The new bumGenius Elemental

My cloth diaper friends who know us well know that we love our bumGenius diapers. We use the 4.0 pocket diapers as our daycare and daddy diapers, as well as for sitters and family members. I think we have around 25 of them in almost all of the colors and prints (except for the old artist and new genius series). 

Also in our stash are two bumGenius Freetime all-in-ones and one bumGenius Elemental all-in-one. I got those just to try out and keep part of our "at-home" stash. The main difference in these two all-in-one styles are the fabric. The Freetime has microfiber inserts with a polyester lining and the Elemental is made of organic cotton. I think the Freetime was designed so there would be a faster line drying time because it takes forever it seems for the cotton Elemental to dry!

Recently bumGenius came out with a new version of the Elemental that eliminated the cotton lining on the bottom of the diaper. Instead, it was more like a Flip cover with the cotton insert (same as oldstyle Elemental) but nothing underneath except PUL unlike the oldstyle with cotton underneath. 

I decided to take some comparison pictures of the new and old styles of the Elemental with my pocket. I forgot to include the Freetime but that's irrelevant to my post. I wanted to compare the different styles of Elemental and how it compares to our everyday use of the pockets. 

Main differences between new and old Elementals:

1. New style is trimmer all around on the bum (even trimmer than the 4.0)
2. New style is wider in the crotch area, more like a 4.0
3. New style fits on RaeRae very similar to how the 4.0 fits on her (the old style must be opened to the largest setting while the new style goes on the medium setting like in the 4.0s and Freetimes)
4. Old style Elemental has a cotton layer underneath the sewn insert while the new style does not (all PUL)
5. Cost of new Elemental is the same as the old one (which I do not understand because it has less cotton fabric it seems overall? I honestly think it should be at least 2 dollar less, but that's my opinion).

See pictures below:

Old style elemental on top of new elemental

4.0 pocket on top of new elemental

Left to right: new Elemental, 4.0 pocket, older Elemental

4.0 next to new Elemental

New Elemental next to old style Elemental

Left to right: 4.0, newer Elemental, old style Elemental

Sticker mania

Lately RaeRae has been absolutely intrigued with stickers! She will actually sit at the table or on the floor and place stickers on paper for an hour! I loved stickers while growing up and love how she loves it too! In fact, I still do love stickers so it is more fun to see her enjoying them. 

I remember when I would peel each sticker off for her and gradually showed her how to take them off herself. She figured out how to take them off about a month ago and is very proud of this skill! It takes some focus and fine motor skills to peel them off and paste them on a sheet of paper. Before she would get stuck on pasting them because of the sticky part still on her finger. Now she is a pro. 

I have this sticker box that I've had over the past 10-15 years and still had some stickers in from when I was a kid. Well, about a week ago, RaeRae completely emptied that box out! We have a "house" in the living room made from the box her carseat came in. She likes to decorate her "house" with stickers as well. I've also seen stickers on the feet of her dolls and on the back of the chairs. She hasn't hit the walls...yet. She's put stickers on both me and PJ at times, and on her hands and feet. I don't know what's up with the feet. Perhaps she is pretend-playing they are band-aids. 

Today I went to Joann's to look at fabric for a diaper I am getting soon. I thought I would look at stickers while I was there since we were out, or just very low since I got a sheet of "Easter" stickers at the Dollar Tree store recently. I used my teacher discount and some coupons on a mobile app and scored about eight dollars worth of stickers for just $4.54! 

I cut them up in halves so they would fit into the box. She spent a good half hour to almost 45 minutes decorating paper with the stickers. I just love that she loves this activity! I plan to make a book of all the sheets she makes and call it something like "RaeRae's Sticker Art."

Time for a relaunch

Let's see...it's been about 6 months since my last blog post. I keep meaning to write but my writing has been put on the backburner because of working full time and of course being mama to RaeRae. And also due to my laziness and lack of motivation.

So with spring around the corner, I decided it's time for a relaunch of my blog. Lots of changes since my last post. I am now working in second grade at my school as a contracted teacher until June instead of a long-term substitute teacher in fifth grade. I am loving it. There are challenges but at the end of the day, I truly love working with my coworkers and my students. I love the environment of my school where everyone is signing. 
I feel that my opportunity to teach at this school is my second chance for being deprived of such an environment while growing up. I just hope my job becomes a permanent one someday. That is my dream. 

