Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cousins....they're two of a kind!







Can you tell we're related?
It's sometimes scary how much they look alike. This is Ethan, (at the time, 6 months) my (now) 3 1/2 year old nephew on the left. That's Benton (3 months) on the right. I doubt there's any denying that they're related...
Poor children, the Sikes/Case genes are too strong!

Monday, January 17, 2011

You cloth diaper?


So, yes...we cloth diaper. No - we don't use the old fashion "flats" and "pins". Cloth diapers have actually come a really long way in the recent years. We currently (and probably only will) use Bum Genius - we have the 4.0's - the newest BumGenius available. We have 24 diapers that are in our "stash" - various colors and both snaps and velcro diapers. They have an insert that goes in a pocket in the diaper that is the absorbent part, and they fit like a disposable, just a little thicker!
I first learned of cloth diapering from my good friend (one of the bff), Rebekah. She cloth diapered with her first, Clark. The first time I saw them, I thought she was CRAZY! I mean - can you imagine washing your POOPY diapers in the washing machine where I wash MY CLOTHES?! ew...the thought made me want to puke! But, alas, soon after I got pregnant, I really started looking into them. The more I read, the more I heard, the more I wanted to do it. I talked to Steven about it a bit, and he was not at all convinced. I took him to our local favorite cloth diaper store, Little Padded Seat, and showed him all the CRAZY amounts of options. The owner there was very patient with us, explained everything from prefolds, to flats, to pockets, all-in-ones, and many more. After a whirlwind visit to the diaper store, and our head spinning with all these terms we've never heard before, more research ensued. Steven and I settled on the BumGenius, as we thought this was the best bang-for-our-buck option, and would be the least time consuming way to go if we were really going to do it.
Of course, those of you that REALLY know us, know we often do laundry - we just don't always finish it...may times you'll visit our home and find the laundry in various stages - in the dryer, some folded, some hanging, but never fully finished and put away. My mom laughed when I told her we wanted to cloth diaper and it would require us to wash the diapers about every other day and re stuff them. She didn't think we'd keep up with the laundry! While we don't always finish the diapers - ie stuff them and put them back in his drawer, we've kept up with the laundry! Now, don't ask to see our laundry completely put away and 100% finished...that's another story!
So, yes, we cloth diaper. Is it because we love the environment and want to save the landfills of nasty, gross disposables? Maybe a little. Is it because I'm super cheap and think in the long run it will save me money? You betcha! Wanna know a little more about my cloth diapering? Feel free to ask! I love it, Steven loves it, and it makes Benton's little bottom look cute and oh so happy!
By the way - we just found Rockin'Green Hard Rock soap and LOVE it!! We especially love it when people do giveaways of RG...like with Leaves of My Tree.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Woo Pig Sooie

Cheering on the HOGS! Yes, we are very disappointed that they lost, however we had a GREAT time watching them this year and are VERY proud how far they got.
Benton wore his jersey that night, and was telling Coach P that he was ready to play! He's got the hog call down pretty well, and most of the time laughs when we do it.

B is 3 months old now and here a few of his stats...
  • Weighs about 15 lbs
  • Sleeps from 10:30pm to 6:00am most nights
  • Eats 5 ounces from a bottle at least 3 times a day and nurses 2 other times per day
  • Wears 3-6 month clothes (mostly 6 months)
  • Smiles and laughs
  • Coos a lot
  • HATES tummy time
  • Loves "Baby Talk" on Thursday nights at the local library
  • Sits upright assisted
  • Loves his mommy and daddy and puppies

Hopefully I'll be a little better in the future about posting...Steven needs to put up some pictures for me soon so I can share more!