babies!!!! (and all their cute stuff)

When Archie was one month old I suddenly decided that I really wanted to find the cute onesies that said how old they were on them because I'd seen some of my students' babies with them, but didn't know where to get such a thing.  I found a couple of websites where you could buy iron on decals, etc. but that seemed too complicated, and besides my husband thought it was one of the most ridiculous things he'd ever heard of.  I value his opinion, of course, but sometimes I need to realize that we are not the same and it's okay if we don't agree (speaking of that wonderful man, it's his birthday today!!!  He's getting old).  Unfortunately, that is not always the first conclusion I come to and instead just do what he suggests whilst stewing about what I really want.  I went to Hobby Lobby last week (to buy some things for my mantle to make it more interesting, but then after getting it all home decided it seemed too contrived), and found these cute month stickers -- how easy is that!!!  I know I missed the first two, but I squeezed in the third while he was still technically three months, and can use the rest.  Aaah, isn't he sweet?

One important thing my spouse is completely correct about is that I really need to rein in the spending because the cost of aiding and abetting six children through their college careers is looming large before us.  Funny how I didn't think about that at all when Ella was three months old...  I feel so disjointed as I quickly finish changing a diaper to run down and help Ella finish up some of her college applications.  So I am going to try and do better, BUT (that was a big but) I have such a hard time resisting diapers.  There is this one brand that my friend refers to as the cadillac of cloth diapers:

They are luscious minky on the outside and soft, absorbent bamboo on the inside.  I first bought some on the diabolical website Baby Steals -- the one where a new amazing deal pops up twice a day and all you have to do is hit one innocent little button flashing "steal me, steal me" coquettishly, and it comes to your house all wrapped up in a brown package!  I've only had two for a couple of months and I loved them right from the start.  On Sunday morning Matthew and I had a long heart to heart about being more frugal and I am completely on board, truly!  But while I was nursing the baby I decided to browse through facebook and someone posted, "Itti bitti tuttos on baby steals today."  Oh, I wasn't even going to go to the website that day because I don't believe in shopping on Sunday!  With wrenching heart and clenching stomach I just had to look, hoping there were still some left while also hoping they'd be gone so I wouldn't have to make the difficult choice.  I had gotten there soon enough and almost everything was still available (within 30 minutes I think most of them were gone).  I wasn't going to buy anything else, anything, but this was different and I just had to do it.  I bought three more diapers because they were such an amazing deal!  It didn't matter that I had recently sworn off consumerism and all of its evils.  It didn't matter that it was Sunday.   I even started thinking how sad it is that I won't be having more children to wear these breathtaking diapers, and how unfortunate it was that I would have to potty train Archie someday because I just want a reason to use these for years!  What am I thinking?  Complete irrationality has taken over.  THAT is how awesome these diapers are!!!  To make myself feel better I called my fellow diaper junkie to tempt her, be a bad influence, etc. etc. but she resisted.  I need just an ounce of that kind of courage and resolve.

spoiled rotten

One week ago today something momentous happened -- I was no longer pregnant and/or giving birth.  Hooray!  And it's a good thing because I was acquiring a very bad attitude about the whole thing.  Now from the distance of a few days, I have been reflecting on all of my many blessings and how much attention I have received from so many people.  I was very sad that my mom couldn't come this time, for very good reasons, but everything is going very well.  I didn't really expect much for my sixth child -- I feel positively doted upon!

1. My lovely friends threw a joint shower for my friend and I and it was so nice!  I was a little hesitant at first because believe it or not, I really don't enjoy being the center of attention.  Now, of course, if I'm relating a completely hilarious anecdote, I do not mind all eyes on me in the least :).  Because of our amazing garage sale prowess, my friend and I both did not really need the little baby essentials, so everyone was so kind and generously gave us both money to buy something bigger for the babies.  Thank you so much everyone!  I put my money toward these two things:

2. Dinners have been coming in all week -- and they've all been so healthy and delicious, with dessert to boot.  One kind person even brought me dinner a couple of weeks ago which was very nice for an over-pregnant person.  It makes me realize how much I desperately need a live-in cook!

3. My family has been so attentive.  They bring me meals in bed, ice water on demand, hold the baby (what a chore that is!), and are letting me relax and recover without having to worry about anything.  Today the two older kids are gone (Ella's been at camp all week, so she missed baby's first week, so sad) and Matthew took the three younger ones to Chicago.  All is quiet and serene... a magical gift.

4. My sweet friend made me the most gorgeous quilt -- I still can't believe that a. she went to all the effort for little old me and b. that she actually gave it to me and that I now own it.  I was trying to put the pictures that she took up here, but I guess you'll have to go to facebook to see it.  Or I may just have to take my own pictures, but then I'd have to get the camera, then find the thing-y to download it to the computer ...  It may not happen. Or maybe she'll just send me her actual files because you really have to see it!  I really think it may be the nicest gift I've ever been given (apologies in advance to those who have given me something amazing that I seem to have forgotten about at the moment).  Thank you dear friend!

