November To Do's UPDATE

Make Laundry Detergent - I now have everything I need except the Orange 5 Fold (Trader Joes does not sell essential Oils...  I thought they were kinda like Market of Choice, which sells that kind of stuff, but they're NOT!  Kinda like a ma and pop store....  I didn't like being in there... felt funny)
Make Dishwasher Detergent  - DONE!!!!!

Here's my recipe:  1/2 C salt, 1 C Mule Borax, 1 C Baking Soda, 2 packages unsweetened Lemon KoolAid, Mix well, use 1-2 TB/load (we have good water in Oregon... so that's all I've been using)

The dishes are coming out nice and clean!  And I love that there is no smell while they're washing.  But the BEST thing about it is - When I pour water in a glass there aren't bubbles!  Makes me think all the other detergent wasn't rinsing well and we'd been eating/drinking small quantites of it!  Gross... I think I'll stick to making my own!


Sew 1 diaper / business day to sell (22)  - hahaha  This is my goal every month, and it never happens... right now I have 27 waiting to sell.  I did make up a stack of inserts with my new serger though!  I LOVE it... makes me want a new sewing machine, but that will have to wait until after I aquire an embroidery machine.... 

Some of my new diaper fabric is here and the rest of it has been shipped. I ordered some Eco Bamboo Lining - it's a semi-stay-dry fabric made from bamboo/cotton and backed with polyester.  It is SO soft, I wish I had ordered more!  I also got some bamboo terry for soakers.  I'm going to sew up my "hours upon hours" worth of research and see how they fair.  It really helps if you pay attention to the people who manufacture the fabrics and do what they say!  I just hope the Eco Bamboo Lining holds up nicely!  I only have enough for six!

Will be making bibs soon (maybe this evening if Trevor plays COD again)....  went to get zippers today for the wet bags, but they weren't on sale so will have to do those another time.
Skirt for me - On hold until I find a better pattern.  The material I picked up is kinda Autumny - so I cant wait too long!
Zip Up Vest in 2T for Kamrynn  - going to try to copy one she already has.  I got out some of her 2T clothes already... her 18mos PJ's were getting too small.

Longsleeved shirt in 2T for Kamrynn - not started

Going to use THIS Tutorial, have materials

Shirt for me  - Found a shirt in my closet that I really like how it fits... constructing a pattern using the above tutorial.
Trevor a Travel Pillow  - Not sure how to make this... he wants it to wrap around the seatbelt...

Kamrynn Unders   - Decided not to make any more absorbent semi-waterproof undies for her because she's doing so well.  Need to make 3 overnight trainers and some actual underwear.

Added:
 
Feliz Party Dress - The forup I participate in for the diapers has a group of ladies called "Hot Seamstress Mama's" who are doing a "Sew-Along" for this dress.  They are INCREDIBLE!!!  AND I LOVE THEM!!!  So, I'm making Kamrynn a Christmas Feliz Part Dress.  I want to get her pictures taken in it, and she can wear it for Christmas Dinners.  I need to get going on it... most of the ladies are almost finished or finished with their dresses, and I want Kamrynn's pictures back in time to give out AT Christmas gatherings, so I need to get her in for her pictures!  We got the pattern book and fabrics today.  As soon as she's up from her nap, I'll get them washing so I'm not touching icky chemicals while I sew it!

 

PJ's - I'm going to make Kamrynn two pairs of PJ's using Butterick B4647 style B.  We found some snowman flannel that we both agreed on.  I really liked the frogs on ice skates but she kept shaking her head every time I showed it to her.  She wanted to hold the snowman so I took that to mean she wanted it.  The other pair will just be red flannel I got to make her a crib sheet, but never got around to.  I have the pattern all cut out.  I did the 1T size and lengthened it to the 2T size.
 

Soaping

I've recently been having trouble with my laundry detergent rinsing completely during the wash cycle.  So, I started researching how to make laundry detergent.  It is REALLY SIMPLE:

Grate 1 Bar of Soap, add 1/2 C. Washing Soda (not baking soda, but you can easily turn baking soda into washing soda with your handy-dandy oven), and 1/2C. Mull Team Borax (not the toxic Borax, make sure it is MULE TEAM borax!).  Mix well.  Use 1 TB in HE machines and 2-3TB in regular machines.

It's low sudsing and rinses well.

The PROBLEM:
The recommended Bar Soaps all contain ingredients I dont want to wash diapers with (Ivory), some even contain ingredients I dont want touching our clothes (Fels-Naptha).

The SOLUTION:
Make my own Laundry Bar, grate it up and make my detergent!

NEW PROBLEM:
Making the Laundry Bar!

