tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68543892533512843182024-03-17T22:04:10.015-05:00The Chronicles of Ruthie HartRuthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.comBlogger997125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-73623463831667036552020-03-18T13:25:00.004-05:002024-02-27T08:45:25.651-06:00My Favorite Baby Items As A 4th Time MamaIt's been almost 7 years since I entered into the black hole baby gear era! Despite having 3 kids in 3 years, I was shocked by how much baby items and gear had changed over that span. I have to laugh because most of the items I am using now for baby #4 weren't options or even on the horizon when I was a first time mom. I never gave into the big business marketing strategies that tell us we need wipe warmers and 15 baby towels and all of the latest and greatest technology but I did end up with a bunch of stuff I never used and quickly got rid of. I am by no means an expert on baby gear but I do feel well versed on what works, what you can skip, and what you definitely need with babies on the 4th go around. In fact, I kept barely any baby stuff after Gideon turned 1 even though I knew we would have more kids. I was done storing it all and knew I could borrow and buy what we needed when the time came (and knew it would be so much less than what we had!). This list isn't exhaustive but beyond diapers (Target or HEB brand), wipes (Kirkland Brand), and formula (Similac Advance), I can't really think of anything else we really use. I didn't add our swing, jumper, or exersaucer because those things are universal but I do suggest borrowing or buying those items secondhand.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chicco-KeyFit-Infant-Seat-Orion/dp/B071L1NG6N/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2MMLZT9RFIQEU&keywords=chicco+keyfit+30+infant+car+seat&qid=1583355540&sprefix=chicco+keyfit+30+%2Caps%2C295&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFUUUNSRDZCVDJJRVUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxOTAyMTYxM0EzRzBLMldBWjRVJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4OTcwODg5S1JMUVVXVU5INDcmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl">Chicco Keyfit Carseat </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chicco-KeyFit-Caddy-Frame-Stroller/dp/B005JDOYF0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=chicco+keyfit+30+snap+n+go&qid=1583355497&sr=8-3">Chicco Keyfit Caddy Stroller</a><br />
I had the Britax B Safe travel system with my first 3 babes and while I
loved it, I got rid of it when Gideon grew out of it and wasn't totally
set on getting it for this babe. I absolutely love our Chicco set, it
could not be easier to install which is normally a pain to do and the snap and go stroller is a life saver. It has a huge basket and cup holders and folds really small. Nowadays I feel like first time moms are spending hundreds and hundreds on infant carseats which I know better it is not worth because you only use for a year. I am so happy with our choice for this carseat and stroller system! <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boppy-Original-Newborn-Lounger-Elephant/dp/B014A7MABU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=boppy+lounger&qid=1583355598&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVFpCR0FaMjE3MTExJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDMyMjk5MzRJQjFVR0VNVVBPMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzU0NjgwMUpMUDE0UkRKOU8zNiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">Boppy Lounger</a><br />
I got this when my second, Lucy, was born and I don't know how you could live without it! It is the perfect "station" for baby and you can move it from room to room. Baby O would be perched on the lounger while we ate dinner, while I showered, etc. You have to stop using when baby starts rolling but it is a top baby product of mine for ages 0-6 months.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lillebaby-Complete-Airflow-Ergonomic-Six-Position/dp/B01698BP3C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1FK916M5L1RPG&keywords=lillebaby+complete+airflow+6-in-1+baby+carrier&qid=1583355650&sprefix=lillebaby%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySkNCSTRaVUJSQjk2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTkzMjUzMUZaQk1MNTk4NlNBMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzU0NzEyM1NYUE5IOUFJMExZSSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">Lillebaby Airflow</a><br />
I also got this carrier when my second babe was born and got rid of all of my other carriers. I prefer a structured carrier to a wrap and the Lillebaby has so much more support than its counterpart, the Ergo. I am barely 5 feet tall and broke my back when I was 14 so I need as much back support as possible. It is also mesh which is great for the Texas heat. I use it from the time baby is about 10lbs and don't use the newborn insert. My babies loved facing outward when they were about 4 months of age. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Merlins-Magic-Sleepsuit-Transition/dp/B00KI02IRA/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=merlin+suit&qid=1583355688&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRzJYWjdKRkQwUTJXJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDQ0NzU4M1AwWTFEUloxUUM4QSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzcyNDE4MzdOUFZSS0wyWDlDMCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit</a><br />
ABSOLUTE LIFE SAVER! All 4 babes have used it and we are still using with Baby O. It is essentially like a thunder shirt/weighted blanket type contraption for babies to help with the swaddle transition. We've been using it for 3 months with O and trying sleep sack naps but he is addicted to the suit. We started using it during the dreaded 4 month sleep regression with the other babes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nuby-Silicone-Tuggy-Teether-Months/dp/B07KFQY6L3">Nuby Tuggy Teether</a><br />
This is my first baby to use this toy and I have already bought it 3 times as a baby gift. It it stretches so you can manipulate it around the baby's hands so they can hang onto it. Best baby toy I have found.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/NumNum-GOOtensils-Dual-Stage-Gray-Green/dp/B07L6L1KCN/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Gootensils&qid=1583428342&s=baby-products&sr=1-3">GOOtensils</a><br />
I bought these with Gideon to use for introducing food and they just collected dust. I found them recently with Baby O and he has them in his hands at all times. Perfect little teether with ribs to soothe their gums. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Relaxing-Soothing-Charging-Auto-Off/dp/B00A2JBMRE/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sound+machine&qid=1583427758&s=baby-products&sr=1-4">Homemedics Sound Machine</a><br />
We own 4 of these and travel with them no matter where we go. Our kids sleep through the night no matter what and sleep like rocks even if we have people over because of the sound machines. I also use one when I sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Caterpillar-Friends-Melodies/dp/B0051POK1E/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=baby+einstein+mat&qid=1583427928&s=baby-products&sr=1-6">Baby Einstein Playmat</a><br />
Baby O got this as a Christmas present and he is mesmerized! We had a different playmat that I got rid of with my first 3 kiddos and none of them really liked it. They would get bored and mad but O has a blast on it! He pulls on the toys, loves the music and lights, and has a grand ole' time.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Splashinkids-Inflatable-Toddlers-Activity-Stimulation/dp/B07FLMNQRG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=38ZDJCVJJJCQG&keywords=water+tummy+time+mat&qid=1583427978&s=baby-products&sprefix=water+tummy%2Cbaby-products%2C175&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUEJTQjdERVVKMUJKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTcyMjA1MlU2UTVKVTVQWFlQMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODkyNDkyMUI5M0czNlRLUFYwSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">Water filled tummy time mat</a><br />
We also got this for Christmas and it has been fun! We use it in OT for baby O and it is a change of scenery for tummy time. It is cheap and easy to empty, fold, and store for future babies.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-Baby-Bath-Support-Grey/dp/B01M6YVW7B/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=angelcare+bath+seat&qid=1583428036&s=baby-products&sr=1-3">AngelCare Bath Seat</a><br />
We got this when our 2nd was born and it is perfect for newborns to age 1! My sister uses hers in her big basin sink but ours is in the kid's bathtub so they can take turns bathing with the baby. It is plastic mesh so it dries easy and easy to store and clean.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Original-Bottle-4-Pack/dp/B00CPC2A36/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=dr+browns+bottles&qid=1583428080&s=baby-products&sr=1-4">Dr. Brown's Original Bottles</a><br />
I exclusively nursed my first 2 kiddos and then Gideon and Baby O exclusively formula fed. I researched the best bottles for gas and Dr. Browns are always at the top of the lists. Some people complain about how many parts they have but I don't mind at all. I have 4 bottles and could easily get away with 2-3. They reduce airflow so babies aren't as gassy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boon-Lawn-Countertop-Drying-Green/dp/B004OR1DTC/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=boon+drying+rack&qid=1583428135&s=baby-products&sr=1-4">Boon Drying Rack (large</a><br />
I think I may use this for the rest of my life, even when my kids are big! I keep it next to our sink to dry bottles but also use it to dry knives, kid silverware, toys, etc. It is two pieces so it is easy to soak and wash.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Burts-Bees-Baby-Pajamas-Stripes/dp/B07FQZLSY2/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=burts+bees+pajamas&qid=1583428170&s=baby-products&sr=1-6">Burt's Bees Zipper Pajamas</a><br />
These are my favorite for so many reasons! I love that they are zippered (who would ever make baby clothes with so many snaps?!) and also slim fitting. I don't like when jammies are baggy on little ones but these are slim and have thick, well made, organic fabric. I like that a lot of their patterns are gender neutral.<br />
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<a href="https://www.target.com/p/itzy-ritzy-sweetie-soother-pacifier-2ct-arrow/-/A-76153396?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=1026424&ds_rl=1242884&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=CjwKCAiA44LzBRB-EiwA-jJipJuIhIhkHHxy_dHlo8Ufgs6_JYGgTQMrcWNYiuAjrkDGOMb04dLmWRoCK0oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds">Itzy Ritzy Pacifiers</a><br />
Baby O is my first baby to take a pacifier and because we didn't know what age child we were going to foster (we are certified age 0-2), I had a few different options at home just to be safe. These have the Soothie nipple like the ones at the hospital but are way cuter.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KFX4G44/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Backpack Diaper Bag</a><br />
I want to kick myself for how much I spent on my very first diaper bag back in 2013. Petunia Pickle Bottom Bags were the "in" thing and I got rid of mine quicker than you can say baby. I hated it. It was a giant backpack with a crazy pattern. I used a slew of different bags and backpacks for #2 and #3 but ordered this backpack diaper bag on Amazon to prep for baby #4 and I love it! I love all the little compartments and it is slim. I am not one to wear bright colors usually so I really like the muted gray tone. And if it lasts 1 year, who cares?! It was cheap and I can replace it. We have been using it everyday for 6 months and it is in pristine condition. I've also learned by the 4th baby that I don't need to pack my whole life in the diaper bag. <br />
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Shea Moisture Baby <a href="https://www.target.com/p/sheamoisture-raw-shea-chamomile-38-argan-oil-baby-head-to-toe-wash-38-shampoo-13-fl-oz/-/A-13690508">Wash </a>and <a href="https://www.target.com/p/sheamoisture-raw-shea-chamomile-argan-oil-baby-lotion-8-oz/-/A-31166496">Lotion</a><br />
I love this line for baby O. It is made by people of color, all natural, ethical, and smells delicious! I use some of their hair products as well.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/antilop-high-chair-with-tray-white-silver-color-silver-color-s89228434/">IKEA Antilop Highchair</a><br />
Another thing I could kick myself for buying is a Graco highchair that was $130. It was bulky and cheaply made and I got rid of it before Lucy turned 1. The $15 IKEA highchair is everything! The legs come off and it stores really well. It is easy to clean and aesthetically pleasing. I even bought mine second hand for $5! Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-29158119995615851902020-02-28T16:07:00.004-06:002020-02-28T16:07:57.860-06:00Hart's Fostering JourneyIt feels almost foreign to be typing into the Blogger interface. I hadn't planned on taking an almost permanent hiatus from blogging but life has gotten full in a way that I could have never expected. I hate to use the word "busy" because we are all busy and we all have the same amount of time in our days and the freedom to choose what we spend those precious hours on. In an attempt to update you on the past 2 years of life may be pages and pages of me rambling so I am going to try to be concise with the intention of being back on here a little bit more in the future. As you can probably guess from the title, we are fostering! We became a family of 6 in the fall when a sweet 2 day old baby joined our family through foster care and almost 6 months later we are head over heels, attached, and in love with a little boy we will most likely have to say goodbye to. I plan on writing a whole post about that part of foster care- loving and attaching knowing you will say goodbye- but that is a soap box post for another day.<br />
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So what led us to foster care? That is a loaded question that was years in the making. Since before we got pregnant with Ford, our biological son, we felt the conviction to grow our family through adoption. We started the adoption process when our daughter Lucy was just a few months old (my most recent adoption post <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2018/04/15-years-post-adoption-faq.html">here</a>) and brought home our son, Gideon Aaron, through adoption in November 2016. To say we were overwhelmed physically and emotionally is an understatement so I we held off on adding to our family. In October 2018 I vividly remember how sick I felt reading the news that the state of New York passed a law to allow abortions up until 40 weeks gestation. A baby's heart starts beating at 6 weeks gestation and by 40 weeks most babies are already born and in their parents arms. We had started to talk about adding to our family and it was that day that I felt a deep conviction about foster care. There is so many layers to this story and how the Lord used our failed adoption match prior to Gideon to start to stir our hearts towards foster care. I started working at The Heart of Texas Pregnancy Resource Center shortly after we brought Gideon home because I began to feel this passion towards family preservation, not just fighting for the lives of babies. God was working and preparing us for our foster care journey years before we said yes. So that October day I asked Jon to pray faithfully with me about the possibility of foster care. Fast forward to January 2019 where we went to our first orientation with a local foster care agency and the stars aligned (pun intended because our agency is called STARRY). I was finishing up my last semester of an intense theology development program at our church and knew we didn't have the capacity for training until I graduated. We continue to pray, asked our community to pray, and started to research, learn, and ask for discernment and wisdom to move forward. We started our pre-service training in June 2019 and became licensed in early September. We knew it was going to be mountains of paperwork because we've adopted before but honestly nothing could have prepared us for the mountain RANGE of paperwork, training, background checks, rec letters, and other things we had to complete before becoming licensed. It is definitely not for the faint of heart... or disorganized person!<br />
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Maybe there will be a day that I go more in depth on becoming licensed and what is involved but in order to keep this post less than 1 million words, I will come to a close. Foster care has been so much more physically and emotionally demanding than I could have ever imagined but also 100 times more wonderful. Our weeks are filled with therapy, bio parent visits, phone calls, paperwork, home visits with CPS, attorneys, ad litems, and very little sleep but I wouldn't change it for the world. There is a chance we have to say goodbye to our sweet baby soon and I can see how people could easily throw in the towel after 1 go around. It is so much, so hard, so tender and emotional. I break at the thought of saying goodbye and not having that beautiful baby laugh to wake up to every morning. I crumble thinking of my forever kids giving the baby one last hug and kiss. I can feel my breathing pattern start to increase and a frog form in my throat as I type this but you know what? I will do this all again. I will sacrifice by time, sanity, emotions, heart, money, and family for the chance to love a child. We would have never met this sweet baby had we not said YES to foster care. I would not have cried out in prayer night after night and felt the love and closeness of my Father had we not said yes. The promises of God in scripture are more real for me than they ever have before because this world doesn't make sense and my God is the one thing that does not change. My heart will break, in fact it has already broken, BUT GOD. He is working, moving, shaping, and claiming so much glory from this season of my life. I will never be the same after foster care. Once your eyes are opened to poverty, injustice, and brokenness, you are never the same. I long for heaven and I know the Lord is using foster care to place eternity in my heart. This world isn't my home (praise Him for that!) but while I am here, I want to serve Him faithfully by loving His image bearers.<br />
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Night after night I host TED Talks in my head of things I want to say about foster care, Jesus, attachment, redemption.... if only I could record them into words. I hope to write more and answer questions more in depth to be informative and encouraging but also as a reminder to myself where God has me. <br />
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-66218818935636929612019-08-28T08:42:00.003-05:002019-08-28T08:42:48.253-05:00Creating an Adoption Photo Book for Your New ChildIt’s been almost three years since we brought our son Gideon home
through adoption and there are moments that still take my breath away.
