Advice about Advice??

I know, I know. I've been M.I.A. for the past month. I apologize if I've made you lose faith in my blog-writing predictability. I will promise to make once-a-week blog-writing one of my New Year's Resolutions. I do have good excuses... most of them attributed to our little angel. Bella decided it was time to start waking up numerous times throughout the night - just in time for our trip to The States. Fantastic. We were looking forward to a few nights out, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Oh well. I suppose that's what parenthood is about. We'll make do (and save money too!)
What else has happened this past month??? Hmm... Bella has started pulling herself up and getting in to everything. She doesn't think she needs to hold on with two hands (or even one hand occasionally) and that makes for some pretty nasty bumps on the noggin.

What I've learned this past month

I suppose I mainly spent my month learning a lot about being a mom. The most important thing I've learned is that parenthood can be extremely difficult and sometimes you just need to talk to someone who can listen, and listen well. I found myself completely desperate and in tears after a week of struggling to get her to fall asleep, only to have her wake up 20 minutes later. I'm seriously lacking support here, and it meant a lot to me to have my friends and family back home encouraging me and telling me, "you're doing just fine. Trust yourself. This is temporary. We're here for you."
I think one of the hardest things about being a new parent (besides learning to type with one hand) is the moment when things start going hay-wire and your parenting philosophy is put to the test. Alex and I have decided that we don't want to use the Ferber method of letting your baby "cry it out". I know it's probably the most common thing to do, and I have no problem with other people doing it, but we choose to use other methods instead. Of course, the Ferber method is the easiest thing to do because it gets the job done quickly. But, after reading "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley, we're trying a step-by-step approach that requires an ENORMOUS amount of effort and energy from us at the moment, but in the end, we hope we accomplish a sounder sleep without too much undue stress. I bring this up because I have about a bizzilion friends who are pregnant at the moment with baby #1 and I wanted to share something I've learned:

If you feel strongly about something, stick to your guns. Follow your intuition. There will always be someone, a friend even, who will tell you that what you are doing is "wrong." Hailey said it best when she said, "there is no RIGHT way in parenting. " It's good to be open to helpful ideas and some moms are really good about sharing ideas, but avoiding unsolicited advice. Most people appreciate helpful ideas that start like, "Have you tried.." or, "I did... when Jebediah was just a lad" It's much nicer than hearing, "You need to..." or "Why are you doing that" or, "What THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!" (Ok, no one has ever used that last remark, but sometimes tone of voice and expression speak louder than words.)I've learned that parenting isn't easy, and instead of judging each other and making snide comments about how So and So is undoubtedly screwing up his kids beyond repair, we should be supporting each other. Even if we don't choose the same techniques or follow the same philosophy, we all need someone who will be there just to listen and say, "you're doing just fine...." or "Have you tried..." That's one helpful idea my friend, Esther, gave me (and she's usually full of good ideas).

The last thing I've learned is that after a terribly long week of failing miserably what you really need is someone to say to you, "Go have some time for yourself. I'll watch the baby for a couple hours." AAAAHHH! Heaven.

Halloween

Halloween night. Hippies and vampires roam the streets in unity, kids stay up extra late due to excessive sugar intake, adults welcome the excuse to dress up and act silly, black cats and witches come out to play...

and so do new moms of seven month-old baby girls!

I was worried the entire week beforehand because Bella typically wakes up around midnight every night and will only go back to bed with a midnight snack from mommy. If she doesn't get what she wants, she gets ANGRY. All went well, though. Los Ya Yos (The Grandparents) did us a huge favor and came over to stay with Bella while I went out to the biggest party in town: the annual Halloween party at The Bohemian.

Alex, Bella and I spent the day at The Bohemian decorating and preparing for our big night with the help from friend and fellow bartender, Veronica and her boyfriend, Iñaki. It takes AGES, but it's always worth it in the end. We get more and more customers dressed up in costume each year, and this year, they happened to do quite a bit of drinken'.
Alex grew his facial hair for an entire month and a half to be an old western bar man. He looked fantastic and made a killer Sweet Blood cocktail.

