The Diaper Cake

Yep, I made a diaper cake. I can see the blank expression on your face as you're wondering what the heck a diaper cake is. Well, it's actually just a bunch of diapers put together to look like a cake. The first one I saw was one given to me at my baby shower, and they are adorable. The best thing about diaper cakes is that they provide a cute centerpiece at the shower, but they're also a practical gift for the new baby and mommy to be.

Often I find myself looking at an idea and thinking, "Oh, I can do that." When I first saw the diaper cake that was given to Noah and me, I knew it would be fun to make one and that I'd want to do it some day. So with an upcoming baby shower approaching (which was actually this weekend), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try my diaper cake making skills. Even though I've been dying to post it on Facebook and write about it on the blog, I had to keep it top secret, so it would be a surprise for the mommy to be.

I decided a diaper cake tutorial was a must because I honestly had no idea where to start. Can I tell you a little secret? It is so easy. Seriously. It doesn't take much skill at all to make one. And diaper cakes are so much fun to make--I can't wait to make another one! My friends seriously need to get with the program and start having babies so I have an excuse to make more.

So the first thing I decided was that I wanted to make a three-tiered diaper cake. There are so many different ways you can make them. Some diaper cakes are very detailed, while others are simply diapers stacked with ribbon tied around the tiers. I then made a list of all the items I needed to buy to begin my attempt at the diaper cake.

I dragged Josh and Noah along with me to Walmart and Target one night after dinner, and we bought everything I needed to make the diaper cake. I couldn't wait to get started. The first thing you have to do when making a diaper cake is to roll up a bunch of diapers (as if you were rolling up a magazine or newspaper) and then wrap a rubber band around each roll. Thank goodness I had my sweet husband home with me to help, because after rolling about 15 diapers my hand was already starting to cramp. We rolled, and rolled, and rolled until we couldn't roll any more. We rolled sixty-six diapers to be exact. Really, it wasn't that bad, but I do suggest getting someone to help because the process of rolling diapers goes by that much faster.

Once the rolling is done, the fun begins. I'm warning you, once the fun begins it is hard to control your spending! Ha! I kept telling Josh, "I promise this is my last time to go to Hobby Lobby." But the great thing about diaper cakes is that you can go all out and spend a lot, or you can do a simple cake and not spend much at all. It's completely up to you (and your checkbook).

So, would you like to see my first attempt at a diaper cake? I have to admit I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Bare Buns, Pumpkin Bites, and a Secret Project

Look what I stumbled upon...

Noah and his bare buns! I just couldn't resist. Ha!

Oh, and by the way, I found the cutest pumpkin bite pies. Seriously. No joke. So so cute! Take a look.

I know. How do people come up with this stuff? If you want to make these little pumpkin bites you will have to just click here, because I'm too tired (or too lazy) to tell you how to make them.

I can't wait to show you my little project I've been working on lately. I have had so much fun with it. I can't reveal what *it* is until tomorrow, because well, it's top secret right now.

Goodnight.

What a Relief!

One of the hardest things about moving from Amarillo was leaving a wonderful pediatrician behind. We have been in Fort Worth since June, so for four months we have not had a pediatrician. It was probably very stupid of me to wait this long, but choosing a doctor for Noah is such a big decision. As you can imagine, the list of pediatricians here is endless. I didn't know where to start, and even though we've asked around, we haven't really had any recommendations. So I put the search off until about a couple weeks ago.

One night while I was at work I had some down time and decided that it had been long enough; I had to begin my search for a pediatrician. One thing I knew for sure was the doctor needed to be in the Cooks Children's network, and be board certified in pediatrics (duh). Starting there did narrow my search just *a little* bit. With a lot of internet searching, asking around, and prayers I am happy to inform you we have found a pediatrician! And what a relief it is!

We are still in the process of getting our insurance all worked out, but I decided today to go ahead and make the call to the pediatrician's office to make sure she is accepting new patients. From what I've heard, this group of pediatricians can be difficult to get into see, so I was a little nervous when I called to inquire. A lady picked up the phone, and then I preceded to tell her we just moved here... blah blah blah... and then asked her if they were accepting new patients. Of course I was on hold for a few minutes-- the anticipation was killing me. She got back on the phone telling me they are accepting new patients!! I am so thankful, because I'm not sure who my back up would have been. Another answer to our prayers!

Pretty soon I will be making a call to the office again to set up an appointment. With all the flu stuff going around, it would be good to get him in to see the doctor and get acquainted in case we have to go in when Noah's really sick. Plus in two months it will already be time for his 15 month well check up.

It was hard leaving Dr. Fletcher behind in Amarillo, but we are excited about meeting Noah's new doctor. We will keep you updated.

Project Big Boy: Success

Wow, it is October 1st already! How did September come and go so quickly? Well I just love the Fall weather; it is the best! We took a family walk together last night, which is something we haven't done in a long long time because of the hot weather. The weather last night felt like good ol' Amarillo evenings which are always so nice and cool. I'm guessing we probably won't see much snow around these parts though. I'll just be thankful for what we have!

I just got back not long ago from grocery shopping, so this will just be a quick post. Noah and I have to get up early (this morning) for Bible study. I have just been absolutely loving every minute of the studying of the Psalms and being a part of a women's Bible study. I have grown so much, and I am so thankful for this wonderful opportunity.

