Category: Ryan

“Stripping” the Ol’ Fuzzibunzs’

Post author By A Mama's Blog
Post date June 26, 2007
5 Comments on “Stripping” the Ol’ Fuzzibunzs’

I started using Fuzzibunz cloth pocket diapers when Ryan was about 18 months old. I absolutely LOVE them! They are so easy to use, and it is great being able to customize the amount of protection needed, by simply inserting another insert, or even wrapping the inserts with a cloth (I use one insert and then wrap that in a microfiber cloth.)

Most of the Fuzzibunz I got for Ryan were size large, but as soon as I found out I was having another baby, I started buying the size smalls and mediums. Cole has been in Fuzzibunz since he was born, and while I still use disposables on occasion, I can only imagine how much money we have saved by using cloth the majority of the time. At first I thought I would hate doing the extra laundry, and how do you get the solids off the diaper, it was gross, etc.

I started using flushable diaper liners with Ryan in the Fuzzibunz, and those work great for me. I just set a liner in each diaper, and then when it is soiled, I can just pick the liner out, and dispose of it. I have enough diapers that I only have to wash them every two or three days (if I push it), so it hasn’t been that big of a deal. We also invested in a front-loading washing machine, and with the exception of about two cold months in the winter, I hang them up outside to line dry, so it is VERY economical for us to launder the diapers.

The only downside I have had with the Fuzzibunz, is sometimes they seem to hold in the unpleasant smells, despite several washings and hanging them out in the sun to dry. I have heard that using too much detergent can cause this, and heard you could “strip” the diapers to get rid of this. I wasn’t sure how to do it, but looked it up yesterday and did it last night.

I am pleased to report that I have my clean smelling Fuzzibunzs’ back! With a front-loading washing machine, you really have to cut down on the amount of detergent used, so I think I was using too much. I’ll have to use about half of what I was using so this doesn’t happen again. Here is what I did that worked so well:

1. Wash all diapers, inserts, and anything else you stuff in the diaper on a hot wash (no detergent).

2. Wash everything again in a hot wash with detergent (Allen’s Natural was suggested, but I used my high efficiency natural wash for front-loaders from Costco, and it worked fine).

3. Run a cold-water rinse. If smells still linger, repeat the cold-water rinse.

4. Line dry, or tumble dry in dryer.

I only did the cold water rinse once, and noticed just a faint, faint smell in a few diapers, after they had dried, so if I had to do it again, I would have run one more cold-water rinse. Also, this took about three hours just to wash them, (not counting the time it took to line dry), so make sure you have enough time. I think you will be pleased with the results if you have a need to do this.

Happy diapering!!! 🙂

Activities Family & Friends Me Ryan

My New “Do”

Before having children, I was devoted to getting my haircut every two months. Even if I didn’t want to take any length off, I would at least have the ends trimmed out, and my hair thinned out.

That’s right-thinned out. I have very thick, curly hair. My siblings used to call me “hair helmet” when we were growing up, because it was curly, thick, frizzy, and I had a ton of it.

I realized a week ago, that it has almost been a year since I have had my hair cut. A YEAR….gasp. The last time was last July, right after Cole had been born, and my sister was visiting me from out of town. She offered to stay with the boys, so I could go get it cut, and I took her up on it.

Needless to say, I needed a haircut desperately. I have been reliving my “hair helmet” days. I think I have beat my old record and have worn my hair in a ponytail for probably three months straight now- it is the only thing I can do with it, when it gets this way, so it isn’t totally frizzy and out of control.

It is funny how something that was SO important to me before having kids, now barely registers on the scale. In fact, if I didn’t have a family wedding coming up, with several parties, in the next few weeks, where I actually have to stop and figure out what I am going to wear, and then-oh-yeah- what am I going to do with my hair? pops into my brain, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it.

I guess when the only people who see me day in and day out, is a three-and-a-half-year old, and a one-year-old- who hug me and kiss me all day, no matter what I look like, how my hair is cut, doesn’t matter that much to me anymore. That being said, I do want to look nice at these family events and am glad that I finally got it cut. My neck feels about 5 pounds lighter, and my head feels a lot cooler, without all that extra hair hanging around. No more ponytails for a while!

Here is a picture of me the night before I got it cut- no make-up on, and in my tie-dye shirt that I bought at the little studio where we took Ryan and his cousins to make their shirts at: (please don’t laugh too hard) 🙂

Here is a picture of me from yesterday, at my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower, and I am holding my niece. I’d like to point out that actually have dress on, AND make-up:

I was feeling very nice, and pretty, on my way out the door to the shower yesterday, and then Ryan saw me. Here is how that went:

RYAN: Mommy, why are you dressed like that?

ME: I’m going to a bridal shower for Aunt Kat.

