Swing Low, Little Monkeys

Another ~3 weeks left in the cast, and Toby is hanging in there. Some toys have lost his interest, but not the circuits and of course not Duplos. We don't get to the park or other adventures as much as we used to, but we do still need to get out of the house and Finnegan Frost was a fun treat enjoyed by everyone in the family. Remember those days when we didn't have to share food with anybody, Nate?

Humans are Moving Creatures

moving |ˈmo͞oviNG

• go in a specified direction or manner; change position
• provoke a strong feeling

Snap-on Underwear

And now for a topic that has only been addressed once on my blog before, and perhaps will never be mentioned again: underwear.

Tips for caring for a child in a spica cast abound on the internet, thankfully. A lot of those kids are younger and still in diapers, so I didn't see a lot of specific info on how to dress a child who is potty trained. Hopefully this post will help those who need a visual idea before they go cutting up their child's clothes!

I was given a snap pliers for putting snaps on cloth diapers, but it has come in very handy for modifying clothing to fit over the cast.

To make this snap-on underwear I chose a pair about 2 sizes larger than what my son normally wears. I cut it open along the sides, sewed in side panels (the blue sections) from an old T-shirt, and added snaps to each side. I made the blue pieces extra long and trimmed them to size after trying it on him. So far it has worked fine, although one part of the elastic waist is raveling...I should have sewed it down better.

We tuck a small diaper inside the cast, underneath the underwear, because even potty trained 3-year-olds have those "I have to pee I have to pee I have to pee" moments, and right now he can't run to the potty! We really don't want to get the cast wet. The underwear holds that diaper from moving and makes him seem dressed a little more normally (for him) than using pull-ups or diapers over the cast.

Constraints Fuel Creativity

It's been a week since Tobias broke his leg. I got just a little sad looking at the 4th of July videos where he was running around with sparklers. And I got just a little sad when a box of clothes for him arrived and he can't wear any of them right now (I think they're big enough that he can still wear them a little this fall). Silly, I know. Don't worry, no one is spending too much time being sad! Mostly I'm proud of how patient and positive he's been.

I asked Toby how many days he thought it would be until the cast came off. He said 47 (that's the 3 year old version of "not quite infinity"). I counted, and that's Sept 16. We'll see.

He's in very good spirits and slept through the night last night for the first time in the cast. He's getting to try lots of new activities like tummy scooting, spirograph spinning, and accompanying Ben (Nate's friend) with shaky eggs.

The Cement Snowsuit

After a tumble off a swing, Toby ended up with a broken femur. He spent two nights in the hospital where he was put under to have a spica cast put on (it goes from his armpits down to his toes on the broken leg, and to his calf on the other leg). It took awhile to get home because we needed to visit with the doctor again, have more x-rays taken, get his cast edges padded and taped up, meet with a carseat technician, etc. Tobias was amazingly patient and brave, although a few times he just "needed to cry about the legs" and asked why his uninjured leg had to be in the cast. That part made me want to cry!

There are a lot of things we are thankful for. Things that "could be worse". We're glad he didn't need surgery to put in pins or plates. We're thankful that at this age he probably won't need any special therapy afterwards to get back to normal. We're glad he's potty trained. We are appreciative of friends and family who are supporting us in prayer and practical help. I'm thankful that I was already on my way home when it happened instead of still in rural Wyoming with no cell reception. He will have full mobility again. We know that whether it's a little hard or a lot hard, God is good. He is providing and will continue to provide!

We're already learning a lot and finding creative ways to keep busy and keep comfortable.

M: 8 months

• owns cute hats but won't wear them
• loves sampling yummy fruit
• loves baths and swimming
• 3 teeth: one top one just popped through a few days ago
• has about an inch of hair, but it's so thin and light people still say he's bald
• uses the potty when he gets up in the morning
• claps hands and does "give me five"
• forgives brother over and over again, but also loves to pull his hair and giggle
• enjoyed first tent camping trip, especially swimming in the lake and eating dirt
• keeps his mom so busy she's barely written anything down on his baby calendar

Red, White, and Blueberry

Red cherries, white sugary donuts, and blue berries...maybe going to Bill's Berry Farm for the 4th of July will become a tradition!