But I'm still going to try it!

Supplies
Digital Thermometer
Thick bucket or glass container/jar
Stainless Steel Pot
Mold & saran wrap or wax paper
Blanket
Digital Scale
Stiring Stick
Stick Blender (or arm muscle endurance)

Recipe
This is the recipe I'm going to use.  It will make a small batch so I can see how it works.  If it works well, I'll make a larger batch so I dont have to keep making it.

5 tsp Lye
1/2 C Water
1 C Lard
Orange 5 Fold (will have to look up how much to use)




I still need to gather all my ingredients and supplies... until then, I'll keep rinsing, and rinsing, and rinsing, and rinsing.....

Soaping

I've recently been having trouble with my laundry detergent rinsing completely during the wash cycle.  So, I started researching how to make laundry detergent.  It is REALLY SIMPLE:

Grate 1 Bar of Soap, add 1/2 C. Washing Soda (not baking soda, but you can easily turn baking soda into washing soda with your handy-dandy oven), and 1/2C. Mull Team Borax (not the toxic Borax, make sure it is MULE TEAM borax!).  Mix well.  Use 1 TB in HE machines and 2-3TB in regular machines.

It's low sudsing and rinses well.

The PROBLEM:
The recommended Bar Soaps all contain ingredients I dont want to wash diapers with (Ivory), some even contain ingredients I dont want touching our clothes (Fels-Naptha).

The SOLUTION:
Make my own Laundry Bar, grate it up and make my detergent!

NEW PROBLEM:
Making the Laundry Bar!

But I'm still going to try it!

Supplies
Digital Thermometer
Thick bucket or glass container/jar
Stainless Steel Pot
Mold & saran wrap or wax paper
Blanket
Digital Scale
Stiring Stick
Stick Blender (or arm muscle endurance)

Recipe
This is the recipe I'm going to use.  It will make a small batch so I can see how it works.  If it works well, I'll make a larger batch so I dont have to keep making it.

5 tsp Lye
1/2 C Water
1 C Lard
Orange 5 Fold (will have to look up how much to use)




I still need to gather all my ingredients and supplies... until then, I'll keep rinsing, and rinsing, and rinsing, and rinsing.....

November To Do's

Here's a list of all the things I want to do before the end of November!  Not in any particular order.

• Make Laundry Detergent
• Requires making Laundry Bar Soap because I dont like the ingredients in Fels-Naptha
• Still researching how to make it/supplies/ingredients
• Make Dishwasher Detergent
• 1/2 C salt, 1 C Mule Borax, 1 C Baking Soda, 2 packages unsweetened Lemon KoolAid
• Have everything but the KoolAid
• Sew 1 diaper / business day to sell (22)
• 9 Cut out
• need to order more fabric
• 3 bibs to sell
• 2 wetbags to sell
• cut out, need zippers
• Skirt for me
• Have material, going to use THIS tutorial
• Made a practice one, and I need more than 1.5 times hip measurement...  going to use ALL remaining fabric.
• Zip Up Vest in 2T for Kamrynn
• Have materials, need pattern
• Longsleeved shirt in 2T for Kamrynn
• Going to use THIS Tutorial, have materials
• Shirt for me
• Have material, thinking about using tutorial above for me too!
• Trevor a Travel Pillow
• Finish 9 Remaining Pairs of Semi-Waterproof Absorbent Panties for Kamrynn, already cut out
• 3 Finished

Catcher's Diaper Company

The diaper business is finally up and running.  It's been a very slow process.  I've done A LOT of research.  There are so many regulations to conform to when selling children's products!

I have a Website, which has answers to some diapering FAQ's, diaper sewing supplies,a section for custom orders, and a link to my Etsy Shop.  Most recently I started writing Blog posts!

Sewing diapers is a slow process.  Kamrynn requires a great deal of attention, so I can only "work" while she is sleeping, this limits me to about 4 hours a day, minus time I spend doing dishes, laundry, cooking, groceries, etc., and if we go somewhere for the day I don't get anything done!  My goal is five diapers a week, which I think has happened maybe once!  November I'm starting fresh with my goal!

Happy diapering!

PS:  Kamrynn is now in "Absorbent Panties," and only wet two pairs today, with some dribbles in the third pair!  I'm SO excited for her!

Kamrynn Update: 1 Year!

FIRE!

No, she didn't try to touch it, just looked at it!

Wondering why everyone was staring at her!

Sucking all the frosting off the top.  (Cream Cheese Frosting)

yummy frosting!

What Kamrynn would look like as a man... ;)   

(frosting mustache!)

