am I evil

yes I am...(song continues to play)

I really, really, really, really want to buy cloth diapers for two of my friends that are having babies.  One is completely anti-cloth and the other one probably just doesn't know much about them.  I think the one who is anti-cloth would be upset with me and would want to return them right away without giving them a shot.  I just am so pro-cloth and a wee bit fanatical about them. 

I know I have heard the one anti-cloth friend say that my daughter stinks when she is in a cloth diaper.  So, yeah, that was my fault.  I haven't been doing a great job at getting the stink out of the diapers lately.  It is more lazy momma than anything else.  I did one really sanitizing load and it cured the stink.  So, really that stink factor should be nill.  But, stink does happen even to the best of us cloth diapering mommas.  Now the only stink factor is poop.  Which whoo boy!  poop happens.

Another anti-cloth sentiment is that she has read it causes more stress on the wash machine.  Part of me says well... maybe.  But, do you put jeans in your laundry with the rivets and the zippers and the heavy duty jean material?  I think so.  And jeans are so heavy and they are hard on clothes... which reminds me that you are supposed to wash jeans separately than other clothes because it will damage the clothing fibers over time.  So, I don't think my wash machine will be any less fantastic or be shorter lived because I do a load of diapers every night for a couple of years.  Actually, I think you are supposed to use wash machines.

I am debating about just asking anti-cloth friend if she would use them if I got them for her.  Granted, she may not want to hurt my feelings but it could be worth asking.  Otherwise I will just buy them for her and if she wants to return them... so be it.  Then the second part of the decision... maybe the hardest... which one to buy?!!

cake and tarts

I made several desserts this weekend for Nat's first birthday...  one was a cake wreck that I did not get a picture of.  (thinking back on it, I should have)  The follow up to the cake wreck was a set of cupcakes decorated by Big Sister. 

And the third dessert was the fruit tarts... Here is a picture of my fruit tarts

They were delicious and all those who ate one enjoyed them.  They were pretty enough, but today I was reading one of my favorite food bloggers - Cookie Baker Lynn and she had a picture of her tarts...   These are what my tarts dream to look like.

a year gone by

My baby turned 1 yesterday.  I am in awe of how time flies and how much I am ill prepared.  I don't have any birthday celebration planned for today for our family.   I am feeling happy that I enjoyed the past year as much as I could and sad that I didn't write more daily about my little girl.  How much love we have for her and how much she has challenged us.

Things about Natalie:
  - She's a fighter.  She didn't take to the bottle for two months when I went back to work.  She is stubborn and willfull. But, it was good when she had RSV and her fighting attitude was so good to see even at 5 months old.
- She's a happy girl.  She often has a smile on her face and melts hearts wherever she goes.  Daddy often takes her to the grocery store and most people can't help but stop and flirt with her.
-She loves music.  Loves, loves, loves music.  She will stop and dance (shake her booty) or clap her hands when we turn on any number of tunes.

-She is a light sleeper... and still doesn't sleep through the night.  I personally blame the not sleeping through the night on the no bottle taking during the day and waiting to stock up when I was home during evening and the night.
-She liked to fall asleep snuggled up under my armpit when she was in our bed.  Then when she slept in her crib, before I put her down she would pull my head to her cheek so we were cheek-to-cheek while I would rock her.
-She has 4 teeth but they didn't come in all at once.
-She hasn't fully mastered walking on her own but is getting braver at it by the day.

Happy Birthday Natalie!