For example, when I think of his beautiful first mom and the brave
decision she chose to place her son with us. Or when I realize all that
I’ve learned through the process. If there is one thing that I have
learned from adopting a child it’s that most things in life are out of
my control and I am slowly coming to terms with letting my love for that
control go. I’ve also learned that every adoption story is incredibly
unique and different and for us– “thrilling” is a word I will forever
use to describe our story.<br />
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<a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/adoption-photo-book/">READ MORE...</a><br />
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-8939627851583573012019-04-02T08:53:00.001-05:002019-04-02T08:53:55.634-05:00Date Night At HomeLast year when our 3rd kiddo turned one, my husband and I felt like we finally had our heads above water. Having 3 kids in 3 years really knocked us down and one thing that really struggled was date night. It wasn't only the physical exhaustion that got in the way of date night but also the financial cost. Babysitters, restaurants, movies, and experiences are expensive, and with my husband's travel schedule always changing, I hate to make a plan and have to cancel it. Most nights after we put the kids down we fall into bed like zombies and zone out on a show. Last summer we really hit a wall and felt a major disconnect in our marriage and Jon had the idea of a set, at home date night, once a week. Because at home date nights have been such an enjoyable part of our marriage, I wanted to share some of our favorite games, snacks, and ideas for TV free time with your spouse.<br />
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<a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/date-night-at-home/">READ MORE...</a><br />
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-23985396420294309352019-02-28T11:22:00.002-06:002019-02-28T11:22:21.526-06:00How To Organize A Family Photo Album Or YearbookHere we are, the last day of February which means 2019 is in full force! If your 2019 New Year's Resolution had anything to do with organizing your pictures from last year (or maybe the last 10 years), you are in the right place. I teamed up with <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/" rel="nofollow">Shutterfly </a>to share how I work a little bit each month throughout the year to create a yearbook for our family!<br />
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<a href="http://how%20to%20organize%20a%20family%20photo%20album%20or%20yearbook/"><span style="font-size: large;">READ MORE...</span></a><br />
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-69146602395693908852018-12-01T08:00:00.000-06:002018-12-01T08:00:05.840-06:00Christmas Cards 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's December 1st and you know what that means... our family Christmas cards signed, sealed, and on their way to be delivered to family and friends all over the US. If you know me personally, you know that I don't waste time when it comes to Christmas cards. I am the crazy lady who works on updating my address book throughout the summer so I am ready to rock and roll come fall. I think it's funny when people say that Christmas snuck up on them and they didn't have time for cards... you guys... it comes the same time every year! Okay rant over, I am just a Christmas card obsessed gal. Jon has been wanting to take family photos in his 1949 Ford F1 for a while and this year we used <a href="https://www.loganfaheyphotography.com/">Logan Fahey Photograph</a>y to make his dreams come true. I think I say this every year but these may be my favorite family photos to date (you'll see more of them later this month!). Using <a href="http://shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly </a>to create our Christmas cards is a no brainer, we have been loyal customers for the past 4 years for both Christmas cards and family year books (be on the lookout in the New Year for our family yearbook!). You can see our past Christmas cards using Shutterfly below!</div>
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<a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2017/11/our-christmas-card-2017.html">2017 </a>// <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2016/12/our-christmas-card.html">2016 </a>// <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2015/11/from-our-family-to-yours.html">2015 </a>// <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2014/11/black-white-christmas-with-tiny-prints.html">2014 </a></div>
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I basically wanted to us 25 pictures for our card but narrowed it down to 4 on the front and 3 on the back. I love how <a href="http://shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly </a>gives you premade templates where you can play around with how many pictures on that template. I went with a rustic yet simple shiplap template and was able to completely customize the card (I love having a faith based message on our card). Because we've used Shutterfly for years past, most of my addresses were already uploaded and it look me about 5 minutes to add new addresses, choose my envelopes, and order. Boom. </div>
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Shutterfly has a new feature that I thought was super cool (but I had no idea how to use because I am by no means a graphic designer). You can upload your OWN design and have it made into a custom Christmas card. How neat is that for all of you creative techies! Deals are crazy good right now, shipping is fast, and the quality is top notch. If you haven't thought about Christmas cards this year, hop on over to <a href="http://shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a>. The Shutterfly team makes it incredibly easy to create and order your cards, they even have designers who will review your card and give you feedback on layout, wording, spelling, etc. </div>
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Here is a sneak peek of our 2018 card. </div>
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<i>Shutterfly</i></div>
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<a href="http://shutterfly.com/">Shop </a>// <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shutterfly/">Instagram </a>// <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shutterfly/">Facebook </a>// <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/shutterfly/">Pinterest</a></div>
<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-29565243793843092992018-11-23T07:00:00.000-06:002018-11-23T07:00:02.246-06:00A blanket with my face on it!You guys. I am writing this post on my couch, fire in the fireplace, Christmas tree lit and twinkling, and wrapped up in a blanket with my face on it. Yep, and I am 0% ashamed. We took our family photos with <a href="https://www.loganfaheyphotography.com/">Logan Fahey Photography</a> in the back of Jon's 1949 F1 earlier this month and when I got them back, I basically wanted to decoupage all of them onto my walls. Wall paper is back in style right? Knowing that would be a little over the top, I opted for a plush blanket with my babies' beautiful faces on it. Earlier this fall I <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2018/09/my-canvas-picture-wall.html">ordered canvases</a> for our canvas wall from Collage.com and I noticed they had blankets with photos on them and I knew I had to have one. Growing up I used to think how boring it was that my parents and grandparents always got pictures of us kids as gifts but now that I am a parent... I get it. Give me all the hand print turkeys, homemade frames, and anything with pictures of my kiddos on it. Using Collage.com was just about the easiest thing ever. I chose my favorite pictures from our photo session and thought I would spend an hour on the layout choosing where I wanted pictures. Wrong. It took about 5 seconds for the pictures to upload and wa-la, the blanket was done. The layout was perfect and I was ready to order. Shipping was fast and the quality is amazing y'all. My kids can't get over that we have a blanket with their faces on it, they think they are hot stuff. I had originally thought of giving it to my mother in law for Christmas but I love it too much and ordering her one of her own! I ordered a 5 foot Sherpa blanket, perfect for Texas winters. It is so smooth and cozy and the colors of the pictures are clear and vibrant! I can't believe it.<br />
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Pointing out everyone's faces on the blanket. Mommy! Daddy's truck!</div>
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The kids have been fighting over who gets to cuddle under the new blanket. Or use it as a dance floor!</div>
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<a href="http://collage.com/">Collage.com</a> has incredible deals all the time, be sure to visit the website for your Christmas and holiday gift needs!<br />
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-64386506445733333502018-10-03T11:18:00.004-05:002018-10-03T11:18:34.541-05:00Cloth Diapering, 5 Years InAs I stuffed our cloth diapers the other night, I was thinking to myself, 'I have been cloth diapering non stop for 5 years!'. And 18 of those months were with two babies in cloth diapers. That is a lot of poop, a lot of laundry, and a lot of cute fluffy bums. It's funny now that my youngest is almost 2, I feel so out of the loop on baby stuff. There are new gadgets, toys, and must haves, and those newborn days feel like eons ago so I have a hard time making recommendations to new mamas anymore. I am in the thick of toddler tantrums and preschool attitudes so I am your girl if you need encouragement there! Diapers are the one thing that I feel very versed on. The thought of not having anyone in diapers in the next 6 months (pleaseeee potty train easy Gideon!) is beyond me. I am sure we will potty train Gideon and decide it's time for another booty to wipe. SO. The point of this post is to tell you how the last 5 years have gone, what I've learned, what products I use, and how EASY cloth diapering can be.<br />
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Ford- 3 months old </div>
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Lucy- 21 months old, Gideon- 3 months old</div>
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<b>WHY CLOTH DIAPER</b><br />
I am not a crunchy mama on today's standards but I do like trying natural approaches in addition to modern. There are a ton of reasons why cloth diapering is so great but I can't really give you one simple reason why we do. It saves a ton of money, it is better for the environment, it is better for your baby's bottom (my kids have only had diaper rashes when they are on medication or in disposables/traveling), and cloth diapered babies often potty train earlier . Those are all awesome reasons but I just wanted to do it. It felt like a challenge that I wanted to face and when Jon said he was on board, I was all in. We started with our first baby so we don't know any different but we LOVE it. 5 years in and we still talk about how easy it is and how cute our kids look in the diapers. Hey... no one ever said "how cute is that baby running around in a soggy Huggies diaper!" but have you seen my babes in cloth?! Did you also know that they can double as swim diapers? We have a few <a href="https://www.target.com/c/swim-diapers-diapering-baby/reusable-swim-diapers/-/N-5xtl5Z553fn">Charlie Banana reusable swim diapers</a> but our Bum Genius diapers have been swam in a ton of times!<br />
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<b>PRODUCTS WE USE</b><br />
<a href="https://www.bumgenius.com/products/bumgenius-original-one-size-cloth-diaper-5-0?variant=41695358469">Bum Genius 4.0 One Size Pocket Diapers</a><br />
It looks like there is now a 5.0 edition but we have about 35 of the 4.0 diapers. I started out with 24 gender neutral diapers before I had Ford and that was plenty for one baby in diapers. I could have easily gotten away with 18-20 diapers but I wanted extras. I added 10-12 pink and purple diapers when Lucy was born because I couldn't help myself with the colors! I assumed we would have 2 in diapers with the 2 of them but Ford potty trained when Lucy was about a month old. I chose Bum Genius after reading reviews, blogs, and recommendations from other mamas. I've tried almost every style of cloth diaper and have gotten rid of everything but Bum Genius pockets. They are so easy to use and wash (more on that below) and they also look/work similarly to a disposable diaper (which is nice because we have a lot of babysitters/childcare at church/etc changing diapers).<br />
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<a href="https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-174-44-qt-11-gal-step-on-wastebasket-white/-/A-13771724">Step Trash Can</a><br />
We use a large white Sterlite trash can with a step lid as a diaper pail liner. I started out with a cute tin trash can from IKEA but had to get something bigger eventually. I keep it in a corner of the kids bathroom.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M35JBEM/ref=twister_B00FIWV70C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1">Cloth Diaper Pail Liner</a><br />
We have 2 of these liners, one in use, one in the wash or backup. I wash diapers every 3 days (more below) and I was the liner with the diapers each time. There are many brands, I recommend reading reviews.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A65YN8E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Diaper Sprayer</a><br />
We are on our 2nd diaper sprayer in 5 years. Something broke/happened to our first one when we moved so we got a Bumkins one, highly rated on Amazon. I have it hooked up to the toilet in the kids bathroom and the diaper pail is nearby.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Itzy-Ritzy-Travel-Happens-Sealed/dp/B00YJHNZK2?th=1">Wet Bag</a><br />
We have 2 Itzy Ritzy wet bags. Like the liners, I keep a clean one in my diaper bag and then one for backup. I use the backup one a lot in the summer for swimsuits. We exclusively cloth diaper (as opposed to people only doing it when they are home) so I throw wet/dirty diapers in my wet bag and into my diaper bag when I am out and about. When I get home, I take them upstairs and put wet ones into the pail or spray dirty ones.<br />
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<a href="https://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/4123">Coconut Oil</a><br />
You cannot use traditional diaper rash ointment with cloth diapers because it ruins the absorbency of the insert. I keep a small mason jar of coconut oil on our changing table and use it at every change. Our kids have had very few rashes (usually when they are sick or on an antibiotic) and if it is bad, we will switch to disposables for a few days and use Dr. Smiths.<br />
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<a href="https://www.target.com/p/household-essentials-bamboo-dryer-rack/-/A-52725166">Drying Rack</a><br />
We use this accordion drying rack to dry both the inserts and diaper shells. It stays in the closet next to our laundry room, more info on that below.<br />
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<b>HOW TO CLOTH DIAPER</b><br />
Cloth diapering isn't any harder than using disposables, it is just a tiny bit more work. Our diapers are one size and have adjustable snaps so your baby can wear them from 8lbs to potty trained. We started all of our babies in cloth diapers at 6 weeks old, after the continuous poops subside a bit! We cloth diaper exclusively and aren't scared to change cloth diapers in public. I change them just like you'd change a disposable but I put it in my wet bag when we are done. I empty the wet bag when we get home (usually 1-2 diapers because we aren't gone for more than 4 ish hours at a time, more diapers when they are younger). My biggest recommendation for cloth diapers is to change more often. It takes a while to figure out the correct snap sizes for your kiddos and since they are always growing and gaining weight, they can leak if you aren't making adjustments. Gideon is almost 2 so not peeing that much (and he pees on the potty throughout the day), but as babies, I changed my babies every 2 ish hours when we were home just to be safe. The boys were both heavy wetters so we used/use disposable overnight diapers (Target brand) after not being able to find a good cloth solution. The kids all slept 12 hours at 6 months so that is essentially being in a diaper for 13 hours, hard not to leak out! When we travel, we use Target brand disposable diapers. We also keep a package or two on hand just in case. Gideon has to wear disposable diapers to Mother's Day Out (he just started last month) and uses about 4 a week. I put him in a cloth diaper right when we get home.<br />
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So.... you change the diaper, you remove the insert, and put it into the diaper pail. If the diaper is dirty, you spray it out in the toilet and put it into the pail.<br />
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<b>WASH ROUTINE</b><br />
I wash diapers every 3 days, sometimes 4 days now that Gideon doesn't use that many. When Lucy and Gideon were both in cloth, there were days where we went through so many diapers with blowouts so I washed more frequently. When I am ready to wash, I grab the pail liner and call it my Santa Sack, ha! I dump everything directly into the washer (remember, the poop has been sprayed into the toilet already so there isn't any solid waste in your washer). I add about 3/4 cup vinegar (I eyeball it so that is a guess), and put 1 TBSP Purex Free and Clear into my detergent dispenser. I did a lot of research on detergent and Purex is the only "normal" brand you can use on cloth diapers (versus cloth diaper specific brands that are incredibly expensive). It is important to use specific detergent because most mainstream detergents can strip your diapers of their absorbency. I switched over to using Purex Free and Clear on all of our laundry, easy easy! I wash everything on COLD and do a custom cycle. COLD RINSE, COLD WASH, COLD RINSE. Okay I lie, I don't do the last cold rinse anymore. I used to at the beginning of our cloth diapering days but my current routine is cold rinse then cold wash and it is done in an hour. Once they are done, I hang everything on an accordion drying rack. You can dry the inserts in the dryer but not the diaper shells, heat causes them to lose their elasticity. I use <a href="https://www.amazon.com/GroVia-Bubbles-Laundry-Treatment-Diapers/dp/B009LGDGX2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1538273989&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=grovia+mighty+bubble&psc=1&smid=A19NVE4G6SOT2C">Grovia Mighty Bubbles</a> on my diapers every few months to strip them of any build up or ammonia smell. They are tablets and really easy to use in your washing machine. I didn't start using these until after I had two in cloth but I recommend using them proactively. Once my diapers are dry (usually less than 24 hours), I load them up into my Santa Sack (also hang dry), and bring them upstairs to stuff. I can stuff 20 diapers in about 5 minutes and either do it in my room catching up on Jimmy Fallon or my audiobook, or in the playroom while the kids run around. We have a big wrought iron basket by Gideon's changing table that I keep the fresh diapers in.<br />
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<b>TIPS AND TRICKS</b><br />
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<li>I put a few drops of Young Living's Purification Essential Oil on a cotton ball and put it in the bottom of the diaper pail. It helps with the pee smell.</li>
