Half

Half-One of two equal parts.
Many things can be halved.  Consider the moon, isn't it mind boggling to see just half of it? Most of us have a "better half" and may be living a half dream kinda life. The half dollar is a collectible, now and most teachers frequently visit Half Priced Books. Druggies go to a Half Way House and some people offer halfhearted condolences. Is your glass half empty or half full?

In answering this age old question, I answer half full! If you'd have asked me this same question half a year ago, my answer might have been a bit different. Exactly half a year ago, Brenlee and Cadence were born. Since Brent and I married at 18, we had always talked about when and how many kids we wanted. We decided two was best. Jokingly, we always said, "If we can just have twins, it'll kill two birds with one stone!" God does take some things very literally, so watch out what you ask for.We said we'd start thinking about having a baby "when we got settled." I felt settled when we bought a house and both had good jobs. It took me half the time it did Brent to get used to the idea of "settling down." Well, our first pregnancy didn't work out. I miscarried before I hit 9 weeks pregnant. If I'd have had just ONE at a time, it'd be half the work...and I'm an overachiever by nature.....God knew best! Oh, and another thing that Brent and I have recently discussed is this: If we would have had one baby, we wouldn't have wanted anymore since both of us were stressed out about how to take care of screaming newborns. We'd have ended at 1 and that was NEVER in our plans! So here we are, half a year later. We have made it! The last 6 months have been quite a fog, I'm glad I've been taking pictures and keeping a journal-otherwise I guess it'd just all be lost!

At 6 Months, Brenlee Faith weighs 14 lbs 11 ounces and Cadence weighs 15 lbs 2 ounces. Brenlee is 27" long and Cadence is 27.2 inches. They both fall in the 80% for height, 50% for weight and 10th percentile for head circumference....sorry BECKS, they got my head! :-) Anyhow, they are both healthy little troopers and I  look forward to the next half of this year! Things are just now starting to get fun!! Keep in touch, our next appointment is November 3rd, later gators!

Question for you: Is your glass half empty or half full?

About Me-By Cadence

So, my Momma told me I needed to write a blog about myself, so here goes: My full name is Cadence Grace. I'm an identical twin. I was born January 29, 2011 at 12:02pm. My sac of waters broke the night before and that's what prompted Momma to go to the hospital. Well, the bad thing is that Momma is a carrier of Strep B, which can be bad for unborn babies like I was. My water had probably been leaking for a few days, just as Momma suspected, but the doctors didn't think so. Anyhow, the bacteria probably got into my amniotic fluid and caused me to be a little sick when I was born. I had a high white blood cell count, which meant that there was an infection some where in my body. I had a little trouble breathing once they cut that umbilical cord, too. I didn't even get to say hi to my Momma or Daddy hardly, before the nurses took me to the NICU. The ladies in the NICU were very nice, but I missed being with Momma, Daddy and Brenlee. Momma always cried when she came to touch me...they wouldn't let her pick me up for a few days. Anyway, what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger, so I know I'm one strong little girl. I got to come home after 5 days and be with my family. I was so good compared to Brenlee. I didn't cry or anything! After I saw how I was suppose to act, I started mimicking Brenlee and screamed, cried and carried on. I noticed that I got more attention, the more I cried, too. But, enough was enough and about 2 months ago, I decided I shouldn't cry as much. So, I don't. Just when I'm hungry, thirsty, tired, getting a diaper change, if someone is too loud, if you get in my face too close, if I don't like you....Oh, I forgot to mention that I still cry ALOT, but it's not as hard to calm me down now! Here is me when I'm tired and hungry:

 Momma, she has tricks that can distract me and keep me from getting all tuned up sometimes she does silly things like this:

She is crazy. Sometimes I think she really has lost her mind. She says she's just crazy about us and that she likes to see us smile, so she will do anything......and we are starting to learn that. We can almost get anything we want and we're not even 1/2 a year old YET! Check out the video down there to see how we tire Momma out.....she plays hard!

Hey, I'm also doing better now that I can get to a few places all by myself! I'm learning to crawl! Momma made me some knee protectors this morning out of a pair of socks and I think I'm diggin' them!
Here I am crawling and of course, Brenlee is in the video too, SHE'S EVERY WHERE I AM!

