Category Archives: lilian

>Veggie Kids?

>In the spirit of Veguary…
Even as far back as my pregnancy and Lilian being just an embryo, both concerned and curious people wanted to know: will my child be a vegetarian.  And the short answer was always “how would I know, I haven’t met her yet!”
As I’ve said before, I’ve been a vegetarian of varying degrees since I was 12.  I’ve gone years with NO meat, periods where I have the occasional poultry sandwich or chicken soup, a brief stint in veganism (my college experimentation), etc.  But for me, vegetarianism isn’t so much a choice, as just part of who I am.  People ask if I “miss” meat.  I don’t, and that’s why it’s easy for me.  I don’t like meat.  Both morally and actually.  I would however miss cheese, yogurt, and dairy, and that’s why I’m not vegan.  Morally, I’d love to cut dairy out of my diet, but I just “can’t.”  More on me another time though.
I did not have an entirely vegetarian pregnancy.  My meat-eating wife joked “when you’re preggers, you’re totally going to crave meat.”  Well, that didn’t happen either.  But I did have the occasional chicken meal both to keep my own health up (I suffered severe anemia while pregnant) and for the fetus’s health.  I also explored other protein and iron sources too though, I had for the first time both quinoa and Japanese seaweed salad (both recommended by my midwife) and found both to be delicious.
But when Lilian was ready to start eating foods, people wondered, would I impose my vegetarianism on her?  I don’t.  Do I hope she chooses my same path one day: yes.  But it’ll be when she’s old enough to know, understand, and make informed choices.  When Lily was still in baby food, I never once fed her meat baby food.  The thought turned my stomach – even homemade.  Meat in a blender, really?  But when she moved onto solid finger foods, she was given chicken breast pieces, meatballs, turkey coldcuts, hamburger, etc.  Things that Missy was eating for dinner, she got too.  But now that she’s old enough to order in restaurants, we let her choose, and more often than not, her choice is grilled cheese, mac and cheese, broccoli, salad, soup.  She’s actually not a big meat eater.  However her favorite meal is Chinese food: chicken and broccoli.  90% of the time, if you ask her what would you like to eat, she”ll reply “broccoli chicken… and rice.”  Her favorite part is the broccoli and rice, but she’ll have a few bites of chicken.  She actually really loves vegetables.  Broccoli is her #1 favorite food.  Carrots rate high too.  Just last night after work, I stopped and bought some baby carrots and dip to have as a snack before dinner.  I told her I got her a special snack, carrots and dip.  She lit up and replied “and broccoli” more as a statement than a request.  When we go out to dinner, if I order pasta/broccoli and salad and Missy orders chicken, or hamburger, or steak with a potato side, Lilian is much more likely to pick off of my plate in addition to her own.  So while she has vegetarian tendancies in her choices, she does eat meat. 
One day, I will tell her what meat actually is.  She’s an animal lover.  Animals are her “thing”, how some kids are obsessed with trains, dolls, or cars.   90% of her toys are animals (the remainders either Disney or Dora/Diego pretty much) and she carries around a few animals wherever we go.  Petting zoos are her idea of the “best day ever” and I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s riding a pony, even if it’s a mechanical carousel one.  One day, she’ll put two and two together that the chickens she sees at the petting zoo/farms is the same chicken she requests for dinner.  And maybe she’ll be OK with it, as many people are.  Maybe she won’t.  But she’s too young to understand now the killing and eating of animals.  She has no concept of death, and she lives and sleeps with animals (chihuahuas) and I’m sure she can’t fathom eating them.  But at some point it’ll all click, and the choice will be hers.
I’ve known two vegetarian kids (and by kids, I mean aged 10 or under).  One was a little boy I knew growing up.  He was Indian and his family’s vegetarianism was religious.  But at age 6, he didn’t have the same emotional attachment to the religious beliefs of his family as they did.  And birthday parties that served burgers/hot dogs, even when the parents provided veggie options for him, were stressful.  It made him different and maybe even weird.  Maybe it made him resentful.  Who knows.  The other was a 10 year old girl for whom I was her nanny for a while.  For her, it was a moral/health choice imposed on her by her mother, and it was lifelong.  She, however, had no desire to eat meat.  She was taught it was disgusting, and quite frankly she was preachy and rude about it, which isn’t really my style either.  Both scenarios are not what I want for my kids.  I’m sure there are many well adjusted vegetarian kids out there, but I want it to be Lily’s choice.  If it weren’t for Missy, i’d probably never purchase it and bring it in the house (I didn’t before her), but if Lilian wanted it out of the house, or asked for it, then she’d get it.
I really appreciate the fact that I was allowed to make choices as a kid & teenager.  My parents respected my choices and judgments and I think that helped build independance, free thinking, and confidence.  After one year of religious after-school classes I wanted to stop going, and they allowed me that choice.  My dance and music lessons lasted as long as I wanted them to, I was never forced to continue OR stop going.  And when I refused to eat meat as a kid, my parents said “ok,” which I think some parents might not have been so agreeable to.  I grew up to be an intelligent, educated, and opinionated woman.  Though some of my opinions differ greatly from my family’s, it is because of the choices they allowed me, that I was able to develop beliefs of my own.  I want the same for Lilian.  I’ll certainly share my beliefs with her, and so will her other mom, and so will a lot of other people I’m sure.  But ultimately, I will respect her enough as a human and a girl to let her make her own decisions.  (Though I hope she’ll choose broccoli over hamburgers forever…)

