Pinterest Party

A friend of mine hosted a Pinterest party this afternoon.  The goal was to pre-select a craft or recipe and bring all the ingredients or materials to create your project.  I had originally planned on going camping with my sister, but that didn't work out in light of yesterday's anxiety levels and current medication.  At the last minute, I decided to attend the party.  If I had planned on going, I would have found a great craft to use my scrapbooking paper.  Instead, I found this easy recipe for s'mores dip.  I had everything in my pantry except marshmallow fluff.  After a quick trip to Food Lion, Jackson and I were on our way.  The dip was quick and tasty.

http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2012/06/smores-dip.html

The highlight of the gathering was playing with all the baby boys.  We make some cute kids!   The newest addition to our Irwin family is a precious 2 week old girl.  I love that Jackson can play with his friends while I play with mine!

Life With Anxiety Disorder

I have suffered, and I do mean s-u-f-f-e-r-e-d, with anxiety disorder since high school.  I've spent years learning how to cope with long-term counseling sessions and short term medications.  Unfortunately, my symptoms have been escalating rapidly since May. 

For me, anxiety disorder:

• makes the most mundane events seem terrifying. 
• blows everything out of proportion and makes me truly panic.
• makes my heart RACE and body tremble with sweat.
• creates unbearable nausea. 
• causes me to wake in the middle of the night in fear. 
• leaves me speechless and only able to grunt.
• can result in blacking out and waking up on the bathroom floor. 
• can send me to the bathroom with intense stomach pains. 
• makes me afraid to go to sleep. 
• makes me petrified to travel. 
• can make me nervous about eating. 
• gives me a weak stomach. 
• wakes me in the middle of the night with panic.
• makes me guilty that I can't control it.
• makes me feel shameful and the need to hide how bad things really are.
• makes me frustrated when the people closest to me don't understand.
• makes me furious when people say "it's all in your head" or think I'm overreacting. 

For the record, I saw the doctor this week and am taking medication again.  Prayers it kicks in quickly and effectively.

Update: My sisters and husband coaxed me into going to Urgent Care after a particularly severe attack.  (FYI, if you want to get seen in Urgent Care quickly, lay down in the middle of the floor.)  I am now taking Clonazepam around the clock for the next week in addition to Zoloft. 

Table Manners (or Lack Thereof)

We have our work cut out for us trying to raise a respectful boy at the dinner table!  When Jackson wants food, he screams wildly.  He screams in an assertive, demanding kind of way.  He also throws his food and sippy cup when he is finished.  He casually drops it over the side of the high chair tray both at home and in restaurants.  Jesse and I just keep firmly saying "no" and picking it up, but he's behaved like this for months.  I don't know if there's something else we should be doing or if he'll just eventually learn. 

One of the things we're working on is using a spoon and fork.  Jack is very purposeful and works hard at getting the food on the spoon or fork.  Silverware can become an unintentional catapult, especially when given a bowl and spoon.  He tends to use one hand to pick the food up, then switch hands to actually put the food in his mouth.  His fine motor skills are improving, though.

Alva Diaper Review: 1 Year Later

Last year I used my birthday money to order 20 Alva one-size pocket diapers for $84 (including S&H).  They arrived two weeks later from China.  When I look at my blog stats, my Alva post is always the number one most frequently searched for/read post.  So, what is my opinion of these amazingly cheap diapers one year later?

We've used these diapers exclusively for a year, and we have just recently begun to experience some problems. 

This is what the inside of the diaper should look like, with the PUL attached: 

In the past month, we have had to throw away three diapers because of delaminating.  The plastic lining has separated from the cloth, causing the soaked inserts to leak through the diaper.  This could be our fault for rinsing them on a hot cycle when stripping the diapers.  I think it's really just a cheap PUL, though.

Delaminated Alva

The only other issue is that there is definite wing droop now that we've adjusted his diapers to the largest snap setting.  Jackson is a bit longer but lacks a large waist.  If he is climbing and bending while wearing just a diaper, you can see the Alva shift around a lot.  Since Jackson is really in-between snaps, there is a poor fit right now.  I've read where other moms added another hip snap to alleviate this problem, but I'm not that crafty or that concerned. 

Square tabs need another row of snaps?

So the final verdict...

While I doubt these diapers will survive cloth diapering another child, they are worth every penny we paid.  It's still significantly cheaper than disposable diapers or any other cloth diaper I've seen before, even if I purchased a new shipment every year.  They are decent quality and the best $84 I've spent. 

Wedding Weekend: Round Two

June was definitely wedding month!  In looking back through my June posts, I realized I made a whole post about my brother's wedding cake, but nothing about the actual event.  I also neglected to mention attending my college roommate's out-of-town wedding.

My brother and sister-in-law married at the courthouse before having a reception at their home the following week.  Here is the happy couple:

While the reception decor reminded me more of a block party, it was appropriate for a third marriage.  We stuffed ourselves on barbecue and enjoyed the shade.  It was a very simple gathering of the people who celebrate and support the couple.

I had to ask if we could go ahead and cut the cake because Jesse and I had a two hour drive to get to our college friend's wedding that same evening.  Jackson slept most of the way.  My stomach was feeling uneasy and I had a lot of anxiety throughout the car ride.  We made it with 20 minutes to spare.  Jesse ended up taking Jackson outside towards the end of the ceremony because Jack was irritated about being confined. 

Even though I don't know the groom very well, I absolutely love this couple.  He compliments her very well and I know they will make the cutest red-headed babies one day.

The reception venue was gorgeous and a perfect pick for the bridal party.  The food was plentiful and our assigned table company made pleasant small talk. 

Unfortunately, the reception wasn't the least bit child friendly.  The hot, humid climate also made it harder to enjoy.  Jesse had bought a booster seat so Jackson could actually sit down for dinner.  We could NOT figure out how to securely attach the booster to the folding chair.  The booster seat just slid right out with poor Jack still strapped in and dangling.  We also had to walk all the way back to the car to change his diaper twice; then throw the dirty diaper in a trash can across the street.

After attending three receptions in two weeks, this is the best family photo we could get.   

For whatever reason, the car ride home sent me in another state of panic.  After a half hour I asked Jesse if I could drive the rest of the way.  My heart beat wildly and I sweat nauseously the entire drive home.  Anxiety is an exhausting battle.  It was not the best way to end such a celebratory day.

Teeth!

Here is Jack's big mouth full of teeth:

As suspected, the 14th tooth was indeed next; both canine teeth are through on the bottom.  We are thankful that teething hasn't upset him too much.  (He was yelling at me in this picture because I wouldn't give him the camera.)

Bath Time

Jackson loves water!  His fearless nature is perhaps shortening my life, but bath time is one of the many things he enjoys. 

Of course, Jackson has a head full of curls.  During baths you can see just how long his hair really is.  When straight, it hangs past his shoulders.

While Jackson has lots of bath toys, his favorite is his red Solo cup that I use to rinse the shampoo out of his hair.  He likes filling the cup with water and dumping it outside of the bathtub.

Jackson's latest discovery (causing my hair to gray) is that he can actually climb in and out of the tub.  He's only succeeded once.  The strange thing is that you would think he wants to get out, but when I try to take him out of the bath he fights me.  I know when he's finished because he lifts the plug open himself and waits for the water to drain.