Clean baby.....

Van can hold his breath under water now, he is a little fish? He is just now grasping how to come up for air when his swim teacher pushes him towards the wall.

I love it when Van is clean, I met a girl at Van's swimming lesson the other day and she was using her non disposable diapers and she told me all about how to make my own baby wipes. I looked it up when I got home and altered the recipe a bit, and it works great. No harsh chemicals and Van's skin is soft with no irritations! I am using earthfirst 100% recycled paper towels from costco! These paper towels are not bleached using chlorine so no harsh chemicals on baby's bum or face.

Making your own baby wipes will not only save money, but you will know for sure that no harsh or drying chemicals are touching your baby's bottom. I found this article on about.com

Here's How:

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half with a knife and remove the inner cardboard core.
2. Mix liquid ingredients in container.
3. Place the paper towels in the container with the cut side facing downward.
4. Secure lid tightly and allow to sit until all liquid is absorbed into the paper towels.
5. Turn the container upside-down and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
6. Open container and 'start' the roll by pulling a towel from the inside of the roll.
7. Wipes are now ready to use.

Tips:

1. These also make a great gift for new parents. You can decorate or personalize the container and, of course, be sure to include a copy of the recipe.
2. Save the other half of the roll for use next time you make wipes.
3. Make sure the container is closed tightly after each use to prevent drying out.
4. When your baby is older and his skin is less sensitive, you can add about a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol to the mix.

What You Need:

* Round plastic container (Rubbermaid #6 or #9 works well)
* Thick, strong roll of white paper towels
* Sharp knife to cut paper towel roll in half
* 2 cups water that has been boiled and cooled to room temperature
* 2 Tablespoons of castille soap - I like Dr bronners baby mild soap
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 3 to 4 drops of tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract (you can find this at any health food store)
* 5 drops of lavender oil for scent and relaxation

First Words

Vegas was different this time, we went with a baby (who was sick)! He was such a good sport about it and didn't cry that much, but there was a significant increase in the crying. Van's Poppa took care of us, he put us up in a hotel and fed us too! So that was really nice of him, he is also flying us to Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving to be with family.
Thanks Poppa for your love, generosity and support!

I am a little late on my postings I know we went to Vegas over a week ago, but I have not been feeling the greatest lately either. Here are a couple of pics from Vegas, we went to Trader Vic's and Van got to chew on a cold piece of cucumber from dad's cocktail. I love that restaurant so much! The new one in Vegas is in the new Planet Hollywood hotel. We went to the Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills when we got engaged.


Here is a picture of Van in his new winter hat we bought him in Vega's. He looks sharp doesn't he?

Van has said his first word "LOLA" he pronounces it "wowa". Today I was in my closet and I heard him yell "MA" I came out and he had a huge smile on his face.

I just started making stationary with my new printer....
Here is one I made for a friend who just had a little one.
I am going to be selling stationary packs on this blog for the holidays so get your orders in now! They make great gifts, because everyone has to write thank yous after the holidays especially our little kiddies.







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Now playing: Tristan Prettyman - Love Love Love
via FoxyTunes

These Hands

Moving Forward

I am working this week on a couple of projects, so my time is precious. I really feel stuck right now. I need to work so we can stay in California. But I want to stay at home with Van part time too. I am plotting and scheming about ways I can start my own business and work at home. I know I can do it. I just have too many ideas in this head of mine and want to design baby clothes, build websites, and create my own graphic design & freelance company.

Van is loving the dogs now he tries to call them with this little high pitch voice of his, and he likes to spit too when he sees them. I think he thinks that they like that but they tend to run away real fast when they see him coming these dayz. I captured some moments yesterday with them. Zeke was there too, but he wasn't in camera's range.

Car Seats and stuff....

As I sit here with Van on my lap typing this, he likes to watch how fast my fingers move on the keyboard and try do the same thing. Except he just hits the keyboard. I hear a lot of noise coming from the lower region of his body, so I might have to make this one quick.

