The Tiniest of Babies Are Often The Toughest Warriors

I haven't sat down to type a post here in months. The last few things I did type up are still actually sitting in draft form because they were written to get things down, but I don't feel comfortable sharing those thoughts. At least not yet. Today, however, I saw this pop up on my feed:

Spray Pal

10 hrs · Edited · 

You guys. HLNTV was the first news source to actually contact me for a real interview, so I have to share this because THIS brought tears to my eyes. And it's the #2 story on their site right now!!

Feel free to share this one all over and help ‪#‎makeclothmainstream‬ 

http://www.hlntv.com/video/…/12/12/boy-hears-mom-first-time…

And, I finally have something worth saying again.

I first discovered Spray Pal while pregnant with Tiny Viking. I had researched every aspect of cloth diapering I could think of. I can't remember which number blog or article I was on by the time I found this company, but it's well over a dozen. Someone mentioned the name and said it totally changed their life. I had to know. What WAS it? A poop splatter shield?? WHAT!? Then I read some more about it, including peoples thoughts after using it and I thought their product sounded GENIUS. Which, BTW, it totally freakin' is. I had looked up how much the diapers were going to cost, which led me to realize it wasn't just the same diapers and safety pins my Gramma had used. There were SO many cute prints! It was also... SO incredibly overwhelming trying to decide what type of diaper to try! So... we didn't. It still sounded so costly and how was I going to find the time to clean them? Hah. If I'd known then what I do now I would have started before. I will try to remember to post my journey to Cloth another time. (We still only use it part time but I love it!) 

When Tiny was a few months old, I once more pondered cloth and I Google searched Spray Pal for MORE info, where I stumbled upon a Facebook page. The Cover Photo showed a row the teeniest cloth diapers I had ever seen, outside of a doll aisle. They gradually went up and size until the last had an adorable smiling baby boy in it. "The only point in looking back, is to see how far you've come" reads the image. I followed their page so that if we ever did make the switch I wouldn't forget the name of their company. As they made new posts and I searched through the older ones, I gleaned new/old information about this smiling boy, Ryan, most often mentioned as #minispraypal 2.0. He was a 25 weeker, a micro preemie born at 1 lb 13 oz! And, here I had thought my 5 lb 7.4 oz baby was small, I can't even imagine. One post of theirs really stands out in memory of the first time he sat up on his own in the bath! It was right about the same time Tiny had done the same thing. Which made it really sink in how much of a delay preemies can have, and it really sank in to me how far he'd come.

From then on I didn't just wait to randomly catch posts, from time to time I would just go to the page and see what new was going on. Then I started stalking them on Instagram when I ventured down that particular rabbit hole. There have been many times now that Tiny and Ryan hit the same milestones very close together, sometimes he gets to it first and sometimes she does. I cheer just as enthusiastically at my computer for this boy, as I do in real life for my own babe. 

I cried with the first posts of his getting to do "sprints" off of oxygen and of pulling himself up for the first time. There were the first aided steps and the first surgery attempt for his cochlear implant. His birthday bash looked amazing! There were good news days and there were further delays and finally a second successful surgery! It was most recently "activation day," and I barely slept the night before, I was so excited for THEM! His cochlear implant was turned on and he heard his Mom's voice for the first time. And, giggled!!! The video she posted made me smile, made me laugh and made me cry a lot more! The story has been featured on Huffington Post and PopSugar.com 

If you need a pick me up, all you need is to see the pictures or videos of this Miracle boy rediscovering the world around him. Did I mention he's weaned fully off oxygen during the day? No more tubing to get caught up in! I seriously get so excited for him. I can't wait to keep watching him grow. He is going to do BIG things.

Why is Deadliest Catch SO addicting!?

Pretty busy day at our place. 

My mouth is still hurting pretty bad but I'm taking less and less pain meds again because I hate taking them. 

Cassandra got up about her normal time, daddy wasn't home yet because he did a little grocery shopping on the way home, so I got up with her. We survived our first night sleeping in cloth diapers like a champ!! I was so so so very happy!

She got to enjoy quite a bit of play time with daddy when he came home. I know because I could hear her happily babbling away from down the hall. I snatched her up while he was prepping her breakfast, thinking she would calm down with a little nursing. She was chilly in just her diaper so I cuddled her wrapped in my Nightmare Before Christmas blanket. She wriggled around a lot for a few minutes and then to my surprise she fell asleep.

I didn't need any further prompting to sleep some more myself and boy did it feel great!