RaeRae

RaeRae is now two years old! She turned two last month on February 6th! We had a big birthday party for her and her friends and some family on February 10th at Super Franks. It was a lot of fun. Which reminds me, I gotta get those thank you cards out. :-) 

RaeRae is cutting her two year old molars right now, which are giving us some rough nights and less sleep. She runs around everywhere, outgrowing her 18 month clothing (in shirts; but still in 18 months for pants), so much vocabulary (I've lost track...too many words to count), loves to pretend-play in her kitchen and going "bye bye," obsessed with Nemo but slowly branching out to new favorites such as owls and tigers, thoroughly enjoys stickers, and also enjoys playing with her friends at daycare. 
We still cosleep with her for some of the night and wake up in the morning to her giving us hugs and kisses. 

We recently got some portraits done by our friend Clare Cassidy. She is a superb photographer and helped to make RaeRae feel more comfortable in the outdoor photo session. See some of my favorites below.

My hubby

Hubby and I will be celebrating our anniversary(ies) next month! 5 years of marriage, but 11 years of being together. He is at the point in his life where he is reevaluating what he wants to do for his future career. For those of you who don't really know him, he's a brilliant writer.  That is his dream and I am hoping his writing will be shared with more readers in the near future. I can't believe how much time has flown by since we first met during high school. I sure got lucky with him. 

So now here's the question...how often should I post? What is my personal goal? I want to keep writing for own personal growth and sanity--twice a week? Once a week? Let's start with once a week and go from there. 

Thanks for reading.  

Working mama

After RaeRae went to bed tonight, I spent an hour reviewing some of California's new Core Standards for my elementary class that I am currently long-term subbing in until November sometime. Today we had my family over for a nice visit all day and now I am about to head to bed. I thought, it's been too long since I've blogged so here goes!

I went back to work full-time on August 21st. RaeRae started daycare on the 20th (I had one day of no work that day and it was better to start her off at the beginning of the week). The first week in daycare was hard on the both of us. She barely napped half hour on the first day and cried every time I dropped her off, came during lunch, and picked her up--every single time. We also ended the first week with RaeRae being feverish and feeling yucky with a 48 hour bug, which she passed to me later that weekend. 

During the second week of daycare and the first week for which students came back to school, I was very ill with fevers, body aches, and then throat ulcers from those fevers. I missed the first two days of school because of being so sick and was so mad about that. But hey, when you get sick, that's just part of life!

The second week of daycare went more smoothly. It wasn't until last week (the fourth week) when RaeRae looked more forward to going to daycare and *gasp* didn't want to leave! It made me feel more assured knowing she was having fun, eating better, making friends, learning to share, and also cared for so lovingly. The other great perks of this daycare also include being cloth diaper friendly and supportive towards breastfeeding. I have been able to pump 2-3 times a day to make enough for one bottle/cup for RaeRae to have at lunch/nap time, and also I can nurse her when I come to pick her up. "Milk! Milk!" That's the first thing RaeRae asks for when I arrive in the late afternoons.

We also have a communication book kept in RaeRae's backpack to help with communication. This daycare is definitely a blessing for us! 

So work...I've been adjusting to going from a full-time stay-at-home-mama to a full-time work-out-of-the-home-mama. Not only am I teaching 5th graders, but I am also teaching an online Deaf Culture class at an University, with currently 54 students. 

Time management is definitely the key to everything nowadays. 
Meal planning, routines, keeping on a schedule, and also being flexible are all essential to getting through the week. Meal planning helps with saving money and also making sure I have something for lunch the next day. We have dinner together as a family and talk about our day. One night of the week DH spends his evening at a game store near his work so he can have some "me-time" and comes home around 10pm. I typically get my me-time on the weekends or sometimes on Thursday evenings. 

This working mama is getting by through one day at a time. Now it's time for me to get some sleep--at least 7 hours of sleep on average lately in order for me to get through the day.
Oh--on a side note, I quit soda and have gone without soda since July 20th! I've lost some weight due to no soda, better diet, and more consistent exercising. Just thought to share. 
Good night all!

Look who's 18 months old!

Today is August 6, 2012.

Getting ready for her photo shoot

Me!

Hi!

The kitty is on my shirt

This morning RaeRae came into our bed about 6:30 and after nursing, we had this little conversation in ASL:

RaeRae: Dada?
Me: Out there in the kitchen
RaeRae: Work?
Me: Yep, Daddy is getting ready for work.
RaeRae: (nods her head yes)
Me: Daddy is eating. Would you like to eat?
RaeRae: Eat. Cracker?
Me: Not a cracker, but you can have some cereal.
RaeRae: Chicken?
Me: Not chicken, but you can have some cereal.
RaeRae: Chicken!
Me: Cereal.
RaeRae: Cracker!
Me: Cereal.
RaeRae: Cracker! Cracker! Cracker!
Me: Silly girl, let's go find Daddy.
RaeRae: (nods her head yes).


