~ * ~ Of Pandas and Pirates ~ * ~

Flats and Handwashing Challenge! Day 1 and 2

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 12 May 2015 14:59:00 +0000

This isn't my first year doing this, I believe there are blog posts from when I've done it before! I'm behind on the blogging prompts so I'm playing catch up here.

The first day's prompt is why would I do it. Mainly I do it because I can and I find it fun for the week. It's different and breaks up my boring routine. I like to show that it's possible to do and that way if anyone ever came to me saying that they want to cloth diaper I can give them advice based on firsthand experiences.

The second day's prompt is to show off your stash.

For flats I have 12 small Imagine flats with a cute print on them, 2 large Imagine bamboo flats, and 12 large Imagine bleached flats. I found them to all be very affordable. I bought the printed and bamboo flats during my first year of this challenge. I don't remember what I paid for them. The 12 regular flats I just bought and they were $25 and came with a free cover.

I'm also using Imagine bamboo size large prefolds for our nighttime diaper. It's what I use all the time and I didn't want to mess with what works. I do hand wash it also.

For covers, I have a ton but that's only because prefolds and covers are my normal diaper stash. I have two Best Bottom covers, a couple Rumparooz, and the rest are all Thirsties Duo Wraps size 2. Those are my absolute favorite covers. The free cover I got was an Imagine AI2 cover.

I don't have any pictures at the moment. If I get any later I'll post them.

Eleven Months

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sun, 03 May 2015 14:42:00 +0000

GROWTH

I don't think he's much bigger than last month.

EATING

Same as last month as well.
Breastfeeding, offering food when I want. Usually whenever I eat something I give him a taste. He really only sits in his high chair once, maybe twice a day for a real 'meal'.

SLEEPING

We are getting better in this department!! Hurray!!

Some point during this month, Bennett decided (on his own) that he was going to be able to put himself to sleep. This is a huge breakthrough for him!

Some nights he does sleep through the night. Most nights he's up once or twice. This is much more easily managed for me and I am happy with his progress. We're still working on scheduling, it's so hard though with him being the third child. He's at the mercy of school pick up and drop offs throughout the day.

Either way, progress is being made and I couldn't be happier!

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

Nothing too major to report. He still only crawls, stands without holding onto stuff sometimes and is super active. He loves to practice walking along the side of the couch and pushing his walker around. He did sign 'milk' this month and he knows what it means. He signs it when he is nursing or wants to nurse. It's neat! He says Mama and Dada (but not usually when Adam can hear him). Other than that, I think everything is about the same as last month.

CLOTHING

Same as last month. Some 12 month stuff, some 18 month stuff. Most of the 18 month stuff is baggy but I like him comfy and able to move easily.

TEETH

He's up to seven teeth. Four on the top, three on the bottom.

Ten Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 19:00:00 +0000

GROWTH

He had his nine month appointment on March 23rd, so it's confirmed. He is 20lbs on the dot (pretty funny actually!) and 28 inches tall.

EATING

Still breastfeeding! Yay! This is the longest that I've breast fed any of my babies.
He also loves food. He'll eat just about anything you put in front of him and he'll eat a ton of it.

SLEEPING

He naps great in his crib when we're home for his nap times. He takes a morning nap starting anywhere between 9 or 10 depending on when he wakes up. He doesn't make it more than two hours in the morning from his first wake up. Then he takes another nap after lunch time. Usually 1:00ish. If he is able to take that nap at home then he'll usually make it to bed time after that. If we are out and about and he only catches cat naps in the car or carrier then he'll take a third short nap too. His bed time varies depending on how his naps went for the day. I know that's bad but it's so hard to keep him on a schedule with two other kids to take care of and errands to run and what not.

Night time is still a massive hot mess. Although he gave me two nights where he slept for 4-5 hours straight in his crib and made it all night in the crib! He immediately went back to his craptastic sleep at night after that though.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

Mostly all the same from last month. He's a super fast crawler, pulls up on everything and has now added climbing to his repertoire. He tries to climb his walker, his toy box, anything that is short enough for him to climb. We've had to bolt certain items of furniture down for fear of his safety. Things we never had to do for the other kids because they didn't attempt climbing this early. He is really sturdy on his feet and I've seen him let go and stand on his own a few times. Not for very long, but he's trying. He dances and waves (when he wants to) and he's also pointing! He says 'mama' a lot. If you ask him to say Dada he just responds with mama. It's pretty funny.

CLOTHING

I've stopped buying 12 month items. He fits into a lot of 18 month clothes now. Pajamas, onesies and pants are all being upgraded to 18 months. The pants are waay too long though but fit his waist and butt perfectly. Onesies are bit baggy but fit his torso perfectly.

TEETH

He has six now. Three on the bottom and three on top. I believe he has two more soon to follow though.

Nine Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:48:00 +0000

GROWTH

Again, no idea. Somewhere around 20lbs give or take a pound and at least 27 inches.

EATING

About the same as last month. Nursing 90% of the time. If anyone is eating anything though he probably will try to grab it . Dinner is still his only set time that he gets any solids.

SLEEPING

We are attempting to get him on a set nap schedule. It is having mild success. Night time is still pretty rough on me. He doesn't ever fully wake up really, he 'sleeps' all night however he fidgets, rolls and nurses a LOT throughout the night. I figure that an average night has anywhere from 3-6 times where he needs something. Every few nights I try to start him out in the crib and see what happens. He normally only lasts about an hour or so.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

He has become an amazingly fast crawler this month and pulls up on everything at the speed of lightning. He can pull up on walls, his little toy boxes, anything. His favorite thing to pull up on is the walker that Auntie Nicole got him for Christmas. He pulls up on it and then tries to take steps holding on to it. Sometimes he succeeds, most of the time he ends up falling. He wants to walk so bad he just doesn't understand the mechanics behind it yet. He can stand holding on to stuff with only one hand and is getting very sturdy on his feet.

