We're Moving...

Well, I'm not physically moving but this blog is!

As I mentioned a while ago, we're going semi privet. So, what does this mean for everyone who reads my blog?

First off, you'll have to start reading it at its new location... http://4catsandababy.com/  yes, thats right, now it has its own domain name!

Secondly some of my posts will become password protected. What this means is if you want to read a password protected post you'll need to know the password! If you would like the password please send an e-mail to 4catsandababy@gmail.com . I will be sending out the password this Sunday, the 23rd. However, if its after the 23rd and you still want the password don't fret!

Now, as I said, not ALL posts will become password protected... so if you want to keep on lurking on my blog or simply don't want the password then thats okay. The posts that will become protected are ones that are heavy on the family/eirik photographs and things of a personal nature. There are lots of blogs i'd love to post, however since this is such a public forum I really don't feel comfortable doing it. All of my posts from blogger are imported to the new wordpress location and are viewable.

I have to add here that the only reason I have made the move from Blogger to WordPress is the fact I have the option to password protect individual posts. With blogger I have the option to make the entire blog privet but no ability to only make specific posts privet.

I'd like to send a HUGE thank you out to Michelle for taking the time to send me information on how to move my blog from  Blogger to WordPress! Thanks!!

So thats it folks... starting tomorrow look for updates at our new home!

What is Eirik Up To?

What has Eirik been up to recently you ask? Lets look, shall we!

He's been helping me in the kitchen putting dishes away! Sort of...



He's been reading books! He loves either The Hungry Caterpillar or this Animal Sounds book.  He actually hunts through the box of books to find them!




He is really enjoying "walking" around the house by pushing this fun toy! He can't maneuver it very well though so he ends up stuck on something rather quickly...



He's been chilling in the Boba Organic Baby Carrier I got on black friday! its SUPER comfortable for the back carry! It also means mommy can get stuff done!



He's also discovered a new favorite food... Lasagna!



he REALLY loves lasagna!

A first i'm glad I missed...

Tuesday nights I have to work late, which is always hard on me. It means I don't really see Eirik all day because by the time I get home he's either in bed or about to go to bed. Whats a working mom to do? Last night however I walked in the door and my husband had a very concerned look on ihs face. He was holding Eirik, who looked exhausted, but it was bedtime so that was nothing new.

"He's been throwing up"

I cringed. I'll confess here... I can handle poop, blood, snot and spit up. But vomit? I can't do vomit. The smell makes me gag and hearing someone else throw up? Better grab me a bucket!

"well, how long has he been throwing up?" I asked, hoping that maybe it was just once and that was all.

"Well, he threw up all over me, then in the bath, then over his changing table, then again when I was rocking him." I cringed.

"well, lets just keep an eye on him and see how he does" I said, crossing my fingers that the throwing up was over. Poor little guy was exhausted and not happy... he was trying to eat and he wanted to but every time he got going he started to cough and gag so finally I just rocked him until he fell asleep.

And then I smelled it. That smell... my husband had left everything that was thrown up on upstairs in the laundry basket. I grabbed everything and threw it in the wash, knowing that the smell would only linger if it didn't get washed ASAP.

The good news is that there was no more throwing up that night... he slept really well actually... he only woke up twice: 1:30 and 4:30. I however was up every 2 hours to check on him.I 99% sure that the throwing up was caused by some old milk... I left him some from the freezer but it was right at the 6 month mark. I figured if it was bad he wouldn't drink it, but I guess thats not the case. In the future i'll have to make sure to inspect the milk better before leaving it for him!

The Milk Memos

I'm sure you guys are sick of me reviewing things and are going "why can't you just put updates of Eirik up already?!" Well, it wasn't my plan to read a good book that I wanted to share with all of you!

I ran into Borders the other week to grab some books for Eirik (you have to love coupons plus borders bucks!) and of course had to make a stop in the clearance bin. Who doesn't love clearance books? Well, this book caught my eye so after skimming the back I decided "What the heck, for a few bucks it looks interesting". What did I pick up? The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies-and How You Can, Too.

I WISH I had read this book 6 months ago when I went back to work. I really do! I HIGHLY recommend this to ANY mom who is pumping at work. It covers everything... all those fun work situations such as how to tell your boss you need to pump, how to find a place to pump, how to make your pumping experience more comfortable, how often you should be pumping, etc. The book is written by two women who work for IBM and pumped at work. They had a pumping room and started a journal which all the mothers wrote in. The book is half informative half reprintings of the journal they wrote in! So you get to hear little funny stories and side comments while learning all about the joys of pumping at work.