Did you like watching us? We're cute, huh?? Well, I'm suppose to be taking a nap--according to Momma, so I better go nite, nite. See everyone later, literally. We will see you people in West Texas in 2 weeks. We will be going to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house. If you want, you can come there to visit us for a little bit, but we're just going be chilling there and not really going into Lamesa or anywhere else......it's a long enough ride in the car getting there, so I know nobody is gonna get butt-hurt. (Oops, Momma did say NOT to say that, sorry.) Hasta la vista, for now, mis amigos!

Question for you:
Do you travel during the day or at night with infants, while going on a LOOONG drive?)

My New Tricks-babbled by Brenlee Faith

Hi everyone, this is my first blog, and it's ALL ABOUT ME, Brenlee Faith! So, I've met most of my family, BUT there are some people that live too far away and I don't see them very much. Momma has also told me about some people that love me, but I've never seen before. Of course, she said that they swoon over my pictures on the Internet and all the videos that Momma takes of Cadence and me, so they've seen me! Well, I'm going to explain myself for you to get to know me better. My name is Brenlee Faith. Wait, I already told you that. Oh well, I love my name, so just deal. I was born January 29, 2011. I was born 2nd, I'm just that kind of girl, had to let Cadence come first so she wouldn't cry. She's a crybaby. My momma had a bit of trouble getting me out, so the doctor had to use this suction thingy-ma-jig on my head. It didn't hurt, thank goodness! Anyhow, I got to stay with Momma and Daddy after the nurses checked me out. I was an ugly lil newborn! Some would disagree, but be honest....have you seen my just born pics?? I'm much prettier now! On with my story about me: I weighed 5 lbs 5 ounces. That's a big girl for being born 3 weeks early and being a twin! I was a bit smaller since I had a smaller umbilical cord....and once again, I let Cadence take most of the nutrients from Momma, or else she'd cry about it. I enjoyed my time alone with Momma and Daddy for the first week of my life. I quickly started gaining weight and being more alert! I laughed a giggled before I turned 3 months old....I figured I better, since I'd given Momma and Daddy a run for their money for the prior 3 months! I cried and cried and screamed and screamed MOST of the day and night. I sometimes cried for no reason......funny, huh?? Hehe, well, Momma didn't think it was funny, so I finally stopped! I still cry now if I get too sleepy or if I'm hungry or thirsty. Oh, and my stinkin' gums hurt where my teeth are coming in, so sometimes I cry when that hurts. BUT, mostly I smile and coo and babble for most of the day. Sometimes I get irritated that I can't get to where I want to be and I fuss a bit and Momma or Daddy comes to pick me up, I've got them trained. You know, speaking of training, I overheard Momma say she was sleep training us. Ha! Well, we will decide when and how long we want to sleep, but sometimes we do what she wants us to do just to please her. That makes her happy! Another thing that makes Momma happy is when we eat our food. I don't really like eating. I eat better in the AM than in the afternoon. I kinda like oatmeal and bananas. Want to see me eat??

See I do pretty good, aren't you proud of me Nanny Fran? Where was I going with this?? I'm so scatterbrained most of the time and my mind is running 90mph!! Oh, yeah, Momma told me she's going to start making me some tastier baby food, I hope I like it better. She says that food is good for babies to start eating at about 6 months old and that it'll help me have more energy and stronger muscles. Oh, and about stronger muscles, I can sit up now!! Not for too long at a time, but Momma can help me get all set up and I can do it all by myself for a few minutes! It's so much fun! Here is a picture of me sitting up like a big girl:

See how excited I am about it? Aunt Lana noticed me sitting up in a picture that my momma posted and almost gave away the surprise! Oh well, that's what Momma's are for, right? Momma is also fun to play with. Some of my favorite games are: Peek-a-boo, airplane, jumping, funny faces, funny noises, and playing with blocks and rattles! Well, that's enough about me, for now anyway! I hope to get to know everyone a bit better, soon! Later Gators!!

Question for you: What is your favorite game to play with little babies?

Patiently Waiting....

