Wednesday's rose/thorn

Wednesday's rose: G and I had to run to target to pick up some Huggies Pure & Natural because we're not CD'ing on our trip to the Ohio River. So despite my attempts to get us in the shortest check out line, we found ourselves in the slowest moving one. Apparently it was her first day. Needless to say, we were stationary in line for quite some time. I amused G by tickling and kissing her. It wad so precious. She kept giggling & smiling back at me, as if to say, "I love you momma! Keep playing with me, it's so fun!" I just melt with each little giggle.
Wednesday's thorn: late bed time. To get to our current destination we have an 8 hour journey broken up by stopping at my in-law's home for the evening. Regardless of stopping, bed time was going to be late. Instead of the 6:15 pm bedtime she needed due to her last nap ending early, G got a 9:30 pm bedtime by the time all was said and done. You naysayers of 'sleep training' may assume she slept later, but you should know better from previous posts. She was up at 6:15 am. Tragic.

Thoughts on how to help my blog

Dear Readers (few that you are),
I'm seriously wanting to grow my blog. From a lot of googling and researching there are a few things I need to do.
1. Get my own domain. This will have to wait until funds become available. It'll cost about 10$ for the site name and ~8-10$ for monthly hosting fee. I don't want to shell out the cash until I'm making revenue from this site, first.
2. Social network my 'boo-heiney' off to increase traffic. Please 'like' my blog's Facebook page and share it with all your friends. I used to have a twitter but closed it because I never used it...guess I need to jump back on the bandwagon.
3. Post often & on-theme blogs. Letters from Momma's theme is parenting & family life. See below.
4. Blog surf & comment to increase traffic back to my site.
5. Increase my traffic over all to get a higher google page rating so traffic is thereby increased more.

These are a few of my own plans:
1. Have a daily theme so readers know what to expect, and I can link up with other bloggers.
2. Earn money from ads and sponsored posts.
3. Host a weekly or bi-monthly giveaway to help other moms learn about cool products & my family's opinion on them.
4. Set aside a certain amount of time for blogging but don't go over it so that it doesn't cut into my outside life, especially Baby G.

Here's what I'm thinking for my weekly themes:

Monday: Menu Monday as seen on Vanderbilt Wife. Post my weekly food plans & link up to Organization Junkie. This should also help me stick to our food budget too. Double win.
Tuesday: letters to baby G day. Write my precious daughter a letter about her past week. I chose Tuesdays because they are her week anniversary. Next week she will be 23 weeks old!
Wednesday: wordless Wednesday as seen on a variety of blogs, I'd want to link up to them. Post only pictures.
Thursday: thoughtful Thursday. I'd like to post the thoughts I've been having about parenting & choices affected by being a parent.
Friday: this day would be my proposed give away day, I need to work on that. For now it could be the giveaways I'm entering.
Weekend: one day of the weekend I will post that week's set of roses & thorns.


So, what do you think??? I want you guys to start commenting! You can do so without needing to sign in! Just click comment & leave your thoughts & name...of course you can log in or leave your own blog's URL too!

Tuesday's rt

Tuesdays rose: G took a double nap!!!! Woohoo!! Her mid day nap is typically 45 minutes long, but on Tuesday she woke briefly at 45 minutes & returned to sleep for another 40 minutes. As a mother slightly obsessed with her baby's sleep...this was so exciting!!
Secondary rose: G gave me what I consider to be a hug! Her arms were wrapped around my shoulders & she leaned in!
Tuesday's thorn: major (what I think) teething pain for the baby girl. She was really irritable most of the day and went to bed early.

Monday's Rose/Thorn

Monday's Rose: Our friends came for a play date & the girls wore matching dresses and we took their pictures! I love having friends that have so much in common with us :-)

Monday's Thorn: G hit her head yet again rolling in her crib during nap time. I don't know what to do. I don't want to use bumpers for fear of suffocation, but I don't want her to keep getting 'hurt'. She also cried pretty hard at bed time...what's up with that??

a mother's love--or, Why Babies are Born

Dear G,
I was recently asked by your first-cousin-once-removed, by marriage, Cory, a question that has stayed with me for several days.

Why do women want babies? 