At one year, Kamrynn weighed about 21lbs, I dont remember how long she was... that will teach me for writing this almost a month late!  She was walking and we got her a first pair of "Walking Shoes."  She has "Running Shoes" in the next size up for when she starts that!  For now, I really like that she is walking.  It is much easier to go out to the car because she can walk.  And now, with her in a convertable carseat, I no longer have the bucket to put all my stuff in to carry to the car!

She still doesn't like confined to a shopping cart or stroller (tries to climb out, even strapped in), so I made a new baby carrier for her....  It is a Mei Tai and I LOVE it.  Super comfy and she can ride on my back at the grocery store!

Kamrynn

• waves Bye Bye and cries when Dada goes to work
• has 8 teeth which she brushes with a tooth brush and water
• goes potty on the big potty (we got tired of the Bjorn Little Potty, so we have an insert for the toilet) and waves bye bye when we flush it!
• Loves Tacos, PBJ Sandwiches, LIME yogurt, Whole Grain Gold Fish, and All Natural Popcicles!
• Helps unload the dishwasher by throwing the silverware on the ground!
• Helps do the laundry by throwing the clean clothes I just folded on the ground!  She also hands me the wet clothes from the washer so I can put them in the dryer (THAT is actually helpful, even though she only give me one article of clothing at a time!)
• Loves going outside, dirt, leaves, grass, and water!
• Tries to pick up small animals (dogs/cats) and is nice to them... no more pinching or pulling fur!
• Likes to send email on the computer (mama translates)
• Wakes up once or twice a night to potty, and has dry diapers all night and naps!
• Signs "num nums" (to nurse), all done/no more, dog, potty, more.  Working on Fish, Book, Mama, Dada, Grandmother, Grandfather, Cat, Banana, Eat, Hungry
• Gives the sweetest little Kamrynn Hugs EVER!

Off to bed!  Here are a few more pictues!

Reading a Birthday Book

Daddy's idea of putting the baby to bed....

Playing at the river

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

What is this stuff?  I must taste!

Likes to ride in her new carseat!  Sunshine Kids "Radian XTSL"  One of the only carseats that will fit in my car (Ford Focus) Rear Facing.  (We're doing Extended Rear Facing to the maximum of the carseat, and this seat has higher maximums than any other seat available in the US)

At the coast!  Fishing Trip for our anniversary!

First Popsicle!

See my teeth!  Gotta brush those pearly whites!

Kamrynn Update: 10 Months, Part 2

In my last post, I forgot to write about all the things Kamrynn can do! 

She can:

• Find the correct hole in the "shape ball" for the shape in her hand.  She tries to put the shape in, but cant get it lined up quite yet.
• Stand up all by herself, with nothing to hang on to.
• Squat down and pick up HEAVY objects and stand back up.
• Kick the ball.
• Go underwater with out sputtering when she comes back up.
• Say: Mama, Dada, Papa, Nana, Babababab (whatever that means, but it is the favorite word), and Up (for Tub)
• Find me if I hide from her (hide & go seek is a favorite game!)
• Chew her food with her mouth closed!
• Go up and down stairs safely (she slides down on her bottom with minimal help)
• Follow simple directions
• Go as much as 40 hours and only potty in her diaper 4 times (this has happend once, the day I finished 6 new diapers for her... she made me think I should have made Trainers instead of diapers because she's getting pretty good about going in the potty again, but the next day she only pottied in the potty twice and I had to clean out 3 poopy diapers... not my favorite chore!)
• Sleep from 8:30-ish to 7:30-ish waking around 4 and 6 (huge improvement from 2 months ago)
• Cruise the furniture a little
• Walk hanging on to one finger
• Climb out of our bed without falling (she rolls to her tummy and very, very, very, slowly slides off onto her feet)

That's all I can think of right now!  More next month I'm sure... maybe even some walking!

Kamrynn Update: 10mos

I dont usually write updates every month, but Kamrynn has mastered so many new things, I'd have too much to write at 12months!

Not sure on the weight or length, but I know she's close to 32" because we need a new carseat ASAP.  We're dangerously close to the 1" mark!  The carseat we wanted was the Safety 1st Complete Air.  Same type as her infant seat (with the airbags for her noggin), but a Convertable.  We will do extended Rear Facing, so we wanted a seat that has the tallest RF limit.  This is THE seat.  It's reasonably priced at just over $150, so we could eventually get one for each vehicle.  Unfortunately, it does NOT fit in my car.  Well, it does fit, but no one could drive or ride in the passenger seat!  So, our next choice is the Britax something or other.  I dont like how hard the location her head would be hitting in a crash is, but it has other safe aspects, like in a crash in lowers the center of gravity, and it is reinforced with steel rather than plastic.  It is over $300, so we'd be switching it between the two cars.  I'm not buying 2 $300 carseats!

