Cloth Diapering

So today finishes our first week with cloth diapers! They are essentially cloth trainers that have the absorbancy of a diaper. Nate really isn't ready for full blown potty learning. He can physically use the potty, but he isn't really ready to tell us when he needs to go or to stop doing something fun in order to go. So we will really be approaching it closer to 2.5 years old which would be around the end of January. I'm just not worried about it :). Nate wasn't too thrilled about modeling his new diaper the first day, but he seems to like them now.

The trainers have been working well. We've had a couple of leaks, but I've been learning when I should use extra inserts. At night I know we need 2 inserts and I'm also trying to monitor the amount of liquid he takes in close to bedtime. They've been easy to wash and dry. The only regret I have is that we didn't start it sooner! Here's a pic of my small collection.

I'm really excited that I'm reducing the number of diapers that go in the landfill and reducing the amount of time Nate spends in a chemical treated garment. He has really sensitive skin and this week we had no trouble with diaper rash. He's only in them mostly when I'm home, but that's atleast a minor improvement for the environment.

Halloween Pictures & Clifton Day

We've had a busy 3 day weekend, which managed to slow down today since Nate is experiencing tummy troubles. I for once didn't work on Saturday and just hung around the house in the morning. We broke out the bucket of chalk that Nate has been carrying around for days. He was unusually grumpy and after a nap that was too short I was close to cancelling the Halloween pictures we had planned at Penneys. I pushed through and took him anyways. He actually was really well behaved! He had only worn his Dalmation costume for a brief period of time right after I bought it, but he loved showing it off. We got some cute pictures and I'm really proud of him for being a good boy.

Yesterday was the annual Clifton Day. The town of Clifton, VA shuts down it's streets and has a huge craft fair. Theres tons of craft vendors, food vendors, and other entertainment. We've gone for a long time, but I hadn't been since before Nate was born. We took the VRE train, which Nate loved! It was his first real train ride and was about 20 minutes each way. When we got there late morning we took Nate to the kids area. There was a Unicycle performer who had a whole area set up and she had music playing and balls and hula hoops for the kids to play with. That entertained him for a little while. There was also a petting zoo where the kids could feed goats, a calf, a pig, bunnies, etc. Nate didn't want to go into the pen and I didn't really want him too after I watched one fiesty little goat keep head butting people. We fed the animals from outside the pen. A girl scout troop had some kids games set up so he got to fish for a couple of prizes and loved standing on the little dock they made. There were other activities like bounce houses and pony rides, but we'll save those for when he's a little older.

My favorite part is the crafts. However, this year there was an overwhelming amount of jewelry makers and I just can't justify spending money on that. I did get a Vera Bradley purse for 50% off! I also got Nate a little wood carved truck that he loves. I went back to the same toy booth and picked up a Christmas present for my nephew. My mom bought a couple of fall decorations and some local honey.

There are lots of food vendors there, but we chose to have lunch at the Presbyterian church where they were selling crab cake sandwhiches. It was actually indoors in their fellowship hall. One of the great things about Clifton Day is all the freebies. Pinkberry was giving out free samples of frozen yogurt. Nate loved it. There are always people campaigning who give out free bottled water and balloons. It's funny to think that we had a democratic balloon tied to our stroller, since I'm not really hard and face tied to one party. They were just the first ones to give us a free balloon. There were also lots of samples from the vendors who were selling things like peanut brittle and honey.

Our day started to wind down when Nate fell asleep and I put him on my back in the ergo. Everyone is always amazed when they ask how old he is and I say 2. The usual response is, "Isn't he heavy on your back?". Not really. Plus he's sleeping! We got cold drinks and listened to a band playing.

Nate also got his first child ID card. The Fairfax County Sheriffs office was processing them for free. So we filled out some paperwork, he got his thumbs electronically finger printed, then had his picture taken and all of that info was put onto an id card that they printed right there. I think that is a really awesome service to provide. We also got little DNA kits. All you have to do is swab your child's mouth with a q-tip, put it in a paper envelope and store it in your fridge and it will be good for a year. You can also add any teeth that fallout or bandaids that have blood on them. Kind of creepy, but if something did actually happen it might be life saving info.

Today is a taking it easy day. I actually have the day off of work, but we are at home in our pajamas. Something I never get to do anymore :)

The Glittering Continues

Right now I love all things Halloween and all things glittered. Nate and I stopped at Michaels yesterday and bought a jack-o-lantern cutout and some ribbon. Last night I glittered it! Here's how much this project cost.

• Wooden Jack-o-Lantern cutout- $1.49


• Ribbon- $1.39


• Glue- Already had


• Glitter- Already had


• Grand total = $2.88

I hung it on the front door and I think it will look neat after dark when we have our Halloween lights up. Yay for crafts!

Mommy & Son Weekend

A couple of weeks ago I decided that Nate and I really needed to get away for a weekend. He's generally mad at me every day when I get home and usually that results in him getting a time out atleast once an evening. So we needed some alone time. This weekend we went to CB by ourselves.

Friday my work day was thrown in the blender when a water pipe burst in the boiler room of the church/school. I ended up getting off 4 hours early which meant I got to pick Nate up 4 hours early. Friday just involved some shopping and dinner at Subway on the way down and cuddling up and watching Spookly the Square Pumpkin in our jammies.

Saturday we both woke up early as usual. I guess 7:30am technically was sleeping in for me. By 9am we were on our way to Stratford hall to go hiking. You can purchase a grounds pass for $5 and it allows you to walk around the grounds, you just can't go in the big house or the exhibits. Their trails are not very well marked. We e

nded up exploring a really short one and part of another one. I had to wear him in the ergo once we were in the woods because it was way to treacherous for a 2 year old to walk. It really was beautiful out there though. Although I did get tired of walking through spider webs.

On the same road as Stratford Hall is the Westmoreland Berry Farm. We went there after the hike since it was nearing lunch time. Nate got to see the goats, play on the playground, and run around in the open. We had lunch and picked out some fall items: mums, a pumpkin, and some Va honey. Nate passed out on the way back to the house. While Nate slept I got a nice break to just sit in front of the tv and relax.

After Nate woke up we headed out for a little shopping at the couple of stores that CB has. We finally checked out the small bakery in town. Every time I've gone by there I've thought about how I need to stop, but never actually did. It was small and cute. Nate got a cookie which tided him over while I shopped. Then we made our way to my favorite seafood restuarant, Wilkersons. It's my favorite place because they give you a big basket of hot hush puppies as soon as you sit down. Plus theres always the exact same waitresses there. I'm sure they don't remember us, but they act like they do. There is also an awesome view of the river. We ate and discussed all of the things we could see, water, boats, birds, and people. We had dinner early, so we had plenty of daylight left. There is a newish, really nice playground in the middle of town, right across from the ice cream stand. We played on the playground then went over for ice cream. It's the last weekend the ice cream stand is open. When it opens it signals that summer is starting, so I guess it really did signal the start of fall this weekend.
This morning we headed home and did some shopping on the way since both of us need fall clothes. It was so nice to have time alone with him. I have a feeling I'm going to try to do the same thing once a month.