On my Baeba BabyCook to come! I bit the bullet and ordered one.....it wasn't hard for me to decide to spend a bit of extra money on it, though.  Baby food is quite expensive and has preservatives in it. You can watch the promo of the Baeba Babycook here. I'm a bit more than excited, as I've been using a small food processor that a friend loaned to me. It's very small, loud, and takes forever.....not to mention that I have to steam the food before making it into a puree. Some recipes that I'm excited to use are: Baby's First Vegetables, which has olive oil in it to boost their little energy levels, Potato and Chesse Dinner, which will gently start to introduce dairy, Tomato and Chicken Casserole, which will be awesome because it sounds GREAT for Brent and me to eat before making it into a puree :) I just HOPE that it's MUCH quieter than the processor I'm using now---which I can't use while the girls nap! I'll update this blog when I've started getting the hang of making babyfood :)

Question for you:
What is your favorite recipe?

Snoozing

I'm so pleased with Brenlee and Cadence that I have to brag :) For the past 5 naps, knock on wood, they have laid down so easily and just go to sleep! I guess my consistancy and stamina finally is paying off!! JUST in time for them to probably change here in a few days, but it sure has been nice!!!

Question for you (You can comment here, or in the Facebook comment box)

What are your rituals to make nap time a breeze?

The Relatives Came

Anyone ever read the Children's Book, "The Relatives Came?" When I was teaching 3rd grade, it was one of my favorites to read and MANY lessons could be taught and extended with it! Every time I have relatives that come for a visit, I think of this book. Well, this past weekend, we had relatives come :) Technically they are not relatives, BUT I will always consider them family! Tony, Brooke and Sydney drove over from Mississippi to visit Brenlee and Cadence, an Uncle, an old friend, to see a Rangers game and to just get away from home while on Summer Break.  Tony was my step brother, while mom my was married to Rick O'Hair...although that marriage ended, the friendship that we have with Tony will always be. My Momma, Lolli, got to babysit Sydney (Tony and Brooke's daughter) on Friday night. They then came over Saturday morning to spend the day with us. I enjoyed watching Sydney and take note of how much she has changed over the past year. I can't believe that the twins will be that big in just 2.5 yeas from now! Brenlee and Cadence were mesmerized by her. She is beautiful and has such a SWEET personality! They played together some and stared at each other alot. It was great to watch!
Later on in the evening when it cooled down some, we played in the lil pool in our backyard. We had lots of fun sitting in the pool floaties and teething on blocks!

Sydney has just as much fun
with the blocks as we do!

Brenlee just hangin out ;)

Cadence was In The Zone!

Marie bought the floatie for Brenlee and Cadence

I got the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Sydney after my girls were in bed asleep and Tony and Brooke were attending the Rangers game. She told me that we are mean parents for letting Brenlee and Cadence cry in their cribs until they went to sleep. I tried to explain why I do that, but she just kept saying, "MEAN!" That made sleep training even a BIT harder, BUT sure not hard enough to quit! BTW, today I've successfully laid both girls down for two naps with the bare minimum of fussing---so I know my hard work is PAYING off :) So, as I was saying, we got to spend the night together. I really enjoyed being able to read a few books to her. She chose 3 books that she wanted to read. "A Bad Case of the Stripes," "The English Roses," and "Where the Wild Things Are." We read all of them. You've got to remember that she is only THREE! She was making connections with the characters, inferencing, and predicting already when I'd ask her questions. Many times, she'd chime in and tell me something that she noticed about one of the characters that reminded her of something....I am amazed. Tony and Brooke are great parents and the Day Care she goes to must be amazing, too! After an hour of reading, (I honestly thought she'd fall asleep while I was reading) I decided that it was "Forty."

That's what time Sydney told me she needed to go to bed, because at Forty the Monsters come. We brushed our teeth, changed into pajamas, got a drink of water and put some vicks on our lips.  Yes, she did, too..... (Reason why I put Vicks on my lips is a whole other blog in itself!) We then said our prayers and hugged each other goodnight. She was seriously in a deep slumber within 5 minutes of laying her head down on her pillow!

The next day, my mom came over to fix some Meat and Bean Burritos, per request of Tony. It's been a LOOOONG time since any of us have had those! She also fried up some okra, squash and potatoes. It was all very good, Lolli is an excellent cook! That afternoon, Brent's Mother and Step-Dad dropped by on their way home from Galveston. They happened to catch the girls right before a nap and had the privilege of rocking them to sleep....anyone who has been following me in my sleep training knows that we don't rock them to sleep anymore, so this was a HUGE privilege!

