Dance of the diapers

Do you cloth-diaper?
well, I'm no expert. That's for sure. But I've definitely learned my fair share over the past nearly 11 months. Our "stash" as some would call it includes some prefolds, and some all-in-twos, but mostly one-size pockets. If you didn't understand any of that then this may be a post you'd prefer to skip :)
So anyway, over the past few months my diapers began to smell more and more of ammonia. That's normal. Babies pee in diapers, pee is FULL of ammonia. Eventually, diapers will smell. The trick is getting the smell out, or altering your wash/dry system such that smells don't linger in the first place.

My stink issues were BAD. I won't lie.
Thinking there might be an *easy* solution, I tried the frequently suggested "calgon" - a product designed to remove sediment from clothing which has been washed over and over in hard water. We have hard water, I figured this might be our issue. Sorry, that wasn't it.
So my second course of action was to bleach them. "BLEACH??" (I can hear the screams from across the country) yes, bleach. It's ok to bleach your diapers once in a very great while. Do it too much and not only will you break down your diapers, but you'll burn your baby's sweet little tush. But once in a while it's ok. Well - lo and behold - bleach didn't do the trick.

Then I turned to my favorite bio-safe cleaner and yours: Bac-out. I had high hopes for it's lime peel and bacteria-eating enzymes - but alas, no dice.
Then it was time to pull out the big guns: Stripping. Stripping diapers. (Get your mind out of the gutter) Like bleach, I've been warned that this is a "once-in-a-blue-moon" procedure. So I proceeded with caution. Diaper stripping is done with Dawn unscented dish soap. The theory is that some diapers stink because there is left-over detergent and other crud built up in the diaper's fibers. Add a squirt of dish soap to the laundry, do about a million hot rinses until all of the bubbles disappear and viola! your diapers should be stink free. - unless of course they're mine, in which case they will mysteriously still have a faint odor. Maybe I'm the only one who can smell it, but DUDE, it drives me NUTS!I was lost for words.

Then, as I was perusing reviews on The Pin I came across this stuff: Rockin' Green Soap. Ok, Ok, I'd heard about it before, but I wasn't a believer until I watched their two videos. Still skeptical, I ordered two samples of "Hard Rock" (made for folks like me with extra hard water, and, consequently, a non-functional water-softener) in lavender-vanilla, and fresh linen scents. ("woah woah woah - you mean to tell me you used scented detergent on your diapers" yes. yes I did. but it's safe for diapers. I promise. Keep reading)It arrived, I kid you not, just as I was getting diapers started for the morning. Following the directions I rinsed my dipes in cold, then let them hot-soak with 3TBS of Hard Rock for one hour. I continued with a wash cycle, then a cold rinse (no second rinse needed!) and PRESTO CHANGO! no more stink!

Sold. I'm SO sold.
If I could post a scratch-and-sniff picture I totally would.

When I'm not looking

I watch my son a lot
In fact, I'd say, even when I'm NOT watching him (i.e. leaving him to play in a safe place while I - say - unload the dishwasher) I check on him every minute or less. Even in a safe place, it's amazing the trouble my nearly 11 month old can get himself into. Currently his favorite place to be is, by far, the laundry basket. I was standing in the kitchen, behind the baby gate when I witnessed this string of events:What a monkey you are, son. What a monkey you are. Maybe one day you'll be a laundry FOLDING monkey instead of just a laundry-throwing-about monkey. Then again, that could be wishful thinking.

Levi, Cristoph, and Daisy Mae

So last Saturday the three of us got up early - who am I kidding we get up at 6:00 every morning, not by desire mind you, but because the "alarm clock" in the room next to ours reminds us that it's time to nurse and play. Anyhow, we spent the day digging up our green-hippie-northwest-recycling-composting-clothdiapering-organicbuying-roots. We started by heading to a consignment sale at one of our our local cloth-diaper retail stores.

IT WAS A ZOO IN THERE!

I left without any diapers. Quite honestly, I left before I even made it up to the table with the cloth diapers on it - I couldn't shove my way through with a baby in a sling on my hip. It was crazy. I bought a lovely "nursing necklace" and we made our way out.

Then where to? Why, the local co-op of course! As we pulled into the Open Harvest parking lot we knew something was up. Right there, in the middle of everything, was a cow. Yes, a dairy cow. and - wait for it - her calf. Prairieland Dairy was busily handing out samples of their delightful milk (not like I would know it's delightful, I haven't been able to drink fluid milk since last July - a story to fill you in on another day). So Levi met a new friend. Enter: Christoph. Although Christoph is quite a bit younger than Levi (just 6 weeks old I believe) they're both milk-lovers. I can't decide who's cuter in these pictures. Maybe you can?Well, we couldn't leave without a picture of the two mommies. Sometimes Levi makes me feel like one of these:
And with our visit winding to a close we were off to buy an electric car, build an Earthship, plant a forest, and sustainably raise goats in our back yard - or maybe just to go home and eat lunch.
- Melissa

Customers

You know, it's rare that I take a picture of anything other than my adorable baby these days. True, these photos may also include other individuals, but they are rarely devoid of Levi. I maintain that my camera has a Levi addiction - but that's just my claim. Believe whatever you want.
However, a few days back, something caught my eye. Not long ago - ok, January - we hung a lovely bird feeder off the corner of our garage. It was a Christmas gift from my parents. Lo and behold it attracted some beautiful "customers" right off the bat. Now, as spring approaches, I can't wait to see if these two will bring us some of their offspring for us to feast our eyes upon. What beauties they are, don't you think?Mr. Cardinal is bright red, while Mrs. Cardinal is beige with a bright red beak. Would you believe he actually cracks seeds and feeds them to her one-by-one. What a gentleman! These two are frequent customers and I hope to continue greeting them each morning. Now if only I could do something about those pesky blackbirds...

