So, this is isn't the catch up post I was hoping for but considering that it's 11:00 at night and I've been up for 37 hours straight (thanks in part to Lucy's nightime fits and partly in part to the hormone roller coaster that is the female body) this is as good as it's gonna get. I got an iphone a few months ago (best invention in the world might I say) and I  l-o-v-e, love it. I've all but abandoned the laptop which is good for my facebook (message me if you're interested) but bad for xanga. It's just not the same blogging on a "keyboard" half the size of a business card. Lucy is doing awesome! I can't get over how big she's gotten. Short list of big skills:

• She crawls!
• She talks! She says Mama, Daddy, Nana, Tib (our cat), BeeBee (Becky, my sister), Hi, Bye, Cado (avocado), Mo (more), KiKi (kitty), Me, Uv ooo (love you), My Mama, Hello, Oos (juice), Eed (read), play, toy, baa (sheep sound), whoo whoo (owl sound), yes, pees (please) 

            Cute story: Mama was her first word but it took me a while to believe it. At the beginning of the summer I started doing play therapy with a couple of little kiddos who have language/speech problems so after the first session, while I was feeding Lucy, I carried over some fun sound and syllable games with her. From out of nowhere, she looked up at me and said, "Mama". I literally did a double take. I looked at her wide-eyed and incredulous and asked, "Lucy, did you just say 'Mama'?" She grinned and looked proud of herself but I just couldn't believe an 8 month old could be saying Mama with intent.

The next day she said it a few more times during the day, always when we were cuddling or doing something close together, but the clincher came when Jake got home. He was changing her diaper and she was fussing. She was squirming, and crying, and trying to crawl away when I walked into the room. She looked over Jake's shoulder, reached out her arms to me and cried out "MAMA!" I looked at Jake, out eyes met and our mouths dropped open in pure amazement at our incredible little baby.

Fast foward a couple of months:                                                                                                                       Last week, we picked her up from the nursery at church and when we picked her up the nursery worker asked, "Does she talk?" I smiled and replied in the affirmative. "What'd she say?" I asked. "Oh my gosh! She talked so much! I thought I was hearing things!" Came the astonished reply before she continued, "She picked up a toy cell phone and said 'Hello? Mama?'Then she crawled over to the toy shelf and said 'Play. Toy' and pointed at a toy on the top shelf."                                                                                                                                           They were amazed. That's my baby!

• She eats only table foods (sounds like she's a dog or something) Tonight she ate a whole ear of sweet corn from my sister's garden, garden fresh okra, and a huge slice of meatloaf.
• She can crawl all the way up the stairs all by herself! I of course follow close behind but she does it all on her own.
• She's just altogether wonderful!

July

August

September

1. Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diapers  Don't get me wrong I LOVE cloth diapering, I just hate the Fuzzi Bunz brand. I have 2 Fuzzi Bunz, 3 Happy Heinies, and 14 Bum Genius which I cannot say enough good things about. The Bum Genius are amazing! They never leak, are super wicking/ keep her really dry, fit trim and slim, and come in cute colors. The stupid FB on the other hand leak everytime, today's afternoon nap being no exception. Tearing up a magazine in her pretty blue Bum Genius diaper
2. The Mailman Our mailman always comes between 4:50 and 5:15. Always. Everyday. Except today. I went out at 11:30 to put some outgoing mail in the box and he had already come today. What the Hell?
3. Missing Pilates   Jake's working late so no pilates class for me.
4. Having a Sick Baby  Poor little Lucy has had fever and cough for 3 days. She's super fussy and clingy and you can just tell by looking at her that she doesn't feel good. She's cutting teeth on the bottom so maybe that's the problem? My doctor said (over and over again) that babies don't get fever when they cut teeth and that something else must be wrong but all my girlfriends swear their kids ran temperatures when they got their teeth. All I know is, she feels terrible.

I made some all natural, insect repellant for Lucy last weekend. The mosquitos are awful this time of year (really, just about all year long) and it's been  hard to take Lucy out because I was loath to put chemicals all over her sensitive baby skin. I saw some herbal repellant at my local cloth diaper store last week and thought it was a great idea but I really wanted to make my own so after a quick trip to The Herb Bar to get some essential oils this is what I came up with. 

• 40 drops Lavender oil
• 20 drops Peppermint oil
• 3 oz water
• 1 oz vodka (the vodka is an odorless alcohol which helps to break up and diffuse the oils)
• store in an opaque squirt bottle and reapply as scent starts to fade

We used it over the weekend and not only did it work great but it smelled really nice too! The recipe I had called for lemongrass, eucalyptus, and citronella but the herbalist said those oils where too harsh for babies and that eucalyptus could actually be fatal to infants. Thank goodness I asked! I also picked up some basil oil for cleaning so hopefully I'll be putting it to use soon with equally good results. I've been using vinegar, and borax to clean with for a few years, but recently I've been branching out and making some more "complex" cleaners and I'm thrilled to report they work better than I could have ever expected. Vinegar is an excellent degreaser, prevents mold & mildew growth, neutralizes odors, and can be infused to make citrus or herbal varieties which bring added cleaning power. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Citrus Vinegar:

Use the peels only of oranges, lemons, limes, or grapefruits. Using a one quart jar, fill halfway with the citrus peels and cover with vinegar. Let stand for 2 weeks and remove peels.

Orange is a disinfectant, antiseptic, insecticide, and pesticide                                                                             

Lemon is a disinfectant, antiseptic, fungicide, insecticide and pesticide

This is a great way to use every bit of the fruit, especially if you're not able to compost. I like to make fresh lemonade or OJ and save the peels for cleaner.

Furniture Polish

Mix 3/4 cup olive oil with 1/4 cup citrus vinegar. Shake well before each use.

All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 10 drops tea tree oil or 20 drops lavender oil
• store in opaque spray bottle

Tea Tree Oil is an antibacterial, disinfectant, antiseptic, fungicide and insecticide                                                   

Lavender is an antibacterial, disinfectant, antiseptic, and insect repellent

I love using something safe, all natural, inexpensive, effective, and made with own two hands that I don't have to worry about my baby touching or being exposed to. I (of course) still put everything away behind baby proofed cabinets but I don't have to worry about her crawling across the floor after I mop or putting her mouth on edge of the table 2 seconds after I wipe it down. This stuff is great; we're helping the environment, helping our pocketbook, and the house is cleaner than it's ever been. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed. Happy Cleaning!