The Ramblings of a Crunchy Mom to Be

Creativity

2010-10-08T18:25:00.003-04:00

Cottonbabies is having one last big giveaway in celebration of their new Artist Series Prints. They have asked all of us a question to be answered in some sort of public media.

How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child?

I have a 13 month old son who is all boy. To be honest I try not to encourage him to be one way or another. I just want him to be himself! With that said I try to enroll him in lots of different activities to keep him well rounded so he can start to become his own person. He's currently in Music Together (where he loves to shake his cute cloth diapered bum!), a 18month and under playgroup, lots of other various in home playgroups with our Moms Club, plus lots of day trips to museums, zoos, aquariums, and parks!

But my favorite thing is to put his cute fluff in front of him and let him choose what color he'd like to wear! Nothing better than wearing a piece of art on your behind!!

13 months

2010-10-08T13:41:00.002-04:00

Tommy turned 13 months old yesterday. I still can't get over how fast time is flying by. He is turning into a wonderful little boy!

I remember when I was pregnant with him I said I wouldn't allow him to watch T.V. until he was at least 2 years old. Nope, not in my house! Now, at 13 months, I can't even trick him to watch a show for 2 minutes! Oh how I wish I could get him occupied for 5 minutes so I can do the dishes or make the bed or swiffer the floor. Eh, nice thought at least...

Speaking of tv, is anyone else as disgusted with Disney and Nick/Nick Jr as I am? I can't believe what they deem appropriate for kids and tweens, nevermind toddlers and babies. I do not want my child watching a pair of 10 year olds stealing and playing tricks on others, or seeing a 12 year old girl wearing a skirt shorter than my underwear. Whatever happened to the good cartoons like Scooby Doo, the Flinstones, The Snorkels?? Granted even those weren't perfect but they were a heck of a lot better than what's on today!

That said, I really like some of the cartoons of PBS and WGBY. Dinosaur Train and the Cat in the Hat are really cute! If only I could get Tommy to agree lol. Hey there could be worse things my kid could be doing (or not doing!).

bumGenius Artist Series!

2010-10-05T15:55:00.003-04:00

bumGenius Artist Series was finally unveiled today! Its called the "Tiny Socialite" series and they are adorable! Check out the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkcCXhxbF9Q&feature=sub

My personal favorite is Eiffel Tower. What's yours??

Share the Love Giveaway!

2010-09-18T22:23:00.002-04:00

I'm a giveaway junkie, I fully admit that. I have a daily "hour of power" as I call it where I do all my daily tweets and other entries so I have the best chance possible for winning. And it's worked- so far I've won a Applecheeks Set, a bumGenius Organic (Elemental), a Kissaluv Marvel OS Fitted, and a $50 Gift Card to Toys 'R Us.

Now Diaper Junction is hosting the giveaways of all giveaways- $1000 in diapers!!! There are 4 prizes:

1st: $500 to Diaper Junction
2nd: 12pk Fuzzibunz OS Pockets
3rd: GroVia Half Time Package
4th: 6pk bumGenius 4.0 Pockets

How awesome is that??? Of course I would love to win the Grand Prize, but the GroVia and BG ones are high up there too!

There are lots of ways to enter. Just head on over to and get your entries in! You have until 1pm on October 12th so enter today!!

Rave about Nicki's Diapers!

2010-09-09T21:52:00.003-04:00

I spend a lot of time cruising around online cloth diaper stores. I have a couple "go to" shops but I like to spend a bit at several. I know these mamas are working hard so I want to support them!

One diaper shop that I think deserves way more credit than they get is Nicki's Diapers (www.nickisdiapers.com). Not only do they have a HUGE variety of cloth diapers, in all styles and brands, but they have a ton of cloth diaper accessories, mama items, baby gear, feeding accessories, and even used items! Combine all that with free shipping on orders over $75 and free gifts with orders over $100 and you have a top notch diaper shop! Oh, and the awesome customer service helps too :-) Most diaper shops you'll find diapers and accessories and that's about it.