Kamrynn has been keeping me busy!  She knows quite a few signs, but still isn't "requesting" yet, she only signs after I sign asking if that is what she wants.  She's also gotten really lazy with her signs.  For example, "potty" has become shaking her hands up and down further and faster than "bye bye."  "No More" or "All Done" is also the same sign.  "More" is still clapping her hands...she's never put her fingertips together.  She can sign "Dad" but not "Mom."  Just today she kinda signed "banana," one we've been working on for over a week!  Sometimes I just have to go through the list until I find the right one.  I do think she understands language pretty well.  She will sit down when asked, if she wants to.  She understands and obeys when I tell her not to touch something, if she wants to, and until I look away.  She knows what the bath is.

She got really fussy around 7pm one night.  She didn't want to nurse, wasn't thirsty, didn't need changed or have to go potty.  Finally I asked her if she was just ready for her bath.  She took off at "head down" crawl speed towards the bathroom!  (Kamrynn has two crawl speeds, Head Up, and Head Down.  Head up is slow, Head Down is FAST!)

Not much new on the eating.  We haven't tried any new foods....  We've had tacos a couple times and she takes bites out if mine.  I hold it for her and she bites down and gives her head a little shake, effectively taking a "bite."  She does the same thing when eating bananas now.  She takes the biggest bites I've ever seen.  Probably about the size Trevor takes!  She manages to chew it all up and swallow without losing any, even though there's so much in there she cant keep her lips closed!

Ok, past my bedtime!  Kamrynn has been grumpy the past few days and I need my sleep...  The neighbor got a drumset and has been playing ALL DAY.  I take that back.  Not playing.  Randomly beating on the drums!  Cant hear it outside, only in our bedroom.  One more day, and I'm going to go not-so-randomly beating on doors!  ;)

G'Night!

Kamrynn Update: 9 Months!

Time is flying!  I cannot beleive Kamrynn is nine months already!  She has grown and changed so much, so quickly!  At nine months, she weighs 21 pounds and is 29.5" tall and has four teeth (two new ones on top, and two on the bottom).

New Top Teeth

Kamrynn loves to have a finger in each hand and RUN around the house.  There is not walking for these feet... she moves them as fast as can be!  She is also becoming quite the crawler... she not only crawls on flat surfaces, but over boxes I used to baracade her out of my sewing area, and on her daddy's new gun case.  The gun case is her favorite.  When laying on the ground, it sits about 6 inches off the ground, and she like to climb up and sit on top... usually falling off backwards and having Dada catch her.  :)  She also loves to climb up and down the stairs at Gama and Papa's house.  I have a LONG video, when I get some spare time, I'll edit it down and post it.

New foods Kamrynn likes include, raspberries, watermelon, cheese, plain yogurt (w/blackberries), steak, stuffed mushrooms (she had already had mushrooms, but apparently they're better stuffed), triscuts, and scrambled eggs.  She gobbles up almost everything I put in front of her!

Stuffed Mushroom

Cantelope - I have to cut bigger chunks now.....

Spaghetti - the all time favorite!



Kamrynn has been learning sign language since she was about 5 months old and is starting to sign.  Currently, she can sign "milk," "more" (she claps her hands), and today signed "potty" correctly (she had just been shaking her hand, but today she put her thumb under her finger)!  She didn't potty when I took her, she had already gone, but that's OK!

We are all finally starting to sleep better.  Kamrynn only woke once at 3:30 last night.  I changed her, offered the potty, then nursed and put her back in her bed wide awake.  She woke me up, happily jabbering away, a little after seven.  I was incredibly tired of being up every hour or so all night and up for the day at 4:30AM, SO, Kamrynn went on a schedule that includeds Plenty of sleep!  The schedule starts at night and is as follows:

8:30pm - Bath time, Potty, lotion/massage, songs & PJ's, prayer, nursing until drowsy. 
9pm - ASLEEP - she MUST be asleep by this time or I leave the room for 60 seconds come back and do more nursing until drowsy.
8AM - Wild Wake-up, Potty, Nurse- Anytime she wakes up before 8am we change diaper and nurse until drowsy, any time after 8am we throw open the curtains and act all excited that it is time to get up, potty and nurse.  Then we have some breakfast and shower and go through a modified bed time routine getting ready for our nap.
10AM - Nap Time - Whatever time we get up for the day, she must be ASLEEP no more than two hours later for her morning nap.
NOON - Wild Wake-Up, potty, nurse - then we have lunch, then either have play time or we run erands.
3pm - Nap Time - no more than three hourse after wakeup from morning nap.
5pm - Wild Wake-up, potty, nurse, fix dinner/eat, nurse (for some reason, she likes to nurse before and after meals), then play time
5:30 - Optional Nap Time (If she didn't sleep for 2 hours in the morning and atleast 1.5 hours in the afternoon, she takes a 45 minute nap)