My instinctive, intellectual answer was, because we are hormonally programmed to procreate, basically, it's nature's way of keeping the human race going. My Catholic and faithful answer is because God wants it to be so. But, I really thought the question deserved more pondering. She commented, and I'm paraphrasing, that she feels many women want babies just like they want puppies, but often neglect the fact that babies, and puppies, grow up. I think, in several cases, this is true...but not always, and certainly not in my case. Babies are cute, snuggle-y, precious little gifts from God--but a lot of work goes in, and any pregnant woman who tells you that she isn't the least bit scared hasn't thought of the sleepless nights she will have worrying about her once-baby-now-17-year-old-who-hasn't-come-home-and-it's-2 am. Once that test shows positive, a woman never stops being a mother. She never goes on vacation and she never gets a break. Her children are always on her mind. Even when her children are grown, married, and have children of their own...she still worries about them. Grammy told me that in some ways, it is worse now, because now she has you to worry about too!
But, back to why women, specifically your mother, want babies. Aside from the scientific and divine, it comes down to an intrinsic motivation to love. My friend Rachel said that she wanted a baby because she had so much love left to give despite being in a wonderful marriage. This is where my thoughts come into play. I wanted a baby because of the love that your daddy and I share. Upon meeting him, I knew that we were supposed to be together, married, in love, in a family. I knew we were called by God to be a married couple with children. We are supposed to share the gifts that He has given us with others, primarily our children. The love that Daddy and I share is so special that you were born out of it. The bible says, "and the two shall become one," and through children that truly happens. That's what I told Cory, too. I told her that I wanted a baby because the love Daddy & I share is so great, we created another life that physically represents that love.
That's why I wanted a baby.
I am a mother because I want to help you grow into a woman worthy of heaven, but at the same time successful on Earth. I knew, before you were conceived, that it was my job to help you achieve those things. I have goals for you, but they are mostly fill-in-the-blank because as you grow up, you will develop your own goals that complete the vague ones that I have for you now.

I want you to love God.
I want you to achieve your intellectual potential.
I want you to help people.
I want you to be polite and understanding.
I want you to love and be compassionate.
I want you to be healthy.
I want you to be positive and optimistic.

These are a little more specific:
I want you to be good at conversation & relating to people from all walks of life.
I want you to be able to clean up after yourself & cook for yourself and others. 

On a more fun note, here are a few things that I am really looking forward to doing with you as you grow into a toddler.
Baking yummy treats together.
Drawing pictures for Daddy.
Going on walks, where you walk too!
Swinging together.
Going to a variety of lessons or practices and seeing what you excel at.
Snuggling up on a rainy day and reading books near the window.
Snuggling up on snow days, drinking hot cocoa and watching movies.
Making new friends & talking about what you did at his or her house.
Skipping chores and taking all day to build a tent fort to tell stories in.

Just so you know, I love being your mother now too...it's not all just forward thinking.

I love watching you wake up.
I love feeding you, even though you are so distracted sometimes.
I enjoy watching you explore your world, and seeing you get attached to things as they become a 'favorite'.
Your smile lights up a room, and I'm proud of you (and us!) when they compliment your behavior.
I appreciate how you get frustrated when you can't go where you want to go because you haven't figured out crawling yet...
I love everything about you!

Sunday's RT

Sunday's Rose: G was so WELL behaved at the BBQ we went to, despite it being a pretty loud setting. She nursed very well, not distracted at all. She played well & smiled at everyone. She seemed to enjoy all of the different sounds/voices.

Sunday's Thorn: we were pretty late for church and it was NOT G's fault!

Saturday's RT

Saturday's rose: this was a great day, but the best part was snuggling in bed with G & her daddy. We were lazy until about 9 am and we all loved being together. The husband made waffles & I ran to get us Panera drinks (thanks discover points for the gift card). When G took her first nap, we did too!
Saturday's thorn: We went out on a date & left after we "thought" G was asleep. Our cousins watched her and apparently she woke up 5 minutes after we left. It took them 1.5 hours to get her back asleep. While our date was lovely, this was still a thorn because I feel bad she was missing us and they had a tough time with her. They loved watching her though! :-)

Whole Hand Club!

Dear G,
You're officially in the whole hand club!! So what if it's five months, not five years! We had a melancholy day overall (you hit your head and were pretty clingy-understandable), but took some cute pictures. None of them really show your best smiles, but they definitely show your firecracker personality. I also kept several hilarious out takes.