I went as a dark angel, complete with black feathered wings, and did some socializing with Amy Winehouse and a scary-looking clown that was really good on the inside.

Veronica went as the Corpse Bride in a costume she and her mother made from scratch. (p.s that's not her real hair)

At around 3 am, I hung up my wings, and picked up my baby girl who had slept peacefully until 2:30 am when Paquita gave her a bottle and changed her. We were happy to see each other, and relieved to know that we can survive a night apart from each other.

Alex and Veronica kept on mixing until around 5am when they put away their Boston shakers and closed the doors on another successful Halloween night at The Bohemian.

Adventures in Body Parts with the Polo Bunches

My right hand was hurting a few days ago. It was sore from clutching the NEW CAMERA we finally bought after saving for these past few months! It's amazing. I'm, by far, no expert so have enlisted myself in a self-taught crash course in photography 101, which, in a nutshell is me messing with all the manual settings and taking a load of pictures until I eventually get one or two that are decent enough to keep. Alex is much more knowledgeable. He's taken photography courses and knows all about aperture, speed, lighting... blah blah blah. He tries to give me quick mini lessons when he has a free minute, but that doesn't happen too often. I'm loving it, though, despite the hundreds of recycle bin bound shots and the hand and finger pain.

Ari is no longer the only mischevious little rascal. Bella has been promoted.

Besides my snap-happy fingers, other body parts in our family have noteworthy news. Arabella's legs (but mostly arms) have been working full-force this week. She has reached what some may refer to as the "crawling" stage. I see it more as "slithering." She's still not got the strength to be up on her knees, but that hasn't stopped her. She's already all over the place, and it's totally freakin' me out. I got up early this morning and "baby-proofed" the living room. Basically, I just rearranged the furniture so I could place our heater safely behind the liquor cabinet (so if it ever gets too chaotic, I'll have a warm, safe haven to drown out my sorrows. Just kidding!) and moved all the electronics back so she can't get her little fingers on all the buttons. She's obsessed with the computer mouse and seems to be gravitationally drawn to every cable in sight.

Alex's fingers also deserve honorable mention, particularly his ring finger. Last Saturday, after a busy night at The Bohemian, Alex was washing a glass that had been the happy home to the famous "Bohemian Cocktail" when it suddenly shattered in his hand. When he finally got home, several hours and three stitches later, he had a woeful story to tell me and an appointment for a tetanus booster shot. FUN TIMES!

Like a dutiful, snap-happy student, I didn't miss this opportunity

Lastly, this week's bodily adventures would not be complete if we failed to mention Bella's poor little gums. Just this morning I felt the ridges of her first tooth! It must have poked through last night. It's about time. I swear to god, she's been teething for the past four months. There's one more little bump where her next tooth should be pushing through within the next few days (I hope). I'm counting on that, at least, for some well-deserved relief, and maybe, if we're lucky, some longer sleep stretches!

Little Girls Don't Wear Black

And they apparently get their ears pierced two days after they're born. At least they do here.

God love the pink outfits. They are darling and dainty and delicate and I tend to find myself being drawn to them again, as if I were magically whisked back to my "pink passion" youth, but Heaven FORBID if I want to dress my little rascal up in something less typical. I mean, where's all the black?? It's not like I want to dress her up like a goth queen, or anything, but a little variation would be nice. When do little girls graduate to the full color spectrum in Valencia??

This outfit is A-Ok. She will be blessed with friends galore!

I have been studying Baby Fashion here, and these are my findings:
Pink is the norm. If you dress you're little girl in pink, she will be fully accepted and everyone will know she's a little girl. It's safe.

Sometimes you can find purple, but it's challenging. I've yet to find something in my beloved indigo.

Red is ok, and it even goes well with dark gray, which inches us closer to black. But that's where it ends. Chocolate brown? Nope. That's for boys. We have one pair of brown pants (see above pic) that were bought here, but they're decorated with rhinestones to feminize them.

Oh my! Stripes, dots and The Chili Peppers?? Guess we know who will be playing alone in the sandbox.

