On the road again....

Left Connersville at 9am. Hit up a gas station and weigh station to weigh te car and holy hell that thing his heavy! It's near bottoming out!

Stopped for lunch at steak n shake and I got a Frisco melt. No steak n shakes in Washington that I know of :(

Apparently as co pilot of this while it's my mission to blog every stupid little detail of this trip. Mike had a full sugar red bull so for whatever reason thinks this is a good idea. It'll bore you to tears so I'm sorry in advance.

Sometimes...

I came across an old acquaintance's blog earlier today and it got my head spinning. I can't believe that a woman, a mother at that, would criticize someone's choices so harshly. I think we all have opinions and none of us are innocent of judgement. I think opinions are great and I love that we all have differing views on everything. 

There are very few things that I think are non-negotiables as far as parenting, birth, etc go. Of course, those "non-negotiables" are also my opinions.

Yes, this is one of those posts. 

The basic gist of said acquaintance's post was that she's better than the moms that were in the hospital on her delivery night. She's better because she doesn't moan, growl, scream or apparently vocalize in anyway while she's in labor. This is really uncommon. Most women, even those with epidurals, moan, grunt, etc. As far as I know this can be a beneficial thing, even my doula was speaking of how if you "ahhh" during pushing you're less likely to tear. She criticized a woman for puking. Yes puking, another very common occurrence during transition. Stated "We were like oh there goes another woman that doesn't know what to do. She of course took the wheelchair upstairs." Huh? Apparently, it's also not okay to take a wheelchair anywhere. I didn't realize that puking meant you didn't know what to do...seeing as women in labor puke a lot apparently not many people know what they're doing? That's good to know. 

The blog I'm speaking about makes me really sad. Sad for the mothers she's criticizing especially. Who are we to judge someone because they want an epidural. Yes, you all know that I believe the majority of women can do it without it but that doesn't mean every woman wants to. I think it shows the power and amazement of the woman's body. You want an epidural, drugs, birthing on your back, baby cleaned off before you hold him or her? Go for it, I'm not going to stop it. I KNOW that giving birth without an epidural is hard work. Don't have to convince me! I think she also fails to realize that some people have had very traumatic experiences in their lives and are fearful of giving birth or of pain. Not every situation is as easy as her deliveries seem to be. 

I also realize that I come across very strongly about a lot of my opinions. If i've EVER made you feel badly about a decision, come across this way please let me know. I'm very sorry if i've ever come across this way. (I'll argue with you to the death on some things if I can PROVE it's better..but that doesn't mean it's not your choice still.) 

Figuring it out

The year starts with a boat load of questions. How will we get it all done? Can we handle two kids this close together? Will we be ran ragged at home with no time to just sit and do nothing on our "vacation"? Will we like Washington? How can we be better? Will this pregnancy be as great as the first? Will we be healthy? CAN we become healthier? What kind of gear do we need for the new baby? What will his or her name be? I know these may seem silly but i have questions like this constantly and i have SERIOUS anxiety over most of them. More than anything I want our move to go smoothly and this pregnancy to be healthy.

I ate poorly with Rosalie and gained 40lb. I was lucky to be able to lose it all quickly but my body just isn't the same. YES, i know that it probably won't ever have everything in the spot that it once was but dang, it sucks. I doubt many people see it but me. I'm hoping to not gain as much with this lil bean as I did  with Rose. How can I do that? What should I and shouldn't I be eating? HELP!!! I don't even know where to begin! I don't want a radical change, something I can't stick to. I just need something...better, something easy. I realllly don't enjoy cooking at all...especially if it's "hard" stuff. I can bake and i enjoy it, maybe that's my problem. I desperately need to drink more water. A friend came up with using a timer...each time the timer goes of she has to drink a bottle of water....maybe i'll use that idea. How many ounces though? I drank SO much milk with rosalie i didn't have room for anything else! In fact, that's how Mike knew I was pregnant! I'm sure my mother-in-law thought it was weird that i was drinking milk with my pizza (that's what she drinks with pizza normally and i think it's weird)....pregnancy explains that.

I'm struggling with getting this house in order to get the heck outta here. I'm overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Perhaps I should start in one room and work my way out....I have stuff to sell but it's SUCH a hassle, I don't want to bother. I'd rather just sit everything outside and tell people to come and get it.

Too many questions, not enough answers. Not enough time. Not enough motivation.

As We Count Down...

As we count down this last hour of 2011 I can't help but to think that it's going to be hard to top. It's been a crazy ride this year.

We started out the year celebrating with friends, expecting a baby girl, celebrating one last New Year's Eve as just the two of us.

April brought us the joy of becoming parents. An amazing, obviously life-altering experience. I'm not sure we even knew we could love someone as much as we do our sweet Rosalie. Seeing Mike hold her for the first time, bathe her, feed her and all the playtime they have together makes me wonder why he was so nervous in the first place! He's such an amazing, devoted, FUN father. I think his favorite part of Rosalie's life is giving her a bath...or as he says "daddy-baby fun time". He's the sweetest daddy ever.  He was gone quite a bit this summer and never fails to come home and jump right back into everyday life which I'm extremely grateful for.

Rosalie grows, learns and explores more everyday. She's such a happy baby, I'm not sure what will happen if our future babies are fussy! I can't wait to see her first tooth (yes, she's 8 months old with no teeth!), see her realllly crawl (hey, it's hard work slipping and sliding on these hardwood floors!), pull up and walk. I can't wait for her to FINALLY meet her loving family at home. She's blessed to have many aunts and uncles. Our family may not consist solely of blood relatives but it's so strong! We're lucky to have amazing friends that are always there to support, love and miss us just as much as we miss them.

April 26, 2011

December 2011

We end this year with an exciting announcement! We found out yesterday that we're expecting again! I'm a horrible secret keeper with my own news when I'm SO excited to share it! We're due sometime in September so it's still very early. We ask that our loving friends and family pray for a healthy pregnancy, delivery and healthy pregnancy. 

Happy New Year! Have a fantastic 2012!!

Countdown- 76 days

Rosalie had such an awesome first Christmas. She was blessed by family and friends with so much generosity. She definitely appreciates the presenst...even if she'd rather eat the wrapping paper. ;)

1st Tank Christmas Party

Now that Christmas has come and gone, it's time to begin the countdown to coming HOME! We'll arrive in Indianapolis sometime around March 12th. We're headed to Fort Lewis, Washington next and are SO excited about it. I know that i'm getting incredibly anxious for the move, nervous as well. It's going to be an expensive trip from Buffalo, NY to Washington! Good thing we aren't forking out for it.

With the help of an awesome aunt and uncle we're planning an early birthday party for Miss Rosalie. It'll be about 6 weeks early but we can't help ourselves! We can't wait for everyone to meet our sweet girl.

Rosalie now sits up, scoots all over, gets on her hands and knees and babbles "da-da" nonstop. She's one of the happiest babies i've ever met. She's independent and loves to feed herself. She has the best belly laugh and toothless smile.

Her favorite thing to do right now is play in Chopper's kennel. She LOVES to pull his hair, poor guy!

She'll eat any type of food you put in front of her including chicken wings! She didn't hate it but she didn't cry. That's a good sign, right?

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"!