with c-section babies and that he would be fine. A neonatologist appeared and explained he would have to be taken to the Special Care Nursery (their version of a NICU) while they monitored him and made sure the fluid was absorbed by his body. She told me it would be “at least a few hours”. Ha.

My baby was taken from me.

He was kept in a nursery a whole floor above my room for three days.

He was given a pacifier, hooked up to all kinds of things, poked and prodded, and worst of all, was kept from his mommy, who’s breast milk and loving touch were probably all he needed in the first place.

If I could go back, I would change things. My pain medicine clouded my judgment and thoughts at the time quite a bit. I was angry and upset, and felt like what was happening was wrong, but all I could do was cry and hope he would be all mine soon. Oh, how I wish I could go back.

I would demand Against Medical Advice forms to sign, so he could be released, the minute they told me there was no more fluid in his lungs (I was told this after 12 hours, yet he wasn’t released for three days). I would fight the nurses, the doctors, CPS - assuming they showed up… to the rights to my own baby. If only I had known my rights then.

I would immediately report the nurse who gave him formula without permission, while my pumped breast milk sat in the refrigerator and a “Breastfed” sign sat in his isolette. How could she? Taking care of my little one was her job. He was in her hands. She was all he had and all I had to rely on. He was so helpless. I felt so helpless.

I would have told the nurse who told us all kinds of false information about Jace’s condition and the hospital policies, apparently for her own entertainment and to watch me cry, that she has NO right to care for my boy and that she is a horrible excuse for a nurse. I would have picked him up and ran away that second. This is clearly a fantasy, since I was wheelchair bound.

The lactation consultant was a joke. She viciously grabbed my breast and shoved it in his mouth. “There,” she said.

I would have refused the formula the nurses and the joke of a lactation consultant insisted on giving him, telling me it was the only way his blood sugar would be high enough for him to be released. After telling me he was completely healthy besides what initially happened. You know, the thing that had completely cleared up by the end of day one but he was still being held hostage for?

I just wanted my baby. I just wanted to be his mommy. But they wouldn’t let me.

Was it because of policies that make no sense? Negligence? Ignorance? Or money?

I am so lucky to have been able to establish a breastfeeding relationship with Jace despite what they did to us. He has exclusively nursed since the day they finally returned him to me. I can’t imagine the pain and anger I’d feel if that hadn’t happened.

It hurts so much still, just knowing how wrong they were. And knowing how powerless I was. How powerless every mother is the minute she walks in those doors.

The Zoo (Spring Break Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:25:00 +0000

This week was Spring Break for the girls. We didn’t have any trips planned, or any plans really, but I’ve been busting out my spontaneity to make sure they have some fun this week.

One of the things we’ve done is the obligatory trip to the Louisville Zoo. We’re members and love to visit our zoo, but hadn’t been this year yet except for a field trip with Summer’s class that didn’t last long enough.

Jace wasn’t too impressed…

I had planned on carrying him in my wrap, but then realized we had too much stuff to carry around and my backpack diaper bag was dirty, so he got to hang out in the stroller. He didn’t mind, he just wanted a nap.

The zoo recently finished their brand new polar bear exibit, complete with new polar bear cub Qannik. She was SO cute and active. She dove around and did underwater flips, playing with her toys.

It’s definitely my new favorite part of the zoo. There’s so many observation areas, it’s impossible not to find a spot to watch her play up close.

Summer kept insisting that I take pictures of them posing places. Fine with me!

One of the rhinos was scratching it’s back on the tree.

Seeing that picture made me want to find another picture taken in 2009.

Only three years ago… wow.

Time flies!

Washing It Away

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:30:00 +0000

It was 6pm and so much was still looming over my head… dinner, baths and bedtime for the kids, the dirty house, the endless pile of laundry, and my own need for a shower. I almost always come last, as it should be when you choose to have three beautiful children. And normally, I’m okay with this.

That evening, it was pissing me off.

My husband was playing his stupid computer game, the baby was napping, and the kids were coloring pictures of Spongebob. It had been a long day of tending to everyone’s needs but my own and I was done. I grabbed my towel and a book and slipped into the bathroom to fill the tub with hot water that would soothe away the stress of the day. I thought I had gotten in undetected, but as usual, when I step out of mommymode for a moment, there is a shift in the atmosphere.