As a whole-hander:

• You weigh 14.6 lbs
• You are 27.3" tall
• You can sit up unassisted, especially if you use your hands to help hold yourself up, like that you can go for 10 minutes+ but with your arms up you can last around 1-2 minutes.
• You roll over to your belly ALL the time but don't roll the other way too much.
• You crawl in circles, although you are starting to get the "inch worm" movement. You get very frustrated that you can't go anywhere. You're working on it, but you're not quite strong enough yet.
• You hate diaper changes. You are a very squirmy baby (daddy calls you a wiggle worm) but diaper changes are the worst! You flail around more than ever. You used to wiggle during changes, but now that you are heavier and stronger, it's pretty ridiculous to change you.
• You like standing in your go pod, swinging, and being in the beco.
• You hate naps, but get very fussy without them. As in, very.fussy.
• You take 3 naps a day, typically 1 hour, 40 minutes, 40 minutes.
• You eat about 7 times a day.
• You sleep through the night about half the time, the other nights you wake between 3:30-4:30 am to eat...it's always random because we can do everything the same and on one night you'll wake up but another night you won't. Silly baby :)
• You LOVE, love, LOVE you're "Who hid the Honey?" board book. You're back up favorite toys are a blue octopus that plays music & a granimals crinkle book.
• You are very aware of your surroundings, including new babies now...at a recent playdate you tried to eat a baby's hand and pull his ear.
• I don't think you recognize your name yet, but you definitely know momma's voice from anything else.
• You are a ridiculously distracted eater.

Speaking of eating, you are probably ready for solids. You like watching me eat, especially with a spoon.
Fun story:
The other morning I was sitting on the floor next to you eating my oatmeal. You were staring at me, so I talked to you, "Take the spoon, put it in the bowl, put it in my mouth, eat the oatmeal!" You thought this was captivating. So I did it several times & you caught on. I put the spoon in the bowl and then put it toward your mouth & you opened! Now, I realize this seems pointless because you put anything into your mouth, these days, but it was a different type of movement. It was like a baby bird waiting to be fed. When you put random things into your mouth it opens like an exploration, but this was definitely you knowing it was food. I thought it was pretty cool, but then when I didn't put any oatmeal in your mouth, you got every mad! Your daddy says I shouldn't tease you, so I won't be doing that again.

I can't believe that at the end of this month you will be half a year old!!

cute out take

octopus toy

favorite book!

Friday's RT

Friday's Rose: G had a super fun playtime with Daddy. I was there, too, but I just love watching them together. We also read a little critter's book together as a family. Such fun :)
Friday's Thorn: G hit her head on her crib slats, rolling instead of napping. :(
Additionally she fought all naps again. She ended up falling asleep nursing at 5 pm & I just held her while she slept 25 minutes. While it's a bad habit, it was sweet & peaceful for both of us.

Check out the changes!

Dear readers,
I spent a LOT (too much) time today making my blog look a little better. My hope is to take it somewhere cool & profitable. I've added a spot on the side where you can "grab my button" and add it to your website/blog so that people can click on it and get to my site. I hope you choose to take it! Let me know if you do, and I can "grab" yours! I also made a fancy header (although it's not centered on the page as I had hoped...stupid blogger). Hope you like it!

Also, if you do nothing else, PLEASE PLEASE click on the banner for "We're on the Fence" (on the right side) as that will help my blog get a higher ranking on a blog compilation site. It's not an add or anything, it's a way for my blog to get noticed. Thanks :-)

Thursday's RT

Yesterday's rose: G let me snuggle her a little bit instead of squealing to get down and play :) I thought to myself, how lovely it would be if we could just snuggle here all day...and then she wanted down to squirm and practice her crawling skills. I bet she'll be crawling before 6 months.
Yesterday's thorn: she.fought.all.three.naps! Finally I let her fuss/cry it out until she fell asleep on her belly. That's starting to become a new trend.

Prefold Diapers

Dear all cloth diaper mommas,

Do you prefold?? (I doubt I get any comments, but here's to hoping!) Why? What kind? What fold? What covers do you use?