Dark blue? Only if it's paired with pink. Otherwise, if you have a little baldy who doesn't have her ears pierced, it'll be assumed she's a boy. (Seriously, many people have asked us if Arabella is a boy and when we say "no", they respond with, "oh well since she doesn't have earrings..." Weird, huh?)

As you all know from previous posts (and from being my friends for ages), I'm not one to follow a trend. I wear what I like whether it's "in" or not. But I have a lot of fun with clothes, and ask anyone who has a daughter, baby girls are so fun to dress up! Pink is feminine and fresh and freakin' ADORABLE but I'm missing the black!

The cute Babylegs that Grandma sent us, help expand Arabella's wardrobe!

Oh Seattle! Home of Grunge and dreary weather, just you wait until we get there!!! There is some heavy duty shopping to be done... homemade black t-shirts with those cool appliqued drawings ... dark blue crushed velvet pants... baby Birkenstocks ;-) ...

How Do You Like THEM Apples?

I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that she'd say, "NOT SO MUCH."

Happy One Year, Mi Amor!!

Monday, September 29th, Alex and I celebrated our one-year anniversary! Both of us had planned to do something special for the other, but the week before we decided that with the lack of funds and the stress of all these big changes taking place, we'd just do something simple and relaxing. We spent the day as a family and then after Arabella went to sleep, the two of us made a romantic dinner together. We opened a bottle of wine from our wedding and got drunk off of one glass! We are now officially lightweights.
After dinner we talked about our life and our dreams and then we danced like circus performers to "The Wine Song" by The Cat Empire. For a night completely improvised, it was spectacular!

Gooey Faced Arabella

Arabella had her first bite of rice cereal this week. She seems to like it, and knows what she's supposed to do, so on we go! Of course, the consistency was nearly liquid, and for the first feeding I used my finger, so it wasn't too hard to figure out! A few days later, I used a silicone spoon and she opened up wide when it came dripping towards her. I think we'll try either apples or bananas next. It's so fun to see the expressions she makes.Sorry, I don't have any of those pictures with the food all over her face. So far, she has proven to be quite the tidy eater.

Long Wait, Quick Ride

We waited 45 minutes for our bus today. We waited 45 minutes for a journey that takes 15 on foot. I was getting so pissed off because I saw the bus parked at the previous bus-stop. It just sat there for ages. Of course the whole time I was thinking about how many times I could have walked home instead of just standing there, but it was good ol' Murphy's Law that kept us there, "I've already waited this long, and I know that as soon as I start walking, the bus will come."
**Luckily we were surrounded by a beautiful rose garden with fountains and green foliage as far as the eye could see... Just kidding. This picture has nothing to do with the story. ;-)


I was ready to give the driver a piece of my mind: we were cutting into Bella's bedtime and you just don't fool around with a baby's bedtime routine. It's like a science, man! When we finally got on, however, I went to put my bus pass in the machine, and the poor driver had to do it manually. Turns out the machine was down. It took about five minutes for him to give up on the other machine and just punch my pass with a paper hole puncher. Meanwhile, another girl had got on and was also waiting for him to validate her pass... I could just imagine him having to go through this procedure AND try to drive the bus through the whole route, which made me glad our ride was a short one. Talk about dangerous!

Ends up, it was shorter than ever. We made it two stops before the entire bus broke down! Apparently, he'd used up all the battery power on the machine!!! I was watching him pushing all these buttons that kept beeping and flashing and then finally the engine seized. The poor guy, he seemed so desperate. He couldn't even get out of the busdriver's chair because the counter wouldn't open. He had to up jump over. I suppose that's the down-side of electric busses.

In the end, we walked home anyway. There could have been another bus right around the corner, but I didn't want to risk it. Bella missed out on the entire adventure. She said, "to heck with my bedtime routine. I'm pretty comfy pressed up to my mommy in my Ergo!" She went right back to sleep again once we got home.

Arabella Cuteness

For the grandparents... Here she is again. Laughing her head off!


