Couch-to-5k, Cuddles, Cupcakes, and Cloth Diapers

Boxing in her sleep

This week has been one of those weeks where it seems like a lot has happened, but at the same time, nothing really happened.

I started the Couch to 5k running program this week. It is a 6 week program that gets you basically from being a couch potato to being able to run a 5k...hence the name :) Its a lot harder, and I am way more out of shape than I thought I was, but the end result will be worth it! If you are interested in the program click here :) I love this program because it is something that I can do with Rowen. With Colin already running everyday, he is able to join us as well. Its awesome.

Ready to go running!

Being sick sucks. I was sick on Tuesday and ended up coming home after I took an exam that morning. Colin has been sick since Wednesday :(. The only good thing about being sick, is being able to cuddle with Rowen. We spent a good majority of the day Tuesday in bed. She loves when being talked to and kissed on the cheeks. She even "talks" back now and flashes huge smiles :) I love it!

We started cloth diapers this weekend and I LOVE THEM!! When people think cloth diapers, usually a piece of fabric and safety pins come to mind... but boy are they wrong! Cloth diapers have evolved so much!
We are using prefolds and all in 1(AIO) and all in 2's (AI2) as covers. Prefolds are the piece of fabic that used to be safety pinned. AIO and AI2 look like regular diapers, they are just cloth and you button them over the prefolds.

This is a prefold folded in the "bikini twist" style, which we use.

This is the AIO/AI2 we use as a cover

Why cloth diapers you might ask?
1. Less diapers filling up landfills
2. No chemicals like in disposables which means they are safer for baby's butt
3. Less diaper rashes!
4. Baby butts are SUPER CUTE in cloth diapers

How cute it this!!

and the main reason:

5. $$$$$

I paid right around $200 for our cloth diaper stash. I know that may seem like a lot, but its not at all. Especially since we will not have to buy diapers ever again. Our stash consists of only one size diapers. This means that they are adjustable to fit until your baby is potty trained!

We were spending $40 every 2 weeks on disposable diapers.

I'll just run the numbers for you:

Disposables:
$80/month x 12 months in a year x 2 years = $1920

And thats only if she is potty trained at 2 years.

Cloth:

$200 upfront + 1 more load of laundry a week

Yes. They are a little bit more work than disposables, but they have already paid for themselves just with how much we have saved by not having to buy diapers every 2 weeks. We are only doing them part time for now, since we still have close to 600 Huggies we got from my mom to go through :)

As most of you know we have a love of cupcakes in this house. Since Rowen's in utero nickname was cupcake, we have accumulated quite a bit of cupcake clothing, piggy banks, car seat covers, etc.

Since she has outgrown her newborn clothes (tear :( ), we have actually been able to put her in some of the cupcake clothes. Here are some pictures of our little cupcake in her cupcake gear :)

Gotta have cupcake PJs!

Cupcake onsie with MC Hammer pants-courtesy of her cloth diaper :)

Dad and Ro-D playing right before her bed time story which just happened to be....

In other news, Rowen got a new swing thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Rick! Its awesome. It has a little canopy around it on which a lighted mobile projects butterflies on :) Thanks again!!

An Uneventful Week and a Whole Lot of S's

Disclaimer: I have been a HUGE slacker with taking pictures this week, so please forgive the lack there of.. Most of them are from today :)

The past week has been pretty uneventful. We really haven't done anything exciting, and have just been staying home...although mom and dad did get to go out on a date last Monday for Valentines day. Nothing fancy, just dinner and a movie, but it was very nice to get out!

O! I guess we do have some exciting news! We..well mom...got to hear Rowen's first laughs on Tuesday. It was awesome. I have been worrying about missing firsts like this since I am at work all day, but am super excited that I was home for this. It was one of the best Valentines presents ever.

And that was pretty much our unexciting week!



And as for the S's...

.....Sneezes.....           

.....Sleep...... 

.....Silly Faces....

And even some smiles :) 

The Ups, Downs, and a few Firsts...

Its been a week full of firsts, as well as some ups and downs.

We'll start with firsts. Rowen went on her first walk in her stroller this week. Not sure if she liked or not because she immediately fell asleep.. I guess its better than screaming!

 

 I also managed to get a picture of her smiling (Kind of. I was a little early) for the first time this week. I love her little toothless smile! It makes my heart melt every time.










Now on to the ups!


Rowen loves baths! The first bath was horrible. She screamed and screamed. But they have progressively been getting much more pleasant for both of us... She even fell asleep during her last one :)

..and for those wondering.. this is what she looks like post-bath before her hair gradually starts sticking straight up again...Colin calls this her "old man hair". Apparently only old men can have side parts haha.

And well...the downs.. we still arent sleeping... Rowen is currently going through her 6 week growth spurt. She wants to eat all of the time, and even though she is exhausted, will not go to sleep!

Luckily, thanks to a mommy group I am a part of, we have discovered the Happiest baby on the Block( HBOTB).

 This is Dr. Harvey Karp, the man who developed HBOTB. I like to refer to him as the baby whisperer and Colin calls him a witch doctor.







 At first I thought he was some loon who came up with another "make your baby sleep for the low price of $39.95" programs that are ridiculous and dont work. After watching the video and trying out his methods, I want to hunt him down and give him a hug..maybe a nice box of chocolates as well.  And the best part, I got the video for free!

It emphasizes swaddling, shooshing/white noise and "jiggling" the baby (NOT SHAKING haha!) to mimick the movements they felt in utero. Its not a full proof system, but it definitely calms her down 9 times out of 10 and if we shoosh long enough she passes out..at least for  a little while! Colin is much better at it than I am too!

I'm hoping that as soon as we get past this crazy, psychotic fuss-fest, that we can start trying to get her on somewhat of a schedule!

In other news, she is outgrowing her newborn clothes and I am heartbroken! She is growing up way too fast!

3 Big Ones

Rowen had her 1 month appointment today. She has gained 3 lbs 2 oz in one month!! She has also gained 31/2 inches. This puts her in the 57th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight. I am so glad that she is growing so well.

Our chunky monkey after her appointment

We also found out that she has been congested because she has acid reflux. Luckily, since it is not affecting her weight gain and doesn't make her miserable, the pediatrician said there is no need to put her on Zantac or anything. All we have to do is adjust her feeding and sleeping habits a little bit, but no big deal :)

She is also able to lift her head up during tummy time which we are happy about. And she almost rolled over yesterday. She is growing so fast! I'm so excited to watch her meet milestones, but I wish she would slow down and just stay little... at least for a little while longer!

Dad apologizing for her inheriting his crazy hair :)

Happy 1 Month Birthday Cupcake!

This was Rowen and I (about) a month ago:

Then this happened:

And this is us today:

I absolutely cant believe that Rowen has been with us for a month already. It has gone by much too fast. Overall, we have had a pretty good month, you know, when you exclude the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and "I-dont-know-why-you-are-crying" moments. But to out weight those we have had...

...a months worth of cuddles....

...a months worth of new sleeping positions...

...a months worth of funny faces....

...a months worth of Boppys, bassinets, and bouncy chairs....

...and a months worth of getting to know our little girl and enjoying our little family.

Happy One Month Baby Girl. Mommy and Daddy love you very much