<li>Every time I take the big bag of diapers out of the can to wash, I spray Thieves cleaner inside the can and on the outside too. I've always been terrified of Pink Eye and I know you catch it from fecal matter. It gets me in the cleaning mood and I usually spray the toilet seat, handle, diaper sprayer, and doorknobs in the bathroom while I am at it. </li>
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Have additional cloth diaper questions? <a href="mailto:Ruthiehart1@gmail.com">Send me an email</a>! </div>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-59860440246192672372018-09-26T12:31:00.000-05:002018-09-26T12:31:01.638-05:00My Canvas Picture Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3kp07ZQQ1I/W6u_rUhN-3I/AAAAAAAAZDQ/ZrTuUvMfVc0XNMZIVHTCJR4ip9nMnV1TwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3kp07ZQQ1I/W6u_rUhN-3I/AAAAAAAAZDQ/ZrTuUvMfVc0XNMZIVHTCJR4ip9nMnV1TwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_8858.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ever since Ford was born 5 years ago (what?!), I've been printing photos on photo canvases with the vision of having an entire wall in our home with canvases of our family as it grows. I envision a wall without an inch of free space because there are photos of tiny babies, family vacations, Christmas card photo shoots where behind the smiles are 10 pieces of bribed candy, and kids who are growing at an exponential rate each year. We've had our family picture taken twice in the past year, once for Christmas cards and once for our church to spotlight our adoption story, and I haven't printed out any of the pictures yet. Knowing we have Christmas card pictures in a few weeks (how is it almost October?!), I knew it was time to order last year's canvas! I ordered two canvases from <a href="http://collage.com/">Collage.com</a> and I can't tell you how satisfied I am with the quality! The canvases themselves are thick and sturdy, unlike some others that I've ordered elsewhere that are ridiculously flimsy. The colors are bold and bright and the picture is perfectly clear. I was shocked that the canvas came with hanging hardware already installed, I've always had to take them to a frame shop to get wires installed to hang. And let me tell you about order them for a quick second. It was easy-peasy and took me less than 5 minutes to upload my photo, choose my sizes, and complete my order. My order was to my house in less than a week! I highly recommend using <a href="http://collage.com/">Collage.com</a> and they are constantly running killer sales! Right now everything is 50% off using the code FALL50. </div>
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Here is a sneak peek at my canvas wall. 5 years down and lots more pictures to go!</div>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-10033860239717951412018-04-30T14:44:00.001-05:002018-04-30T15:36:42.424-05:001.5 Years Post Adoption FAQ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H_hc1eDlCnc/WudyHg5RuvI/AAAAAAAAY9Y/Ot30myzXq6czlcKXUnQwBELiG0LNEOBnQCLcBGAs/s1600/OCP_9279-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H_hc1eDlCnc/WudyHg5RuvI/AAAAAAAAY9Y/Ot30myzXq6czlcKXUnQwBELiG0LNEOBnQCLcBGAs/s400/OCP_9279-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Gideon Aaron Hart</div>
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Born 11/7/2016</div>
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Placed with us 11/15/2016</div>
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Adoption Finalized 5/23/2017</div>
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A few times a month I receive messages through Instagram or email asking about our adoption. I get so excited to hear of people starting the process and looking for encouragement and advice and love sharing the story of our adoption. Many people ask the same questions.... agencies, cost, emotions, type of adoption... and I've been wanting to compile all of that info in one space. If you're a mama, you know how that goes... you have an idea in your head and it takes months to execute. I wrote a blog post <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2016/03/our-adoption-faq.html">here</a>, right after we announced we were adoption that answers the questions:<br />
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<li>Why are you adopting?</li>
<li>What type of adoption?</li>
<li>What is a home study?</li>
<li>What agency are you using and why?</li>
<li>How long does it take to be matched?</li>
<li>A little bit about open adoption. </li>
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So if you are looking for that information, please click over to that post! Today I want to answer some questions about our specific experience in adoption and post. If you have additional questions, please email me at ruthiehart1@gmail.com</div>
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<b>Agency</b></div>
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I talked more about how we chose to work with Christian Adoption Consultants in my previous post, and now post adoption, I couldn't imagine walking through it without them. Susan VanSyckle was our consultant, she was amazing every step of the way. Not just her work before and during our adoption, but she has created a private group for her clients that provides the deepest and most incredible support and encouragement. Adoption doesn't end with you bringing home a baby. There are challenges and obstacles that families made only of biological children will never face. There is sadness and brokenness that comes with adoption, and walking through it with other families going through the same thing is really beautiful. Our first match was through Adoption Choices of Nevada and when that match failed (more below), we went to the top of their matching list and matched with Gideon a few days later. CAC only works with "Adoption Friendly States". You can adopt in all states but "adoption friendly" means that once birth mom relinquishes her rights 48-72 hours after birth, they are irrevocable. </div>
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<b>Failed Adoption</b></div>
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If you've been <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2016/11/adoption-is-hard.html">reading my blog</a> for a while, you would know that we were matched with a sweet birth mama for 4 months and thought we were going to be welcoming another daughter into our family. The baby girl was born, beautiful and healthy, and mama chose to parent her. As much as it broke our hearts, we were also filled with so much joy. Baby girl would not have to experience the trauma of leaving her mama. She was never ours to begin with. We have full peace with what happened, especially knowing that this was the road that led us to Gideon, who was always meant to be our son. </div>
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<b>Stork Drop</b></div>
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Gideon was known as a stork drop. His birth mama had been working with Adoption Choices of Nevada for a few weeks before he was born but didn't have the chance to match with a family before he was born. We got the call about a baby boy born on 11/7/2016 on 11/8. He was not even 24 hours old and our social worker sent us his picture. We prayed and knew that presenting our profile book to this mama was the next step in our journey. It was only 4 days after we found out we weren't going to bringing home baby girl, but it just felt right. We laughed at the thought of having a son, bringing him home to his beautiful pink nursery upstairs. We FaceTimed with Gideon's first mama on 11/9, she chose us on 11/10, and relinquished her parental rights on 11/11. We flew to Las Vegas that evening and met our son the next day, 11/12/2016.<br />
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<b>Naming Your Child</b><br />
We named Gideon and you can read about how we chose it <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2016/12/gideons-name.html">here</a>. Gideon's first mom named him Aaron Royal and that was listed on his original birth certificate along with her last name (more on his amended birth certificate in the finalization paragraph). When we signed placement paperwork, we had to declare what we wanted his name to be changed to. We kept his first name Aaron as his middle name. Many adoptive families use parts of the name given by the birth family or collaborate on a name. But as the adoptive family, you get to name the child whatever you'd like. His legal name post finalization is Gideon Aaron Hart and that is on his birth certificate and social security card. </div>
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<b>Cost of Adoption</b></div>
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The most common question I get is "how much does adoption cost?". I can only speak on behalf of our adoption which was on the expensive side, but there are cheaper agencies. Private adoption is expensive and I often hear people say "it should be cheaper so more people can do it!". And that is a double edge sword because yes I wish it was more affordable so more people could adopt, but once you adopt, you realize why it is so expensive. There are so many people working day and night to care for these expectant mamas, counseling them, taking them to their appointments, holding their hands as they give birth. There are social workers, lawyers, case workers. So when it comes down to it, they are making very little money and working very long hours. Sorry I am getting off on a tangent but post adoption, I now know why adoption is so expensive and I am not angered by it. Using CAC was more expensive, but we felt God pointing us to them every step of the way. We knew He would provide for what He called us to. Our package with CAC was $2,300 and we spent another $1,500 on our home study (look at <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2016/03/our-adoption-faq.html">this post</a> for more info on a home study). When we matched for the first time, the entire cost was due within 2 weeks and it was $40,000. We "lost" $16,000 in our failed match and we have full peace in that. That money is not ours to begin with. God used it to care for that mama and her family for 4 months. When we matched with Gideon, we had a balance of $24,000 in our account with Adoption Choices of Nevada and we owed another $10,000 to complete his adoption. We hired a lawyer who works directly with our agency for finalization which was $300. On top of those expenses was travel. We love flying Southwest because you can cancel/change your flights up to 30 minutes before your flight which was very helpful with adoption! Since we booked last minute to go to Vegas, flights were expensive, I think around $500 a piece one way. When you adopt out of state, legal paperwork must be filed between states (called ICPC) and you must remain in the adopting state until you are cleared, anywhere from 7-10 business days. Both of us had to be there at placement but only one of us had to stay through ICPC so we booked Jon a return flight, coming home 1.5 weeks later, and planned on me staying to wait for clearance. His flight was cheaper, but still not that cheap. I got a call a few days after Jon left and was on a plane 2 hours later. Needless to say, that was an expensive flight ($600) but well worth it! We were cleared to go home the day before Thanksgiving, praise the Lord! While in Vegas, we stayed with one of my best friend's Katie, which was absolutely amazing! It also saved us probably $2-3k of housing costs. Most people adopting in other states stay in AirBNBs or with friends when possible! I may be forgetting a few little expenses but my rough estimate is $55,000. Again, our adoption was on the expensive side. You can adopt from an agency in your state and that is often times a lot cheaper, and you don't have to pay for travel. </div>
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<b>Paying For Adoption</b></div>
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We had our first conversation about adoption in October 2012 and started saving for it then. We didn't adopt Gideon until 4 years later and paid for our adoption in cash. Many people raise money for their adoptions through garage sales, MLM parties, t shirt sales, and more. There are also a lot of grants available to adoptive families but I don't have experience with those. Again, I truly believe God will provide for what He calls you to. This doesn't mean $50k will show up on your door step but He will make a way. </div>
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<b>Open/Closed Adoption</b></div>
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Gideon's story is one that we keep within our family. It is his story to tell if and when he would like to. So questions regarding his specific first mom and why she placed him for adoption go unanswered. 70% of adoptions are open and I love how far the world has come in normalizing and removing the shame and stigma of adoption. We have a semi open adoption where we sent pictures and videos and updates to Gideon's first mama but we haven't seen her since we said goodbye in Vegas. We are praying we get to visit with her soon. </div>
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<b>Finalizing Adoption</b></div>
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Once Gideon was placed with us, we were his parents. This part gets a little bit confusing but basically we had physical custody of Gideon for the first 6 months but the agency had legal custody. He had our last name, he was covered under our insurance, he was our son. Each state has different finalization requirements but our social worker had to visit us once a month, 6 times, before finalization. Seems silly since we had already done so much work on our home study but that is the rule! We really enjoyed our meetings with her because we talked about our unique situation, how to talk to our kids about adoption as they got older, and she just got to know our family more. We also had to get medical forms filled out by his pediatrician at his well checks and submit those to our lawyer in Las Vegas. A month before we finalized, our lawyer called us with our court date, May 23rd, 2017. He stood in front of the judge in Carson City, NV with us on speaker phone and the whole thing took less than 3 minutes. But it was the most beautiful 3 minutes. Jon and I sobbed, standing in the same corner of his office we were in when we got the call about Gideon. This time, holding our son. A couple of weeks later we received Gideon's birth certificate listing us as his parents. This was very bittersweet. I know I am his mommy but I hurt for his first mom, seeing her name gone from his birth certificate. Again, there is sadness and grief that come with each part of adoption. From there, I was able to take his birth certificate to the Social Security Administration to get him a social security number. We got that in the mail when he was about 10 months old. </div>
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<b>Adopting Again</b></div>
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We do not feel like our family is complete at this moment but we aren't actively looking to expand it. This may be TMI but Jon got a vasectomy 2 months before Gideon was born after we both felt clear discernment that we were done having children biologically. The Lord has placed foster care on our hearts pretty strongly in the past few months and that is most likely the next step for our family We had 3 babies in 3 years and it was hard y'all! We are really enjoying our kids ages and the dynamic of our family so we are just enjoying it. Do we want a bigger family? Yes! How will it happen? We aren't sure. We want to be faithful to where God has us and obedient to what He is calling us to.</div>
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I hope this answers questions you have about adoption but if you are still left with questions, send me an <a href="mailto:rutheihart1@gmail.com">email</a>! </div>
Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-10768348225151038252018-04-26T13:35:00.000-05:002018-04-26T13:35:12.255-05:00Lucy's 3 year old birthday list<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tomorrow our Lucy Joy turns three! Despite being smack dab in the middle of two brothers, she is all girl. Unicorns, ponies, pink, and glitter... that is our girl. We don't do huge birthdays in our family and try to keep the gifts at a minimum but I did want to share some fun things Lucy girl is getting on her special day. Since we have grandparents on both sides and aunts and uncles who also give gifts, I try to send her top list items to family so we don't end up with a million toys. Let's face it, birthdays can overwhelming for little ones (read the Berenstain Bears book Too Much Birthday!) and they are perfectly happy with a few new toys/games/items vs 20 that they never end up playing with. Below is what Lucy will be opening up tomorrow, a mix of stuff from mom and dad and family members. I love knowing what other kiddos are enjoying and playing with so I can get ideas!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBMTkI0XuaI/WuIafhQtMSI/AAAAAAAAY8c/sr7RIKrlrA8Z8eC1Nodvf0MwHRv0upK0wCLcBGAs/s1600/15651682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBMTkI0XuaI/WuIafhQtMSI/AAAAAAAAY8c/sr7RIKrlrA8Z8eC1Nodvf0MwHRv0upK0wCLcBGAs/s320/15651682.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AE9RJ6A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Shape Sorting Cupcakes</a> ($13)</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062410806/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Pinkalicious Storybook Set</a> ($9)</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aEsIsly-YaI/WuIZhe5jzfI/AAAAAAAAY8U/xaFJhDvh_OExdny69yChNftIhMBbXsAigCLcBGAs/s1600/81kcBccpXtL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1399" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aEsIsly-YaI/WuIZhe5jzfI/AAAAAAAAY8U/xaFJhDvh_OExdny69yChNftIhMBbXsAigCLcBGAs/s400/81kcBccpXtL._SL1500_.jpg" width="372" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BT8H0W2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Click N Play Makeup Set</a> ($9)</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XWMVpCcqrs/WuIZkxRO6NI/AAAAAAAAY8Y/Y0ldqwelJfAyeoF1IME_TtaDYdw4HXpLgCLcBGAs/s1600/81Lh%252B5tFglL._SY679_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="507" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XWMVpCcqrs/WuIZkxRO6NI/AAAAAAAAY8Y/Y0ldqwelJfAyeoF1IME_TtaDYdw4HXpLgCLcBGAs/s400/81Lh%252B5tFglL._SY679_.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ty-Beanie-Boo-Fantasia-TyInc/dp/B00SCF10DG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1524766758&sr=8-5&keywords=beanie+boo+unicorn">Unicorn Beanie Boo </a>($8)</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCKU4w0T3Fg/WuIWQ-BVQEI/AAAAAAAAY8I/msuWvY4ochEjSnAdnZFIaW1cEQgSKCj9ACLcBGAs/s1600/Hair%2Bchalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCKU4w0T3Fg/WuIWQ-BVQEI/AAAAAAAAY8I/msuWvY4ochEjSnAdnZFIaW1cEQgSKCj9ACLcBGAs/s400/Hair%2Bchalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/ALEX-Spa-Hair-Chalk-Pens/dp/B00E24BYMI" style="text-align: start;">Kids Hair Chalk </a><span style="text-align: start;">($6)</span></div>
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Lucy is also getting/got.....<br />
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<li>Two hand me down nightgowns (Belle and Elsa) from cousin Embry, she is going to be so excited!</li>
<li>New Play-Doh from her Aunt Tomi.... my kids are pros at drying out PlayDoh so to have back up is great.</li>
<li>A doll stroller from Aunt Cori....she got it 2 weeks ago and won't let it out of her sight! </li>
<li>Real makeup....Lucy knows what's real and what's pretend and even though I know she will LOVE her Click N Play Makeup, I grabbed some real makeup brushes, eye shadow applicators, and eye shadow pallets all from the Dollar Tree. This will only be used on special occasion and I know she will be in heaven.</li>