When I decided to cloth diaper, I knew the main reason was to save money. I think it has saved us money, but probably not as much as I had hoped--although we do still have many months of saving remaining in the life of G. The best way to save money through cloth diapers is to use 'flats', which I was not going to do because of the amount of time required to fold them and (seemingly) the complexity of the different folds. Second cheapest option: pre-folds!
Sign-me-up. (I do have a variety of other kinds though, as you read about in my other diaper posts 1 & 2).

I researched the best kinds, the best covers, and I watched several YouTube videos on how to fold diapers. My favorite was this one:

What would we do without the internet??

So to prepare for our prefold journey, I bought thirsties hemp duo prefolds and an extra small cover, my mom gifted me a value box of econobum prefolds & 2 thirsties covers, and my sister got me a cute gender neutral printed thirsties cover. About a month after her birth, I bought G some extra cotton infant size prefolds and a gender SPECIFIC thirsties cover.

During the early stages of prefolding, we would just trifold the diaper and put the cover around her. Eventually, this stopped being very effective due to dirties. I had some snappi's, so I decided to break those out, and try the other methods of prefold diapering. So I re-watched the video above and started doing the winged fold and most often, the twist fold. Originally I thought the twist looked uncomfortable, but it really is best at holding in dirty messes and doesn't seem to be any more uncomfortable than any other prefold option. They are just bulkier in general, sorry G, I know it probably makes it a little harder to move around.

prefold & snappi

I have often questioned my decision to use prefolds because they are not very fun. I also don't think they are as 'easy' as I had hoped. I get all stressed out trying to change one when we are out and about...add that to the heat and you have a recipe for a mad momma and a mad baby. Oh, and don't even get me started on how tough it is to change her, in general, now that she would rather be playing than being changed. Pocket diapers are so.much.easier. Oh well, maybe it's like breast feeding...and it'll just get easier as time goes on. (HA, that has a bit of sarcasm behind it, seeing as how G is growing more and more distract-able while eating)

Rose/thorn

I've been thinking of a way to write more often about meaningful things to G and me. So I am planning to start a rose/thorn daily post. I'll start with yesterday.
Rose: A friend came over for dinner and G was very happy. My husband also enjoyed seeing his friend! G had previously been pretty grumpy with he came over but yesterday they got along great!


Thorn: We had to run to Aldi to get some supplies for dinner...but they didn't have heavy whipping cream!?!?? So we had to run to another store, meaning more time in the heat and pushing back G's nap so she got over tired & the day got all off schedule.

Vaccinations

Dear G,
We just got back from your 5 month shots. It was just a quick visit because typically babies don't go to the doctor at 5 months...but because we are doing an alternative vaccine schedule, we went for 2 shots today. Dr. Rahto was on vacation (lucky man) so we saw Dr. Brunner's nurses. Dr. Brunner is who saw you in the hospital and at 7 days old. She's awesome, so it's nice to have her as our back up.
Today you received the vaccinations for Polio (IPV) and pneumoccocal conjugate (PCV13). At your 4 month appointment you received the DTaP and HIB vaccines.
Daddy went the first time because I didn't know if I could handle you getting purposefully poked. It was sad, but you did well. So, I didn't think he needed to ask off this time. We went alone & I'm so happy to say: we did great!!
You cried out a little bit right after the shock/prick pain sunk in...but as soon as I picked you up, you gave us all some smiles :-) I kept my game face on and didn't let you see how nervous I was.
You are so smiley, everyone comments on how much of a happy baby you are! I'd like to take some credit for that, but mostly it's just you! You're so amazing.

So some may ask why we aren't following the CDC recommended vaccine schedule...it's because through all of my research, it just doesn't seem like a baby benefits from receiving 6+ shots at once! I understand that vaccinations are beneficial at erradicating diseases and helping people from not getting sick. You will receive almost all of the vaccines but not at the typical times. We won't be doing the rotovirus, flu, or chicken pox vaccine. Those immunities, for now, you'll get through breast milk. The rest are set back 2 months and spaced out.

The CDC schedules have babies getting the hepatitis b vaccine at birth. We declined that because you are not at high risk for that. Dr. Rahto agreed we can wait until closer to kindergarten for the HepB series. The next recommendation is to get lots (6) vaccinations starting at 2 months, which we declined. We started your shots at 4 months. It gave you some more time to build up your own immune system, love being a natural baby longer, and avoid adverse reactions in such a young baby. The remaining 4 (from declining rotovirus & pushing back HepB) are split on a 4/6/8 and a 5/7/9 schedule. The nice thing that Dr. Rahto keeps reiterating is that your birthday is at a really good time because you'll have all your main shots in before the winter, even with delaying them.