“BAAAAAAABE, WE NEED DINNER!”

It was more of a request than a statement. My husband is a great man. He works hard to provide for us, does laundry sometimes, and puts the toilet seat down always. But he does NOT cook.

Luckily, he also has the innate ability to sense when I am close to losing it. When I replied, “GO AHEAD.” and closed the door, I didn’t hear another word.

I sank down into the tub and read. And read. And read. It was Bloom, by Kelle Hampton, which is an amazing book by an amazing woman.

I emerged from the bathroom an hour later with pruned skin, clean hair, and a new attitude. When I found my family, they were sitting around the table eating hot dogs. Just hot dogs. Normally, this would have caused a mini-argument about the importance of vegetables and “How hard is it to put a bag of Steamfresh broccoli in the microwave?” But not this time.

When my husband looked up at me and said, “Feel better?” I said, “Much better,” and silently passed out Cars gummy vitamins. I popped a few into my own mouth, then made my plate and sat down to join them.

Easter 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:17:00 +0000

We woke up to tons of candy on the table and full Easter baskets on Sunday morning.

The Easter Bunny had eaten almost all of the bunny food Camryn had gotten at preschool.

They seemed pretty happy with their basket contents…

Owl Inkoos, play-dough, giant pencils, notebooks, animal crackers, iCarly and Victorious socks… if I didn’t know better I would think the Easter Bunny had hit up Target’s dollar section. Jace got a travel-sized sound machine, a couple little Sesame Street books, and a Tommee Tippee teething toy.

Mr. Smiley is 12 weeks old now!

After they spent some time with their Easter stuff, it was time to get ready and go to church. We somehow managed to get there on time.

After church, we went to my parents’ house.

I love how Camryn is holding Jace’s foot. My parents’ car is a weird backdrop, but that spot had the best light in the yard.

Little man. I almost bought him a brand new outfit, but then I remembered this one we had been passed down from a friend with two boys. It was perfect!

My mom and dad made a big meal that we ate when we got there… amazing as usual. Then my aunt, uncle, and cousin came over for dessert. Andi is a wonderful piano player, so she entertained us a bit.

The girls had also gotten little hair clips in their baskets that just happened to match their Easter dresses.

The day wouldn’t have been complete without an Easter egg hunt. My aunt Ann had brought a bunch of eggs with candy in them, and the girls had a great time finding them.

My mom made her annual bunny cake, complete with coconut fur.

Jace spent most of the day right here, sleeping. As you can see, I changed out of my dress and put my hair up as quickly as possible.

“Mommy, this is my wrap!”

Love this! My mom and her sister Ann with the girls.

Hope you all had a great Easter, too!

Eyebrow

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Jace is 10 weeks old today!

He’s started to really love baths. I fill his tub up with warm water and he lays there looking around and kicking his feet for the longest time.

He started sleeping about 8 hours at a time last week, just like the girls did at his age. I don’t know what I’ve done right to achieve this, but it’s wonderful!

Summer is our little artist. She could write and draw all day long and not be tired of it.

Jace decided to show his support for UK on Friday night by dressing up like Anthony Davis.

It’s uncanny how alike they look, wouldn’t you say?

Go Cats!

Visiting

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:45:00 +0000

We had a fun time visiting my parents house on Wednesday. The girls played dress-up with my Grandmother’s old jewelry, and Jace got in the swing for the first time (and I got it on video!).

I used to play with this jewelry when I was a kid. My cousins and I had so much fun with it!

Look at those eyes.

Poor baby.

They love him oh so much. Hopefully it stays that way!

He was so enthused.

I’m off to go pick Summer up from school, and then we can begin our weekend!

My bad, were you sleeping?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Why yes, yes I was.

8 Weeks Old

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Look at this baby boy! I can’t believe it’s been two whole months since he was born, since I had a c-section, since he was taken away to the NICU, since I went through the three hardest days of my life, since our family became complete… and it’s going by so quickly.

I knew it would. I felt the same with Summer, and then with Camryn, and I now wonder how they are almost 5 and 6 years old.

