It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I am happy to announce that we got our sleeper back! { Knock on wood - knock on wood - knock on wood! } Our doctor recommended that we slowly decrease the amount we let Asher eat at night ( he was eating SO MUCH AT NIGHT and barely eating - well, drinking milk - during the day). His appetite has now increased during the day and he doesn't wake up for bottles anymore. Hallelujah! Who knew?!

He's bound to wake up from his nap any minute, but I wanted to take a quick moment to post some cheerful Christmas pics to get this blog into the spirit! :) Pics are the best part of blogging anyways, right?? More to come, I'm sure, because I just can't get enough of this sweet little face. I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far!

FYI - That tree took about 3 hours to complete. So worth it, though, and it creates some pretty awesome bokeh. Thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration and to my husband for being so patient. :) 

The stocking hanger was purchased here: www.etsy.com/shop/YouMeandThree

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Cloth Diaper Stash for SALE!

Hello! Oh my goodness, has it been awhile since I have made a post on here... I'm so sorry! My excuse it that I am just pooped ( pun intended with the subject matter of this post...). I'm too pooped to post - ha! Everyone is wonderful and Asher is doing wonderfully, getting so big and so smart. Business is booming and our lives are as crazy as ever. I do miss the therapeutic side of blogging, so maybe in the near future I'll pick back up on here. But for now... I'm pooped. :)

I hopped back up on here to let anyone who may be interested know that I am SELLING MY CLOTH DIAPER STASH!!! Oh my gosh... there is so much. Most of it is BARELY used; a lot of it has never even been used at all. I just don't have time to cloth diaper anymore (haven't for awhile). We cloth diapered mostly part-time for about... 2.5-3 months, I think, and everything was purchased new. So this stuff is pristine,  NO STAINS whatsoever, and hardly any wear. The only items that even look used are the handmade covers I purchase from Etsy. Otherwise, you can't even tell.

I don't know why there's some weird spacing going on on here... sorry if this list looks a little wonky!

Basically 40 diapers, all with inserts, lots of extra inserts and everything else you might need to cloth diaper full time... probably several babies.... and in style! :)

I put little stars beside the things that are 100% unopened/new. Some "unstarred" things are also completely new, just opened.


- - FITTED DIAPERS - -

1 - Thirsties Duo Fab FITTED Snap Cloth Diapers, Green, Size 1 (6-18 lbs)
1 - MonkeySnuggles Chocolate Chip FITTED Cloth Diaper
1 - SquirrelnOwl Brown Retro Cars & Green Velour Bamboo FITTED Diaper
1 - PoopsieDoodles Skulls & Stars Bamboo FITTED Hybrid Cloth Diaper

2 - Kissaluvs Cotton Fleece Hybrid Contour Diaper, Unbleached **
1 - Snappis Cloth Diaper Fastener, Size 2 **

- - DIAPER COVERS - - 


1 - Bumkins Cloth Diaper COVER, Seuss Yellow Fish
1 - GroVia Hybrid Hook/Loop Shell Diaper COVER, Color: Surf
1 - TheEliMonster Cloth Diaper COVER Superhero SIZE MED
3 - CountingtheBlessings Cloth Diaper COVERS AI2 - Argyle, Chevron, and Shark Print




- - ALL-IN-ONE DIAPERS - -

2 - GroVia Cloth AI1 Diaper, Colors: Surf & Cloud
1 - bumGenius One-Size AI1 Cloth Diaper 4.0

- - POCKET DIAPERS & SETS - -

9 - bumGenius One-Size Snap Closure Cloth Diaper 4.0 (1 unopened**
3 - Fuzzibunz Pocket Cloth Diaper w/2 Inserts Each - Elite 2013 (Yellow, Red, Lt Blue)

1 - Kawaii Baby Minky Pocket Cloth Diaper with 2 Large 100% Bamboo Inserts
1 - Kawaii Pocket Cloth Diaper with Inserts **
1 - Happy Heinys ONE for ALL Cloth Diaper + 2 Microfiber Inserts