The book also goes into details about general baby care... how to find a good daycare or nanny, different methods for sleep training, how much milk you should be producing and feeding your baby a day, what to do if your baby suddenly refuses the bottle... There is a chapter on issues such as clogged ducts, mastitis, and leaking. It even discusses mommy guilt!

I think what I really like about this book is it doesn't force one opinion on you. It goes over EVERYTHING. While the book is about pumping at work, it says in there quite plainly that if you need to supplement with formula that's okay too! It talks about moms from every angle... those who love breastfeeding and pumping, those who do it because they feel they should, and those that are in between. It was a nice easy read as I have to admit some of the stuff I skimmed over (like the chapter on business trips while pumping).

So, since this post is all about pumping at work, i'll share a few tips that I have learned!

1. Some people will be uncomfortable with you pumping. Some people you will say the word "breastmilk" to and they will put their hands up and go "enough said". (Yes, i had a guy do this to me). Some people will give you looks as you walk with your bag towards wherever you pump. Take it in stride and know that you are now covered by the law!

2. Get a hands free pumping bra! You can apparently make one out of a sports bra, but I purchased one on amazon and I LOVE it. It has been worth every penny! Instead of spending my pumping session listening to the sound of my pump I read. It helps me relax and therefore helps me produce more milk. =)

3. Get a support system! You may be the only one pumping at your job. I found a wonderful message board through IVillage with other women who are amazingly supportive! They are there to answer questions about my pump, low supply, tricks to boost supply, etc. There are many times when I have gone there to ask questions about storing or scheduling pumps!

Tomorrow I promise we will be back to our regularly scheduled Eirik updates. =)

More Fun With Baby Led Solids!

I realized I haven't done a food update in a while, so here goes!

Part of hte reason is becuase Eirik now just eats pretty much whatever we do! He is now eating 3 meals a day... though how much he actually eats varies day to day. A typical day is something like this:

Breakfast:

Cereal or baby puffs - yes, i am aware this is not the BEST thing to be giving him but my husband gives him breakfast and its easy. I'm going to try and start switching this up soon... but we buy the natural puffs.

Lunch:

Whole wheat toast with either hummus or soft cheese (laughing cow flavored cheeses). A fruit of vegetable. Today he had blueberries... he LOVED them.

Dinner:

Whatever we are eating. For example last night he had a baked potato with a bit of cheese, peas and homemade refried beans (my husband makes AMAZING beans).

For a while I was sort of nervous about the whole baby led solids thing. Eirik didn't really eat much... sure, he would play with the food but actual eating? Nah, not really interested. I would read about how other babies were demolishing jars of baby food and here mine was picking at a piece of toast! Then all of a sudden he went from picking at food to shoveling it in... litteraly! It was almost overnight! I also did a little research on how much nutrition babies get from solid food in their first year of life and this helped ease my fears a lot. At 1 year only 10 - 25% of their nutrition comes from solid food... which means he really doesn't need to be eating all that much food at all right now!

I try and buy healthier foods now that Eirik eats more of what we do. There are certain foods that I make sure to try and buy organic, but not always.  We don't give him a lot of heavily processed food and he doesn't get anything really sugary (we haven't given him juice yet). Its really hard sometimes... I want to get him fresh and organic foods but in all honesty I am on a pretty tight budget right now. I do my research however and know which foods its better to buy organic and which foods it doesn't matter.

Tonight we had a fun food experiment. We went out for dinner. I realized it had been a long time since we'd gone out anywhere... with the chaos of the holidays it seemed that we never had time... Every weekend was filled with one thing or another. So this evening I thought would be the perfect opportunity to get out of the house for a few hours. I settled on the mall... lots of food options and no one to stare at us if Eirik started to screech (his newest trick). My husband and I both decided on Chipotle. I LOVE Chipotle and I honestly don't feel guilty eating their food because they are so dedicated to buying natural and organic food. I hadn't bought any food for Eirik because he really doesn't NEED to eat dinner at this stage. But, he was looking interested, so I figured what the heck. Well, apparently I have a Chipotle addict on my hands! I gave him some of my rice and beans and he kept opening his mouth for more! My husband was shocked he liked it because everything is very well seasoned. I then pointed out this is the child who loves hummus. Enough said.