He also developed a wicked pincer grasp this month. He dances to music and loves to explore and play.

CLOTHING

Same as last month. Almost everything he wears is 12 months. I did have to buy some bigger prefolds for him to use but they are a bit too big. So he has growing room. I SHOULD however, be completely done buying diapers.

TEETH

Still only two bottom teeth, however, his top ones are VERY close to popping through.

Eight Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 13:12:00 +0000

GROWTH

Bennett's exact stats are unknown. I feel like he has to be over 19lbs at the very least so I just rounded up to 20lbs. That stat could stay 20lbs for months though, so you just never know. I did measure him though and I got 27" but the doctor's office and I can never agree on his height.

EATING

Nursing mostly still. He really only eats dinner with us and that's it for solids. He has stopped biting me while nursing for the most part so bottles are few and far between. Adam will give him one in the mornings sometimes on the weekends if he needs it so I can sleep but lately he hasn't wanted that at all. We're still doing babyled weaning though so he just eats whatever I put on his tray.

SLEEPING

Same old story here. Bed sharing and sleeping like poop. For a while I could get him to nap in his crib for two hour stretches but then he got sick again and that went right out the window. I've reached the stage in his life though where I've just accepted that this is how it's going to be for a while and we're just gonna roll with the punches. He won't sleep with me forever and someday I'm going to miss the snuggles.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

Between his six month update and this update he officially hands and knee crawls everywhere and can pull up on things now too. He's a very active little boy and is always on the move. He can sit himself up now as well. I'm terrified that he's going to walk before he turns a year old!

CLOTHING

No more 6-9 month stuff fits now. He's wearing all 12 month stuff and I even have a few 12-18 month stuff that fits him just fine too.

TEETH

He has two bottom teeth now and I think his top two are working their way down now too.

Seven Months. (Very late!)

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 17:07:00 +0000

There won't be an official update this time because he's closer to 8 months. So I'll just write out an update then. The picture is from the day he turned 7 months though.

Six Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 17:26:00 +0000

GROWTH

Bennett is 18.5lbs and 25.5" long. His next doctors appointment is on the 22nd.

EATING

Still nursing 99.9% of the time. He will begrudgingly take a bottle if necessary. He has tried a few foods here and there but isn't really into them so I don't stress it.

SLEEPING
He is still a craptastic, bed-sharing sleeper. One night while Adam was at deer camp he slept for 5 hours straight which was amazing. It's nice to know he CAN do it. Most nights I get very little sleep though.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

He rolls all over the place now, can sit up unsupported for a little while, and when he's on the floor rolling around he's in the very beginning stages of trying to figure out how to get on his knees.

CLOTHING

He's almost completely out of 6-9 month clothes. Only a few outfits still fit. 12 month stuff sometimes fits in the torso and sometimes is tight. The arms and legs are ridiculously long though.

TEETH!

He has the very tip of his first tooth through his gums! This guy is a miserable teether though. He gnaws on everything trying to find some relief. Hyland's tablets help somewhat.

(I'll come back and add pictures later. Wanted to get this up sooner rather than later.)

Five Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:02:00 +0000

GROWTH

Bennett is 17lbs and 25" by my measuring. His growth has slowed down significantly from the earlier months.

He had a doctor appointment this month. They measured him at 16lbs 10oz and 24" although I don't trust the lady that does the length. She isn't the most practiced at it. Nicole double-checked his length and she too got 25" so I'm sure he's around there somewhere. The doctor says that he's super healthy and doing wonderfully.

EATING

Still nursing on demand. He can nurse wherever, whenever and for however long he likes. I did give him a tiny taste of avocado once and he didn't seem to enthused so I really don't think he's ready for solids yet. He does like to gnaw on raw, cold carrots (big ones) though. More so because his gums hurt from teething than for food.

SLEEPING

Hahahahaha! This month we had the biggest landslide in sleeping that I've ever had in the history of all my children. He is now 100% bed sharing. I'm not a fan of it but it is the only way that he will sleep. Every time I put him down in his crib or pack 'n play he wakes up. So, we're bed sharers for now. Hopefully by the next update he'll be back in his crib.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

Rolling has been achieved! He now rolls from belly to back. This means that tummy time is slightly more enjoyable now since he as a say on when it's over. He really enjoys his exersaucer this month and finds it highly entertaining. He laughs really easily these days. You can really tell that he's teething hardcore too. His gums feel swollen and he chews on everything! Recently I've been attempting to sit him up unsupported and he can do it for a couple seconds every once in a while. He sits supported though for ages.

We celebrated his first Halloween this month. We dressed him up as a cow. We went a short ways with the big kids while trick or treating but he ended up falling asleep in the carrier.

CLOTHING

Since his diapers won't really change now, I'm taking them off of this category. If anything does change with them I'll let you know.

He still wears all 6-9 month clothes. However, some outfits are getting a little tighter on him . So I anticipate we'll have to move to twelve months sooner rather than later. Ugh....

I've been really loving to put baby legs on him instead of pants recently.

Four Months

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 21:21:00 +0000

I just realized I never made a blog post for when Bennett turned four months old! Oops. Luckily, not much has changed so it should be a short update.

GROWTH

As you can see he weighed in at 16lbs 4oz and is 25" long.

EATING

Same as last month but I think he only got one bottle the whole month. He still nurses all the time including several times at night. We're not doing any solids yet for at least another two months. I do think his teeth are in the very beginning stages of coming though as he likes to bite my nipples sometimes.