Marie with Brenlee and Cadence

Greg with Brenlee

Marie rocking Brenlee

Cadence Rocking Greg! LOL!

After a busy weekend, we were all exhausted! Brenlee and Cadence were in bed by 6:00----after cleaning up a bit, Brent and I laied down at 8:00 and starting reading "Live a Thousand Years" by Giovanni Livera. This is a book that my Daddy gave me and I hope that I can start living life by experiences and stop living by minutes, hours, days, years, etc....I don't want life to slip though my fingers and look back one day wanting it all back. I desire to love life now and live each moment to it's fullest, just as a young child! After we finish with our reading, I'll post some tips :))
That's all for now, have a great afternoon!

What a FULL Day!

Did you know that sharks grow a new set of teeth about every two weeks?? And that the Great White Shark has teeth that retract like cat claws when the jaws are shut?? Oh, and rodents have teeth that are continuously growing, due to the fact that they wear them down knawing on stuff?? Well, one thing I'm so glad to know is that babies, will cut one set of baby teeth. Brenlee cut her first tooth yesterday and Cadence cut hers today. This explains why they've not been sleeping well and been fussy more throughout the day! The continuous drool, the hand chewing, refusal to eat.....yep, needless to say, we all knew this day was coming soon! I know it's just the beginning of this right of passage and we still have quite a ways to go! One of our favorite past times these days include sucking and chewing on a frozen teething ring to beat the heat and numb those gums!

Another activity that we've been doing to stay cool is swim! Yesterday we went to Nana and Merlin's house to enjoy their company and their pool! Brenlee absolutely, hands-down loves the water! Cadence seems to like the serenity that comes with flowing water and nature!

The twins have come to LOVE Becca. Becca was one of my students for two years. She is one of the many reasons that I looped from 3rd to 4th grade a few years ago. She's great with the girls and they always enjoy her! As, do I, since she will never let a bottle be dirty as long as she's in my house!

Just look at that smirk on Brenlee's face! What a joy it is to see these girls embrace the world! Thanks, Melany, for taking some great pictures! 

Nanechka, one of our best friends is also in love with Brenlee and Cadence. We don't get to visit Nana and Merlin near enough. This is their pool and they're always so welcoming and take care of us when we are visiting! Can't you just see the exciting exuberating from Brenlee?

This is the look Brenlee gives Becca, quite often!

Brenlee enjoying water jumping!

Cadence enjoying the serenade of the waterfall
behind her.

My cute babies. Yeah, I know I'm blessed beyond measure!

This is a million $ facial expression!

Love that little face!

If you have another few minutes to spare, check out the videos of us playing in the pool!

One of the traditions that we always do while at Nana's house is to take a cat nap in the hammock. Naked. Just wrapped up all cozy in a towel. That's got to be a little piece of heaven!

Relaxing poolside in the hammock. The birds singing in the green trees. The water trickling nearby. The sweet sounds of momma's voice soothing us into a deep trance....oh, the joys of babyhood in the backyard. 

 After a nice nap in the hammock, it was time to eat. After they ate their sweet potato and avocado that I made, they got to much on some watermelon! They always get after that---must get that from their Lolli!

Becca letting Brenlee have some watermelon, she LOVES it!

 Tammy, (Becca's mom, my friend, a fellow teacher)

gave CadenceBugg some melon. Nom Nom Nom!

After a ride home while eating, the girls took a good long nap to rest up for Marty and Alex to come visit! Oh, and Grandad and Nanny Paula bought us new carseats, that the girls LOVE! Thank you guys SOOO much!

Cadence gets a kick out of wearing Alex's cap!

After a LONG, funfilled day, Brenlee and Cadence were asleep by 6:30 and didn't wake til 3:30 for a quick feed and diaper change. Back to sleep by 3:45 to wake up at 6:30am. There is nothing like a good night's rest!

Question for you: How do you preserve good sleeping habits while on the go?

The Wondeful World of Fluff.

Fluff,  AIO's, PULs, Pocket, Snap Closures, Hook and Loop Closures, Bum Covers, Wool Soakers, Prefolds, Crunchy, Sunning........are all new words in my vocabulary since I dove into the wonderful world of cloth diapering! For those you who are interested in becoming more green with your diapering, this blog is for you. You may also just be curious as to what part of my SAHM duty is. For whatever reason, I hope you enjoy my version of Cloth Diapering 101.


