Some Ins and Outs...

Okay, in my previous post I discussed the different types of cloth diapers. I want you to know that there are FAR more options than I discussed but these are the ones I've used and have worked for me. I'll try and see if some of my Cloth Diapering friends will write a review of the ones they use for me to put on my blog.

There are a few things to keep in mind with cloth diapering. They can be addicting. No, seriously, they can. I know that it sounds batty but it's so true! The pretty prints, finding the right ones, the pretty prints, new ones coming out, pretty prints, I think you get the idea. They're pretty.

You cannot use regular diaper cream with them. Something in them, i believe mineral oil, causes them to not be absorbant and actually repel the fluid. You can use coconut oil and cloth diaper safe creams. You can google them but the one i've been using is CJs Butter.

This is my "must-have" list. Note that all of these aren't necessary but just make things easier.
Below are the wetbags, they wouldn't go in the other spot.

1.  2 "wetbags"- you'll want a large one for long trips and a smaller one for short trips. It's also nice to have them extra when the other is dirty or in the wash. I have a Planetwise wet-dry bag. This one has a pocket for the dry, clean diapers and a wet PUL lined inner piece for the wet/dirty ones. These are also great for swimsuits! Just don't put the swimsuit in at the same time as a dirty diaper...yuck.     
2. Trash can with a lid and a pail liner. A pail liner is similar to a wetbag but just lines the pail. I like the planet wise pail liner because of the elastic around the top. It's nice to have two but it isn't necessary. you want a can with a lid to keep the stinky in.
3. If you're choosing the prefolds with covers you'll want some "snappis". Snappis replace the diaper pins and to me seem easier to use. 
4. You'll want to have about 24 or so diapers when they're a newborn and a few less as they get older because you wont have quite as many diaper changes when they're older. You don't want to be washing diapers every day, it's best to wash every other day. it makes the diapers last longer.
5. If you want to save more money, use cloth wipes and a wipe solution. A simple solution in a spray bottle is tea tree oil (just a couple drops), baby shampoo and baby oil. I prefer cloth wipes at home because they're so much better at getting the poop off. I made my own out of receiving blankets.
6. Cloth diaper safe laundry detergent. You can go as common as All Free and Clear Small and Mighty or have to order it like Charlies or Rockin' Green. Sometimes you can find those in cloth diaper stores if they're close to you.
7. Fleece or silk liners. These are nice for poopy diapers but I dont have enough to use with every diaper so i only use it on occassion. They're nice for the times where you're given "normal" diaper cream because you can use them as a barrier.
8. disposable diaper liners- I don't have any of these but they're flushable!

Snappi on a prefold

To wash-

• Cold rinse
• Hot wash with soap and a cold rinse
• another cold rinse to get all the soap out

To strip- (you only do this if they're repelling or stinky)

• Cold rinse
• hot wash with blue dawn dish soap
• cold rinse

Cheap or Environmental friendly......Or both?

Throughout my pregnancy I was researching...and researching.....and researching...and...well, you get the idea. I researched everything from foods that were safe to eat while pregnant to exercises you can do while pregnant to what clothes run the truest to size. FYI none of the clothes are true to size in my opinion. That's not the point of this post though.

 As mothers we tend to research everything. We want to give our children the best possible start to life. We also generally try to find the most practical and affordable things for our family, or at least ways to spend money on more fun things and still give our babies exactly what they need. We knew going into parenthood that babies are by nature expensive. Parents buy food, clothing, toys, books, etc. One of the most expensive items that i've found outside of food is diapers. Diapers are insanely expensive to me for what they are. Poop catchers. We did a lot of thinking and had thought about cloth diapering but decided against it for the time being because we were planning on going home to visit and didn't want to be putting poop in other people's washers...silly now that we think about it.

 When mike was away at training starting early August, we took the plunge. We used up the rest of the disposables that we had and made the commitment to cloth diapering. It IS a commitment and one that is well worth it. Rosalie hasn't worn a disposable diaper since August 9th and darn it, I'm pretty excited about it!

