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Beautiful Day...  

Posted by: Jenna






It was so pretty outside today that Josiah and I decided to take G out and snap a few photos. Enjoy!

5 Months Old  

Posted by: Jenna

Helping Mommy do laundry










On March 5, Greenlee turned 5 months old. Josiah and I have been talking about how much she has grown-- not only physically, but also in her skills and abilities-- just in the past month. Just last month she could barely do any tummy time, now she is standing and ALMOST sitting up by herself. She has also rolled over a few times. Last month she was unable to sit up in her bumbo chair without assistance, now she can eat her food out of it! A month ago she could barely eat from a spoon-- now she LOVES food and eats it twice a day!

At 5 months old:

--She loves to sit in her bouncy seat or high chair while I cook
-- Loves her activity gym
-- Fits in her toddler carseat, but we still use her infant carseat sometimes
-- weighs 17.4lbs and is almost 26 inches tall
-- wears size 3 diapers
-- loves to touch faces
-- laughs and smiles all the time
-- has her first tooth trying to break through the skin, an eye tooth-- ouch!
--loves asparagus, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, and apples
-- rolls over...sometimes :)
-- takes 4 bottles a day
-- eats solids twice a day-- lunch and dinner
-- takes 3 naps per day
-- sleeps 11-12 hours at night
-- her favorite toys are her Owl blankie, puppy, lamb, teething keys, and friendly Emily doll
-- she loves music and looking outside
-- loves to go on walks
-- afraid of strangers and loud noises

See you next month,

Love Mommy & Greenlee

Great Couponing Week!  

Posted by: Jenna


I have been couponing for about a year now. While I was pregnant over the summer I got serious about couponing and actually started saving a lot of money. We went from spending about $80 a week on food, toiletries, etc...to spending $35 a week. Typically the only time I spend $5 or $10 more than that is if I am buying formula. Even then, I only spend about $20 a month on formula-- I think the average family spends $150 a month on formula. So needless to say, I save a LOT of money through coupons and it is such a fun hobby. My friends Darla and Julie also coupon so we bounce a lot of deals and ideas off of each other on a regular basis. It's a lot of fun honestly. This week is a HUGE week to be a couponer if you have a Kroger in your area. Here is a picture of my Kroger trip from today (I've made this trip 2 different times because I bought 2 newspapers and had 2 Kroger cards for ecoupons):


Pampers Thick Care Sensitive wipes
Tide Stain Release Gel packs
Magic Starch
Charmin Ultra Strong 12 Double Rolls
Febreeze Air Effects
2 Crest Toothpaste
1 Colgate Toothpaste
Tampax Pearl
Cascade Gel Packs
Gilette Fusion Shave Cream
Olay Ribbons Body Wash
Olay Facial Cleanser
Bounce Dryer Sheets
Old Spice Deodorant
Secret Deodorant

Bill before coupons: $70
Total after coupons: $20.49
I LOVE saving money!


Yummy!  

Posted by: Jenna

Tonight I made Greenlee's baby food for the first time. I thought it was be so labor intensive and take too much time but it was the opposite. From start to finish it only took about 30 minutes. Tonight I made asparagus and zucchini. I just steamed them in a steamer basket for about 10 minutes and then popped them in the food processor. Afterwards I let the purees cool, divided some for the freezer and some for the refrigerator, and I was done! A "bunch" of asparagus made about 2 weeks worth of baby food and 2 zucchinis also made 2 weeks worth. Right now it takes her about 3 days to get through a 4oz jar of baby food so it doesn't take much to make a few weeks worth of food for her. I think it's just as cheap to buy the jarred baby food since I use coupons, but organic can be pretty pricey even with coupons so it's nice to just be able to buy organic produce at Kroger and make her food if I want to. Plus, with making her food, she will be able to try different fruits and veggies that aren't available in the jar, such as: cherries, blueberries, pumpkin, yam, cauliflower, avocado, broccoli, plums, zucchini, and the list goes on! There are so many types of fruits, veggies, and proteins that aren't available to buy in jars or even certain grains like millet and lentils. I want Greenlee to try all varieties of foods early on so she won't be a picky eater and I think making some of her baby food will help accomplish this goal. Bon a petit :)

Ain't She Sweet?  

Posted by: Jenna


Look at this pretty girl. I just love her. Happy Tuesday!

Cloth Diaper Update  

Posted by: Jenna

It dawned on me the other day that I have no updated my blog concerning our cloth diaper experience since Greenlee was born. I've experimented with SOO many types of cloth diapers since she was born and have definitely decided on my favorites. So far, the All-In-One diapers are my favorite because there is no stuffing involved-- it's exactly like a disposable, except you wash it. They are super absorbent, so I use them primarily for naps because she can be in them for several hours and we don't have any issues with leaks. The diapers I ended up not liking I managed to sell, and used the money to buy more of the ones I like :) Here are a few pictures of Greenlee in her cloth diapers.