RYAN: Why are you wearing this for the shower? (walks over to me and touches my dress) What is THIS? (scrunches up his nose, like I am wearing a burlap sack or something)

ME: This is a dress honey; Mommy wears a dress, for special occasions.

RYAN: What are those things on your shoes?

ME: Those are called high heels.

RYAN: I don’t like those…where are your flip-flops?

ME: These are nice shoes to go with the dress.

RYAN: I don’t like the dress…where are your shorts?

SIGH…. obviously my son doesn’t see me dressed up very often. He’ll be in for a surprise when he sees me in the dress I bought for the wedding. It is probably one of the nicest dresses I have bought in recent years.

But I have to admit, it did feel nice to get dressed up, even though it was a very hot, day- about 100 degrees, and it was lovely to go to a nice tea, and eat little finger foods, and not have to worry about cutting up someone’s food, or making sure they didn’t break a tea-cup or a dish, or answer “Mommy Why?” questions all afternoon, or try to soothe a crying baby. When my niece started to cry, I got to hand her back to her mother, and that was a switch- usually I am on the receiving end of a crying baby. Most of all, I enjoyed talking to other adults and having uninterrupted conversation for 2 whole hours!

Maybe I need to get out of the house more, but darn-it- I’d have to get my hair cut on a regular basis then.

Activities Cole Family & Friends Ryan

“Mommy, I’m a Swimmer!”

We are going to my grandmother’s beach house for vacation in August, and we decided to enroll Ryan in swim lessons. He enjoys himself when we go swimming as a family, and I really want him to be comfortable in the water, and learn how to swim, since we will probably be taking our vacation at my grandmother’s every year.

So on Monday, Ryan started his first ever swim lessons. After a rough start the first day, he proclaimed the above statement to me today, as he finished his class.

The pool where the lessons are held, is an indoor one- I figured that would be better for the first time, than having Ryan get cold if the weather was cool at an outdoor one. We started on Monday, and he was really tired, from having spent Sunday night with his cousins.

The pool has bleachers upstairs, enclosed in glass for the parents to sit, and then the instructors come in, gather their students, and walk them down to the pool. On Monday, Ryan would have none of that. He INSISTED that I hold his hand, and walk him down to the pool. This really was his first time doing an activity where I was not to be right there, so of course I did this.

Once we got down to the pool, he started to cry and did not want to go near the water. His instructor,a girl about 17, was really nice and sweet, and tried to get him to go in the water, but he already had his mind made up. I managed to get him to at least sit on the side of the pool with his legs in the water, watching his class, but if I backed away to the wall, he started to cry again, and stand up. I’d be lying if I said, he did not throw a fit. He did.

So, I thought this was going to be a fun two-weeks. I figured he was tired, but was wondering if he was scared to go in. After the class was over on Monday, I took him home, and told him he had to go in the water on Tuesday, and he needed to listen to his teacher. I told him we would go get a smoothie (his favorite treat) if he did. Hey, bribing always works with this kid. Joe also talked to him before bed, and reassured him, his swimming lessons would be fun.

So on Tuesday, he still wanted me to walk down with him, and wait by wall, poolside. He went in the water, but still looked a little nervous, but he started participating in the activities, and when he was done that day, he was so proud of himself and said, “I didn’t cry!” We couldn’t get to the smoothie shop fast enough.

On Wednesday, I told him he could walk down with his teacher, Emily, and I would walk behind them. So he held Emily’s hand all the way down. I followed him, and of course, he looked back every two seconds to make sure I was there. I stopped following him, once he reached the pool, and sat on some steps, farther away from the pool. Ryan would look up every now and then from the pool and wave at me, but he clearly was becoming more comfortable.

On Thursday, I stayed in the bleachers, and he held Emily’s hand as he walked to the pool. He looked up at me once, while he was in class and waved.

Today, he just grabbed on to Emily’s hand, and had no problem what-so-ever. When it was time for them to go in the pool, Ryan led the ‘pack’ of kids, down the ramp into the water.

All week he has been learning to jump around in the water, put his chin, and the side of his face in the water, jumping in, and Emily will hold each child on their back, and let them feel what floating is like. He has done all of that since Tuesday, and I think he really has fun.

Today, as he walked back into the room after class, he saw me sitting and ran up to me and said, “Mommy, I’m a swimmer,” his little face bursting with pride.

I was so happy for him to- it is really neat to see him be proud of something he is learning, and realizing he can do things away from me and have fun.

I also am so grateful to Joe’s parents…they watched Cole every day this week, even with him not feeling well. It helped so much, that I could be there for Ryan, and not have to spit my attention between him and Cole. They may come one day next week, and watch Ryan swim. Cole also bonded very well with Grandma- when we pulled up to their house everyday, he just started smiling, and flapping his hands.