And here is the link to my Youtube page... You can check out the other videos of her (laughing, mostly ;-) www.youtube.com/user/geminiprincess77

Big Changes on the Horizon

Things are about to get exceedingly more hectic around here (and no, I'm not pregnant again ;-))

We are investing in our future... Alex is going back to school to get a degree in graphic design, most likely Web Design or 3D Design. He is so thrilled about this. In my opinion, it is what he's always been meant to do. It just fits him. It's like Merry doing interior design. There was no question about it. She was already designing floor plans in the fifth grade. ;-) Alex is similar.

Isn't this exciting news??!!!! It means that Alex will be doing something he absolutely loves and, essentially, it makes our long-term future a bit less shaky. Unfortunately, though, it makes the next three years tumultuous. Alex will have class five days a week from 9am-2pm, then he'll have to work from 7pm to close (between 1 and 2 am usually... around 4am on the weekends). I already feel bad for him. He thinks that he will be able to do it, though, because he'll be inspired by what he's learning. Who knew he was such the optimist?
I will be doing a very important job as well - taking care of Arabella and running the household - but I will also be working at least half time from home. I just started this past week with my classes again, and so far so good. We hired a nanny/babysitter to be with Arabella while I'm teaching. She's a Bulgarian girl who has been living in Valencia for the past nine years. She's very nice. Arabella laughs and plays and seems to have fun with her.

Since Alex will be tied up with his classes, I've offered to put my bossiness to good use at The Bohemian when I can get down there in the afternoons. I'll be participating more with the managerial side of running the bar (the part that Alex hates. I LOVE it. See Geoff and Tammy? My bossiness has served a purpose!)

So our next three years are going to require a lot of work, being very conservative financially (we aren't going to take out a loan, so we will just have to make monthly payments) and even more patience with each other if we want to make it through alive.

The exciting news is that there is the option of doing a fourth year to finish up the degree in England. Alex is already researching the different universities that offer top end design programs, and has found quite a few grants that we might be eligible for. Huh, I may be moving to ANOTHER foreign country. Yikes!

Well, there you have it. This all starts in October. Cross your fingers for us and send us lots of positive energy. I'm sure I will be reporting back on our progress from time to time ;-)

Our Hard Headed Girl

Thursday night I dreamt that Alex had left Arabella on the couch for only a split second, and while he wasn't looking, she reached for Gaia, fell on on her face and scraped and bloodied herself up big time.

The next day I kept teasing Alex to make sure to keep an eye on her, to be careful with her, not to drop her... etc.

I'm sure you can all see where this is going....

Friday night. This is how it all played out:

I was sitting in front of my computer, savoring each sip of the rare glass of wine I allow myself these days, when very faintly in the background I heard cries coming from our baby monitor. I jumped up, grabbed my glass of wine and my glass of water (one can never be too careful with alcohol while breastfeeding), ran them to the kitchen (one can also never be too careful with a cat named Gaia) and took off running to our bedroom.

From her cries, I knew something had happened. I opened the bedroom door to complete and absolute darkness. I had closed the shutters and pulled the blinds earlier that day to keep it cool and couldn't see a damn thing. Of all the days to do that... I didn't need to see her, though, to know she had fallen. Her screams were coming from too far away to be in bed. My heart was pounding so hard. Stumbling and fumbling, I finally found the light switch and ran over to my poor little baby, scared to death on the the TILED floor. She had rolled all the way over to the other side and right off. All I could think was, "Oh my god - my dream. Oh my god - my dream."She stopped crying almost immediately after I picked her up. I, on the other hand, kept shaking for nearly another half an hour.

She's ok; pretty much left unscathed. It must have been pretty terrifying for her in that moment. One last turn and you're flying through the air and then... hello floor. OOOOWWWWWWW!

As for my dream/premonition, I wish I could hone in on the skill and use it to my advantage. Wouldn't we all love to have a little internal warning system? The same thing happened the day my dog, Mia, died. The movie "Pet Cemetery" popped into my head upon waking. "Huh. That was a good movie," I thought. Then, on my way to work, trucks kept cutting me off, one after another. I remember thinking, "There is something about trucks today."

Sure enough, there was. My dog was hit and killed by one that very afternoon.

Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Unfortunately, I have so many vivid dreams, I can never tell which ones are warnings and which ones are just manifestations of all the pent up craziness I have inside. What to do, what to do... I guess, I must accept the fact that I am a mere human and try to protect the people I love the best way I know how - by paying attention, by being vigilant and careful (and by covering every hard surface with soft, squishy pillows). ;-)

Choosing Cloth Diapers (Updated)

Entering the world of cloth can be a daunting endeavor. My first week of cloth diaper research left my head spinning with dreams of prefolds and pocket diapers. No kidding. I had nightmares about diapers. Talk about stress!!!

So, here it is - a post to save you a bit of sanity.

Here you will find the differences between the various types of cloth diapers, some of my recommendations, and links to online stores.

Prefolds
Pros:

• Trim
• CHEAP
• Simple
• "It's like doing paperwork" in Alex's words.
  

Cons:

• Learning Curve
• Not very absorbent (must change frequently)
• Need a cover
  

Where to buy:
www.greenmountaindiapers.com (I've read that these are the best. They apparently fit really well, so you don't have to adjust the rise by folding.)
www.jilliansdrawers.com
www.abbyslane.com
The last two are fantastic websites to buy a great selection of different diapers. I've used them both.

Prefolds are probably what you think of when you think "cloth diapers".

They are nice, thick pieces of absorbent fabric, (traditionally cotton) that you fold and snap on with a Snappi (one of the best inventions EVER!)

Afterward you put on a pretty, colorful cover (can be wool or with PUL liner)


Contours
Pros:

• Trim
• Cheap
• Easier to put on than Prefolds
• Great for newborns, at least I thought so.

Cons:

• More leaks.
• Must wash covers more often.
• Not very absorbent

Contours are similar to prefolds, but are already shaped like a diaper, which makes clasping them on a Snap. They do tend to leak, however, so you have to make sure your cover is tight around the legs and high enough up in the back to prevent poo explosions. YUCKY!

Pockets

Pros:

• Easy to use

• Varying degrees of absorbency
  
• Perfect for outings
  
• Simple for babysitters, grandparents...etc

Cons:

• More expensive
• Frumpier
  

I love pockets. You have your diaper (usually with a fleece lining that pulls the moisture away from your baby and keeps them dry longer), and all you have to do is stuff an insert in the pocket. You can change the absorbency by adding doublers or thicker inserts..etc. NO COVER REQUIRED!

Recommendations:

• Bumgenius - The #1 selling diaper on the market. These diapers are fantastic and they work well for naps too! I use the 3.0 one-size Bum Genius dipes almost exclusively when we're out and about. SOOO many stores carry them.
  
• Green Acre Designs - Some of you have been eyeing my beautiful plum colored diaper with the words "Sweet Girl"embroidered on the back. Look no further- the most gorgeous, unique pockets EVER!
  

Fitteds
Pros:

• SUPER DUPER CUTE!
• Very Trim
• Varying degrees of absorbency
• Ideal for newborns (if you can find a small enough size)
  

Cons:

• It's a shame that you have to put covers over the cuteness
  
• Can be more expensive since you have to buy "sizes" (although you can also find "one-size fitteds"
  
• Sometimes lots of snaps can be confusing and time consuming

Fitteds are my favorite at the moment. I love all the choices of prints that you can find. Plus, you can also find some very very absorbent dipes out there.

Recommendations:

• Kissaluvs fitteds size 0 for newborns. (Jillians Drawers or Abbeyslane both carry them)
  
• Muttaqins 3-step-rise or fitteds. (3-step-rise are one-size diapers. Translation: You have an excuse to pay more for these expensive, but ridiculously CUTE diapers. WARNING! the snaps can be confusing) www.muttaqinbaby.com
• Baby Behinds (Abbeyslane carries them) - My favorite nighttime diaper along with
• Cricketts Diapers www.crickettsdiapers.com for naps.
• Hyena Cart www.hyenacart.com is full of amazing diaper stores owned by Work-at-Home Moms. My favorites are: Bagshot Row Bamboo, Arabesque Baby and The Fanciful Fanny. I have heard that Clothmopolitan's diapers are really well-made, and their prints are to die for!
  