>Check M or F?

>I made an interesting discovery today.  The mom that I nanny for left the baby’s birth certificate on the table (she was recently taking him to get a passport), and I noticed that the parent lines say “Mother/Parent” and “Father/Parent” and have check boxes next to them with M and F to check.  This is just like the marriage licenses in Massachusetts that don’t say Husband/Wife, just party A and B or something like that, with sex selection boxes.  Why is this important?  Lilian’s birth certificate says “Mother”: me. “Father”:________
So, some back story.  You can go here and read the “long story” of our two marriages… http://lilfamily13.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-now-pronounce-you.html . But the relevant part is, that even though we had a legal civil union in 2007 in New Jersey, we got a legal “marriage” in Massachusetts in 2008 just 5 days before Lilian was born.
And here’s why… the way I understand paternity laws is that if a couple is married, it is automatically assumed that the husband is the father of any child born during that marriage.  So even if they use a sperm donor/bank, the husband is automatically listed as the father on the BC (birth certificate) with no need for proof.  Even if it’s obviously impossible (if a man loses his fertility due to illness or injury), he is legally the father.  And so in 2008 when the governor passed the law that New York State will recognize ALL legal marriages with all the same privledges, we assumed (and hoped) that this one would count.  Since Missy and I were legally married, in the hospital I listed “Melissa HerLastName” as the “father”, since that’s the terminology they used.  When Lilian’s BC came a month later, I appeared alone.
Can we get Missy on the BC?  Yes.  Through adoption, which is legal in NY (same sex adoption), but that requires lawyers, court visits, social workers, etc.  And most importantly, money we don’t have or WANT to spend on that.  The BC should have come that way, for free, and we shouldn’t have to deal with this hassle.
But now that the New York BC’s look different, maybe it is more standard.  Maybe since Lily was born just one week after the law was changed, someone in town hall just messed up and didn’t know better?  But I want it reissued, and I want it for free.  I believe we’re entitled to it.
I plan on calling/writing to the city hall where she was born, or Albany if I have to.  I hope I can get it cleared up easily.  But if not, I want to fight it in court.  I don’t want an adoption, I want the original BC reiussed.  And I think any other couples in our situation should get the same.  So my next step will be to find a civil rights lawyer that would like to take this on, pro bono.  Hopefully it won’t come to that.  But tomorrow I’m going to start making calls.
If anyone knows anything about this that I don’t, i’d love to hear your feedback.