We may go swimming on Sunday, so he can show Joe everything he has learned. We have four classes next week, and then we take a break for two weeks, and then he will start another nine classes at the next level in July, ending right before our trip.

He has been so excited to go to Great Grandma Mimi’s house, and I know he will have more fun in the water, being “a swimmer”.

Activities Cole Family & Friends Ryan

The Cousins

Last week, we went to my sister-in-law’s town, about 50 miles away for a visit. She has three children (ages 10, 8, & 6), who obviously are Ryan and Cole’s cousins.

Ryan adores his older cousins. He was so excited to go see “the cousins,” as he calls them. We had plans to go make tie-die shirts, at a small craft shop, a few miles away from my SIL’s house.

It was really fun- I actually learned how to make three different patterns. I helped Ryan with his shirt, and made one for Cole too. He sat in his stroller the entire time, looking out the door, eating crackers, and watching the cars go by. It only took about half an hour for us to make 5 shirts,(with no mess to clean up-benefit of doing a project like this at a craft studio), and they turned out great, if I do say so myself.

On Saturday, “the cousins,” came up to Joe’s parents house for the weekend, and Ryan played his little heart out. He had so much fun, he is completely and utterly exhausted, but I think he had the best few days ever.

His 8-year-old-cousin (a boy), had an air powered rocket blaster, that you could pump up with air, and then a rocket would shoot up in the air. Ryan played with that constantly. He begged us to go to the grocery store and get one for him. He calls it the “rocket ship.” If only our yard was bigger, I would have something that would occupy him for probably 6 hours at a time. But the rocket shoots so high up, it would be on the roof, or about 3 yards over, with the first launch. We are considering getting him one though, to keep at his grandparents house, that he can play with when he is over there. Talk about a 3-year old boy heaven!

Cole was even interested in the rocket, and would try to pump the pump. As soon as Ryan saw him doing that, he said, “No Cole, this is the big boy toy.” He was so proud of himself that he could operate this rocket, like his older cousin!

Sunday, they went swimming with Joe, and their uncle, and Ryan’s aunt (the cousins mom) bought Ryan his first squirt gun, so he could join in the water gun fights. I think Dad had more fun playing with it though- 🙂 Ryan got to spend the night last night with everyone at Grandma’s.

Finally tonight, before “the cousins” left, we got some pictures of everyone in their tie-dye shirts. It didn’t occur to me to get one of Cole and Ryan together, and Cole would barely stay still longer than a second, so I feel fortunate to have gotten two shots, with everyone in them. Here are some pictures- (you can double click on them to see them bigger)

Ryan getting ready to dye his shirt

Cole goofing around w/ a funny pair of glasses at his cousins’ house

As we got ready to go, it started pouring rain. Ryan’s cousin had just given him this raincoat, boots, and umbrella. Perfect timing- they had to go out and play in the rain

Cole in his tie-dye shirt

A group shot of Ryan with his cousins (I wasn’t sure how their mother would feel about having their pictures on the blog, so I blacked out their faces, but at least you can see the colorful shirts.)

The cousins return back up to Grandma’s in mid-July for another weekend. I am sure Ryan will be counting down the weeks.

Cole Mothering Ryan

Cole Walks!

It is official- my little sweet baby boy, is now a toddler! He has been flirting with walking, for about a month now, and was getting really good at doing a ‘Spiderman’ scale of the walls. He would hold on to every wall and walk sideways.

Today I was sitting on the living room floor, folding diapers, and he was playing on a toy about six steps away from me, when he got off the toy, and just started walking to me, totally unassisted and unprompted! He was 1 year and 20 days.

I hugged him, and he looked so pleased with himself. We tried a few more times, and he did it every time. Then Ryan wanted to get into the act, so I had Ryan stand about 5 steps away, and hold out his arms. He kept saying to Cole, “Come to brother, come to brother.” It was sweet. He was excited as Cole was to see him do something new.

I videotaped it, and took a few pictures, but as soon as Cole saw the camera, he just dropped down and started crawling over to me- he *has* to check out the electronic equipment.

So my baby is really growing up. Surprisingly, I didn’t even get sad or sentimental. I am just excited he is learning this next milestone. Of course, as I think about it, I do get a little sad- this could be the last time I ever have a child take their first steps, and my baby days could be over. I enjoy my children in every stage they are in, but I also love the baby stage.

I was very thankful and grateful that I was there to see *both* my boys take their first steps. It is kind of magical to see them put all those skills and coordination together, and take those first steps. Plus, the look of joy and accomplishment in their little faces- I will remember those looks for the rest of my life- even if I didn’t get a picture- it is etched in my mind and my heart.

Here are two pictures I did manage to get, when Cole decided to walk with his toy hammer. The second shot, I caught as he was taking a step, but he decided he had enough, and was going to sit down.