SLEEPING

He's back to being unpredictable again. He's hard to get settled and in to his crib. Sometimes he lays on his stomach and other times we swaddle him again. He wakes several times a night and wants to nurse. I'm not terribly worried about it yet as I know it's developmentally *normal*.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

Same as last month really. No rolling in either direction yet. He still chews on his hands all the time and has even stopped trying to find his feet. His head control is still fine and he much prefers being sat up to watch the world rather than lying down. He's not a fan of tummy time either. His newest thing is that if he's on an incline he does try to do a mini sit up.

CLOTHING / DIAPERS

All 6-9 month stuff now. Diapers are now mainly prefolds and covers as he out wets all the pockets I have.

I bought myself a new carrier last month. Best Purchase Ever!!

Start of the 14-15 School Year

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 16:07:00 +0000

Big things have started here in the O house, namely SCHOOL! Both Elliott and Miranda are going to school this year. Elliott got into a local state-funded preschool program and so far he is LOVING it. Miranda is starting second grade.

Here are their pictures from their first day!

Three Months

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 15:28:00 +0000

Bennett is now three months old! Time for another update!

GROWTH

B now weighs 15lbs and is 23.5" long. For comparison, Miranda was 14lbs 13oz at six months old and was 23.25" at four months old! Elliott was 15lbs 8oz at six months old however was 23.25" at two months old.

EATING

All nursing, all the time! He is a champ still, doing absolutely wonderfully. He gets less and less bottles every month. He definitely prefers his milk right from the tap. Still won't take a pacifier so I think it's just a lost cause at this point. I have no complaints though in this department except for maybe that hickey he gave me last week. Ouch!

SLEEPING

Much more improvement this month! He now takes semi-predictable naps and is sleeping better at night. He takes a long morning nap usually and a long afternoon nap with a couple shorter cat naps thrown in the day too. He goes to bed between 8 and 9 and sleeps usually until about 1:30, sometimes until 3:30! After that he is still unpredictable. He might sleep great for another 5 hours or so, or he might get up every two hours. I just never know. It's okay though, he is improving and I am happy with his progress. The big change this month is that I now lay him on his belly to sleep. It doesn't scare me as my other two were belly sleepers as well.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

He no longer rolls from belly to back. I don't know if he's just too chunky to accomplish it or what? He hasn't done it in a while though. He loves to chew & suck on his hands a lot and is just barely starting to try to discover his feet. I think that's a couple weeks off yet though. He loves to sit up and bear weight on his legs. He has excellent head control as well. Underneath all his fluff is a lot of muscle as well and many people have complimented him on how strong he is. He's a very solid little boy.

His absolute favorite thing to do is be naked outside. Nothing makes him happier, except for eating maybe.

CLOTHING / DIAPERS

Bennett is quickly outgrowing his 3-6 month clothing and is mostly in 6-9 month clothes. The weather has been so unpredictable here that I've had to acquire more summer clothes in bigger sizes. I am ready for fall to come now though. All his diapers are one-size now or size 2. And by that I mean the two size cloth diapers, not disposables. He hasn't worn a disposable diaper since he was born.

Two Months

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:56:00 +0000

Bennett turned two months old on the third and he had his appointment yesterday.

GROWTH

Mr. Bennett weighs in at a whopping 12lbs 7oz! For comparison, Miranda was only 10lbs 1oz and Elliott was 11lbs 3oz at their two month appointments. He's blowing their weights out of the water that's for sure. The lady who measured his stats though wasn't very good at it so I'm not entirely sure his height and head circumference are accurate but they came in at 20.5" and 37cm. I'm pretty sure he's longer than that though.

EATING

He's still a fantastic nurser. He had a couple of bottles again this month but he's beginning to learn that he has a preference for the breast. The last time Adam tried to give him a bottle he didn't take it as easily and only drank two ounces. He only takes one side per feeding now and is doing wonderfully with that. He refuses to take any sort of pacifier and uses me as a pacifier frequently.

My pumping output is about the same. 1-4oz per side. I don't pump nearly as often anymore though. I normally only pump if he's missed a feeding by taking a bottle. Frequently Adam will take him downstairs during the early morning hours that he loves to be awake for. That's pretty much the only time he gets a bottle so if that does happen I pump as soon as I wake up so I can replace the frozen milk that was used. I try to pump enough to replace the one bag and get another one stashed away on top of that.

SLEEPING

Bennett is every so slowly getting better at sleeping. For the most part he isn't staying awake as much at night. He usually just nurses and goes back to sleep. The hard part is putting him back down into his crib after he's done nursing. He very much prefers to be close to me at all times so he loves to immediately wake up when I put him down. It's a long process of cry, nurse, snooze, put him down and then repeat. He sleeps wonderfully if I'm able to leave him in bed with me though which can only happen if Adam is not in the bed. His sleep patterns are so unpredictable still. He could last anywhere from a half hour to three and occasionally four hours. That's about the longest stretch I ever get out of him and it's rare. That's okay, he'll get there.

ACTIVITY / MILESTONES

He still knows how to roll from belly to back which is making tummy time almost impossible. His head control is amazing and yesterday the doctor complimented him on how straight his eyes are already. He definitely still goes crossed-eyed frequently though. He is starting to bat at nearby objects and he can get his hands to his mouth now. He's super smiley and happy for the most part especially if his momma has him. He is a momma's boy for sure.

CLOTHING/DIAPERS

He has already moved on to 3-6 month clothing and has been in that size for about two weeks now. He's outgrown every single newborn diaper I had and is exclusively using one size diapers now. He's even beginning to outgrow some of the smallest rise settings and the couple of size 1 diapers I have.