Grovia Organic All-In-One in "Owl" print...this is my absolute favorite diaper!

Bum Genius Elemental Organic All In One diaper
Besides the AIOs, we also use the Flip system, Fuzzibunz perfect size, and Bum Genius. I wash diapers ever 2 or 3 days, and we use disposables at night or if we are out. I may try to do cloth at night when she is older and we aren't so worried about interrupting her nights if a leak happens. Right now she has just gotten back to sleeping through the night since she was sick so I don't want to try anything that might throw her off schedule!

So far washing has been a breeze, I use Tide Original Powder and have had absolutely no issues at all. I do a cold rinse, a warm wash with detergent, and another warm rinse...then throw everything in the dryer...it's so easy!

Lately I've been entertaining the idea of purchasing a diaper sprayer since Greenlee is starting solids. But, a few friends have recommended just soaking the poopy diapers in a large bowl with detergent until I'm ready to wash. She only goes #2 once a day so I'm not sure if a diaper sprayer would be a good investment. For now I might just try the soaking idea and see how that goes.

So, that's my update on cloth...I'll update more as she grows and life changes a bit.

Finally A New Post: 4 Months Old  

Posted by: Jenna


I have completely neglected the blog for about 2 months now. The reason is because I just haven't had time to download any pictures from our camera to our computer. And honestly, I have yet to print one single picture of Greenlee since she was born. That is on my to-do list-- to upload all of my pictures to Walgreens so I can print them all and put them in a photo box. I still haven't printed any of Josiah and I in 2 years-- how bad is that?? Anyways, here's a recap of what has been going on with us in the past 2 months:

-- For Christmas we went to Florida for 2 weeks. We went to West Palm Beach to see my brother and his family, Orlando to hang out at the condo, Tampa to see Darla and Rob, and then drove home through Atlanta to see Aunt Paula. Surprisingly Greenlee did awesome the entire time. She slept 12 hours every night in her pack-n-play and we got the most sleep we had gotten in 2 1/2 months! It was incredible!

-- While in Florida Josiah and I both got a pretty bad cold. We didn't think Greenlee was going to get it because she seemed fine the entire time. Well, when we returned from Florida, all hell broke loose.

-- Greenlee was sick the ENTIRE month of January. Her doctors wouldn't give her any medicine because she was too young and they said they couldn't do anything for viral infections. So we just did all the home remedies we could possibly think of to make her feel better. Needless to say, she eventually took a turn for the worst and she was finally diagnosed with RSV, which is a lung infection. At first they wouldn't do anything for her because it was viral. Then, a few days later she started wheezing and vomiting so we went to the doctor AGAIN (4th time in 2 weeks). At that point she had developed an ear infection so they put her on an antibiotic. They also gave her a breathing machine so we could administer breathing treatments from home to help her wheezing and terrible cough. A few days later I got sick and went to the doctor, only to find out I had a double ear infection. It was a pretty hectic week to say the least. Now, we are both feeling better but Greenlee is having a hard time getting back on her previous sleep schedule. She was sleeping 11 hours at night without waking up to eat...now she wakes several times a night and we end up feeding her one of those times typically. It's no fun :(

-- my birthday was January 31st-- the day Greenlee got diagnosed with RSV and was puking her brains out....Happy Birthday Mommy!! haha ...not a fun day!

-- I quit my job because it just became too demanding and I wasn't able to find childcare for Greenlee at the last minute. So, now I am staying home with Greenlee full-time. I am hoping to find some part-time work once Josiah finishes school.

-- we moved!!! Now we are looking for a house to rent. If you know of one please let us know!

-- Greenlee started solids. We have started her on rice cereal and she loves it so far-- mainly because I mix it with apple juice :) After she gets used to that we will start veggies, then fruits.

-- Greenlee had her 4 month checkup. She weighs 15 lbs 7 oz and is 24 inches long. She is in size 3 diapers

Here are some pictures of Greenlee from the past 2 months...enjoy!
4 months old
She has bigger smiles than this but we can't ever seem to catch them on camera quick enough!



Finally liking cereal after about the 5th try-- because Mommy mixed apple juice in it!
sacked out with her owl friend
Greenlee and her friend Kinsley-- this is Darla's daughter. The girls are 5 months apart
At Singer Island in West Palm-- Greenlee's first trip to the beach






In the car driving around in West Palm Beach
Bathtime in Aunt Emily's tub
James, Cooper, and us at my brother's church Christmas week