The schedule has been modified from "The Sleep Lady."  The Sleep Lady has babies going to bed and getting up at 7pm and 7am.  For Kamrynn's age, she should be getting 11-12hrs of sleep at night and taking one 2hr. nap and one 1.5hr. nap.  Currently, Kamrynn is getting about 10.5hrs. at night and taking two 2hr. naps.

Here are some super cute pictures of my cutie!

Her "I'm gonna get you" face.  :)

Up to no good.... she's knows she's not to touch the fan!

Fishing with Dada

Driving Papa's boat in the driveway!  Cant wait for the lake!

Kamrynn Update: 8 months

Wrote this about 3 weeks ago....  meant to write more but Kamrynn has been keeping me too buys!


My sister has drawn it to my attention that I haven't posted anything on Kamrynn in almost two whole months!  Well, here's what she has been up to (I'll post pictures later):

I'm guess she weights about 18lbs, and I'll have to measure her.  I do know that she now fits reasonably well into her 12 month clothes and I actually got to go shopping for her, which is really fun, especially because now I get to dress her in clothes that aren't HOT PINK!

Kamrynn loves to eat.  She slurps up spaghetti and screaches when I dont give her a refill fast enough....  New foods she likes are:  Pad Thai, burritos, egg whites (even starting to eat them without ketchup), cottage cheese (although this has been limited), Pasta Salad, brocoli, mushrooms, French Toast (without the syrup Briana!), tangerines, blueberries, Kashi, Strawberries (more screaching when I dont give them to her fast enough)

Kamrynn Update: 6 Months

Back from the pediatrician yesterday.  We just saw the Nurse Practitioner, usually we see the Physician's Assistant whom I really like.  She holds Kamrynn and talks to her, and hugs on her and cuddles her.  This woman didn't.  Kamrynn didn't seem to care, until the actual doctor came in and double checked her ears...then she cried.  I dont think she likes him!  :(  She's been pulling on her hears alot, so we wanted to make sure they weren't bothering her....  The NP said usually they dont find their ears until closer to 9 months but didn't say much when I said she'd been pulling at them since 3.5months.  Maybe she just likes her ears better than her hands, which she only studied for a day!

Kamrynn has only gained a pound since the last appointment, dropping her down to the 60th percentile for weight (she was at th 87th I beleive).  She weighed in at 16lbs 8.2oz, so she hasn't quite doubled her birth weight yet... something they told me she'd do around 3-4months, but she was way above average when she was born, so I didn't expect her to do that.  Anyway, the NP said they dont worry about weight unless they're LOSING weight.  I guess all baby's start to slow down now that they've become more mobile.  She is 27.5inches long and still at the top of the growth chart for height, so it's not like she isn't growing....

Kamrynn is almost crawling.  She can get up on her hands and knees all by herself, but tries to get on her hands and toes more often. 

If she is sitting next to something, she can grab ahold of it and stand herself right up.  The first time she did this was in her bassinet while we were in the shower.  I peeked out of the curtain at her and she was on her way over the edge!  Trevor jumped out real quick and layed her down...  The bassinet went to the garage, where it will patiently wait for the next baby.  She has also stood up in her crib several times... one time falling over and bonking her noggin.... she still has a brownish bruise.

Miss Kamrynn has decided she no longer has time to sit and nurse... so she eats for a couple minutes, then has to sit up and look around, then eat some more...  I allow her to do this three times, then we're finished.  We're also finished if she bites me.  Thankfully she hasn't full on bit me, just little test bites, but I think she's getting the picture.  She has two tiny little teeth that give puppy teeth a run for their money on the sharpness scale! 

Can you see them?  They're in a lot farther now.  She showes them every time she smiles now!

The NP gave her the all clear to eat all foods now (except we're to wait annother month on the Green Beans since she had a reaction to them).  Ofcourse, this means HEALTHY foods... no McDonalds!  She has eaten:  Avocado, Banana, Asparagus, Sweet Peppers (Red, Yellow & Orange), Chicken, Apple, Peas, Oatmeal, and Cream of Wheat.  She's getting pretty good at picking up the flattend peas and putting them in her mouth, and she loves apple so much she'll eat 1/4 of one.  She surprised us with Asparagus and ate nearly two whole sticks...leaving the stingy stuff behind of course! 