Flats
Flats are the diapers that our mamas put on us when we were babies. They require some folding, but I've heard good things about them. I don't have any in my diaper stash, but it seems that you can find some super absorbent bamboo or hemp ones with cute prints on Hyena Cart.

All-in-Ones
Pros:

• The easiest to use.
• Don't need a cover
• Don't need ANYTHING ELSE!

Cons:

• Take longer to dry.
• Bulkier
• Frumpier

As the names implies, these are diapers that are ready to go as-is. I don't use them, as I think pockets are pretty damn simple, but many moms love them.

Ok, now you know the difference between the diapers. The next step is deciding on which ones you want to start with. A word to the wise: try a few of each. I bought waaaay too many prefolds and contours to start with and not enough fitteds, which are PERFECT for newborns.

Well, there you have it. I hope this post has helped to alleviate your spinning mind. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

She's got a Ticket to Ride

It's official; Arabella has dual-citizenship! We just got her Spanish passport today (her American passport arrived a few weeks ago). What a lucky girl! Now she can travel all over the world (including Cuba :-)) and can live and work anywhere in the European Union or The United States. I'm so jealous. Well, wait! I guess I have the same privileges now, except the Cuba part.

I hope she takes advantage of the endless opportunities. I can't even express how much I've learned from living in a foreign country, trying to speak a foreign language. It's been an invaluable experience.

While Arabella will obviously grow up speaking both Spanish and English, I truly hope she learns a third language at some point. How humbling it is to lose your ability to communicate - to try to express yourself using the simplest sentences you can put together, and to know you don't sound nearly as educated as you are. It makes you think twice about how you treat foreigners in your home country. It teaches you patience. It can make you completely uncomfortable and awkward, yet sometimes, if you really work hard, it gives you a feeling of complete satisfaction and accomplishment.

Here is a fun little video I took of me working on my Spanish vowel sounds : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTxudEqUzAg For some reason, Bella thinks it's really funny. I feel better knowing that she thinks it's just as funny when Alex does it! Alex used to give me all kinds of hell because my Spanish vowel sounds were too American-sounding. I hope I'm getting better!

Initiation in Albarracín

We took a little "mini-vacation" to Albarracín last weekend.


What an amazing place! It is a medieval village hidden in the Universal Mountains and protected by the Guadalaviar River on one side, and a large defensive wall on the other. In 1961 the Spanish government deemed it a national monument and it has remained intact and well-preserved ever since.

This was our first family trip alone. Since Bella was born, we've done our fair share of travelling, eating out, and doing the typical couple things we did pre-baby. She has always behaved so well in restaurants, cafes... etc, so we've just continued living or lives with baby in-tow.


Sunday night we were initiated into the Parenthood Club.



I was worried we were going to have problems at dinner. Remember, the Spanish don't eat until 9pm. Arabella's bedtime is usually around 8:30 or 9. Are you seeing how these two things don't coincide very well? However, without any problems at all, she fell sound asleep in her stroller. We took this as a sign to take advantage of the opportunity and found the most romantic and expensive restaurant in town. Restaurant Tiempo de Ensueño had the most amazing terrace with candles, white linen and a view of the mountains just on the other side of the river. It was convenient, as well, just in case Arabella decided to be difficult.


Since everything appeared to be heavenly - perfect location, romantic music... and our baby was sleeping like, well... like a baby - we decided to treat ourselves and ordered a six course meal with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.







We made it to the second course.



The rest of the evening was spent taking turns rocking, swinging swaying and singing while the the other tried to enjoy the gourmet dinner (complete with the swirled sauce on the plate).

As I sat there watching Alex rocking our baby up in the street above while trying to enjoy my fourth course (I have NO IDEA what I was eating, but it was delicious!), I realized I could get all stressed out that our daughter was interrupting the meal and maybe even annoying the other guests and waiters, or I could let it be what it was: a beautiful moment - the end of couplehood and the real initiation into parenthood. We were now three. No more romantic dinners with a sleeping baby in-tow. From here on out, I realized that Arabella would also express her opinion about what we were doing, and I kind of liked that.


I looked up at my husband still trying to soothe our fussy baby. He caught my gaze and we smiled at each other.


