36wks.....Maternity Pictures

http://elizabethpaigephotography.com/

One thing that I didn't do with Hannah & Sarah that I was set on doing with this pregnancy was maternity pictures. I wanted to make sure I captured this moment in print because I'm pretty certain this will be my last pregnancy. One of my dearest friends, Cory, had maternity pictures taken last summer & I was blessed with the opportunity to be there with her. I fell in love with the photographer, Elizabeth Paige. She is amazing! She did our family pictures last Fall and they were amazing as well.

We ventured out to a farm in Midway, FL on December 17th. It was hi 40s to lo 50s that morning, but we were going to get them done because I was already 36wks. I am extremely grateful for Adrienne who helped me out with Ms Sarah Frances & she also had some great ideas...peaking around the barn! Paige even captured a few pics with Sarah.

So, I am 37+3 wks today and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby girl. Today we are going to cast my belly! Another dear friend, Alicia, got me a belly casting kit and I have yet to pull out. Figure today is the day considering labor may come at time now!

Sarafina turns the big "4"

Yes, my little precious baby girl turned 4 years old! I cannot believe that it has already been four years. I further cannot believe that she will only be "Mommy's baby girl" for a few more weeks. Leonard & I realized that this needed to be special for her because her whole world is about to be rocked and turned up-side-down. So, she got an afternoon with Mommy & Daddy all by herself. She started the day opening gifts. It was suppose to be be a distraction while we hunted down a candle to place on her birthday breakfast doughnut. Needless to say, we never did find those candles.....and I buy a brand new box every bday for this same reason! Where do they go?

She was blessed with many great gifts. I have to say her hands down favorite is the Leapster that Ms Stacy & Eli got for her. She has never mentioned wanting one before. Yet, the child cannot put it down. And of course, there were NO AA batteries to be found in the house. We had to scramble because I had an early prenatal visit, but we had to stop to get those batteries on the way. At least now I have a gift idea for Christmas....a game for the Leapster.

After my prenatal visit...which went great by the way....the countdown is on, we met Daddy at the mall. Now the one thing she has been begging for is a new Build-a-bear. So, we took her to the workshop in the mall. She was in Heaven! Had to pull the reigns many times because Daddy doesn't know how to say "NO." She choose a very cute little puppy dog....a Portuguese Water dog that she happily named "Santa." Of course, she enjoyed the Build-a-bear rituals of bringing her puppy to life. This was all followed up by lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. She enjoys the mini burgers & grapes from salad bar. Daddy then had to head back to work.

Our day kept going from there. She wore her new dance dress & carried her new dance bag (thanks, Grandma Florene) to Ballet that evening. The day finally concluded with Pizza (another Sarah favorite), cake, & ice cream with the McCoy family back at home. As I tucked her in that night she smiled really wide and said, "Mommy, my birthday has come. That means Christmas is coming soon.....and then the BABY!" :)

Hannah's First Chorus Performance

That's right.....Hannah Banana is in the school's choir! She eagerly joined back in September. They have after school rehearsal once a week and we finally got to witness all her hard work. The school had its first performance of the year this week. Hannah complained about having to stand in the back. I tried to explain to her that it was because she is soooo tall & the tall kids are always in the back. She wasn't feelin being pinned between all the boys and it showed all over face. She refused to smile the entire performance. However, they did quite well. The McCoy family and Ms Tina came out to support her. She was very happy to see Ms Tina. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to spend much time together with our new hectic schedule. Of course in Banana fashion, she wouldn't allow me to get a "good" picture. Leonard & I are very happy to see her thriving at her new school. She brings up homeschool about once a week, but overall doing well.

Baby Huff's Celebration

Super-Sized Cloth Diaper Giveaway: Nov. 20 - Dec. 4, 2009

And the Winner is..........

...STUDENT OF THE WEEK
"Congratulations to Hannah Huff, our Student of the Week! Hannah is currently in Level II classes and was nominated by her teachers because of her polite manners, her willingness to learn and improve and her initiative and drive. We've loved watching you grow, Hannah. Congratulations - we're so proud of you!" - The Performing Arts Center of Tallahassee www.pactdance.com

Hannah is currently in her 5th season at PACT.
She is taking Ballet II & Jazz II.
Leonard & I are very proud of her and are very excited about her achievement.

This is her at the last annual performance with her teachers,
Ms Carly & Ms Robyn.
This year she has two new teachers and
really getting into the valuable techniques of dance.

Cloth What?

Yes, cloth diapers! Everyone is asking "why?" My response, "why not?" True, I did not use cloth diapers with my first two girls, but after talking with a few friends and doing alot of research....."why not?" Initially, I was a little hesitant. My first thought was of those Gerber pre-folds and white vinyl covers that my Momma used with my baby sister. I remember dunking those things in the toilet....and the smell!

Pre-fold diaper with Snappi

However, cloth diapers have come a LONG way in the past few years. Sure, the pre-folds are still around, but say "good-bye" to the safety pin closure. The Snappi is a plastic stretchy closure that wont stick you or baby. The pre-fold diaper is still the most economical, but the quality is much better than before. And now those white vinyl covers have been replaced by cool assorted colors that close with snaps or velcro.

Thirsty Duo Covers with Pre-fold

FuzziBunz Pocket Diaper

Ultimately, the decision to use cloth was that it would be best for our pockets & best for the environment. If you know Leonard, you know that he is "Mr Green" and all about saving the environment. And if you know me, you know that I am all about spending money wisely and saving where I can. I spent a little over $200 for my initial stash and shouldn't HAVE to buy another diaper for at least 6mos....even longer if Baby Girl Huff is as petite as Ms Sarah. And I can give them away and that Mommy wont have to spend a $$$ on diapers!

FuzziBunz Pocket Diaper

My Beginning Stash + a few dozen pre-folds

There are tons of great resources on-line for choosing cloth diapers. But thank God, I have been blessed with someone locally who has helped me tremendously. Seeing something on-line and actually touching it & asking an expert about them makes it soooo much easier. Jen Starks at Ecological Babies (http://www.ecologicalbabies.com/) has been a great resource. She encouraged me to buy a couple of different brands to fill them out first. So my beginning stash includes one FuzziBunz, 2 Bum Genius, 2 Gro Babies, and pre-folds with Thirsty Duo covers.

Gro-Baby System

Gro-Baby System comes in a alot more colors/patterns & snap closure. They are one of the newest diapers on the market. See how easy to use!

Bum Genius 3.0 One size diaper

The Bum Genius diaper is the most popular and seems very easy to use. My Dear friend, Genny has offered me a dozen of her baby girl's. I'm quite excited about adding them to my stash and for the low low $$$$$!

27wks