His big siblings adore him and I'm sure he loves them too. I can't wait for him to start recognizing them a bit more and smiling and interacting with them. Miranda is super helpful all the time and I don't know what I would do without her. Elliott is a handful and loves to cause trouble every time I turn my back. He keeps me on my toes for sure.

One Month

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:11:00 +0000

My little Bennett Adam is already a whole month old. I had to guess at his weight and length because he isn't going back to his pediatrician until he is two months old.

GROWTH
I am guessing he weighs somewhere between 8 and 9 pounds, maybe over 9 pounds. On Monday June 23 he weighed in at 7lbs 14oz. Without a good scale though, I really have no idea. He was 19.5" at that same appointment too so I'm guessing he is still around there, maybe 20" now.

EATINGI breastfeed Bennett on demand. He has had a few bottles of expressed milk and he takes them like a champ which is a relief. He is an amazing nurser and not a lazy eater like his brother was. Most of the time he needs both sides to be satisfied although sometimes he'll only take one. When I pump I can get anywhere between 1-4 ounces from one side. My right produces less than my left. I'm not sure I really like the electric pump I have but it is what it is. His latch is and always has been awesome and I'm confident in the start our nursing relationship has had.

SLEEPING
Bennett has not yet discovered the joy of sleeping for long periods of time. He is up multiple times a night to nurse, get his diaper changed and just generally be awake. *yawn*

ACTIVITY/MILESTONES
Although he is only a month old he can already smile and roll from belly to back. He turns toward voices and is trying to track with his eyes.

CLOTHING & DIAPERS
He wears 0-3 month clothes. Newborn clothes only fit him for about 2 weeks or so.
We have been using cloth exclusively since we came home from the hospital. It has been working out really well. For the first two weeks I had to wash them every day but now we're on to every other day. He has outgrown a few kinds including the THX aios, Bummis Super Brite covers and the BumGenius NB aios are on their way out too. At night we use fitteds and covers. He's outgrown his Imagine brand NB bamboo fitteds. My absolute favorite newborn diaper is the new Grovia NB aio. I only have one but I love it.

As far as OS diapers go, he fits into BG4.0s. That's about it, other OS pockets kind of fit but they are still a bit big. I'm sure they will start fitting better the more time passes though. He's growing like a friggin' weed!

He's Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 15:10:00 +0000

I'm thrilled to introduce to you Bennett Adam Orlowski. He was born on June 3, 2014 by scheduled c-section at 8:03am. He weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 18.5" long. He came out screaming and peeing. He was completely healthy and able to stay with me in the OR all the way up to the recovery room. The surgery was a little rough on me in general but by that afternoon I was feeling much better.

So far, baby Bennett is a very calm baby. He doesn't cry about much, only if he's being messed with (diaper changes or being put into his car seat for example). He nurses like a champ, definitely my best and easiest nursing baby. He has had a couple of really rough nights but for the most part he eats every 2-3 hours and sleeps great in between. He makes plenty of dirty and wet diapers and isn't having as terrible time with jaundice as my other kids did.

Miranda and Elliott have adjusted well to his arrival. Miranda is absolutely smitten with him and is extremely helpful to me. Elliott is a typical three year old little boy. He's normally much to busy to be bothered with the baby. He enjoys looking at Bennett though and occasionally poking him.

So far, Bennett has just slid into our lives pretty seamlessly. We've been exclusively cloth diapering and breastfeeding since he came home from the hospital. We do a load of cloth diapers every day on top of the regular laundry schedule I have. It hasn't been that much extra work at all. At this time, his cord is about to fall off and that will make diapering him a little easier although all the newborn diapers I have fit him perfectly. We have only had two leaks so far. Once was when I was trying out the preemie prefold and he out-wet it pretty quickly. The other was just a time that his diaper didn't get changed quickly enough. He should get to the 8-10lb range that everyone says the OS pockets fit in no time so that's exciting.

I hear him waking up now so hopefully I've filled you all in enough for now!

Progress Can Be Painful!

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sun, 25 May 2014 00:47:00 +0000

Tomorrow I turn 35 weeks and I only have 9 days until Mr. Bennett's scheduled c-section. Time is running out! This morning I woke up feeling pretty good and wanting to dwindle down my to-do list and Adam did as well. The kids spent the night with their Nana and Grandpa so we were able to relax this morning and enjoy hot cups of coffee. Once they came home we were off like rockets. Adam wanted to get the rack system built in the basement for our reptiles to finally move down there. While he worked on that I started cleaning up the infant car seat. It was really dirty from sitting in a friend's garage and we've had to call and replace the straps because of mold growth. They haven't arrived yet so I've just cleaned up the straps for now and will replace them as soon as they come in. Such is the life of a third child I guess. After that I headed outside and started cleaning out my van like a pregnant woman on a nesting rampage. I vacuumed it, washed the dashboard, sprayed the seats down and washed all the inside windows. I didn't bother with anything outside because it is just going to rain. I started playing around with the mirror that's going to go in with the infant seat and decided we might as well install the seat now. We have plans for next weekend so I'm not sure we'll have a lot of down time to get it done (even though it takes all of two seconds to do). It's done now though so it's one less thing we have to worry about.

After Adam finished building the rack he went around finishing up some other odds and ends and then it was on to mowing the lawn. After I finished the van, the kids wanted to watch a movie and relax a bit so I took that opportunity to go out and take advantage of Once Upon A Child's Memorial Day sale. The kids still needed a few summer items still anyway. I also had to stop and pick up another bag of charcoal for Adam to grill with for dinner. I got very funny looks from people as I carried the bag across the parking lot. I should have gotten a cart but I didn't want to make the cart return workers walk that far.