Jace, you are still eating and sleeping great. Two nights ago, you slept for 6 hours straight after your midnight feeding, and you did the same thing last night. I’m loving it!

You sure are lucky to have so many people that love you. You finally got to meet my cousins Katherine and Libby, Uncle David, and our friend Jordan. You got to spend some time with Uncle Wes this last week, too, since he was home from college on Spring Break.

You had your 8-week check-up this past Friday. Daddy and I both got to take you. The doctor said you looked great. You are now 11 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches long. You got your first set of shots, and you screamed, and it hurt my heart, but you were fine after a minute.

Here is a video of you on Monday, laying on your new activity mat. Bad quality thanks to the iPod…

And another of yesterday evening. Good quality thanks to the Nikon, but too short thanks to a full memory card…

I love you, my little bubba man!

Three Kids, One Van

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Last Friday, it was warm. We had tornadoes. A few days later, we had this:

Snow family courtesy of Camryn. Love the flower eyes!

And the day after that, 63 degrees, with sun and wind.

Welcome to Kentucky, folks. If you don’t like the weather here, stick around for 5 minutes because it will be different then.

After school on Thursday, we went to the park. Joe and Camryn had gotten a couple of kites at the store that morning because it was so windy, and we attempted to fly them. They stayed up briefly, but the wind wasn’t consistent enough to keep them up. Maybe next time. We did have fun playing on the playground though.

Wind!

Photo courtesy of Summer..

And for your viewing pleasure, a small glimpse into my life as seen on the way home in the Arby’s drive-thru:

Yes, she is mooing.

Growing Up - Step One

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:50:00 +0000

At Summer and Camryn’s dentist visit back in December, he told me that Summer had a few loose teeth. Slowly but surely the two teeth on the bottom center got looser and looser. Last month we noticed her grown-up teeth were coming in behind the baby teeth, so we knew it would be soon that she would get her first visit from the tooth fairy. Joe told her that he was mandating a new family rule: anytime anyone looses a tooth, we all go get ice cream. We like ice cream in this family.

She wiggled and wiggled, and ate lots of apples, to help her teeth fall out. One was much looser than the other, and last week it was pretty much just hanging in her mouth. Friday when I picked her up from school, she proudly opened up her mouth and told me she has lost her tooth! She said she was talking to her friend, and it just fell out onto the carpet.

Her teachers had put it into an envelope, but Summer opened it in front of her locker to take a look. I checked the envelope when she handed it to me and, of course, no tooth. We looked all over the hallway and were about to give up, when her teacher got the kids that were still there to come out and help. Her daughter ended up finding it a few minutes later. Thank goodness!

That night she put it under her pillow, and the next morning found a dollar that the Tooth Fairy had left her. She was so excited! We went out for ice cream last night after dinner.

She’s already working on her next tooth, and I’m hoping she gets it out soon so I have an excuse to get some more ice cream.

I have to admit, I feel sad that she is starting to lose her teeth. It’s a sign that she is growing up, and I’m not ready!

Mobile Dumping

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:55:00 +0000

How’s that for a title?

I end up taking a lot of pictures with my cell phone since it’s so convenient. I don’t want these to get lost in the black hole of Facebook, so I wanted to bring them over here. If we’re Facebook friends you have probably seen these already. I’m using an older Blackberry right now so the quality isn’t great. I’m getting an iPhone in May though, and they take much better pictures, so watch out!

Most of my cell phone pictures right now consist of Jace sleeping…

(left) Camryn’s hives from her allergic reaction to Penicillen. It was horrible! (right) You Go Girl! That’s on a building I pass every day when I go home from taking and picking up Summer. I tell myself they wrote that just for me.

(right) He loves to have something soft on his face and has developed a need for a blankey to sleep. He actually seems to cry for it already. I don’t let him sleep like that with it by his face normally, don’t worry!

(left) Summer painted this in art class. Hers was one of two that were chosen to display at Louisville’s Showcase of Schools!

This is what happens when you give a four and five-year-old permission to make their own lunches. Holy carbs! Summer’s is on the left and Camryn’s is on the right.

(left) Jace is tolerating bath time much better these days. (right) Camryn playing at the creek by my parents’ house.