Fast forward through her actually eating breakfast and boring chores getting done. Tim went out and loosened up the last garden plot for me! My two kinds of pumpkins and the melons (also two types) are finally in the ground! We'll wait and see what survives. I hope quite a bit!! My pepper plants look amazing, the cauliflower and butternut squash look alright. The tomatoes are a bit iffy. Especially the cherries. So bummed! All fruits and veggies have been planted at least into temporary pots. Next up HOPEFULLY, the side of the house where my flowers are supposed to go. It's frustrating that all my hard work ripping all the grass and weeds out was a total waste.

More on the Tiny Viking front:

She had a few more little naps, was super cranky because of this whole teething nonsense (I do NOT like seeing her so upset). I kept her as occupied as possible letting her play with one of Porky's old drumsticks for a while (sorry Daddy) and even her dumping a whole bin of toys and spreading them all over the living room.

She decided to read to Leo the Bear tonight.

She was flipping pages and shoving them in the bears face. Repeatedly. A little (okay, a LOT) more forceful than when I read to her. But, she has the concept down I think. 

I can't get over how much she loves Leo. She shrieks in excitement every time she sees him. Hugs him close, kisses him, wrestles with him, talks to him and all with the biggest smile on her face. I had been starting to feel a little buyers remorse/guilt over spending money on him. The level of excitement she gets is worth a thousand times more than I spent. So I'm not going to let it bother me any more. 

She likes the 'M' sound and that is OK with me.

As I was just washing my hands, after changing her diaper, I can hear her in the crib "Mmm. Mmmmmm. Mamamamaaama baa ma Mmmmm Maamamama Mmmmmm." I just stood still for a moment taking it all in with a big goofy smile on my face.

Baby Food Crazy!!

The Adventures in Homemade Baby Food Continues!

We went baby food crazy this morning! 

Okay. 

I went crazy this morning. 

There are now 6 batches freezing. Two are in the fridge, still in the blender cups, waiting for the ice cube trays to be free. That's 7 different types. 5 new flavors or combos along with two that she really loved that we'd run out of. And, I'm not even done with the ingredients I bought!

Today we've got:

• Yellow Squash & Rice (cereal);   A past favorite!
• Carrots & Yellow Squash;         Another past winning combo.
• Green Beans;                     A brand new veggie.
• Banana Apple;                    New combo.
• Nutmeg Butternut Squash;         She loves one squash, we'll try another.
• ABC's- Avacado, Banana & Carrot; Nutritious new combo. 
• Carrot, Apple & Rice (cereal)    Another new combo.

I have quite a stash of other yummy stuff to make, but we'll see how fast I can get through it, my dad comes to visit in a couple days!! It will be his first time meeting Cassandra. I know that is one of the reasons he came back to the states. He has lived in Thailand for many years now, where he teaches English as a foreign language at a University in Petchaburi.

Diaper Milestone for my Tiny Warrior Woman!!!

She graduated to size 2 diapers today!

I can't believe it!

We had a big day today. 

Lunch at Old Chicago, half price slushes at Sonic and visiting Jenny at Rejenerations. Cassandra got a her-size Baby Tugs Care Bear Talking Plush! I also picked out a cute chunky ring for the first piece to put in her jewelry box. We also stopped in at Best Buy since we were in the area and Tim treated himself and his girls to a few movies. Gravity, Frozen and Gremlins have now joined our collection!

Tiny somehow managed to push her self up to a sitting position from her tummy tonight! If I hadn't been watching I wouldn't have believed it! She had her legs tucked under her like she was going to try to push herself up to maybe crawl, but they were so far under her this time that when or at least while she pushed herself up on her arms her butt stayed planted on the floor. She didn't sit straight up but pretty close. She was sitting! She then tried to take her weight off of one arm and fell right over. So it only lasted moments. But it was AWESOME!

I shall re-name you, Blueberry.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Go the toys against the tray on her booster seat. Bang. Bang. BurRRRRP. Bang. 

It was the enormous burp that made me turn back to look at her from glancing up and to the side at the computer next to me. She had both of the cup holder liners out and was banging them quite happily together and against the tray. She had the toy dropped into her lap, temporarily forgotten in her excitement. That is when I noticed remains of her dinner. At least the blueberry proportion of it. Everywhere. On her purple embroidered Batman bib. On her face. Cheeks. Nose. Right next to her eye. She either had some still in her mouth after I cleaned her up or clenched in one of her tiny hands. I'm pretty sure I cleaned her hands. 