Noah has also been enjoying his Wee Care group. Last week the nursery workers said he did so much better. I knew after a few times of going he would be ok. During a break I decided to go peek my head in to see how he was doing, and Noah was just as happy as could be sitting in a highchair eating his snacks along with another friend in the nursery. After we were finished I went in to pick him up and he was snoozing in a swing with a blanket on him. It was the cutest thing. He would have never sat long enough in a swing to fall asleep at home. I guess the distraction of the other babies playing kept him preoccupied long enough to fall asleep.

The only thing I have been a little anxious about is Noah being around a bunch of other kids with all of the yucky stuff going around right now. We are still in the process of getting our insurance and pediatrician all lined up, so I am just praying for good health! Would you please pray for Noah (well all of us) for God's protection as we enter the flu season.

Before I go, remember the post Noah is...? And remember how I told you he wasn't a fan of juices? Well I was wrong. He loves apple juice, orange juice, and milk (hey, it's cow juice!). When we give him any of those in his sippy cup, he chugs it like you wouldn't believe. I guess sometimes kids have to try things out a couple times before they figure out whether they actually like something or not. Here's a picture of Noah and his apple juice:

Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!



P.S. Oh, how could I forget! Ha. The main reason I wrote a post tonight was to let you know that Project Big Boy has been successful! He's not crying for his bottle any more, and, as I wrote above, he's taking all kinds of liquids from his sippy cup. Yay! I think it is safe to say we have weaned Noah from the bottle. Boy does it feel good. Again, I thank you so much for your prayers and support. It definitely wasn't as hard as we thought it was going to be.

Libby & Julia

Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? Someday I will get around to seeing it. I reeeeaaallly wanna see it. The reason I bring the movie up is because in a way I kinda feel like the girl in the movie. Well, to some extent I do. The young girl, Julie, in the movie makes it her goal to cook her way through Julia Child's cook book. I have recently made it my goal to: 1. cook more and 2. to find and try out new recipes. The main reason I'm expanding my recipe collection and cooking more often is for the benefit of my family, but personally I have actually enjoyed being in the kitchen lately. I'm certainly no Betty Crocker, and the recipes I've cooked lately have been pretty simple, but with a one-year old crawling all over the place I don't have time to spend hours upon hours in the kitchen.

Last week when I was planning my menu for the week, I spotted a new recipe on kraftfoods.com that I wasn't quite sure of, but I thought I would venture out and try it. If you need something quick and very tasty you need to try this:

Cheesy Chicken Tostadas



You'll need:

6 tostada shells
1/2 cup Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
3/4 lb. cooked chicken, shredded*
6 Kraft Singles
1 avocado, sliced
1-1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread tostada shells evenly with cream cheese spread;

place on baking sheet. Fill evenly with chicken and Singles.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through.
Top with the avocados, lettuce, and tomatoes.

** I put the chicken in a slow cooker with chicken broth and let it cook
all day. It is so moist and easy to shred by dinnertime.

That is it!

Josh really liked them (I could tell he wasn't lying), and Noah, well, he didn't exactly eat them, but I think he really enjoyed the chicken and avocados.

Project Big Boy UPDATE: Noah has been doing so well. We had another really good day. For both his nap and bedtime he fell asleep within 15 minutes. It is getting easier by the day. The days of "Ba-ba" are gone. Kinda makes me sad.

If you have any yummy recipes to share send them my way!

Hope you are having a great night!

2:00 am update: Ok, I was about to go to bed, but I just had to add this to the blog before I went to sleep. As I always do before I go to bed, I went in Noah's room to check on him. This is what I found:

Most of the time when I check on him, Noah has his blankets flung every which way, but not tonight. Tonight I went in to find little Noah comfortably tucked in with a blanket. Turns out Josh had been to visit Noah a few minutes before I went in. How precious is that? What a wonderful daddy!

Project Big Boy: Day 3 & Walking Like a Senior Citizen

I think I would be safe to say Project Big Boy has been successful so far. I say so far because I don't think we are there yet. Noah has been doing so well with the weaning process. We didn't hear one peep from him last night; he slept straight through. It was difficult getting up with him at 7:30 am, but it's okay. I loved waking up with my little guy and spending some good quality time with him. We ate breakfast together, shot some hoops with his little basketball goal (thanks Nana & Roger!), read a couple of books, and watched a Baby Einstein. By that time, it was time for a nap and Noah went right to sleep without any problem--he was asleep within five minutes. Everything has gone so smoothly, well, until tonight. Noah cried for about 30 minutes before he went to sleep. It is so hard to listen to him cry and not be able to do anything to soothe him. But we have come a long way, and I honestly believe we are getting closer and closer to having him weaned. Thank you again for your prayers. We really appreciate them so much.

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Noah got a walker for his birthday from his great-grandmother, Gigi, and boy does he love it. If only he had more room to walk around with it I think he would use it all the time. And when he uses it to walk around, it is the. cutest. thing. ever.

About a month before Noah's birthday, I was talking on the phone with Gigi, and before we got off, Gigi asked me what she could get Noah for his birthday. I immediately thought of a walker. She asked me to send her an email of one, so I did a little searching and sent her a link to a walker I found on the Babies R Us website. And it was so funny because before we got off the phone, Gigi said to me, "Now, don't you let anyone else get this for him." It was sweet because she was so excited to get the walker for him.

Anyway, I wanted to post a picture and video of Noah and his walker. I think I could watch this video hundreds of times and never get tired of it.

Ah! Love it. Off to catch up on Survivor with Josh. Goodnight!