Well Van started driving this week - first I got in the car with him to show him the ropes, then I let him go on his own! He is seriously growing up so fast. We returned the evenflo car seat we bought because he was uncomfortable in it, and Conner didn't like some features about it either.
And we pretty much bought one we can't afford , but I do what I always do with things that involve safety, I justified spending the extra money on a nicer more comfortable one and I got a great deal too! So I know Van will be driving soon in comfort. I just love looking in the rear view mirror and seeing him in his little infant car seat so much, I am not sure if I am ready for him to graduate to the big boy one.


Anyways, now that I changed that diaper Van was working on while he was sitting in my lap and made him some baby food for the next year. I am back and have completely forgotten what I was writing about.

I am enjoying making his baby food - I am inspired by the pure mom's who make their kids food at home. It is truly the healthy way to go and it teaches them develop tastes for fresh foods instead of canned or processed foods. I read that somewhere. I just can't remember where. Another website I love is the healthy child website, it is great and has so much info on baby care, prevention, healthy products & sustainable living!!! Check it out when you have some free time..

Traveling With Baby

Here are some funny pictures from our trip to Ventura this weekend. We visited a hat shop briefly after dinner one night and Van found some hats that he really liked!














"Giddy up cowboy!"















"Tennis Anyone"















"Ahoy Matee"

Conner Surfed in a contest and he placed again, we are hoping he will get 1st or second in the next contest!
It was a fun little family trip.

Sleep Training Take 2

Okay okay, so Van didn't sleep those magical 10 hours last night, he was up twice in the night, and I fed him both times. I feel like if I go in and hold him I am giving in to his needs. Because that is the only way he knows how to fall asleep.. It is so difficult, I wanted Conner to go in and rock him back to sleep but he just put him back in the crib to cry some more. I got frustrated and gave in. His cries were different last night, I could tell he was really hungry last night or he had a tummy ache and when i went in and got him out of his crib he was cold too! So all of those things make for a very awake baby! I asked Conner to try to rock him back to sleep and he was holding him upright talking to him instead... So needless to say that is when I figured out I needed to nurse him for sure.
I didn't go to sleep until almost 2am last night anyways so I was so tired last night and this morning. Thank God Van slept til almost 9:30 this morning.
We did have a big day yesterday and he didn't get his normal naps in so that messes up his night time sleep... I could go on and on about this because it is something I am dying to master.

Healthy Sleep

Van is 6 months old and he was not sleeping through the night. At all. He was napping all night long. 4 to 5 hour naps, each punctuated with a quick nursing session and then he's back down for another few hours. Thiswent on from 7 p.m., when I put him down, until 7 in the morning, when he wakes up. And I go to him, willingly. he is my baby, and so I actually soaked him in during those feeding sessions at night. I rock with him. I smell his head. I kiss him. I think about how wonderful life is going to be for him. And then I lay him back down into his crib and climb back into my bed. And think. And toss and turn. And make “to do” lists in my head. And plan the dinner menu for the week. And then, I finally fall back asleep. I needed some sleep. Desperately. I had tried everything. Finally, we agreed upon a method from a book called “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” In three words: cry it out. And before you roll your eyes and say to yourself “what kind of a mother does that?” let me tell you that it works. And when you’ve tried other methods and they haven’t worked for your child, you try another one. Well, this happened to be our other one. No two children are alike, and what works for one may not work for another.

So this is the one we are trying for now!

My Song

Sweet Dreams...

Tonight I am tired, Lola has a cone on her head because the groomers cut her little girlie neck. Our house is clean, I got pulled over this week for almost running a stop sign and managed to spew so much random information when the cop came to my window that I scared him into not wanting to give me a ticket. I just kept talking I couldn't stop. And the first words out of my mouth were " I stopped Sir, I did".

