Wordless Wednesday

4 Months!

I can't believe Austin is 4 months old! He is getting so big!

Things Austin loves...

-Standing

-Toys

-Pushing his pacy back in his mouth

-Snapping

-Poot noises (Such a boy)

-Kissy noises

-Applecheeks cloth diapers

-Snuggling with mommy

-Boobies

-Not napping

-Superman game

-TV (seriously. it's bad. out of control.)

-Belly laughing

-Making silly faces

-Car rides

-Green lights (DON'T stop. Or else.)

-Kisses

-Grandma's swing

-Mommy's singing voice (crazy kid...)

-To be held all the time (Fine with me!)

-His new Beco ;) (Thanks Joanna!)

I talked to Time as did Mandy, but he didn't listen. I want him to STOP! Austin is getting too big. I want him to stay my little baby nursling for as long as possible!

At his 4 month appointment today he did so great. He got two shots and I'm still a little heartbroken and will never forget that cry... He is in the 5th percentile for height, 10th for weight, and 50th for head circumference. LOL. A BIT proportional, but he's GROWING! & at least he's out of the less than 3 percentile. I don't know WHY they have him a term chart to begin with, but oh well. Someone's gotta hold down 5%, and who better than my gorgeous baby boy?!

Holidays

Holidays have such a new meaning for me now. I get to celebrate for Austin! He wasn't even a month old on Christmas but we, I mean Santa, still got him a couple things. He got a little basketball goal thingy (he'll be ready for it soon!) And a matchbox car, some books, and wrist rattles.

On New Years Eve at midnight Christopher was asleep. We don't have cable so I counted down to 2010 with my Twitter friends. I was nursing Austin & once he finally finished (those were the days of the hour long nursing sessions...) I gave him a big big kiss.

For Valentine's Day I got him a "Mommy's Valentine" onesie and asked him to Be Mine!

On St. Patrick's Day I made SURE he was wearing green so no one would get punched out. Punched out you ask? Yeah, pinch my baby and see what happens... ;)

For Easter I, I mean the Easter bunny, has gotten him a HUGE basket for the years to come. I, I mean he, got Austin some eggs to hide. I am25 years old and hiding and finding easter eggs is PROBABLY my absolute favorite thing in the entire world. My mom said I used to make her hide them over and over and over. I make Christopher do it too! And NOW I have Austin!!! I hope he loves it as much as I do! We can hide and hunt all day! He even has an "Easter Egg Hunting Champion" shirt. I wish I had one... Anyways.

The Easter bunny also got Austin a book on the meaning of Easter. As his first Easter, I wanted to make sure he understood what was really happening. He may not understand, but I want to start off on the right foot that this holiday (and Christmas) isn't all about eggs and bunnies. It's about Jesus dying for our sins so we can go to Heaven. That's a way better present than candy, eggs, and basketball goals.
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Cafepress Giveaway Winner!

I am SOOOO excited about this winning comment because she won by favoriting Austin's pic in the Applecheeks contest. I am MORE than happy to award her with this awesome giveaway!

Random.org choose number 4 of 57!

The winning comment is

Yaaaaay Mama B! Thanks so much for voting for Austin and entering my Cafepress giveaway! Just DM or email me your email and I'll send it over to the Cafepress peeps ;)

Spring Has Sprung

..And in celebration, Prince, Cindy, Austin, the cloth diapers and I sunned on the deck! It was fabulous ;)

It was still cool today. We've had some 77 degree days lately though. Getting Austin in the hot car is already miserable. I've told him it's going to get much much hotter. I can't imagine how miserable he may be this summer! I'm not looking forward to it. At least next year he can tell me he's hot!

Although I AM looking forward to swim diapers, the pool, the beach, and Charleston a buzz again. And this year I get to look at it all through a brand new set of eyes, Austin's.
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Big News All Around!

Baby Bumble B Blog has lots of good news to announce!

As you may have noticed in an earlier post, we are sponsoring a Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog Tails blog event geared toward boys, cloth diapers, and all things baby!

I am PROUD to announce that Austin came in 3rd place in the AppleCheeks Spring Booty Call! Thanks SO MUCH to all who voted!

Yours truly is now a blogger/contributer on DiaperSwapper's new blog! Exciting right?!

We were also showcased on Family Of The Cloth this past week.

Wow Austin is a busy B!!!

Snips, Snails, & Puppydog Tails EVENT!

Are you a mom of a boy? Do you get frustrated finding the absolute CUTEST things for your little man?

Well look no further. Baby Bumble B is hosting a Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails event! After all, that's what little boys are made of, right?!