So this was what it was all about.

She's SOOOOO Dangerous!

Bella's rolling over. You know that already. OLD NEWS. What you don't know is how seriously she is taking this rolling business. She keeps waking me up in the middle of the night with kicks to the face and ribs. She's practicing, you see. It doesn't really matter where she is, or who is in the way. Apparently every flat surface is fair game... she even tried rolling over in her stroller today.

Now we all know that along with rolling over comes rolling OFF. No, she's not done that yet (give me some credit, she's only been rolling over for a WEEK), but she is testing us. Today while changing her diaper in The Bohemian, she tried to roll right off the bench. What a little rascal!

Here is a video of me talking to her right after she tried to roll off the bench.

NOTE: I know, the end noises... DORKUS MALORKUS- But I SWEAR TO GOD she copied me today after I gave her some raspberries on her tummy. Seriously. Can you say "GENIUS baby"?

Pity from a Gypsy

This afternoon while I was walking Arabella around in her stroller, desperately trying to get her to go to sleep, a beggar approached me. Here the people who beg, dig through the dumpsters and sell what they find at the weekly flea market, (and sometimes pull of pretty ingenious scams) are called "gitanos" or gypsies. Anyway, she came up to me, as friendly as could be, smiling a big toothy grin, and told me that she had a couple babies too and asked if I'd give her some money. She seemed like a nice enough person, but I had left my purse in the café, so I apologized and explained that I didn't have anything on me.

These pictures have nothing to do with the story... They are of our outing this past weekend.

Now you know that's never the end of it, and I knew it wouldn't be, but I was being completely honest. I didn't have anything to give her. She then asked if maybe I could give her a few diapers. I thought this was pretty clever. It also showed that she was being sincere about her little ones at home, but that's not very surprising. I always feel terrible for these little children that are born into a life of begging, scavenging and scamming.

When I told her that I used cloth diapers, she looked at me as if I were a big fat liar. Then she looked at Arabella's bum, just to check it out for herself. She said "cloth diapers? Like the old-fashioned ones??" I nodded. She seemed pretty curious, but at the same time cautious, like I was just trying to get out of giving her the diapers. Then she said, "So what do you do, wash them yourself?" and made the motion like she was washing diapers on a washing board. I smiled at her and told her, yes, that I washed them myself... in the washing machine. "And do you save a lot of money that way?" she asked. I said yes (and if I weren't such a diaper junkie I'd save a lot more!).


Then she looked at me, smiled and walked away. But in that last moment before she left, I swear to god, it was as if there was a sort of kinship between us - as if we were on the same wave-length. I thought I even caught a touch of pity in her eye, like she was thinking "Poor girl's worse off than me if she needs to be using cloth diapers".

New Muttaqins and Wool!

I just had to post some pictures of Bella in her new wool shorties. Wool is AMAZING as a diaper cover. Instead of having to put on covers with a plastic lining (which is hot and makes you sweat), you can just put on cute wool soakers, shorties or longies. And they're not hot, even though you'd think they would be!
Apparently Arabella has found a pose she finds very becoming while in front of the camera: lifting up her shirt. I just hope she stops this before her teenage years. I really don't want to see her on one of those "Girls Gone Wild" videos.
These are two pictures of her in her Muttaqin diapers. I LOVE them! They are so trim and cute! Sadly, you do have to put covers over them when you're out of the house. But, in 90 degree weather at home without an air conditioner, it's a diaper, and that's about it!

I'm a Steamroller Baby

She's a rolling fool, my girl! She has finally turned over from back to front. Last night she woke up at 2am to practice for about an hour.

In her custom embroidered Green Acre Designs Diaper

Here is a link to a video of her doing it this morning (the second time on a completely flat surface. The bed doesn't really count). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9PlTsm-xE It's three minutes long, so may be a bit boring to some. There's also terrible interference toward the end, so I'm going to say it again: "Sorry about the quality". Oh, and you may need to pause it to let it "buffer" (let the faded pink line underneath reach the end). It seemed to take forever when I watched it. (sigh) C'mon, Technology, can't we just get along?