1 - Charlie Banana 2-in-1 Reusable Diaper - Black

1 - Thirsties Duo Diaper, Cool Stripes, Size 1 (6-18 lbs)

1 - Lil' Impressions AI2 Pocket cloth diaper, Safari Adventure SIZE M
1 - Lil' Impressions AI2 Pocket cloth diaper, Tossed Puppies SIZE SM

1 - Rumparooz Cloth Diaper with Inserts - Brown **
1 - BabyKicks Pocket Diaper with Insert and Liner (Black) **



4 - Kushies Cloth Diapers **
4 - Kushies Washable Diaper INSERTS **
10 - Kushies Biodegradable Liner Sheets **
2 - Kushies Washcloths **

1 - Bummis Cloth Diaper Cover SIZE SM
1 - Bummis Cloth Diaper Cover SIZE MD **
4 - Bummis Cloth Diaper Inserts **

6 - Gdiaper gCloth Inserts
2 - Gdiapers (1 Red, 1 Green)
40 - Gdiaper Flushable Refills







- - EXTRA INSERTS - -


 6 - Charcoal Bamboo INSERTS **
3 - CountingtheBlessings Cloth diaper INSERTS w/gussets
12 - Alva Baby Cloth Diaper 4layers Antibacterial Bamboo INSERTS **

- - & MORE - -

10 - Fleece liners
3 - Thirsties Cotton/Velour Doublers
2 - Rolls of Disposable Liners (most left on roll)

1 - Wet Bag in Chevron Pattern **
1 - Kanga Care Pail Liner, Whale Tale Pattern
1 - Bag of Rockin' Green Hard Rock Cloth Diaper Detergent (opened, used twice)
1 - Bag of Rockin' Green Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer (opened, used twice)


Send me an email at: hollyzarski@gmail.com if interested.

 FYI - Serious buyers only, please. For now, I prefer to sell everything together as a lot. For the lot of everything, I'll be asking $850 with free shipping (on the lot only). I'll ship within the US. I'll accept Paypal only. Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, & everything else that I have missed in the past few months!!! Updates coming soon, I hope! :) I'm still active on Instagram, so follow me to watch Asher grow! @hollyzmommy


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8 Months Development & Milestones

8 Months & Counting...

I think this has been one of the most significant months so far for mental development in terms of Asher starting to understand the things going on around him and what we are saying to him. His personality continues to emerge and his mind grows by the hour - or by the minute! He is having more and more "attached" moments. He is still a genuinely happy baby, eager to learn, generous with laughs, and sweet to the core. He's developed a crooked little smile, ripe with mischief. 

8 Month Milestones

• Still "dragging" himself along the floor, but now with Nascar speed!
• Can sit up on his own (and does so in his crib in protest of sleep)
• Can pick up and feed himself little snack puffs
• Responds to (and sometimes listens to) "no"
• Asher certainly has his preferences now and makes them known, i.e. favorite books and toys
• Likes to "share" his binky with both me and John. He'll take it out and offer it to us. We politely decline the sweet gesture but applaud his willingness to share!
• Mimics sounds
• Uses his fat little pointer finger all day long!

Fun Times

Asher loves to chase the vacuum if he is on the floor. He's fast enough to catch it, too! He's very good at spotting any missed specks on the tile and likes to announce when he's found one by pointing to it with his chubby little finger and yelling, "ugghhhhh ugghhhhh!". Thanks for lookin' out, little guy!

BABY SIGNING UPDATE

Asher still doesn't consistently use sign language, but I know he is absorbing it and understands much of what I sign to him. He even is on the lookout for new signs - i.e. I showed him a lion on his pajamas by pointing to the lion and saying "lion". He looked at me, then the lion, then to my hands waiting to see the sign, which to his disappointment, I didn't know! 