We will be hosting an awesome event packed full of giveaways for your little boy, his cloth diapered tail, you the MOMMY of your hunk of love, and may be something for the little ladies as well, because let's admit, our boys love the ladies. We can't completely leave them out!

If you would like to be included in this event you can earn tons of extra entries before we even start rolling!

To RSVP & be able to earn extra entries you must comment below telling me what kind of awesome baby boy (or girl, baby, diaper, and mommy) swag you'd like to see.

For 2 addition entries in EVERY giveaway, follow Baby Bumble B on Google Connect (publicly)

For 3 addition entries in EVERY giveaway, put our event banner in your blog sidebar!

</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.babybumbleb.com/2010/03/snips-snails-puppydog-tails-event.html"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r109/gkhelton/eventbanner.png" target="0" /></a>

List of SPONSORS!

If you're interested in SPONSORING a product boy, cloth diaper, mommy, or baby related, please email me at katie@babybumbleb.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!

Blogging With A Baby...

... isn't easy...

Purple People Eater

It was a one-eyed one-armed flyin purple people eater...

Nah it's just Austin. Noticed some thrush yesterday! With some tips from the Twitterfolk I gave him some gentian violet. I did his dose perfectly and non-messy. BUT then I went a tad overboard putting it on my boobs to treat myself (I caught the thrush before I had symptoms thank goodness) which resulted in the uber cute pic of Austin, the purple people eater.

Something I learned about gentian violet... Make sure you screw the cap on tight. It doesn't come out of carpet or coffee table.
*headdesk*
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The Sick House

Christopher brought home some germies. Thankfully they're just sniffly nose germies and not like the plague, but seeing Austin sniffly and sleepy is sad!

I had a little bit of a runny nose yesterday but felt fine. I went on my business like any normal day! Last night however, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I'm chalking it up to not sleeping from 1am-5am that morning though. I was EXHAUSTED.

Today I'm feeling a little better. Austin slept great and I kept my head elevated so I wouldn't get sinus yuckness. But now Austin is a little stuffy and just konked out.

I was told by some friends that I can take Eldenberry Syrup. It will help me AND the baby with stuffiness. Unfortunately I have no car at the moment (Christopher's got it because his radiator is cracked! Ahhhhhh!) so I may just have him swing by the pharmacy and grab me some! Wait...? Is it even in a pharmacy?

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Wordless Wednesday

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Austin's Baptism

Sunday Austin was baptized by my grandfather at our church, Peace Presbyterian! Our preacher Will charged the congregation and introduced Austin to his new family. It was really really special! My grandfather baptized me. All of his great-grandchildren have been baptized by their grandfathers, but my mom is a rebel and married a teacher instead of a preacher ;) My grandfather also married Christopher and me almost 6 years ago. It was really neat to have him baptize Austin. Austin watched him and cooed the entire time! It was so sweet and so cool!

My Grandfather baptizing Austin

The families! My parents, my grandparents, and Christopher's parents. And Christopher, Austin, and me of course ;)

Will (the BEST preacher! If you're looking for an awesome church home with an awesome preacher, hurry over!) introducing Austin to the congregation

What a great fun family event. We're so blessed to have Austin in our lives :)

CafePress Giveaway!

I have turned to CafePress numerous times for personalizing myself for any event! I got this shirt for one of my showers:

And I got this one for Christopher:

I have had a very hard time not purchasing these shirts...

I am proudly Team Edward if you can't tell...

I was given the opportunity to pick a shirt for myself and for Austin to review! Seriously, took me hours. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to get Austin, but no idea for myself. I almost got something Twilight, but instead I went for something fun and quirky, like me ;)

Okay so there's no pic of me in it. I tried. I looked stupid. But it's uber cute. And you're not here to look at me anyways, just that adorable boobie monster! Dontcha just want to eat him up?! I'm loving these shirts because they really represent us. Getting something so personalized and so "you" is hard sometimes, but with thousands and thousands of possibilities at Cafepress, you WON'T have a problem!

You can get all KINDS of things at Cafepress. Baby onesies and shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, clocks, journals, the list goes on! Can't find anything on there that you like? Personalize your own!

You can find millions of personalized gifts at Cafepress for any topic, interest, or brand!

AND

Enter to win you and your kiddo shirts RIGHT HERE! (I'm sure a puppy shirt would fly as well)

To enter, just leave me a comment with your email! How easy ;)

For additional entries:
-Follow my blog publicly on Google Connect

-Follow @BabyBumbleB on Twitter

-Fan Baby Bumble B on Facebook

-Vote for this blog on TopBabyBlogs by clicking here (One entry per day!)