I realized today that I have never had to make or buy baby food. Time AND money saved! Another pro for baby led solids!

And now, a fun picture of Eirik covered in Puffs. No one warned me these things stick to EVERYTHING.

Adventures in Home Fertility Testing!

As requested yesterday my Mic, here is a full review of the First Response Fertility Test for Women!

First let me state the only reason I performed this experiment is because I had the test laying around and I was suffering from POS (peeing on a stick) withdrawal. After spending 18 months peeing on pregnancy tests and ovulation sticks it was weird to suddenly... not be doing that! And I'm a science geek.. so I'm always up for a good experiment!

Let me just give you a little background on myself. I have borderline high FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). In Janurary of 2009 when I finally made it to the fertility specialist they of course ran a slew of tests on me. What came back was that my FSH was eleveated at 11.7. Thats not extremely high, but considering my age as well as my low antral follicle count it was a slight concern for my doctor.

But I guess I am getting ahead of myself here. Why do we care about FSH? ready for a small biology lesson? FSH initiates follicle growth! Those antral (aka small) follicles are rescued from cell death by FSH. Your FSH peaks on day 3 (hence why whe you go to a fertility specialist they always insist on that lovely day 3 testing. Its when your hormones do all those wonderful thigns to prepare your body for ovulation!).. Cause and effect! Normally all those small antral follicles will produce enough of a hormone called Inhibin B that will lower the FSH levels after this peak. Once a follicle matures is scretres estradoil which will cause an LH surge (this is what is measured by those lovely ovulation predictor kits!). In the second half of your period (the luteal phase) there is a transition of what hormones are playing a major role in your body. The levels of progesterone and estrogene decrease and therefore the FSH slowly increases... and then the whole cycle will start again after ovulation. Confused yet?

So why is high FSH bad? Well, high FSH is a sign of Menopause and poor ovarian reserve, both of which will affect your fertility. This is why FSH is considered one of the key tests of a woman's fertility. In other words if your FSH is high it means your body is trying to compensate for an absence of follicle response. But how high is too high? That honestly depends on what test is run. Like any diagnostic testing, the range is dependent upon the specific test kit that was used. Typically however anything under 10 is considered great and anything over 15 is considered bad. That middle area is a gray zone which varies from test to test.

Now, on to the fun part... the actual test! I read the directions last night becuase I knew there was no way I would remember them at 6am this morning. Unlike pregnancy and ovulation kits which tell you your result in a matter of minutes the fertility test requires you to wait a whopping 30 minutes before reading! It is also very clear that you should use it on the 3rd day of bleeding (remember that FSH surge should occur today!) and to make sure that you use first morning urine (or at least haven't peed in the last 4 hours). I have to say the test itself looks almost identical to their pregnancy test... in fact if it didn't say "fertility test for women" on the actual stick I would have thought it was a pregnancy test! Even that little pink control line looks the same!

So I peed on the stick and then went off to get myself ready for work. I showed, ate breakfast, fed the cats, and made my lunch. On a side note it was odd to pee on a stick and not feel tugs of anxiety as I waited for that second line to appear!

So, result time! According to the instructions if your FSH levels are normal then you should either see no second line or a second line that is lighter then the control line. If your FSH levels are abnormal you will see a line that is as dark or darker then the control line. My result?



If you're staring at that going "well... it may be darker... or maybe the same color... but i'm not sure" then you've got the same result as me!  Yes, I honestly can not tell if the line is darker or not. I held it up to the light, I tried looking at it from different angles, and each time I seemed to think either yes or no on the darker than answer. Personally if I hadn't already had my FSH tested this test would have been close enough to a "high" result to make me seek a doctor for bloodwork.

Overall my opinion? Don't waste your money. This test only tests your FSH levels which is just a very small part of the big picture of fertility. There are many other hormones that need to be tested as well as other diagnostic tests that need to be performed and this doesn't even take into account male fertility. The directions on the test say "if this comes up negative keep trying before seeing a doctor". You could be trying and then come to find out you have PCOS or a blocked tube and because a little stick said to keep trying you did!

