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Katherine and "Atom"

I really want to be a good photographer. I read a short little book on how to photography your baby. The tips include turn off your flash and get closer. I decided to spend a little time with Katherine trying to do just that. THe problem is that when you turn off your flash the camera lens has to be open longer and you have to hold the camera still. That is not a problem because I have a tripod. The problem is that what you are photographing also has to remain still. When you are photographing a baby, that is easier said than done. I took about 40 pictures and many of them had blurry hands or feet. A few turned out pretty decent. My favorite is this one with Katherine’s favorite toy. We name her toys and this one is Atom because it looks like a model of an atomic molecule. Leave it to the nerdy science parents to come up with a name like that.

Katherine with some of the purchases

Saturday I went to the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington. It was a great afternoon of shopping for lots of fun scrapbook items. Most things I bought were for Katherine’s album of course.

It took me a long time to go through the exhibits. It had to do with the fact that I had an incredibly cute baby with me and people kept stopping to check her out. For part of the time I wore Katherine in the sling. People would especially stop me then to ask questions about if it is comfortable, is it easy, how do I do it.

The best comment (made at least five times) was, “I wish they had those when I had my kids.” Most of these people had their kids with them.

My reply was usually something like, “They did have them, people have been wearing their babies in a sling in other cultures for thousands of years. It is just regaining popularity in the US.” I did not realize that I was so out there.

I really wish I had my camera at the point when Katherine fell asleep in the sling. It was so precious.

Happy in the sling

I have had a sling for Katherine since the beginning, but I was having problems getting her in it in a way that she enjoyed and I felt secure. I found a babywearing class online so I attended on Wednesday. It really helped me to see how other people use their slings and other wraps and now I feel safe. We went to the Science Place yesterday with my college roommate, Ashley, and her kids. Katherine rode in the swing for over an hour before she was fussy and that was because she wanted to eat. Isn’t she cute in there peeking her head out? She is in what they call the buddha carry.

Katherine's new Happy Heinys diapers

We use cloth diapers with Katherine. Some of you knew that, but I am sure that many did not. Now, this is not the same thing that many of our mothers used. When most people my age think of cloth diapers, they think of the square cloths that we now use as burp cloths, held together by pins. Some people do still use those (they are called chinese pre-folds), but no longer do they require pins. I actually have a few that Shannon gave me to try out.

Cloth Diapering has come a long way. We use diapers that look pretty much the same as a disposable. They have gusseted legs, elastic waist and multiple snaps ofrvelcro to hold it together. It was a new and confusing world to me at first. There are pre-folds, fitteds, all in ones, and pockets. Some require covers some requre inserts. Overall though, we really like it.

Today I received a package of some new cloth diapers for Katherine. She is growing out of her first set. These I bought on a website called diaper swappers where moms can buy, sell and trade new and used diapers. These are a brand called Happy Heinys . Sam and I love the names of the diapers. We are using Happy Heiny’s, Kissaluvs , Wonderoos , and Fuzzibunz . Anyway, these diapers are cute because the outer waterproof cover has prints. You can see from the picture how cute they are. They have ballerina slippers, poodles, princess crowns, frogs, flowers, swirls and gingham.

Why do we cloth diaper you may ask. I am not really sure there is one reason. Shannon and George introduced us and my friend Kathy does it as well. The main reasons are the cost of diapers and the health of our baby’s bum. There is a large up front cost, but over the time that you diaper a child you can save money. You especially save a lot if you use them for future kids as well. It is also healthier for Katherine to not have bleached, chemical treated diapers on her bum. She never has a diaper rash because her cloth diapers breathe better than “sposies”. And, I guess it is great that we are doing something to help out with the environment, but don’t worry, we are not becoming tree huggers.

Tonight we picked up Katherine’s 3 month portraits taken at JCPenney. We bought several poses. All are cute in our opinion. Here is the one we are using for the power point at baby dedication on Father’s Day.

My first swim

Today mommy took me to go swimming for the first time. We met her friend Chrys (sorority sister from collete) and her son Oliver and one of her friends houses. There were lots of other mommies and babies.

I took right to the water. We just sat on the step. I also tried out one of the other babies’ inflatable boat. It was a lot of fun.

Emily surrounded Katherine with blocks

We are very excited that George, Shannon, Emily and Nathan moved to Fort Worth this week. This means that they are only 45 minutes away, which is much better than San Antonio. On Saturday we went to help them move. Well, I was not that much help because I got there late and then was taking care of Katherine a lot of the time. I did help strip some wall paper in the kids bathroom though. We really enjoy spending time with George and Shannon so we are glad they are closer.

While the adults were unpacking and making repairs, Emily was playing with Katherine. You can see in the picture that she surrounded her with blocks. Katherine had a fun day. She played on her play mat all day. We were there from about 2:30 until 8:30 and amazingly she did not take a nap and she was happy the whole time.

Katherine's passport photo

Today we applied for Katherine’s passport. It was quite an ordeal. We tried to do it on Friday. Both parents have to be present to sign the forms and have their ID checked against the parents listed on the birth certificate. So, Sam took off work to meet me at the post office and we were going to eat lunch afterward. When we got there we were planning to have them take her picture for us. Well, he said that they did not have the equipment to take a picture of a newborn. They did not have anything to prop her up. I don’t know why I could not have held her. He suggested CVS or Walgreens. We went to CVS and they don’t take photos of infants either. So, we decided to make an appointment for Monday and just go to lunch.

I then called JC Penney and made an appointment for that afternoon to take her passport photo. I was very clear that it was for a 3 month old. When we got there, they said they could not do it for a baby that small. They said that you have to get so close to the baby in order for their small head to be the right size and it always turns out blurry.

So, I decided to try to take my own photo. I put a white sheet on the floor, laid Katherine on it and stood above her to take the picture. It worked just fine (and saved ).

It sure was a lot of trouble, but now we are going to be ready if Sam has any more out of country business trips and we want to join him.

Mom and Dad put together my high chair this week. It is still too big for me but because it has a 5 point harness, I am safe and can sit up. I sit in my high chair while mom or dad cook dinner or are in the kitchen. I am sure that I will have a lot of fun times eating in the high chair in the future.