>Gimme My Ball! Give me MY BALL!!!

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We had a breakthrough in Lilian’s language skills last month. Before that, Lilian had a HUGE vocabulary… she knew words that shocked me even, she could name every animal, color, food, things in nature, actions, etc. But she had never put words together to form sentences or even phrases. She’d ask for “more”. And I’d say “more what?” And she’d say “juice”. So I’d say “can you say ‘more juice please?'” And she’d say “please”. So I’d say, “no, say ‘more juice.'” And she’d say “juice,” just repeating the last word that I said. But people told me that the phrasing would come, and when it did, it would come rushing out like a waterfall… and so it did.

Last week, while we were packing, we came across an orange Reese’s “kickball” that we got her at Hershey Park last year, but it was mostly deflated, so it was given to our dachshund, Elliot. Well, the next day, Lilian woke up and when she walked into the living room and saw Elliot chewing on her ball, she ran over to him with her arms extended and declared “Gimme my ball!” It was so hilarious, Missy and I tried to suppress our laughter, because it was also a milestone moment: her first sentence! She kept saying it over and over as she got angrier and angrier “give me MY ball!” “gimme my BALL!” (Elliot never did give it up to her).

Then later that night, when we went to the bathroom to wash up, instead of doing her usual pointing up at the sink and saying “brush”, she went to the bathroom and said “brush teeth.” And she handed me a book and said “read book.” She asked for a “monkey cupcake” (Missy had baked banana cupcakes in monkey paper wrappers). She asked to “feed Spock” (her fish, pictured below). And so on and so on.

She’s certainly not speaking in full sentences yet, but we’re one step closer. She has definitely figured out the merits of putting words together to express herself, and I guess we’re on our way!

Blog posts are always more fun with photos… so here are a few photos of Peanut from September. Her hair is a little wild now, we’re growing it out and it’s kind of in an in between stage right now, but it kind of suits her.

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(Sleeping with Philip)


(While you’re here and reading, please click on one of the ads to the right or below… it helps me out, and it really adds up!)

>Yo Gabba Gabba Live!

>Today was Yo Gabba Gabba Day!

We were given comp tickets to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live by the kind people at the Oakdale Theatre and the awesome Yo Gabba Gabba promotional staff (thank you, Michelle S!)… and we had an awesome time!

The show was in Wallingford, CT which was about 2.5 hour drive from us, but worth the drive, considering we mostly see shows in NYC, but the PARKING there is horrific, so it’s well worth the extra drive time to avoid the city altogether. The theatre was beautiful – spacious, clean, and wonderful.

This was Lilian’s first show since she was just a few months old (which I’m sure she doesn’t remember) and she was excited and it blew her mind that the characters were right there and LIVE!

They did an adorable balloon segment, where they give Brobee balloons to cheer him up, but then he flies away with all the balloons, and all the kids marveled that he could fly!!!


But then it got one step cooler as they released hundreds of balloons from the ceiling onto the audience! Lilian caught a green balloon, and she was so happy! She felt like she was part of the show.

Then they did a bubble segment… what kid doesn’t love bubbles? You can see them on the left in the photo below, I swear I had never in my life seen THAT many bubbles all at one time.

Then Biz Markie blew all our minds with Biz’s beat of the day! He was on the screen first, but then he said he wished he was there with us, the screen split, and the real Biz Markie came out! That got a lot of applause from the parents too.

Party in My Tummy was a big hit, Lilian loved the dancing carrot (below).


And then the grand finale. (with confetti pouring on us).

The show was interactive, colorful, fast paced, and just wonderful for the kids and the parents. DJ Lance is totally adorable and did a great job holding the children’s attention.

Lilian had such a good time, Thank you again to Yo Gabba Gabba Live for sharing this experience with her!

>The Place Where It Began….