I feel like I try to do to much all of the time, and I don't take a moment out to have any breaks. I rarely ever watch TV and Van doesn't either. But I have put him in front of the TV to watch manny on the Disney channel here and there when i can't seem to separate my self from those sheets in the am. I am simply tired because I can't seem to get Van to sleep through the night. I am not going to be one of those mom's that is like oh and our baby sleeps 12 hours a night, it is so wonderful. He wakes up twice a night for two feedings, and I have tried everything. I have read 4 books on sleep training and fed the boy 3 meals a day but nothing has worked so far.

It's really hard to explain how hard this task is, I know I would be a much more sane person if I was sleeping through the night, and I could focus during the day. Lately I have felt like I have ADD going through the day aimlessly doing 8 projects at once, and wondering where the day really went at the end of it.

On a positive note Van's physical therapy is going well, and they see improvements. I do too!
I thought this picture was funny because all of the ones of Van are of the front of his head, but this one gives you a little looksy at his mullet that is disappearing a little bit every day. He has the softest little blond downy fuzz on his head now. I love to rub his head at night after his bath when he is all snuggy next to me, falling into a slumber.

I love the time I have with Van each night before he goes to bed cuddling in his rocking chair, It makes my heart warm. Until 2am then we do it all over again!!!

My Own Two Hands

I found some of these pictures of Van's stages with his finger, thumb and hand sucking. Now he just likes to stick the whole hand in that mouth.

First he found his thumb!


Then he was in love with his pointer and index fingers!

Now It's just the whole enchilada!! ha ha

There is a song by Ben Harper that I love so much, I sing it to Van a lot because I know he is going to do great things with his hands one day.

here are the lyrics:

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make a better place
With my own two hands
Make a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

Im gonna make it a brighter place
Im gonna make it a safer place
Im gonna help the human race
With my own
With my own two hands

I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands

With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

We like Boats!

We went out on Julie, Dave & Ezra's boat this weekend. It was so much fun and really relaxing. Ezra is Van's buddy and he is 2 1/2 months old. Van loved the boat and also went to sleep for a brief time until his car seat was flooded with water that came overboard.

We were pulling the guys behind the boat and it was a little choppy out on the water. he was a good sport and just woke up a little wet and wanted to eat!
Oh and here is a cute video of Van playing drums with our friend Mike on the boat, he was so happy out there!



We had a mellow day today really sleepy, it actually rained this morning and I don't know why but I was so tried all day long.
Tonight Conner cooked the best dinner, and I actually ate red meat for the first time in years. well besides a hamburger here and there. we had fillet Mignon in a balsamic red wine reduction, mashed potatoes & sauteed green beans. For dessert we made coco chocolate cupcakes.

Conner and Van hung out today for a while and had fun together, I took some cute pictures of them on the couch, with Van's mermaid doll.



I just started building my design web site, I will let you know when it is up. check it out from time to time for updates!

Next weekend we are having a beach party with our friends to celebrate my 32nd Bday! I feel differently about this birthday coming up, I have a son on this birthday for the first time ever, I have a happiness inside I never knew I would have. Know body tells you what it is going to feel like when you have a child of your own, and it is really an experience you can't even fathom. I am excited to see some good friends that I haven't seen in a while! It should be fun.

This week coming up is going to be a busy one, lunch with friends, drs appts for Van and I, the dogs are getting shaved, and looking for my next freelance projects are on the calendar.

Baby Nicknames

Here are some of the nicknames van has had in the past 3 months, in case your looking for some new ones for your baby!
1. Officer Fussereli
2. Butter bean
3. Bubs
4. Bud, Buddie
5. Party boy
6. Pumpkin
7. The pimp (only uncle Smythe calls him this)
8. Boogie
9. The man
10. VW
11. Squirmy
12. Squeaky , Squeaks, or Squeak

Don't laugh at Van's outfit he was just lounging at home in his comfys, he was not dressed to impress!


Here he is so happy in the bath tub, he is a splasher!