We've introduced lots of new signs throughout the past few weeks including "diaper change", "share", "brush teeth", "light", "airplane", "car", "bus", "duck" or "bird", "outside", "shoes", "socks", "friend", "hungry" and several more. Asher now signs "ball" when prompted for a game of rolling his ball around. We just work them into our everyday interaction with him.  I'm trying my best to stay consistent, which has been the hardest part of the baby sign language process.  I need to work on my sign language vocabulary so that I can show him new signs when he seems interested to learn them, such as the situation with the lion! 

TEETHING

We have 6 teeth! Six! Can you believe how quickly these little buggers just pop out of nowhere? The two top/front teeth are slowly making their way down and 3 front/bottom teeth are almost completely up with 1 more trailing behind. No more gummy smiles around here! We teefin!

Bros.

PLAY & SUCH

It's pretty much official now that our house is a baby house. By that I mean that the furniture is not aesthetically positioned anymore so that we could contain Asher in a specific area and allow for more space to play, the rug that I hated is now back because it's soft and bigger for more play area, no matter how often I pick up, it seems to remain a constant mess, we've added another baby gate to the picture... the perfectionist inside is a little unsettled but, hey, what are you going to do? I just keep reminding myself that what is important right now is not a perfectly coordinated living room or lack of clutter on our counters. What's important is our baby, our family, and our sanity, even if that means a messy house from time to time. Or all the time. 

SLEEP

I dream of the nights when Asher would sleep from 8pm-8am without so much as a peep from his cozy little bassinet, then I am awoken by the cries from his crib at 12am, 4am, 6am or 8am reminding me that those days indeed are gone. 

Even with the multiple wakings a night, we had a nice bedtime routine going on for awhile, but then Asher got sick from a brief stint with daycare and a sniffly little 10-month old named Andrew, and now our bedtime routine has been disrupted, smashed, broken, and crushed to smithereens. 

I'm not bitter about it at all, though. 

As always, we will get through!

8 Down, 4 To Go...

We had no idea 8 months ago just what we were in for. We didn't know that this warm little swaddled bundle would soon shift and consume our entire lives, our decisions, our thoughts, our plans, and our photo libraries. But it happened and we are (tickled blue?) to be immersed in this new world.

I guess this is when we start planning the first b-day bash, huh? Oh, goodness. Pinterest, here I come!

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Asher's Sensory Box - Activity for 7-9 Months

A few weeks ago, John and I made a "Sensory Box" for Asher. We went to Michael's Crafts in search of various things that we could include in this special collection of items.

The idea of the sensory box is to expose your baby to new and interesting textures, shapes, colors, etc. It can help with sensory processing, hand-eye coordination, fine motor development, and creative play.

We chose items from all over the spectrum including a textured rubber ducky, a feathered ball, a plastic cow, pig, and hermit crab, a foam koozie with glitter, a slinky, bells, textured fabrics, and a sea sponge, just to name a few of the treasures.

Most of these items are not baby toys, therefore the box is only to be played with under direct supervision. This means you shouldn't take your eyes off baby for even a few seconds while playing in the box! 

It's not uncommon for babies to be surprised and even scared of some of the new textures that they are exposed to during sensory play. Asher was terrified of the sea sponge. At the very first touch, he drew his hands back and held them over his head, looking around frantically for someone to take it away! He eventually warmed up to it and even held it up with a big grin! Then, when reintroduced to this mysterious sponge a few minutes later, he again DESPISED it and still will no longer give it a moment of his time. Maybe one day, sea sponge, maybe one day...

Watch Asher Experience.... THE SPONGE!!!!...

There are many different sensory bin ideas out there for kids of different ages. For babies who are still putting everything in their mouths, I would steer clear of small, choking hazards.

Here are some ideas to put in your own sensory box! Many things could probably be found at the dollar store or in sale bins at the craft store. It doesn't have to be fancy - just get creative!