Toby discussed literature with a 6 year old girl from Seattle over the row of blueberry bushes. They both own the book "Blueberries for Sal", but our plastic buckets don't say kerplunk, was the part I overheard.

Despite being tied firmly on my back, Malachi "Reach" managed to sample both the fruit and the foliage of the cherries and berries, plus some bark chips from the landscaping for good measure. But the freshly made donuts were all for Toby and me.

A Few Memories

First food, 6th anniversary, 3rd birthday, first time in the swimming pool, the last mile of an 18-hour-drive road trip...life is filled with milestones and accomplishments. Sometimes they fly by at an alarming rate, but they're great opportunities to celebrate and remember. Remember how Tobias didn't want to blow out his 2nd candle last year but this year he knew just what to do? Remember two hundred people singing "praise Him above you heavenly hosts" at our wedding reception? 

I wonder if Tobias will remember our recent trip. Will he remember riding in the "granola" (gondola) and looking at the mountains? Making nutella and marshmallow animals? Throwing rocks in the lake with Uncle Jon? I hope he'll at least have fun looking at the pictures and hearing stories as he gets older! Maybe Malachi won't remember anything specific, but he knows that his Grandpas and Grandmas and Aunts and Uncles love him a lot!

Father's Day

A belated Happy Father's Day to the D-A-D that is just right for our kids.

Love you!

Challenge: Complete

The challenge is complete. The last batch of hand-washed flats are drying on the line.
My conclusions from the week are:

• It worked. The diapers got clean, and the flats dried very fast in the dry air here (20-30 minutes outdoors).
• If I was having to hand-wash diapers on a regular basis I would probably try to make it to a laundromat or friend's house once a week for a break.
• It didn't seem to take a whole lot of extra time on days when I was around the house anyway. Pop into the bathroom and do the next step (wash, squeeze/drain, rinse, etc.).  On days when I had errands to run, it was more of a big chore or project. I missed being able to start my washing machine and head out for groceries and come back to clean diapers.
• Washing diapers without regular access to a washing machine would be hard, but preferable to me than skimping on groceries, bills or healthcare, leaving a child in a wet diaper for too long, etc. 
• I'm sure hand washing diapers isn't the solution for every family with kids who has a tight budget but no washer. But it's good to have options!
• Hand-washing (diapers and/or clothes) might be a good skill to have for camping, power outages, or natural disasters.

Great job to all the other ladies (and dads too, I guess) who completed the challenge. I know several hundred signed up and many were able to complete. There are now hundreds of blog posts full of tips out there from people who took this challenge...roll your covers in a towel to get most of the moisture out if you need them to air-dry quickly (I had enough that I didn't need to do this step, but if you were in a more humid climate or had less covers it could really help), flour-sack towels make great diapers and cost about $1, flats can be stuffed into pocket diapers to make an easy-to-use diaper for daycare that can still be hand washed, and there are lots of different ways to wash without a washer (portable washers, utility sink, homemade camp washers).

Can I "Kish" Them?

He wanted to help squish the diapers so I generously let him help. So far we have done 2 small loads of diaper laundry with our make-shift setup. It works. Not fun but not disgusting or impossible either.

For the record, the supplies I'm using this week (I already had all this on hand) are:

• Covers (the waterproof part): Thirsties, Flip, and homemade
• Flat diapers (the absorbent part): ~12 Gerber birdseye flats, 4 flannel receiving blankets
• cloth wipes ($ store washcloths)
• Target trashcan and waterproof liner bag to store wet diapers, small waterproof bag to keep in the diaper bag
• bucket and plunger
• Country Save powdered laundry detergent
• clothesline, indoor drying rack

I estimate that to purchase all these supplies new would cost around $150. A lot of things people already have, could make or find, or could do without. For example, my nice retractible clothes line was about $17 but isn't strictly necessary.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge: Why?

It's official. I'm crazy! Crazy determined, that is. I considered not blogging about this because it is kind of strange, but if the purpose is to raise awareness then I figured that I should let people know what I'm doing:


I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers (large 1-layer pieces of fabric) and hand-washing them, in an effort to raise awareness that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.  You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post.  According to Huggies, 1 in 3 families with kids in diapers is regularly choosing between disposable diapers and other basic needs like food. Not having access to washer/dryer doesn't necessarily rule out cloth diapers as a solution for families.