Nicki's Diaper is also home to the super popular new Best Bottoms System and Imagine Prefolds, Flats, and wipes. Check them out today!

Happy Birthday!

2010-09-08T21:42:00.005-04:00

Tommy turned 1 yesterday. Can you believe it? My baby is a year old! How did this happen so fast? My baby is almost a toddler!

I took this of him yesterday. Of course we had to wear our new BGOS 4.0 from Cottonbabies to celebrate! He is just so smart and full of life, and so incredibly adorable! Not that that's a surprise ;-)

He had two birthday parties. One with family and family friends and then one with some of our MOMs Club friends. Both were a great time.

What an amazing ride this past year has been. Having a child really makes you rethink everything. Little things that once mattered don't matter any longer. Big things that didn't matter are now most important. Everything I do is for him. I look at Tom and I just think to myself, "What an amazing father. How lucky can I be? How lucky can our son be to have such a wonderful man to call 'daddy'?" I ask myself why I deserve to have such a terrific little boy. But I do deserve to have him. Because he's my son,I made him! Why shouldn't I deserve him? I don't know if there is a god up there, but whatever sort of higher power exists knew that this little boy was exactly what I needed in my life.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Hug your Babies Today

2010-08-17T08:24:00.002-04:00

Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. In the end it was nothing, but before knowing that it was hell. More than hell.
v
We heard this panicked scream come from Tommy so we ran to get him. There were roughly 3 small piles of spit up (the usual gross white stuff) on the floor in front of him. But he was screaming and gagging. Did he swallow something? Why was he throwing up?

He would scream, his stomach would make a gurgling-regurgitating type sound, and he'd try to throw up some mucousy-phlegm stuff. Immediately he'd try to suck it back down, which I'm sure was caused by the intense crying, so we attempted to scoop as much as possible out from his mouth. It had a tinge of blood which really set me off.

This cycle just kept repeating for what seemed like forever. In reality it was probably only 10 minutes before we called 911. He finally spit up a golf ball size chunk of phlegm. A few minutes after the ambulance finally showed up he calmed down and was acting very....Tommy.

As silly as it sounds, he was choking on his own spit. We have an appointment with the Pedi today to determine if it was just caused by teething or a cold or something else. This had to be the most intense and horrible moment of our lives.

Just hug your babies extra hard today. Just because.

Softbums, Rumparooz, Tweedlebugs, BG 4.0, and Bamboo Baby Reviews

2010-08-05T17:30:00.005-04:00

Sorry I stink at updatin this thing!

We've accumulated lots of new diapers in our stash lately. Lots of new diapers that I unfortunately love. I say unfortunately because now I want lots and lots of them but we don't need anymore diapers. Not that that stops me from getting them haha.

First up is the Softbums' new Echo One Size AI2. It's basically the same as their old AI2 but there's a small opening in the back (maybe an inch and a half?) that you pull the toggle out from to adjust the elastic. I really like this diaper. I got a Dry Touch Basic Pack in the Robots Print. I wanted snaps but SewCraftyBaby.com only had aplix, which I ended up really liking. Here are my thoughts:

Ease of Use: I was nervous that the toggles would be difficult but they were actually very easy to adjust. Finding the right size was very simple, all you had to do was tighten or loosen the elastic which involves sliding the toggle up or down. Easy peasy! The aplix closure is as simple as you can get as well. All I had to do was snap in a soaker and go! The only issue I have is getting each leg the same size. Since each elastic has numerous size options it's hard to get it in the same exact place for each side. It didn't really affect the diaper, it just annoyed me to no end.

Fit: The fit was fantastic! Having so many different settings was great. I don't know how one couldn't get a good fit with Softbums! The aplix also ensured a perfect fit around the waist.

Dependability: We only used these for daytime but we never had one leak. Even when Tommy soaked through the soaker pad the shell was bone dry and didn't smell at all. I wish I could say the same for all my covers!