>A few days ago I wrote about moving, and how we need to, sooner than later. So that inspired me to look at houses online…

And today we went to look at a house… I loved it. It was perfect for me. Missy had a few “i wish” things about it, but overall she loved it too. That’s all I’m going to say about it right now, because it’s all in the works, and may not even work out… and that’s not really what this post is about (but, whether or not we get the house, when it’s decided, I’ll write about it.)

But… I was just sitting here thinking about moving, and the strangest thought hit me.

In the past 1.5-2 years, I’ve really grown to hate the house we live in now. For a year or year and a half, I really did love it, but then things happened, and our family grew, and I learned to hate it. We didn’t even bother to decorate when we moved it, we have NO art hanging on any of the walls, etc. It always felt temporary. But now that the possibility of moving on has presented itself, I got really nostalgic about one thing. (I will say goodbye to our yard/deck, my garden and rose bushes, sun room, and other parts that I do love, with no problems).

But as I sat on the bed with Lilian, I remembered that we MADE her in this room. She was an idea… then we made her. And she was conceived right here in this room. And I grew her in my belly in this house. And then we took our 6.5 pound baby home, and she looked so tiny in her carseat, and we ate Thai food while she napped on the table that day, in this house. I’m not reall sentimental about any of her other firsts here, but for some reason, thinking about leaving the room where she received life is making me sad right now. I know it’s not a magic room that makes life, but in this moment it kind of feels like it is. It’ll pass… and the last time I walk out of this room with its ugly gray walls (the painter F-ed up the paint color, it was supposed to be taupe), I’m sure I’ll be glad to move onto bigger and better (literally), but right now as Lilian and I sit in this spot, the very spot where she began, I feel a little nostalgic.

>She Always Makes Me Laugh…

>Kids do the weirdest things… and Lilian is no exception. She constantly makes me laugh.

So… a few days ago I was folding laundry on the bed, and when I got to the bottom of the basket, Lilian climbed inside and was pretending it was a boat… the whole time while wearing a pair of my panties as a vest.
It made me think of that Rub-a-Dub-Dub nursery rhyme even though she’s in a laundry basket and not a tub, and she’s one girl and not three men…
Still she made me laugh.

Then today, her new diapers came in the mail. (I was so thrilled with our Mother-Ease set that I ordered 2 more covers and 3 more diapers. Well, as soon as I opened the box, she was so excited and was naming the animals on the covers (one is the Ocean print and the other is the Savanna jungle print) and naming the colors as she put them on… and when I say put them on, I mean she put all 5 on! Four limbs + one head… is room enough to wear 5 diapers at once, I guess six if you count the diaper she was already wearing on her butt when the box came!


So here is her new collection of diapers from Mother-Ease. On the left is two one-size diapers in white and green (the white one was the free one we reviewed), in the middle are pink and blue Sandy’s (we haven’t tried this style yet), and her three covers pink and Ocean Air Flows (the pink was the free one we reviewed), and the Savanna jungle Rikki wrap (a velcro version). And we have 6 liners four cotton, one organic cotton, and one bamboo to see which we like the best! The new ones are in the laundry now, and I can’t wait to try out the Sandy’s and Rikki wrap styles!

>Weaning… part 1

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So, my daughter is 2 and still drinks from a bottle (the photo on the right is from last week). She doesn’t ONLY drink from a bottle, she can use a sippy cup, she can drink out of a real cup (though it sometimes gets dumped down the front of her shirt if I don’t help her), and she just learned to use a straw about two weeks ago. But she still uses a bottle and she still drinks formula.

Some back story… I planned to breastfeed. Before I even got pregnant, I knew I’d breastfeed… but what I didn’t know, is that breastfeeding requires teamwork with a newborn that doesn’t always comply. For her first 3 weeks of life, Lilian rejected the breast and only wanted bottles. At some point, she’d breastfeed sometimes, but she was always a mostly bottle drinker. I pumped breastmilk until she was 8 months old, but even then I had milk supply issues so she was always supplemented with formula. (All of that was very emotional and depressing in the first year of her life, but the disappointment of not being able to breastfeed did eventually pass. I hope to be able to breastfeed future children, but I also realize it’s not the end of the world, and I gave it my best try). To add to the confusion, she had milk protein allergy, so she was on hypoallergenic Nutramigen (and still drinks it.)

