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| 30 weeks pregnant! |
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| She hated the snow |
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| First bowling trip! |
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| Diapering her baby doll |
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| Gosh, I just love that smile!! |
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| Playing at the park with Daddy |
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Sunday, January 27, 2013
Pictures: A Recap :)
Well, we finally upgraded ourselves to a nice little DSLR camera. It's been beyond exciting to not have just phone shots of our precious little girl! Here's a recap in the last few weeks. Enjoy!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Cloth Diapers: An Update
Wow. I cannot believe that it has been 19 months of full-time cloth diapering in our house! And we still love it. I did a 411 post on cloth diapering you can find here. I won't recap all that information, but I wanted to update on what we have found to really work for us now that we are a year and a half in.
We have gone for a streamlined all the same brand approach best we could. We felt as our daughter has various people care for her throughout the week, it would be easiest on them to have diapers that all functioned and went on the same way and fit. So, our stash is currently half and half BumGenius 4.0s (pockets) and BumGenius Elementals (all-in-ones). I did make my own inserts for the 4.0s because due to our hard water we had a lot of stink issues with the microfiber inserts that are included. I settled on inserts made with Pooters large hemp inserts with three layers of 100% cotton terry (old towel). The Elementals are 100% cotton already and have been great for us. Plus, they are super trim! For our daughter these two diapers have the same fit on the snap settings and have been very convenient to use. Overnight, we still prefer the Blueberry Deluxe pockets with a large SuperDo insert. They have been awesome!
Around 15 months in our daughter had yet another rash flare up and we finally ditched the disposable wipes we had been using. I bought cotton baby wash cloths from the Dollar Tree and a couple travel size spray bottles. We made a mixture of water with coconut oil to spray on her bum before we wipe with the dry wash cloth. Since then we have suffered no rashes! I'm amazed! The natural anti-bacterial properties and the fact that coconut oil is simply magical have been huge in our diapering journey. My daughter actually laughs when we spray her bum now. Totally fun.
We still use Charlie's Soap as out cloth and regular laundry detergent. We did opt to start using their hard water booster over vinegar to be gentler on the diapers' PUL.
We're expecting our second daughter in just a couple short months, and that set me on the journey to build a newborn cloth diaper stash. We plan to cloth from the day she comes home from the hospital this time. I opted to go with Green Mountain Diapers newborn prefolds and small workhorse fitted diapers for the new little one. We had tried both of these options on our oldest and LOVED them, but knew the pockets and all-in-ones were more practical with daycare, etc. We will be using Thirsties Duo Wrap size one covers to go over these all cotton diapers and I hope its as smooth a transition to diaper her as it was at the beginning of this journey!
Recently, Casey and I did the math on what we have put into cloth diapers financially (because it is a big investment) and broke the cost down over 4 years to account for our second child wearing them, too. We added $100 to our "money in" total to consider the diapers that may need replaced before we're said and done. We were shocked at the outcome. We spent essentially $12/month on diapers for 4 years. Wow! Talk about saving some dough! We were really excited and that's before any kind of selling of our stash when both girls are potty trained. Well well worth it for us.
I love talking cloth, so feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! Getting started is the hardest part!
We have gone for a streamlined all the same brand approach best we could. We felt as our daughter has various people care for her throughout the week, it would be easiest on them to have diapers that all functioned and went on the same way and fit. So, our stash is currently half and half BumGenius 4.0s (pockets) and BumGenius Elementals (all-in-ones). I did make my own inserts for the 4.0s because due to our hard water we had a lot of stink issues with the microfiber inserts that are included. I settled on inserts made with Pooters large hemp inserts with three layers of 100% cotton terry (old towel). The Elementals are 100% cotton already and have been great for us. Plus, they are super trim! For our daughter these two diapers have the same fit on the snap settings and have been very convenient to use. Overnight, we still prefer the Blueberry Deluxe pockets with a large SuperDo insert. They have been awesome!
Around 15 months in our daughter had yet another rash flare up and we finally ditched the disposable wipes we had been using. I bought cotton baby wash cloths from the Dollar Tree and a couple travel size spray bottles. We made a mixture of water with coconut oil to spray on her bum before we wipe with the dry wash cloth. Since then we have suffered no rashes! I'm amazed! The natural anti-bacterial properties and the fact that coconut oil is simply magical have been huge in our diapering journey. My daughter actually laughs when we spray her bum now. Totally fun.