Personally I feel that if you are concerned about your fertility for any reason you should speak up to your doctor. I know a lot of women are intimidated by the whole "you should wait a year" and honestly a lot of doctors brush off patients concerns. However if you've ever had "strange" cycles or "something seems off" keep trying until you find a doctor who will listen. I had doctor after doctor brush aside my concerns with a simple "you're young". I was told over and over again that I shouldn't worry even though I had a history of abnormal periods. And don't go to an OB/GYN... go to a fertility specialist. I had OB/GYN run hormone tests on me on the WRONG day of my cycle. It doesn't do any good to test your FSH levels on day 13!

I recommend that every women should read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health. This book is wonderful even if you have no intention of getting pregnant! It will explain to you how your body works and what all those hormones do. I, a biology major in college, learned a lot that I didn't know while reading this book!

So, in a nutshell, don't waste your money. If however you buy a box of first response pregnancy tests and you get a free fertility test then what the hell, give it a whirl! If nothing else you'll have fun squinting at the lines trying to decipher your result!

Welcome Back

Yesterday my period decided to return. Wonderful! It of course make its appearance at work with absolutely NO warning. No spotting, no cramping, nothing. One minute everything was hunky dorey and the next I was making a beeline for the bathroom, feminine product in hand. Thank god for black pants!

I guess I should be happy... its held off for almost 10 months, which is pretty nice. I know a lot of people who breastfeed get their period back by about 6 months. I have to admit 10 months of no bleeding and cramps has been WONDERFUL. But I have no idea what to expect now. I'm guessing it will take a few months for things to figure themselves out so i'll have a few wonky cycles. We'll see...

It also means my "fertility" has returned. I use that term in " " because I know my fertility sucked to begin with so I'm not taking much stock in suddenly being a fertile person. We are using preventative measures to not get pregnant, but sometimes I feel like these are just a waste of money considering how long it took to get pregnant the first time around. Then again, I do know a few people who have recently become pregnant who tried a long time for number 1... so maybe it is best to keep using preventative measures!

But, as an amusing experiment, i am going to test my fertility at home. How may you ask? The last time I picked up some pregnancy tests they came with a free fertility test! Apparently they now sell a stick that you pee on and it tells you if your hormone levels are high. I already know my hormone levels are high so it should be interesting to see what this little test tells me. I read the directions and it says to pee on a stick (of course you do, you always end up having to pee on a stick!) on the third day of bleeding with your first morning urine. So, tomorrow morning we'll try that little experiment and see what happens! Stay tuned for updates...

More Adventures In Cloth Diapers!

For Christmas Eirik got some new diapers! Its been a while since I've done a diaper review... mostly because its been a while since I've gotten new diapers! So, here are the latest additions to our stash. =) 

First up are Charlie Banana Diapers!

These diapers called to me because of the ADORABLE prints. In the cloth diaper world I've found its hard to find really cute boy prints. Its either solids or cute girl prints! These are a one size pocket diaper, which means they fit theoretically babies from birth to potty training. These diapers are very much in the shape and style of a fuzzibunz diaper... in fact their inserts are exactly the same size! There are some differences however. I've noticed that these are a bit trimmer and also the pocket for stuffing is in the front rather then the back. The idea for this is that baby poop goes up the back, not to the front, therefore you don't get poopy hands while removing the insert. I am sort of torn on the front stuff. I like it because it means that I don't have to worry about the insert hanging out the back (I have this issue sometimes) I do get wet hands when I have to remove the insert of the wet diapers because well, all the pee is right in the front so its SOAKED. Honestly however thats my only real complaint with the diaper! It fits Eirik wonderfully and has a super soft fleece inside! And come on, aren't those prints cute?! I wish it was summer so that I could let him run around in his diaper!

Next up I have EcoBumz!

These were purchased because they were a really great deal. I'll admit, i'm a sucker for a deal on fluff! These diapers are an all in one diaper which means no stuffing required... just wash and put on baby! No prep needed! They are organic as well, for those who are interested in that sort of thing. These are a 2 sized diaper... they have size 1 from 7 - 20lbs and then a size 2 from 20 - 35lbs. The inside of these diapers is a bamboo valour which honestly feels silky soft... its amazing. The outside is "recycled polyester
polyurethane laminate" to quote the webpage. These diapers are sold with hook and loop aplix or snaps. After being very dissapointed with some of my hook and loop diapers I opted for the snaps. In hindsight I sort of wish I had gone for hook and loop. My biggest negative on this dispaer is I am not thrilled with the way they fit because of how they snap. They fit him okay, but I'm just not 100% thrilled. I have no complaints other then that! We haven't had any leaks with these diapers and the inside is so super soft! 