The reason I chose to participate is because I met some moms here in the Tri-Cities who could benefit from using cloth diapers and want to use them, but don't have regular access to washers and dryers because they live in apartments. Flat diapers are easiest to get clean without a washing machine because they are only 1 layer thick. I figured I shouldn't really be recommending or troubleshooting something I haven't tried myself...so I'm going to try it.
   
I'm not afraid of flats, I've used them before (for example, on our trip to Italy), and I have a perfectly functional clothesline and indoor drying rack, but I'm guessing I'll miss my washer. I'm planning to wash the diapers in a bucket and agitate with a plunger. It is possible to make a "camp washer" out of a bucket so I'm going to do something similar, but without all the drilling.

Wish me luck!

Dry Erase Activity Book

I made an activity book for our upcoming road trip out of things I had around the house. It is a small photo book that I inserted pieces of paper into. The pages can be written on with dry-erase marker and then re-used. Here I am showing you the nice pages. Towards the end I got lazy...I think one of the pages has a Quizno's sub sandwich coupon with the word YUM written by it.

I also plan to start hoarding, making and gathering other fun things soon like happy meal toys, packaged snacks, velcro sticks, and books. I also looking for a clipboard for coloring pages. The iPod tends to make him carsick so that's not on the list!

What car activities have kept your family sane and civil during long trips?

Forward! Upward!

Tobias loves to make or imagine things that are "blastering off into space".
Malachi is definitely crawling, although it is tiring and frustrating for him! Plus, when he arrives at the toys his brother clears them away and replaces them with a boring baby toy. The end clip with the yellow toy is Tobias at a similar age (not quite 6 months...Christmas 2009) and not quite able to maneuver towards it. But crawling wasn't his thing...running was. Thankful to have two happy, smart kids who undoubtedly will both have their own unique ways of doing things!

M: 5 months

• army crawls
• gets up on all 4s and rocks around
• stands by furniture
• drools, spits and babbles
• thinks it's funny when Tobias drools or spits (stop encouraging him, Malachi!)
• can sit by himself for awhile
• is very hard to hold onto during church while we sing
• has a brand new cousin born 5 months and 5 days after he was
• falls asleep easily in the car but wakes up as soon as we arrive anywhere
• still has 1 tooth, but that 2nd one seems like it could come through anytime
• just as sweet as ever

Once a Month Cooking (Month 2)

Last month 4 women and 9 of their sons convened on Rachel's house to cook the February 2012 menu from Onceamonthmom.com. It was a fun but intense 3+ days of cooking (the first day was a long day and then the other days were partial days of cooking). We learned a lot and got to try lots of new foods (some good and some....interesting?), and decided to give it a second go.

So this week we did the March menu. We substituted one recipe and changed a few details (for example, making regular lasagna instead of lasagna rolls to keep things simple). Instead of everyone buying so many different ingredients, we each took a section of the list. For example, I bought all the dairy products to make the meals for 4 families. Some of the things we had access to for free, such as chickpeas and applesauce. The night before, we each had a few tasks to do such as soaking and cooking beans, making dough, etc. That way we saved money by not buying the canned beans and biscuits.

We haven't crunched the numbers yet (I'll update when we do) but we think we spent about $120-130 per family to produce the 15 recipes. Perhaps a little more if you include things like freezer bags and containers. Each recipe was supposed to produce 2 meals worth per family, but some of the recipes seemed to produce a lot more than that. I think I have 4 containers of quesadilla filling, and 3 of the zucchini pesto. Everyone took home 2 big broccoli stromboli rolls and 1 little one. The lasagna recipe and the cinnamon rolls had some rabbit-like qualities to them (in quantity, not flavor)....I think I put together the equivalent of eight 9x13 pans of lasagna (some of the pans were smaller so it was actually more than 8 pans). Jamie spent most of Thursday rolling out cinnamon rolls.

