what I let go

Since I had Natalie things have been different around here.


Very, very different.

Even before there were never enough hours in the day, and now...well, now hours are in extremely short supply.

And some things I have had to let go. Like a clean house. Heck, not even necessarily a clean house. More like a house that doesn't look like a war zone.

But it doesn't bother me like I thought it would. My house is a disaster 80% of the time.

And it's okay.

Willow Tree Nativity

Last year for Christmas I got a Willow Tree Nativity set.


It's so pretty...

Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus

Pretty sure the camel is my favorite piece. Does that make me a bad Christian?

I like the wise men, too. Especially the one with the turban.

The shepherds have about eight million sheep. I had a hard time getting them all to fit on top of the dresser, but fit they did. Even if they are kind of roaming around the nativity...

a holiday tradition

The Advent Calendar: A Holiday Tradition



I love my advent calendar. So cute, so fun...

...so disgusting. Advent calendar chocolate is possibly the most disgusting chocolate on the face of the earth. Nasty, fake, waxy chocolate. It should say something that "chocolate" is not even listed as an ingredient.

True story.

But, even though the chocolates are nasty, I still love my advent calendar. It's a holiday tradition.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Tonight I read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to Natalie.




It was one of my favorite books as a child (copywrite 1969!). She seems to like it, too.

And by that I mean she sits there quietly and doesn't whine.

I love to read books to Natalie. I want her to love to read, also, and I've read (hehe) that the more words children are exposed to, through either books or speech, the better their vocabulary. Reading should be fun, not hard. It's important to me that my children enjoy (or at least don't hate) to read.

Best. Holiday. Movie. Ever.

I watch this movie every Christmas. It's my favorite holiday movie of all time. I'm not normally a fan of musicals, but there's nothing like White Christmas.

Diapers

Diapers don't have to be expensive.

So far this year I spent $152.53 on diapers and wipes for Natalie. Not too shabby. Especially when I say that she has 558 size 1 diapers, 400 size 2 diapers, and 772 wipes that are still unopened. We also have about one hundred diapers and who knows how many wipes at her changing table.

I started stocking early. Like in March. (Which is part of the reason I have so many size 1s that we probably won't even use on Natalie, and just save them for the next kiddo.) I saved Target and manufacturer's coupons so I could score great deals on diapers. I waited for Target to have specials (i.e., but 2 boxes, get a $10 gift card). Wipes I nearly score for free; generally $0.30-$0.50 a case (64-72 ct) by matching sales with coupons.

Granted, we did get diapers as gifts from several people, pretty much all of her newborn size diapers, and a couple packs of size 1s. My mom also keeps size 1s in stock at her place, so we don't bring any when we go there. If I had to guess, I would say probably 1/3 of all Natalie's diapers have been gifts.

But still, I am impressed on how cheaply we can score name-brand diapers and wipes.

finally a solution

A pad for diapers.

Natalie has been leaking through her diaper at night ever since we stopped nighttime feedings and she started sleeping 11 1/2 to 12 hours. It wasn't too bad when she had a "dreamfeed" at 9:30 pm, because we would change her then and she would usually make it, but once we dropped that a couple nights ago, it was wet-bed city around here.

Poor Pumpkin would wake up every morning with wet pjs, a wet sleep sack, and wet sheets. And poor mommy and daddy had to do laundry every other day.

I thought about mid-night changes, but the thought of waking a sleeping baby just to change their diaper was so crazy, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I researched.

I tried bumping up a size (to size 2) at night. No-go after night one.

I tried a different brand. Or two. No-go each time.

I tried to buy special nighttime diapers. The smallest size made is a size 3. Well that won't work.

And finally, the last solution, the diaper pad insert.

I. Love. It. Dry nights, here we come.