Yard work and babywearing

First: yardwork, AZ style! And no, we didn't create this carnage ourselves...we hired some guys to come hack away at the cactus and palms. The girls really enjoy watching the men climb up the huge tall palm to "trim" (read: eliminate) the fronds (seen here all over the ground).

See the big mess of cactus in the top of the next pic? That's gone now. The palm to the left was cut back too, so instead of five branches, there are only three now.


Out front, they took out some of the giant prickly pear...but it costs a fortune, so more will have to wait.
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Next: babywearing, in my latest aquisition - a Yamo carrier.
See the versatility?
Baby L at 12 pounds:

And big sis at 35 pounds:

E really likes being carried around - either in this one or in a mei tai. I haven't yet tackled wearing both little ones at the same time...but it should be doable.

In Memoriam

Grandma J

7-7-07
Mother of four
Grandmother of eight
Great-Grandmother of six

(pictured with one of the great-grandchildren...)

Seven Week Update

Baby L is now 11 pounds, 14 ounces. He is still a great sleeper, eater, and smiler, and is very strong:


We find him particularly charming:


He loves being worn around - which is a great reason for me to find all sorts of fancy babywearing gear! Baby L can typically be found happily wrapped in a Moby, riding in his Rix-shaw or OMT Mei Tai carriers, or as of today, cruising in my new Yamo soft structured carrier (think backpack). I'm very pleased with my Yamo, as I can actually wear him snuggly on my back. I will be able to use the MTs on my back soon, but they don't really offer the tightness and the head support that he still needs.

Big sisters are in school today; just got a notice in the mail that E's preschool will start on August 30; C's kindergarten starts August 15. We have a busy next month - preschool for one more week, then we leave for Alaska on the 18th for three weeks. Upon our return, we only have a few days to prepare C for school - yikes!

That's news from the desert. Stay tuned for more soon - if we don't all melt in the next few days (115!!).

Dino Princess

Leave it up to C and E to come up with this combo! I had to share...

Activism for the week

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The following is a quick summary of why, courtesy of Baby Milk Action:

According the the World Health Organisation Authority (WHO)1.5 million babies die every year as a result of inappropriate feeding. Despite this Nestlé continues to push its baby milks in breach of international standards. Monitoring by groups on the ground around the world shows Nestlé is responsible for more violations than any other company. That's why it is singled out for boycott action. If you don't boycott Nestlé already, I ask that you consider looking at the evidence and giving up Nestlé products for one week, at least. Boycott groups around the world have declared 2-8 July to be International Nestlé-Free Week. The boycott has forced some changes from the company, but it is still a long way from complying. Campaigners are also working for laws. Nestlé can comply when it is given no choice. It is not being asked to do something that is impossible, but without pressure it continues to put its own profits before infant health and mothers' rights. You can find out more information and look at the evidence yourself on the Baby Milk Action website at: http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/boycott/nestlefree.html
You can sign up there to support the boycott. It is important to tell Nestlé you will be boycotting it, whether it is just for the week, or until it accepts and acts on the plan put to it by boycott groups for saving infant lives. You can telephone Nestlé on the freephone number 0800 00 0030 or send a message via its website at http://www.nestle.com/

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Here is a list of the many names of Nestle, and here's the list of big brands I recognized:

Drinks
Nescafe
Taster's Choice
Arrowhead water
Ice Mountain water
Perrier
Poland Spring water
San Pelligrino water
Vittel water
Carnation
Libby's
Nesquik
Nestea
Coffee-mate

Desserts
Dreyer's
Haagen-Dazs

Baby Things
Gerber baby food
Good Start

Convenience Foods
PowerBar
Stouffer's
Lean Cuisine
Hot Pockets
Lean Pockets
Toll House

Candies
After Eight
Baby Ruth
Butterfinger
KitKat
Oh Henry
Rolo
Smarties
Laffy Taffy
Nerds
Runts
SweeTarts
All the other "Willy Wonka" candies too

Pet foods
Alpo
Beneful
Dog Chow
Fancy Feast
Friskies
Purina
Tidy Cats

11 lb 4 oz

I was close - only one ounce off. Pretty amazing what a diet of pure breastmilk can do to a little guy, isn't it?