She's also starting to get the hang of a sippy cup, but does best with just a regular cup... even holding it and getting a drink all by herself if there isn't too much water making it heavy!

 Yellow Sweet Pepper - LIKE (Above) and Cream of Wheat - DISLIKE (Below)

She has become quite the Busy Body.  She has to explore, touch and taste everything she sees!  If she doesn't get to, so throws little tempertantrums.  She got the picture she cant do it to me though.  I was holding something, and wouldn't let her have it so she started screaming, kicking her feet, shaking her little fists and turned bright red.  I set her down and left the room... she stopped instantly and I came back to a happy smiling faced little girl!  She still give Trevor a hard time though... crying everytime he changes her diaper....even if he sings to her.  Poor Daddy!  But even he agrees, she is starting to become a lot of fun!  We cant wait to see what the next 6 months brings!  She has changed so much this past six months... it's going by so quickly!

Getting into the groceries!

Baby Led Solids

Kamrynn is 6 months old today!  It seems lik forever since I've blogged! 

Kamrynn has been learning to eat.  Instead of learning to swallow solid foods, she has been learning to Chew before swallowing by feeding herself!  She has been eating a variety of Fruits, Veggies and Grains:  Avocado, Peas, Apples, Asparagus, Sweet Pepper, Mexican Squash, Carrots, Banana, Cream of Wheat and Oatmeal are what I can remember right now.  She LOVES Apples and will eat nearly 1/4 of one - minus the peel of course!

We steam the slice until it is tender, leaving the peel on for "grip."

She also chowed right down on asparagus, eating almost 2 whole stalks, and choosing it over the Mexican Squash!

She isn't a fan of Cream of Wheat...

[Picture of awful cream of wheat face to be added when Blogger is working better]



I made up some guidelines for BLS especially for Kamrynn.  These decisions are based on research and keeping her safe, both now and in the future....

• Kamrynn must be seated and properly restrained while eating. Either in a high chair or at the table being held. Do not leave her unsupervised.


• Offer “French Fry” size and shaped foods by placing them in her hand or in front of her. Do not “help” her by placing them in her mouth. Any item smaller than “french fry” that is round, such as grapes, must be “smooshed” or placed in the teether.

• She can better hold many foods if the peel is left on. Thoroughly wash all foods prior to cutting.

• All foods other than Avocado & Banana must be cooked to tender by baking or steaming (never microwaved) until Kamrynn has teeth.

• If a food not on the Approved list is offered, offer only one and let Kristin know. Kamrynn must eat it for 3-5 days to rule out allergy.

• Do not offer foods that have been in contact with plastics that are not BPA-Free or have ever been in the dishwasher or microwave (including BPA Free plastics - there are other chemicals that leach out into the foods).

• The following foods must be organic due to high pesticide content even after thorough washing: Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Pears, Imported Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Potatoes, and commercially frozen fruits.

Foods that Kamrynn may not have at this time include:

Banned (until further notice)


Tap Water, Juice, Pop, Kool Aid, etc

Dairy Products

Honey

Citrus or Citrus Products

Tomato or Tomato Products

Nut Products

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Egg, Soy

Green Beans (possible allergy)

Commercially Canned Products

Products containing Dye, Sweeteners (including added sugar), BHT or other preservatives, MSG, added Sodium, microwaved foods

Strawberries

Beans

Broccoli

White Breads & Pastas


Sounds like Kamrynn is awake and then I'm off to bed!  NIGHT!

YUM!

The pediatrician recommended starting some solids at the 4 month appointment.  We were to start with Avocado, then Green Beans, and Banana, for 5 days each prior to introducing the next food.  Instead of doing commercially processed baby food, we're doing Baby Led Solids.  Baby Led Solids means we go at Kamrynn's pace, and she eats the same foods that we are eating, but Kamrynn sized portions.  We do not feed her, she feeds herself.  Anything she cant put in her mouth on her own, she isn't ready to eat.  We make it easier for her by offering food that is "french fry" size and shape.  However, we do not eat very infant friendly foods, so I wanted to be gentle on her system, and give her the "easier" foods for her tummy at first.

Here are some pictures:

That is her pig.  We played in the highchair to become friends with it for about a week before we started.  Even though she has become friends with her carseat and no longer cries as soon as we put her in it, she wasn't friends with her high chair.

Happy after smearing avocado everywhere.  All over the high chair, her belly button and even up her nose!  She seems to love Avocado!