I encourage all new moms and dads to do their research about vaccinations. Ask questions. Find good doctors who have open and honest conversations with you about why/how/etc the CDC says what they say...

But don't worry baby girl, we do want you to be safe(r) from getting sick, so you'll be getting those shots. I say safe(r) because vaccines don't make you 100% safe from getting a disease.

There are more shots to discuss, but I'll do that when the time comes (after 1 yr old).

Diapering Lessons & Reviews

G in a thirsties' duo cover, 4 weeks old

To all parents considering cloth diapering:

As a mother who did a lot of research about the in's and out's of cloth diapering, and has now been cloth diapering for over 4 months, I'd like to share with you some experiences and reviews of products I use(d). There are many new products I haven't tried, and many brands I don't own. These reviews are products I use all the time and have experience with.
To view the post that I wrote prior to the birth of my daughter click here. It contains information about the various types of diapers, reasons to diaper, my expectations/thoughts about the topic before actually doing it, and links to various places.
Now, I realize that 4 months is not really that long, but trust me, changing diapers 24/7/rain or shine/number 1 or number 2, I feel like I've been doing it since the day I was born. I do advise you to do your own research, but I'm happy to be part of that as I consider myself an expert of sorts now because I have tried a variety of diapers and a variety of methods.

Ok, ready for the good stuff? 

Detergent.
This is lesson number one. For the first few months of G's life, I used Purex Free & Clear (PFC) based on the information found online that suggested many moms had good things to say about it. I didn't want to shell out the extra cash for fancy-schmancy cloth diaper specific detergent. I knew that PFC had the potential to build-up (that is, leave residue behind that could cause rash/irritation) due the fact it still contained brighteners/enzymes. So to combat that possibility, I read up on how to strip diapers (wash using dawn dish soap, vinegar, or a variety of other methods & then rinse a million times in HOT water) should said build up occur.
The long story short is that the build-up did occur, despite extra rinses, using less-than-recommended amounts, and a variety of other steps taken to remedy the situation. G got diaper rashes, especially after being in a wet diaper over night (the good news is that I can tell you how to keep a heavy wetter's overnight diaper from leaking at all). After several days in disposables and Zinc/Rx cream, she was all healed up...and I thought my diapers were stripped. I.thought.wrong. Back to disposables it was....I finally just bit the big-spender-bullet and headed over to my local diaper store to pick up some Rock In Green.
Lesson learned: just start with diaper specific detergent and save yourself and your baby's bottom the trouble.
Rock In Green (RiG) is awesome; it gets the diapers so soft, smelling new, and rinses out leaving nothing behind--but there are many other brands to choose from. Check out this chart, but stick with the good ones, don't risk anything below 4 stars. Or, at least don't say I didn't warn you.

Washing Method.
You've gotta find what works for your situation, and I tried a variety of methods before settling on my current one. If you have regular water and a top loader, try this:

• Use a diaper sprayer (we use Bum Genius Diaper Sprayer - love it!) to spray yuckies off your diapers before putting in the pail (I'd squeeze/wring out excess water). Put plain ol' wet diapers straight into the pail.
• Do laundry every other day so that nothing gets too smelly in your dry pail. I, and almost every modern CD'er, do not suggest the wet pail method favored by our mothers.
• Do a cold rinse and if you are not exclusively breast feeding, include a pre-wash solution, like Thirsties pre-wash or Bac-Out, to get rid of bacteria.
• Do a HOT LONG wash cycle with the appropriate amount of detergent (varies based on what you're using. For RiG I use 2.5 tbsp, for PFC I typically used 1/4 of the way to the number 1 line).
• Double HOT rinse.
• Do another cycle to make sure all bubbles are gone, if diapers seem like they need it.
• Line dry many items, but usually I tumble dry because it keeps them soft. I ALWAYS line dry my pail liners and my covers.  

line drying my diapers

 Diapering Product Reviews. 5 point scale based on ease, fit, and protection in my experiences with my daughter who is very long and average weight, with chubby-for-her-size thighs
 - Click on the diaper name to be linked to manufacturer's information.