• Bath Sponge (or Sea Sponge...if your baby will tolerate it :) )
• Slinky
• Rubber Ducky
• Feather
• Burlap
• Textured Felt
• Christmas Bell
• Hair Extension Clip
• Lace
• Mirror (careful of any sharp edges, plastic if you can)
• Shiny Cardstock

Have you made a sensory box for your baby? What kind of things did you put in it?

{ Don't forget to vote for our small business, Z Create Design, in the Small Business, Big Game Contest from Intuit! Click the button below to automatically cast your vote. Daily voting allowed! :) Thanks for your continued support! }

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We're Still Here!

I'm SO sorry that I've been MIA for the past 2 weeks! Business has been booming with our Etsy store. It's been absolutely crazy and has required a lot of my time, leaving very little for blog updates. :( So, while my posts may happen a little less frequently, I am determined to keep things going here, as well. 

So what have we been up to???

We have had so many things happening just within the past 2 weeks! Asher now has THREE teeth, all on the bottom. This is accompanied by lots of crankiness and discomfort. Thank goodness for our mesh feeders filled with frozen fruit, and good ol' Sophie the Giraffe.

good ol' Soph

Check out this hilarious jChew Chocolate Bar teether that has already caused a few second glances (and Asher loves!): 

Can't forget the chicken wing appe-teether, either! Yum!
(The wetness is water from the ice in his mesh feeder.)

Asher is now MOBILE - eeeek! - and has mastered his "army crawl". He can get up on all fours now, but hasn't quite figured out how to crawl with his tummy off of the floor. That certainly doesn't stop him, though! This little guy is determined to get from a to z as quickly as possible. He has a weakness for the remote, phones, and the window. If any of those three things are within a few feet of him - everyone, out of the way!

Watch as he pulls himself around:

We are also babbling away now and there is still a lot of "mama" and "dada" coming out. He's also added LOTS of "yaya". I still haven't figured out what that might be referring to - maybe just anything and everything. You have to admit, it is a fun word!

We are still having quite a few night meet-ups with this little guy. Sometimes it's only twice night, but most of the time it's three. We make do.

"It's 3am and I must be lonely..."

Asher has decided that he HATES being at the shop with us. Along with the homemade baby food, the cloth diapering, and the non-use of "cry-it-out", another well laid out plan goes out the window.

I checked into some child care options and not only are places booked with infants but they are so expensive!! And really, I only need about 3 days a week...

ENTER LITTLE SISTER TO SAVE THE DAY!!!!!

Thank goodness for miracles. My little sister is able and willing to babysit Asher 3 days a week AND help out with a few chores around our house for less than we would have paid a daycare. Hallelujah!

The amount of work that I get done in 3 days without Asher at our shop is the equivalent to 5+ days of work with him there. He is no longer missing naps, in fact, he is taking 2 naps a day again. He is SO much happier. While I miss not being at home with him, I honestly feel like myself again being out and about and working on my own. Now when I am home with him, I am refreshed. I wouldn't go as far as to say "stress-free", but I defintely feel like I can tolerate more without getting overwhelmed now that I have a little time away. 

This leads me to my next announcement...

We have entered our business, Z Create Design, into a contest and we made it into round 2! Intuit Quickbooks has partnered up with entrepreneur Bill Rancic and coach Jimmy Johnson to find a small business worthy of a truly life changing prize in the Small Business, Big Game Challenge. The prize? A Superbowl commercial! Could you imagine that kind of exposure?

I need your help everyone! Click here to see OUR PROFILE and VOTE. Oh and there is a video. Yes, we made a video. Yes, it may be corny, but you gotta do what you gotta do. :)

Or.. click the button below to cast your vote. You can vote once a day, so keep voting! Help us win! 

We couldn't be more excited to see what happens... 

Since I am not able to update you all as frequently here on my blog, be sure to follow me on twitter and on instagram for daily updates! I'm also pinning all the time, so follow my boards on pinterest!

Well, it's 8pm and Asher is bright-eyed and bushy tailed after about an hour of fighting sleep already under his belt for the evening. It's just might be another long one... 