<li>Unicorn coloring book and smock... this came from my aunt who knows her so well! She (and Ford) have already colored in it.</li>
<li>A talking baby doll from her Abuela....Lucy is in such a baby phase right now and often goes to bed with at least 3-4 babies. A girl can never have enough dolls!</li>
</ul>
Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-89358800827527038222018-04-17T15:11:00.001-05:002018-04-17T15:17:44.109-05:00"Half Of My Heart Is In Havana...." <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OTrEAFyrJk/WtZVxPp4YdI/AAAAAAAAY6o/KPRt6uVDcL0hiA3YFy-G8QxsLqsijC_igCLcBGAs/s1600/Travel%2BGuide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OTrEAFyrJk/WtZVxPp4YdI/AAAAAAAAY6o/KPRt6uVDcL0hiA3YFy-G8QxsLqsijC_igCLcBGAs/s640/Travel%2BGuide.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Jon and I traveled to Havana, Cuba last week and still can't believe how beautiful it was! We keep saying to each other that it is hard to explain to someone who hasn't been there. The architecture is intricate and beautiful, I imagine it is what parts of Europe look like. The classic cars were our favorite part of the trip. The US cut ties with Cuba in the early 60s so no new cars have been imported from the US. It kind of feels like the whole city is stuck in the 60s. No billboards, no technology, no hustle and bustle like the US. It was really like stepping back into time. There is so much poverty in the city but the people are so happy. It was very eye opening to see people living on nothing being so content, meanwhile in America we all struggle with wanting more, more, more. One of our tour guides said Cuba is 25-30 years behind in technology and it is apparent when you try to sign onto WiFi, it is basically non existent! It was incredible to unplug, relax, learn, explore, and immerse ourselves into a new culture. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i26vvJPvGNU/WtZUWRHHPDI/AAAAAAAAY5U/IaRWexQn6l8dzPntFGGUbX9gDN9EZkJDgCLcBGAs/s1600/pink%2Bcar%2Bat%2Bpark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i26vvJPvGNU/WtZUWRHHPDI/AAAAAAAAY5U/IaRWexQn6l8dzPntFGGUbX9gDN9EZkJDgCLcBGAs/s640/pink%2Bcar%2Bat%2Bpark.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Getting There<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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American travel to Cuba has been restricted until only
recently after negotiations with President Obama happened. In 1961, America
stopped trade with Cuba and it turned into a 50+ year issue, read more about it
online, it is so interesting! Anyway, now that Americans are allowed to travel
to Cuba, I wanted to jump on the opportunity (while we still can? Who knows
what our president will do…). We flew Southwest Airlines- Austin to Fort
Lauderdale and Fort Lauderdale to Havana which was only a 45 minute flight,
gate to gate. Upon booking travel, we had to state a reason for travel since
technically “tourism” is not allowed. After chatting with friends who had
recently been, I wasn’t worried about not qualifying for travel. Options for
reason for travel were journalism, business, family visit… a few others…and I
chose journalism. I was told by friends and prompted by SWA to buy a Cuban Visa
online for $50 a person. I did it 3 months ahead of time but we had the option
to buy them at the gate in Fort Lauderdale. I would buy ahead of time just to
be safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A valid passport is also a
requirement. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Where to Stay<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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It is hard to get an idea of the lay of foreign land,
especially land that not many people are familiar with. I talked with friends
and read lots of travel blogs (also, ladies if you love travel, join Girls Love
Travel on FB! The group is amazing and so helpful. Warning, it will make you
want to travel, travel, travel). We learned that the hotels in Cuba are all
government owned and while they are very nice, they are expensive and it is
better to support locals by staying in AirBNBs. It is very common for people to
stay in the homes of locals and the locals will cook breakfast, etc. We found
the most adorable private apartment on AirBNB with amazing reviews! The reviews
of the apartment and hosts were what sold us! We paid $36 USD a night (which
was during peak time!) for a private apartment with a king bed, AC (not
common!), tv, bathroom, mini kitchen, and living room. <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15442635">Here is the link</a> for our
AirBNB, I HIGHLY recommend it if you are going to visit Havana. It is in the Vedado
neighborhood, right by the water, walking distance to Hotel Nacionale and so
many restaurants/night clubs. We felt incredibly safe (our apartment had a gate
outside the steps downstairs) and were able to get cabs immediately on the
corner. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Money<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The currency in Cuba is the CUC, Cuban Adjusted Peso. They
also have another currency for locals called the CUP but it is not worth much
so when you exchange your money, be sure you are getting CUC. After doing
extensive reading on visiting Cuba and talking to friends who have been, we
learned that the Euro has a better exchange rate to the CUC versus the USD. In
fact, there is a high penalty rate for exchanging USD in Cuba and when you are
on vacation spending quite a bit of money, you want to save as much as
possible. Credit cards don’t work in Cuba so you must travel with enough cash
to last you for the whole trip, that was a little nerve racking! I went into
Wells Fargo (my bank), 2 weeks before our trip to order EUROS. Again, after
researching and talking to friends, I didn’t want to run the risk of running
out of cash on our trip so I ordered $1500 USD worth of EUROs. They do keep
some at the bank but had to make an order for me which took a few days. Our
AirBNB host picked us up from the airport and we were able to exchange right in
the airport. We only exchanged about 2/3 of our money the first day, you are
able to exchange currencies at most of the big hotels and banks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made sure we always had small bills/coins
for short taxi rides and tips.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How Much We Spent<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Jon has a Southwest Companion pass so I fly for free with
him anywhere (cha-ching). We booked his ticket with points so I am not sure how
much tickets cost but you could easily check Southwest.com or your favorite
airline (we saw United and JetBlue flights there, not sure who else flies
there). We paid for our AirBNB ahead of time with my credit card, which was
only $130 USD for 3 nights! We also paid for a 3 hour classic car tour of
Havana ($90 USD) through AirBNB ahead of time… I had no idea you could book experiences
on their website, it was so cool! At the end of our trip, we exchanged the CUC
we had left for Euros and then the day after we got home I went back to Wells
Fargo to get USD and I got $465 back (we brought $1500). Everything is pretty darn
cheap in Havana… we had sit down breakfasts for $7 USD, fancy seafood dinners
with cocktails and lobster for $30 USD, and souvenirs for all the kids for less
than $10 USD. Seeing all of the poverty in the country and learning how little
the locals live on, we made it a point to tip really well during our trip. We
also splurged and hired a driver each night for a drive around the city which
was our favorite part but if you wanted to do Havana on the cheap, unnecessary.
We spent $200 on cigars and rum as gifts too. As cheap as everything was, the
most expensive thing we bought was a beach towel! We only had two small bath towels
at our apartment and didn’t want to bring those to the beach so we bought one
at the souvenir market. Only 2 booths out of probably 100 had them and we
talked them down to $25 which was a lot considering the beach towels we have at
home were $7.99 at Target! We also spent $80 to go Cabaret Parisien at Hotel
Nacionale (more on that later). It was nice to be able to put money directly
into people’s pockets buying things off of the street. I exchanged our
remaining CUC to Euros at the airport and then Euros to USD at our bank when we
got home and got back $465. So we spent a little over $1000 in Havana, plus our
AirBNB ($140), car tour ($90), and flights (not sure). You could definitely do
Havana cheaper though! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>Bringing Kids</b></span><br />
This was a kid free getaway for us and I am so glad we didn't bring them. We were so confused by not seeing a lot of kids when we were there... our tour guide told us most families just have 1 kid because it is so expensive. We did see kids going to school in the mornings in their cute little uniforms but for the most part we didn't see a lot of local kids or tourist kids. I would have felt perfectly safe bringing my kids to Havana but it was just not somewhere I desire to bring them... it was hot, not a lot of places had AC, the sidewalks were bumpy and uneven, I can't imagine pushing a stroller, and we were in and out of taxis and buses. It would be a lot of work with kiddos to see the city and we were so glad to be able to explore without them!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What To Pack<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Comfortable shoes- I packed 3 pairs of cute flip
flops, 1 pair of tennis shoes, and one pair of wedges and wore my tennis shoes
90% of the time and my comfy flip flops 10%. We did lots of cabs and taxis but
still a lot of walking and exploring. Comfort over style in Havana!</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sunscreen- </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I threw in sunscreen last minute on the
morning we left and I am SO glad I did! We both got burned on the first day riding
in the classic car on our tour of the city, whoops. We made sure to lather up
because the sun just feels a lot hotter down there. We also went to the beach
one day so sunscreen is a must.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sunglasses- obvious item to pack but don’t
forget! It is VERY hot and sunny</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Swimsuit/towel- if you plan on going to the
beach, don’t forget your suit and a beach towel. We forgot a beach towel so
ended up buying one at the souvenir market and it was pretty expensive ($25).
Makes me wonder if they are just hard to find down in Cuba.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Bags- Jon brought his work backpack and I brought
a crossbody purse which was perfect for our trip. It felt weird not carting
around tons of baby/kid gear, I basically had an empty purse the whole time.
The backpack was nice for travel (my book, ipad, headphones) and also for the
beach day.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hand sanitizer- we were warned that there isn’t
much running water in public in Havana and I was shocked to find that for the
most part, the places we went DID have it. A few times we were out and about
without a place to wash our hands before we ate so hand sanitizer was a must. I
also brought a package of baby wipes but we never ended up using those.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Small package of tissues- one thing that was
hard to find in public was toilet paper. Lots of places you had to pay $1 CUC
to use the bathroom and then there was a lady in there selling toilet paper.
Some places it was free to pee but no TP. I kept a small pack of tissues in my
purse that I used for TP. </span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Immodium- despite being diligent with only
drinking bottled water, we still experienced a touch of Montezuma’s Revenge. I
think it comes with the territory of visiting a 3</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> world country.
Take my word for it and buy a small pack, Jon and I both used it. Also bring Ibuprofen.
Long days in the sun can cause headaches and sore bodies.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sound machine on your phone- even though we had
a private apartment, it got loud with barking dogs, taxis, talking people. We
have a sound machine app on our phone and put it at full blast to drown out the
city noises and sleep in.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Toiletries- I brought our own shower toiletries
and I am glad I did. The AirBNB had some non-descript bottles in the shower so
I was glad we came prepared.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Snacks- I packed quite a few snacks that we didn’t
end up eating but it was SO nice to have protein bars, sunflower seeds, and
Chex Mix in our apartment when we went back to rest in the afternoon.</span></li>
</ul>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trip Advisor App<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We use Trip
Advisor all the time when preparing to travel and I learned something so
valuable before we left for Havana. You can download the Trip Advisor City
Guide for any of their cities that allows you to use it without internet! This
was a LIFE SAVER!! Right when we landed in Cuba we realized we probably should
have printed out a map so we could get our bearings but it was too late. I came
with a list of what we wanted to do and restaurants I had researched with the
addresses and how far it was from our apartment. I still have no idea how this
worked but the Trip Advisor App tracked us in real time and we were able to
figure out where we were and where we needed to go. This helped when trying to
figure out where to eat (reading reviews), and finding our way back to our apartment.
I am going to do this every time we travel, even when we are in the States! We
tend to always get the notification from our cell phone carrier when we travel
that we are almost out of data, whoops. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Speaking Spanish<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I am going
to be 100% honest with you and say that if you don’t have any Spanish, I wouldn’t
go to Havana. The locals speak very little English and most of the restaurants
we went to were all in Spanish. Jon knows pretty good Spanish (thank God!) and
we still ran into some road blocks. We laughed at how funny it must look to
talk to another grown adult but have a language barrier…. Lots of laughing and
slow talking like we are talking to babies. If you plan on going to Havana and don’t
know Spanish… start learning! “Como se dice” is “how do you say” and that is a
great way to learn with a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>native speaker.
You also want to know how to ask how much something costs, where the bathroom
is, giving directions to a taxi driver, basic food words, and numbers. Jon did
most of our talking to the locals and I would just say that “Mi espanol es un
poquito y muy mal”…. Very limited and very bad. The only time we spoke English
was to each other so coming back to the states was funny! We instinctively
spoke Spanish to the flight crew, customs workers, waiters, etc. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What To Do<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I am going
to list in bullet points everything that we did with a little info on each. We
packed a lot into the 2.5 days we were there. The one thing we didn’t have time
for was driving to Vinales (3 hours away) to see the tobacco/coffee farms. Many
people also drive to Trinidad (4 hours away) to see the sugar farms. We ran
into a lot of Europeans on our trip who were in Cuba for 1-2 weeks and they
would spend a few nights out in the country on the farms. Our AirBNB host
offered to help us coordinate a driver to Vinales, along with tours and lodging
for a night but we just didn’t have time to fit it in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/104227" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3.5 hour tour in a classic car
of the city</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- our favorite part of the whole trip! Since historically
Americans haven’t been allowed to travel to Cuba, my knowledge of the country
was minimal. We learned so much, saw all of the best views and important
landmarks, and loved getting to know our driver. We booked it ahead of time
through AirBNB experiences. There are so many other fun things you can book
through them! I highly recommend our tour guide Soto, he had great energy and a
hilarious sense of humor. Here is a list of where we went on the tour:</span></li>
</ul>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_de_la_Revoluci%C3%B3n">Revolutionary
Square</a>- you will see the statue of Jose Marti and learn about Che Guevara and
Camilo Cienfuegos, two huge figures in the Cuban Revolution that are still
celebrated today. You <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may recognize Che
from Rage Against the Machine prints. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_Cemetery,_Havana">Colon Cemetery</a>
(Neocropolis de Crisobal Columbus)- famous cemetery where Christopher Columbus
is buried. There are thousands of beautiful grave sites. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://bestcubaguide.com/portfolio-items/parque-almendares-isla-josefina/">Almendares
Park/Isla Josefina-</a> the most beautiful park we’ve ever seen! It had
gorgeous banyan and willow trees with lush greenery. We saw people in all white
digging and burying things, our tour guide told us about a polytheistic, voo
doo religion that came from Nigeria that is now becoming popular in Cuba. It
was so surreal and sad to watch these people search and attempt to sacrifice
things (we saw lots of animal bones and carcasses from sacrifices) to gain
power, riches, and happiness. We came back to the park a few times, it was so
gorgeous. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com/">Hotel
Nacional-</a> this is the oldest hotel in Cuba, owned by the government and
right on the gulf shore. It is beautiful and immaculate and has lots of
information on the Cuban Missile Crisis. We walked through the underground
bunkers and learned a lot that American History does not teach. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I can’t remember the name but we went to a giant
army base that was built in the 14/1500s. Each time we were in a classic car,
the drivers took us there, so you won’t miss it! It has the most beautiful view
of the city right on the water. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitolio">Christ of Havana-</a> also a
beautiful view of the city from the other side of the bay. Cuban Jesus is holding
a glass of rum and a Cuban cigar. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitolio">El Capitolio</a>- this was
our initial meeting place for our tour and we drove around it but it was closed
for renovations. It is beautiful!<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We drove through Old Havana and Central Park and
learned so much about the beautiful city of Havana. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="http://www.fac.cu/events/2018/16">Fábrica de Arte Cubano</a>- this came
highly recommend to us and it was amazing! It is a big old warehouse or church
building that they’ve remodeled into an art gallery, exhibition hall, music
venue, bar, and night club. It was $2CUC to get in and drinks were really
cheap. We walked around all of the interesting art exhibits and listened to a
jazz artist. We ended up in a large venue where they had a huge iMax like
screen and were playing a documentary on scoring and music in Hollywood movies.