My #1 reason for choosing cloth is cost. I still have a stock pile of disposable diapers that were given to us at our baby shower. The ONLY ones I like to use are the Huggies Little Snugglers. Those cost about $34 for 168 of them. That's $.21 per diaper. We have two bums to cover and on average (on a day that they don't have diarrhea) we go through 25 diapers. Stay with me here....that's $5.25 per day. That's $36.75 per week, which amounts to $157.50 a month,  $1,890 per year. I am figuring I'd have the girls potty trained at about 2 years old if using sposies, so you do the math. $3,780 wasted on diapers from birth to 2 years old. YIKES. So far, I've spent $157 on my stash of cloth diapers. It does take some water to wash them, and most days I hang them out to line dry, so I'm not losing any money there.....SO, I'm saving our family thousands of dollars by doing a bit of extra work to cloth diaper my lil' ones.


My #2 reason for using cloth nappies is for Brenlee and Cadence's sake. It is proven that babies that are cloth diapered are potty trained by 18 months. Period. They just are. I also haven't had one bout of rash since using cloth. When they are wet, they are wet, so I change them frequently. There are no chemicals in the cloth to cause reactions, like what happens with some babies in sposies.


My #3 reason for fluffy butts is because it's eco-friendly. Yeah, maybe this SHOULD be further up on my list, but let's face it....sometimes it's hard to be green! It takes about 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose. That's no bueno, seeing as our dumping grounds are already overflowing.


So, now that you know why I choose cloth, here's the low down on what I do day to day. I'll start by explaining the different types of diapers I use, starting with my favorite. I'll then explain the laundering process. Here goes:

This is the liner that goes inside the pocket of a Pocket Diaper. This particular one has a snap closure on one end, so it acts a doubler. I have NEVER had this diaper leak, or even soak through.

Here is my favorite Pocket Diaper w/ adjustable snaps. The liner in the previous picture goes into the pocket on the inside of this nappy.

See, I have the front snapped down, to make the diaper smaller. It'll grow with the twins. They say it'll fit up to like 35 lbs.

See how easy that was?  Just snap a few buttons, and VOILA, your baby's bum is covered in a soft, cute diaper. The brand of this diaper is Bum Cheeks. They are my most expensive diapers; therefore, I only have 4 for now. You can catch them on sale online if you watch closely! Babysteals.com is a good place to watch, as well as Zulily.com

Moving on to my next must have: SunBaby Diapers

These babies are cheap, good quality, easy to use and as cute and cozy as can be.

Here is the stay dry insert that will be inserted into the SunBaby Cloth Diaper. It's made out of soft microfiber, so it sucks the moisture away from that tiny bum. It also dries quickly after being washed.

Here are the guts of this diaper. It's made of soft microfleece, which wicks away the moister from that tushie. It's got gentle elastic that helps form a more secure fit.

 Here's the outside PUL shell, that is waterproof. It's got snaps where you can adjust the leg circumference. It can also be snapped down for a smaller fit.

These diapers are favored by Brent because the are quick and easy to put on squirmy babies.

See that snug fit?? And isn't it cute?!?

Next up: Cutesy Tushies Cloth Diapers

These are super cute, inexpensive and come in MANY different patterns!

 This is the insert that goes into the Cutesy Tushie Pocket Diaper. It's also made of microfiber and very absorbent.

 This is a size Small Cutesy Tushie Diaper. It has fit Brenlee and Cadence since they were about 7 lbs and is still fitting at 15 lbs.

This is still a Cutesy Tushie Diaper, but it's the One Size Fits all....see all those snaps??? They can be adjusted very easily to fit itty bitties and not so littles. I do have some issues with this brand of diaper leaking some.....like it's not as waterproof or something. BUT, I change diapers at least an hour after being awake, so we usually don't run into problems--we don't use this diaper when leaving the house, though.

So far, all the diapers I mentioned have been snap closures. They do make hook and loop, VELCRO, closures, too. They are quick to put on and here is what they look like.

 It's got a pocket, which you can put a prefolded cloth diaper into, or you can use any insert that I've previously shown you.

