7 Months!

At 7 months Peanut:

~ weighs about 18.5 lbs

~ is about 29 inches long

~Can now put himself to sleep! Woo hoo! 

~Usually rolls  onto his tummy in the middle of the night, and ends up sleeping with his cute little bum in the air. 

~ His favourite thing is brushing his teeth. And he has a lot of 'em! 4 on the top and 3 on the bottom!

~ Favourite word is  still "bababa" but when upset it's "mamama"

~ Favourite food is oat cereal and avocados. Not really a fan of carrots or asparagus. 

~Puts absolutely everything he can get his hands on in his mouth

~Is obsessed with remote controls/cell phones/other pieces of unsafe and/or expensive technology. 
~Spends a lot of time on his tummy and can turn around in a circle to grab what he wants. Not yet getting up on his knees though, so no crawling. And he can't move forward or back at all. 

Bath Time! 

AH! He's getting so big! 

xoxoxoxo

This and That

I am sitting here trying to write a blog post, and I am coming up blank. I have a few different ideas floating around, but every time I try to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?!) I can't seem to get them how I want them. The skeleton is there, but I can't seem to flesh them out well. 
So, instead of stressing about it, I decided to just sort of let my fingers fly and whatever comes out, so be it. 
First, I got new glasses. See?

I like 'em. And the best thing was

It Wouldn't Be a Mom Blog Without a Story About Poop...

OK, so I have had a traumatic experience, and who better to share it with than all of you lovely readers?! I am sure you are going to love this story. Although, I do have to warn you...there is a lot of poop coming at ya. Well, actually, it came at me, but you know what I mean...so proceed with caution. The "ick" factor might be  is pretty high.
Before I begin my tale, I just have to put it out there that I didn't know how awesome we had it in the poopy-diaper department when we were exclusively breastfeeding. Well, since we have started solids, things have become a whole lot smellier, messier and all around grosser. Hubby has had a particularly hard adjustment to the new poop situation. It's really gross, there is no denying it. 
So, we had

Common Myths about Cloth Diapers

OK, so in the reader survey, someone mentioned that they would like me to talk about cloth diapering (if you take a look at my banner, you will see Peanut is wearing a cloth diaper in that pic). I've always wanted to write about it actually, but I am not an expert, and just sort of figure it out as I go. But then I realized that I write a lot about pregnancy, and parenting, and life in general, and I am definitely no expert on those things. In fact, the only thing I am an expert at is figuring things out as I go. So, why the heck am I not writing about my cloth diapering experience?! So, now I am. 
I only cloth diaper part-time. During the day, he wears cloth. At night and during laundry day, it's disposables. So I have a really good grasp of both worlds. For some reason, this seems to be one of those topics in mommy-land that really polarizes people. To be honest, I'm not sure why. I can sort of understand why people get so worked up some issues, but this one never really makes sense to me. Why do you care if I use cloth diapers and you don't? So strange...And I really don't judge people that use disposables. Because I use them too. So that would just be hypocritical of me to be all Judgy Judgerson and high-horsey about it...
So anyway, if you aren't familiar with someone that uses cloth diapers today, you might not have a good idea about them. So, here is a list of the most common things I hear when I tell people I use cloth. 
1. Ew! It's so gross! You have to touch poop/put poop in your washing machine/store poopy diapers in a bag, etc. 
OK, I admit this was one that I thought too. I figured it wouldn't be that bad, but after the first time using a cloth diaper, I thought "why did I choose this?!?!" and was instantly regretting the amount of money I spent on building up a stash. But in actuality, it is not any grosser than using disposables. Disposables don't magically make poop disappear. It's still there. And if you are touching poop with cloth diapers, then you are touching it with disposables too. The only time I touch poop is when Peanut decides he isn't quite finished and poops all over my hand while changing him. Although I also touch poop when he has a blowout from his disposable diapers too...they always leak through his sleepers. Ick. 
The washing machine thing is interesting. Because it makes me wonder what people do if someone vomits all over their clothes, or there is an inevitable pooplosion that no child is immune from. Do you not just toss the dirty clothes in the washing machine? So how is it any different from washing dirty diapers? Plus, I use soap to wash them, so they get clean. Which means the washer gets clean too. And any solid poops get dumped in the toilet. It's not like you just throw the whole shebang in the washer, lumps and all. (By the way, most people don't do this, but you are also supposed to dump poops into the toilet when you are using disposable diapers too, as fecal matter is human waste and can present a biohazard in our landfills...the more you know.)
2. But cloth diapers are so expensive/your hydro bill's increase will negate any savings
Yes, cloth diapers are expensive. For the cost of 1 diaper you can probably get a small pack of disposables. However, once you make the initial investment, you don't pay anything more except for laundry costs. That means you may spend a couple hundred dollars up front to build up a stash, but then you don't have to buy any more. Which means in the long run, you are most likely saving money. We definitely are. The amount of times we need to change Peanut's diapers in a day, we go through at least a pack of disposables a week if we only use them and no cloth. That's roughly $80/month for diapers. I bought our stash for about $200 (most of mine were used or from discounts and sales). So we broke even a long time ago. And to be honest, I don't notice a massive spike in our utility bills. The amount of money you are actually billed for usage is the smallest part of the whole bill. The huge costs are all fees and the like, which don't change with how much water you use. 
3. It's so much worse for the environment. Think of all those harsh chemicals you have to use. Not to mention the amount of water wasted since you don't do a full load.
OK, this one is a bit frustrating to me, and people who say this usually don't have an idea of what modern cloth diapering looks like. There is no way that I use any harsh chemicals. In fact, harsh chemicals are bad for both the diapers, and for my baby's bum. Most cloth diapering-safe detergents are all-natural. At the very least, they are more gentle than your common washing detergents. Because if you have any buildup from the detergent on the diapers, they don't absorb well anymore. And I don't use bleach. How do I get stains out then? I dry the diapers in the sun. Really, it works like a charm. It's the coolest thing! Try it next time you have a stain. I was super skeptical, but it works every time. In regards to not doing a full load, I have a High Efficiency washing machine, so it only uses the amount of water it needs to based on weight. Sure, I have to do a couple extra rinses, but I don't think that that is ruining the environment. On the other hand, the amount of trash we have when we use disposables is crazy...we were taking out full bags every couple of days. And that was just diaper trash. Yikes! I also wonder if you factor in the amount of resources it takes to make disposable diapers which one comes out more "green". But, my intention here is not to debate which one is better, just to dispel any myths, so moving on! 
4. As if I need more laundry/that's way too much work
This is the one that you probably won't believe until you actually try it. It is no big deal for me to throw in an extra load of laundry. I have to wash the baby clothes every couple of days anyway, so what's the extra work in tossing a bag in the washer? I mostly use a hybrid system, so I have to snap the liners into the covers once they're clean, but really, this only takes a few minutes. And I don't have to, I just like to have them all ready when I want to use them. The couple of diapers I do have to stuff don't take any longer than folding a shirt. 