(left) My brother is home from college for Spring Break and finally got to see Jace for the first time since he was two weeks old. (right) My friend Jillia’s pug, Weezy. Weezy has one eye and snorts. A lot.

Whew. I guess I should do a cell phone photo dump more often!

Getting Controversial

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:22:00 +0000

I generally stay away from controversy on here, because I really don’t like confrontation. But, I think I might have to break my rule today.

Joe, the kids, and I went out to eat on Saturday evening. While we were waiting for our food, I casually checked Facebook on my cell phone and saw a post from some group about how there is controversy surrounding Beyonce breastfeeding in a restaurant. I think the title was “Beyonce Caught Breastfeeding in Public”. Caught. Like she was doing something wrong. The irony of the situation? This is what I was doing when I read it:

I quickly handed Joe my phone and said, “Please take a picture, I’ll be blogging about this.”

Later that night, I got on the computer and read a few articles about it - and made the mistake of reading the comments at the end of one of them…

That is a pretty good representation of the opinions I’ve seen. When I read the comments similar to that of the second one, it made me so sad and angry… and I even started to question my own actions. Had I done anything to make anyone uncomfortable? Was I oblivious to people around me giving me mean looks for feeding my baby? How many people feel this way? Should I even CARE what these people think? If I waited to leave the house in between feedings, I would never leave, and if I hid in a bathroom every time Jace was hungry when we were out of the house, I might as well pay rent for a stall.

I can somewhat understand why people have conflicting opinions about this. Joe is a plumber, and goes in countless houses every day. He has told me that on more than one occasion, he was discussing something with a customer, and she started breastfeeding mid-sentence. My first reaction is that of a wife. “You mean some woman showed you her boob?!” But then the mother in me, and common sense, quickly took over. “Well I’m sure her baby was hungry. I doubt enticing you with her leaky breast was her goal. Breastfeeding! Yea!”

Personally, I always cover up when I’m not at home. I feel more comfortable doing so. I think it’s a natural reaction to feel shocked with you see a breast in a place you wouldn’t normally. But that is where I feel like common sense has to prevail. Breastfeeding is the most natural act in the world. Breasts have been sexualized in our culture, but their true purpose is to feed babies, and I can assure you that showing off our chest is NOT on our mind when we are unhooking our nursing bra. If it’s not okay for women to breastfeed their children in public, how is it okay for the lady at the table across from you in the restaurant to wear a super low-cut shirt with her cleavage hanging out all over the place?

I know I haven’t said anything that hasn’t been said before, but I needed to vent. Breastfeeding Jace has been a wonderful experience that I want every mother to have if she chooses to. If there wasn’t such a stigma attached, and more women in the public eye breastfed openly, maybe more women would. So, GO BEYONCE!

I’ll leave you with what I posted on Facebook after reading this article…

“Wth? I've nurse Jace at the park, walking around Target, Kroger, the furniture store, the mall, just about every other store in Louisville, sitting on the floor of Summer's kindergarten classroom, at our table at restaurants, at my friends' work, at countless relatives houses, at McDonalds while the kids played, I could go on... when a baby is hungry, they're hungry. I don't understand the comments on this article and I don't understand people's bizarre attitudes about the most natural thing on the planet…”

Dear Jace: Six Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:56:00 +0000

Jace… you are six weeks old! Actually closer to seven now. It seems like you were just born a few days ago. I’m sure I’ll be saying that forever… I still say it about your sisters.

You go to your check-up next week, but when I weighed you at home, you were 11.2 lbs. You’re wearing mostly 0-3 months clothes, and have completely outgrown the newborn stuff.

I am still exclusively breastfeeding you… you haven’t had formula since the stupid nurses in the hospital gave you some. You are doing really well with nursing, and eat every 3 or 4 hours. You go a little longer at night between feedings, which is great for me! Although we’ve both figured out how to co-sleep and nurse safely so I feel like I get plenty of sleep on most nights. I love waking up and seeing you sleep soundly next to me.

You finally stopped pooping with every feeding, so it might be time to try out some cloth diapers! Hopefully it’s not as overwhelming as it seems like it could be.

Your sisters adore you and help Daddy and I out a lot, getting your pacifier or a diaper, handing you to us from the swing, talking and playing with you… you are one spoiled-with-love little boy!