Six weeks

Six weeks ago tonight, Baby L joined our family. He is a very happy, content little guy, who has been smiling for real for the last week. Today he pooped on his Baby Bjorn potty, and C and I each "caught" a pee! I'm not really doing EC, but the signs were so obvious for the poop, I couldn't help but try it...and as for the pee, he had nursed and was still dry when I went to change him, so I put him on the pot again. Success :) I just might have to run with this...

What else is new in our world (besides the excitement of a baby's bowels)? Not a whole lot. I went to a "crop night" for scrapbooking tonight, and drooled over my friend M's Creative Memories stock (she's a consultant). I didn't actually DO any scrapbooking, as I couldn't find C's book I started five years ago. I know it's here somewhere...probably in one of those boxes still not unpacked from our move. Yikes. Now with child #3, do I really think I'll catch up? Sure...since some of the moms are talking about a weekly crop night! Ha.

Look for baby updates tomorrow. I didn't get to weigh Baby L today, so I'll have to add that tomorrow. I'm going to guess he's up to 11-5 (he was 10-14 last Tuesday).

More pool stuff

So the pool guy was here this morning, and I guess he can quickly put in the new filter (for a mere $850), next weekend...so we'll do some quick comparison-shopping and get on it. The exciting news from my chat with Scotty is that we can easily convert to a "salt" pool whenever we want. I guess they're the latest and greatest - hardly any chlorine, no stinging eyes, no yukky chemical smell, nicer feeling water. We didn't know if it involved a whole different pump/filter/etc. or not. I now know that it's an add-on system to whatever exists - yippee! So when we hit the jackpot, we'll have a salt pool. Oh wait - hitting the jackpot would require actually visiting the casinos...well maybe salt will come next year :)

Missed the picture of the green pool? I added it to the bottom of the San Diego post. Check it out!

San Diego weekend

With temperatures forcasted to hit 115 over the weekend, we thought we'd escape to the coast and enjoy not only the cooler temps, but some extended family time as well.

We stayed at my aunt's house, where the girls were thoroughly spoiled! They went to the zoo, swam a lot, flew kites, and read books.

Baby L was introduced to great-grandma, great-aunts and great-uncles, and cousins (both once- and twice-removed!). Of course he charmed them all with his stellar personality and sweet smile!

Great-grandma (mother of six, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of three):

Great-aunt J:

Great-aunt E:

Great-aunt K:
Cousin C:

Now we're back in the big(ger), hot city...with a green pool!


And no, that's not thanks to any special groovy tile job. That would be algae growing all over it, most likely thanks to a bad pump filter which will have to be replaced...ugh. We were hoping to limp through the summer with it, but I guess not! And the best part is, see all the lighter spots in that picture? Those are my foot marks from my quick dip after the drive home, when it was dark and I didn't know just how disgusting our pool had become over the weekend - blech!

Future Babywearer

Ah, how we all love my Rix-shaw!
(And Rixa, hope you don't mind our new label for your gorgeous MT!)

Baby L passed out almost immediately, once C got him snuggled in.

Baby L's first swim

With temps in the 110s, and lows at night only falling to 80ish, we thought today was time to introduce Baby L to the pool:



He was ok with it in general, and really relaxed when snuggled with Daddy:

However...it was not all fun and games:

I think if the wind had not been blowing, and big sisters hadn't been mobbing him, he really would have enjoyed it a little more. Overall, he did seem intrigued by the water, and I'm sure will happily go back in...maybe when the pool climbs a few more degrees (it's about 88 right now).

Visit with Auntie A

Auntie A was in town for the week. We hit the dinosaur museum, the pool, and hung out in general. The girls are completely in love with Auntie - and it looks as if Baby L is following suit:

Isn't he cute??

