Fashionista

I busted out some of the 3T clothes so that I could pack up the 2T stuff for Zav.

I wanted to try them on JB to make sure they fit. He chose his own outfit and was stoked about it: 

He was pretty proud of his selection. He even dancedaround the house: 

http://youtu.be/XaZpTFhvVrU

I didn't get a clear shot, but he is also wearing a necklace that he made with a piece of string, a blue bead, a white bead, and a silver dog. Bling bling!

Two and a half

My son is two and a half.

Last Sunday, I decided to take the kids to church out in Holland where Eric runs sounds every Sunday. Unfortunately, I didn't plan very well and, upon arriving 5 minutes early for the 10:00 service, realized that the service actually starts at 11:00. 

AJ had just fallen asleep in the car seat, so I drove to the beach, parked next to the swings, and bundled up John for a good time. It was freezing, but he loved watching the water and had a blast swinging. 

While he was swinging, a tourist from India came over and after chatting a bit asked if he could take some pictures. He sent them to me in an email later. 

So folks, here are (what I am going to pass as) my son's two-and-a-half-year pictures: 

9:15 AM

Sunday mornings it's just me and the kids because Eric runs sound at a church and has to leave around 6am. Before I write this, you should know that the only time I have slept in past 7 am in the last 9 months was the one day that April took both of my kids down to DeMotte. 

It is 9:15 am and I JUST woke up. 

Nothing woke me up. No alarm clock. No kids crying, shouting, or jumping on my bed. No dog whining or husband making noise. I just woke up all on my own. 

Suprised at how late it is, I checked the video baby monitor. 

Both kids are wide awake in their cribs in separate rooms happily playing by themselves!

JB is laying on his back with his feet up on the wall holding his stuffed bunny above him and singing. AJ is sitting up, waving her blanket around, chewing on her dolls arm, and making quiet humming-like noises on occasion. 

How I got blessed with such amazing kids, I have no idea, but I will take it!!!

Face time

I love being able to talk to friends and family from afar with modern day technology. 

Here's a bit of my joy from the past week: 

Zach cheered John on while John finished eating his sandwich. This was the only way I could get JB to eat.

Dez showing off her Candy bag. AJ entranced. 

Zach showing off his Halloween costume. 

AJ showing off how she can stand by herself. Annalyn showing off how she can sit by herself. 

I love these people and wish I lived closer to them, but since that isn't our current situation, I'll take this :)

When brand names matter...

Brand names are a joke. Most of the time, it's the exact same product produced at the exact same place with a different label slapped on. And the brand name ones are way more expensive. All that extra money is paying for advertising and a pretty label. 

At least that's what I thought until I had babies.

JB got a diaper rash the first time we used any diapers but Pampers (the most expensive kind on the shelf). I tried multiple brands, multiple times. Same result. 

One time, I decided to save money and get the Aldi brand wipes instead of pampers. I took them on a weekend trip and didn't have any backups. After two days of nothing but Aldi wipes, his butt looked like it had leprosy. Red, bumpy, pussy, and painful. 

Now he's two and a half and his skin is MUCH less sensative. I use Luvs diapers (one of the cheapest on the shelf) and Meijer wipes with no problems. But he still gets red itchy skin if I use the wrong kind of soap and don't rinse it all the way off. 

AJ can tolerate just about any kind of diapers, but boy is she picky about wipes. I use Pampers for her. On a weekend trip with friends I had Eric pick up some wet wipes for her and made sure to remind him to get Pampers because she is sensitive. He thoughtfully bought the "Pampers Sensitive" wipes instead of the regular "Pampers Baby Fresh" wipes. By the end of the weekend, she was so red and raw I didn't know what to do! When we got home, we switched back to her regular ones and used some Desitin.  The rash cleared up in a day or two. 

I use Desitin, a zinc-oxide cream, to help get rid of her rashes. I switched to the Meijer brand zinc oxide cream ("compare to Desitin" on the label) last week. She has had a rash ever since. If I used any zinc-oxide cream on JB, he would break out. I could only use A&D for him. 

The heavily guarded secret incredient in those brand name products is certainly worth it's weight in profits for those companies.

My answer for most of these problems is air and water. If I don't have the right name brand on hand, I wash them with no soap and let them run around naked for a while. I have to keep them off the carpet and couches, but they are happy. It's a lot cheaper too.  

Sometimes I think that parenting is a riddle with an answer that is always changing. Once you figure it out, you're wrong again.