Prefolds.  
*Thirsties Hemp Duo 4 
These are great absorption diapers. They definitely cost more than plain cotton prefolds, but they are worth it for heavy wetters/over nights. They do take a bit longer to dry, and are white so they may stain (nothing a little sun won't cure). They are easy to fold and are trim/thin under covers and clothes. I'd suggest having these in your rotation for sure. 
*Econobum 100% cotton 3 
These are pretty thick prefolds, which is a good thing for absorbency but bad for fitting under clothes. We used them even when G was to small to wear them. We put them under her while changing her so that the changing table stayed dry if she decided to go mid-change. She has just begun wearing them in the past 2 weeks. They aren't perfect fits when trying to fold 'angel-wing' style, but are great for 'twist' or 'newspaper' folds. For the cost, just get run of the mill prefolds, but I do like them. 
*plain cotton prefolds 4 
Cheapest way to diaper your baby. We got ours at our local diaper store, $20 for 12. I think you can find them even cheaper online. You can get a few different sizes that fit babies from newborn to toddler. They are easy to clean, and once you get used to them, they are fairly easy to put on. I would love to give them a 5 because I don't think they are that hard...but of course there is some work involved and they can add bulk to babies' bottoms.

Covers. 
*Thirsties Snap Duo Covers 4.5 
These, as I stated in my first blog, are great because they have the ability to fit what are normally two sizes of babies. They snap up or down to fit what equates to size 1 to about size 3 in disposables. They are great at keeping wetness in, and have only had a few blow-outs (nothing a disposable could have done about those either!). Come in snap or aplix close, but we only have the snaps and I highly recommend them, as aplix (velcro) will be easy for growing hands to rip open.
*Thirsties Regular Aplix (non-duo) 4  
These don't do the snap up or down thing, but fit great for the size they are for. I have the extra-small size aplix closure in these, and they were great for little babies growing fast in the waist. Aplix really allows for a customizable waist fit. The Duo type costs a bit more than these, but as stated, these will only fit a specific size, so you'll buy more in the long run. 
*Econobum Snap One-Size 2 
Don't waste your money. They came with a package deal I received, and I'm glad I got the prefolds that came with them, but the covers are nothing compared to the Thirsties, so don't buy them separately. 
*Bummis Super Bright 4 
Received hand-me down and despite being older, it's in good condition and hasn't leaked yet. I think the leg 'gussets' could be nicer. Overall, no complaints. 

Fitteds.
*Kissaluv Organic Hemp 4
Completely different fit than the regular (see below). I really like this fitted. It comes with an extra snap-in insert that makes cleaning dirties off a lot easier. Change these pretty soon after they get wet because it doesn't seem to keep moisture off G as much as I thought it would. I really like fitteds in general because they contain dirty messes even better and work nicely under wool covers. Not a perfect score because it is harder to get a cover over these than prefolds.
*Kissaluv (regular) 3.5 

The worst thing is the fit. I think these are for skinny thigh, chubby belly babies because the sizing is completely opposite what G needed. She's not 15 lbs yet but has been out of the "up to 15 lbs" size for a month. Also note, they will never be as soft as they are when you buy them. 

Pockets.
*Tots Bots 5
My absolute favorite diaper. I knew they would be from all the reviews I read before buying one on amazon during a sale. They are pretty expensive (in my opinion), but totally worth it...though I'd hold out for a sale and buy several. The insert is connected and easily doubled over inside. The velcro is amazing. The fit is PERFECT and there have been no leaks. This is a quality diaper imported from Scotland. Very soft too. BUY BUY BUY!
*FuzziBunz 4
Great option, very popular. The model I have doesn't have double gussets and that's my only complaint. It's very easy to stuff and add extra hemp inserts into. They fit very well--I like the double rows of snaps. Good middle of the road option.
*Happy Heiny's Mini One Size 2
These were a complete disappointment!!! I bought two and wish I hadn't. They leaked a lot! I think it had to do with G's shape, but still. They didn't fit great and after a few wet leaks and a few unfortunate dirty leaks, they're out of rotation. They may work well for some babies, but not ours. The positives were the size options and the very sticky velcro. They were absorbent, but the leaks came out the leg holes.
*Rumprooz 4

I thought I would like this diaper more than I did, but it is still a great diaper. It is super absorbent and contains practically all messes. We did have one dirty leak--but it was user (re: daddy) error. I really like the double gussets and the option to use one or both inserts it comes with. The inserts are very absorbent...the manufacturer calls them 6-r soakers because each insert is 6 layers and can typically handle even the heaviest of wetters. I also really like the double rows of snap closures. It didn't receive a 5 because it is pretty bulky when stuffed with both inserts. Also kind of pricey! 

