roll.

it's official! finley's a roller!! i wanted to wait a few days to make sure she kept doing it and sure enough in the past few days she's mastered rolling from back to tummy. so on tuesday she just decided she was ready to roll, probably b/c i kept telling everyone she was never going to do it. a little reverse psychology. *wink*wink* it's funny to put her down on her back, go get something and come right back to her on her tummy. she can roll to both sides, but still doesn't really want to roll tummy to back. i let her get a little mad hoping she'll flip right over, but it's pretty pathetic so i end up helping. i know i know.

babylegs.

welcome to my first tutorial! babylegs are essentially baby leg warmers and they're stinking adorable. jenna gave fin some and i love them, but she hasn't gotten to wear them too much since it's still a million degrees outside. i like them though b/c first of all they're cute and secondly they make diaper changes easy. however, they're like $10-$15 so i didn't really want to buy her more, but then i saw how to make them online. so. easy. allow me to show you.

all you need is a pair of knee high women's socks, scissors, needle and thread. so since i had everything but the socks this was super cheap. i got the socks at target for $2.50. i washed and dried them first.

1. cut the foot part off the sock, right above the heel.

2. flip them inside out and fold over a small hem.

3. whip stitch the hem and voila! babylegs!! i made one pair yesterday and 2 pairs today during her nap. 2 pairs took me about 30 minutes. the longest part is threading the needle and tying a flipping knot.

then fin wanted to model them.

not too sure about the argyle ones.

sorta feeling the bright orange tigers.

loving the blue polka dots! or maybe it's the ruby shirt.

5months.

why is she getting so big so fast?? at 5 months she

*is the happiest baby i know
*still doesn't like a paci, so we're not gonna start now!
*is on a schedule-ish (this makes life so much easier)
*sleeps 9-10 hrs at night, eats, back down for another 2-3 hrs (sleeps 7-7)
*has rolled over a handful of times from tummy to back. we really haven't actually seen her do it, but when we get her either in the middle of the night to feed her or in the morning sometimes she's on her back
*is such a chill baby-- unless she really wants/needs something
*likes to play by herself
*sits up by herself (if i get her set up) for a few seconds
*likes tummy time and grabs at the toys in front of her
*is great at grabbing what she wants
*squeals. non.stop.
*eats cereal/oatmeal twice a day (no fruits or veggies yet, but probably soon)
*doesn't quite have teeth coming in, or at least none that we can really feel
*puts everything straight into her mouth
*pushes up like a seal
*sucks on everything BUT a paci, including, but not limited to, our fingers, clothes and shoulders
*eats 4-6 oz every 3-4 hrs (breastmilk and formula)
*loves to go for walks in her big girl stroller
*giggles when you tickle her neck/chest
*loooooves ruby (not sure the feeling is mutual)
*blows raspberries alllll the time
*wears 3-6 month clothes-- 6 months if they're on the small side
*weighs 15.8 lbs (approximately)
*changes every day!!!!

baptized.

aug. 28 we got finley baptized. it. was. perfect. kind of a rocky start planning it and what not b/c there was some miscommunication with the church (long story), but alas it all worked. the best part was that deacon tim did it. deacon tim also did our marriage prep before our wedding and we loved him. we were lucky enough to get to do it one on one (as opposed to a group of 7 or so couples) and he's so easy to talk to it wasn't awkward at all. he keeps us involved at the church, calls/e-mails to check on us, and introduced us to some great people. so it only made sense that he do our daughter's baptism. it was such a great day. all our family came in from austin and we invited a few friends to help us celebrate. we couldn't have asked for a better day...or better family and friends.

cloth.

when i was pregnant brandon mentioned a couple times using cloth diapers. i immediately dismissed it saying it was gross and too much work. he didn't really push it and i never really looked into it. then we had finley, went through diapers like it was nobody's business and i started to rethink. i did a lot of research about the benefits-- for finley, our wallet, and the earth. Then I ordered a trial pack from jillian's drawers (send you 12 brand new diapers of different styles to try for 21 day, return them and get your money back-- except shipping). I also borrowed one from a friend who loves cloth diapering. She stepped me through how to wash them and other things I'd need. Not only did she let me borrow a diaper, but also a wet bag and a wet/dry bag. Anyways, after using them for about 2 weeks we've decided to take the plunge. I've read lots of reviews of different kinds, but what it really comes down to is personal preference. So here's what we're trying:

FuzziBunz- pocket diaper, meaning you stuff in an insert. when i change her diaper i take the whole thing off, take the insert out and put both pieces in the wet bag. these are nice b/c they dry pretty quickly, not too bulky and size-wise should last her till she's potty trained. plus they come in great solid colors. the fleece inside is super soft so she's gotta love that against her tush. :)

Flip- cover. these actually might be my favorite. they make the most sense to me. it's a cover with an insert. when i change her you take the insert out, put that in the wet bag and reuse the cover with a new insert. money wise this seems to be a good move. the covers can be used multiple times during the day (as long as it's not dirty, although you can just wipe it down). this one can also be used till she's potty trained.

GroVia- grovia has several styles and the one we got is a shell/cover. basically like flips, but the material is different so if it gets dirty i can't just wipe it down. it has an insert that snaps in which is nice. this too will fit till she's potty trained.

 BumGenius- all in one (AIO). we don't have any of these yet although they were part of the trial and i did like them. AIO are just like a disposable diaper except you wash it and reuse it. there's no stuffing, but that also means it takes a bit longer to dry b/c they don't come apart (unlike pockets). we'll probably get some to have.

Alva- i'm ordering some of these. they are cheap cheap cheap. maybe too good to be true. people seem to love them, but i'm gonna just order a couple and see for myself. they're an all in one, like bumgenius.

i'm really excited to make the switch. i can totally see how it can be addicting (there are tons of awesome prints) so i have to keep in mind that part of this is to save some money and not go crazy buying more than we really need. that's also why i picked gender neutral so we can use them again for the next one. i mean, i of course bought some girly ones, but not ALL of them. and it's really not that much more work to change her. we wash them after she goes to bed, i get them all ready in the morning and we're good to go. we still use disposables at night. partly b/c we still have quite a few and partly b/c i don't trust a cloth one for 12 hrs yet. another challenge accepted. :)