The green beans didn't go well, we had a rash later that night, so we're skipping them and moved on to banana.  She's not sure what to think of banana.  Avocado is still the favorite.  After banana, we tried a bag of frozen peas to help the painful teething process:

Bag of Peas Teether from Auntie Nanners!

A New Adventure in the Works

I should be in bed.  Kamrynn is sleeping and I should be too.  The only time I can get anything done is when she is sleeping though and I wanted to get a website somewhat designed.  Here is what I have so far:

http://catchersdiaperco.weebly.com/

Once we get it going a little bit more, we'll get a better website with a more professional shopping cart than what weebly offers.

We are a Business according to the federal and state governements.  We are approved to sell FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, California Baby and Charlie's Soap products.  California Baby as a HUGE minimum first order of nearly $1000 so we wont be carying any of their products any time soon!  It's going to be a while on the others too.  After going to other online CD stores and adding quantities of diapers to a fake shopping cart to see how many of what I should carry in our store, I discovered that most stores have 30-100 of EACH COLOR in stock.  Our $400 we scrounged together will barely get us 100 diapers, much less that number in each color!

We have decided to only sell my Perfect Diaper (whenever it gets perfected) and some wipes and see how those do before ordering diapers (unless someone wants to let me know exactly what they want and I'll order them for them!).  : )

Ok, I'm off to call Trevor to tell him good night (he's working all night) and then to bed for some much needed sleep!

Good Night!

A New Adventure

Kamrynn is finally napping, and I should be folding laundry and cleaning out the closet, but I need to get some thoughts down:

After trying several different types of diapers, I decided I wasn't going to pay $20 a diaper for something I didn't TOTALLY LOVE, and ordered about $35 in fabric to sew my own cloth diapers.  I can handle a sewing machine, making quilts is super easy, but patterns are lost on me... zippers too now that I think about it.  (Paula - that woombie I'm making for you might take several tries!)  I decided I would design the Perfect Diaper, and sell it because it would be better than all the other dipers out there and everyone would want it.  It would have velcro closures, be super easy to wash, not need stuffed, contain leaks and blowouts, keep her bottom dry, be trim, and inexpensive.  I've made two so far.  The first one was actually just a repair of one of the cheapies I bought that failed.  The second one the leg holes are too big and did not contain poo.  :(  We even had a name for our diapers - Catchers.  Trevor wanted them to be named Poo Catchers and our logo be a baseball mitt with a pile of poo in it.  I figured out if I could sew one per hour and sell them for about $12 each I'd make just under minimum wage for our state.  Could be worse...I could also have to pay for a sitter!  Six dollars an hour to sew diapers and take care of my kid.  Sounded good to me.

Unfortunately, it takes me an entire day to make one diaper.  Yes.  One.  I did not realize exactly how much time is actually spent taking care of Kamrynn.  So, scratch that idea.

Fast forward about 5 weeks: 

Still thinking and wanting to create the Perfect Diaper.  I finally have a pattern that I'm hoping will work.  Waiting for some velcro fabric I ordered to get here so I can finish it.

As I was drafting my pattern, I was still thinking about selling diapers... and how expensive they are and that Kamrynn is going to be needing Mediums soon and it sure does take a long time for me to sew them and how can I get more diapers for less money.  My solution:  Wholesale!  I sold Mary Kay for a while, and know there is a 50% mark up so I figure there's atleast a 20% markup on diapers.  I talked to Trevor about it and we're currently looking into opening an online baby store.  I know there are lots of those out there, but ours will be better.

We're going to start small.  We have $400 to invest.  I know it's not much, but I think it will be enough.  I found a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) webhosting/eCommerce place that is reasonable, have emails in to Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius and GroVia and have a list of other companies to talk to.  Once I know how much the mark-up is, I can do the math and see if our $400 is going to be enough to get this started and if this is even going to be worth while on such a small scale.  We'll write up a business plan, purchase a federal business number, open a PayPal business account, order the diapers, pick up some flat rate shipping boxes, set up the website, and wait for the first order to come in.

I'm still going to design the Perfect Diaper.  Kamrynn may be the only baby who will wear the Perfect Diaper, but it WILL exist.  ;)

OK, off to the laundry and closet!

Excess Lipase

I pumped excess milk as I had it and began to build a small freezer stash so if I wanted to go somewhere for the day and leave Kamrynn with daddy, grandparents, or sitter, I could.  The maximum ammount of time it is safe to store breastmilk in a standard kitchen freezer is 4 months.  Our freezer's gasket doesn't completely seal, but still keeps ice cream hard, so I didn't feel comfortable letting the milk go much longer than 3 months.