 There are SO many ways to cloth diaper, they aren't your grandma's style anymore! They have fun prints, diapers that go from birth to potty training, nifty little things that replace diaper pins, the list goes on. We've used several types so far and are still working out which ones we like best. I feel like they all have their time and place, though.

 We started with prefolds and covers. This is one of the cheapest ways to go. You can go from birth to potty training for around $100 if you shop around. My favorite covers right now are Flip or Thirsties Duo Wraps. They're both about $13 each. Flip come in "one-size" meaning they can be worn starting at around 8lb and go to 35 I believe. The thirsties come "sized" and come in sizes one and two. Size one goes up to around 15lb and then size two goes to 35-40 or so. (all numbers are guesses right now, I'm too sleepy to look them up ;D) Prefolds come in three sizes: Infant, Premium and Toddler. You can usually find them for between $1 (used from a diaper service and good quality) and up to $10 for hemp, organic or bamboo. I use the one dollar ones. You'll need 4 covers or so I would say. You don't change the cover with every diaper change unless it's soiled by poop. You can wipe off the pee with a baby wipe or rinse it and let it dry. THese are nice as well because they aren't bulky like other diapers. These are also very quick to dry. You can use a "snappi", diaper pins or trifold a prefold with a snug cover.


(Top left is the flip onesize cover, top right is the econobums one size cover and the bottom is a thirsties size 1)

 


Pocket diapers are nice as well. They dry quickly because they have an "insert" that is usually microfiber, hemp or bamboo that can be taken out. These need to be changed with every diaper change, they aren't reusable like covers. They come in sized and one size. The sized are generally the most bulky diaper I've found but the most versatile since they go from birth to potty training and a better bang for your buck. There are TONS of different brands! Tons and tons and tons. There are WAHM (work at home mom), commercial, chinese made, etc. I have used Fuzzibunz, Bumgenius, Justsimplybaby and I have some Alvababy on the way.


  Fuzzibunz- These are one of the trimmest i've used. They're one size but they don't snap down like the others. They're adjustable in the legs and waste with elastic. They're a bit spendy as most pocket diapers are but they seem to be working well for us right now. I've only had these a week or so but we haven't had a leak even with wearing it for 12+ hours at nighttime. I double stuff with two inserts to keep them absorbant enough for night time, I do this with all my pocket diapers.

Bumgenius- many people LOVE bumgenius. I do like some of their products but the pockets aren't that much better than the cheaper ones i have though they do have some super cute prints in the artist series. With these you snap down the rise to adjust to the baby's size. They're about $20 or so a piece though i've seen them cheaper

 



  JustSimplyBaby These diapers are relatively inexpensive at around $12 a diaper. They also have some that are a minky outside as opposed to the traditional PUL. Personally, i have found that the minky leaks a lot more than the PUL. I'm not quite sure why except maybe the wetness is wicking more to the minky. I do like these diapers though for the price and they have really good sales and ship free to military.

  Alvababy- they appear to be JUST like the JSB but I haven't gotten them yet so i'll have to do an update when I do.


There are also All-in-One diapers. These do not require a pocket and come in different sizes, they aren't usually all one size. They DO have some that are but you have to look for

them. I know that Bumgenius has them but I  tried them out to know how good they are. I have a sized ones from bumgenius and I LOVE them. They're more spendy though and if you're cloth diapering for budgetary reasons this isn't the way to go. I happened to get mine off the Cloth Diaper Swap board on BabyCenter. LOVE that board! Seriously, check it out! These are fantastic, i just wish they were cheaper.

 I'm sure i'm missing some type but I'll fill in more if i do :) See next post for the "how-to"!

Hello Parenthood

Apparently it's been 4 months since i've posted. Oopsie. Well, clearly all of you know by now that we had our little Rosalie. Well, maybe I should start by saying she wasn't exactly little. Being 10 days overdue put her at 9lb 1oz and 19.5inches long. She's the light of our life. All of our friends that were due around the same time have gorgeous, healthy little babies as well. We've been so blessed with her! She's a great eater, so great in fact that she was 15lbs at 10 weeks! She sleeps very well and is starting to roll over and grab at toys. Boy, is she a talker! We're going to have some high phone bills with this one!

