Forward No Longer

In other interesting family news, the car seat is no longer forward facing (thanks for sending the links and info, friends... you all finally changed my mind). I am sure many of you will be happy to hear this :)

Here are some helpful links to help you in your decision:

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx

We realized that we didn't want the minimum in safety for our little Dalia. We want her to be in the safest position for the longest time possible. Our car seat goes rear facing up to 45 pounds, and that is one reason why people purchase ours.

Hanukah photos coming soon :)

Sad Times

So this weekend we buried my Grandpa. Lets just say it wasn't the best few days, but I think a lot of our family is happy that his suffering has come to an end. This kind of stuff is never fun and it isn't easy.

I will be back soon with a happier topic.

See You Soon

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did. We are still out on the east coast.

See you back here soon!

Third Nipple

Joking, joking, joking... I don't have a third nipple.

Well not a real one anyway (do you?).

Dalia has discovered my belly button and boy does she think she has hit the jackpot! She tried as hard as she could to maneuver herself into some very creative nursing positions, curious and hopeful to drink to her heart's content.

My darling, near-one beauty, no matter how hard you try, milk will never flow from that spot. I only have two nummies and I think you should know that by now ;)

Love,

Mommy

Changes Abound!

Already!?

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Flips Flip on Us!

We almost always use wool covers at home and overnight. I have blogged in the past about wool covers and wool maintenance (you with me?). Still, we need the trimness of the thin PUL cover for everyday use.

In wool, Dalia can barely fit into 18 month pants--certainly not with the Baby BeeHinds Wool, but yes with her little-to-bigs. Wool is amazing. I love wool. Wool is necessary for Dalia's overnight diapers. It is breathable, absorbent, natural, and super comfortable.

So recently we have had a problem with our flip covers (pretend you can see my super sad face at this point in my post). They are serious workhorses, cheap, and generally pretty decent quality. BUT the PUL is starting to show serious wear and tear, and they need replacing after 1 year of solid use.

Not bad for a $10 cover, you know?

So 1 year later I am on the hunt to restock our worn diapers. A friend of mine suggested weehuggers. Seriously? What a name... I mean people will buy that cover just because it is called weehuggers! Plus they have adorable prints. Check them out here. So we got Dalia two of these to replace her PUL covers that are no longer doing the trick.

So after all of our trial and error with covers, our stash of current fitting diaper covers includes:

4 little to bigs, snaps

1 thirsties duo, snaps(PUL still works, but the rise is awful on her so we hardly use it)

1 soon to be aristocrat, pull on overnight

2 soon to be weehuggers, aplix

2 baby beehinds, aplix

10 covers total is a good number for cloth diapering families. We didn't include the flips because they aren't working for us anymore. It is just enough for us. The only thing I would add for cold nights is a pair of wool longies. I love wool longies, but they are so pricey. Our beautiful wool does the trick for now, almost exclusively thanks to Dalia's Grammi and Papa.

The world of cloth diapering has been so fun for us. We are very happy that we made the decision 11 months ago to switch.

I will let you know how Weehuggers do when we get them!

Good Clothing on a Tight Budget

So many of you know that I love to shop at children's consignment shops (Sarah and Steve love a good deal). Not only is it great for our pocketbook, it is great for the environment, too. Plus kids outgrow clothing super fast. We have splurged on the occasional item (I love the Robeez, See Kai Run, and Livie and Luca shoes). But more often than not, Dalia's clothing is cheap!

We recently got two new pairs of corduroy pants (tags still attached) for $.99 each. Yep, those adorable red cords Dalia modeled in her 1 year photos are from good old goodwill. And that hat? $2 at Gap on sale.

We always get compliments on how cute she is dressed. I feel like people must think we spend a fortune, but we totally don't. On an earlier trip to Once Upon a Child, we found these (but the embroidered version) for $3. A recent trip to kid to kid was super worthwhile. Check out some of the great purchases:

We got a catimini sweater (top of the line European children's boutique designer) for $5.

I had no idea it was a boutique item. I was drawn to its warmth and beautiful yet quirky design. I was showing Steve when we got home and we just decided to google it. Hello, deal??!? I think so!

We got a roots winter down vest. Apparently roots is a Canadian company, who knew?! And that was only $3.

We got a pair of snow pants for $7. These are usually very costly. Plus, it may only snow once or twice so we won't worry that they weren't worth it.

We got two pairs of shoes and each cost $3.

Another great item was a made in the USA like new LL Bean windbreaker in a beautiful lavender. These jackets are usually $50 and we got ours for $5.

So get out and get some winter clothing deals!

Research Released--Ear Infections

Dalia has had one ear infection since she was born. And I have to admit it was a pretty miserable few days. Of course her temp was 103 and she was really really super really cranky (did I make that point clear?). We took her to the doctor and the doctor prescribed antbx. Well, my mommy mind kicked in and I doubted filling the prescription. I doubted it the whole way home. I ended up filling it. Then we debated giving it to her at the table for 20 minutes. Something told me no, but then we decided yes. So we ended up giving it to her (I still feel this was the wrong decision. My friend shared an alternative remedy with me just hours later).

She, of course, developed hives, a sure sign on an allergic reaction. Hmmm... I did tell the doctor that I am allergic (and having a parent that is allergic makes it more likely that the child will be). Needless to say I was annoyed that the doctor didn't prescribe something else just because.

Oh well.

Check this out. I love when research that supports what we feel is correct is released! This has been researched for a long time with similar results, but I like when stuff continues to come out. From DOCTORS, too!

Obviously some infections require anbtx, so always check with you MD or ND :)

Now the alternatives:

Herbal Wellness for Kids (made by Rainbow Light)

Onions and garlic are known to have anti-bacterial properties. Warm onion juice can be used as an eardrop. You can also warm up two garlic cloves in a couple of teaspoons of mustard oil until the oil turns black. Once it is cool, this oil can then be used as a simple home remedy for ear infection.

You can put together two drops of lavender oil, two of chamomile oil, and three drops of tea tree oil in an almond oil solution. Use this mixture, slightly warmed up, as an eardrop three times a day. Chamomile is also known to sooth inflammation, and tea tree oil has well documented anti-microbial properties.

Warm washcloths over the ear can help with pain as well

There are so many ways to deal with ear infections. Do you have any other natural remedies?