We still use Charlie's Soap as out cloth and regular laundry detergent. We did opt to start using their hard water booster over vinegar to be gentler on the diapers' PUL.
We're expecting our second daughter in just a couple short months, and that set me on the journey to build a newborn cloth diaper stash. We plan to cloth from the day she comes home from the hospital this time. I opted to go with Green Mountain Diapers newborn prefolds and small workhorse fitted diapers for the new little one. We had tried both of these options on our oldest and LOVED them, but knew the pockets and all-in-ones were more practical with daycare, etc. We will be using Thirsties Duo Wrap size one covers to go over these all cotton diapers and I hope its as smooth a transition to diaper her as it was at the beginning of this journey!
Recently, Casey and I did the math on what we have put into cloth diapers financially (because it is a big investment) and broke the cost down over 4 years to account for our second child wearing them, too. We added $100 to our "money in" total to consider the diapers that may need replaced before we're said and done. We were shocked at the outcome. We spent essentially $12/month on diapers for 4 years. Wow! Talk about saving some dough! We were really excited and that's before any kind of selling of our stash when both girls are potty trained. Well well worth it for us.
I love talking cloth, so feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! Getting started is the hardest part!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Positives of Parenthood
It's come to attention (again) during my pregnancy how overwhelmingly negative people are about parenting.
- "Enjoy sleep now, you'll never sleep again!"
- "I was a complete crazy zombie the first 6 weeks after baby was born."
- "So and so had a 3rd degree tear!"
- "My nurses wouldn't let me have an extra pillow and I couldn't get comfortable at all!"
- "Baby cried, pooped on me, and continued to cry day after day after day."
- "My husband and I never get time alone anymore, much less have sex."
- "I can't remember the last time I took a shower alone."
- "Getting dressed is a big accomplishment for me now, and it been weeks since I've been out of yoga pants."
- "My kid always throws tantrums over EVERYTHING! I'm going to lose my mind."
- "Nothing helps. Nothing."
- "We never have money to do anything anymore. Everything we make goes to daycare and diapers!"
- Newborn insanity, terrible twos, know-it-all eights, drama twelves, I hate you fourteens, I don't need you sixteens...
- "My house is a disaster all.the.time. I never have time to clean, and when I do its destroyed in minutes anyway. What's the point?"
Do some of these sound familiar? Maybe you've even been guilty of saying them yourself. In recent conversation with a friend who is expecting her first child, she frustratingly stated, "Everybody talks about how awful having kids is, and I wonder 'why did I do this to myself?' Is nothing worth the bad days?"
It broke my heart to hear her so discouraged about the impending arrival of what should be the greatest joy and blessing of her life. Leaving that conversation, I've done a lot of reflecting on how I approach conversations with other parents and parents-to-be, and I'm trying my hardest to be honest AND encouraging at the same time. I can't let my bad days set them up to expect only bad days- especially, when that is far from the truth. Parenting is rewarding, parenting is worth it, parenting is FUN! So here are some of my "Positives of Parenthood" to hopefully encourage parents and parents to be.
1. While there will be many days where you're tired and frustrated they are far outnumbered by the amount of days your baby smiles, laughs, and hugs you just because they want to.
2. Caring for a small defenseless human being makes you a better, stronger, less self-concerned human being.
3. Having a child who mimics your every move and phrase challenges you in the most real way to make your actions and words authentic, real, and valuable.
4. When your child goes to the doctor every other month to check on their health and growth, it gives you needed encouragement that the dietary changes you made for your family are working. And those small unspoken high fives with yourself are huge when you debate ordering a pizza instead of baking up the chicken in the freezer.
5. You learn human life has more value, and you take extra precaution to protect those you can, even if you never met them- like not speeding and tailgating someone because you're running late to work.
6. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the first time your child walks up to you, grabs your face in between her small chubby hands, and (loudly) plants a kiss on your lips- just because she wanted to.
7. The desire to lay a strong spiritual foundation for your child in turn strengthens your own with simple Bible stories read nightly and a truly genuine goodnight prayer.
8. Bragging on your child's milestone achievement is totally nerdy and totally worth it. My kid rocks, just saying.
9. You feel younger in spirit and physique when you are crawling around playing with a baby.
10. Kids' toys today are way cooler now then they were when we were kids, and seeing your child's face light up as they discover something new with them is so so rewarding and worth the price tag.
