A little Hi, Hello.

Another wretchedly hot fall/summer day in Arizona. (Oh mid-west, hang on for me, I'm coming home!) When it cooled down last evening, Brad and Darby decided to tool around on Darby's Gator. I didn't think I'd come outside to find this, but alas, my husband fits in that car about as well as Darby does.

Brad's currently house hunting and we'll be purchasing our first home by the end of the month. I am crazy excited! I can't wait to finally be able to decorate and to do what I damn well please! I can't wait to have a backyard that the boys and the dogs can run around in! More importantly, I can wait for all this to happen out of Arizona! YAY! I've already got so many ideas for the boys' rooms and I'm anxious to get started. Speaking of the boys:

Daniel with a rare smile. Creighton, chunk-a-monk.

Hangin' on the boppy. Daniel wasn't particularly enjoying tummy time but is waving to the camera in the 2nd shot.

Mr. Bright Eyes, Creighton. Daniel, our little Monkey.

They are getting so damn big! I can barely stand it. What happened to these tiny little 4 lb. babes? Now they're pushing up and rolling over and giggling and smiling, not to mention constantly cooing. *sigh*

Brad called me a few minutes ago about houses and it seems he might have found "the one." The basement needs finished and I would definitely want to put new cabinets in because, holy crap, I don't do the retro look in the kitchen, but it's got everything we want with room to spare. We'll see though. Two more days of hunting left and I don't want to jump on anything the first day.

Granola Mommy

So I'm being a hippy again.

I've decided to go back to cloth diapering like I did with Darby. I don't like it and I really love the idea of taking a poopy diaper off of a bum and chucking it in the Diaper Champ, but the boys' diaper areas are constantly red and I think they've got sensitive skin like their big brother and Daddy. I just don't see another alternative that makes a lot of sense. Thank God I kept all of Darby's cloth diapers. Kissaluvs and Fuzzi Bunz are expensive! Now if I can just find the handful of Snappi's I bought for the pre-folds. Hmm...

In other news, I'm trying desperately to build my milk supply up. It's ridiculous, really. I knew I'd have problems with supply after having my thyroid ablated but I'm starting to get pretty upset by it. I nursed Darby for 15 months (when he was FINALLY ready to wean) and I feel like a failure not being able to solely breastfeed them both without relying on formula part of the time. I haven't tried Goat's Rue yet but I've started taking blessed thistle and fenugreek and drinking mother's milk tea like crazy. If time would allow, I might be able to get some extra pumping sessions in, too. Thank God we're moving back in a few weeks and it won't be a big deal to go to my mother-in-law's and have her help me get the boys back on track. Do you know what a blessing it is to have your mother-in-law employed as a maternity nurse and a certified lactation consultant? It's even nicer that my own mother is a nurse at a family practice. When I finally get my degree, we'll be the trifecta! HA!Anyway, bed is calling my name and I am dreading getting up 5 1/2 hours from now. Sir Darby is getting his molar worked on tomorrow as it cracked due to a malformation. A 3 yr. old on valium and nitrous oxide should be a blast. I'll let you know.

30 Days....

until we move. Can you believe it? In preparation for this insane little adventure we're taking, I've begun mapping out our route (yeah, we're driving. Psycho much?) and getting a list together of things I should probably purchase before the great escape out of Arizona. This is going to be the last road trip we take for awhile I would assume, since you'd have to be nuts to do this for fun with 3 children, so we're definitely going up to the Canyon and definitely taking Route 66 back. I'm so excited despite the daunting task of minding 3 little guys on the road! Route 66 is so historic and has the cutest little towns and shops and diners along it. Even though I despise Rachael Ray, I do get her magazine every month and there was actually a road trip article about Rte. 66 a few issues ago. I'll have to check it out.

So, I'm thinking I'm going to need to buy one of those nifty backseat organizers, a 2nd carrier like our Graco one since that it just so much easier to put on than a Moby wrap, some glass bottles, a car charger for my pump, some travel toys to keep everyone (especially los bebes) engaged, and a few other really random but really-awesome-oh-my-God-I-have-to-have-it necessary.

For instance; Oopsy Daisy No-Rinse Shampoo and Bubble Bath and the Slurp 'n Burp!

The Oopsy Daisy stuff is plant based so you just squirt it on, rub it in, wipe it off, and voila! Clean baby! I figure it will be especially useful for when we're out and about and have to stop somewhere for lunch or whatever and the kids decide to decorate with sweet potatoes and such. I know Darby always thought baby food belonged everywhere except his mouth. The Slurp 'n Burp is especially crazy-cool. I have a Hooter Hider and it's a gorgeous print and has a built in burp rag and yadda yadda but everyone knows what you're doing under it. I don't so much mind people knowing that I'm breastfeeding, but I do like the idea of being a little more discreet. The blatant gawkers that look like they're trying to figure out what's going on under the big tent at the boob circus gets a little old. This travel spoon from One Step Ahead is also pretty wicked. How handy is that?