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7 Months Development & Milestones

Happy 7 Months, Baby Asher! - 9.9.2013

WOW. I can't believe how much change and progress occurs in the 6th month of age. These things happen so quickly. And the physical growth! I swear that after each nap, Asher is noticeably bigger and has more hair. He has so much hair now that I have to brush it and.. eh hem... gel it... in the mornings. :) His personality continues to build and we see more moods than ever. Sometimes he's calm and patient and others he is wild and active, kicking those legs 100 mph. He absolutely LOVES the pugs, Suki and Sumo. If he hears their little feet go tap-tap-tap outside of his nursery door while he's relaxing with a bottle, he stops eating immediately and pulls up toward the door trying to see which doggy has come to pay a visit. This is awfully cute, but it also can be quite a distraction when we are trying to wind down at bedtime. 

As with every other monthly update, the interactivity just builds and builds. Asher will give me a "kiss" if I ask for one, he snuggles, he laughs, he gives you a perplexed look if you do or say something strange. Every day I am just amazed at the constant leaps being made in what seems like the shortest amounts of time.

MILESTONES @ 7 Months Old

• Saying "Mama" & "Dada"
• Sounding out multiple new sounds and consonants
• I'm pretty sure he's trying to say "doggy", "baby", "baba", and "milk"
• Sitting with ease, catching self when loses balance for "graceful" falls
• Scooting/Rolling across floor
• Working on getting on all fours with tummy off ground
• "Walks" if I support him and hold his arms :)
• Responds to his name
• Imitates sounds and actions
• Self-entertains for short periods of time
• FIRST TOOTH - Can feel the sharp tip coming through.

BABY SIGNING UPDATE

Baby signing is starting to take shape. Before the past few weeks, Asher would sign intermittently and seemed to mix up his signs from time to time. The only real consistent one had been "dog". (LOL) Now, that's starting to clear up a bit. A few times he has signed "milk" when he wants milk - not only while he is drinking it. He signs "more" multiple times while eating to signal that he wants another bite. 

We haven't been focusing on teaching new signs yet. We are just trying to stay consistent with the ones we have already introduced and been exposing him to. 

Signs we've seen most often...

Dog

Milk

Up

More

Eat

Hurt

Banana

Mama?

TEETHING UPDATE

Oh, are we teething. Our saving grace, Hyland's Teething Tablets, unfortunately, I believe have caused a serious case of eczema. It's either the tablets or a different body wash we've been using. I've stopped both. I'm not good at slowly eliminating to figure out the real cause. I'm definitely leaning more toward the tablets, though. The eczema was accompanied by a severe case of diaper rash. It almost appears as though Asher's been exposed to dairy or soy again, but from my reading the lactose base in the tablets would not affect a dairy allergy... ugh this stuff gets more and more confusing every day. We will get through!

Anyway, that little tooth is making its way out and we've seen an increase in chewing, irritability, and difficulty going to bed and staying asleep. So far, the symptoms have been relatively mild, though, so fingers crossed that things don't get worse! The BabyGanics Teething Pods have been our new best friends.

SOLID FOODS / FEEDING SCHEDULE

Asher loves his solids. He won't even finish a bottle anymore in anticipation of a solid meal. This just makes every day all the more interesting around here in that he barely eats during the day and is up all hours of the night to fill his tummy with milk. We're back to two night wakings where he finishes off 6oz each. I can't complain too much since this is the only way he gets enough milk! 

I may have slipped up and given Asher some wheat a few weeks ago which I thought caused an eczema breakout, but with our current breakout and it's seeming connection to the teething tablets, I think I am in the clear. I'm pretty sure I had given him some tablets back then, too. Slap on the wrists rescinded. Phew.

PLAY, 7 MONTH BABY, PLAY!

