You know you're a mother when . . .

. . .You get excited over diaper rash ointment.

Since Greta started solids we've had an on again off again battle with diaper rash. Not the really bad kind caused by a yeast infection but the contact dermatitis sort. It was exacerbated by the one downside to cloth diapers...you can't use any kind of paraben (meaning greasy) ointment with them because it coats the fibers and causes them to not be as absorbent. A workaround is to use liners which we've done with great success but occasionally the ointment would seep through if we used a lot on her little bum. Since birth we've been using Boudreaux's Butt Paste and it works quite well and smells a whole lot better than most other ointments but (no pun intended) it just wasn't clearing up her rash as fast or as well as I would like. I decided to shop around and see if I could find another that would work well. I know I like other California Baby products so I picked up their diaper rash cream. It is a bit pricey but we've found we don't need to use near as much so it evens out. I also like that it's more of a lotion vs a cream. It still provides a barrier on her skin but it soaks in much quicker which keeps it from soaking into the diaper. And, best of all, it smells really good. I've decided though that Greta's skin is just sensitive (what baby's isn't?) and so we put it on her at each diaper change and that has made a world of difference.

This may be a continuing series as I amuse myself with things that now make me happy that I would have never considered before.

News Flash

Greta has 3 teeth coming in. Her two front teeth and the next tooth over on her right. That'll make five!

We figured she was cutting teeth as she's been a bit cranky but today we actually saw them for the first time....granted she had to be upside down to do so but still, we saw them!

Good Eats

It seems that at 8 months a whole new world of food is opened up to a baby. Greta has greatly enjoyed expanding her culinary horizons and has become quite the little foodie. Her new love is yogurt. I think she would eat it by the gallon if I would let her. She also enjoys a bottle with drinkable yogurt in it (thanks for the idea Jen). Other new taste sensations are cheese & eggs (just the yolks). These are great because not only does she enjoy them but they make GREAT finger foods and keep her occupied. Coming up pretty soon will be the introduction of meat. We'll probably start with chicken first.

I'm curious, what are the favorite foods at your house?

Sitting Pretty

Today Greta and I had a little photo shoot. Enjoy the pictures!

Her gorgeous dress is courtesy of her Mimi who made and smocked it.

Saying Hello & Goodbye

As Greta outgrows various pieces of baby equipment and moves into new ones I gleefully move the old ones to the attic. I detest clutter so anything I can do to minimize it is wonderful. So far we've moved the bouncy seat, swing, stroller (that the car seat fits into), Bumbo, and various little baby toys to the attic. I feel fairly soon we'll move her exersaucer and Johnny Jump Up to the attic. Now that she's mobile she's not very content to be constrained to any one location. The good news of being mobile is she's even more able to entertain herself. That has been such a blessing. I do find myself saying "No" a lot and for the most part she obeys. She occasionally needs a bit of reinforcement (light pop on the hand) but once that occurs she almost always obeys. It amazes me how well she understands No.

I also have developed a keen sense of hearing for trouble. Generally trouble involves her sticking something in her mouth she shouldn't. If she finds something other than food to stick in her mouth she just gums it rather than trying to swallow it. She also makes a particular umm umm sound while chewing so I can almost always tell if she has something in her mouth she shouldn't. Even if she's in another room. Removing items from her mouth almost always results in her pitching a bit of a fit since she wants to keep the item and really hates me prying open her little jaws and digging in her mouth.

We've said Hello to a few new items around our house. Our first new item is a walker/riding toy that I bought Greta around 7 months that received rave reviews from others who had bought it for their children. At the time she loved walking behind it but was super unsteady so she needed major assistance. Since then she's gotten her land legs and scoots around pretty well. Her only major issue is turning so she walks until she runs into something and then needs help turning around.


Our other new item is a new carseat. I knew Greta would be out of her old car seat before we knew it so I wanted to get her new carseat ASAP. She's not near the weight limit of her current car seat but she is approaching the height limit. I found a super good deal (on eBay) on a Britax Diplomat which is their compact car seat so it fits very nicely in our car. I installed it today and am very pleased with it. Greta has yet to take her first ride so we'll wait for her to pass judgment on it. Had I not gotten the Britax seat we really liked the Graco Nautilus. If for some reason we need an additional seat for Graham's car we'll get that one.

A walk around our yard

After hanging out the laundry (see next post), Greta and I took a walk around the yard to look at all the pretty flowers.

We had several gardenia bushes but they were blocking the window so they were taken out. This one is still blooming quite happily though.

We have a volunteer lantana in the backyard. The bush we actually planted is in the front yard near the mailbox and this one just showed up this year. Graham figures a bird ate the seeds and then "planted" some for us in the backyard.

One of my favorite spots in the yard. I really love the Hosta Lillies and the tree they are under provides excellent shade. Greta and I will sit here sometimes and just watch the world go by.

We have a neat little flowerbox out by the road that covers the culvert. The only problem is very little will grow in it since it is shallow and doesn't hold water well. A few years ago we planted portulaca and although it's an annual (or so I was told), it has come back each year. It thrives in the dry arid soil.

Last is my favorite, my daylilys. We planted these our first summer and they have come back beautifully each year. I only wish they bloomed over the entire summer.

My Little Laundry Helper

Greta loves to be outside...she doesn't seemed to be phased by the heat as long as she's enjoying the sunshine and a breeze does help. :-)