lunch with my favorite halfling

yesterday i had lunch with josh.  i hadnt seen josh since my first trimester when i was puking every five mintues.  what a difference a few months make!  we chose northstar for lunch, food was so so i had a burger but it seemed greasy.  i still think northstar is overrated but oh well they have yummy blueberry smoothies.

i was excited to see josh, he's always been one of my closest friends.  we were inseperable in college.  although we dont see each other that often nowadays its always like old times when we get together.  we've been through a lot together and he knows me well, better then anyone else.  he's got a killer memory and its always fun to rehash old escapades.  we laughed and ate and chatted about all topics from blowdryer diffusers to our last trip together to gay massages!  ha!  he's got a great masseuse referral if anyone needs one ;)

after lunch we went across the street to sprout soup, i wanted to show josh the cloth diapers we'll be using.  he loved them so much we agreed he needed a little baby so he can cloth diaper too!  but don't worry josh we'll have plenty of cloth diapers for you to change once the baby arrives! 

Easter

easter means 3 words to me, chocolate covered cherries!  every year joy makes candy from scratch for easter.  the most delicious chocolates that you'll ever taste, and certainly nothing you can buy at the store.  these are homemade yummyilicious little morsels that come wrapped in little foils.  she has made them every year since i can remember and they ONLY come on easter.  so its extra special because you get them once a year!  i wouldn't want it any other way, i think if they were made more often they wouldn't be as special.  and the funny thing is i've never ate or bought chocolate covered cherries at the stores, its just not something that i like.  but oh do i like these!  she also makes ones that are caramel filled and maple nut filled.  i hope one day you all get to experience one of these chocolates!

so along with the chocolates of course is the yummy easter meal we have.  there's always ham and potato salad, beans, mac n cheese and a plethora of deserts.  after we stuff ourselves silly someone inevitably brings up scrabble.  in the past years its usually just the adults, but recently its cute to see the kids are getting into it as well. =)  im sure scrabble will be a long standing tradition like the chocolates at easter!

mushroom hunting! yum

intense game

Cloth Diapering

over the weekend we went to a cloth diapering class at sprout soup.  the class was pretty informative but i'd done my research already so there wasnt much new info for us.  it was still nice to see and feel all the different brands they carry.

i forget when but sometime in college i came upon the disturbing information that in america alone we use enough disposable diapers to lay end to end from here to the moon and back 7 times!!!  that information alone has made me believe that someday when i had kids i was going to use cloth diapers!  heck i was raised on cloth diapers so why couldn't my kids.  not only are cloth diapers environmentally friendly they are also cost effective and can be a healthier more organic product for your baby.  i've also heard of research saying that children who are cloth diapered potty train earlier then ones who arent.
here are some facts:
-disposable diapers sit in our landfills for 500 years!  that means since diapers have only been invented 40 years ago, our dirty diapers we used as children are still sitting in some landfill trying to rot away!
-average cost of diapers for 1 child from birth to potty trained:  cloth $1440 vs disposable $2700
-disposable diapers contain traces of dioxin an extremely toxic by-product of the paper bleaching process. it is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. it is banned in most countries but not in the U.S.  (there are now disposables such as seventh generation and earths best that make diapers without the bleaching process).

cloth diapers have come a long ways since our parents time.  there are all different kinds of systems to help make it easier and more comfortable for parents and babies nowadays.  they even have cloth diapering services where they'll tow your dirty diapers away and bring them back all fresh and clean!
here's a few of the ones we are considering, bumGenius, fuzzibunz, and kissaluvs.  the bumgenius ones shown below are what they call AIO (all in one) systems which basically is the closest thing that comes to disposable diapers for ease of use.  the fuzzibunz and kissaluvs are considered "pocket diapers" where you have an insert that you have to stuff the diapers with.  then you have the traditional "prefolds" which are the old school square cloths that our moms and grandmas used.  each one has there own pros and cons.  if your considering cloth diapers i'd recommend trying a few out until you find something that works best for you and baby.

I'm excited for our cloth diaper experience and will post updates when baby arrives. =)

Blogging?

been following other peoples blogs for years and years and always thought of creating my own blog.
there isnt a better time then now to start, we are expecting our first child and time is flying by fast.  dont want to forget about all the joys and tribulations of pregnancy and parenthood!

this past weekend joy and dennis came up to help us paint and lay flooring in the baby room!

daddy installing crib!  baby will be born in the year of the rabbit!