Now for the Blueberry diapers! 

I've been eyeing these diapers for a while. Swaddlebees and Blueberry always get rave reviews, but I honestly couldn't justify spending a lot on new diapers since he had so many. But when they had a sale on their clearance diapers I HAD to act! I purchased 3 Blueberry One size pocket diapers! They again are one size so they fit from 10 - 35lbs. The diaper pictured is one of their one size delux, but I also purchased 2 of their one size minky. The minky ones are INSANELY soft on the outside. I have never actually wanted to cuddle with a diaper until I felt these! The inside of the diapers are actually just as soft as they are linked with a super soft fleece! Normally these diapers come with inserts however since I purchased the diapers as seconds on clearance they had no inserts included... so I am cheating and using Flip inserts instead. They fit perfectly and so far no leaks! I really am in love with these diapers. They fit well and are super soft and cute both inside and out! My only minor complaint is that they give Eirik a HUGE fluffy butt. They are not trim at all... but they are so adorable I really don't care! I have no fear that these diapers will fit him for quite a while with no worries! I also am very impressed with their hook and loop closure so far! They seem like they will hold up well over the numerous wash cycles! 

Lastly we have econobums

These I got on black friday as part of a surprise cloth diaper bundle. For X number of dollars I would get at least 2 diapers plus one diaper accessory. It honestly wasn't something I would have purchased myself. I have done the whole "cover with insert" thing. I have the flip diaper, which while I am okay with it is not my go to diaper anymore. Honestly we used this once to try it out and since then it has been put aside to use as our backup diaper. This option is really great for those who are looking to cloth diaper on a tight budget! But i'll be perfectly honest in saying that the cover looks and feels cheap. Honestly we never used the prefold that it came with, we used a flip insert because the cover is the same size as a flip cover. Again, this isn't a diaper I would purchase myself at this point, but when I first started using cloth and was on a tighter budget I would have considered it. 

A final note on cost. The idea behind the econobum diaper is that you can do cloth without spending a fourtine. The price of cloth diapers can be overwhelming! I know when I did the math at how much it would cost to fill my stash with new pocket diapers I was hit with sticker shock! Pocket diapers run about 16 - 20 dollars each new for many of the popular brands.. but many are even more then that! (I am dying to try rump a rooz diapers but I can't bring myself to spend that much on a diaper yet!) Even though I KNEW in the long run I would save money thinking of spending that much money up front was daunting for me. I've built my stash up slowly hunting for deals online. Websites such as mamabargins, babyhalfoff, oliviaplace, ecobabybuys, and zulily have all had amazing diaper sales! I'm sure other sites have had good deals too, but these are sites i've purchased them from. Also companies will do specials on diapers which are considered "seconds" or when they discontinue a style. Right now BumGenius is having a huge clearance deal on their sized all in one diapers which has me tempted to buy a few! Instead of spending 16 - 20 dollars on a diaper you can get a steal for as low as 9 or 10 dollars... which is the EXACT same price as the econobums. And thats if you insist on buying new diapers... used diapers can be found online by either purchasing or trading! 

Before I end this insanely long post, I want to talk about diaper sprayers. I could spend an entire post talking about these, but i'll condense it down to a few sentences. The poop factor is what everyone says when talking about cloth "EWW POOP!" Until Eirik was 6 months old I didn't worry about poop because breastfed babies poop is water soluble. But once he started on solids suddenly I had to deal with the poop issue. Enter, the diaper sprayer! This is a WONDERFUL device. I simply turn it on, spray, and the poop goes into the toilet and gets flushed away! I will confess here that it took a few tries for me to get the sprayer adjusted to the correct pressure and figure out the best way to hold said diaper over the toilet... but I honestly can't imagine dealing with the poop any other way. I don't think with a diaper sprayer there is a large difference between brands. I'm honestly not 100% sure what brand mine is!

Laser Pointers - Fun For the Family!

So last night Eirik was a grump... he didn't do well with his second nap and by about 6pm both my husband and I were at our wits end to keep him happy. He had reached that point where no matter what we did, he would yell. Sometimes I almost miss the days when he would just cry... the yelling and screetching is more ear peircing! Anyway... I got the idea that we should let hte cats amuse him! I mean, come on, the cats will get exercise and attention and everyone will be happy! So I pulled out... the laser pointer!

