From three to a family of 4....

Seriously 9 months of pregnancy flew by so quick...I remember looking at that pregnancy test in awe that we were bringing another little baby into this world and next thing I knew I was at triage on a Wednesday at 3pm getting ready to check-in for my 5pm scheduled C-section appointment.
Wait!  Was I ready for this?  I mean I had cried the night before looking at my first born son and at only 20 months old he was becoming a big brother in less than 24 hours.  How could I love another, the way that I loved him for the past year and a half? Or better yet did I even have enough love to give this new little guy?
As  I changed into my backless hospital gown, received my IV and answered numerous questions from the nurse, I literally waited 20 minutes before being led into the surgery room.  What cold place to walk into!!  Everyone was extremely friendly but I found myself instantly shivering from the drop in temperature.  My Doctor helped me onto the surgery table and I immediately

Time would tell to my earlier uneasiness about having enough love to give a second time. However, that question was answered at 5:31pm and as soon as Baby K entered this world and our eyes met it was literally love at first sight all over again.  He was perfect weighing in a 6 pounds 6 ounces, wait, did I hear that correctly?  Yes!  He weighed the exact same weight as his older brother did!!!  He had a full head of black hair and 2 big dimples.  Don't ask me where those came from because my main squeeze and I do not have dimples!  He was pure perfection!

As my husband headed off with Baby K, I spent another 45 minutes on the operating table being sewn back together ;0)  Oddly, I was extremely comfortable the entire time and I have to say that this second C-Section was 10 times better than the first.
After being wheeled into recovery, I saw Baby K again and he was truly an angel and he looked identical to his older brother.  He and bonded together for the next three days at the hospital and on Friday, it was time for us to go home and start our life together going from three to now a family of four!  And we wouldn't have it any other way!

Loves...

Let the CD'ing begin...

It's official! I am becoming a tree-hugging mama!! We bravely began the process of cloth diapering today also affectionately known as "CD'ING."
I had heard that it is good to wait until your little one is about 2 weeks old but i couldnt resist. However, before I began the process of converting over from sposies to cloth I had to email and expert at www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com (Thanks Kelly for your encouragement)and she confirmed that there was no real benefit to waiting the two week period. So when it came time for the next changing and I had the choice of grabbing a sposie or Baby K's cute red Rumparooz cloth dipe, I grabbed for the cloth, put it on and could not believe that I was now on the road to CD'Ing!!! Whoo that was easy and not as hard as I thought it would be.
I cannot begin to tell you how seamless the transition has been from sposies to cloth, not to mention how cute cloth dipes are on my new little guy. And although I still love a great pair of shoes or handbag and buying too many new outfits for my newest addition, I am doing my little part to making this world a greener place! I encourage all my new and existing Mama's to order a few cloth dipes and give this a try, you might even crossover full-time!

Loves....

So here's what my stash of Cloth Diapers looks like!

Holy Moly!!!  With only a few weeks to get this cloth diapering thing in order, I was able to accomplish what I set out to do.  Yes!!!  My initial cloth diapers stash is complete....

(**And just a sidenote: this is only my stash for newborn/small size cloth dipes...I have a huge collection of one-size dipes too, just couldn't fit all at once!)

I traveled far and wide to get these dipes together and many thanks to http://www.diaperswappers.com/ and http://www.kellyscloset.com/  for helping me complete my newborn orders.  Both of these sites offer alot of insight into the world of cloth because honestly this journey was a little overwhelming at times.  I also heart the blog: http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/ talk about having every answer to any question you might have, this blog truly has it all!

I chose many different brands to start off my collection from: Happy Heiny's, BumGenius AIO's, VeryBaby, Charlie Banana, FuzziBunz and no collection is complete without a few Thirsties diaper covers with infant prefolds.  Yes these are a little old school, but from what I have read, a lifesaver in the first few weeks of life!  So why not, if they were good enough for me when I was little, then they will be perfect for our new little boy!

Let me say though, this obsession is expensive because let's be honest I want to try them ALL out!  I mean talk about adorable dipes...with the prints and styles available, I find myself ordering and ordering and ordering.  But what I love most is that as long as these dipes remain in good shape they can be re-sold on many sites to either make back some of the money you spent or help to replenish your stash with bigger sizes.  Talk about true RECYCLING!

I think I'm gonna love this cloth diapering thing!!!!! Now all I need is my little man to make his debut into this world and I can't wait to show him off  in his cute cloth dipes!  Pictures of him soon!

Happy Hunting!!

Valentine's Day Giveaway

Today is the official day of love!!-
And I am at home nestled with the 3 men I adore the most.
Love is oozing out of my veins because we have added a new addition tomour family,
But I will let you in on the details of his beautiful birth on a later blog.