Rosalie loves looking at the doggies and laughs when they lick her toes. They're very protective of her and love to play and stare at her. We have been staying pretty busy. When she was 10 days old Mike left for the field and was gone for 5 weeks. She was so happy to have him come home. She definitely knows who her daddy is and has him wrapped around those little fingers of hers! We can't wait to bring her home and show her off. She's going to be the center of attention for a bit, I think :D

Mike is putting in an application packet for Officer Candidacy School. If he gets in, which he should, we'll be heading to Ft. Benning in the spring. It's so funny to say that Korea has become our new "normal". It's going to be a culture shock to go home!

Mike also gets promoted to Sargeant on the first of August. He's such a great guy, he totally deserves it!

Don't want to keep this going too much so i'll update more later!

Less Than 6 weeks!!

Well, our baby girl will be here in about six weeks or so! I am SO excited! I can't wait to meet her. It's going to be so awesome and crazy all in one. I think Mike is pretty nervous about it seeing as he's never really been around babies. I'm nervous too but more for the time that he'll be in the field. He'll be leaving a few weeks after her due date and gone for a month or so. We aren't sure on dates (even if we were, I wouldn't post them here! hehe) or length but we know he's going to get to shoot his tank and qualify and get his tanker boots that he's wanted since he joined the Army. It's sort of a right of passage for tankers.

My doula, Ms. Tonya, has been such a big help this pregnancy and I'm sure she'll be a great help with Labor and Delivery as well. I'm so glad that we chose to hire a doula. I really hope that it helps me to get the birth that I want. i'd like to go as naturally as possible. I don't want an induction or epidural or a c-section, obviously. I'm fine with getting an IV and I'd like to be able to be up and moving and not tied down to the bed. We'll see how this all works out. Obviously if something is happening to me or the baby then we'll change that plan but this is how I'm hoping it will go. Since I've had a few "labor signs" Tonya has asked that I not do any sweeping/mopping, laundry changing, long dog walking, etc until I hit 36 weeks. 36 weeks is a big deal here in Korea. If you you go into active labor before 36 weeks then you have to deliver at a Korean hospital. I've been to one for an ultrasound and it isn't bad but I'd much prefer to have good communication and better care at an Army hospital. We'll see what happens. I've only got a little over a week until then so we should definitely make it!

Mike was in and out of the field for pretty much all of February and I'm happy to have him back now!!

Today, I'm annoyed

I woke up this morning and one of the first things I thought about was how annoying people can be when it comes to the English language. I mean, really, how hard is it to type properly? I'm well aware that typing mistakes happen and that's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about those people that constantly use two i's in every word, use a 3 insead of an 'e' and 'q' instead of a 'g'. Also, 2 in place of to or too. 2 is a NUMBER not to be used to replaced non-number words.

Sentences like "My doq is 2 k3wl and ii'm so 3xciit3d to qo hom3 and play wiith hiim" really bug me!

Oh and "a lot" is two words, not one. (Though, admittedly, I'm guilty)

25 weeks

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.


And so the countdown to Rosalie's birth begins! 15 weeks until her due date...we'll see if she makes it on time! about a week later is Easter and I would LOVE to be able to take our baby to Easter mass! Mike's parents and sister were going to fly in around the time she's due but we all decided that it would be best if they took their vacation time when we come home this summer instead. We're sad they won't be here but Rosalie will only be a couple of months old when we come home and we'll have a bit of a hold on the whole parenting thing. We're REALLY looking forward to coming home and I think the first thing (for now!) I want when we get off the plan is an Arby's beef 'n' cheddar. My uncle in AZ always wants White Castles so why not Arby's?

We've been cleaning out the house and getting rid of all the JUNK we don't need. We had to switch around rooms because I wanted to give Rosalie her own space (even though she won't remember it!) and because we likely aren't going to be having house guests so there isn't a point in having a guest room though we have a spare bed still just in case. We turned the larger room into the Craft/computer room with some oddball stuff thrown in. I got a Cricut from Mike's parents for Christmas and I LOVE it! It's so fun! I also ordered a sewing machine and I'm excited to learn to sew! Mike says my hobbies are expensive but i figure sewing will save us money at some point down the line and he has golf and electronics which is expensive, too!