I left you for the first time a few nights ago, to see your cousin Richard’s band play. It was only for a few hours but I worried about you the whole time! I knew you were safe with Grandpa and I had pumped milk for you, but I was afraid you would fuss the whole time. You did, apparently, but I think Grandpa still loves you anyway.

You have some fussy times during the day like most babies, usually around 9pm or so, but you get over it pretty quickly. No signs of colic around here!

You love laying in your swing. It puts you to sleep pretty quickly, but if you are awake you watch the mobile spin or stare out the window at the sky. You also love to be carried around in my Boba Wrap. You sleep so soundly and I can get things done around the house!

Your biggest milestone to-date: An hour after I commented on someone’s Facebook picture of their baby boy smiling, saying I can’t wait for you to start smiling… you did! On purpose! I haven’t caught a good one on camera yet, so this one of you smiling in your sleep will have to do. So precious, and look at that dimple!

Next milestone on the list: Getting one of this big baby belly laughs out of you, because there is nothing better than that!

Twenty-Five

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:25:00 +0000

February 24th – last Friday – was my birthday. My twenty-fifth birthday. Why does that sound so old to me? It shouldn’t. I mean, I have three kids already.

Three kids and I just turned 25? How in the world did that happen? Anyway…

I had a really good day. It was a Friday, so the girls had school. My mom offered to take them for me so I could have a relaxing morning.

Well, semi-relaxing. It’s hard to have a fully relaxing morning with a 6-week old. But it was good.

Then Joe picked Camryn up for me. That afternoon Camryn and Jace and I went to Summer’s school to help with her snack sale/fundraiser.

Then we went home for a bit. Joe surprised me by getting off work pretty early, and then the five of us went to my parents house. My mom had asked me what I wanted for dinner.

Why, steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauteed mushrooms, and green beans of course! It was delicious. And everyone else had pork chops, which made it even better.

And then there was pie. I requested it instead of cake… it’s a blueberry banana pie with homemade cool whip. I will have to post the recipe, it is amazing.

My aunt Susan never misses my birthday. My cousin Richard doesn’t ever either, except he had a show that night. Have you heard his bands’ new song yet? It’s amazing. Please go listen, I’m so proud of them!

We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out. The girls always love to dress up over there. This was my dress-up dress when I was little. Isn’t it fabulous?

I really never imagined I’d be 25 with three kids, a husband, a dog, a house….. Really, I can’t wrap my mind around it at all. But that is my life, and I’m unbelievably happy. Hopefully this year is just as amazing as the 25 before it!

We Made a Wish…

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:13:00 +0000

On Saturday, we went to my parents’ house to watch a UK basketball game. My friend Audrey came too, and got to meet Jace for the first time. Her daughter Olivia loved him.

Sunday, we had our usual lazy day around the house. Got some cleaning done, watched TV, and enjoyed out time together before the craziness of the week began.

I can’t believe he is five weeks old today. FIVE WEEKS! Please just stay this size for awhile, little guy.

I think I might frame this one…

Love.

Five Easy Rules for Taking Better Pictures of Your Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:33:00 +0000

I get a lot of questions and comments about my photos. I don’t know why… I’m pretty hard on myself about the pictures I take and can usually find something about it I could have done differently or better, or dislike a picture that others seem to think is great. I don’t consider myself a photographer, an expert, or anywhere close. But I do love to capture moments in my kids’ lives in the best way I can, and have done a lot of research, reading and studying, tutorial reading and watching, trial and error, and most importantly, learning how my camera works. So, if you want to learn how to take better pictures of your kids… I may have some tips for you. And you DON’T have to have a fancy camera to apply these simple principles to your photography!

1. Lighting is everything.

This is the one that will make the biggest difference in the quality of your photographs. Take a look at these three pictures and think about which one you would rather have in the baby album:

In this picture, it was at night and the living room lamp was on. Indoor lights usually cause a color cast like this yellow hue over the whole photograph, including skin tones.

I took this picture at night in my bedroom… I knew my lamp would cause everything to look yellow so I used the flash, but the effect wasn’t much better. Flashes, at least the kind that come built-in to your camera, make skin look washed out and unnatural, over-expose parts of your picture (make them look way too bright), not to mention startle sleepy babies!