This is the type of diaper we use (an all-in-2 or hybrid diaper). We use mostly GroVia brand. 

5. But all those pins and rubber pants and folding the nappies is just so complicated! 
Yes, it was. But cloth diapers have come a long way since our parents and grandparents used them. Now, there are no pins. There are no rubber pants. And you don't have to fold diapers if you don't want to. In fact, you can buy cloth diapers where all you have to do is unsnap or unvelcro the waist, and put it on your baby. Exactly like disposables. In fact, I think it's a bit easier, because you don't have to worry about those little ruffles on the legs. 

So, there we go. Hopefully you have a bit of a better understanding of cloth. It's not for everyone, and I'm not trying to change your mind, but I wanted to dispel the myths that I hear a lot of. And now you have a better grasp of what I am talking about when I talk about cloth diapers in the future. Still have questions? Leave 'em here and I will do my best to answer them. 
Next time I will talk about my "system" and how we actually use our cloth diapers. 

Things That Make Me Happy Today...

The awesome little note and doodle the gal at Starbucks did for me today. 

Getting a cute hand-made puppet for Peanut from his Grandma in the mail. 

Reading. I've been reading a lot lately. This is actually my second book this week. Thank goodness for the e-reader; I don't have to leave the house to get my next read! 

Knowing that these 4 ingredients are going to combine into the best, most ooey-gooey mac n cheese on the planet tonight. You might think it's too simple, and not "true" mac n cheese. But honestly, it's changed my life. (Plus, I fool myself into thinking that because it contains cottage cheese it must, therefore, be healthy). 

Naps!!! 

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software: Giveaway!

I have a confession: I don't scrapbook. I love the look of them, but I have no idea how to do it. Nor do I feel that I have the patience required to scrapbook. But, the idea of digital scrapbooking does appeal to me. Why? Because it's so easy! So when the folks over at My Memories got in touch with me about their digital scrapbooking suite, I was interested. 
The My Memories suite is super easy to use, even for a scrapbooking newbie like myself. There are tons of options included with the software, and you can also purchase extra packs to further customize your scrapbooks. Actually, what I like the most about it is how simple it is to make collages. As we all know, the imminent demise of Picnik has left a void for me for easy-to-use collage creation. Well now I have my answer! There are a ton of included photo layouts, and it's way easier than creating them from scratch in Photoshop. If I only ever use it for this feature alone, I am happy. 

These are a couple of pages I created using the suite. I also did the graphic for my Bloggy Birthday post I did yesterday. 
If you'd like to try it, use the code STMMMS70689 to get $10 off! 

And here's the great news! My Memories is giving 1 lucky reader a free download of the software! Woo hoo! Just enter below using the Rafflecopter widget.  (Please remember to leave the blog post comment in addition to hitting "enter" in the widget. Thanks!) Disclosure: Please note I was given a free copy of the software so that I could write this review. All opinions are my own, and I did not receive any financial compensation.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Bloggy Birthday to Me!

Can you believe it? It's been exactly a year since Up Mommy Creek came into being. It's pretty exciting for me! When I started this little blog, I had no idea what would happen to it. In this past year I have learned a ton, met so many wonderful people, and gained so much from this little piece of me on the internet. It's been an awesome journey, and I want to thank you all for coming along with me! Your support, your comments and your emails all mean so much. Moving forward into this next year, I hope to keep growing and learning, and as I do, the blog will hopefully grow and flourish with me. Here's to more adventures to come! 

A little update: Life has been a little bit crazy lately, but in a great way. This week has been full of new experiences. On Monday we had a film crew at the house, and we put in 8 hours of shooting, all for a 2 minute little feature for a corporate video I was lucky enough to be a part of. Unfortunately, it won't be publicly available, but the experience was insane! I felt like a celebrity for the day! I definitely have a new respect for actors. It's actually tough work! 
I am also filming a spot for local TV tomorrow. That one will be public, and hopefully I will be able to post it here, for those who are interested in seeing it. Pretty crazy! I've never been filmed before ever, and now it's twice in 1 week! 
So anyway, the poor little bloggy has been slightly neglected this past week. Hopefully she will get the attention she deserves once this celebrity lifestyle is over with!