5. And of course, I feel the very most spoiled (read blessed) by the incredibly soft, velvety miracle that I have been snuggling for the last seven days.  He is so sweet!  Thank you, thank you for him.  I feel so fortunate!

Arthur "Archie" Winfield Smith born August 5, 2011

9 pounds 11 ounces

rhythms

The tempo of my days has changed and I seem to have more time than I did when we didn't have much to do.  Getting up at 5:30 has its perks indeed ~~ I've been so productive before it's even 9 a.m.!  Ella was questioning this yesterday when we wondered why no one got any Personal Progress or Duty to God goals done this summer:  there wasn't anything pressing and thus nothing was actually accomplished.  Now when everyone has so much to do with schoolwork and what have you, the rest of our lives are clicking into place as well.  I was anxious about school starting again, but having a more concrete schedule is definitely an improvement from what my natural tendencies seem to be.


I know I've mentioned this before, but I  really like using cloth diapers which is something I didn't expect.  I was one day horrified by the idea of how big a mountain of disposable diapers just my family had created and so I switched when my fourth was a baby.  There were also the advantages of not using bleached paper, not buying a huge package of diapers every two weeks, not running out in a pinch, and many more that aren't coming to mind right at the moment, but there were also some unforeseen bonuses: such as right away I became aware of her natural rhythms in a way that had been impossible before and I felt more in tune and closer to her.  I have discussed this phenomenon with other cloth diapering moms and they have felt it, too.  

The sun is moving south.  I wouldn't have even been aware of it if I weren't hanging out my clothes to dry, but the spot where I liked to hang my whites to get really sparkly has diminished to a small piece of line for a tiny window of time because of where my biggest trees are and I have to move my diaper drying rack onto the driveway to get any nifty sun bleaching action at all.  I know this happens every year, but I couldn't tell you exactly what happens with the sun and the moon.  I must not have been paying attention.  Does everyone know all of these things already and I'm just out of touch?  I have always been intrigued by the amount of knowledge that our ancestors had about the movement of the sun, weather predictors, plant knowledge, etc.  Where did they get all of their information without so much as an encyclopedia or google in sight?  It was from experience and necessity and we have lost so much by moving indoors, our reliance on technology, and only buying whatever "they" are selling to us.  The light moved slowly at first, but now as the equinox approaches there are huge differences every afternoon.  I am in awe ~~ of the sun, the earth, and of how much that I don't know or understand.

Like why are bubbles so totally awesome and circular?  We're going to go blow some in the kitchen before I mop and Phin will dance around in delight popping as many as he can.  What amazes you?

blowing in the wind

I finally took down my Easter decorations today which I realize is a little on the late side.  There are a few reasons for this, the first being that they may be my favorite of all the holiday decorations.  I love Easter colors,  the delicacy of painted eggs, and the whole idea behind the celebration of resurrection and renewal, which is always welcome after the dead of winter.  The second reason is probably because there is nothing waiting anxiously in the wings to take over next.  Mother's Day, Memorial Day?  I imagine some people may have the perfect decor for those events, but I do not.   We have been bringing in some late spring flowers and enjoying the scent of the mulberry blossoms.  This morning a bird hit our window and died.  It was tiny, perfect, and sweet -- so sad!  My windows aren't even very clean!

A major spring event was that I finally put up a clothesline a few weeks ago.  I have wanted to for years, but couldn't really think of a good place to put it.  About five years ago I bought a kit for one that needed to be cemented in the ground, but I couldn't quite come to terms with the permanence of it.  I prefer things to be more transitory to keep up with my many whims.  We didn't have a dryer in Japan, and although I just might possibly have grumbled about it from time to time (me?), I did love the crisp, clean scent of windblown sheets, our clothes not shrinking, etc.  In France we had a washer/dryer combo, which I wouldn't recommend, but the washer part did much better than the dryer part so I would take the clothes up to the attic, open all the windows, and let them dry to their heart's content.  I wish I had gotten a picture of that.  It is funny how I missed so many things because they seemed mundane, yet from a distance take on a measure of charm.  At any rate, drying my clothes on the line was once again in the forefront of my thoughts so as soon as we returned home I set my sights anew on finding the perfect thing.  As I looked online I came across an article that said dryers account for 10% of residential energy use!  I have often thought how silly that is when there is ample sun and wind right there, free for the taking!  (I also want to put solar panels on my roof, but that is another rant entirely).  Well, after sorting through the newfangled and fancy I at last decided upon...  the revolutionary idea of a rope strung from tree to tree across the width of the backyard.  It was the best way to take advantage of the disinfecting effects of the sun and also we have at least 60 feet of drying space there.  I suppose I had never taken this simple step in the past because there is quite a lot of traffic through the back alley and I hadn't wanted to air our "dirty laundry," as it were, so flagrantly for the neighbors.  That must show how mature I have become that I am no longer even concerned that everyone see our underwear as long as it is getting sparkling white out there!  Whatever anxieties I may have had were quickly extinguished by a kind remark from a woman down the street who told me the other day that she loved seeing our clothes hanging out because it looked so fresh and summery.  At first, the rope began to sag, but then I found a plant holder at a garage sale last Friday which works perfectly well as a midpoint support.  I would never have thought of that independently, but knew it was just the thing when I saw it.  They gave it to me for free which is even better!  My biggest problem at this point is my prayers.  Please, please, please don't rain on my clothes.  Please, please, please rain on my garden.  They're a mere three feet apart.  {awkward!}