All in One's.
*Lil' Joey's (by Rumparooz) 4
Very handy for little newborns and tired moms & dads who want to cloth diaper with no added hassle. This diaper requires no stuffing and even has an umbilical cord snap-down feature. It washes and dries pretty easily, but didn't really fit G very long. It says it goes up to 10 lbs, but seeing as how she was born almost 9 lbs, this was an expensive, short lived diaper. We have two that are in perfect condition for our next newborn ;-). Though they seem costly, if you don't give birth to large(r) babies, I think the ease may justify the price.


Miscellaneous.
*Thirsties Hemp Insert 4
Many, many layers of absorbency. Add to any pocket or prefold diaper...not perfect because it NEVER gets dry in the dryer when everything else does.
*Baby Kicks Hemp Insert 5
"Body shape" style insert, very absorbent and fits perfectly into most pocket diapers.
*Hemp Babies Little Weeds Insert 5+
This is a large wash cloth size, fold-able hemp insert. Perfect option to add absorbency for overnight. Add this to a Thirsties Hemp Duo and you've got a no-leak-guaranteed option for night time heavy wetters. My husband tried to use it a stand-alone prefold, but it didn't wick away moisture at all, so I wouldn't suggest it.
*Bum Genius Microfiber Insert 3
Compared to hemp inserts, these just aren't as absorbent. They do great at pulling moisture in and away from baby, but I wouldn't put it directly next to her skin. Use these to stuff pocket diapers or add absorbency to cotton prefolds.
*Kissaluv Pail Liners 4
The only reason these aren't perfect is because the inside of the liners seem to attract detergent in the wash and not rinse completely (so I take them out and rinse separately so the diapers aren't affected). Keeps pail dry & fits a kitchen size trash can (I use the step-can kind with a lid).
*Planet Wise Wet Bag 4
I use this for my on-the-go bag. I've never had anything leak through and the prints are really cute. The zipper is nice to close everything in. It hasn't seen a lot of use, but so far, so good.


Disposables.  
*Huggies Pure & Natural 4.5
These are the only disposables we've ever used (except the Pampers Swaddlers they used in the hospital) and the only ones I ever care to use. They are better for her bottom and better for the environment because they biodegrade faster and are made with more natural ingredients that typical disposables. They are, however, still a disposable diaper. That does mean, though, they are very EASY to use and get rid of. They are a pretty good fit. G is long and lean, but has chubby thighs (she got it from her momma). The tabs are very easy to apply and quite stretchy. I also like the 'wetness' indicator. I've only had one through-the-diaper leak due to heavy wetting at night. She has had a few blow outs in these diapers that got ALL over her clothes and anything near them...but I honestly don't think any other diaper could have contained those bombs. You will pay for the Huggies name brand, but if you are trying to find a 'green' disposable, you will pay more anyway...I highly recommend these.


Wipes.
We've not made the switch to cloth wipes. Perhaps with the next baby I'll suck it up and go for it!
*Huggies Natural Care 3
My biggest complaint is that they tear easier than expected. There are just better options out there, but they do their job.
*Kirkland's Signature (Costco Brand) 4
We received these as a gift and I liked them a lot. Hypoallergenic/unscented. They come in a big box, but each pack of 100 inside has its own reseal-able, travel-like package.
*Pampers Sensitive 5
My favorite wipe, especially the thick type.
*Up & Up Hypoallergenic (Target Brand) 4
Very good economical option.


I'll write more about the actual process of cloth diapering in another blog, I think this is plenty of information for one post :-)

One month old in her fuzzibunz

Sleep revisited

Dear G,
Just a quick letter to let you know about a frustration of mine lately. This does not take away from the fact that I love you so, so, so much! In fact, I could snuggle you all day...but you wouldn't like that because you are such an inquisitive little girl that you would rather be playing, squirming, wiggling, touch, tasting, looking, etc...
That's good though :)

What is frustrating me is the fact that your sleeping habits are getting crazy. I really don't know how else to explain it. Crazy. There's really no rhyme or reason to it, and at first I thought that you were just having an off day-two off days-a few off days...but it's been a while now and things are progressively getting crazier.

