At the Bare's Ranch - Photo Shoot

I want to give a shout out to Beth and KC Bare. They were more than hospitable and we had a wonderful time at their Ranch this last holiday weekend. Natalie found herself being held by all and snuggled more than even the Momma can do in a 24 hour period. She seemed to enjoy herself greatly. Beth has a variety of camera lenses and a special flash. I took advantage of her equipment and took nearly 500 photos. Whew! There are so many good ones, I just have to choose a couple to share.

Natalie is starting to sit up with very limited head bobbing. She is very strong and is even pulling up to a stand while supported by our hands. She has become very good friends with herself in the mirror. She screams at herself and loves to check herself out after being changed on the changing table. Only a few more days and she hits 4 months old. Time is flying by!

Auntie Kim, cousin Brinley, Natalie and Uncle Allen saying good bye after a fun weekend

We enjoyed the firepit at the Bare's

Cloth diaper update

Did I tell you we are exclusively cloth diapering? Whoooohooo! It is a hoot. I was worried about the overnight thing, but it was surprisingly easy. Sure, she has had a couple nights when she leaked through, but that is rare. 

We go through about 10 per day, maybe more. That allows me to push the laundry cycle off by every one and a half days. In the event I was working, I don't think this would be possible. It's not just throw a load in. It requires a few steps. Special wash cycle, hanging certain pieces up the air dry, if not all, and stuffing once dry. 

I'm not complaining. It saves her bottom from rashes and we save a lot of money. Oh, and the planet. How much money? Lots! Even with the cost of utilities, we save money. The total investment has been $70 for diapers. I received some prefolds from Heidi and I purchased 14 pocket cloth diapers off EBay. They were even made in the USA! To put it in perspective, a box of nearly $100 disposables costs $26. My ROI was fast! 

Natalie does have a huge bum due to cloth, but it doesn't hurt her any. Heck, her skinny jeans still even fit. Oh, wait. They are jeggings. Of course they stretch. 

So if you want to cut back on waste, do your babies bottom a favor and save a tree, go cloth! It's very rewarding.

16 weeks and counting

She is on the verge of eating both hands

Natalie is getting to be a big baby. Although I don't have a baby scale, it look like she is beyond 14 lbs now. She goes in to get her 4 month shots the week after next. I should be able to get her true stats and share them after. She has started to really enjoy looking at herself in the mirror and offers a quick scream at the baby she sees in the mirror. Yesterday I caught her in a fun mood and I grabbed the camera.

Sleep has also improved. She will not go to sleep till after 10pm most nights, but when she does, she is out like a light. She has had a couple sleep through the whole nights, but she has an occasional wake up at 5am and then fall back asleep.

As some of you may know, I was not able to exclusively breast feed her due to milk supply, likely caused by blood loss during c section. We were supplementing with soy formula for a few months and she was gaining weight rapidly. However, now I am able to exclusively breast feed her and she is sleeping better. Not sure if there is a correlation, but it seems to be the case. She doesn't look malnourished by any means! So she must be just getting the cream. :)

She likes to eat her bunny 

Oddly, she has enjoyed the car rides less and less. If she is the slightest wet or hungry, it is OVER. There is not enjoying "The wheels on the van go round and round..." That won't do! She would prefer we pull this big van over and do something about her needs. I am learning that we can endure a little cry for a couple miles. It hurts my heart, but I know she will be fine.

Thanks for reading and keeping in touch!  - Kate

Cold and Rainy

It's quite cold and rainy today. Natalie and I went to a new coffee shop and then headed home to sit by the fire. She tried out her new exersaucer. She was happy to sit up and seemed to enjoy watching me putz around the house. In addition, she quietly sat in her swing and watched me sew her cloth diaper inserts. We had a pretty good day!

 

Back Home

Natalie was happy to wake up to her Auntie Whit! They had some fun today.

Later Natalie and I did some floor exercises and instead of me exercising, I captured her cute face.

My Vintage Baby

We made it home in safe records time today. Natalie slept from 13 miles from her grandparents all the way to our front door. It was a great trip!

After I put away her clothes, I decided to try putting her in her recently acquired vintage baby dress. I have always been attracted to a baby bonnet. 

Here is the real photo shoot. She was super wiggly. 

Shortly after, we headed out on a walk. It was sprinkling. We made it a short one.

Playing with Brinley

Well, the title is all wrong. Natalie and Brinley did no playing. Nor did the Momma's. The little girls had to eat complete opposite schedules, making it difficult for us to go anywhere! We finally were able to go get lunch at 3pm. Silly babies!

Today Natalie made some new sounds. She got kind of crazy sounding and would screech out a random sound and then dig her face into her blanket. She kind of looked like she went nuts. It was really cute. We tried to get a picture of it and below is what we got out of her today. 

 

Happy Mother's Day

Natalie was getting the very most of her first day with me. She let me fully shower, do my hair and makeup before waking. She also hasn't taken much of a nap. Apparently she wants to be awake all day for my special day. 

Natalie meet Brinley, Brinley meet Natalie

Yay!! Natalie had such a good day. She was able to spend lots of time with family. Last time we saw Brinley, she was a few hours old and Natalie was sick. Today she was able to lay on the floor and get to know her.

Her evening bath is the best! 

Hood River Completed

Since July 2012, Ryan has been slaving over our vacation rental. The cute little red house has had a complete remodel! Thanks to Mom's and Dad's, we couldn't have done it without their help. Ok, maybe, but it would have been a lot longer.

Here are some before and afters!