When you arrive in your new world, there will be lots of new things to get used to. Things like your new room, diapers, dogs that want to investigate you, and a big box of water that your daddy calls an “aquarium.”

Most importantly, there will be lots of people to meet. To make this transition a little easier for you, I will give you a sneak peek, or ‘cheat sheet’, for your mommy’s side of the family. Trust me, there are a lot of us, and you may need it! So here goes…

Grandma Julia is one amazing lady. She can do anything you can think of, from making homemade cheese to answering pretty much any question you can come up with (she’s had lots of practice). Your grandpa Larry is the guy with all the boats. He will probably make you one and teach you all about them. He will also take you fishing! Your Uncle Keith is Mommy’s oldest brother. He will probably be nice to you, but if he isn’t, just remember he is scared of spiders. Uncle Josh used that information quite a bit. Uncle Josh is a very smart man because he married me, Aunt Deidre. He is also a complete goofball and you will probably have lots of fun together since he is just a big kid himself. Uncle Jamie is the sorta quiet one, but don’t let that fool you. He is just waiting for the right moment to say something that will make everyone laugh. Uncle Colin is also quiet, but mostly so he won’t get picked on. He’ll be the one who can teach you all things video games, as he is an avid gamer. Aunt Allie is sort of a tomboy sometimes, so she won’t mind getting messy with you. She is also very strong, so if a bully ever picks on you, let her know. Aunt Libby likes to be different than people expect. She is an excellent photographer and will probably take lots of adorable pictures of you.

You also have some great-grandparents, Memphis Nana and Granddad. This may be confusing since Memphis Nana lives in Paragould now, but trust us, it makes things easier. She is very good at all things crafty and is always trying out yummy new recipes. Granddad likes T.V.-a lot. He will love to watch ballgames with you and will explain all the mistakes the people on the T.V. make.

Your great-great grandma is Paragould Nana, or just Nana, or P. Ninny (ask your mom about that one). She lives in the house that Pop built near the cemetery. She is quite possibly the sweetest woman who ever lived, and most definitely the loveliest. She is a very good cook, scrapbooker, and cardmaker and most importantly, an excellent listener. If you have a problem, you can count on her to listen to you thoughtfully, no matter what. You may be wondering who this ‘Pop’ guy is that built her house. That’s her husband, and your great-great grandpa. Everyone in Mommy’s family called him Pop. He went to live with Jesus last year and we miss him very much. He did a very good job taking care of his family. I’m sorry you don’t get to meet him, but trust me, you will hear tons of stories about him from all of the people I’ve told you about. Maybe it will help you feel like you know him. I know this for sure-he loves you lots
As for me, Aunt Deidre, I like to teach, read, and scrapbook. You will probably also ! know me as Ezra’s mommy. He will be arriving soon after you do. Perhaps you can share some of your knowledge with him when he gets here. I feel very lucky to be a part of your family and I hope they feel lucky to have me. I also hope they all love me as much after they hear this letter!

We are all very excited to meet you and love you already. You can be sure you will always have hands to hold you and hearts to love you in this family! We’ll see you soon!

another page I made for him: (I made the text art @ http://www.wordle.net/ for the front of a card but it turned out too big so I turned it into a scrapbook page. I’m going to try to get pics of all the family members put on it!

The page after I added the pics of the family members in the letter:

What kinds of projects have you made for moms-to-be or babies on the way?

I’ve always thought they both had their own challenges. For example, girls are usually more emotional and boys are typically rowdier beings.

I ran across this article today, and I was really impressed. They broke the Girls vs. Boys debate up into categories and took a look at each area from a child development perspective. The article also contained advice for dealing with each sex in each area.

What do you think? Are boys or girls ‘easier’? Or is it a draw? *Make sure you post which one(s) you parent!

Which do you think are easier to raise?
(polls)

Until recently, I was leaning toward purchasing the One Size type diapers as they seemed the most convenient and user-friendly. However, there is the issue of price–although they would be much cheaper in the long run, it can be expensive to get started. Now that my husband has had a medical emergency and our (nearly non-existent) budget is even more threatened than usual, I am leaning towards doing flats or prefolds with diaper covers. I have seen my friend and her husband use them and it’s a lot more simple than I imagined. When you are using a cover there isn’t a need for complicated folds, pins, etc.

Luckily, this couple now has their own cloth diapering business online! So I get to see all the types that they have and let you guys know about them!

Here is their website: www.clothtushies.com. All of the products are made in America except for the birdseye flats (only available from China–and trust me it took FOREVER to find them!). They are also going to start offering a diaper service, so be on the lookout for that.

I will be sure to post reviews of anything I use or see in use with their baby! Take some time and check them out. I haven’t ordered yet, but I am probably going with the birdseye flats and the ABC snap-style wraps (Velcro tends to stick to everything in the washer).

Have you cloth diapered? Have you used any of the products on this site? Do you have any suggestions for their site?

Vote in the poll!

Would you consider cloth diapering?
(polls)