And we're back!

I know, I know. I am a terrible blogger. I am sooooo sorry to those that check this daily and are constantly disappointed. I looked through the cameras tonight and realized it has been awhile.

This terrible heat is bringing me down! I don't want to leave the house and am going completely stir crazy. We ran a few errands yesterday and were just MISERABLE. Just getting in and out of the car is a sweaty chore. Getting back into the car after it's been parked in the sun even for a short time is just awful. I feel especially bad for Ryder because there are no air conditioning vents in the back seat and his car seat blocks the air flow from the front of the car. He gets so sweaty back there. Rudy and I have decided we need to get a different car - something bigger. We thought our mid-size car would be fine with just one kid and that we would worry about getting something bigger once the civic needs to be replaced and we are ready for baby #2. Guess we were wrong. It is really hard getting Ryder in and out because it sits so low and his infant seat takes up a lot of space. It's placed in the middle seat since that's the safest place, and soon he will be moving into a bigger seat that will take up even more room. It would be really crammed for anyone else to sit back there. We also can't fit much in the trunk with the stroller in there. I recently got a jogging stroller too and it won't even fit in the trunk, so it's pretty much useless if I can't take it anywhere! So we are trying to decide what to do ... and are keeping an eye out for a good deal. Of course the registration for the pontiac is due next week and it isn't cheap!

Ryder is doing wonderful. He will be 7 months on Thursday. He is starting to crawl, after he has been trying for soooo long! He moves each hand and each leg forward once and then tends to resort to the army crawl because he is quite good at that and can get to things pretty quickly. I can't remember if I said in my last post that he says "mama" and "dada" a lot and now will repeat "mama" after I say it. He will also shake his head 'no' if I do it. It's really funny! He gets a kick out of it too.

Ryder has eaten peas, carrots, grean beans and sweet potatoes. He doesn't really like the green stuff, thinks the carrots are ok and LOVES the sweet potatoes. His first taste of those was pretty funny - eyes got really big and he leaned forward, looked over the side of the high chair and wanted to see what it was.

I signed us up for a "Little Movers and Shakers" class for the summer. We had the first one yesterday! It was pretty fun and good to be around lots of other babies. I am looking forward to watching how much Ryder will grow over the course of the class (2 months). We recently had a playdate with another baby boy (about 6-7 weeks older than Ryder). This was the first time he got to play with another little boy and he didn't seem to like Colton one bit! It was kind of funny.

I have committed to making a big change. We are switching to cloth diapers! I am really excited about it actually. I have thought about it, and been on the fence since I was pregnant. I like that it's sooo much better for the environment and also the money-saving factor. Of course, you have to spend more money up front and it's all about trial and error since there are so many different kinds. All babies are different and what works for one may not for the next. I finally decided to take the plunge! I got a smokin' deal from my favorite website (babysteals.com) and I couldn't resist. The nice thing for us is that Ryder only poops 2-3 times a week. I am sure that will probably change at some point, but it will be nice for starting out. I really hope they work out for us. The nice thing about the ones we got, is that there are many different options for inserts. You can use regular cotton ones (they come with organic inserts - even better), but you can also use biodegradable, disposable inserts which will be nice when we are out and about or even for traveling. We will probably keep some regular disposable diapers on hand, just as a back up and may continue to use them at night for awhile. Ultimately, I would love to use cloth full-time and hope to save lots of money in the long run! We should be able to use them with our next baby too, if we take care of them. I gotta say, cloth diapers have come a LONG way in the past couple of decades! Looking forward to this new adventure. I am also hoping to start making my own baby food too. I figure since I get to stay home with him, I may as well go the extra mile and do the best I can for him! We'll see if he will allow me the time to make it happen. :)

I am sure there is more, but I am tired and need to get some sleep. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks .......

We went swimming on my birthday!

He enjoys his sippy cup. :) Hopefully this will make weaning him a little easier, when the time comes.

Of all the veggies he has had, he HATES green beans the most!

Gags with every bite.

I just have to say ..... I didn't do this! DADDY DID!!!

He will probably kill us for this someday.

Ok, seriously though .... how cute is he!?!?!

Scooting backwards under his pack and play!

Chewing on his favorite teether.

This was sooo funny! See the spoon is his hand? He wouldn't give it back after his dinner - screamed when we tried to take it away. Took it in the bath with him, held onto it the whole time I nursed him and then fell asleep with it in his hand. Silly, silly boy.

And he finally let it go.

His playdate with Colton ... we now have to get him one of these table toy things because he LOVED it but did not want Colton to play with it too!

Oh great, she's got the camera out again.

I love to watch him explore things.

And now for a series of sad pics .... :(

Mommy, I'm crying ... quit taking pictures!

Hmm, I am not getting much of a reaction ...?

You will not ignore my cries!!

It's soooo awful....

Hey! That looks like my hand ....

Let's chew on some sippy cup ...

Happy, sad, or serious ...

I never get tired of looking at this gorgeous face!