Today our little RaeRae is 18 months old! That's a year and half! A half a year away from being TWO!!!

My, oh my. RaeRae, you continue to be the star of our lives. I love being your mama and having fun with you everyday. I love watching you figure out things, your creativity, and your growing vocabulary!
I am still amazed that this little being used to be inside my belly, kicking away and making my belly shift in shape. I get teary-eyed watching old videos and looking through pictures from across the past 18 months. She was such a chunky baby and now she is a rather slender toddler on the go!
I am excited to make this list of words she knows! It's been two months since the last time I made a list and I just know it is going to blow all of us away!

Signs RaeRae knows at 18 months:

1. Mama (signs it correctly)
2. Daddy (signs it correctly; sometimes goes back to 1-handshape)
3. Nana (does same for Nama too) (close to correct)
4. Papa (does same for Grandpa too) (close to correct)
5. Baby (one-hand most of time)
6. Me/I (signs it correctly, and oh so cute!)
7. More (she uses this sign ALL the time to mean she wants more of food, milk, or of a certain activity such as reading or tickling)
8. Eat (definitely has this down)
9. All done (one hand wave over the shoulder)
10. Thank you (so good with this one)
11. Please (signs it correctly)
12. Yes (nods her head and signs yes almost correctly but with different movement)
13. No (almost correct except all other fingers are not folded)
14. Up (points up)
15. Down (points down)
16. Bed (signs it correctly with head tilt)
17. Blanket (both hands moving on her chest, almost correct but movement is erratic)
18. Sleep (hand brushed across face)
19. Toothbrush/Brush-teeth (1 handshape across mouth)
20. Diapers (open-5 handshapes at her diaper areas on sides)
21. Shoes (evolving from "with" sign to look more like correct sign)
22. Socks (signs it correctly)
23. Clothes (looks like dress)
24. Fan (1 handshape in the air); does same sign for music mobile in a book
25. Pacifier (hilarious; open 5 handshape over the mouth and grabs her mouth)
26. Ball (signs it correctly)
27. Hat (signs it correctly)
28. Drink (open 5 handshape over the mouth in right movement)
29. Book (open 5 handshapes instead of b-handshape)
30. Car (open 5 handshape up and down)
31. Bike (similar to car)
32. Moon (1 handshape moving away from side of forehead)
33. Water (1 handshape on mouth)
34. Milk (signs it correctly--of course!)
35. Chicken (signs it correctly)
36. Cereal (signs it correctly)
37. Cheese (tries to do it but always consistent)
38. Cracker (signs it correctly)
39. Banana (almost right, but handshape a little off)
40. Strawberry (1-handshape on chin)
41. Orange(signs it correctly)
42. Cat (right location and movement, but uses all fingers instead of index finger and thumb and says "meow" at same time)
43. Dog (signs it correctly--of course)
44. Mouse (signs it correctly)
45. Elephant (arm waving on side of body near face)
46. Lion (hand over head)
47. Frog (looks a bit like "pig" sign but handshape a little different)
48. Fish (signs it correctly)
49. Alligator (clapping movement close to body)
50. Bear (right location and handshape but doesn't cross arms/hands yet)
51. Giraffe (right movement and location but handshape is open-5)
52. Bird (signs it correctly)
53. Duck (5-handshape)
54. Caterpillar (1-handshape like a person walking by)
55. Cow (1-handshape on forehead with right movement)
56. Pig (open-5 handshape under the chin with right movement)
57. Deer (signs it correctly)
58. Horse (similar to cow but movement is a bit different)
59. Movie (looks like she's brushing something off her hands)
60. Shower (open 5 handshape by head)
61. Bath (almost correctly)
62. Work (she will sign Daddy and work together, to tell me she knows that Daddy is at work)
63. RaeRae (does her sign name with 1-handshape on cheek)
64. Come-on (waves with one hand in motion to say come with me)
65. Paint (signs it almost correctly)
66. "Bus"--(she tries to fingerspell this word when she sees a picture of a bus)
67. Nose (points to her nose)
68. Eyes (points to her eyes and squints)
69. Ears (pulls on her ears)
70. Teeth (taps on her teeth)
71. Bug (signs 1 handshape in simliar movement on the eyebrow)
72. Penguin (does the movement with her body)
73. Bee (open 5-handshape on her cheek)

I'm sure there might be some I am forgetting...it's hard to keep track now! She picks them up so fast!
She also points to everything to tell me she sees things or communicate something. Spoken English words:

1. Mommy/Mama
2. Daddy/Dada 
3. Bapa
4. Papa
5. Nana
6. Nama (I think)
7. Kitty
8. Meow
9. Doggie
10. Uh-oh
11. Up
12. Down
13. Baby
14. Chicken (sometimes sounds like "kitchen")
15. Hi
16. Bye-bye
17. No
18. Tango
19. Cow
20.  Eat

(This is all PJ could remember and that I knew of. There might be more.)