At one year old, the pediatrician recommended whole milk – and it made her sick (and made her scream in pain), so we tried lactose free milk – with the same result. So we went back on the formula. We were told that the main reason children are taken off of formula at age 1 and put on milk, is because formula has a lot of calories in it, and they want to prevent childhood obesity. But Lilian has been off the charts for weight (below the 0 percentile) for a year, so that wasn’t a concern. The doctor told us if she started to get overweight, we’d have to switch her, but she’s still underweight. In the past year, we’ve tried soy milk and she just simply won’t drink it.

She has a healthy appetite, and everyone who knows her knows she’s a good eater. She eats pretty much everything except oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and spinach – these seem to be the only food she hates so far. Her favorites are broccoli, olives, salad, pickles, chicken, and cheese. She eats beef (hamburgers or meatballs), turkey, tofu. She eats carrots, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers. She loves rice, pasta, and will nibble on bread. She eats ice cream and cheese with no problems. She has a healthy variety.

She also drinks juice at home (once a day with dinner) and in restaurants. Sometimes as a treat we’ll order her lemonade. But she drinks a lot volume wise, she likes to drink. (And she also pees a lot!) I stopped bringing a bottle out with us a few months ago. In restaurants, she’d just sip out of a glass (and I’d help her tip it back so she didn’t tip too far and spill). And in the past two weeks, she’s drinking out of straws, which is fun and exciting. But a few times a day, she’d still ask for bottles of formula – first thing in the morning, mid-morning, before and after nap, and before bed.

Well, my mom told me I was crazy to let her have a bottle still, that she should have been off it ages ago, to just take it away and that’s it. And the pediatrician at this last visit told us no more formula! Soy milk only, from a cup. And then the last few days, we spent a few days out of the house – 2 at my mother in law’s house, then 2 at our friend’s house for a pool party sleepover… and I just took the opportunity to not even bring a bottle, and so she went 4 days without it. She drank juice, some sips of soda, some water, and someone even got her to drink a cup of chocolate soy-milk (with a spoon). Today would have been Day 5 I think with no bottle.

A few times today, she asked me for a bottle, and I just said “no bottle” and offered juice or something else, a distraction. But she’s had very little to drink over the past few days compared to usual. Then after her nap today, until bedtime she was very whiney and clingy. If she threw a tantrum, it probably would have been easier for me to say no. But she asked only once for a bottle, and when I said no, she just whimpered and requested a hug instead. She made me hug and cuddle her for 3 hours. If I released the hug a little or loosened up, she’d cry again and say Hug. After a few hours of this, I decided to give her a bottle. So I did, and she drank 5.5 ounces of formula, handed me back the half-drank bottle, and now she’s relaxed and content. And I feel good about the decision.

Does she need to give up the bottle, of course. But does it need to be cold turkey with no explanation that a 2 year old can understand, I don’t think so. She gave up the pacifier on her own at 7 months, she just spit it out in her sleep one night and never reached for it again and so I packed them away and we never looked back. And no bottles in public has been the first step, and maybe we’ll now say just one a day or something. But it just felt so silly to see her suffering when I had cans of formula and bottles in the kitchen. One more day, three more days, one more week, or even three more weeks doesn’t matter and isn’t hurting anyone. It just felt like I was going against all my parenting philosophy of going with my maternal instincts and letting her guide her own development. I’m not concerned that she’ll be 6 years old running around with a bottle, but just because she turned 2 last week also doesn’t mean that it needs to be torn from her hand and packed away forever. We’re both clearly not ready, and it may take a little more time, but I’m okay with that. So if we can get through days without it, then good. And if she just needs it once in a while, I’m okay with that too. It just breaks my heart to see her so sad, when she doesn’t understand why I seem to be saying no for no good reason. We’ll get there…

>The Things They Say…

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Sometimes kids say weird things. Babble, or things that don’t really make sense. But sometimes they say things, and just because YOU don’t know what they’re talking about, doesn’t mean they’re wrong!

