Some November Pics of the kids

Well, Cooper is 1 month old, he reminds me 100% of Talan, never wants to be in the swing or bouncer unless he is asleep, what can I say he loves his mommy. He enjoys tummy times however usually spits up during it. Maddie is talking up a storm, she is a typical girl, has a phone to her ear and talk non stop in it, her new favorite word is NO!!! Noah is potty training and does okay, he goes pee by himself and puts the pee in the toliet after, however we still use diapers during nap time, night time and car rides, but at least it cuts down on diaper use during the day time when we are at home. Talan loves school, he is so smart, he knows all his letters and their sounds is starting to read certain words and can figure out simple addition, I am so proud of him. Mike is working hard, we are getting ready to put our house up for sale so we can move closer to Tampa so he is doing his regular job and his "home improvement" job too. I am the same, trying to exercise a little everyday. With it getting dark early now by the time Mike gets home I can only run a mile to a mile in a half outside then it is dark, but that should help some, I only have 2 pounds until my pre pregnancy weight however I would like to lose 10, but without counting calories and decreasing calories I don't think it is going to happen until I am down breastfeeding but in due time it will get there.

Cooper John

Yes so it has been awhile. We had our bundle of joy on October 17th ,2009 at 135pm. He was 7lbs 5oz and 20 3/4 in long. It was a long hard labor. I felt like I was laboring for days and on the night before it happended I went in and got sent home even though I was in severe pain. Needless to say I was only gone for a about 4 hours because when I got back to the hospital I changed from 3cm 40%effaced to 5cm 75% effaced. However, a few days before going into labor I noticed my bottom kept feeling wet like I was sweating, so the night I went in I told them that I thought I was leaking. They did a nitrazine test and it was negative, however when they went to break my water 8 hours later they couldn't find my bag, hence I didn't have one so I probably was leaking. The doctor found tons of blood so not sure what that is from. I however was in the most pain I have ever been in compared to my other labors so man Cooper was tearing up my insides. All said and done he is here and beautiful and breastfeeds so well. He is going to be a chunker.

Talan's 4th Birthday Party

 

Talan's 4th birthday party was at Pump It Up in Brandon. We had a great time. We had lots of family and friends there to help us celebrate. Noah wasn't too thrilled about the place but he seemed to be the only one. I think it is the only time I saw him watching instead of actively playing. Talan got a lot of wonderful gifts, I especially loved all the clothes, however he wasn't too thrilled about it, his exact words were, "clothes, that is not a present". We thank everyone for coming and sharing in this special day with us.

Our Baby 3d/4d

 

We had 3d/4d Ultrasound done on Aug 22. It is definatly a boy. Since I got pregnant breastfeeding and didn't have a period yet I have no idea when I am due. The 1st ultrasound done said October 21st. However I took a pregnancy test b/c I felt pregnant, needless to say it was negative, finally after 2 weeks of still feeling like crap I took another one and it was positive. However this whole time I have felt about a week or so further along. My 18th week U/S said I was a week further along and this ultrasound also said a week more than what I am. So therefore, I think I am due around the 14th or 15th. The baby is measuring 4lbs 2oz which is wonderful. You can already see him breathing in the womb. We can tell he has those griffen lips and cheeks, he looks a lot like Noah from the side so we will see when he comes out. He has some hair but not too much so Susan (our U/S person we have gone too for years) seems to think he is going to be light headed like the boys. Maddie on U/S had floating hair and she came out with a head full of dark hair so we will see what happens with this one. You never know he could have some dark hair just not too much of it. We still have no name. A few names so far are Cooper, Mclaren, Parker, Sawyer just to name a few. Talan is obsessed with Cooper, he tells everyone that is the name Cooper Mclaren Griffen, I tell him Talan that is not the name but he says yes it is. So we will see what happens, I would hate to disappoint the little booger. We want the middle name to be John so we will see what happens when the baby comes out, who knows we could pick a name not even on the list.

Maddie's 1st Birthday Party

 

Maddie had her 1st Birthday party on August 15th, it was mostly family with a few friends. She had a blast. We had a few mishaps beforehand. The cake was way too small, usually I order 1/4 sheet (for 20 people) and I end up having tons left over so that is what I got and WOW it was so small, my nanny bought an extra cake for us at the store. I go to get balloons to put outside and the place is out of helium...what the heck!!!! However, the kids had a blast they swam and the grown men got yelled out for being in the hot tub in the lightning. The kids did arts and crafts and watched a movie and ate popcorn while it poured. The guys got a little toasted, but nobody got sick, however I am sure there were a few close calls. Maddie loved her cake and all her presents, she kept saying ooooooooooooooooooo when she would see one she loved. Overall it was a very special day for our little girl.

Cloth Diapers

Most of you know that I have been using cloth diapers. So I decided to let everyone know the ones that I have found that I love the most.

I can't say enough about Smartipants (www.spartipants.com), you can get 3 diapers for 39.95 and they are a one size fits all. They are by far the thinnest cloth diapers I have came across and Maddie can wear them under her clothes, where other diapers I have tried she can't. They have inserts that come out in the wash so you don't have to take out the inserts before you wash them. I only have 3 of them however I plan on getting a few more packs of 3 especially for when the new baby comes.

GAD, green acre diapers are very cute, they aren't a one size fits all but they very cute designs on the butt which are cute for just hanging around the house. They also have inserts that are little more bulkier than the smartipants.

Bum Genius AIO are great for night time use, they also aren't a one size fits all, however it is easy just to plop one on at night before bed and they have velco's which are easier than the buttoned smartipants and GAD.

So far I dislike the cheapest way of going...of course, which are regular cloth diapers with diaper covers. They are so bulky which Maddie can't wear with clothes and the velcros seem to leave marks on her skin. I have 4 covers and 24 cloth diapers, which the 24 cloth diapers I have way too many of so I will probably get rid of some or just use them as burp cloths. However they are okay for just hanging around the house in a diaper. The diaper covers also aren't a one size fits all there are different sizes and even the cloth are different sizes.

A must have is a the Whamies diaper pail liner, I have a regular lid trashcan in the bathroom with the liner in it and I throw the pee ones in there and if they are soiled I use rinse them out in the toliet...I know gross but I wash my hands after and I throw them in there.

Also a must have is the bummis diaper liners (which look like dryer sheets) I believe there are 2 different sizes but they are used to catch the poop in the diaper so it makes cleaning the diaper easier. You just put one of the liners in the diaper and if they poop you just flush the liner.

So summary, 100% will get more Smaripants for Maddie and the little guy. Maybe so more AIO Bum Genius for night time use, however I would have to get different sizes so might end up being 2 expensive. Another diaper pail liner and of course some more bummis liners to catch the yucky poops. I also have a wet bag for when we got out of the house, however I have yet to venture out of the house in cloth diapers, however I have been using regular diapers for out of the house use and I have only gone through 1 pack of 4 in a month so that saves a lot of money. I have ventured to use cloth wipes yet, I still buy the costco back of wipes for 15 bucks I still think you can't beat that price for all those wipes.

Maddie is walking

My sister in law Melissa wanted video proof of Maddie walking so I took a few videos of her. She wasn't being very cooperative tonight, she usually walks a lot more than what I got on the video, but here is a little example of what my princess does. She has beat all the boys, Talan started walking at 12 months, Noah at 13 months and Maddie officially was a few days before 11 months so I am proud of that. She has been crusing for quite sometime, however she recently in the past week has been experincing walking from the ottoman to the couch and doing it over and over. Now she just walks everywhere.