At 18 months, RaeRae has 16 teeth, rather long semi-wavy hair, wears mostly 12 month-sized clothing (tops) and some 18 month-sized clothing depending on the brand and type (mostly for shorts and pants due to her fluff!). I don't know how much she weighs yet since we don't have a scale but I will find out soon at her check-up appointment next week. 
She can sort of run, loves to chase the geese and ducks at the park, still loves books, her baby dolls, building with lego blocks, riding in her car, and trying to put on or take off her clothing and accessories. She is obsessed with shoes, especially her flip flops. She likes to help sort the laundry in her own way. She wants to hold your hand at her own decision and pull you to different rooms and places. 
RaeRae is a bit of a picky eater (sigh) but sometimes will eat certain foods if offered by a different person or at a different time. She is still breastfed--of which I am very proud to be! 
In two weeks, she will start full-time daycare for the first time! Bittersweet for both of us, but exciting too. 

Happy 18 months to our darling RaeRae!

Breastfeeding thoughts

This week has been dubbed World Breastfeeding Week. It is not something new actually, and has been celebrated for 20 years now! I was doing some reading on the World Health Organization (WHO) website and learned that World Breastfeeding Week is August 1-7 every year across 170 countries  and has been established to educate people about the benefits of breastfeeding as well as encourage more breastfeeding for the health of babies around the world. (Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_breastfeeding_week/en/index.html)
I have heard that WHO actually recommends breastfeeding until the age of two, if you can and are willing.  So in light of this week's celebration, I wanted to reflect on my own breastfeeding relationship with my daughter.
I am proud to share that I have been breastfeeding RaeRae for nearly 18 months now! I'm hoping we will make it until she is two years old. I did not expect that we would enjoying a positive nursing relationship this long and feel grateful for all the positive support and encouragement I have received from friends, family, and as well as "strangers" across FaceBook groups such as The Leaky Boob and Respect the Breast, and the cloth diapering community as well. I've also gotten great information on sites like KellyMom and other blogs.
When I think about breastfeeding, I think a lot of people are misinformed about the benefits and the work that goes into it. When RaeRae was born, she had a difficult latch. Her latch would regress and she would just be sucking on the nipple part, causing bloodiness and pain. On top of that, we had our first case of thrush at only 3 weeks postpartum. But with the help and support of a patient husband, supportive mom, and all those others I have mentioned here, we got through the hurdle and still are nursing strong. 
It's an amazing feeling to know that my own body is giving her all that she needs. She has been sick less than 5 times since she was born, and all of those times were just colds. I know that the longer I breastfeed, the longer she will get all the benefits from my milk and I will have less of a chance for breast cancer as well. I found this page that lists all the benefits from breastfeeding, as well as extended breastfeeding. Click here. 
It gives me joy to know my daughter finds comfort in breastfeeding--when she is hungry or has a boo-boo. She makes me chuckle when she puts her finger in my belly-button as if it is a switch to turn on the milk. I laugh more when she sits up from nursing on one side to ask for the other side, pointing and smiling as if she is saying "this one, mama" with giggles. 
To all the moms out there who make the decision to even try breastfeeding, you rock! Feel free to email me if you have any questions or just need some support. A lot of people supported me so I am willing to support whoever wants to try.

Bleh

Lately I haven't felt much like writing. Summer laziness maybe? In all fairness, we did more traveling this month. Sacramento for 5 days, San Diego for 8 days...
Naptimes are so off due to our latest trip: vacation to San Diego. It's 2pm and RaeRae is still awake. She did wake up a bit later this morning, but yesterday she woke up later than she did today and took an one hour nap just three hours after waking up. She's been awake now for 5 hours but we are watching a movie so we can have some "quiet" time. She knows the sign for movie now and will ask for it on occasion. I think it's cute, as long it's not over board.
Having a kind of bleh day here at home. Just nice to be home though. Soon--in a month, I'll be going back to work full time instead of being a full-time stay a home mom. I think we have found a nanny but just need to find a time for all of us to meet in person still.
Anyways, I just needed to get a little blog post done. Maybe a little here and there will help with the motivation as it seems I feel I need to make these grand posts with pictures.