(photos by Sheila)

15 recipes x 2 meals worth of each recipe x 4 families = 120 meals

120 meals x 5 people per family = at least 600 servings of food, more if you count leftovers


Some of the recipes are basically a meal in themselves, and some would need buns or a vegetable or various condiments to go with them. We had some extra bags of some of the veggies though that we split up among us, so some of those are already paid for too. I think this was an economical way to try new recipes!

Next month (or at least sometime) our goal is to plan our own menu. We can make some adjustments to have it run more smoothly with so much quantity and limited freezer space, as well as using some of our personal favorite recipes or hits from this month or last month's menu.

Besides the convenience of having all this healthy food in the freezer, it was a fun time getting to talk with others while we were cooking! The kids played (and built things, and bothered the chickens, etc.) in the fenced backyard and didn't get into too much trouble.

If you're thinking of trying this with friends, look at onceamonthmom.com. They now have some 5 and 10 day mini menus, so you could start small and then expand, instead of starting big and then trying to simplify like we did!

Physical Education: Wrestling Class

In a scene reminiscent of the classic "Tobias introduces his brother" (except now Malachi can laugh and even fight back), Tobias scoops Malachi into his lap and chats with him.

In case some of the audio is unclear, here's a partial transcript:

H: Hey, gentle.

T: He is not saying stop, and he has one tooth, and he's a baby!

I'm gonna hold him for awhile

Hey, say hi to him! Hiiii! Hiiii! He likes me!

N: He sure does.

T: Yeah, do you like me?

N: I think he likes to pull your hair too.

T: Do you like that baby Malachi? Do you like that baby Malachi? Do you?

This is my friend baby Malachi!

N: It's your brother, Tobes.

T: Yeah, it is my brother...tickle him!

Theological Education

So much to learn! Tobias is soaking up Catechism questions and asking "what letter does that start with" dozens of times per day. Malachi is scootching, sliding, and drifting away from where I set him on the floor. Nate is business-ing and programming and I'm sure he's learning things that I do not even understand. Hannah is sewing and making patterns (hat tutorial coming soon when I work out the last quirks), planning for mega-freezer-cooking day next week, and scheming ways to keep the quail out of the garden. It might be a stretch to say the chickens are learning anything new, but they are enjoying the moveable coop, they get fresh grass every day or two.

4 month old letter

To: My 3-month-old friends

From: Malachi

Dear friends,

Soon you will be hitting the milestone of 4 months old. That is 1/3 of a year. "Time flies", my mom and dad say. I'm not sure what that means. Let me pass on a few words of wisdom and advice to you, though, as you approach this important time of your life.

First, please note that once your arms and hands start working properly, it opens up whole new fields of exploration. I particularly recommend putting everything in your mouth. Clothing, plates, noses, whatever you can get those hands on. Bonus points if it's frozen and feels good on your teeth or gums. You will find that some objects are forbidden, such as silverware, glasses and hair. I have yet to figure out what all these forbidden items have in common...they seem to all look like toys to me.

I am on my way to developing a new mode of transportation in order to obtain things to get into my mouth. I haven't worked out all the details yet but I'll let you in on what I've discovered so far: first, roll onto your tummy and lift your butt into the air. When you get tired of holding it up, the potential energy will propel you either forwards or backwards. This may place you closer to the desired object. If not, repeat until you are successful or someone takes pity on you and gives you the object.

The entertainment around my house is so-so. It's good to smile and be friendly and such, but I like to hold out with the actual laughter for the truly absurd and hilarious. 'Cause then they do it again and again. And get out the video cameras.

I must stress the importance of working out those core abdominal muscles (because we all know that crawling is not our ultimate goal...we are baby bipeds). Crunches, planks, side crunches, and leg lifting are good options. Sure it may disrupt your sleep if you're trying to do these things while swaddled, but that can be dealt with! And if you can find a nice cozy Aunt to nap on during the day, you'll be caught up on sleep in no time anyway. I seem to have misplaced mine though :(

Well, my mom is telling me to quit drooling on the keyboard so I better go now.

Your friend,

Malachi

Soundtrack: ABCs + Tron

Tobias serenades the Sunday park-goers with an abbreviated version of the ABCs (he does know them all, not sure why he left some out), and Malachi attempts to roll the other way (maybe if I'm lucky I'll catch that on video when it happens).