Overall: I really just love this diaper, what more can I say? I wish I had tried it sooner! I can't wait to get my hands on some of the bamboo inserts!

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Next is the Rumparooz OS Pocket Diaper. Aside from the inner gussetts I wasn't sure what made the Rumparooz stand out from other OS Pockets. So of course I had to try one to find out! I bought two, one in Crimson and one in Rootbeer, both with snaps.

Ease of Use: Having the snap version immediately makes putting the diaper on a tad more difficult, especially with a squirmy baby. But at least he can't take the diaper off once it's on! The pocket is super easy to stuff as it's just a slit opening. No flaps to fumble with.

Fit: With both soakers of the 6r soaker being used the RaR is a bit on the bulkier side, I won't lie. But the fit was great regardless! On my roughly 20lbs 11 month old we're on the "medium" rise setting (1 more snap to go until we're completely unsnapped) and have several snaps left for the waist.

Dependability: We haven't used these for overnights, but Tommy just had one on for several hours, maybe 4 or 5, when we usually change every 1-2 hours. He wore it through 2 naps (fell asleep, woke up, fell back asleep) with no leaks at all. And then when he woke up he peed enough to fill a river, seriously, and the RaR still held it all perfectly. It weight about 10lbs but no leaks! lol. We haven't had a dirty diaper in one of these yet, so I can't comment on how the gussetts work, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they do a pretty good job!

Overall: I was expecting more from the inserts. I like that you can use them in 6 different ways but I'm so tired of microfiber. I wish the newborn half would have been cotton or hemp, or even a hemp/mf blend like thirsties' insert. That said I just ordered two more :-)

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Next, Tweedlebugs OS Pocket Diaper. I have the Minky Moo print Tweedlebug, which is very different from their solid pockets. I received a black TB brand new in a trade and I was hoping I'd like it as much as I like their minky moo print.

Ease of Use: Unlike the Minky Moo, the solid TB has two rows of snaps, which I prefer. The rise adjusts with 3 different snap settings on the front of the diaper- pretty standard for pockets. Instead of a regular pocket opening these have a sleeve style pocket so the inserts agitate out in the wash. This is a nice feature but to be honest the regular style pocket in the Minky Moo allows the insert to agitate out just as well. No issues with putting on and taking off though!

Fit: The mama I traded this with didn't like it due to the fit. I figured it would fit Tommy fine since the Minky Moo fits great but you never know. I was very happy with the fit. It fit his suddenly chunky thighs nicely and there were no red marks. The waist snaps fit great as well. You know how some diapers have funky snap spacing which makes for a super tight or super loose fit? This isn't one of them!

Dependability: For daytime we haven't had any leaks or issues. The Microfiber inserts are considerably thinner than all other MF inserts I've used which I'm guessing is what makes Tweedlebugs $5.00 cheaper than other pockets. I'm very happy with how it held up though.

Overall: While nothing about the Tweedlebugs makes me jump up and down in excitement, nothing makes me unhappy with it either. It's a solid pocket diaper and for the price you really can't beat it. I just wish the Minky and Solids were a little more alike and they had more color options or prints.

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Now onto the bumGenius 4.0 OS Pocket Diaper. This is the "Brand new and exciting product from Cottonbabies!" The differences between the 4.0 and the 3.0 are 3 new colors- Sweet, a pale green, Bubble, a lavendar, and Noodle, a light light yellow (If you ask me they're all shades of off white), openings where you can replace the elastic, a larger rise/general fit, and the option of snaps or aplix.

Ease of Use: Snaps will always be a bit trickier then velcro, especially with a squirmy baby. But snaps aren't that hard and the pocket opening is nice and wide so these are very easy to stuff and put on.