I brought the clothes and charcoal back home to Adam and then headed off to do my weekly grocery shopping trip. Normally I do it on Sundays but I had to stop and pick up stuff for tonight's dinner anyway so I thought I'd just get it all done at once. That took a while and I'm glad I was pushing a cart. My hip kept going out on me and I would've been falling every two minutes if I wasn't leaning on the cart. By the end of the shopping trip I was in quite a bit of pain and just wanted to go home and sit. I helped with the groceries on the home end and then I did get to sit for a few minutes while Adam cooked dinner. (Can I just say how awesomely amazing it is to have a husband that cooks?)

We did dinner and baths and nighttime routine and all that and now I'm chilling out on the couch. Tomorrow I'll try and take it a bit easier because I'm extremely sore now. At least we got a lot accomplished today though!

Other than that, everything is all set up and ready for baby. I do have to clean the pack and play still. That will probably be this weeks job at some point. Not sure where we want it to live yet but luckily pack and plays are flexible! I have a changing table in the living room filled with my entire cloth diaper stash. The crib is set up upstairs where his little nursery area will be. Everything is washed and put away where it will live for now until we decide on a different system. The kids are ridiculously ready and excited. I'm anticipating the change will be hardest for Elliott. I'm preparing to let Miranda help a lot with the baby so that I can help Elliott mostly. She no longer enjoys helping me with him. She's easily annoyed and frustrated with him which never makes any situation any easier. They do love each other though and for the most part they're really sweet together.

Next time I write there will be new life to share! I can not wait!

23 Weeks & My Newborn Cloth Diaper Stash

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Today I am 23 weeks pregnant! Next Sunday this little baby will have reached the point of viability. Super exciting! Of course I'm hoping that *he* stays put for the rest of the 13 weeks that *he* needs to but I definitely breath a sigh of relief once I reach 24 weeks.

Yes, that's right, I said *HE*. We had our ultrasound on February 6th as scheduled and we were told that this little one is indeed all boy.

Adam and I were thrilled, of course! We would have been regardless of gender. Miranda was happy although is a little sad she won't have a sister. Elliott knew that he was having a brother from the beginning and was not surprised in the least to be told it's a boy.

This little guy also has a name already which is virtually UNHEARD of for us to actually have a set name before our baby is born. We're excited and I absolutely *adore* his name and the kids are already very attached to it too which should help me to stick with it and not change my mind.

His name is Bennett Adam.

I also wanted to share with you all, while I'm in a sharing/blogging mood, my complete list of newborn diapers. As soon as I have all of them in my possession I will take pictures to show you all. If there is something in particular you'd like to see beforehand, let me know and if I have it I'll snap a pic. I'm pretty darn excited about cloth diapering from the beginning and I even splurged on some brand new purchases because of tax money. I plan on using cloth as soon as we are home from the hospital and only using the free disposables they hand out to you while we are there.

Here is the *complete* newborn list! (I will do a one-size list a bit later on.) I am going to try and resist buying any more from here on out!!!

12 Preemie Prefolds from CottonBabies.com

18 Newborn Prefolds from DiaperJunction.com
32 Small Prefolds from DiaperJunction.com
12 Printed Flats from NickisDiapers.com
2 Bamboo Flats from NickisDiapers.com
2 random receiving blankets purchased from Savers

3 Thirsties Size X-Small Covers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
4 Newborn Rumparooz Covers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page

4 Newborn Bummis Super Brite Covers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
2 Newborn Imagine Covers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page

1 Thirsties Duo Wrap Size One purchased from DiaperJunction.com
4 Newborn Imagine Fitteds purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
1 Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitted purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
3 Newborn Hybrid Fitteds made by BlessedArrows

1 Size Small Perfect Bum Cocalo purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page

3 Newborn THX AIO diapers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
2 Tots Bots Tini Fit AIO diapers purchased off a Facebook Cloth Diaper Swap page
1 Thisties Duo Size 1 AIO diaper from KellysCloset.com
1 BumGenius Newborn AIO from NickisDiapers.com

I have snappis, pins, boingos, diaper liners, wet bags, pail liners, a diaper sprayer and cloth wipes up the ying yang too as accessories.

So in total I have 87 newborn diapers that need covers, 15 newborn covers, and 7 AIO newborn diapers. I know I am waaaaaaay over prepared but I know that the preemie and newborn prefolds won't last long on their own. However, I was not worried about buying them because they have a zillion other uses besides just as a diaper. These include doublers, burp cloths and cleaning rags. They will get plenty of use, I'm sure, and if they don't the super nice thing about cloth diapers is that you can sell them and recoup at least some or all of the money spent on them! Woohoo!!!

Any questions? Feel free to ask!

It's So Cold And ...

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 14:43:00 +0000

The weather has been super crazy here lately and yesterday and today were really, really cold. Right now it is 5 degrees out there. Brrr! So, we've been staying inside a lot. Watching a bit to much television. Reading just about every book in the shelves. And traveling to the library when the need strikes.

We had a fantastic Christmas season and a very relaxing New Years Eve. We were all spoiled with love and presents and it was wonderful. I love all my family members and the holidays really bring the happy feelings out.

All the presents are in their proper places and the tree is down. Life is restored to a state of somewhat normality. I did want to hop on here real quick to announce that I am pregnant! Adam and I are super thrilled and excited to welcome the last baby into our family. Today I am 15 weeks and 3 days. I have a regular OB appointment on the 20th and then we have our big anatomy scan on February 6th. So, that's pretty exciting!! I have had a super easy, smooth sailing pregnancy so far. Haven't had any morning sickness and I am feeling really great. Dealt with a lot of fatigue in the first trimester but that seems to have resolved itself now. Hoping that it stays this easy!