So, at Lilian’s birthday party before anyone was leaving, I found her standing on the corner of the deck saying “bye bye, bye bye” over and over again. I thought she was nuts! I told her no one was leaving! But yet she kept waving and saying bye bye, so I looked where she was looking, and sure enough, a balloon was floating away and we watched it and waved until we couldn’t see it anymore.


Then today, she was sitting on the bed, looking rather distressed ad saying “uh oh, uh oh” over and over. I didn’t see anything wrong though, so I tried to talk about something else with her. But she looked guilty, and she just couldn’t let it go, but I only took my eyes off her for a second (we were coloring in a coloring book in bed), and I couldn’t imagine what would cause her to be saying “uh oh.” Then I noticed it. I had a big container of diet Lemonade on my nightstand, and the corner was kind of dark (it looks brighter with flash in the photo on the left), so I didn’t see it right away. But sure enough, there was a (green glitter) crayon floating in my drink. Thanks, kid! For what it’s worth, at least she felt guilty about it and knew she did something wrong. And did I still drink it, you ask? Yep! I fished the crayon out, and I’m still drinking it now, as a matter of fact.

It’s all part of being a mom…

>WINNER – Personalized Boutique

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Finally, we’ve drawn the winner for the Personalized Boutique engraved birthstone necklace.

Since there were so many entries, I decided to do this drawing “old school.” And to go with that theme… I put all the paper ballots in an original Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox. (This lunchbox belongs to my wife, it’s one of her prized possessions, she’s had it for a long, long, looong time.)

Going with the “old school” theme, the ballots are written in Crayola crayon. 64 in all. How funny, 64 ballots like the old “64” boxes of crayons.

We folded them and put them in the lunchbox.
Lilian couldn’t wait to get on her hands on that lunchbox! Gimme gimme gimme!

And she’s picking… the big moment!
And the winner is…
Kathy from Wannabe Earth Mamas blog.

Sad you didn’t win? Please head over to Personalized Boutique and place an order! To receive a discount, enter coupon code LFB (for Lil Family Blog) to receive 10% off any purchase at http://www.personalizedboutique.com

Thank you to everyone who entered! I have a few current giveaways going on right now, please click on the Giveaway link at the top of the page to go enter.

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>Rocky Mountain Diapers – REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

>In our cloth diapering a toddler journey, I am trying out another style, thanks to Rocky Mountain Diapers. We ordered two diapers, one for Lilian to try and one to give away. We were sent the grapefruit/lime and mango/lime combos – (meaning pink and orange, both lined with green.) We tried the pink one on Lilian, since I am crazy about the color pink, and so we could give away the more gender neutral color.

(Below, Lilian models the Rocky Mountain grapefruit/lime diaper. If you have a toddler, you know it’s sometimes impossible to get their attention, and often difficult to get them to what you want them to, when you want them to, so please excuse the fact that she wouldn’t look at the camera, at least we can see the diaper well!)

The website for Rocky Mountain Diapers has an awesome history of the adjustable elastic diaper where they give credit where credit is due, in inventing the adjustable diapers. But, something I like about this diaper vs. some other one-size brands, is that the adjustment system is inside, which you can see in the 2 diagrams in the center of this page, as opposed to an external fold & snap system like some others, which is both cumbersome and unattractive. The exterior is made of PUL, a waterproof fabric to prevent leaking (so no cover is needed) and the interior is a (colored) soft suedecloth, which helps keep the skin dry. And since they are a pocket diaper, they require a microfiber liner… which comes included with the diaper (another benefit, no hidden costs!) They come in 6 colors, but with a different color inside and out, so I assume there are 30 total color combinations. The colors are cutely coded with fruit names: grapefruit = pink, mango = orange, lemon = yellow, lime = green, berries = blue, and chocolate (OK, not a fruit, but still delicious) = brown. And because these are one size adjustable diapers, you should be able to buy your stash for your newborn, and use them until potty training!