Alright, hope you are still with me here! The next type of diaper is called and "AIO," which is an acronym for "ALL IN ONE." You don't need an insert, you don't need a cover. I like them, but, they are expensive, take a LONG time to dry, and become very stiff when line dried.

 Here is what it looks like. OH, and notice that there are NO stains. Yeah, that is because I "sun" them. Line drying laundry gets even the darnest stains out!

This is what the finished product looks like, they are very slim and trim.....that's a plus!

The rest of the diapers I'm going to show you are the diaper covers used with prefolds and a snappi. I use these ALOT because it is easier and quicker to wash and dry them. Brent and Randi don't care for them, as it does take practice to get fast enough to get one securely on a wriggly baby.

Prefolded Cloth

This is an Ecomobum Diaper Cover (only $8.95)

First, start by folding the cloth like this.

Next, flair out the two top corners a bit, like shown.

Lay the baby on it.

Bring the fabric up between the legs and fold down the excess fabric.

Grab a Snappi or two pins.

Snap it on....

Or Pin in up....

Then put your cover over it.

This is another type of Cover that has VELCRO, it's made by
Imse Vimse and is Organic Cotton. I've never had leaks with these, either.
You just wipe them down when changing out the innards each time.

:) A Visual (Is the teacher in me coming through???)

There is also another type of cloth diaper you can use. These are BY FAR the cheapest. At Walmart, you can buy like 12 of them for under $10. :) This is the type that my mom used on Randi and me 29 years ago---

It looks like this to start with...it's almost like guaze.

Just fold it in half.

Then roll the fabric like so, into a V shape. This makes a gusset so no poopy will ooze out!

Lay your baby on it, with the back of the diaper where it "Should" be!

Fold the bottom up, this thickens it right where the pee or poop would be.

Then, pull it all up between the babies legs. Put a Snappi on or Pin it...
just like I showed earlier.....and put a cover over it. 

 Now, to the basics of washing them. It's NOT much work. It takes about 30-45 minutes, every other day. Serious. I don't like the thought of a Diaper Pail...just something fishy about a bunch of dirty diapers sitting in water all day. SO, I just use a Hanging Wet Bag. For the longest, I used one of those reusable grocery bags...and actually still do. I keep one hanging on the handle to our back door, and the other one on the changing table.

The Grocery Bag from ALDI that I use!

 When I get a poopy diaper, I just take it outside and spray it off. Dogs poop outside, so don't be shaking your head at me right now! If it's a solid turd, I flush it down the toilet and then just spray off the skid marks with the water hose, then place it in the Wet Bag that I keep hanging on my back door. I don't spray the urine out. I just put them in the Wet Bag. BTW, I ordered a Bum Genius Wet Bag off of Amazon.com. They also make smaller ones, that are more portable for carrying in a diaper bag.

Wet Bag

I wash all my diapers about every other day. I just can't stand the thought of waiting any longer than that. I pour all the diapers into the washing machine, then throw the Wet Bag in there, as well. I run a Hot Rinse without any detergent. After that, I run a Cold Wash with 1 tbsp of Tide Original Powder. I rinse twice with cold water. If the diapers had a rank smell, I add a tsp of Vinegar to the last Rince cycle. The vinegar also helps to soften the diapers, liners, and prefolds. Don't use much detergent, ever. Not even on your clothes....it's a waste. A little bit goes a LOOOONG way! And don't use any commercial fabric softener, either. It will make the diapers less absorbent and may irritate that happy hiney!

 I like to line dry all of my cloth diapers, so it'll get rid of smells, stains, etc....It also keeps our electricity usage down and doesn't heat up the house, in turn making our A/C run more frequently. Every now and then I have to throw a line dried load in the Dryer to fluff them, because they get pretty darn "crunchy" in this Texas Summer heat!

After they are all dried....remember, those AIO's take 4ever, I go ahead and put all the inserts into the pocket diapers and nicely fold all the others so they are ready to go....

 Then, I just put them all in a basket to keep them somewhat organized!

If I can do this, as a new Mom of Twins, I know you can, too. It's gonna help keep the world green and save you some green, as well! Hope you got something out of this blog...feel free to ask me any questions!! Don't forget to respond to my question below!

Question for you: What are you doing to pinch pennies?