It was SO COOL! We stayed from 8:30-10:30p on a Sunday night and it wasn’t too
busy. I’ve heard it can get busy depending on who is playing music, etc.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d147980-Reviews-Museum_of_the_Revolution_Museo_de_la_Revolucion-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Provinc.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Museo
de la Revolucion</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Museum of the Revolution)- after learning about the Cuban
Missile Crisis and Cuban history from our tour guide, we knew we wanted to go
to this museum. It is in a beautiful stone building (all of the architecture is
so old and intricate… makes me think of Europe). It was a bit confusing because
it didn’t tell you what room to go in first so we had to piece things together,
and like I said above, not everything was translated into English but we loved
it. We had read reviews on Trip Advisor that told us to be prepared to learn
about what the US did to Cuba and be shocked because they leave those parts out
of US History… and they were right. Outside they have the real cars and boats
the Cubans used during the revolution and so many cool artifacts. I think it
was $10 CUC per person to get in.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d259676-Reviews-La_Zorra_y_el_Cuervo-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">La
Zorra y el Cuervo</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- we read about this jazz club before coming to Cuba and
we are SO glad we went! It was right around the corner from our apartment and
we were told to show up early which was good because a line formed 30 minutes
before doors opened. You enter through a vintage phone booth and $10CUC gets
you admission and two cocktails. We got there a little before 9:30p on Monday
night and were second in line. It’s a small venue so they only let a certain
number of people in. Doors opened at 10p and music started at 10:20p. A world
famous group played, the drummer was insane, pianist was incredible, and bassist
was playing 6 strings. We overhead a guy talking who composes music for orchestras
for movies in LA and he came just to listen to this group. We absolutely loved
it!</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d801366-Reviews-Restaurante_Floridita-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Floridita</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">-
this is a famous restaurant in Cuba, known for being Ernest Hemmingways
favorite bar and the birthplace of the daquiri. We went during peak lunch hour
and it was insane, we didn’t even ask how long the wait was. They had a full
jazz band and cocktails while you waited. We didn’t end up eating there but it
was cool to see. It is right in the heart of Old Havana by Central Park.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.es/Attraction_Review-g147271-d1948790-Reviews-Almacenes_San_Jose-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Feria
Artesanal Nave San Jose-</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> this is a huge souvenir market we went to, it’s
right by where all of the cruise ships doc. Items were so cheap and we loved
browsing, buying things for our kiddos, and soaking it all in. The artwork was
so beautiful, displaying the classic cars and architecture. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We didn’t see any other stores where we could
buy souvenirs so be sure to visit this!</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Playa Santa Maria- I had no idea beaches were so
gorgeous in Cuba but they knocked our socks off! We took an air conditioned
charter bus (Transtur) to the beach 30 minutes away (pick up/drop off was Central
Park). It cost $5 CUC… a steal of a deal! Cabs to the beach were $30-40CUC.
There were a few stops at different beaches but our AirBNB host recommended Santa
Maria and it was nice because most people stayed on the bus for the next stop
so it felt more private. We weren’t sure what to expect but there were lounge
chairs and umbrellas you could rent for $2 CUC each and cocktails, food, and
cigars for purchase. This was one of my favorite parts of our trip….we swam
then laid on our chairs in the shade just relaxing. The sun felt a lot hotter
than Texas sun so bring sunscreen! The bus picked up every 40 minuets until 6pm
so we stayed for 2.5 hours then hopped back on the bus, it was the perfect amount
of time.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d606051-Reviews-Cabaret_Parisien-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cabaret
Parisien</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- a few people told us about the Tropicana show in Cuba and after
doing some research, it seemed expensive and over rated. We ended up finding
out about the Cabaret Parisien at Hotel Nacionale and were excited that it was
highly rated and more affordable ($40CUC each). We read reviews NOT to eat
dinner at the show beforehand and we didn’t buy tickets until the night of at
9pm. The show is at 10pm so we were there pretty early and they seated us in
the front row…. And by front row I mean I had to lean back during some of the numbers
because I was about to get kicked in the face! The show was 100% in Spanish and
it was wonderful! Beautiful costumes and dancing and it was such a different
entertainment experience than in the US.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We also spent time exploring on our own. Walking
the small streets of Old Havana, going into hotels, looking into windows,
talking to locals. One thing I kept saying to Jon was the lack of signage all
over the city. When I think of America, I think of Times Square with all of the
advertising and lights… Havana was the opposite. You kind of had to know where
you were going because stuff was unmarked. As we walked, we weren’t sure if we
were in a neighborhood or residential area or more commercial. Everything was
intermixed. We loved looking inside of boxing gyms and schools… the children
all wear cute little uniforms.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Each night we went to Hotel Nacionale and chose
a classic car we liked and paid the driver $30CUC to drive us around at sunset.
It was so relaxing and fun!</span></li>
</ul>
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<b>Where to Eat</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I am going
to list all of the places we ate with a small description. I did a ton of
research before we went and had a long list of restaurants to try and we didn’t
go to any of them. We trusted Trip Advisor when we got there and took advice
from the locals we met. We were told not to expect much from the food and I can
see why but I wasn’t totally disappointed! We ate a lot of yummy seafood and
ended our trip with a few Cuban meals. We definitely didn’t over eat when we
were there and we were sad we didn’t get lots of treats (one of our favorite
parts of traveling is finding awesome treats). I did bring a package of chocolate
Pocky that we polished off when we came back to the apartment at midnight each
night. I wasn’t prepared for the odd pairings of food at meals but we went with
it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Toke- this was right by our apartment and it was
a great place to go our first evening. I ordered shrimp and spaghetti and that
is exactly what it was. A huge pile of spaghetti with garlic and tons of grilled
shrimp. Jon ordered lobster enchiladas that turned out to be a bunch of seafood
in a sauce with rice and beans. It was really good and so cheap. We also went
here on our last morning for breakfast. Jon got simple fried eggs and toast but
I got a Cuban sandwich and it was HUGE and delicious. A few restaurants served
plantain chips, I love those.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">El Biky- also right by our apartment in the
Vedado area, it was very fancy but really inexpensive. We got an “Americano”
breakfast…. Bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. They have a bakery attached so we
got a chocolate pastry for the road.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Elizalde- we were starving after the car tour
and chose a highly rated restaurant by Central Park. This was probably my least
favorite meal… it wasn’t bad but not something to write home about. I got a club
sandwich and Caesar salad and Jon got some seafood paella or something? It was
pretty expensive too.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Balcon del Habana- our second night we asked our
driver where he recommended we go to eat and he dropped us off here and we are
so glad he did! It was on the beautiful deck of a big, historic home, with an
intimate atmosphere. We got a seafood platter for 2 and enjoyed lobster tail,
shrimp, and white fish. They brought out flan with a candle and sang happy
birthday to Jon. It was our most expensive meal $50 CUC but so delicious.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Café Nana- this was a few minutes from our
apartment and we stopped in for a quick breakfast one morning. There were only
a few breakfast options on the menu of each place we went to so we stuck with
eggs, bacon, and toast and paid $10CUC. Lots of places also have fresh squeezed
fruit juices.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Fonda La Paila- we ate dinner here on our last
night and it was absolutely delicious! We were so over seafood and got excited
when we stumbled upon it while walking around and read about the delicious “bbq”
on Trip Advisor. We got roast chicken, filet mignon, black beans, and black
rice… it was amazing! It was tucked into the side of a hill with outdoor lights
and neat decorations.</span></li>
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<b>Getting Around</b><br />
We took taxis most of the time. Cars are either classic cars or junky old Russian imports and we took about half and half. You definitely pay more for the classic car taxi so we did that when we wanted a relaxing ride but if we just needed to get from point A to point B, we would flag down a cheaper taxi. Always ask "Cuanto cuesta?" (how much?) before getting in. They also have these funny little motorcycle egg taxis that were the same price as a regular taxi. We took one for the experience and it was fun and windy. We had our AirBNB host pick us up from the airport and I highly recommend arranging airport transportation before you go. There is a bus system in Havana and it costs something like $.05 per ride. That may sound enticing but these monster buses were packed with 100 people at a time. Taking the bus is definitely a way you can save money during your trip but it wasn't what we wanted to do.<br />
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<b>WiFi</b><br />
Don't expect to be able to work during your trip to Cuba. Internet was scarce and intermittent. We bought WiFi cards and went to a park nearby to sign on (you can tell the areas with WiFi because you see a bunch of people glued to their phones). We were only able to send a few messages, load email, and FaceTime with our kiddos but no browsing or surfing the internet. I thought it would be overwhelming to be without internet but it was pretty darn awesome. It made me realize how much mindless time I waste on my phone. Jon and I talked, relaxed, napped, and just enjoyed the silence rather than filling our time on our phones. All of the hotels we went to had WiFi, but still not great connection.<br />
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I feel like I covered it all but if you have any other questions about traveling to Havana, Cuba, <a href="mailto:ruthiehart1@gmail.com">send me an email</a>!Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-61801321545667541072018-02-19T15:31:00.001-06:002018-02-20T14:49:56.913-06:00Disney World Tips, traveling with kids 5 and under<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Phew. Now that I've managed to get some sleep and catch up on laundry, I can consolidate all of my thoughts after tackling Disney world with 5 kids, 5 and under. The whole time we were there I kept thinking, "I need to write this down!" or "This is going on the blog!". When people ask me how it was I have the same response.... absolutely magical and incredibly exhausting. There is NO tired like Disney tired, but there is nothing that compares to the magic and fun of Disney World. I keep trying to think of ways to organize my thoughts and tips but bear with me, I am just going to go with the flow. </div>
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<b>Travel in a group</b></div>
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Jon and I took Ford and Lucy to Disney World 2 years ago when they were 2 and 8 months old and this trip was drastically different (in a good way). We met up with my sister, her husband, and their 2 kiddos and then my parents joined us for the last 2 days of our trip. We had SO much fun with cousins and I highly recommend doing Disney with family or friends. It also helps that we could take turns watching the kids and go on adult rides, more on that later. </div>
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<b>Packing</b></div>
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I am 100% Type A and have a knack for packing and organizing. I packed the kids outfits in large Ziploc bags by day and included everything from clothing, socks, and undies. This made it SO easy to set out bags the night before as we were exhausted and crawling into bed. I packed 1-2 extra outfits for each kiddo, 3 pairs of jammies for 5 nights (and only used 2), light jackets, and ponchos. The kids each got their own mini Disney suitcase for Christmas (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073DFD74G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">here </a>and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073DD1TGX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">here</a>) and we let them pack toys, games, and snacks in those for the plane. The suitcase set came with a zipper bag and that was great for bringing to the parks with snacks, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073GD64XJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">autograph books</a>, sunglasses, and little toys to play with in lines. Jon always carries his backpack when he travels with his iPad and laptop so we used that as our bag for the week, carrying snacks, diapers, wipes, etc. Don't forget sunscreen! Florida is almost always hot with lots of sun and humidity. </div>
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<b>Hotel/Accomodations</b></div>
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We stayed at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and it was great. The resort is under some major construction but it provided all we really needed. The rooms were pretty small but clean and efficient. There are 3 tiers of Disney resorts and we chose the lowest because honestly you are never in your room during the day, only at night to sleep. The rooms are pirate themed and the kids loved that. Jon and I shared a full bed, Lucy and Ford shared a full bed, and Gideon slept in a pack and play (provided by Disney) in the bathroom. There was a big curtain between the room and bathroom which was nice. Staying on Disney property has a lot of perks, the main one being the bus system. Every 10 minutes, a bus comes through the resort going to all of the different parks. There was a delicious buffet and a food truck on the property and we ended up eating there 3 of the 5 nights. We didn't even bring our swimsuits but there were pools, slides, hot tubs, etc. 2 years ago we stayed at Disney's Swan Dolphin and it was great. It was more of a traditional hotel whereas the Caribbean Beach was more resort style but both were great. I am anxious to see Caribbean Beach once construction is complete. </div>
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<b>Disney's Magical Express</b></div>
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If you stay at a Disney property, you get free transportation to and from the airport on the Disney Magical Express. You must make your reservation in advance and is pretty streamlined once you arrive. The big downside is that it can take quite a while to get you to your hotel. 2 years ago we were the very last stop (they group you by arrival time and drive to multiple hotels) and got dropped off at midnight, ugh. This time we were the first drop off which made our ride only about 30 minutes. It is fun because they have a video looping with Disney tips and cartoons, the kids loved it. It would be a lot quicker to take an Uber but we loved that it was free and we didn't bring carseats. It wasn't worth it for me to pack 3 carseats for an Uber. They pick you up 3 hours before your scheduled flight home so keep that in mind if you are taking an early flight. </div>
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<b>Tickets</b></div>
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I remember 2 years ago researching where I could find cheap Disney tickets but your best bet is through My Disney Experience. Children under 3 are free so we didn't have to pay for Lucy or Gideon, yay! Disney now sends you a Magic Band bracelet a few weeks before your trip and all of your ticket information, Fast Passes, hotel key, meal plan, and even credit card info (if you choose) is on there. </div>
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<b>My Disney Experience</b></div>
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My Disney Experience is the Disney website and app for managing your whole trip. The app is truly incredible! We used it every day we were there, looking up wait times, finding maps of each park, ordering food for mobile pickup, and changing our Fast Pass times. </div>
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<b>Fast Passes</b></div>
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Fast Passes are the greatest invention of all time. You are allotted 3 per day and they give you access to the fast lane of the line, going right up to the front. Some Disney rides have 1, 2, and even 4 hour waits (Avatar at Animal Kingdom), but you can reserve your FP so you don't have to wait. Each FP gives you a 1 hour window where you can go right to the front and ride. I did a quick Google search and also asked on my mom's group the best rides to use a FP for (versus just waiting in line). I will talk about my suggestions later. If you are staying in a Disney hotel, you can reserve Fast Passes 60 days before you arrive. 30 days for non Disney hotel guests. You can change your FP selections on the My Disney Experience app as many times as you want... we did this a lot if we realized there was no wait for something we had a FP for later in the day. Also, not many people seem to know that when you use your 3rd and final FP of the day, you can grab an additional FP on the My Disney Experience App or at a FP kiosk at the park. If you have a park hopper pass (we did not), you can get it at any park. Some of the really popular rides "sell out" pretty quickly so be sure to book your FP well before your trip! </div>
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<b>Parks</b></div>