We had an awesome Christmas. We miss home a lot but it was nice to have eachother and not have a countdown to him leaving again. We went to midnight mass (at 8pm, what?). Then Christmas morning we opened presents then Skyped with his parents. Christmas night we went to our friends' home and had dinner with them and some other people from Mike's company. It was a good time!

New years we went to their house again and the guys played poker and we of course had a midnight toast.

For my new years' hopes I'm keeping it relatively simple.
*Be able to come home in the summer (hopefully in time for the Ross wedding!)
*Lose the baby weight
*Be a better wife and friend
*Keep my house organized and clean
*Successfully breastfeed
*Learn to sew

22 weeks 4 days :)

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
See what your baby looks like this week.
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing:


You expected your belly to grow — and perhaps your breasts, too — but the following physical changes may take you by surprise. As with many pregnancy changes, hormones play a role in most of these alterations in your looks.
Thicker, more lustrous hair You're not actually growing more hair, just losing less than normal. During pregnancy, your body sheds hair much more slowly than it did before. What to do: If thicker hair is a boon for you, enjoy it. If it's making your mane more unruly than ever, ask your stylist to do some thinning at your next cut. These changes won't last forever. After your baby's born, you'll start to lose this excess hair, sometimes in clumps.
Increased body hair Sex hormones known as androgens can cause new hair to sprout on your chin, upper lip, jaw, and cheeks. Stray hairs can also pop up on your belly, arms, legs, and back. What to do: Tweezing, waxing, and shaving are all safe ways to manage these temporary changes.
Faster-growing fingernails Your fingernails may grow more quickly than usual, and you may notice changes in texture. Some women's nails get harder, while others' get softer or more brittle. What to do: Protect your nails by wearing rubber gloves when you're cleaning, and using moisturizer on them if they're brittle.
Skin changes Some pregnant women report that their skin has never looked better. If that's you, enjoy the proverbial "glow." Others find the hormones of pregnancy aggravate skin conditions such as acne. What to do: Wash twice a day with a gentle soap or cleanser, and make sure that any moisturizer or makeup you use is oil-free.
Stretch marks As your belly expands to accommodate your growing baby, you may get tiny tears in the supportive tissue that lies just beneath your skin, resulting in striations of varying color. These marks will begin to fade and become considerably less noticeable about six to 12 months after you give birth. There's not much you can do besides trying not to gain more than the recommended amount of weight. Heredity is responsible for the natural elasticity of your skin and plays a role in determining who will end up with stretch marks.
Skin discolorations Increased melanin can cause splotchy patches of darkened skin on your face. These pigment changes may become intensified if you spend time in the sun. What to do: Protect your face by using a sunblock that offers both UVA and UVB protection with an SPF of 30 or higher, wearing a hat with a brim, and avoiding the sun during peak hours of the day (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
Larger and darker nipples and areolas You may find that your nipples and the pigmented area around them (the areolas) are getting bigger and darker. The little bumps on your areolas, known as Montgomery's tubercles, may also be more pronounced. These bumps are oil-producing glands that help fight off bacteria and lubricate the skin. Some women also notice more pronounced veins in their breasts. What to do: Nothing!
Larger feet Your feet may go up half a shoe size or more. Lax ligaments may make your feet spread a bit — permanently. Swelling can make your shoes feel tight as well, although it will go away after delivery. What to do: Buy comfortable shoes to accommodate your growing feet.


Welp, I'm definitely feeling Rosalie move around more! She's really active lately and LOVES hearing her song. (Rosalie by Thin Lizzy)


She was NOT named after the chick in Twilight or really even this song..we just liked it and Mike agreed since it was a song and a good one at that!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had to cook it all in our tiny little oven! That was a challenge. We had duck and ham instead of turkey since it wouldn't fit. The duck was really good though!

Mike's been working really long hours recently since they got back from the field but with Christmas coming up it should be a little smoother. We'll see what happens though.

Today we have an FRG meeting and tomorrow is our company Christmas party. Should be fun! Mike really wanted to find an ugly Christmas sweater but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. We'll see!

The pictures are from 21 weeks :) Enjoy!