11. Kids make you laugh. Really laugh. Their simple and innocent logic and action is beautiful.
12. You have experiences to look forward to- first family vacation, first trip to the zoo, first swim lesson, first day of school, first steps, first trip to DIsneyland, teaching them to drive, school plays, art work, dancing, puppet plays, shopping for prom dresses, etc. There is simply so much to live for.
13. You get to, in one of the most intimate ways, watch someone discover who they are, see their dreams, and their growth to reach them. How exciting is that?
My bottom line is no matter how scary, uncertain, or discouraging it may seem at times to have children, I promise, it is really worth it.
Embrace it.
- "Enjoy sleep now, you'll never sleep again!"
- "I was a complete crazy zombie the first 6 weeks after baby was born."
- "So and so had a 3rd degree tear!"
- "My nurses wouldn't let me have an extra pillow and I couldn't get comfortable at all!"
- "Baby cried, pooped on me, and continued to cry day after day after day."
- "My husband and I never get time alone anymore, much less have sex."
- "I can't remember the last time I took a shower alone."
- "Getting dressed is a big accomplishment for me now, and it been weeks since I've been out of yoga pants."
- "My kid always throws tantrums over EVERYTHING! I'm going to lose my mind."
- "Nothing helps. Nothing."
- "We never have money to do anything anymore. Everything we make goes to daycare and diapers!"
- Newborn insanity, terrible twos, know-it-all eights, drama twelves, I hate you fourteens, I don't need you sixteens...
- "My house is a disaster all.the.time. I never have time to clean, and when I do its destroyed in minutes anyway. What's the point?"
Do some of these sound familiar? Maybe you've even been guilty of saying them yourself. In recent conversation with a friend who is expecting her first child, she frustratingly stated, "Everybody talks about how awful having kids is, and I wonder 'why did I do this to myself?' Is nothing worth the bad days?"
It broke my heart to hear her so discouraged about the impending arrival of what should be the greatest joy and blessing of her life. Leaving that conversation, I've done a lot of reflecting on how I approach conversations with other parents and parents-to-be, and I'm trying my hardest to be honest AND encouraging at the same time. I can't let my bad days set them up to expect only bad days- especially, when that is far from the truth. Parenting is rewarding, parenting is worth it, parenting is FUN! So here are some of my "Positives of Parenthood" to hopefully encourage parents and parents to be.
1. While there will be many days where you're tired and frustrated they are far outnumbered by the amount of days your baby smiles, laughs, and hugs you just because they want to.
2. Caring for a small defenseless human being makes you a better, stronger, less self-concerned human being.
3. Having a child who mimics your every move and phrase challenges you in the most real way to make your actions and words authentic, real, and valuable.
4. When your child goes to the doctor every other month to check on their health and growth, it gives you needed encouragement that the dietary changes you made for your family are working. And those small unspoken high fives with yourself are huge when you debate ordering a pizza instead of baking up the chicken in the freezer.
5. You learn human life has more value, and you take extra precaution to protect those you can, even if you never met them- like not speeding and tailgating someone because you're running late to work.
6. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the first time your child walks up to you, grabs your face in between her small chubby hands, and (loudly) plants a kiss on your lips- just because she wanted to.
7. The desire to lay a strong spiritual foundation for your child in turn strengthens your own with simple Bible stories read nightly and a truly genuine goodnight prayer.
8. Bragging on your child's milestone achievement is totally nerdy and totally worth it. My kid rocks, just saying.
9. You feel younger in spirit and physique when you are crawling around playing with a baby.
10. Kids' toys today are way cooler now then they were when we were kids, and seeing your child's face light up as they discover something new with them is so so rewarding and worth the price tag.
11. Kids make you laugh. Really laugh. Their simple and innocent logic and action is beautiful.
12. You have experiences to look forward to- first family vacation, first trip to the zoo, first swim lesson, first day of school, first steps, first trip to DIsneyland, teaching them to drive, school plays, art work, dancing, puppet plays, shopping for prom dresses, etc. There is simply so much to live for.
13. You get to, in one of the most intimate ways, watch someone discover who they are, see their dreams, and their growth to reach them. How exciting is that?
My bottom line is no matter how scary, uncertain, or discouraging it may seem at times to have children, I promise, it is really worth it.
Embrace it.
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