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We had 4 days total at the park which was a lot to do in a row but we managed and it was great! We did Magic Kingdom day 1, Hollywood Studios day 2, Animal Kingdom day 3, and back to Magic Kingdom day 4. We chose not to do Epcot after hearing a lot of it was under construction and we had plenty to do between the 3 parks we went, and we still didn't even do everything at Magic Kingdom in 2 days! </div>
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<b>Strollers</b></div>
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We brought a single stroller (Britax B Agile) and then rented a double (City Mini Double) through <a href="https://www.kingdomstrollers.com/">Kingdom Strollers</a>. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to rent a stroller! Ford is 4.5 and still loves to be in the stroller but I encourage parents of even 5-6 year olds who don't like a stroller to rent one. Disney is SO much walking and it is pretty much always hot. It is nice to have a place for little ones to rest. It's crazy to see such big kids passed out asleep in strollers at Disney. Kingdom Strollers had our stroller at our hotel when we showed up and it was labeled with our name (tons of people rent strollers). It came with a cup holder and rain cover which we didn't have to use but nice to have. Gideon and my 2 year old nephew napped in the strollers during the days, I recommend getting one that lays all the way back. A stroller is also a great place to store stuff... snacks, diaper bag, drinks, etc. We left the stroller at the front desk when we checked out.</div>
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<b>Snacks</b></div>
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Disney is expensive, if you are planning a trip there you should already know that! And that includes the food. They allow you to bring as much food/drink as you want into the park so I packed an ENTIRE diaper box of snacks and checked it on the plane. I packed tons of Clif Bars, Nutrigrain Bars, fruit snacks, dried fruit, pouches, PB crackers, pretzels, and other dry goods. Our room had a mini fridge so I packed 2 quarts of almond milk (you can buy it in cartons in the dry section) for Gideon. Snacks made mornings easier because I gave each kid a bar on the bus to the parks and that would tide them over until morning snack. We ate lunch at the walk up restaurants at Disney, we decided not to do any seated dining because we had 5 kids under 5 and just wanted to go with the flow. Every restaurant will give you cups of ice water for free so I packed our kids water cups and we would refill throughout the day. We splurged on $6 Mickey pretzels and $5 Mickey ice cream sandwiches a few times but mostly ate our own snacks. With how much my kids snack, this saved us a lot of money!</div>
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<b>Mobile Food Ordering</b></div>
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The My Disney Experience allows you to order food from any of the non sit down restaurants. I couldn't believe how easy it was. We'd choose our restaurant, order food on the walk over, and go pick it up right away. The lines during the lunch hour were insane so it was really nice to bypass those and get a table/food right away. There is an order tracker so you know when your order is ready and a separate counter for mobile pickup.</div>
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<b>Seating Dining/Sci Fi Diner</b></div>
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Our little family had dinner one night at the Sci Fi Diner at Hollywood Studios and it was SO FUN! Your table is shaped like an old classic car and it is set up like a drive in movie. It is dark and cold and the kids loved watching the black and white movies and old cartoons. We made a last minute reservation on the My Disney Experience App where you can search for restaurants by park, price, or whether or not they have characters. We had originally booked a character breakfast but since we had met all of the characters multiple times, we decided to cancel and save $200. Again, Disney is expensive!</div>
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<b>Souvenirs </b></div>
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One of the hot souvenirs at Disney are these little bubble wands that cost $24 a pop. My kids kept asking for them and I reminded them we had a fun bubble machine at home. If I would have known, I would have totally bought a cheap one at Target and brought with us. On every corner there are stands to buy bubble wands, Mickey ears, light up toys, etc.... for a pretty penny. I let each kiddo pack their own little toy bag so when they asked for toys, I reminded them we had a lot at home. I just hate chatchski things so we didn't buy any souvenirs. You could always buy a few things a head of time and bring them out as prizes while you're at the park. Like everything else, there is a huge mark up and things are super pricey. I am shocked that my kids never asked for these giant Mickey balloons that were on every corner!</div>
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<b>Rider Swap</b></div>
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I am SO glad my girlfriend who just came to Disney with her almost 2 year old told me about this. Rider Swap allows parents with kids who aren't allowed to ride, each have a turn. How it works is when you walk up to a ride, ask for a Rider Swap. They give you a lanyard and then at another check point or the front of the line, they'll give you a Fast Pass ticket (not on your Magic Band like the other FPs) good for 3 people. They also don't expire for a few weeks! My parents met us for the last 2 days of the trip so we used the Rider Swap SO MUCH and we all got to ride some of the awesome adult rides! Example... two of us would reserve a FP for the Everest Coaster at Animal Kingdom and then go at our scheduled time and get a rider swap. We were done in 10 minutes and then the rest of the adults could use the FP immediately or come back later. </div>
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<b>Dressing for Disney</b></div>
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My biggest piece of advice.... wear tennis shoes. Skip the cute flats or sandals because you will be left with sore feet and blisters. Wear a good pair of broken in tennis shoes the whole time. Check the weather ahead of time and pack accordingly. The weather was only in the 70s when we were there but the humidity was crazy! It felt so much hotter. Shorts/tanks and layers if it will be cold. We packed ponchos just in case because afternoon showers are pretty common. I wore a hat the whole time because I hate my face being in the sun. Pack sunglasses for yourself and your kids. Bring sunscreen! Make sure to spray those precious baby legs sitting in the stroller. </div>
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<b>Kid Areas To Know About</b></div>
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It's funny that even in Disney World, sometimes kids just want to play on a playground or with a tiny toy. They can get overwhelmed with the rides/characters/shows so it is nice to have a little break time. While you are waiting in the Dumbo line, there is a huge indoor playground. Our kids just wanted to play in there and not ride the ride. It was the perfect rest time for the adults and then we were done, we walked right up to the ride. Right at the entrance of DinoLand in Animal Kingdom, there is a playground with a dinosaur bone dig. We had to pry our kiddos out of it after an hour, they were just filling buckets with sand and barely even speaking to each other! There is a little kids area at Magic Kingdom right at the exit of Splash Mountain. I was on kid duty while some adults rode the ride and the kids just chased each other and played hide and go seek. Our kids also loved the carousel right behind Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom. There was hardly ever a wait. If you are a nursing mama or have a tiny babe, be sure to find the Baby Care Centers at each park! We went 2 years ago when I was still nursing Lucy and they are air conditioned buildings with private rooms for nursing/feeding/changing. They have rockers, TVs, changing tables, and you can buy anything you need for baby. </div>
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<b>Shows</b></div>
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My kids (and me!) hated the Bug's Life show at Animal Kingdom. Little creatures come out of the seats and poke you and they spray this gross stuff to make it smell like a stink bug. We ran out about half way and my sister said it little cockroaches came out at the end. No thanks. Lion King Festival of the Lion was incredible. I cried a few times during the songs and the costumes were amazing. Be sure to get a Fast Pass ahead of time! We absolutely loved the 3D Mickey's Philharmagic show in Magic Kingdom and did it twice! The kids were so excited and laughed the whole time and it was a nice (cool) break for the adults. The last day at Magic Kingdom we had time to kill before our last FP at Splash Mountain so we did the Bear Jamboree and the kids loved it! Again, it was a nice break for the adults too. We did quite a few shows at Hollywood Studios and they were all great! Disney Junior was perfect for our aged kids because they watch all the shows at home. There were bubbles and streamers and you got to meet the characters after for autographs and pictures. We did the Frozen show which was a sing along, and so adorable. We did the 3D Muppet show and my kids laughed and grabbed things the whole time. The last show we went to was Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios and it was beautiful! My kids had never seen the movie and were hooked. I had a few tears because it reminded me of my childhood. Hollywood Studios has a lot of StarWars things and had this walk of Storm Troopers and mini show pretty much every hour on the main strip. </div>
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<b>Disney Springs</b></div>
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Disney Springs is "Downtown Disney" and basically it is a strip of shopping and restaurants, free to get in to. You can take buses from your hotel or any park and it is a nice change of scenery. I was a little bummed by the lack of restaurants, especially kid friendly ones, but we ate a Blaze Pizza one night. </div>
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<b>Favorite Rides</b></div>
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<li>Adults- Space Mountain (MK), Everest (AK), Kilimanjaro Safari (AK), Dinosaur (AK)</li>
<li>Kids- Dumbo (MK), Teacups (MK), Tomorrowland Speedway, Aladdin Magic Carpet (MK), It's a Small World (MK), Toy Story ride (HS), </li>
<li>Supposedly the Avatar ride is out of this world but even 60 days prior to our trip, there were no FP available. The line was also 4 hours long and people were saying it was worth it! No thanks. So if you have a hookup for FP, try to get one of those!</li>
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I have been working on this post for a few days and trying to think of everything imaginable but I am sure I forgot stuff! If you have questions about Disney, shoot me an email! ruthiehart1@gmail.com. Overall, Disney World was exhausting, draining, expensive, and WONDERFUL! It was magical and worth it. I kept telling myself, "this trip isn't about you" because it was far from relaxing but it was incredible to see the magic through my children's eyes. They are already asking to go back... to which I am answering 5 years guys. Go with friends/family, go when your kids still believe in the magic, it is worth it!</div>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-76120533094269385512018-01-18T14:40:00.001-06:002018-01-18T14:40:19.309-06:00Our 2017 Family YearbookThe year Ford was born I started making family yearbooks as a way to chronicle the happenings of our year. I know you mamas can relate with the mountains of photos we have (okay not physical mountains but digitally, the number of pictures we take is Everest level, thank you iPhone 8+ camera). I do traditional baby books for each kiddo but wanted a way to keep track of what our family did, where we traveled, and how we grew over the years. I've been using <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a> for the past couple of years for our family year book (<a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2017/01/family-yearbook.html">2016 yearbook</a>) and Christmas cards (<a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2017/11/our-christmas-card-2017.html">2017 Christmas card</a>) and it is pretty much one of my favorite days when our yearbook arrives! Here is a peek into our 2017 family yearbook.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ214l5lZMw/WmEAbku-gjI/AAAAAAAAY1s/wV5E86wvYyMN_VfoqcMf-i69gmD1oj9EACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ214l5lZMw/WmEAbku-gjI/AAAAAAAAY1s/wV5E86wvYyMN_VfoqcMf-i69gmD1oj9EACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_6944.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">If you know me at all, you know that I am 100% type A and an organizational freak, so I want to share some tips on how I plan/create/execute our family yearbook. The last thing I want is to be drowning in photos and overwhelmed with the task of making the book, I want to pour into it, smile, and savor the memories as I create it with <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a>.</span></div>
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<li>I upload photos from my iPhone to my computer 1-2 times a month. When I do this, they automatically go into a folder by date (for example, February 2017 imports into a folder 2017-2). I also have a folder for each year that the monthly photos go into. When I upload from my iPhone, I get on my computer and filter through the photos, deleting random screenshots or pictures I only needed temporarily. This helps cut down on random junk and simplifies the photo book making process. If I take pictures with my DSLR, I upload them and slot them into the folder that the photos were taken in.</li>
<li>I try to work on our family yearbook photo book in Shutterfly every month or every other month. Photo books have a 100 page maximum and I wanted to keep it to 1 book per year so I have a rough outline in my mind of 8 or so pages a month with a few extras for the months with holidays (Halloween, Christmas). My yearbooks are 8x10 books with the simple white theme, but you can always change as you go. Some pages are dedicated to certain events (birthdays, vacations, holidays), but there are also a lot of pages I just have random photos on. </li>
<li>Wait for a good sale in the New Year to order your book. Since standard books come with 20 pages, I recommend waiting for a "free extra pages" sale and also to choose the lay flat pages option. It is so worth it. <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a> is offering 50% off all photobooks through Sunday January 21st!</li>
<li>If you are new to family yearbooks and want to create them for years past, don't get overwhelmed. Start by organizing your photos and work on the book little by little. You will be so happy you are taking the time to curate your memories because as years go by, they get smaller and smaller and it is truly incredible how a group of photos can take you back. </li>
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May 23rd, 2017 was one of my favorite days of 2017, the day we finalized Gideon's adoption. I could have never prepared for the emotions I felt standing in Jon's office, the same office we stood in on November 8th, 2016 and heard about a baby boy who had been born in Las Vegas the night before. A judge in Carson City, NV declared Gideon Aaron Hart our son, always and forever. Our house was on the market and I remember getting a call right after that about a showing at 6pm so we loaded up the kids in the rain and ate dinner at Sonic. The most special and memorable days for me aren't the fanciest or the most extravagant. They are the ones where I can vividly remember the love, the emotions, the hugs. </div>
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Our trip to Breckenridge, CO last summer also topped the list of best parts of 2017!</div>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-23128702070219503602017-11-26T14:45:00.001-06:002017-11-26T15:03:55.329-06:00Our Christmas Card 2017<span style="font-family: inherit;">I would like to announce that while it took every ounce of energy and self control in me, we did not put up any Christmas decorations or lights until 2 pm on Thanksgiving Day! Seeing beautifully decorated trees and stockings hung on the mantle as I scroll through IG has giving me the itch to start decorating but I had to give my cute little Thanksgiving decorations a chance. But now that Turkey Day has come and gone, it is full on Christmas season over here! We took our family pictures in October with Jennifer Rudolph (Austin friends, if you aren't using her, call her asap!) and pretty much ordered our cards the day we got our photos back. Once again, we are using my favorite favorite favorite online company, </span><a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shutterfly</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">! This is our 4th year in a row using them for Christmas cards and I swear they keep rolling out new features that make me love them even more. I wish I could have used about 35 pictures in our card but I figured no one cares about my kiddos precious little faces as much as I do but I love being able to search by number of pictures, theme, and even color to choose my card! It could not have been easier to click last years addresses, add a few more, and put our new addresses on all of the envelopes. I have sweet spot for scallops so this year chose scalloped edges and how stinking cute is the plaid on the back of the card?! <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a> will even stamp and ship your cards for you and although I still haven't taken advantage of that yet, I am thinking it is in the cards for future Christmases. Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of the season. I get to keep up with family and friends on social media but there is something about a beautiful card sent snail mail that gives me all of the feels. We hang up the 100+ cards we receive and love being surrounded by our people during the holidays, even if it is just a picture. We also spend time praying for each card in the New Year and save the cards until the next year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So if you aren't super OCD and basically want to order Christmas cards in July, you still have time! <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a> has amazing deals going on right now and production/shipping is quick! While you're ordering cards, you can also stock up on gifts for teachers, grandparents, and special friends... stockings, ornaments, photo books, and more. You know I have been faithfully working on our Hart Family yearbook throughout the whole year. Can't wait to show you all in the New Year! Happy shopping friends.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">P.S. Send me your Christmas cards! I only have 3 hanging so far and that is including ours hehe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">Thank you Shutterfly for partnering with me on this holiday post!</span></div>
Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-10154785432613400512017-11-20T07:06:00.000-06:002017-11-20T17:23:37.439-06:00Scootin' and Stylin' in the Evenflo SibbyHow on earth is my third baby ONE?! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was frantically trying to figure out this motherhood thing with Ford (and years later, not sure if I have figured it out!). Turning one is pretty big in terms of all of the "stuff" that comes along with have a baby. Trading in barefoot and naked toes for walking shoes, going cold turkey on formula and bottles (praise God, pay raise!), and time to pack away the infant carseat (luckily we have the <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2017/03/gideons-new-car-seat-evenflo-safemax.html">Evenflo SafeMax</a> for Gideon). We do preschool drop off 3 days a week (Ford 3 days, Lucy 2) and everyday is a toss up on whether or not Lucy will want to sit in the stroller or walk and if Gideon will throw a fit about being strapped in and angry that he's not running with the big kids. I love our double stroller but it is a pain to get in and out of the car quickly so I keep it in our garage for walks but most mornings I need something quick, light, and easy to get us into preschool in time before they shut the doors and you have to embarrassingly walk your kid to the front office. I am so excited to announce a new member of our family, the <a href="http://campaign.theshelf.com/4081ca27-138c-4a54-8d1d-43040c095667">Evenflo Sibby travel system</a>. First of all, I LOVE the colors... Ford and Lucy always talk about mommy's favorite colors being gray and black. Yay for baby items that don't scream "I have a baby" in pastels and primary colors. It is super sleek and folds up easily which is great for those mornings we are rushing into preschool. My favorite part of our new stroller is the ride-along board that connects to the back of the stroller and folds up when I don't need it. This is perfect for Lucy who wants to run and be independent but her little legs can't always handle the walk to the park or from the parking lot into a store but she is too much of a "big girl" to want to sit in the stroller. I've owned a handful of strollers in my 4 years of motherhood and nothing irks me more than the below basket being microscopic but the <a href="http://campaign.theshelf.com/4081ca27-138c-4a54-8d1d-43040c095667">Evenflo Sibby</a> has an oversized basket below, perfect for snacks, my purse, water bottles, and the 1 million other things we take every where we go. Gideon sits up quite a bit taller in the Sibby which he loves, Mister I Want To Be Big.<br />
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We are lucky to live around the block from an amazing park (mamas... completely shaded, separate playgrounds for bigs and littles, and nice bathrooms with running water...score!) and are there at least 3-4 times a week. Just like those crazy mornings getting into preschool, the Evenflo Sibby has been perfect for walking to the park with Ford on his scooter and Gideon and Lucy riding in the stroller. The last thing I need is for my kiddos to see me cursing a giant stroller that won't fold down or move easily so I am grateful for the light weight, easy to maneuver, and pretty Sibby. Oh and if Gideon should ever decide to sleep on the go, the <a href="http://campaign.theshelf.com/4081ca27-138c-4a54-8d1d-43040c095667">Evenflo Sibby</a> completely reclines and it is nice and dark for a snooze al fresco (also makes a great mobile diaper changing station).<br />
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His 4th molar finally popped through over the weekend! 12 months and 12 teeth, insane.</div>
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So as we head into Thanksgiving week, I am not only thankful for baby products like the Evenflo Sibby that make my life a whole lot easier, but I am thankful for sweet little moments with kiddos. The days are long (boy oh boy are they long) but the years are entirely too short. These moments of swinging on the tire swing and sliding down the big slide together are fleeting. There will be a day when they no longer fit in my lap, nor want to be in my lap, and my hands will feel absolutely empty without a stroller to push or a hand to hold. I can't even wrap my head around there being a time where my kids drive themselves to school and put themselves to sleep. I want to press into these moments before they are a distant memory that I wish I could return to. The beautiful mess of motherhood. Happy Thanksgiving friends!<br />
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Thank you to <a href="http://campaign.theshelf.com/647765b9-319d-4123-a71c-13dc7ff62482">Evenflo </a>for partnering with me on this post!</div>
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-87280942005028834142017-11-07T15:12:00.002-06:002017-11-07T21:32:00.096-06:00ONE YEAR<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">•O N E• One year ago this evening, we were mourning the loss of the daughter we thought we would be bringing into our family and God was already at work, bringing Gideon Aaron into this world at the exact time I declared to my friends “I just want a call that a baby is born and i am sure I️t will be a boy”. November 7th, 2016 I was not his mama yet but oh my has this boy stolen my heart in the past year. Happy birthday Gideon Aaron, a strong and mighty warrior who has been touching and changing lives since the day you were born. May your story stand to glorify God and be a light in this dark world. We are SO lucky to be your parents!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!" -Psalm 30:11-12</span></div>
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-24127847591747894722017-11-07T15:11:00.000-06:002017-11-07T15:13:17.906-06:00My Ebenezer Stone<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">James 1:27 says "<span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294">Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." </span></span><span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">James 1:27 doesn't make sense without recognizing that </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">God adopted us into his family. He adopted us out of death and into His Kingdom of everlasting love and life, the greatest form of adoption there ever was. Worship in it's purest form is caring for orphans in the eyes of the Lord.</span><span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;"> </span><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;"><span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294">Adoption shouldn't be our plan B</span></b><span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;"> if natural fertility doesn't work...we weren't God's plan B</span><span class="text Jas-1-27" id="en-NIV-30294" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">. Our Heavenly Father delights in our adoption of those orphans in widows, we are displaying the gospel of Jesus Christ. </span></i><br />
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<span class="text Jas-1-27" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">I wrote the words above on <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/">my blog</a> on November 1st, 2012. I sat in church on Orphan Sunday convicted by the Holy Spirit in a way I had never felt His presence. We had been married a year and a half and on the drive home from church, my husband and I looked at each other and knew that adoption would be a part of our story and how we grew our family. Two weeks later we got pregnant with our first son and when he was a year old, we got pregnant with our daughter. Over those combined two years, I prayed a confusing prayer. God did you really call us to adoption? Did I hear that incorrectly? We wanted to be obedient not only to what we are called to as believers but what we felt God call our family specifically to. And what did God tell us? Be patient. Trust me. Keep praying, I am not finished with your story. I remember it clearly. I heard a song where the lyrics read "You had a purpose, a rescue plan for me to move from orphan, to move from enemy, adopted in your blessed royalty." (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDys4JKZvvE">My King Forever by Jimmy McNea</a>l). I stared down at my 4 month old daughter while my 2 year old son toddled around. It was time. </span><br />
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<span class="text Jas-1-27" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">Through research and prayer, my husband and I signed on with Christian Adoption Consultants to start the journey of bringing home our third baby through adoption. We spent months preparing our home study, curating our family profile book that would be shown to expectant mamas looking to place their babies with an adoptive families, and praying. The world thought we were crazy, expanding our family with two young children, but we knew God was faithful. I quickly realized how little control I had over this process and felt like God was using this time to strip me of my control idol. My deep desire and need to know exactly what is happening and how it will ultimately unfold (parenting in general has done such a great job of slowly chipping away at idol!). One thing I have to remind hopeful/future adoptive parents and even the everyday person is that adoption comes out of sin and brokenness. We saw things and learned things that we can never unsee. Things that most of the world is sheltered from and ignorant to. A bold prayer we had prayed at the beginning of the process was being answered. God break our hearts for what breaks yours. </span><br />
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<span class="text Jas-1-27" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">July 5th, 2016 we got the call. We had been matched with an expectant mama, who I will call M, who was pregnant with a baby girl due November 10th. We were overjoyed! A sister for my daughter. We spent the next 4 months preparing our home and hearts for another baby and loving on M. One thing that no one ever talks about in adoption is expectant moms. They are scared, vulnerable, brave, emotional....loving on M was easy but foreign. There isn't any other relationship I had to compare it to but I made it my goal to love her well and show her who Jesus was. It was the first time since we started our adoption that it wasn't about the baby. It was about the mama. The woman who was carrying what could be our daughter, hundreds of miles away from where we lived. And it was beautiful. We Skyped, texted, talked on the phone, got to know each other, laughed when we compared how similar our sassy daughters were, prayed together, and we made plans to be family. I loved, and still love M so hard. </span><br />
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<span class="text Jas-1-27" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">The week before baby girl was due, I knew something was going on when I hadn't heard from M for a few days. I reached out to our social worker who hadn't heard from her either. Friday November 4th at 12:30pm is when we got the call. M had birthed a beautiful and healthy baby girl the night before and couldn't place her for adoption. My knees buckled and I started heaving. I had never known devastation and heartbreak like this and it was one of the only times I've ever seen my husband cry too. I felt sad, alone, and so fragile but never angry. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">Those next 2 days were a blur. We had a slew of friends and family come over to drop off meals, pray with us, pickup our kiddos, and with each new face I saw, the whimpering tears would start flowing. We never saw it coming, our social worker kept telling us this was "the best case scenario" and she knew M would go through with the plan. We didn't protect our hearts and loved with reckless abandon and I am so glad we did. I talked to M two days after we got the call and she couldn't stop telling me she was sorry. I felt so much peace and calmness talking with her. This was not my baby, it was hers. There had been a plan but nothing was promised. This was always her choice to make, never mine. I had so much joy that this beautiful baby girl would not experience the trauma of leaving her biological mother. She would grow up with biological siblings and parents who loved her so much that they couldn't do what everyone thought she should do. My joy, my peace, and my delight was not of my own conjuring. It was the power of Christ in me. "This wasn't supposed to happen". Yes Ruthie it was. This was your story all along. Those 4 months were predestined by God for me to tell M about Jesus! To pray for her heart and for her salvation and that she trusts in her Creator, our God. And she did! That conversation I had with her, 3 days after her daughter was born, she told me something that continues to be the biggest source of encouragement to me in my walk with the Lord. It was that my husband and I reminded her who God was and that He was for her. We had never exchanged last names before and I told her what we had planned on naming the baby girl, Penny Grace Hart, and she said, "Ruthie you are not going to believe this! Can I send you a picture of baby girl?". I cried tears of joy when I looked at M's daughter and immediately noticed the large heart shaped birth mark on her leg, dark and 100% visible. The Hart family was always meant to be a part of this little girl's story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">The next day, November 7th, 2016, I posted this on social media, asking for prayers and privacy with the announcement of our failed adoption. I had an overwhelming sense of peace that Monday morning and could feel the Lord helping me pickup the pieces of my heart and put them back together. I could smile knowing that He is sovereign, He is good, and His ways our higher than mine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">That evening I had a group of girlfriends come over to cheer me up with chocolate and girl talk. There were lots of tears but so many laughs and I told them that once we start back up the adoption process, I wanted to get a call that a baby had already been born. I couldn't bear the thought of going through 4 months of waiting in limbo or another failed adoption. Oh and I was sure it would be a boy because right upstairs I had spent the past 4 months decorating an adorable room for our daughter. God is just funny like that, right? Little did I know what God was up to that very evening. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">Tuesday November 8th, 2016 at 2pm. My kiddos were napping and a call from our social worker popped up and I instantly started the word vomit. I don't think I ever took a breath explaining to her how I felt the Lord healing me in such a miraculous way. I felt Him near me and inside of me. Psalm 103 tells us that God has compassion for us and those few days it was overwhelming how strongly I felt it. The moment I finally stopped talking she asked me, "Ruthie are you sitting down?" which of course the answer was no, I was pacing around, excited at the thought of feeling whole again. She told me to go get Jon who happened to be working from home downstairs and the next few hours were again, a blur. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.4px;">"There was a baby born last night"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">"It is a boy"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">"Biracial"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">"Are you interested?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">"Can you Skype with the birth mom?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">And the tears were flowing. Not the same tears we had cried 4 days before but tears of elation and of truth. God promised He wouldn't leave us, He is making all things new. That evening we wrote a letter to this boy's birth mom and she was shown our family profile scrapbook. Thursday she chose us to be her son's parents. Friday she signed relinquishment and we were on an airplane to get our baby. 7 days. God created the world in 7 days and in 7 days we lost a daughter and gained a son. This was all a part of His plan. The broken road to lead us to our son. Jesus you sit at the right hand side of God on your throne and are King of Kings. You are powerful, glorious, and worthy of all praise. You are a God who suffers with us. A God who came down to earth, took on human flesh, lived the perfect life, and died the perfect death. You suffered in a way that I can't seem to wrap my head around and you did it for me. And for my son, and for M and her daughter. You died so you can walk alongside of me in my suffering because you have been there. I will never again underestimate your power and what you can accomplish through your people. Sometimes you do greater things through people than with people. You told me 3 times to name our son Gideon. A strong and mighty warrior. Gideon Aaron, you are my Ebenezer stone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15.4px;">Here is a video we put together about the whirlwind journey to our son Gideon...</span><br />
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Ruthie Hart</div>
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@ruthiehart1</div>
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www.ruthiehart.com</div>
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-59234981271680313042017-09-24T19:59:00.000-05:002018-03-29T08:15:06.538-05:00Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Basically all of my favorite things rolled into an amazing and delicious treat! You have got to make these! I pretty much always have all of the ingredients on hand and it's easy to whip up in 10 minutes. Perfect as an after dinner snack or a sweet breakfast treat. (<a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/03/29/peanut-butter-banana-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-bars/">original recipe</a>)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup brown sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 large ripe bananas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup creamy peanut butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Mix together oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Add in milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until fully combined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Add mashed banana, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. Stir well</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes</span></div>
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-50191851237053321462017-06-07T07:22:00.000-05:002017-06-07T07:22:21.101-05:00Gideon 7 months oldWell here we are, closer to G Man's first birthday than when he was born... wow! Summer is in full swing, something I longed for this past winter when we were all home sick. Life has been flying by, hence the lack of blog posts around here but oh my word we are just smitten with our baby boy. His personality is blossoming, he is calm and sweet, easy to make laugh, and beautiful as ever. I feel like we'll have a mobile baby before we know it, and then life will get even more crazy! Look at this beautiful boy.<br />
