Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Baby things I've become addicted to, er, i mean love...a lot.


Ok, so I'm not gonna lie, one of our favorite things about preparing for Cruz's arrival last year was all of the cool baby stuff you get to buy - totally wish some of Cruz's toys were our size. What adult wouldn't want to be pushed around in a stroller or have a super comfy massive bumbo seat to sit in?? However, out of all of Cruz's things, I have unfortunately come down with several addictions...both of which I never thought I would like, much less love, because I thought they took too much work, effort and my precious time. Not the case; I have actually found the opposite. My two new loves actually save us money, and really don't waste any more time or effort. So here it goes: I am totally and completely in love with making baby food and cloth diapers!


*Note: If anyone chooses not to cloth diaper or make their baby's food, this is not a knock on you! To each his own! Just sharing my love and addiction!


Baby Food:


I was terrified of making baby food. One, most people know I am not super detailed so I was scared I would do something wrong and eventually kill Cruz because I am unable to read and follow a recipe correctly (although I love to cook - going by a recipe is not as crucial for adults because we can eat whatever we want:)). Two, I didn't get the point - people make their living creating and making baby food FOR us, all put together already in little jars...if you want organic, buy organic jar food (which I am a big fan of feeding your baby - and adults! - organic foods if at all possible). WRONG! I have learned over the past couple of weeks (yes, we're new to this, because Cruz just made five months at the beginning of February) that making baby is not difficult, I don't need to follow a recipe (just a couple of safety rules), and it saves so so so much money rather than buying jarred food!


I've made Cruz several things already, and frozen most of it: sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, mango, carrots, bananas, avocado, etc. The great thing is that you can make a ton of food one day a week, or every few weeks, and freeze the food in one or two ounce ice cube trays and thaw for each meal! Or for simple foods, such as bananas or avocados, you can mash those up with a fork and serve right away. The one thing I am kind of funny about is waiting a few days in between feeding Cruz new foods to check for allergies - after his milk protein allergy or lactose intolerance (whichever it is) I'm pretty nervous about allergies.


Two appliances I love and help me IMMENSELY to make Cruz's food: a great food processor and a steamer. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mama Joyce and Poppy for our food processor! It makes the process super fast and easy, and all we have to do is wash the base and chopper blades after we're done. We also got a small steamer for the microwave, or you can steam on the stovetop...so easy for other veggies and fruits that need to be softened. I've read microwaving your baby's food isn't the best way to go, but for a quick meal, I don't think theres anything wrong with that!


Cloth Diapers:


We waited until Cruz was about 1 1/2 months before putting him in cloth diapers full time...he used to have super skinny legs and we were worried about leaks:) I had no idea what I was doing, so before he was born, I ordered several types of cloth diapers: all in ones, pocket diapers, hybrid diapers, prefolds, covers, etc. We haven't tried every brand (i wish!) by far, but we've tried most of the "types" of diapers. And actually love them all. I really haven't found a favorite yet, although we have found a few brands that don't work for Cruz...sadly, our Fuzzibunz have never been Cruz's friend for more than an hour or so - for some reason, these ALWAYS leak with our super heavy wetter. We have found cloth diapers to be economical, just as fast and easy as disposables, and cute!


A few essentials:


Everyone has their preferences, these are my cloth diaper must-haves:


A poop sprayer. Totally worth the money in my opinion. We don't have any stains on our cloth diapers after four months of use thanks to the sprayer...we also, thanks to Adam, found a similar contraption at Lowes for $20 to hook up to the shower and spray the diapers off in the toilet, instead of spending an extra $50 or $60 on a brand name sprayer specifically for diapers.


Doublers/liners/etc. As stated above, Cruz is a heavy wetter. And I mean HEAVY. The boy will go through four diapers while at Mothers Day Out (which is 5 hours long). We use doublers (an extra layer of cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc. to catch wetness) with almost every diaper. Also, one of our friends is the biodegradable disposable liners - put one of those in a diaper and it'll catch the poo! We don't have to use our sprayer too much if we use the liners.


