Saturday, February 6

SnOMG 2010 & Happy Birthday To Me!

Sooooooo here's why  my lifelong dream to have a pool party on my birthday will NEVER happen (unless we move)...

 
my parents' backyard in SnOMG 2010
We're snowed in at my parents' house again! The Baltimore/Washington area got record breaking snowfall for our region. Something like 27-30 inches. It's stupid.

This time we decided to head south of Bmore to my parents' place BEFORE the storm hit, so we arrived Friday afternoon.  It snowed and snowed and then this morning at 7:30 a.m. the power went out and stayed out for 9 long hours.

There were only three things that worked: Charm City Daddy's laptop--on which we watched comedy shows (thanks to iTunes). My dad's Bose iPod speaker--which provided great dance music for me, mom and Olivia. The gas cooktop--on which we made breakfast and dinner--chili!

   
my lil' bro roasting toast

By 12 noon, there was a noticeable nip in the air, and we had to dance to keep warm. We LOVE dancin'!!
 

Their fireplace has an electronic lighter, so all we could do is watch the temperature drop on the remote and suffer.

I documented some of the boredom  suffering. 
Dad (aka "the FEMA director" today)
 
Mom (and Merlot)
 
 
       Charm City Daddy (look who's gotten hip to the odds of appearing on this blog)
 
 
my birthday drink of choice- Vodka sour!
 
modeling my snow shoveling fashion - a hat my little bro sewed in middle school.
 
 
The lights (and heat) came on just in time for dessert...birthday ice cream cake from CCD--which was sooo good. No dry cake-all ice cream and the crust was cookie. Thanks Babe.

I was supposed to be at the spa today getting the royal treatment (and CCD spilled that he had made dinner reservations), but I definitely had more fun laughing and spending time with the family.  I couldn't have planned a better birthday. Oh, and I'm 29!!

Friday, February 5

Let's Potty!

Five months into motherhood and three months into cloth diapering I've definitely formed my preferences on what I use and when I use it. Here goes...



1. gDiapers - Great hybrids for travel or excursions when you don't want to carry around soiled cloth diapers. Sleeker, more fitted than pockets or all-in-one's (hence great for newborns) but there are drawbacks when explosive poos happen. This diaper has never leaked on us, but the disposable liner often cannot contain all of the #1 or #2 and the plastic pocket holding it as well as the cloth cover often become the 2nd and 3rd lines of defense and end up soiled as well. So you will find yourself changing the entire set, not just the disposable lining as intended. These diapers are very expensive and no cheaper than disposables. Olivia outgrew the smalls, and I am reluctant to buy medium covers and liners to start over again.  Also *clears throat*, I do not recommend flushing these "flushable" disposable liners even in big commercial toilets. One Sunday, Charm City Daddy and I were in tears from laughing so hard about the hurting we put on a brunch buffet, and the punishment Olivia did to the bathroom of the same establishment. Ahhh, our happy little, destructive family.

2. Giggle Infant Bath Seat - Olivia took her first bath in this little seat (which sits in the big tub) and will still be using this seat until she is at least 7 or 8 months old. It allows baby to lay back with head support and the seat has a hole that allows it to fill with water to immerse the vital areas.  I wrote a review on the Giggle website months ago that says it all.

3. Giggle Organic Pre-Folds - Thick, soft, absorbent, washes clean and easily the best pre-fold on the market. They make other pre-folds look like 1-ply toilet paper. I used these more when Olivia was on the small side--between 8-10 lbs, but keep them around as emergency backups. I wrote a review on the Giggle website for these as well. Five Stars! Use with Snappi Diaper Fasteners.

4. BumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diapers - Easy to use. Easy to clean. Easy to size (adjustable). I just said easy three times! Each time they come out of the wash, I am always amazed to see how clean they get considering the damage Olivia can do. I must admit Olivia moving to solids has taken cloth diapering to a new level. I mean, you can't really look at poo as poo anymore. It's more like play-doh or something. 

Also Great: A&D and Balmex Daily Skin Protective Ointment for when we use disposables while traveling or when Olivia needs a little added moisturizing, protection.

I hope these gear reviews are helping gift givers, moms, and moms-to-be out there! I know I read lots of mommy blogs and reviews (still am!) gearing up for Olivia.

*I was not compensated or gifted any of these items for the purpose of this review.

Monday, February 1

CCB's One Year Anniversary

Charm City Baby (the blog) turned one today!

One year later and 155 posts later, I still love logging on and sharing funny stories and pictures about our new little family---and other little things that pop up.

 
daddy and baby in matching sweaters

Do you like what you see? What would you like to see more of? Are you a subscriber? If not, please hit the button on the bottom and subscribe, so you don't miss a thing!

Thank you for following us!