You used to (after we did the "sleep training") be able to put yourself to sleep pretty easily and you would go to sleep without crying almost all the time. Occasionally there would be a little fussing. You also had been sleeping through the night. That ended about a month ago, and I had accepted that. Then you started sleeping through the night about once a week. Your 3 naps were about an hour a piece and were generally easy. Then we went to Grandma's house and you slept through pretty much every night there. Your naps got off kilter but not too bad, I didn't think anyways.

After returning home, you screamed upon putting you in your crib and it took a miracle to get you to sleep for naps. The nights were still pretty decent though, until 3 nights ago. You took forever to fall asleep & you did a lot of seemingly unnecessary crying. We came to check on you every so often, and I thought maybe you were starving (growing?) so I fed you. That helped. Then the next night you were up at midnight!?!? You've never done that. Ever since you were about 8 weeks old, you at least slept until 1:30 am...the 12 am thing was weird. Then you were up again several times after that. Nothing seemed to be different though, and you haven't been acting sick or having a fever. Then the weirdest / craziest night ever: last night.

Because your naps were really short and there were only 2 yesterday, you were ready for bed around 6:15. I fed you and you fell asleep right away. Then at 6:30 you were awake! It took until 7:30 for you to fall back asleep, even after we tried to help you twice. Then you were back awake at 8! Then again at 10, 12, & 2. After that point, I don't know if you were up or not because I slept solidly from 2-6 am, when I heard you again. You never cried at those random wakings, just made noise.  Strangest thing...

I just wanted to let you know that if it was because of how hot it was, I understand & I'm sorry! We've got the AC on but it's soooo hot, it can't keep up!

Ps. The other day you sat up for over 10 minutes! (still using your arms/hands to hold yourself up)

PPS. edit: You took 3 pretty good naps today, so hooray!

We've got a sitter & other updates

July 5, 2011

Dear G,

Lately you've been very active & impressing your dad and me very much! We knew you were getting close to sitting up, and on 7/5 you did sit up on your very own!
You generally have to have both arms on your legs or the floor to balance yourself, but you still sit upright under your own strength...so that counts! You've also been really rolling over a lot. You did it several times in your crib yesterday, which destroyed your napping because you are not a tummy sleeper in the slightest.

G & Grandma

You're getting close to crawling--all that you need to do is put the motions together. You can do your push-ups and you can get your legs under your bottom, but haven't combined the two yet. I bet by the end of the month you'll be crawling, if not at least scooting around better. Currently, you can move a little bit by scooting and rolling but you stay in about a 3x3' area.
Not to jinx it or anything but you seem to have returned to sleeping through the night. I'm hopeful it sticks. Last night you slept 6:40 to 6:20. You also slept very well at your dad's parents' house while we were there for the 4th of July.

the in-laws & G & daddy

You seemed to really enjoy being there and were pretty much a perfect baby!
You played with Grandma & Grandpa and your uncle & aunt. You slept in Grandma's office in your pack & play. You took decent naps. Grandma gave you a bath in her sink. At church, you were awake the whole time and were so well behaved, I could hardly believe it!
You practiced sitting up & rolled over many times.

Grammy & G 7/3/11 (Grammy & Papaw's 25th anniversary)

We also briefly visited with my family at Great Uncle Scott's 4th of July party. You got some new onsies, a pooh piggy bank, a book, and Grammy had finished your shopping cart cover so we took that home too.
While on our 'vacation' you ate a lot more than typical, so I guess it was a growth spurt or related to achieving your new milestones. I think both because you are outgrowing clothes left and right!
It's also important to note that the roofing at our apartment is done, and we survived without needing to leave! You are a more flexible sleeper (as far as noise is concerned) because of it. You still like it to be dark though.

Since the last time I wrote, you've grown:
you weigh 14.3lbs
you are 26.25" long!!!

Such a big girl!

Momma & G on July 3rd

There are a lot of new babies being born around me and I can't believe you aren't that small anymore :( although I am happy you're doing what you're supposed to--growing up!

Smiles all around!