In this picture, I moved his Sleep N’ Play near the living room window when daylight was pouring in.

I don’t know about you, but my choice is #3. Natural light is always best. Your eyes are your best tool in choosing a time and location to take the best pictures of your kids. Use them before you click!

Even with natural light, there are some things you can do to make the picture even better…

I had layed Jace down on the floor by the window and took this picture. After I took it, I noticed there was a harsh shadow over most of his face. I tried moving him around on the floor a bit and wasn’t happy with the lighting so I moved him into his swing, located by the same window but a few feet off the floor. I turned him a bit, paying attention to where the light was falling on his face, and then took this one when I was happy with how his whole face was lit up, and the catchlights (bright reflections) in his eyes:

Much better!

2. Get on their level.

There are exceptions to every rule, especially this one. Great photos can be taken at any level! But I’ve found that when photographing children, if you just kneel down or bend your knees a bit so that the camera is at eye level, the photo is so much better. Too many times, we take pictures towering over the child instead of really getting down at their level and capturing the moment.

3. Get up close and fill the frame!

Before you click, ask yourself if the picture would look better closer up. Don’t be afraid to zoom in or move your feet!

I know that’s not technically a kid… but in our house she counts!

5. Little things can say a lot.

Capture those details! Get up close, use the macro feature on a hand or foot, take a picture of the action and what your child is doing instead of the child’s face. These are my favorite kinds of pictures because they can really tell a story.

There are so many aspects of photography that you can use to better your pictures, but I think keeping these basic ideas in mind are a great start! Honestly there are no bad pictures when it comes to your kids, so the most important thing to remember is to simply take pictures and capture moments, because they grow so quickly.

Leave your own ideas or questions in the comments section!

In Love

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:42:00 +0000

I’m so lucky to have four amazing Valentines this year.

Five, if I include Harley.

Tuesday morning, Joe and I gave the girls their Valentine’s Day gifts. We try to keep it simple, although since this is the one holiday we get credit for the gifts it’s tempting to go all out. They got new shirts to wear that day, necklaces, fuzzy socks, a little candy, and “The Lady and the Tramp”.

I took all three of the kids with me and went to help Summer’s class with their Valentine’s Day Friendship Celebration. I was in charge of helping them make creatures with paper hearts. Fun! Jace was really good, and Camryn got to go around all the centers with Summer. She loved it and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Camryn, Jace, and I came home after that and spent some time with Joe before he had to leave for work. It was weird having him leave and be gone all day on Valentine’s Day, but we’re getting used to his schedule and it helps knowing that it will only last a year.

Summer and Camryn have this quote stenciled on their bedrooom wall. I love it.

My sweet girls.

I wanted a picture of all three, but you know how that goes. I fed him after this attempt, and then he was happy. But of course the girls were over picture taking by then, so this is it.

Little Casanova.

I am so in love with my littlest Valentine.

I hope you all had a great day full of love and chocolate!

Homemade Crib Mobile… Owls and Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:51:00 +0000

When I was planning Jace’s nursery, I knew I wanted it to be unique, clean, and somewhat modern. I didn’t have a specific theme in mind, just colors – a dark teal, and white.

It took me a really long time to choose bedding. After a lot of thought and hours on Pinterest and Etsy, I decided that a plain white crib sheet and bedskirt were the way to go. Since bumpers were out of the picture due to the increased risk of SIDS using them creates, and I wanted a clean look in the room, it made sense to keep it simple.

Without a theme or bedding set, and with the challenge of creating a unique, clean, and modern look in the room, I knew we needed to get creative with the crib mobile. I’d spent some time on Etsy looking at handmade mobiles and didn’t see why I couldn’t make one myself. I employed the help of my mom and aunt Susan, and we got to work over the next several weeks creating an owl and star mobile.

All the materials were purchased at Hobby Lobby… dowel rods, little hooks, felt, stuffing, and embroidery thread.

It looks so cute in there. I’m going to get a few better pictures tomorrow, from farther back in the room to get a better perspective, and I’ll add it to this post, so check back!

Here is a felt pillow I made with our first “test owl”. So cute!