A few more shots of Lilian modeling her Rocky Mountain Diaper.

So how did it work for us?
Wonderfully!
Since Lilian is nearly 2 at the time of these photos, and 22 pounds, we didn’t need to tighten any of the elastics, but it had a nearly perfect fit (on the tighest snap setting on the waist). The inside mircrosuede fabric is incredibly soft, and different than a fleece, is unlikely to pill. The pocket has a top flap, so the insert doesn’t peek out, so the diaper has a very streamlined, neat look to it. Lilian wore the diaper for a 4 hour stretch at her grandma’s house, and we had no leaks! It washed beautifully, it still looks like it’s brand new, no fading or pilling. The colors are adorable. And, I like that it’s adjustable, so if she is lucky enough to get a baby brother or sister, we can use it right from the start! I prefer snaps over velcro, because although it may take an extra 30 seconds to fasten on the child, they don’t get caught on things in the laundry, and they told collect lint and ickiness like velcro can. To me, snaps last longer and look better for longer, and the lifespan of the diaper is important to me when making choices. And my last favorite part about the diaper, may seem silly to others, but is important to me: color and cuteness factor. It is important to me that everything I purchase and use is cute and attractive. Function is just as important as appearance. And these are totally cute, but my favorite part, is the colored interior. White never seems to keep its crisp appearance after the first few washes and starts to look old, discolored, stained, and just ick. But the fact that you can choose the interior color of these diapers, and the insides are pink, green, blue, etc. for me makes all the difference. Stains or discoloration may not harm the functionality of the diaper, but for me it ruins the experience. And the colored interiors I think will look nicer for longer, increasing the lifespan of the diaper.

WIN ONE!

I have the orange Rocky Mountain diaper pictured to give away to one reader!

Mandatory Entry:
You must be a public follower of my blog either via Google reader/friend connect or Networked blogs. Just leave a comment and tell me about the diapers you currently use and what works for you.

Additional Entries (all worth one unless otherwise specified) Please leave SEPARATE comments for each entry you are entitled to:
* Like Lil Family Blog on Facebook
* Join Rocky Mountain Diapers on Facebook.
* Click on both the “Top Mommy” brown button and “Picket Fence” buttons on the right of my page to vote for Lil Family Blog on both sites. (worth 1 total entry)
* Click on the black Swagbucks button on the right and sign up as my referral. (Will be verified on the Swagbucks site).
* Add one of my buttons to your site (again, on the right of my page, copy the text below the button and then paste it onto the sidebar of your blog). Worth 2 entries.
* Post about this giveaway on your blog or site and leave me a link where I can see it.
* Share this contest on
Facebook. (Can be done easily with the little “F” icon on the bottom of this entry near the comments).
* Add me to your
blogroll/blog list on your site.
* You get one additional entry for every friend/family member you get to enter (they have to leave an extra comment saying who sent them).

This contest will end on September 3, 2010 at 11:59PM EST, no more entries will be accepted after that time. The winner will be chosen at random and announced within a day or two on the blog. The prize will be shipped directly from me to the winner within a reasonable amount of time, but has been provided by Rocky Mountain Diapers, and I cannot be responsible for any defects or issues with the product. Please see my disclosure link on the top of the page for fine print.

Good luck to everyone entering, and please visit the GIVEAWAYS tab at the top of the page for other cool giveaways, and product reviews to read!

*Disclaimer* – I purchased this product from the wholesale/blogger portion of their website and will be refunded the full value of the item upon review. I was not paid in any other form for our review. All photos, words, and opinions are my own except those quoted. Photos may not be used anywhere else on the web without my permission.