One Size Diapers. Enough said. I definitely believe they're the most economical way to do cloth diapers because the diapers will fit your baby from newborn size - potty train size. We're a huge fan of these, and there are also some cheaper covers out there that have worked well with Cruz. We love Econobum one size and Flip one size covers. This way, if you can't afford to buy all all in one diapers or pocket diapers ($15-20 per diaper unless you buy in bulk) you can use prefolds and covers (which are much cheaper, usually $8-11 per cover) and still have your baby wear diapers through their diaper wearing years. Also, if you use one size diapers, you can use the same diapers for multiple children no matter their size - we'll let y'all know how this goes in about 9 or 10 months!


So, thats a little bit about my two new obsessions, baby food making and cloth diapers. I do not know much about either one, but we're learning as we go...as we do with everything else! Thanks for humoring me - if anyone has any comments or tips about making baby food or cloth diapering, feel free to share!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/user/upsidedownblogger?feature=mhum

This is the link to our youtube channel where we start to upload some of our videos. Most of them will probably be stupid and pointless, but oh well.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Everything

I forgot how much I loved this song...it came on Pandora this morning (while I was working on my papers by the way! :)) and I had to post the lyrics. If you've never heard the song Everything by Lifehouse, look it up! Reminded again that man is without excuse...

Finally here
Once speak to me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
You calm the storms
And you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fold
You still my heart
When you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everythiny.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
Everything.. everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this

...this is my prayer today, for myself and for y'all!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

To Fail or Not to Fail?

So, this idea of failure has been on my mind a lot. Why, you ask? Because my number one fear in life might be failing. Actually, I'm pretty sure it is. A lot of my focus and preparation for becoming a professional counselor has been focused in this area, because unfortunately, I think Americans struggle with this topic big time. What does failing even mean? No one has the same definition, because failing would be different for all of us...do I fail if I keep blogging or checking facebook when I'm supposed to be writing one of my papers for my final class of my masters career (true story)? Do I fail if I pick Cruz up when he wakes up in the middle of his nap (regular occurance) because they say it encourages him to continue the waking up pattern? Do I fail if I don't make dinner every night? Or if I can't exactly keep my apartment clean all the time? All of these questions are real scenarios floating around in my brain lately...there are a few things I've learned.

One - there is a difference in failing, as in not completing an obligation, and being a FAILURE. The latter is a label I often wore, but finally concluded I needed to stop calling myself a failure, unless I really wanted to be one.

Two - people are not watching me constantly to see me fail. I flatter myself too much, I am not the center of everyone's attention. And I don't want to be. The people watching me the most are also the ones who believe in me at all times, and do not see my failures as I do...my family, my friends, my God. They love me in spite of my "failures".

Three - who the heck decides I fail anyway? The experts who write baby sleep books? A professor who gives me a C rather than an A because I didn't get a few papers in on time?

You know what I decided? A little bit of fear of failing is healthy, because I think fear is a strong motivator, and Lord knows I at least need some motivation sometimes! But its really who I'm scared to fail that matters - if it's not the Lord, or my husband, or my kid, or my friends, it's probably not very important. And like I said earlier, to these people, my failing is not really failing. I am forever thankful for their grace and mercy! I also decided that sometimes I might CHOOSE to "fail" in the world's eyes...it probably is failing to some people that Adam and I choose for me to stay at home and raise our kids instead of working so we can buy a house or nicer cars - but we see that as a success. And one day if I don't get the laundry folded, but spend time teaching Cruz to sit up, it might look like a failure because there are clothes scattered all over the floor - but Cruz sitting up and spending time with Mama and Daddy is definitely a success! So, you know what? I hear Cruz crying...and yes, we are best friends with the 45 minute intruder, he constantly wakes up 45 minutes into his nap, no matter what we do. Today I'm going to fail. I'm going to go pick him up. But to see him smile when I go to grab him will feel like sweet sweet success!