My absolute favorite thing to hang out (I was previously unaware that I could have a favorite of that) are the diapers -- they seem extra clean after being whipped around for a few hours in the sun.  I am still loving our cozy cloth.  Sadly, it may just be for such a shallow reason as the smug and self-satisfied boost I get every time I see someone at the store lugging out yet another gigantic box of disposables.  Snicker, snicker, how unfortunate for them.

Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin...

Phin in diaper -- had to wait a while for him to stop pumping all four limbs at once!

Summer is a little bit crazy. One would initially think, 'Oh, the lazy days of summer, all the time in the world to accomplish whatever didn't get done during the frantic days of winter industry; not bound by schedules and timetables; long days of early sunrise and late sunset...' But what really is happening is that there are five children here all the time, meals are erratic at best, everyone wants to go to the pool every day (no AC, it's humid, who can blame them?), the garden needs weeding, the lawn needs mowing, swim lessons, piano lessons, camp preparations, keeping the kitchen sanitary -- I was trying to make the list long, but to be honest, I really have no idea what I am doing most of the time. It took me an entire week to read a book which really isn't like me. I set a goal every day to exercise and it rarely happens. I even set out the yoga mat hopefully, but it lies there neglected and forlorn. I am on day nine of doing "8 minutes in the morning," but I have only really gotten to day 2, so do I skip all the days and get a false sense of accomplishment, or do day 3 tomorrow to be an absolutist about the whole thing? We are halfway through the third season of "Lost" so I guess the summer isn't a complete wash.

My obsession with diapers has continued with the latest culmination being the purchase of one dozen perfectly snugalicious bumgenius fleecy perfections. They are pretty pastel colors and are so soft! But their flashy exterior does not hide a shallow core -- oh, no! They are cozy and absorbent and keep Phin's bumbum happy. I saw a little t-shirt that said, "Love is gentle, Love is kind, Love is having a fluffy behind." Doesn't that just say it all? I will try to take a photo of him in one tomorrow. I told Matthew that it is so sad that we didn't cloth diaper all of the children and I am going to be sad to give up my lovely diapers when the baby is ready to use the potty. He assured me that I will be ready when the time comes and even was so uncivil as to imply that I am fickle about my compulsions and will surely be on to something else by then. They are so amazing, I am sure I can bequeath them on my grandchildren (all of whom will be cloth diapered, of course, to go along with their organic diet, only the best for my grandbabies, won't I be a lovely mother-in-law?) Now that I bought the nappies, I have already moved on to the necessary accoutrements involved -- it is truly astonishing what is out there. Designer pail liners and wetbags, velour wipes, new friends... Yesterday I found two new sites that I love: Monkey Foot Designs has bags and nursing covers and Mairzey Dotes has lovely blankies, etc. Hmmm, do you think that accounts for some of the time I have misplaced?

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I am glad you got married and just look at what you have produced! Wonderful!

I had better go to bed. My incredible baby has been asleep for a while now. My husband is downstairs working hard because the record label is exploding! Exciting, but slightly manic.

Dreams, diapers, denial...

I have been having the strangest dreams lately, probably because I am half awake all night long. Last night I dreamt that someone called me to come in to update my credit report, drivers license, and health insurance which were all on the same card. I was looking at my credit report and it said things like: March 1986 bought sunglasses; November 1996 left car door open at the mall; May 1998 bought black shoes to wear with a navy dress -- a crime of fashion! The credit report also went back to all our old houses and it turned out that our first house was a block away from a beach and we had never known it.

My baby is getting so big! Everywhere we go people are surprised at how big he is. It is tragic enough without everyone having to comment on it! Yesterday he was wearing his khakis, a polo shirt, and an argyle vest. Ibby said, "He looks like he is going to give bread away." Huh? Oh, he looks like a tiny deacon. So cute. He is especially adorable with his big, fat bottom. He has been wearing cloth diapers. Last night was the first time he wore one at night and he made it twelve hours with the same diaper on. Not that he slept that long, that was just how long it took his lazy mother to get around to it. Anyway, it is the most amazing diaper called bumgenius. I only have one of them because it is expensive. There is a whole subculture to cloth diapers and it can lead to obsession and addiction.  I figure I can put aside the $18 a week I would spend on disposables (scratchy, paper, chemical ridden...) to buy a lovely soft reusable one.  But then there are the accessories... oh my!

I would love to write more and oftener, but there are small people in my life who are saboteurs to my life as a writer. I suppose it cannot be helped, but it is frustrating.