-Put my blog button on your blog

-Tweet about this giveaway. Include @BabyBumbleB, #giveaway, this URL-http://tinyurl.com/yzbf9gd-, and "CafePress" in your tweet! (One entry per day!)

BONUS 5 ENTRIES! "Favorite" this pic on Flickr for 5 ENTRIES! (let me know your Flickr account name in each entry!)(If you have already voted for Austin in this contest, please leave your 5 entries here!)

This giveaway will end on March 21st at 11:59pm EST! Winner will be chosen via Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to return my email or a new winner will be chosen!

Good luck! :)

I was given two shirts that Austin and I got to keep. I was not compensated for this review.

Please Vote For Austin & His Applecheeks!

Think this pic is cute?!

Yes well, cause it is. PLEASE "FAVORITE" this picture to vote for Austin in an AppleCheeks contest! If he wins he will be featured on their website AND we can win some awesome diapers. These are our new favorites and I'd like to stash up on some!

Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE PICTURE! Then click the STAR to "FAVORITE"

Winner of Dr. Carey's Baby Care Kit!

We had 43 entries for Dr. Carey's Baby Care Kit giveaway! I put in numbers 1-43 into Random.org and this comment was chosen:

I've emailed the winner! Please respond in 48 hours to claim your prize. A new winner will be chosen if you haven't by Tuesday afternoon.

Thanks to all who participated! This was a lot of fun! Thank you for making our first giveaway a success!

UPDATE! WOW She's fast! Already responded in like 2 minutes LOL! Thanks again!

Our Cloth Diaper Stash!

I finally did it! Everything was clean (sorta) and set out, except for the diaper on Austin's butt and an Econobum cover that I have no clue where is... May be my car?

Here is our changing station. This is an old dresser from Christopher's parent's house. Really old. But it was free!

Here are our diapers (including prefold and extra inserts)!

Here are the disposable inserts that I got for camping!

These are Austin's fitteds

So that totals...

1 AppleCheeks

2 Goodmamas

1 BananaBottoms

1 Monkey SNuggles

1 Kissaluvs

3 Flips (one not pictures, on Austin's bum bum)

1 Econobum (not pictured, idk where it is! LOL)

1 CYA Cover

1 BambinoMio Cover

14 Bumgenius 3.0

Tons of BambinoMio prefolds

2 Snappis

And did you note my cloth wipe warmer? I love it! And Austin's monster bin? So cute ;)

Please click this button to vote for us in the TopBabyBlogs! Thanks :)

Wordless Wednesday

Dr. Carey's Baby Care Kit Review and Giveaway!

You can read and register and plan for a baby all you want. But when he comes home, you have probably forgotten something and wish you had it right then and there. For me, it was a nasal aspirator. I had one but it was teeny tiny and didn't work and I thought I was doing it wrong. At one of Austin's weight checks I asked the doctor about it and she gave me one of theirs and showed me how to use it. I use it all the time and Austin LOVES it. He laughs when I do it. ;)

Dr. Carey's Baby Care Kit includes a nasal aspirator plus tons of other things that I know I reached for that first month or so. Included in this awesome kit is a GREAT book. It's full of pictures. I hate trying to decipher what my baby books were trying to describe a rash looking like. This book has all the things any baby book has PLUS great pictures. It was nice to see Austin's umbilical hernia looked like this super cool baby model's. The book also contains a section on baby development!

The kit also contains a great swaddle blanket. I loved those swaddle blankets from Babies R Us that velcro your baby's arms down, but Austin was more of a kicker than a arm flailer and those didn't keep his legs from waking him up. This blanket is big enough to swaddle your baby INCLUDING his feet, and not have to worry about loose ends being kicked out!

The kit has a really cool pacy. It's just like the soothie ones, but the part outside of his mouth is shaped differently and it has a hole to put pacy clips through, which the soothie ones do not! A&D ointment is included for those pesky diaper rashes, squirt bottle for saline solution to use with stuffy noses, nasal aspirator, and a thermometer. I was constantly obsessively checking Austin's temp when he came home since temp control was his biggest NICU issue. I still reach for it from time to time, but if you're like me, you misplace it. A lot. Having more than one on hand is smart!

Who IS Dr. Carey, you may ask?!

Dr. Carey Chronis is a long-standing board certified pediatrician with a private practice in Ventura, California. Besides his medical expertise, Dr. Carey possesses an extensive publishing background. He self-published a comprehensive review series for medical students and has written articles for Ventura Parent Magazine. He serves as a guest speaker for numerous expectant parent classes.

Dr. Carey is known for his relaxed and fun attitude, good bedside manner and for always taking his patient’s concerns seriously. He has a deep love for the children he serves and is empathetic to their parents and their joys and challenges. He is also the father of Claire.