Any cat owner will tell you that cats LOVE this thing. Even the cat that HATES toys will go insane for the laser pointer. ALL my cats love it, but the 2 of them go absolutely crazy. The one cat even knows what it looks like and starts getting excited when he sees the pointer in my hand. So I pull it out and instantly Eirik ls giggling as the cats chase the little red dot around the floor. My cats don't hold back when chasing this thing... they will leap up walls and sometimes do interesting jumps to try and get it!



After a while of this Eirik decided to crawl in and join the fun.



Note the orange blur on the left side of the picture. That is Sebastian running away from Eirik. Yes, he's still petrified of the baby... he's an odd cat. Anyway... at first I thought Eirik was going after the cats. He LOVES the cats. But no... I quickly realized I was mistaken...



Yes, he too wanted to chase the little red dot! At this point I was about dying of laughter. Sadly the battery in the laser pointer died shortly after this... thankfully it was bath time just about anyway.

So, if you have cats, a baby, and a laser pointer, you now have a new way to entertain your grumpy child!

Hugs and Kisses!

There are lots of rewarding moments being a parent... that first time they smile at you, the first laugh, when you come in the room and they crawl over to you as fast as they can... and now I can add hugs and kisses to that list!

The kisses actually started a few weeks ago. I noticed that sometimes when I would hold him he would open his mouth and bring his face up to mine and "kiss" me. Its really too cute! But now we've started to hug as well! The other night I was sitting on the floor with him and he crawled into my lap, pulled himself up to standing and wrapped his arms around my neck, laying his head on my shoulder. To say my heart melted would be an understatement.

Eirik is not a really cuddly baby... he wants to move and do his own thing a lot of the time. The only time he really wants to cuddle is when I put him to bed. The rest of the time he takes his few seconds of cuddle time and then he's off again, recharged and ready to play. Even when I breastfeed he is squirming away, kicking at me or tugging on my clothing.

I'm loving this new cuddly side.

Clapping, Teething, and Sleeping Oh My!

First off, clapping has been captured on video!! Please excuse my husbands lack of enthusiasm... he thought I was taking a picture and he hates having his picture taken.



We are doing another round of MAJOR teething. I thought Christmas was bad... oy... this is worse. The whining and fussing and general grumpiness!! Eirik has also discovered screaming... so needless to say things have been fun around here. Anything that could be gnawed on is... i'm SO ready for these top two teeth to make an appearance!

Sleeping well... its better.... thats for sure. If for no other reason that now I make my husband get up with him if its only been 1 or 2 hours since I fed him. I'm not night weaning him per say (another topic for another time!)... but i'm getting him used to not being nursed back to sleep every time he wakes up. Mommy is tired!! But, overall, I think we're still doing better then before. Right now we're struggling with an early wake up but I think that's due to a very damp diaper so we're going back to changing him somewhere between midnight and 2am when he wakes up to eat to see if that helps.

He is now exclusively in his crib. To say this was a tough move for me is an understatement... I was NOT ready to move him but he obviously was. He sleeps better and longer now... and I have to admit after the first few nerve wrecking nights so do I. This weekend I even officially took down the cosleeper after realizing that it had been weeks since he actually slept in it. He was either in his own crib or sleeping in the middle of the bed between my husband and I. It was sad for me to do so, because it was yet another sign that my baby is growing up. Of course if he ever wants to come back into bed with us, or starts not sleeping well in his crib, i'll gladly move him back in. But for now the arrangement works for us.

And finally a few pictures! I FINALLY got a picture of the two bottom teeth! Sort of... look closely and you'll see teeth!! That's his "please let me eat mom" look...



Need a great way to entertain your child? Get a box and a cat! The cat will sit in the box and the baby will have a blast trying to close the box up with said cat inside.



After the baby gets bored of this (or the cat runs away), take the cat out of the box and put the baby in!



If that fails, pull out the Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube!

9 Month Favorite Things!

Interested in what Eirik loves at the moment? =)

My cats - still a hit! Though not as much as before. I think some of the novelty of them is wearing off!

The piano - he still loves to play it... now he walks up and down it playing the keys. Its cute because he can't see what he's doing.

