Surviving Cloth

I made a decision before Jude arrived to use cloth diapers this time around. I attempted cloth with Jack, but failed miserably because I was uneducated on how to successfully cloth diaper. With James, I quasi cloth diapered using gDiapers. The insert of the gDiaper was either disposable, flushable, or compostable. These were great, but I really wanted to go full force this time. And with the Internet and YouTube, the information was vast. Not to mention, some help from people I know who have cloth diapered.

Jude is almost 7 weeks and I have not used a single disposable diaper on him since coming home from the hospital! It is going VERY well! We hardly have leaks and they are so cute!



Not only am I cloth diapering, but I'm using cloth wipes too! Surprisingly, cloth wipes are easy peasy! They work so much better than disposables too. I just cut a couple of receiving blankets into several rectangles, placed them into a Huggies wipes dispenser, and added a homemade wipe solution to moisten the wipes. After use, they go right in the diaper pail with the diaper. So easy!




The only extra effort made to use cloth versus disposable is the extra laundry. I have been doing a diaper load every other day. I could actually go every three days and will probably start doing so soon.



Good for the environment. Good for Jude's tooshy. And good for the pocket book! I'm sold! :)

Blogging From My iPhone

This is more like it. Maybe I can keep up with my blog now. Just maybe.

I just realized there is an app that allows one to blog from the iPhone/iPad! I barely sit at my real computer anymore because I just don't have time. I do most everything from the iPhone and iPad now. Pay bills, search the Internet, even print pictures!!

We'll see if this app allows for more opportunity to blog. At the playground, waiting in car line or doc offices...and of course while nursing Jude...the most time-consuming job I have these days.

I'll start by sharing a picture from James' Thanksgiving Feast day at school. He is doing awesome in school. He loves his teacher and is learning so much. He even started reading the BOB Book set #1!!! So proud of him!

IT'S A....

...watch the video to find out!



And most important of all...the baby looked super healthy during the scan! We couldn't feel more blessed!

The Trew Family Photo Album

Ice Hockey Melt Down (and Let Down)

The Group had a family night planned to attend a Pensacola Ice Flyers hockey game. The boys and I have never been to a hockey game...so we were very excited to go! I don't know much about hockey, but I explained to Jack that it's a little bit like his soccer games.

We enjoyed a dinner at a local BBQ restaurant and then off to the Civic Center for the game. The boys' eyes were inundated with food and souvenirs. Then of course, the hockey rink got their attention...and all of the pregame activities. There was lots of loud music piping through the arena. James didn't care so much for that. At one point later in the evening, he said..."can we leave so I don't have to see the music anymore!?" There was more than just MUSIC that he should not SEE!

It was a lot of fun until the game became more about boxing than ice hockey. I was quite turned off by the whole act. Grown men, involved in a sport that is inherently going to cause you to fall or hit another player. Yet, they seemed to be so offended when they'd fall that they'd start to fight. My instinct during the first fight was to cover the boys' eyes (the whole minute it lasted). But parents and fans throughout the facility were cheering and celebrating with their kids (young kids too). The song Hit Me With Your Best Shot was blaring over the loudspeakers! The refs stood back and watched in their "front row seats." The sad thing was, this occurred over and over. I lost count...and we only stayed for 2/3 of the game because it was way passed bedtime! Last I checked, good parenting was teaching our kids that sports are about discipline, respect, dignity. I thought this hockey game was a poor example of those things. It honestly bothered me as a parent. People around me made it evident that I should just lighten up. But it was just one of those moments that it was quite apparent that our society cries about the way things are (bullying, flighting in sports, disrespect)...yet, we are contradicting with our actions and reactions around our own children! And really, during a time that we're trying to teach a 3 year old how to control his "temper monster"...seeing grown men that have little control of their own "temper monsters" gives me little hope!

Jason assured me that he went to several USAF Academy hockey games, and there was no fighting. I was ready to boycott hockey for the rest of my life...but maybe I'll give it another try if we can go to a USAFA game.

We had a nice evening...but overall, I could have skipped most of that game.




Jack celebrating when the Ice Flyers scored!



One of the many fights. I zoomed in on this one. The refs...just standing there. Fans are cheering...as Hit Me With Your Best Shot played. :(

Baby's 1st Pictures!

We went in for the 1st ultrasound this morning. I had a strange feeling there were two babies inside of me for a little bit over the last few weeks. This pregnancy has felt different from my other two. However, our ultrasound showed only one baby! Maybe it feels different because it's a girl this time?! Who knows! Most importantly, the baby looks and sounds great! He/she measured 6 days further along than I am. However, they won't change the due date unless it's 7 or more days. So, for now, the baby is due to arrive on or around 10-10-11! We're so excited about having a baby in the fall. Perfect weather for walks and outings!

We love you already sweet baby!!!

James-isms

Just a few things I'd like to remember about James:

He calls the Hungry Hungry Hippo game,
"Hit the potamus"

His lego building broke the other day and his response was,
"This is redicaful!" (a combination of ridiculous and awful, I suppose)

If it's foggy outside, when we ask what kind of day it is, he says
"It's a froggy day today."

He calls magazines,
" mazagines"

James was upstairs getting his cup. Jason in the meantime built a little fort out of couch cushions for James. When James was at the balcony, Jason said, "James, wanna come hang out in my fort?" James excitedly said, "yes!" But then a moment later, he hid his excitement and said, "Well.....if I have time." Of course, upon checking his schedule, he indeed DID have time! :)

I'm so in love with him! He truly makes me smile everyday! And he's grown up SO MUCH over the last year!

I Love You...

Happy February! I thought this post was appropriate with Valentine's around the corner.

Jason and I have always always always said "I love you" to each other. Probably overkill in some people's opinion. But, to us, we don't think so. From the day our boys were born, we started using the words "I love you" towards them. It's one of the first sentences they both learned to say. We just always want our kids to know how much they mean to us...and how much we LOVE them!

What melts my heart even more is when I hear them say I love you to each other. It's happened a bit more in recent weeks. Today they were sitting together on the couch, watching a tv show while I was cooking. When the show ended, James said, "I love you Jackers." And Jack responded, "I love you too."

I hope they always love each other!