He's really nice too!

This kit is a must have for when your baby arrives home. It also makes an awesome gift! You can go over to Dr. Carey's website and buy one for yourself OR win one here!

Mandatory entry- Head over to Dr. Carey's, look around, and tell me here what item in the kit you used most with your little one or what item you think you'll need the most! PLEASE leave an email so I can reach you :)

Additional Entries! (Please leave one comment PER entry!)

-Fan Dr. Carey on Facebook

-Follow Dr. Carey on Twitter (leave your twitter name too please!)

-Fan Baby Bumble B on Facebook

-Follow Baby Bumble B on Twitter

-Publicly follow Baby Bumble B's blog!

-Vote for Baby Bumble B on TopBabyBlogs just by clicking here!

-Put my blog button on your blog!

-Tweet about this giveaway! Include @BabyBumbleB AND @DrCareyBabyCare (one tweet allowed each day, one entry per tweet!)

This giveaway will end on March 13th at 11:59pm EST! Winner will be chosen via Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to return my email or a new winner will be chosen!

Good luck! :)

I was given a baby care kit that I got to keep. I was not compensated for this review.

Couponing

I went to the grocery store this week. I bought all store brand items and my bill was STILL over $200! Thankfully it'll last us a few weeks, but still, so annoying.

My friend Elizabeth is this ninja coupon-er. She literally spends $1 instead of $50. I'm not kidding. Check out her blog, The Crafty Charlestonian and read her blog posts. She took pictures of her receipts!

Awhile back I asked her HOW IN THE WORLD do you do this? The Southern Saver's website is so confusing I couldn't figure it out on my own. However Elizabeth was moving and about to have a baby and then I had Austin, so our date to get together so she could show me kept getting pushed back because of life!

Now Elizabeth is teaching her own workshops! For only $10 I'm going to get an awesome 15 page how-to guide and learn how to save hundreds of dollars at Publix, CVS, and Walgreens, and I CAN'T WAIT!

She has couple workshops this month and is already booking up QUICKLY for next month. If you'd like to join me on the 27th or learn to save on another date, visit Elizabeth's blog for details! She asks for you to register so she can get a head count! It's so easy!

Monkey Snuggles Review and Coupon!

I found the fabulous WAHM Renee on Twitter (@MonkeySnuggles Check out her background! Tie Dyed diaper!). She is the woman behind the super adorable Monkey Snuggles diapers. She is so nice and was happy to offer me AND my readers a great discount on whatever in her shop! I choose a red fitted pocket diaper. I was in dire need of some new colors and red is so delicious!

Here's more about Monkey Snuggles Diapers!

Monkey Snuggles Diaper Co. is a 4 generation business. 3 generations of crafty ladies knitting and sewing and one generation of in-house quality control! We try to keep our prices as low as we can. One of the benefits of cloth diapering is the money you can save! We are happy to answer any questions you have about our cloth diapers - cloth diapering mamas LOVE to talk about diapers!!

Monkey Snuggles just moved from Etsy back to their revamped webpage. She still has some ADORABLE diapers and clothing up on etsy!

I'm eying this (ADORABLE, right?):

Want to try a fitted pocket diaper? She has them in 4 sizes!

Monkey Snuggles carries wool, pockets, fitteds, wetbags, shirts to match your dipes, wool care, detergent, wipes, and inserts!

I washed my Monkey Snuggles immediately. I didn't even wash the insert the suggested 3-5 times because I was too excited! I knew if I had any leaks it was my fault, but I didn't have any! I have ONCE had a leak, and it was totally operator error. I stuffed the pocket quickly and thought "I'll adjust it later" and totally forgot when I put it on him! The inside is SO soft and the pocket flap is big enough where the insert won't rub on the baby if it opens.

Look at that fluffy butt ;)

I love my Monkey Snuggles. I especially love how TRIM it is. When I get discouraged with the bulkiness of my onesize diapers I always reach for this diaper. It is so trim and the color always makes me smile. This was my first time using snaps, and it took me a little while to get used to them, but once I figured out exactly where I needed them, the diaper change with this diaper was just as quick, easy, and painless as the velcro diapers I have!

Monkey Snuggles is offering a coupon to Baby Bumble B's readers for 20% off! You can use that at Monkey Snuggle's Etsy or MonkeySnuggles.com. Make sure you check out both stores because she has different things at each! The coupon code is:

BLOG20

Thanks so much to Renee for the chance to review this fabulous diaper! I really love it!

I was not compensated for this review. I was offered a discount on the diaper of my choice.