I'm mainly writing this for myself so I can look back and enjoy old times, but does anyone else still read this anymore? Let me know. :)

Can't Quite Get a Handle On It

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:19:00 +0000

(I just watched We Bought A Zoo for the first time on Saturday so that's where the title of this post came from.)

Okay, so my disclaimer here first! I think every mom is a super mom. I really, truly do. Every mom has it hard in areas and easy in others and every mom is different and that's GOOD. I'm discussing my easy and hard here. I'd *love* to hear yours!

My Easy(ish):

Organizing and cleaning. ...ish... Now granted my house is not perfectly organized and spotless and that's because I actually live in it. However, it is in a constant state of 'good enough'. I'd rather quickly tidy something up and then go read a story to my kids than spend way to long making it perfect. I've heard the advice before that kids will not remember how clean the house was but they will remember the time you spent with them. So I have a schedule for cleaning that I adopted a little over a month ago. It has helped me so much because now I don't stress about my house being clean as much. I know that certain chores get done on certain days and that's it. Every once in a while I get on a cleaning kick and get things really sparkly but for the most part things are just clean enough to keep my sanity in tact.

I try to stay organized as well. To some moms I seem extremely organized and to others I'm still a mess. Again, my system is good enough for me and I feel that it works. I generally know where everything is or where it should go. I have spots for almost everything. I have a planner that I write in and check daily. I have a dry erase calender that I attempt to keep up with. I have a somewhat working order system for filing my papers away. Laundry sometimes slips but I have a routine and everyone has baskets of clean clothes that get put away on a somewhat regular basis.

If you have any interest in learning more about my routines and systems, let me know. I can go into detail about them.

Before and After School. Granted my daughter is ONLY in first grade but I have a nice routine for before school and after school. Before school I wake up and I pack what I attempt to make a healthy lunch for my daughter. It usually contains a salad, sandwich, veggie sticks, a granola bar and fig newton cookies. It is a little starch loaded but she eats it all and loves it. Some mornings I'm just to tired and I let her buy but for the most part we have mornings down. After school she comes home, she does homework while she has a snack and then she can go and play until dinner. It's been working out pretty well since the start of school.

Disciplining. I may not always pick the right way to discipline but I have NO problem telling my kids NO and being the 'bad mom' who has to make tough decisions and watch my kids deal with the consequences of their actions. This one may be a little to easy and I may be a strict mom but they know I love them.

Loving Them. I'm sure this on EVERY mom's easy list. It is so incredibly easy to look at my children and have my heart overflow with love and pride! They are amazing on every level. I kiss and hug them so much and I know the day will come when they push me away and don't want them anymore so I will keep on doing it until that day comes. <3 p="">

My Hard!

Keeping the TV off! I'm really, really bad at this. I read to my kids every day but it tends to be only a book or two before bed or if the kids ask for one during the day. I am way to lenient with the TV though. I reason it in my head that it's okay because it's Netflix and therefore commercial free and I get to pick and choose what shows they watch.

My health. I am really bad at eating healthy and I am SUPER bad at exercising. This is something I definitely do NOT have under control. I am overweight because of it, of course, but however ashamed I am of it, I just can not get a handle on this one.

My finances. We have a very limited budget around here and while all our bills get paid (mostly) on time, this is just something that I am still learning about and making my own mistakes. I learn from them and move on and try super hard to make better decisions next time around. This is definitely one of my 'hards' though.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I would seriously love to hear from other moms on this one! Give me your top three Easy and Hard!

The end of summer vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 01:39:00 +0000

Thursday was the first day of school and it went off without a hitch. On Wednesday, I spent half celebrating and half mourning the end of summer. On the one hand I am so ready for her to be in school. She was driving me up a wall especially towards the end with how obnoxious her behavior had become and all the *fighting*! Gah! On the other, it's been amazing watching them play and grow and learn together. I gave them my phone to play with on Wednesday and they actually played with it really nicely together. They shared it well and were both loving it.

It's times like that when they are cooperating and getting along and playing nicely together that I am so glad that they have each other. There is nothing quite like the bond of siblings.

Thursday was awesome. Everyone got up early and was ready and raring to go on time. It kind of felt like we picked up right where we left off. Miranda was super excited to go back which was very comforting to hear.

Someone needs to name this tree for us ... lol

And off my baby went to first grade! She's been rocking the full days and it's been really nice during the days. I've been feeling so productive! I'm getting all my chores done really early in the morning and it's just been a bit more peaceful and quiet. I find that by 1:00 or so I really start missing her and wanting her home. I think it's the Kindergarten schedule still catching up to me.

In other news, because it's just me and Elliott during the day, I decided to have Adam fix up my bike with a basket and the seat for Elliott to ride on and I'm going to try and use it as my car during the day! I obviously won't go super far but I figured it's something! It's a mode of transportation for sure! I'm excited to try it out.

So, I think that's about it. How did the end of your summer vacation go?

They change so much!

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 15:25:00 +0000

I know I just did an update on Elliott but last night I was really starting to think about how much he has changed just in the past few months since he has turned two.

His language has just EXPLODED. I've heard from several people that they cannot believe how much he is saying these days. When he was just turning two he was saying one to two words at a time, just very basic language skills. Now at almost two and a half, you can have a full on conversation with this small child. He is asking a ton of questions these days and he's able to give full answers back to the questions you ask him.

He has an unlimited imagination. He is constantly turning into a dog or a kitty. Miranda is loving that because he can now play games that she is into as well. They play house a lot where he is the daddy and she is the mommy. Sometimes she's the mommy and he's the big brother to a baby doll too. He's understanding how to use his action figures and small plastic toys to pretend with as well. He'll bring me Mrs Potato Head usually and he'll have Buzz Lightyear and they have interesting adventures together. He likes to pretend he is Handy Manny or Bob the Builder when using his play tools too. It's super cute.