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Valentine for Jesus



At our LifeGroup yesterday, our worship was to write a love letter to Jesus...I thought that was such a cool idea, because to be honest, I'd never thought about the Lord and Valentines Day - we have Valentines Day because of Jesus. We have marriage because of Jesus. We are able to love one another because of Jesus. But how many "valentines" have I written to Him? How often am I as intimate with Jesus as I am with my husband? He desires this level of intimacy with us, he designed us for a relationship with Him...and we do love - love other people, love things, love concepts, love God - because He first loved us. We have the greatest, craziest, most amazing example of love in the life and death of Christ.

I love Valentines Day. I know it's a cheesy holiday where people just go crazy spending money on flowers, candy and cards, but it's so much MORE than that. Unfortunately, Vday serves as a reminder day...we get one day a year, maybe two or three including an anniversary or the occasional birthday, where we have an excuse to dote on one another (romantically or just on our friends!) and be over the top loving to the ones we care about. Why do we need a national holiday to remind us to love our spouse? Or tell our friends how much we appreciate them? Since Jesus is our example of love, that pretty much means we need to love passionately all the time...I am so in love with Jesus' passion - his passion for people, His father, changing lives, chasing after His beloved, and most bewildering of all, His passion for me. This year, I get to have THREE valentines...Adam, baby Cruz, and Jesus. I don't want to wait until February of next year to passionately display my love for my friends, my family, or my Lord.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Spit-up, Graduation, New York, Sleepless Nights, Endless Love...


Welcome! So, technically Adam and I started this blog two years ago...but never made an entry. I decided recently we needed to change that because there has been SO much going on in the Willard household, we wanted everyone to be aware of the changes, challenges, and amazing new events in our lives!

First things first...Adam and I welcomed our first child into the world on September 10, 2010 - Cruz Erik Willard. I'll post later about how we came up with his name...its an interesting story. From the first moment, Cruz has captured our hearts and continues to do so as he grows and learns new things everyday - he is our sweet, red-haired, blue-eyed little man who looks just like his daddy and unfortunately has the unyielding passion of his mama...at times we call him our bi-polar child. He is not afraid to let us know how he's feeling, whether it's happy, sad, or mad as fire - but we wouldn't have it any other way. I am constantly amazed at our Savior who somehow thought I deserved such a giant blessing as having Cruz in my life; not to mention blessing me with an amazing husband and father who walks with me through it all EVERYday. I never knew what anyone meant when they said it hurt to love something or someone so much, but now I can definitely relate.

On other news, Adam and I officially began the application process with AIM, Africa Inland Mission, last fall. We cannot tell you how long we searched and prayed for the right organization to serve with, and finally, we feel the Lord led us to AIM. Again, I'll post about them and our experience with the application process later, this post is just a basic introduction/overview of the big events in our lives lately! We will finish up the paper part of our application in the next couple of weeks and then start an ongoing conversation with the man in charge of job requests about the calling we feel God has placed on our lives, which will eventually lead us to our placement in Africa! We will head up to New York in April for candidate week where we will offically be handed our placement...and then it's all about support raising, planning, and a lot of prayer!

After 3 1/2, will be 4 in May, long years, Adam and I will FINALLY finish our seminary degrees and take that expensive, exciting, unbelieveable walk across the graduation stage in May. I already tear up every time I think of graduation, because graduation means moving and leaving our life here in New Orleans, but we are excited about our next steps. We have loved, loved, loved living in New Orleans - it was our first home together as a married couple, we had our first child here, we have cried/laughed/grown/learned/been stretched in every way possible here, and made some of the best friends we know we will keep for a lifetime. I'll post more about graduation, seminary life, what we have learned, and our next steps later too.

Thank you to whoever is reading this blog...thank you for caring what is changing in our lives, for investing in us, for putting up with my nil blogger skills, and listening to my rambling! My hope and prayer is that we can continue to update our blog to allow everyone a clear picture of our future and what God is doing in our lives - thank you for letting us share!