But, there she was. Blueberry all over. Wearing her cute purple dress that I made out of a tank top I bought at Goodwill for $1 and a purple Batman bib. Playing with the purple cup.

Purple EVERY where!

I told her that I should rename her Blueberry and she did her laugh that ends in spitting. Much like a raspberry. So my little blueberry girl gave me the raspberry. 

My day is now complete.







p.s.

Yes. That is Food Network playing in the background. It is currently our favorite channel. Tonight we were watching Chopped, while waiting for Grey's Anatomy to come on.

p.p.s.

We had a pretty fun day visiting Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Nick in the morning. Tiny Viking fell asleep right before we were about to leave and when grandma said to just leaver her there. We did. It was very odd but kind of fun to go to lunch just the two of us. I leave you with this picture of the actual successful hand off of the sleeping baby:

I just feel lost.

When I got up this morning I handed my baby girl to her daddy for their morning play time and began a quick check of things on my Android phone. If nothing is urgently needing my attention I don't turn on my laptop until later in the day. Nothing in my email to catch my interest. No new sales to take care of from either eBay or Etsy. So, I sat done at the edge of my chair to scroll through Facebook and stumbled upon some of the worst news you can ever see. A very good friend of mine from High School has passed away. I stood at her wedding two and a half years ago.

My goal was to type longer, more interesting posts. But today I just can't.

I love you Jamie.

New Campbell's Soup Flavors

It is extremely funny to me that groceries is one of the few things I actually enjoy shopping for yet most of the time I HATE shopping with my husband. Tiny Viking and I usually stay at home, unless I am restless to get out of the house and walk around. Anyway...

For a semi recent grocery trip, I gathered up coupons and made a list for things we wanted and needed. Tim went on his way and came back with more than I'd asked for! I wanted soup. And, WOW did he bring home soup! 

These are some of the NEW Campbell's soups I've tried now and what I think of them:

Healthy Request Grilled Chicken & Sausage Gumbo Soup. - The original Chunky version is one of my favorite soups EVER. This one was both way too spicy and very bland at the same time. Spicy in the sense that my mouth was on fire after two bites but everything I love about the original was just not there. I was very disappointed. Not sure what I'll do with the other two cans of it.

Soup on the Go Cheesy Chicken Tortilla. - I could eat this every day. I absolutely loved it. I really want to sing praises for this one but I think it can speak for itself. HIGHLY recommended!!

Soup on the Go Cheesy Potato with Bacon Flavor - One of the worst soups I've ever had the misfortune of trying. All I could taste with every sip was fake bacon flavoring. Maybe because I had such high hopes it made my disappointment in this one worse, either way a dozen or so sips was all I could handle and it just got dumped down the drain. Sorry Campbell's go back to the drawing board with this one.

For anyone curious the Soup on the Go flavors Chicken & Noodles and Cream of Chicken are very tasty as well. In the Chunky style I really enjoy their Steak & Potato and Fajita Chicken with Rice & Beans. 

I think I watch WAY too much Food Network! I critique everything I eat now. Soup is what's on my mind tonight. Hopefully this helps someone out there find new flavors to try! 

Etsy Store is Successfully Launched!!

I'm hoping it only gets better from here. I've struggled getting the courage to post everything when it isn't "perfect" yet. I re-edited everything at least a half dozens times before settling. But, it's there! 

Bare with me as I slowly tweek it to how I really want it. The items already listed are all made with love and at the best quality possible. I hope they will bring other people joy. 

I am actually working on the prototypes for the clothing line, which is taking a little longer than I anticipated because most of the patterns are being made from scratch! 

When I get the first preemie item ready to launch I'll make sure to post my mission statement. I feel like posting all of my hopes and dreams for this project will jinx me if I say too much now.

Check us out HERE!

Tiny Bones

When we woke up from our late afternoon nap and Cassandra wanted to play. I pulled out the play mat plunked her down, took a seat next to her and turned on an episode of Bones for her Momma. 

She is currently more interested in watching David Boreanaz on the screen than in staring at the stuffed caterpillar over her head. That thing is supposed to play music but doesn't, maybe I'll try to contact the company about it. Do I blame her for watching Booth on the TV? Not at all! She has even managed to role over onto her side away from the toy to watch the tv. Maybe I should start putting the mat somewhere else when we play...

This picture is from a couple weeks ago. 

The play mat was actually in her crib. 

Must remember this:

Chubby little snowman had a carrot nose.

Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny, 

lookin for his lunch, 

ate that snowman's carrot nose, 

nibble nibble crunch!