He is constantly learning something even though I rarely have or take the time to sit down with the goal of teaching him anything. He knows all his colors and shapes really well, including octagons. He recognizes a few letters already as well which kind of stunned me. He knows: H, I, O, N, M, E and R. He recognizes his name when it's written or spelled and he attempts to spell it out loud himself sometimes too.

As far as potty training this kid is doing amazing with peeing on the potty. He very rarely has a pee accident these days. I went from setting an alarm every half hour, to every hour and now he doesn't need a timer at all! We usually just sit him on the potty before and after anything major. This list includes things like naps, bed, bath, car rides, meals, or any transition from one activity to the next. This has been pretty helpful in preventing accidents. As for pooping on the potty, we have made zero progress. I know he'll get there and I'm not super stressed about it but it is starting to get frustrating that he knows how to pee in the potty so well but he does not poop in the potty at all yet.

Other than that he is really, really good at destroying his room in seconds flat. He does it multiple times a day and we all clean it up together multiple times a day. We're trying to teach him where things are supposed to go so he can help more with cleaning it all up but it's a slow process.

Other than that, I think that's about it! I just had to share how amazing I think my little boy is. I have more blog posts in my mind that I need to type out soon so keep an eye out for those.

Summer Haven

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 03:17:00 +0000

I have found summer bliss and it's right in my backyard! Seriously ... it is my backyard! I'm going to share many pictures of my yard but I warn you, it isn't pretty. It's not a lovely, quaint, manicured lawn. It's got some grass, a lot of dirt, a TON of kid toys and a small pool. But, it's mine and my kids and I can spend ALL day out there! I'll be talking about the pictures as needed, feel free to ask questions if you have any.

In this picture you can see the roller coaster (a $40 Once Upon a Child find), my squirrel feeder, the swing set, our outside table, and the tree swing. Our table is surrounded by tiki torches to fend off the bugs while we eat. In the way back is our wood piles for little fires.

This is my little corner of bliss right here. My chair, little tables for my phone, drinks and Game of Thrones book. The kids picnic table where they eat their lunch just about every day. The hose is there which I use to fill the bucket, the water table, the little tiny wading pool and all that. Here begins our huge gaggle of toys. I try to at least contain them up against the side of the house. The smaller items get shoved in the toy box or the bucket. You can also see our redneck bug zapper that I love. We turn it on when we're outside at night and it really helps. You can also see some diaper laundry hanging on the line. I love my clothes line too although I've only ever hung swimming items or diapers on it so far.

Here is more and more toys and the start of our pool. Gosh I love that thing. It's small enough that it isn't a huge pain in the buttski but it's large enough that I can sit in it and just chill. There is a floating cooler in it complete with five cup holders for whatever your throat is thirsty for. Miranda probably spends 3-4 hours a day in that pool. I spend about half an hour max at a time, just enough to cool down. The best part is that it's in full shade by 1:00 so I don't really have to worry as much about sun burns although I of course put sun screen on my kids every day.

Here is a *SURPRISE* picture of Elliott's brand new hair cut. He's completely bald like his daddy now. Not sure I like it but hey, he's definitely nice and cool and wears a hat a lot now.

This is the view from the roller coaster. You can see the fire pit and the pool quite nicely.

Oh yeah, I also have a hammock and we have a ladder ball game set up.

And there you have it. There is my summer paradise. It may not look like much but it is mine and it makes my life very happy and enjoyable!

It's even better when filled with friends and family. <3 br="">

Elliott Update

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:49:00 +0000

Since I did Miranda's update yesterday, I thought I'd do Elliott's update today. He is 26 months old.

*STATS*

At his two year appointment in April he was 25lbs and 33in tall. I think he's a little bit bigger than that now but probably not by a whole lot.

*EATING*
He can be a little bit picky at times and stubborn about eating his vegetables but we're consistent in offering them to him frequently and I know he'll eat them soon. Some days he does great and eats a ton of veggies, other days not so much. He is a really big fan of fruit, cereal, crackers and anything that comes in a squeeze pouch.

*SLEEPING*
Naps are an iffy thing these days. Some days he still takes a 2 - 4 hour nap. Other days he doesn't nap at all but he gets super grumpy by the time bedtime rolls around. I try to get him in bed by 7:30 but some nights it's earlier, others it's later. He usually sleeps in until at least 7:00/7:30 but some mornings he sleeps in later. I have been blessed with very good sleepers.

*ACTIVITY/MILESTONES*

He is a very active little man. He runs and climbs. He can not jump yet though but I think that's coming. He loves the water but it has to be warm enough. He likes to color and tries to draw shapes and write letters. He can't count really. He parrots someone when they count but on his own he counts like this '8, 9, 18, 8, 9'. He does however know all his colors and he can say just about anything. He definitely had his language explosion and it's really fun to see what comes out of his mouth everyday. He's able to express needs and wants and for the most part other people can understand him pretty well. He has excellent diction and pronunciation. Some words are even better than what Miranda was doing at this stage and up! It's pretty impressive. I think the having an older sibling who NEVER SHUTS UP helps a lot. Hehehe. Not sure what else to put here, but if you have any questions, just ask!

*CLOTHING*
Now that summer has hit it is nice to be able to go backwards in sizes. For pants he was starting to graduate between 18M and 24M sizes but for shorts he can still wear 12M and 18M mostly. I do put some 24M/2T shorts on him but they are usually so big in the waist that they just fall right off. Shirts however are almost exclusively 24M/2T. The 18M shirts are a bit to small for him. He is often seen wearing onesies too for ...practical reasons... *cough* (You don't wanna know....). Pajamas are all 24M size as well. He wears a size 6 shoe now and in diapers he's slowly moving up from medium rise settings to large! In a disposable he can probably still wear 4's or 5's. I don't really know though since it has been a while since I have put a disposable on him. I think we still have some 5's kicking around?