Girl talk

This is what E told C at dinner tonight, regarding a boy at school:

Next time Cody asks how old I am, tease him that I'm five.

Four weeks!

Baby L is already four weeks old - where does the time go?

More pics added to the shutterfly collection too...

and p.s. in case you're wondering what kind of funny pants I put on my son, that is a wool (cashmere, to be precise) diaper cover for cloth diapers!

Late-breaking news out of Alaska

The best part of a small-town paper is the police blotter...and these beauties came up in today's online edition:

A man at 10:11 p.m. asked police to patrol the high school baseball field because bases were being stolen.

A person at 9:37 p.m. made a 911 call of a mother scolding her son. Police determined the incident was a case of sibling rivalry and all was OK.

A man at 9:23 a.m. reported two older camp chairs stolen from their Spit campsite and replaced with a newer camp chair.

A man at 1:27 a.m. reported three naked men standing around a bonfire on the Spit and refusing to get dressed.

Weekend adventures

Baby L gets fresh pants on the front seat:



Baby L rides in style:



Girls on the Waterfall Trail at the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park:

On the road to Payson, checking out the high desert:

He keeps growing...

9 lb 11 oz on Thursday!

In other news...went to Charlotte's Web with the girls this morning (well, I guess Baby L was there too - but he slept the whole time). Can I just say: bad movie for the arachnophobic mom to watch!? When there's a giant spider (big enough to take up the whole movie screen) in front of you, where are you supposed to look? At least I could gaze adoringly at Baby L and pretend I didn't know what was looming over me, 30 feet tall! I think that also may have put the end to my fantasy of a daughter named Charlotte...
And yes, I knew the story - liked it as a kid - turned arachnophobic and now can't stand the mere mention of those creatures!!

Heading to a town called Strawberry tomorrow for their annual festival of - yep, you guessed it - strawberries. Should be a pretty drive...

Three Weeks!

I can't believe Baby L was born three weeks ago tonight. It seems like he's been in our lives so much longer...

He's growing like a weed - on May 18, he weighed 6 lb 13 oz (down from 7 lb 6 oz birthweight). Yesterday, he weighed 9 lb 6 oz ! That's a gain of 2 lb 9 oz in 18 days...or 2.27 oz per day!

In other news...the girls both went to preschool yesterday, and had an absolute ball. E was so excited from her first day that she talked for about a half hour without taking a breath when we picked her up! The theme for the summer program is oceans, so E is particularly happy - she's in love with sharks. They will continue going on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a total of four weeks - through June (yes, I signed them up for another 2-week session).

I just got in the mail today my 2nd Womb MT carrier - it's simply gorgeous...see:


Rixa made it from some Thai silk I've had since 1988...what a perfect use, and her handiwork and detailing is fantastic! Thank you Rixa!

D has been keeping very busy at work - and was recently given a performance raise! Kudos to hubby :)

Modern fathers and sons...

This news blurb was just posted on the local news website...

"Chandler resident Rich Charters and his son Dahllin, 9, had just flipped on their Xbox video game and were getting ready to play when a plane hit their house Friday afternoon.

"It was a huge impact. It just shook the whole house," Charters said, adding that his first thought was that the video game simply had incredible sound effects."

Smart dad. Real smart.

Thank G*D this is not my husband.

It's Friday, and you needed a new picture.

The Britax Baby:

In other news, the kids and I went to a movie this morning - Curious George. The local theaters offer this great deal for summer family fun - 10 movies for $7! They play each Friday morning, so some of the moms from my group decided to meet at one theater. The girls loved it (it was E's first theater trip, and only C's second). Baby L slept the whole time.

Temps are in the 105 range; girls are in the pool daily. Heading to the zoo tonight for a little "Starry Safari" fun. No big plans for the weekend.

Thanks to all of you who leave comments - it's always fun for me to read them, and know that you're out there :)