I thawed a pouch of milk in a sink of cool water and poured it into a bottle.  I smelled it and thought it smelled funny and had Trevor smell it.  He thought it smelled funny also, so I dumped it out and nursed her, thinking it was bad and not wanting to mess with unthawing a second pouch.

The next pouch was the same.

The third pouch of milk was barely 2 months old, so thinking I was safe giving it to her, I proceeded to thaw, put in a bottle, warm and sat down with Kamrynn in my arms.  Having never tasted breastmilk before, I tasted what I had tested for temperature on my wrist.  It tasted gross!  Kinda rubbery/plastic-ish.  Trevor had tasted fresh breastmilk a few weeks after Kamrynn was born so I had him taste it to ensure THAT gross taste was what it was SUPPOSED to taste like.  NO!  He made a face, rubbed at his tongue with his shirt and finally brushed his teeth.  I nursed Kamrynn.  And did some research.

Certaintly the milk hadn't gone bad.  I had done everything I was supposed to do to store it, and it was well within the storage time frame.  I soon learned that spoiled breastmilk will taste and smell sour - similar to cows milk.  This was not a sour taste or smell.  After more research I determined I have Excess Lipase.  You can read about it here.

The milk is not bad, nor will it harm Kamrynn.  It is just as good for her as fresh milk.  If she will drink it, it is fine to give her.  If she wont, I'll consider donating it - where it will be mixed with many other mother's milk and diminish the taste.  I know I wouldn't drink it.  I haven't decided whether I'm going to try it with Kamrynn or just donate it.  I have about 50oz frozen (most milk banks require a minimum amount of 150oz.).

I now know why I haven't been hired for any of the jobs I've applied for.  If I worked, I would have to pump and scald the milk to prevent it from changing.  Scalding ruins some of the good properties of the milk... still better than formula, but not as good as fresh.  The milk has to be immediately scalded and frozen, something that is unlikely that I would be able to do in a classroom (although most science classrooms have hot plates, they dont usually have a freezer).  My number one job is taking care of Kamrynn to the best of my abilities.  I guess the answer to my prayers for a paying job is, "No."

So, here's to being a Stay at Home Mom!

New Years Resolutions

I figure if I make a ton of Resolutions, I should be able to keep atleast one, right?  Well, here they are:

• Not make Spaghetti more than once per week (three nights a week was getting a little much).
• Eat a healthy diet according to the food pyramid.
• Drink two (or more) tall glasses of water each day.'
• Keep the inside of my car clean.
• Keep the living room picked up (been doing good with the bathroom and kitchen, but the living room is a mess).
• Remember to return any pop bottles when I go to the grocery store.
• Buy a house.
• Find a good church and go.
• Think/Talk/Be positive.
• Exercise 2-3 times a week.
• Get a Job.
• Potty Learn Kamrynn.

A Day at Our House

I've had many people express shock that Kamrynn sleeps through the night.  I really dont think it is anything we're doing, God just blessed us with a great little girl!  Anyway, here's what our day looks like:

8am - Kamrynn usually wakes around eight (occasionally she wakes around six to eat, and after feeding and changing, we reswaddle and place her back in her bed where she falls asleep very quickly), ready for the day!  I feed her, change her diaper and dress her.  Then I put her back in her bed, and wheel the whole thing into the bathroom where I shower.  She may or may not fuss, but if she does I just talk to her or we sing Old McDonald, and she is happy.  I try to eat some breakfast.  Kamrynn is usually happy in the mornings as long as you're interacting with her.

11am - Some time between ten and eleven, she becomes unpleasant and needs a nap.  Sometimes we really have to work at it to get her to sleep.

Noon - Wakes from nap to eat some lunch.  Goes back to sleep very easily.

3pm - Wakes  to eat and is happy for several more hours.

5pm - Becomes unpleasant if not interacting with her.

6pm - Dinner Time

7pm - nap

9pm - After the feeding closest to 9pm we start our bedtime routine.  We eat, take and play in the bath, put PJ's on, chatter for about 20 minutes.  As soon as we become unpleasant, we swaddle and place her in her bed.  She normally falls asleep within 10 minues without fussing.

If she stirs in the night enough to wake me up, I gently rest my hand on her or jiggle her until she stops moving about.  If I dont catch her in time and she comes unswaddled, I reswaddle her.

I let her fuss, but I dont let her cry.  I see no point in leaving her to cry all alone in her bed.  It is not her fault we dont undersand what she is trying to tell us... so I hold her and try to comfort her.  I change positions I'm holding her until something works.  Sometimes I can just talk her out of crying by smileing really big and talking super happy to her.





Kamrynn is a great baby!




First Swim Meet (Willamette Alumni Meet) - and she slept through it!