two months old

sawyer, this was a big month of changes. daddy and i moved you to your crib a few weeks ago. you had been sleeping in our room. but guess what? we all sleep better. in fact, you started sleeping through the night as soon as we moved you! you go to bed between 7-8 and sleep until 6. thank you so much for being a great sleeper! you also started daycare this month. it's only your second week, but you most definitely seem to love it. this mama is very thankful for that. let's see... you also met all of your great-grandmothers this month. and? you took your first road trips. the first one was to jasper (right around an hour trip). and the very next weekend we made the trip to tennessee (three hours)! you don't really love your car seat, but you manage ok.

you're already trying to laugh and the sounds you're making are so much fun! you surprise yourself all the time with your sounds. which just makes me laugh. hard. your brother loves you to pieces and he can't wait for you to be big enough to really play with him. we all are so in love with you. just, you know, quit getting older so fast, ok?

[wordless wednesday] sawyer's first day

cayden sings

he doesn't quite have all the words down. and twinkle, twinkle and the abc's kind of run into the same song most of the time... but it's just oh so cute. and when we help him finish the song, he always stops and then says, "yay!" oh, and please ignore the boogie he's digging for and then is obviously studying for a few minutes. boys.

dog days

it's hot. it's been really hot. and i'm not sure that it's going to cool off any time soon. we were finally able to get to a pool this summer. sure, it's basically the end of august, but hey, we'll take what we can get.

we were visiting my parents and their neighborhood has a pool. speaking of, our neighborhood is supposed to have a pool. it doesn't. but, BUT, we did happen to find out last night that once 17 more homes are occupied in our neighborhood, then the pool will be built. so that's actually pretty exciting. especially considering there's a new builder in the 'hood and currently there are six new homes being built. so maybe we'll have a pool by next summer. or the one after that. either way, we plan on staying in this home until our kids are out of high school, so we should be able to enjoy it for a while.

anyway, it was cayden's first dip since last summer so we weren't entirely sure how he'd like it. kids are weird like that. last year he absolutely loved it and had no fear of the water whatsoever. this year he still loved it, but he was for sure a little more wary of it. he didn't want his head going under much. once we were in the water for a while, he did gain some confidence and tried to swim to jeremy. which was awesome. except for the teeny fact that he swallowed half the pool.

it was also sawyer's first dip ever! we felt comfortable with it because it's a saltwater pool. no worries, we only had him in the sun for maybe five minutes? and not a full on dip into the water; just his toes. and why don't the little swimmers people make infant sized swimmers? a size small has a 16 pound minimum. not cool people. (as for a side note, cayden calls the swimmers "movie diapers." cause nemo is on them. duh.)

then & now: cloth diaper edition

we started using cloth diapers on sawyer this week. we knew it'd be a little different than with cayden since cayden was formula-fed. i'm talkin' going through diapers like they're going out of style here! but the cool thing about sawyer's diapers? because he's breastfed, we don't have to wash out his diapers first. i was a little leery leaving that poop in the diapers until we washed them, but it was like magic. with a cool rinse before washing, they came out perfectly clean. not one stain on them! now, if we could just get cayden out of diapers, we might have enough to last us an entire two days... one day.

and for fun, here's cayden and sawyer in the first few days of cloth diapering. obviously sawyer's a bit happier in his photo... but for the most part, these two are starting to look more and more different. sure, in the first comparison i did, they had very similar looks. but now? sawyer's most definitely starting to look like, well, sawyer. so fun to be able to compare how they look at similar times in their lives...

[new product] baby kimono shoes

take a look at these! aren't they adorable? little bitty kimono shoes for your itty bitty! available in four different sizes and several different color options. all made out of soft cotton in fun colors and patterns.

[new product] medium wet bags

ok, you got me. not necessarily a new item, but it's been months since i've had any in the shop so it's kind of like they're new, right? no? eh, new[ish] it'll have to be then.

these wet bags are just the right size for when i'm out running errands. i can easily fit two soiled cloth diapers in them. and with the snap handle, i can attach them to the diaper bag or the stroller. that way i can always see them and i never run the risk of leaving these dirty guys in the diaper bag. (i mean, not that that's ever happened. and you know, i've never left a sippy cup of milk in my car for a few days, or weeks, either. nope, never. cause gross.)

whenever i use our wet bags, i just throw them in with my cloth diaper laundry. and because i'm usually totally lazy, i throw them in the dryer too. (as with anything, i'm sure they'd last a lot longer if i didn't dry them, but i do.)

so that leaves one more day of new product. and it's definitely one that you guys haven't seen from me yet. i'm a little excited about it and how cute it is! yay for fridays!

ten little piggies

the little man had his six week check-up this past monday (he's seven weeks old today!). and while weight was a concern at his two week check-up, both the nurse and our doctor commented that he definitely had gained the weight that he needed to. whew! and plus also? he's getting fat rolls! too, too cute!

