Word Context

I'm not really sure when babies begin to understand the babble they are sputtering or when they say real words but Nolan definitely uses Mama and Dada now. He's been saying da-da since around six months but every time Tim is home I make a point of always referring to him as Dada to Nolan hoping he will pick up that it is a real word with meaning. It's worked! He doesn't babble dada all week but Friday morning as soon as he sees Daddy he says it with a big smile on his face!

I wanted him to say Mama but that took quite a bit longer. Now though he says it numerous times a day! I've learned to be careful what I wish for because every time he is upset or wants to be picked up all I hear is "Mamamama" and this pitifully sad little face stares up at me. I must say it usually works for him though!!

Yesterday, I put him into his play room and went to let the dogs out when Tim and I both heard "Mama Dada" and a tiny tear slide down his cheek. Yep, he got picked up and didn't have to play all by himself for a whole 2 minutes which was apparently unbearable.

 

Isn't his pouty face so cute?

Steppin' Up

So Nolan is pretty darn fast at cruising around things and has been letting go while standing for a while. He even jumps/bounces up and down while clapping without holding on. This week he started moving from the couch to his play table, which required a step in between, without holding on. This new development meant it was time to start practicing walking in the middle of the room.

He's done four steps in a row (not on camera!) but prefers to sit down and crawl of course. Here is the little man practicing. You can see how he keeps turning and before I filmed he kept trying to crawl to the camera. The boy likes his picture being taken!

On the fence...

So, you're on the fence about cloth diapering? Here are some of the reasons why I made the leap. For more statistical and referenced reasons visit: Diaper Facts

1.) It saves money! Spread out the investment through the last trimester of pregnancy and use any baby shower gift cards to buy your reusable diapers. After the newborn stage (8+lbs baby), you can get away with about 18 diapers. My favorite diapers cost $17 at full price with no discounts for a grand total right over $300. These diapers go from 8lbs to 35lbs! Cloth diapers kept in good condition have a resale value and nice diapers can be bought used.

2.) They are so cute. Could you do this otherwise and have such a fun shot?

Nolan in a BumGenius 3.0 one-size diaper

 3.) Your crafty friends and family can actually help you make diapers. Yep this one was hand made by me!

4.) You're going to spend the money regardless. Why throw it away? Buying cloth diapers is actually fun and satisfies that urge to shop!!

5.) They are better for the environment! It takes forever, yes 200 to 500 years is forever to me, for a disposable diaper to decompose. Did you know you are supposed to be scraping all that poo out of the disposable and into the toilet before placing it in a landfill? If not, it's considered hazardous waste.

6.) Babylegs!! Google if you don't know what these are. They are the cutest.

Nolan wore a onesie over his diaper in this picture but Babylegs 

and a cloth diaper make the perfect summer outfit for a crawler.

7.) Cloth diapers are more breathable and place less/no chemicals next to baby's bottom. 

Nolan in a FuzziBunz one-size

Nolan in a FuzziBunz one-size

....stay tuned for the next post which discusses the many myths of cloth diapering! Just in case you can't wait... yes, they are easy to wash!

Time flies....

Can't believe how fast they grow....and how much they change. (click to enlarge)

Snakes and toads....

One reason not to live in Florida....SNAKES!

So far I've been warned by more than one rattlesnake, seen water moccasins darting away, and had some dumb snake actually let me pick it up as it curled up under the rock I was moving. This last incident was the weirdest/nastiest though.

Earlier this week I needed to clean out one gutter which was clogged way down the downspout. Now our house, which was built in the 50's, isn't engineered in a subdivision with nice drainage. Instead of swales and retention ponds, all the water needs to get to the road where it flows to the storm drains and straight to the nearby river. This means our gutters empty down into drainspouts which are connected to large PVC pipes that are adjacent to the house and then lead to the front and down the driveway. To clean out the clogged pipe, I had to remove a downspout and undo a 20' section of PVC.

As I pulled up the PVC from beside/half hidden under the house, a large toad jumped out. He was now around the house from where he normally enters the pipe. We see toads all the time and this one in particular enters at the driveway and lives inside. Thanks to my cleaning it was 20' away from the driveway and I had the pipe all sealed back up and in place. That left the toad no where to jump back into it. I wondered if I should carry the thing back to the driveway and show it it's home but decided instead to let nature run it's course. Afterall, it should be smart enough to figure out where home is, right?

Fast forward to last night... as I went out to turn off our well, right next to where the toad was hiding a few days earlier, I thought to myself I hope no snake is hiding here about to bite me as I reach into the brush for the spigot. Of course guess what was waiting for me??? A snake!

This time though it didn't want to bite me as it had half swallowed Mr. Toad. The toad was just chilling there looking content as it was eaten alive. This snake was really to small to have such a large meal and I felt bad for the toad who I had put in this predicament. I couldn't just leave it there so I got a shovel.

Before you stop reading No I did not kill the snake! I nudged the snake and persuaded him to let go of the toad. At this point the toad was a bit in shock but he moved a few hops away. His one leg was a little injured but overall he looked pretty good. I grabbed a glove and carried him back to the entrance to the gutter pipe and inside he hopped. I wonder when the next downpour occurs if we'll have a dead toad wash out or if he will make it?!?!

Playtime

Now that Nollie's best buddy and mommy's good friend are moving out of state, we have to find some new fun activities to do! Nolan and I have tried out the library's Mother Goose Storytime the past few weeks. We sing songs and read books with other babies under 18 months. Nolan gets excited and jumps and screeches when we get there!

I also scoped out Groupon a few weeks ago and scored a Gymboree membership. Instead of the normal $40 lifetime membership fee and $60 a month for each class, we paid $35 total and it covered the lifetime membership and the one month of class. Unlimited free open gym playtimes are included along with the class. They hold those for two hours three days a week.

This was our first week for class and play time and Nolan had a blast. He loves getting free range of such a big place and watches the other children. In his class, everyone is about the same age but during play time he has big kids to learn from.

Here are a few shots from his fun time this week.

 

He did try to sit down while going up the incline and wondered why he toppled backwards!

  A moment of stillness after our fun parachute time.