With that said: Gifts, gifts, gifts are so much fun to give to your loved ones, but how about something special for yourself??!!

I found a really cute giveaway for those ladies interested in something special and one-of-a-kind. Designer Karen started her company "One Of A Kind Jewelry Design" makes the most beautiful pieces and is giving this vintage cuff bracelet away for one lucky winner! You can enter at http://www.whippycake.com/

For some of Karen's other designs please head to her Etsy shop and buy some of her pieces.

I encourage everyone to win something for yourself and make a statement with this vintage cuff!!

As I always say loves to everyone and enjoy the ones you love today and ALWAYS!!

The Dilemma of a DOUBLE STROLLER....

With the impending arrival our second baby boy  I know have the pleasure of researching the infamous double stroller...

Now let me just preface this blog by stating it took me FOREVER to decide on a single stroller for our first son and because I couldn't make up my mind  I ended up having 3!!!  Yes three strollers for one child, so this quest for the ultimate double was going to be interesting.

I went to many sites looking at the differences in strollers, but the first obstacle was deciding between a "side by side" and  "front and back"  or "inline" double stroller. 

                                         

With the inline stroller, it would easily fit thru doorways, but my biggest problem is that one kid would always be looking at both the back side of the front seat and wouldn't have a view of what is going on in front.  With the side to side each child would be able to see their surroundings straight ahead.  I know, I know...who really cares if the kid behind can see in front or not, but as they got older I could see this becoming a problem! 

I am truly debating between this Phil & Ted's inline double stroller, which I love the function and sleekness of.  I also asked numerous friends to give me their opinion and it was split down the middle between the BOB double stroller and also the UPPABaby Vista stroller with the Rumbleseat.

My two main concerns or must haves is that I want each individual seat to lie down flat and be compatible with my Maxi-Cosi infant carseat. I truly don't want to have to buy another adaptor...I mean double strollers already run anywhere from $200-$1000 or so!!!

So the hunt continues for the ULTIMATE DOUBLE STROLLER!  And my question for you is what double stroller did you ultimately decide on and why??


 

A Possible Valentine's Day in the Hospital....

So here it is with just a few days to go until my delivery  due date and I am looking at a possible Valentine's Day in the hospital...

Well I say that there is no sweeter gift than the gift of life and I am thankful to have my hubby of 5 years by my side, our new little addition and hopefully his big brother with me on the day of love. However, in our household everyday is AMORE!!

I have taken the liberty of going V-day gift shopping early....and I am ready and prepared wherever I might be on that special day.

Have you done your shopping yet???  Well I have come up with some clever ways to plan out a Valentine's Day to remember:

1. Nothing says more to a man than a great homecooked meal...Now let me tell you, I really need to apply this to my life.  My man loves my cooking, but I rarely can muster up the energy lately to get into the kitchen.  Start planning the menu now, head to the store for your ingredients and prep a day or two early, so on the day of you don't have much to do!

2.  Words, words, words! They truly tell the story of your heart. Tell him how he has impacted your life this last year and what he means to you.  Take his breath away with your ability to articulate you love for him on paper. 

3.  Scavenger hunt of all the places you love! I fell in love with the FLIP camcorder a few years back and it truly has been my saving grace.  So take that special someone around to your favorite places and reflect on the memories that you two shared there.  Nothing says love like taking a walk down memory lane to the places where it all began in your relationship!  And you can have it on video to remember forever...

                                                                                       

Have fun, fall in love all over again and remember that love should be practiced daily not just on February 14th!



AMORE!

Cloth Diapering! Yep....it's taken over my life!

So I decided with my second pregnancy that I was going to give this cloth diapering thing a chance.  I mean how hard could it be and I am all for saving the planet in anyway that I can.
About 30 weeks along in my pregnancy the obsession began....I started by typing in cloth diapering and a plethera of information popped up.  I needed to find out what this phenomenon consisted of, I mean my mother cloth diapered me 30 years ago, but was it really all about prefolds and oversized safety pins? 
To my surprise things had definitely changed, I first fell in love with the prints and colors of cloth diapers.  I consider myself a pretty hip mama and if it looks good, then I am ALL IN!  I could choose from "all in ones," "fitteds", "prefolds" and "pocket" diapers just to name of few.  Diaper covers, inserts, doublers, liners...which would I choose from.  How many times would I have to wash wool versus hemp versus microfiber.  And do I rinse first ,wash and rinse again or is it vice versa??  I was in for a treat but I dove in head first placing my first cloth diaper online order, amidst the hesistation and reluctance of my usually supportive husband.  This should be interesting......