[weight] 10 pounds, 15 ounces
[height] 23.50"
[head] 15.50"

he's grown two inches in less than two months. at this rate, i'm afraid he might actually grow out of his infant car seat way before cayden grew out of his. gulp. we might have a tall fella on our hands. oh well, it'll be a fun reason to buy a new convertible car seat!

anyway, as sawyer napped in the swing last night, his little feet were sticking out of his blanket and i couldn't resist shooting this photo real quick-like. he's such a sweetheart. i'm having a difficult time thinking that i'll be back at work this time next week. boo.

[new product] infant rosette headband

and day three of new products is here! be sure to check out monday and tuesday's new products when you get a chance. today is another infant headband in which i torture my infant son for the sake of photography one last time.

this sweet single rosette headband won't overwhelm your itty bitty's head and will add a perfect little pop of color to an already adorable outfit. like the felt headbands, this one will also fit toddlers and adults.

[new product] fabric rosette pendant

rosettes are everywhere these days, but you hardly ever see them hanging out by themselves! clusters of rosettes are beautiful, but i wanted to simplify the look with a rosette pendant. it's a great piece to wear with a t-shirt or dress. and gives just a little splash of color to wake up your outfit.

the rosette hangs on a silver 24" ball chain and comes in a variety of seven colors. (apparently i have a thing for seven color options. not intentional, but isn't it nice to have options?)

[new product] infant felt headbands

since it's my last full week at home, what better way to celebrate than to introduce some brand new products this week. yep, every single day this week, i'll be introducing a new product to the shop (ok, fine, one of them is a re-introduction, but they haven't been in the shop in months, so it's like new).

up first? this adorable felt headband. and no, i swear that's not my son modeling it! promise. but shhh! it totally is. i figure by the time he's old enough to know any better, these photos will be long gone. it just so happened that i wanted to do an infant headband and ta-da!, i have an infant at home. so see, they look equally as precious on little boys... although i'd suggest buying them for itty bitty girls unless you want to get weird looks.

they come in a variety of seven colors – just enough options to wear a different one every day of the week. and if you just can't stand the itty bitties having all the cute fun, the headband will stretch to fit adults too. so fun!

peace & quiet

some days, peace and quiet are a hard thing to find in our home. between an infant that relies on us for everything and a toddler that's going through all sorts of two year old issues, it really can be quite chaotic around here sometimes. for example, let's say that said toddler all of a sudden needs his tennis ball (what tennis ball? who knows!?!?) and he doesn't get it, something like this might ensue:

when i showed the video back to cayden, he actually laughed at it. so maybe he understands that it was a little ridiculous? maybe? yeah, ok, probably not.

but you know what? at the end of the day, everything is just right in our world. we say a little prayer and thank the lord above for the precious gifts he's given us. even if they drive us a little crazy sometimes...

future stylist?

methinks probably not. this is how we went to the farmers market. you've got to love the boots and the "bracelets." (we attached some to sawyer's car seat, so cayden wanted some "bracelets" too.) i will admit, he looked so ridiculous that it was adorable. and the comments we got from different people was a lot of fun.



favorite comment of the day? older lady oohhh-ing at sawyer, then she sees cayden. looks back and forth and then asks, "are these two brothers?" um, "yes ma'am." older lady then points out the obvious, "but he's blonde and this one has such dark hair." really lady? i hadn't noticed that. but thanks. should we have a discussion on how genetics can work? i mean i'm a redhead and my sister's a brunette. our parents have different color hair... isn't that how it's supposed to work? different outcome probably almost every time one has a child i would guess... wow, um, tangent what?



anyway, this is how cayden frolicked after we shopped. there was some creek-wading first which somewhat explains the lack of footwear and rolled up shorts. i hope.



