thinking of some changes

Ok cloth diapering mommas, comment here and tell me what brand you use, why you chose it, and what your system is for cloth diapering :) I'm not promising I'm going to change, but I'm definitely putting some research into it. I've been looking at fuzzibunz the most, they seem like they would fit our lifestyle the best. The gDiapers seem awesome too and the most convenient, but they are very expensive and don't save a whole lot of money over disposable which is one of the whole reasons I am looking into this (not to mention the environmental reasons, of course :))

My other main hangup is that brian is really not into the idea due to the increased messiness, hassle, etc., (he thinks and I'm not sure). So I don't want to get into something that will relegate me to do most of the diaper cleanups for the rest of our "baby" years. LOL.

10 months old

My little newborn is now a mobile, chunky, gorgeous, babbling 10 month old-soon-to-be-toddler. I thinks he is very close to standing on her own and then walking. It's hard to believe that now it's my daughter who is almost 1! I am in shock.

Chloe is doing so many fun and cute things these days. She babbles all the time, often saying real words like dadda and momma (when she's mad). She tries to say 'light' and 'cat' and we've heard her say bye bye (randomly). She can climb the ENTIRE staircase of our house, she waves "hi" and "bye" like a champ, and she can give you things and play roll the ball. She loves peek'a'boo and loves to be tickled and kissed on her neck and belly.

She's also starting to do some of the not-so-fun things, like getting pickier about veggies and preferring fruits to veggies. I think I did a great job at providing her with tons of variety, but as babies get older, they, just like us, know what tastes better on their tongue! She is eating lots of new foods and trying new things all the time. She is also pushing things away, throwing herself on the floor when she's really upset, and screeching when I leave the room or hand her off.

She has EIGHT TEETH! She's still a pretty great sleeper, she's tending to need to be left alone more (even though she screams when we do leave) but she is too distracted when we're in the room. So we get a few minutes of crying around 7:15pm and USUALLY she's out for the whole night until around 7amish. We know we are so blessed!!!

Here's a few more pics from Christmas time since I never got to post any!

also - hello cuteness:

making chloe's food

I've finally found a book that is allowing me to make more of Chloe's foods. I don't claim that everything is organic, and I don't claim that I will freshly cook EVERYTHING she eats. I still love the foods Gerber (and other baby manufacturers provide) but this has helped stretch me and see that things are DO-ABLE and easy if I have the free moments. Right now in my slow work period I'm able to do more things for Chloe like this and I really like it.

Anyway it's called The Best Homemade Baby Food On the Planet, and it tells me simple combos that I never would have thought of to spice up and vary the foods chloe is getting. Like pumpkin and banana mashed up together, dreamy green beans (frozen to cooked green beans pureed with cream cheese & plain yogurt), etc. So far Chloe is really enjoying this stuff and she is becoming a very good little eater! I even gave her cheerios today which for some reason I've been holding back on (even though she's a pro with the Gerber puffs) just because Cheerios were a bit harder and I was convinced she'd choke on them! yikes.

This book also goes up to toddler-ness with more mature combos and I'm excited for it to help me be creative instead of just giving her applesauce all the time :) I also like it because it tells you the importance of certain things like organic, but it doesn't push or preach it and it says, it's still so good for your baby if you are feeding them healthy foods with a variety and creative combos, and that you are doing it yourself. It is super encouraging and not overwhelming or intimidating!

Merry Christmas & Boxing Day :)

We love when Chloe laughs like this - she doesn't do it every day, but that Paul-pa with his silliness can bring it out!

merry christmas from us!

In lieu of paper cards this year, mainly because we don't have the $$ to send a christmas card to everyone of you in the mail since we love you all so much, I designed a little digital one for the world.

We love you all, and have had an incredible year, with the birth of our daughter Chloe our lives have been totally changed for the better. She is our light and laughter, and the joy of both of our families! My sister got married this year to an awesome young man, Josh, and we are so happy to have him in our family. We were blessed enough to take a trip to Myrtle Beach with Brian's family in september, and then to Maryland for Thanksgiving with Chloe where she ate her first thanksgiving treats :) Chloe is growing and learning and we are just trying to hang on for the ride! 2010 saw a great year of business for Rachel's business, Puremotif, as well, and is set for some big changes in 2011 and I can't wait to annouce them and show you our new look! Brian saw a lot of changes at Grace this year as well, and has begun preaching more and accepting new responsibilities as a Pastor.

We couldn't have asked for more and are so thankful for all the ways that our friends and family have been near us, reached out to us, and helped us during our first year as parents!

hair loss

Did you know that when you have a baby, the hormone changes screw even with your hair? My hair was thick and lush while pregnant, and about 3-4 months post-partum, it started falling out, like CRAZY!! It was a bit scary at first, but I am blessed with thick hair naturally, so it wasn't so bad until I realized I actually had bald spots around my temples!

Well, it's been coming back in now for the last month or two, and it's finally pretty obvious exactly where the majority of the loss was. I'm just happy it's coming back, even though I practically have shag bangs around my whole face. LOL! I knew it was bad when my good friend Kristin goes "what's up with all these little hairs here?" while looking at me. aaah...

Observe the photographic evidence :) (highlights just done by Ellen)

Happier Post - Thanksgiving!

We had so much fun in Maryland for Thanksgiving. She just loved being there, and loved having grandma & grandpa lusky around all the time. She also loved Daisy!! I have a ton of pictures and posted a bunch on Facebook so you can check them out there. Here are a few favorites.