I really want to be sure I encourage imaginative play as much as possible. I gave Asher a shoe box awhile back to put his blocks in, dump them out, put them back in...etc. to encourage his developing sense of spacial awareness and positioning. We flipped that box over a few days ago and with a few blocks and creativity made a makeshift car! :) I think he wondered why it didn't move. In all seriousness, I am looking around for a little ride-on toy for him but haven't found the perfect one just yet. It is amazing, though, how much more interested Asher is in water bottles, wooden spoons, and cardboard boxes then his is in most of the toys (some expensive!) that I have bought for him. Go figure.

We do a lot of peek-a-boo and "I'm gonna get you!" games. Asher loves to crawl around in the laundry when I am folding it. He loves to bang on his new drum but always within minutes is making it into a bucket for his toys. He also loves to dip his hands into a little bowl of water for some hand washing / sensory play.

All in all, 7 months is a fabulous baby age. Some things get harder, yes, but a lot of things get easier, too. I guess that goes for any stage. I love this little man more than anything. I don't know what we did so long without him here. :)

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Tooth Warning - Asher's First Tooth

Tooth Watch - An announcement that the eruption of a tooth and teething symptoms are possible.
Tooth Warning - A tooth or teething is imminent and expected, i.e. a tooth has been spotted

Our "tooth watch" has now officially been upgraded to a "tooth warning"! A little white spot could be seen just below the gum when these pictures were taken and now, just a few days later, that spot has erupted into a sharp little spike that is easily felt with your finger. { Getting that little bugger on camera is another story. }

It hasn't been easy around here for the past week or so with this tooth making its way out. We already haven't had a full night's sleep since that first day in his crib - and before that it had been since we started solids...so we technically haven't had a full stretch of sleep since Asher was 4 1/2 month old! *yawn*


On that note, Asher is now 7 months old! I'll be posting our usual monthly update soon. There is so much to share! I need to get his onesie pic before too much more time has gone by.


Even while teething, Asher is still such a happy baby. He gets sillier and sillier by the day! Check out his newest silly moment making scrunchy faces in his pack and play... This must be one of those things that every parent gets on camera at some point. It never gets old. If you haven't captured this yet, put it on your list of MUST TAKE BABY PHOTOS/VIDEOS.

 I think he must know how goofy he looks because he thinks it's so funny! BTW: Suki was just sniffing most of the time there... she only got one face lick in, I think... :P



We have been so busy with our shop that it's been difficult to get in a lot of quality time, all 3 of us. When we do get to have family time, though, Asher is in heaven. He loves his daddy so much! Sunday mornings are our favorites. It's the only day of the week for us when no one has to go to work, no one is in a rush, we get to sit down with our little man and just play, play, play. I used to make homemade waffles or pancakes every Sunday before this little ray of sunshine came about and this past Sunday I picked up the tradition. Only - eek! - I cheated and used Bisquick. But NEXT Sunday - it's on! I'll break out the eggs, milk, vinegar... and I'll be sure to share the awesome Belgium Waffle recipe that I'm convinced makes John love me just a little bit more. :)

 

Sorry it's just phone pics today. Sometimes, though, these in-the-moment phone shots can be even more special. :)

Remember how excited I was for our 6 month photo shoot and all the delightful little outfits I had planned for our cutie-patootie? Well, we haven't gotten out photos back yet (we had to keep pushing the shoot date back but finally got them taken on the 31st and a few more on the 2nd), but during our session I took a quick phone pic and oh my gosh - look at this cuteness!! I CAN'T WAIT to see what our photographer, Caroline Nicole Photography, has in store for us.

I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying some change in weather as Fall starts to set in. Unfortunately for us, it is still a sweltering 90 degrees and with the humidity it feels like 100+. The only sign of Fall in these parts is the appearance of the annual yummy pumpkin treats and drinks at Starbucks. I just may turn down the thermostat tonight, hop into a warm, cozy sweater and make myself some delicious spiced pumpkin hot chocolate via a recipe I repinned on Pinterest. Fall in Florida. Gotta love it!

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