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<ul>
<li>18lb 6 oz (taken on scale at home)</li>
<li>Gideon still only has his two bottom teeth... two months and counting. I thought he'd be getting teeth left and right but no more yet. He is full on teething... drools more than any other baby I've known and chews on everything. It is rare to see G without a bib on and he usually soaks about 4 a day.</li>
<li>We gave him his first food a month ago and he isn't really into it. We've tried green beans, apples, and bananas but I've only given them to him a handful of times. I am not too worried about it and with our move coming up, we plan on waiting to get more regular with food until we are all settled. He does love drinking water out of his sippy cup.</li>
<li>Our beautiful boy's face finally cleared up from eliminating dairy! It took about 7 weeks for the dairy to get out of his system and one day he woke up with the smoothest cheeks ever. It's been hot and humid the past few weeks so he's had a couple little breakouts but I have a feeling dairy is the main culprit and cause of his bad eczema. The back of his knees and elbows are still patchy. </li>
<li>Gideon had allergy testing a few weeks ago and that was just about the saddest thing ever. We had to go to 3 different labs to get the blood draw, he has extremely hard to find/rolling veins. We ended up having to go to the hospital to get it done and it was traumatic but successful. We should be getting those results this week or next and then meeting with the allergist. </li>
<li>Gideon is a champ at holding his bottle with the Lil Helpers bottle holder. He drinks 6 ish ounces of Nutramigen formula every 3 ish hours. He isn't on a strict feeding schedule so I really don't know how much he eats! </li>
<li>We are finally sleeping through the night rather consistently! G goes to bed anywhere between 7-7:30pm and sleeps until 6:30-7am. Occasionally he will fuss once in the night but we don't go in there. When we are home for naps, he takes two solid 2-3 hour naps in his crib but most days he takes his morning nap in the car/on the go and a good nap in the crib at the same time as Lucy in the PM. He sure is a trooper!</li>
<li>He is finally sitting up! Sometimes he can sit up for 10 minutes but sometimes he grabs for a toy and flops over immediately. This is huge for him considering a month ago he would't be able to hold himself up for even a second.</li>
<li>He loves standing in his exersaucer and jumperoo and he can play for a long time in those. </li>
<li>Wears disposable diapers during the day and size 3 disposable overnight diapers at night. </li>
<li>Wears mostly 9 month clothing... I think we will have to go to 12 month soon, he is so long!</li>
<li>Favorite toys are Zoli teether, Molar Mallet, mini Sophie, Freddie the Firefly, plastic cups and spoons</li>
<li>We finalized Gideon's adoption on May 23rd, 2017... what a special day! We also dedicated him at our church on Sunday June 4th, another beautiful ceremony. </li>
<li>G is super ticklish and smiley. He is so easy to make laugh! Ford and Lucy love getting in his face and making him giggle. He is so aware of them and loves watching them run around from the exersaucer. They are into making forts with daddy upstairs and Gideon loves to get in on the fun. I can't believe that he'll be toddling around with them in just a few short months!</li>
<li>He loves his baths and chewing on washcloths.</li>
<li>I haven't put him in the pool yet, the pools are surprisingly still pretty cold but he has had many days in the shade by the pool and lake. </li>
<li>G has had a few bouts of separation anxiety in the last week. Everyone always seems to ooh and ahh over him when we are out in public and he either gives the biggest smile or gives the lip and cries. So sad! He also can get shy... he'll smile and laugh and interact with someone and then bury his head into my shoulder. </li>
<li>He does wonderful with our babysitters, childcare at the gym, and nursery at church. Praise the Lord!</li>
<li>He loves grabbing faces, jewelry, bears, hair... he is a busy boy!</li>
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Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-29043047948399708802017-05-11T15:01:00.003-05:002017-05-11T15:04:12.633-05:00Gideon 6 months old <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our precious Gideon Aaron turned 6 months old on May 7th! How on earth has a half a year already passed by? He is happy, healthy, and the perfect fit into our family. This weekend I get to celebrate my first mother's day as his mommy (and his birth mama, R) and we finalize his adoption later this month. Gideon is so sweet and gentle, I couldn't love him more!</div>
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<li>17lb 2oz (41st%), 27.75 in (90th%), 17in head (42nd%)</li>
<li>Gideon has the most beautiful big brown eyes and his hair is starting to curl! I also feel like he is darkening up as he gets older.</li>
<li>We have a long and lean boy on our hands! We had his 6 month well check this morning and he is hitting all of the milestones, strong, and growing perfectly. He got two vaccinations which sucked and then our doctor ordered blood work for allergy testing and that was awful. We went to the lab in the building (we go to a clinic that has a bunch of different specialties, mostly adults) and they tried twice to stick his little veins but couldn't get enough. It was so sad... holding him down while he was screaming and flailing with a needle in his arm. They referred us to their pediatric specialty lab and I will go next week. They are testing for dairy, gluten, egg, soy, and nuts.</li>
<li>Gideon had an eczema flare up in these photos but it has cleared up about 80%! I was looking at him this morning and thought wow I haven't seen those cheeks so clear since he was a newborn! So dairy is definitely the culprit for his eczema and we will meet with an allergist once his blood work is back.</li>
<li>He is quite the eater... aka always eating. He drinks 6 ish ounces of Nutramigen every 3ish hours. Typical 3rd child I don't really keep track of how much he eats, whoops. His spitting up has also diminished drastically since going dairy free. </li>
<li>We started solids last week and he's had peas (he hated them), carrots (loved them), and apples (so-so). I am trying to do a little bit of solids every evening when we eat dinner. </li>
<li>Gideon got his two bottom teeth right after he turned 5 months old... no signs of any more popping through but he is a drool machine. We go through multiple bibs a day. </li>
<li>Sleep... not the greatest of subjects for us. 4 month sleep regression lasted about 8 weeks for us (holy moly I didn't think I would survive) and we are slowly getting better. Some days he will sleep 10-12 hours straight, but most days he eats once in the night and it is never consistent. He naps really well at home... yesterday took a 3 hour and 2 hour nap, woo hoo! He doesn't sleep so well on the go anymore because he loves playing and looking around but I am trying to keep him flexible so we can be out and about. He sleeps in his crib in a sleepsack (medium) with his soft little lovey, he clutches it while he sleeps it is so cute! He mostly sleeps on his tummy and cozies up to his bumpers.</li>
<li>Gideon is so strong! Just this morning I let him stand up on his own holding the chair and he stood for 10 seconds on his own. He is a rolling machine and often makes it across the room scooting and rolling.</li>
<li>He has just started being able to sit up for 5-10 seconds... he would rather stand.</li>
<li>He LOVES his jumperoo and doorway jumper... it is so cute to see him bouncing and playing with the toys.</li>
<li>Favorite toys: Zoli teether, his "crunchy" book, Freddie Firefly, bubba keg straw, Lincoln logs</li>
<li>Ford and Lucy absolutely love their baby brother and he is smitten with him! They know how to make him laugh so easily and he loves watching them play. I love thinking about how he'll be playing right alongside of them before we know it. </li>
<li>G can now flip out of the Rock and Play that we use to feed him bottles so we need to get rid of that soon... boo.</li>
<li>He goes to church nursery once a week, childcare at my bible study once a week, and childcare at the gym about twice a week... and he is so great! All of the ladies working love having him and he just plays and hangs out. </li>
<li>He has found his raspy little voice and sings and sings, especially when he is playing with a toy he will grab it and stare at it and sing to it.</li>
<li>Loves being in the swings at the park, he cracks up the whole time. Also loves going on walks... anytime he is fussy in the evenings we can bring him outside and he is instantly calm. </li>
<li>Very grabby these days... grabs at his toys on the playmat and grabs at faces, earrings, hair, beards.</li>
<li>He has the BIGGEST smile ever and it just makes me smile thinking of it. His mouth gets so huge and it is contagious. He is so easy to make laugh, I love his raspy chuckle. </li>
<li>G man loves his baths and just kicks and kicks with a stoic and concentrated face. I've started bathing all 3 kiddos together and Lucy gets so offended if he kicks her haha. </li>
<li>He is very ticklish, just like Ford and Lucy!</li>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-50837980400290298582017-05-01T19:42:00.001-05:002017-05-01T19:42:15.002-05:00Lucy 24 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lucy girl turned <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2017/04/lucy-is-two.html">TWO </a>years old last week and it still doesn't feel real! I snapped some pictures of her in her Pottery Barn Kids chair (I took her monthly pictures as a baby in it), I want to do it for each of her birthdays until she is 18. We had such a fun time celebrating our girl and I wanted to document what she is up to these days below...</div>
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<li>27lb (56th%), 34.5in (69th%), head circumference 19.25in (85th%)</li>
<li>We went to Lucy's 2 year well check this afternoon and nothing really to report. She was freaked out from the time we got there because she knew they were going to look in her ears (a few double ear infections have scarred her) but she seemed to calm down a bit...until her shot. Hoping we don't have to go back until her 3 year well check, yeah right!</li>
<li>Lucy wears 18 month, 24 month, and 2T clothes, size 4 shoes, and size 3 or 4 diapers. </li>
<li>Lucy still continues to be my best sleeper! Bedtime is 7-7:30 depending on her nap and she sleeps 12-13 hours in her crib, in a sleepsack. My plan is to keep her in her crib for another year because she loves it and seems to have no desire to have a big girl bed but we all know how that can change quickly. She sleeps with her two soft little blanket loveys, 2 My Little Ponies, 1 baby doll, 1 Beanie Baby, 1 soft baby, and usually a piece or 2 of play food. She is a little hoarder in her crib! I have a little pillow in her crib that she just started using but not every night. She still wears a traditional Halo sleepsack so no climbing out anytime soon.</li>
<li>Lucy is VERY verbal! She says 4-5 word sentences and blows us away with her vocabulary. We have some favorite words and phrases of hers- "Giddy CYYYING" "Haka" (chocolate) "I Wuff You". She is such a silly girl and loves saying things to make us laugh. Her newest phrase is "I don't like it!" and that's not fun. She says her brothers' names so good and calls herself "Wucy". I can't get enough of her little voice.</li>
<li>She went to the dentist for the second time last week and was sassy but did great. Her teeth are super close together and at a cross bite (under bite) which is not surprising because that's exactly how Ford's are. No 2 year molars yet but she didn't get her 1 year molars until right before 18 months. She loves brushing her teeth and we've been trying to do it twice a day.</li>
<li>Lucy sings her who night time song, Bye Oh Bye Oh Baby. Mommy is a lady. Daddy is a gentleman, and Lucy is a big girl.</li>
<li>The moment we sit down for dinner she clasps her hands and says PRAY!</li>
<li>She and Ford are buds lately and I love it. They know exactly to push each others buttons (and do it often) but they are also playing together so much more. Thank you Lord, this is why you have kiddos close together! They love coloring and crafting together and also playing house/kitchen.</li>
<li>Lucy loves coloring and drawing and play dough.</li>
<li>Her favorite toys are her ponies, her babies, her new Little People dollhouse, bubbles, Wedgits, Cozy Coupe, puzzles, cars.</li>
<li>She loves to dress up and dance in circles to music. </li>
<li>She is obsessed with her Mimi and Papa, not a surprise!</li>
<li>Lucy is a horrible eater and very picky. She has about 10 things she actually eats and most of them are forms of cheese. Her favorite foods are eggs, breakfast tacos, quesadillas, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, bananas, yogurt, cottage cheese, and any carb or sweet. She loves milk and drinks about 3 cups a day. I have to shove her Juice Plus gummies into her mouth everyday and she won't swallow them for at least an hour, gross. I know she will like certain foods but she just refuses to try, sigh. </li>
<li>She also has no desire to use the potty... she talks about it ALL the time and talks about her Minnie Mouse undies but so far no action. Hoping we can tackle that in the fall.</li>
<li>She loves Mickey/Minnie, Cailou, Bubble Guppies... actually pretty much any show.</li>
<li>She is a whiz on the iPad, it is crazy! She is so beyond all the baby games and loves Ford's spelling and word games!</li>
<li>She recognizes pretty much every single letter (thank you iPad!) and knows all of her colors and body parts. She also knows so many animals!</li>
<li>Lucy LOVES reading books and I can often find her in her room reading by herself if I am doing something with the boys. Her favorite books are Pinkilicious, Chocolate Me, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Good Night Moon, Jesus Story Book Bible, Little Critter books, She finishes lots of the sentences in books.</li>
<li>Lucy got her ears pierced 3 months ago and still loves them! She got a pearl necklace for her birthday and loves wearing it along with a pearl bracelet, such a girlie girl. </li>
</ul>
Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-57122682649364834972017-04-27T07:00:00.000-05:002017-04-27T07:00:14.535-05:00Lucy is TWO!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lucy Joy is TWO today! I can't believe two years have passed since I laid eyes on my beautiful daughter. Year 2 has been full of change for her but she is a loving big sister, a silly little sister, and a spunky, spirited, and funny little girl. Her vocabulary is incredible and she is physically strong and brave. We love this sweet lady with all of our hearts and cannot wait to celebrate her today! </div>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-67502197596398585362017-04-26T11:18:00.000-05:002017-04-26T11:18:29.022-05:00We're Moving!Yep you read that right, Team Hart is relocating to another part of Austin! The possibility of moving is something we have been praying about for 9 months now and we are so excited to see what the next chapter holds. We felt God calling us to another part of the city for diversity, mission, and to be closer to our family and church family. We closed on our new house a few weeks ago but won't move until later this summer once a full renovation is complete! Our current house goes on the market tomorrow so if you are interested, shoot me an email! I honestly never thought we'd leave this house or neighborhood (or move with 3 young kiddos) but God keeps making this path crystal clear. We would love your prayers as we sell our home (hopefully quickly!), tackle a fixer upper, and make the transition out of a house and community we've known for 6 years. It is so cool to think that many of you found my blog from our House Hunters episode and now that chapter of life is closing! Now please tell me how I can get Chip and JoAnna to come renovate our house in Austin!<br />
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854389253351284318.post-9209568170517057122017-04-07T07:00:00.000-05:002017-04-07T07:00:00.795-05:00Gideon 5 months oldI've never been so happy to see 5 months come... but never so tired. This month has been quite exhausting, but also lots of fun. The day after he turned 4 months old, 4 month sleep regression started and G man seems to think he is a newborn who wants to be up and eat all.night.long. This mama is not sure what to do but we are powering through and loving that our baby boy is sweet, easy going, happy, and laid back during the days. The smiles and laughs are golden, I love seeing his little personality develop! Gideon we love you so much baby boy, please sleep for us!<br />
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<ul>
<li>15lb 10oz (taken on home scale)</li>
<li>Like I said above, sleep has not been good at all this past month. Bedtime is between 7:30-8pm and every single night is unpredictable but he has only slept through the night once in the past 5 weeks. I know it is just a phase and we will power through. We are currently using the Merlin suit and sleep sacks instead of the swaddle.</li>
<li>He is a pretty good napper.... I am trying to get him to be flexible and nap on the go and he takes great naps in his crib at home. </li>
<li>Wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 disposable diapers</li>
<li>Gideon's eczema just got so bad the past few weeks that we decided to switch to a hypoallergenic dairy free formula (Nutramigen). We are 1 week in and his face looks SO MUCH better thank you Lord! He seems to have adjusted pretty well to the taste of it but the smell is repulsing. We are hoping this helps clear up is "snurfiness" too. We go to the doctor in a few weeks for his 6 month appointment and I am hoping to get him some allergy testing so we can find out what he is allergic to before we start baby food. This boy is an eater! He eats 4-6oz every 2-3 hours... always eating!</li>
<li>Lots and lots of smiles and they are just infectious. He is so easy to get to smile and laugh. Ford and Lucy love singing and doing funny things to get him to belly laugh. I think he totally recognizes them as brother and sister. They also love helping with him... grabbing toys and bottles and pacifiers.</li>
<li>He rolls and rolls and rolls! I am hoping he can start sleeping on his tummy soon but anytime he flips to his tummy, he is over it in about 5 minutes. </li>
<li>He is very ticklish!</li>
<li>He loves his Zoli teether, Freddy the Firefly, and Nubi teethers. He is getting so good at holding and grasping toys... he loves his playmat too! </li>
<li>He prefers standing over sitting up but seems to enjoy the Sit Me Up Chair and Bumbo in 10 minute increments. He is still a little wobbly in the exersaucer but we prop him up and he thinks he is so big.</li>
<li>We got our court date to finalize his adoption at the end of May, we are so excited!</li>
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<br />Ruthie Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210045144412040802noreply@blogger.com5