One Proud Mama

Something momentous occured recently. Sl has shown us his first BIG smiles. Not those little half grins of a newborn caused by gas, but those big smiles that fill up his face as if he is saying "I love you! I hear your voice! I know you! " It is enough to make a mommy melt!

You know you are a Mommy when, every little new thing he does makes you so proud! Oh look, he turned his head! Oh my goodness, he rotated 90 degrees in his crib. Aww...he is cooing!! I love it! I love seeing him grow. It amazes me how I don't notice him growing day to day, but as I look back on pictures from over the past month its easy to see that growth! Just looking at the two videos below of him "swimming" as I call it shows a huge growth. In the first one he is 3 weeks old and the second one is at 6 weeks old. I am  so proud at him for all that he has grown these past 7 weeks.

I can't help but this that is how our Heavenly Father feels when we are growing in our Faith. He says, "All right! She controlled her tongue!" "Good, she is serving the poor!" "Aww..look how much she loves me with all the time she spends talking to me in prayer!" He is so proud of us for our little accompishments. He loves it when we look at at him and smile so big because we love him, we know him, and we love hearing his voice. And just like I can't see S growing on a day to day basis, we don't see ourselves growing spiritually on a day to day basis. But when we look back on the little bit further past, we can say, Wow! Look how much I've grown! When we are growing, our God is one Proud Daddy!

The Cloth Diaper Experiment

I never thought I would use cloth diapers. Just like I never thought I would want a natural child birth. Just like I never thought I would meet my husband in a church Singles group...God has a way of making you laugh at your "so called plans"!!

BUT..after using almost 500 diapers--about $100 worth-during the first month on Sam's life, (thank goodness many of those diapers were gifts) I wanted to look into a way to save money! Yes, using this many diapers over the course of one month is a little more then usual for two reasons. 1. Brodie and I as new parents changed him way more often then need be. 2. Babies poop A LOT the first month!

After doing the math, it seems that in a normal month as he gets older we will use more like 6-8 diapers a day. Totaling about $40 in a normal month, almost $500 a year! Still ALOT to spend on something that gets pooped and peed in and thrown away!

So I found these awesome cloth diapers online at nickisdiapers.com.  They are easy to use and so cheap! We'll spend about $250 over the course of 2 years, so like $10 a month. So we'll save about $750 over the next 2 years! Not to mention if we have more Kiddos then we can use these same diapers for them and save $1000 per kid! I know that is a lot of math! I've had my cell phone calculator out as I have typed this!

As you can see I am very excited about our purchase!

The Unexpected

August 2nd, 2011-S's due date according to calculations based on "mother nature". But as you all know, he suprised us, coming about a month early! How grateful I am to have gotten to know S for one extra month and also to have had to be pregnant for one less month!

Along with this unexpected arrival of S, here are some other
UNEXPECTED things I have learned in the past four weeks:

1. I have the best husband ever who has jumped so easily into the role of Daddy! It makes me love him all the more!

2. Baby Boys can be dangerous on the changing table. You know what I mean! What a fountain!

3. My body needs to get out of the house to get fresh air and exercise! Being cooped up all day is not healthy! So walking in the early morning is my only option in this hot weather!

4. How much I have gotten to know a little baby who just sleeps and eats all day! I already know so many of his mannerisms, faces, cries.

5. The number of spit-up rags I can go through in a day is phenomenal!

6. How much deeper I know the love of God my Father by the deep love I have for my own son.

7. How hard breastfeeding was in the beginning, but how much easier it is now that we have both caught on!

8. Newborn toots can be quite loud and explosive! I am convinced God made newborn toots like such to give parents some comic relief!

9. Having a natural birth was darn hard, but I have forgotten much of the pain now! (Jesus was right in John 16:21)

9. Having a baby can be quite the marriage builder, it forces you to work as a team. Go B-Team!