All about pot - a pot named Ruby.

I try not to be a worldly person - that is to say, someone who spends too much time dwelling on what this world has to offer. This world is not my home after all... but there's just one little thing I have a problem with...

Kitchen gear. I have a serious kitchen gear problem.

It started with fancy schmancy can openers and garlic presses. Soon I was into blenders and stand mixers. Before I knew it my problem had escalated - into cookware. Not just any cookware though, Le Creuset cookware.
"What is Le Creuset" you ask? take a look, see for yourself. Hand forged, cast-iron perfection, coated in life-time guaranteed enamel, and that's only the beginning. So, may I please have the pleasure of introducing you to (da da da daaaaaaaaaa) Ruby:

3.5 quarts and 12" x 3" of braising beauty. A stovetop/ovenproof/dishwasher safe/freezer-refrigerator compatible marvel of mankind. The impliment with which I will hatch my plan for mastery of all things seared-then-slow-cooked.

So, what I'm saying is, I have a weak point. Is that so wrong?

Yes, Yes... I know

It's been WAY too long.You needn't remind me, I'm well aware.who - might I ask - knew that having a baby - one tiny little baby - could change your world so much?
DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME??
Seriously people.

Anyway. Things in the Hnosko household are largely, well, wonderful to put it lightly. After a VERY rough first five months (oh yes, I did just say five) we emerged from Levi's colicky newborn phase victorious, and with just a few bits of knowlege we hadn't had before. First: Breastfed babies need to be fed "on demand". This means that, no matter how much you like having a schedule, no matter how linear, and no matter how desiring of control you are, if you want to bring in an ample milk supply, and you want a moderately peaceful household you should probably just feed your baby when he requests food. Whew. Took me a while to get that.
Second: Babies Cry. Sometimes they cry for a reason. Other times they just cry. Some cry more than others. Mothers who cannot soothe their babies can, at times, feel worthless (my case in point). but rest assured, all babies are inconsolable at some point and, really, it isn't your fault.

Third: (personal opinion alert!) "colic" is a word that's thrown around a lot. MANY well meaning people told us our baby was probably "colicky". I used the phrase myself from time to time. What we came to learn was that our baby had an intolerance to boy dairy and soy proteins... soooo, when mommy ate wonderful goodies like cheese, and sour cream, and tofu, and milk chocolate, etc etc. baby would get the world's worst tummy ache. We ironed this out somewhere around 4 months and never looked back. Think your baby has "colic"? e-mail me, we'll chat.

And now, without further adeau, some recent photos of my nearly 10 1/2 month old trouble maker - the child who has now been banned from the kitchen for eating things I SWORE I swept up, and for tearing through the trash can one-too-many times; The sweet babe who I found recently reaching into the toilet and snacking on some dripping toilet paper; and yes, the same little one who sleeps peacefully in my arms at night before bed. This child:Could that child steal your heart? He sure has stolen mine!
- Melissa

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Everyone,

It was the day before Thanksgiving and I was helping give my son a bath. My sister, Jillian, is staying with us for the four day weekend. It was a good time for me to reflect. I really love being a dad. We have a beautiful son. At times Melissa and I will look at Levi with the realization that he is actually here, to stay! And that he is not inside his mother anymore. No going back now. As new parents (he will be six months old tomorrow) it is amazing to think that this little, growing, squirmy, giggly baby is a small human, made in God’s image, with dignity, value, and worth, inside my wife, and now he is here. We look forward to him walking and talking with us, but right now we still can’t get over his laughs and smiles. Our son is whole, fully and beautifully formed, in amazing and wondrous intricacy. Life truly is a work of the LORD. Levi is a scosh over 16 pounds. He started out as a single cell and was the size of a poppy seed when my wife told me the news. Then we found out he was a boy and, while I would still love to be daddy to a little girl someday, we were thrilled. He is growing well, actually it is a good thing he slowed down. Little known fact: if Levi continued to grow at the same rate he did inutero, he would be the mass of the earth by his 20^th birthday. That poppy seed now weighs the equivalent of 23,948,100 poppy seeds and counting. It is a both a great challenge and great blessing to be a parent. It comes with great responsibility and great joy. I have learned just a little bit about God as a Father by being one myself. My wife, son, family, friends are just a few of the relationships I am thankful for. May I be found a good steward of all that God has entrusted to my care.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jonathan