Mozart Magic Cube - I picked this up at a consignment sale a few months ago. It was a great price and i'd heard wonderful things about it. Well, at first Eirik really wasn't sure about it. He didn't really get how it worked so he'd try and roll it around on the floor and then get bored with it. Well, he finally figured out how it works at now its a HUGE hit. Its the toy that I pull out when I need 15 minutes to do dishes or just take a mental mommy break. It will easily occupy him for that long... longer then ANY other toy we have.

Fisher Price Rumble and Learn Drive - He got this for christmas after my friend commented how every time he was at her house he loved the one she had. He really does enjoy it! It doesn't hold his attention quite as long as the mozart cube, but its a good second place. It was the one toy on Christmas that he went for ASAP!

The bath - he LOVES bathtime. He loves splashing as much as he can and soaking everything near by. He also loves trying to stand in the bathtub. We're working on curbing that one....

Books - he is REALLY getting into books now! He likes to be read too, but also enjoys looking at them alone. He is trying to turn pages but doesn't quite have the fine motor skills for it yet... but he likes to grab a whole book and flip it back and forth and back and forth. There are a few books he can turn the pages on.

Anything he can push/pull up on - if he can pull up and push something, he loves it. Boxes, laundry baskets, coffee tables, etc.

Paper - yes, he loves paper... its fun! He loves to tear it, and then tries to eat it too.

Plastic plates - i don't get this one... but he loves those round plastic plates... he likes to hold them, flip them over and over, and then smack them into his leg...... have i mentioned I have an odd child?

New Year, New Tricks!

So to ring in the new year Eirik decided to start clapping! Yesterday morning he and I were playing and all of a sudden he just started to clap his hands together, grinning while he did it! Of course I was thrilled to bits and promptly took him upstairs to share the news with my husband! I tried in vain to get him to clap again... the little stinker refused. But then my husband casually decided to go "oh, well, I saw him do it last night". I told him that in my book he just did it for the first time, last night didn't count.

No video yet of this new trick because he absolutely refuses to clap when I try and get him too... and when he does start clapping he stops as soon as he sees the camera! He was however doing it more this morning too... so hopefully soon video will be taken!

In the meantime you'll have to settle of video of him pushing a box into the christmas tree. Don't worry, he didn't topple the tree!!



And now I must go because he has decided that he only needed a 45minute nap this morning. Its going to be a long day!

New Years Resolutions

Every year I try and come up with at least one resolution... something big that I really want to stick to and something that will honestly affect my life in a positive way. I never go for the whole "i'm going to loose weight" or "i'm going to get out of debt" or something vague like that... I go for a real goal with a realistic endpoint. Last years goal was to keep an accurate budget for the entire year... and overall I did pretty good! I slipped up a bit (especially when I was on maternity leave!) but overall I kept track of almost every penny spent. I realized where I am spending too much and it made me take an honest look at my earnings and what is being wasted. It was very shocking to me during the first few months to realize just how much money I was wasting on things like buying coffee or eating lunch out! Its very easy to justify buying that coffee because "its only 2 dollars" but a few times a week over a month really ads up!

This year one of my resolutions is to eat more locally grown produce. Last year a friend of mine did a food share co-op with a farm near her and after seeing what she was getting I decided this year I was going to investigate doing one as well! I have found a few farms in the area and priced it out and for a 24 week food share it will only cost you 34 dollars a week... and for that you get an assortment of fruits and vegetables, eggs, and fresh bread every week. To say I am excited about this is an understatement! My mom always used to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in the garden and I can honestly say no store bought tomato ever compared to one fresh from my moms garden. I'm so excited about fresh produce this summer and fall!

I am also going to continue with tracking my money better and make myself a real budget and stick to it seriously. Last year I decided I would just observe, but this year I am going to actually be proactive! The reason I wanted to track money for a year is because over the year my expenses changed so I can get an accurate idea of how much money I need for what bills at what time of the year.

2011 is shaping up to be a big year for me. My husband and I are planning on putting our house on the market in April or May which is nerve wrecking to say the least! We both agree that now we have Eirik we need to move to a more family friendly area. I also need to move closer to potential job opportunities, as where I am located now is really not great for the market I am trying to get in to. The housing market in our area is not good... thankfully we didn't suffer too badly with the housing bust, however the area is not stellar and there are a lot of houses for sale in the area. We're really going to have to do some work on the house to make it shine to potential buyers.

All in all, I'm excited to see what 2011 throws at me!