mommy update!

Hello!

Brayden was ten weeks yesterday. I love him very much, and it's so fun to enjoy each day and the new things each day brings. Lately we've been watching Brayden as his neck strengthens and he can hold his head better and better. He's our "big, strong boy"!

So here are a just a few of the lessons I've learned in motherhood....

1. I love cloth diapers! Erik and I talked about the possibilities last fall, and decided to go with them, especially since I knew two mom-friends of mine who used them and liked them. I think probably the biggest reason we decided to go for it is because we prefer spending cash up front then over a longer period of time. Meaning we'd rather spend money up front for diapers (and along the way hidden in our utility bills for washing) then to keep doling out $20 here and $20 there for diapers when needed. There's probably a debate on which are better, but I have noticed a lot of people using them, and I am happy to be one of them!

In case you're curious, I wound up going with Sunbaby diapers (sunbabydiapers.com). I didn't do a lot of research on brands. I knew someone who used them and liked them and found a few good comments on the quality and the price was right. Right now with him nursing, I just toss dirty diapers into a pail in the laundry room and when it's full, I separate the inside layer from the outside and rinse them on a cold rinse, do a hot/cold cycle with special detergent for cloth diapers (no additives or something like that - I found a list of what works/what doesn't online), and then tumble dry low. Easy, especially since I'm home throughout the day.


2. I love kissing chubby cheeks!

:-)

3. Motherhood is exhausting! When he's fussy, it can be exhausting as your mind is racing trying to figure out what is wrong - and it's especially exhausting when you go through all the regular options and he's still upset. Overall, though, Brayden is an amazing baby with a great temperament. I have learned that when I eat dairy and chocolate and perhaps onions that he'll be extra gassy. So my goal over the past month has been to avoid those things... and it's been hard! Have you ever realized how often cheese is used as a "go-to" food item? Well, at least it is for me. It's pretty funny how I blank on what foods are dairy product. I ate a vanilla blizzard from DQ and was proud for not eating chocolate, and then Erik was like, "Uhh, that's dairy. Aren't you avoiding that?" I was like, "Oh yeah!" Same thing happened with sour cream - I had a baked potato and figured I'd use sour cream to kinda "replace" the cheese and then my mom pointed out that was dairy. Whoops!

All that to say, it's an adventure to keep my eating as dairy-free as possible so I can help keep Brayden's gassiness to a minimum.

4. Motherhood is wonderful. I still can't quite comprehend that I have a wonderful son and he has likes and dislikes and a plan of God on his life. I love figuring it out, watching him grow, and having a little buddy to hang out with me every day.

Have a blessed day!