Tongue roll

Not sure why, but Nyla has started doing this weird thing when she says certain words. Money is one for instance. Imagine back to french class and the teacher saying to roll your rrrr's. Money has become marrr. Lol, kind of have to hear it I think.

Cloudy day at the park

On our way(check out the pink con's!)...


Found a stick.


Climbing..


About to go back up to go down the slide again.





Help Mommy!!


Lol, not quite big enough yet.

Healthy chocolate pudding does exist!

You won't believe how good this is, and good for you!

* 3 avocados
* 1 cup pure maple syrup
* 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa
* 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* Up to 1 1/2 cups water to thin

1. Process all of the ingredients except the water in a food processor. Add water to thin to desired consistency.

2. Great served with sliced strawberries or raspberries.


I got the recipe here.

Babies wearing babies

So, most people know that I use a type of baby carrier called a wrap. It's basically a long piece of fabric that you use to tie the baby to yourself. I have a few now, some in different lengths, different thicknesses(some are more supportive, some are cooler for the summer, etc), some just because I think they are so pretty. These kinds of carriers are way more comfy, and stylish then the typical ones you can buy at Walmart. Not to mention, easier on the developing babies hips, as all the weight is distributed through the legs, instead of baby dangling from his crotch like this. Not to mention much more comfier for me. Trust me, I had a snuggly given to me, and it was like torture.

Nyla is not the kind of baby to be content just sitting there playing with a toy. She has to be up seeing what I'm doing, and helping out. If I'm trying to get something done(like cooking), she'll usually want up to see whats going on. I put her up on my back and explain to her stuff as I'm doing it. She can see over my shoulder. She's content, and I have both my hands. We both win!

I think this is my favourite. It's called Tulipaani, and its made by Girasol. I bought it here. I was pretty lucky, as I got a discount because this one is flawed. You can't see it when wearing it though, but there are red threads running through the yellow on the edging of the wrap.


I can't tell you how useful these things are. I honestly don't know how parents survive without one. I use mine daily, at home, out shopping, going for a walk, making dinner, etc.


This is a storchenweige, Leo Turk. It's probably the most supportive one I have(i.e if I know I'm going to be carrying her for a long time, this one is most comfy). It's also the shortest one I have. I bought this one used from another mom on thebabywearer.com


This was my/Darryls Ellaroo, Seattle. I loved this wrap. I wore her to this comic book convention in toronto for 7hrs straight. She had 2 naps there, and it was super crowded. No way a stroller would have worked for this. Unfortunatly I lost this one at Walmart. I'm still so mad at myself for that. It had a slight stretch to the fabric that made it super comfy.


This is the first real wrap I bought. This is a Vatanai, Koira. This one is nice because its lightweight for the summer, but still pretty supportive. This is Darryls first backwrap!


This is my Gypsy Momma Baby Bali Breeze, Freya. It's not my favourite wrap. Its really lightweight for the summer, but with her weight, its just not comfortable for long stretches, unless I wrap her really carefully.


And here's a few pics of Nyla carrying her baby.. :)

Poor Henry

What are you knitting? A diaper cover. A What??

Not many people that I know in real life are familiar with cloth diapering these days, so I'm going to enlighten you as to how I do it.

There's a few reason's why I chose to cloth diaper. The main reason is I really don't like the chemicals used in disposables to be against Nyla's skin. Sodium polyacrylate(the stuff that is in disposables which absorbs wetness) is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. No studies have been done on the long-term effects of this chemical being in contact with a baby's reproductive organs 24 hours a day for upwards of two years. Disposables give the illusion of baby being dryer for longer, but meanwhile the baby is still sitting in its own waste(plus chemicals) for hours on end. For more chemicals that are in disposables and to learn more, check out this site.

Another reason is the environment. Disposable diapers make up the third largest source of waste in landfills. A baby will typically use around 8000 diapers in their time, which all take approximately 500 years to decompose. That doesn't sit well with me.

And obviously cost is another factor. I've checked out the price of disposables, and whew they are expensive! These are the diapers I bought, and the site I bought them from. I bought 3 dozen premium sized prefolds. So I spent around $130. Then I had to buy covers(small, med, and Nyla is now in Large). I've also bought a wetbag, for bringing home the dirty diapers while out(it's really not that bad once you get used to it), a diaper pail for home(and a liner, so I don't ever have to touch the dirty diapers), a few snappi's, a dozen hemp doublers(for extra absorbancy at night), and I've made a few of my own wool diaper covers. I think in total I've spent no more than $250-300.

So all that aside, look how cute cloth diapers are!!

This is Nyla wearing a wool knit diaper cover.


Wool is great to use at night, as its breathable, so the baby won't get so many rashes as they would with plastic/vinyl covers. I knit this one myself. Wool is meant to be used without extra clothing on top, so I only use these at night.


This is what's under the cover. Its called a prefold. The pink thing is a snappi. It's used in place of pins, and it just has little teeth grippers on each side to hold the diaper on.



When we're just lounging around at home, Nyla frequently just has on a prefold. It lets me know when she's peed, so I can change her right away, and she's not sitting there in her own waste.







This is basically what you need to cloth diaper(I have more that's not in the picture). There's my wetbag, a stack of prefolds, a cover, some washcloths that I use as wipes, and a doubler.


I know alot of people are afraid of the extra work that comes with cloth, but it's really not that bad. Take it from me, I hate cleaning, and chores and all that stuff. Nyla only poops once a day typically. The poop gets shook off, or dunked into the toilet, and then into the pail the diaper goes. Pee just goes straight into the pail. Before the baby starts solids, breastmilk poo, and all can just be thrown in the pail, as it will dissolve and wash away no problem. Covers are reused until stinky or if they get poo on them, in which case they go into the pail with everthing else. About every 3 days a load of diapers gets dumped in the washing machine. Rinse on cold, wash on hot with 1/2 a capful of detergent(one that doesn't have additives or enzymes or whiteners), I use Purex hypoallergenic, and then I do an extra rinse on cold with some vinegar(helps to remove any detergent residue left on the diapers). In the winter I dry them in the dryer, but in the summer I hang them on the clothes line, and the sun gets all the stains out.

Now, I took a modest approach to cloth diaper, and chose cheaper rather than more convenient. But if want to try cloth, but have the ease of a disposable you could always try these. There's a ton of options out there. Ask me if you want to know more.

Going for a walk

Getting all bundled up.



Had a nice walk, but it was soo windy. Nyla passed out on the way home.



And this is what it looks like under the coat.