*TEETH*
All 4 of his two year molars are in so he has everything he's going to have until they start falling out and growing back in.

*INTERESTS/FAVORITES*
Favorite color: I have no idea. I don't believe he understands the concept of 'favorite' quite yet.
Favorite shows: He really enjoys just about any show but favorites include Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso and anything Toy Story. He's been obsessed with the Toy Story movies and they are often just on repeat in the background.

Miranda Update

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:47:00 +0000

I decided it's been a while since I did a real update about either of the kids so I'm going to do that now. I'll start with my beautiful oldest! I will mostly be following the same update format that I used for Elliott's first year. If there is anything else you'd like to know, just ask!

*STATS*

She had her 6 year check up back in April and she was 42lbs and 45inches so I would imagine she isn't to far off from that. She's average for height but still a skinny twig.

*EATING*

She is really good about eating usually. There are only a few things she doesn't like. Onions, mushrooms and spicy things top the list. She's really good about eating her vegetables. She loves spinach, broccoli and cauliflower but will eat just about any veggie. She even tried brussel sprouts by choice and loved them as well. Her favorite foods are of course kid standbys but she doesn't put up a stink about eating other things. We only indulge her every once and a while. Occasionally she likes to take a looong time to eat dinner but we're working on it.

*SLEEPING*

As always she is an excellent sleeper. She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and wakes up for school at 7:30. When allowed to sleep in on weekends though she varies. Some mornings she wakes up earlier around 6:30 or so and other times she will sleep until 8:00 or more. My kids are weird like that with wake up times. Of course she doesn't nap and hasn't for years, however, on the rare occasion she will lay down and fall asleep for an hour or so and this never affects her bed time.

*ACTIVITY/MILESTONES*

Not really sure what to put here. She can't tie her shoes yet but we're getting closer. She can clean her room and make her bed. She is getting better at putting her clothes away. She has yet to try riding her bike this year even though I've offered numerous times. She can skip but she can't jump rope yet. She loves to be in the water even when it's way to cold. We're unsure about splash parks yet. She was scared of the sprinkler last summer but is okay with it now so hopefully she'll like them. She can read really well now for her age and is reading above her grade level. She's ready to go for first grade next year. She really enjoyed school and I think she's going to do awesome next year too as her first year of all full days! I have a bunch of summer school activities planned as well on top of her school provided packet.

*CLOTHING*

We mostly only put her in 5's and 6's as far as clothes go. I'm sure there are a bunch of smaller items that she can still fit in though. Some of her shorts I believe are 4's and maybe even a 3T here or there. Who knows anymore. She has a very, very full wardrobe and at least 15-20 different pairs of shoes.
Edited to add that her shoe size is slowly moving up from an 11 to a 12.

*TEETH*

She has all four of her 6 year molars now and still has only lost her two front bottom teeth. Although I'm sure that there are lots more loose teeth to come very soon.

*INTERESTS/FAVORITES*

Favorite color: pink
Favorite food: Mac 'N Cheese w/broccoli
Favorite show: My Little Pony
Favorite book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Favorite activity: Playing, just about anything.

Here is a picture of her from yesterday. It was 'crazy hair day' at her school and this is what I came up with.

I plan on taking both kids out for a photo shoot hopefully soon so I can get some nice new pictures.

Summer Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:33:00 +0000

Our summer vacation doesn't start until June 25th but I hope to do a few things with the kids while Miranda is off from school. A lot of these activities are going to be dependent on my access to a vehicle but I'm going to try.

Most of the summer I'm sure you'll be able to find us in the backyard playing in our little pool, running through the sprinkler, or throwing water balloons at each other. Elliott isn't to keen on the 'big' pool as we call it so he'll probably be playing in his little pool, the water table or his bucket.

When we can we will head to our local parks. Many of them have splash pads for the kids to play in. I'm not sure how Elliott will take to them as he doesn't really like water dumped on his head and he's not even a fan of sprinklers. Miranda will probably like it though as long as it's hot enough. We shall see.

Ideally we will be able to visit an amusement park this summer. Whether that means the one down the street or Sesame Place or some other one, we'll have to see. Either way, I think that will be a fun day trip.

Lots and lots of play dates will happen I'm sure. Library trips on rainy days or museums. Hiking and camping might happen a few times. Sleepovers at relatives houses have been planned for the kids. Adam has even said he's going to try and take a trip with me this summer, without kids!

Here's a few other ideas that we might partake in this summer:
Visiting a farm (I have a few in mind), photo shoot days with my camera, free workshops for kids at Home Depot, Lowes, AC Moore, etc ..., free story times at bookstores and libraries, a trip to Mystic aquarium or to a zoo, lots of Rock Cats games, potentially a trip to Ikea, carnivals and fireworks, a drive up to the lake, mini-golfing and ice cream parlors, bike rides, fruit picking, board games, fires and s'mores and many, many more ideas.

I also bought some giant workbooks for the kids so we could do some school stuff during the summer. I bought Miranda a first grade one and a preschool Elmo one for Elliott.

Hopefully I'll keep you all updated throughout the summer and take some pictures so you can keep up with what we do during our two months of summer vacation!

Seven years of grief

noreply@blogger.com (Of Pandas and Pirates) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:54:00 +0000

Seven years she has been gone. I still miss her everyday.

I was going to type out a long detailed post of the day she was born but I have decided against that. If you want to hear more about her or anything about her situation, please feel free to message me. I am not afraid to talk about her and it doesn't hurt me to talk about it. It's all I have of her and it keeps her memory alive.