it was hot, so we weren't able to play very long. but a good time was had by all and cayden was asleep before we were able to get very far from the market. operation have fun and wear out the kiddos was a success!

on breastfeeding

when i was pregnant with cayden, i was looking forward to breastfeeding him. i bought the pump, knowing i would need it when i went back to work. i read all sorts of books and asked questions on message boards. i felt like i was as prepared as i could be. cayden arrived and latched on perfectly. when we left the hospital, he was down some weight... just as every newborn is. the bad news came two days later when we went in for a weight check at the pediatrician's office. his weight had dropped even lower and when the words "supplement with formula" were uttered, i was devastated. i cried the whole way home.

the doctor we saw suggested pumping just to try and get my supply up. so i did. anything to be able to enjoy that time with my little guy. i'd pump for half an hour and come up with one ounce of milk – that's only half an ounce per breast. after two weeks, and that was still all i was getting, we moved on to formula. cayden was healthy, and in the end, that's all that mattered to us.

so, while pregnant with sawyer, my anxiety about breastfeeding was slightly raised i suppose. people would ask if we were going to breastfeed. and i'd say, "yes!" with my fingers crossed, hoping for luck in that department this time 'round. i'd kept my pump from my days with cayden. after all, it was practically brand new.

sawyer arrived and again, latched on easily. then the second day in the hospital, he was a sleepyhead. wouldn't wake up for anything. and went five hours without nursing. the nurse we had that day "encouraged" us to try formula. and by encouraged, i mean she pretty much told us that if we didn't get him to eat and soon, that she'd have to call in the pediatrician. we got sawyer awake enough and he choked (quite literally) down some formula. enough for the nurse to be satisfied at least. about thirty minutes later, the lactation consultant came back in and asked how things were going. we told her about the formula situation and you could see that even she was irritated. she told me that sawyer would've most likely been fine and to still try to nurse him. and yay! he nursed perfectly at his next feeding.

anyway, sawyer dropped the normal amount of weight while in the hospital, but we still had to go for the two-day check for his bilirubin levels. while there, they weighed him and he'd dropped even more weight. and i saw our problems starting all over again. born at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, he weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces at that check-up. almost a full pound lost. the pediatrician we saw that day (not ours, it was a sunday so our regular guy wasn't there), encouraged me to keep trying with the breastfeeding. that my milk was probably still trying to establish itself. no mention of formula at all.

and i. was. relieved.

at sawyer's two-week check-up, he was back up to 8 pounds, 4 ounces. which wasn't exactly where he should be; he was supposed to be back up to birth weight. after talking things over with our pediatrician (and formula still not mentioned), he just wanted us to keep an eye on his weight over the next week or so and make sure that sawyer was putting weight on.

i kept an eye on it (and am still weighing him every few days). and guess what? he currently weighs around 11.5 pounds and is gaining every day! and by the grace of god, it's all been through breastfeeding! i mean, my body has been able to work properly this time and i've been able to feed him only breast milk (save for that one time in the hospital; grr!) for the last six weeks. i'm so, so, so happy that i'm able to experience this with one of my children. my first goal is to hopefully make it until at least six months. i go back to work in two weeks, so i'm sure pumping every day will get old fast... but i'm just so proud and excited. and i just want other mamas to know that if it didn't work the first time for you guys, it CAN work the next time!

new things

yep, a couple of new things going on in the allen household. first off? cayden got these awesome new sneakers last weekend and has pretty much refused to take them off – with bathing and sleeping being the only exceptions. that's ok though cause they're ridiculously cute. i mean, converse combined with dinosaurs? what two year old ISN'T going to love these? and hello, small human being-sized converse? it's just really hard to go wrong. (also on the plus side? velcro. cayden's already sort of learning how to put them on by himself. with the way velcro opens though, he keeps wanting to put them on the wrong feet.)

sorry for the poor quality/iphone photo

the other new thing? oh, you know, it's no big deal really. it's just that our big boy pooped on the big boy potty wednesday night! ok, so it's a HUGE deal! there's actually a photo of the poop, but i can't imagine anyone other than me and jeremy would want to look at that. if you really want to see it, just ask and i'm sure we'll share it with you. anyway, it was super exciting and here's hoping that he continues to want to go potty. (and yes, my twenty year old self would die if she were reading this today. how far have i fallen to be excited about poop? but for real. it's exciting stuff!)