Fit: I feel that these fit just like the Flips do. I can use these on the smallest rise setting while I'm on the middle setting with the 3.0's and Organic AIOs. I don't really have any issue with this but I'm not sure how well these will fit tiny newborns. Funny enough they came out with the new ultra pastels to target those with newborns. I can't wait to see how that works! I really love how BGs fit though, so I'm not complaining.

Dependability: I've never had a problem with a BG. The 2 inserts work fine for overnights, though they get rather bulky. The aplix is supposed to be stronger (something they changed late in the 3.0's run) but the only aplix BG's I have are sized AIOs and a brand new BGOS 3.0. The AIO's already look pretty ragged after 8 months of use but are no where near needing to be replaced. The option of snaps is wonderful and something I've been waiting for!

Overall: I don't really think these are the "amazing and new" product CB made them out to be, but I think they are a great improvement! Cottonbabies really listened to their customers and made necessary changes. I'mm not a huge fan of the new colors but the Bubble is pretty. These are still the most popular cloth diaper out there, IMO!

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Lastly, we have the OS Bamboo Baby AIO. I received an earlier version so I can't speak for the newer diapers. I have a feeling I would like the newer ones better, but I can't say for sure. I like the one I have well enough. These are a OS velcro all in one with a bamboo velour inner. The soaker is flap style so it's quick drying and you don't have to mess with lost inserts.

Easy of Use: The earlier version I own had very weak velcro. To combat this problem while they waited for new aplix they added snaps to reinforce it. Kind of weird to look at but the snaps really do help. I didn't find the aplix that weak, but it certainley didn't make that strong "rrrrriiippp" sound while undoing. I really like this diaper because you simply take it off your shelf and put it on baby. No stuffing, no snapping, no laying inserts. Close and go!

Fit: The Bamboo Baby fit my son fantastically! No gaping and no red marks. I love love love how this diaper looks while on. I have no beefs in this area :-)

Dependability: We haven't used this overnight but for daytime, naps, and very, very messy diapers it works great. No blowouts, no leaks, no problems! The craftsmanship feels strong and the diaper looks well made. I can see the aplix dying sooner than normal but at least the snaps are there to pick up the slack.

Overall: Besides the snaps/aplix combo looking kind of funny, I only have two real issues with the Bamboo Baby. They're both quite petty and don't affect much. First, I hate the tag placement centered under the belly velcro. They've since changed this so I'm happy about that. Second, the inner is supposed to be bamboo velour. The inner is soft, but it sure didn't seem to be bamboo velour, at least compared to every other BV diaper I own. It looked like it was either extremely cheap BV or some type of cotton velour. It just has a funny look to it. It's not really a big deal, just annoying.

When I Grow Up....

2010-06-14T09:03:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been browsing through old friends' facebooks. Checking out their graduation pictures, reading updates about their new jobs. I'm incredibly happy for all of them, I really am. But part of me gets sad sometimes, looking at these types of things. I would be a college graduate right now. I wonder what kind of job I'd be starting. Where I'd be living. What my major would have ended up being.

I was the stereotypical "good girl" who got good grades and did the brainy activities in school. National Honor Society, Editor of the Literary Magazine, that kind of stuff. I was determined to be a CPA and couldn't wait to start college. I also couldn't wait to meet my next boyfriend and lose that next 10lbs.

Somewhere along the way, I met a new friend. Her name was O. Pi. Ates. Better known as oxycontin, morphine, heroin.

What? C'mon, me? On drugs?

Like it's that hard to believe.

I am still shocked at how fast and hard I fell. Me, the good girl, nicely sheltered in good little Agawam. Suddenly in the impoverished ghetto of Hartford, a needle in my arm, soon to be passed out in my driver's seat. A few moments later I'd snap out of it and just enjoy the high. Nothing could ever describe that feeling. It must have been good to make me mingle with gun carrying drug dealers, to give a quick kiss to a quadriplegic for a $20 bag of cocaine.

If there really is a god out there, it was by his grace that I made it out of that life physically unharmed. Somehow the needles I shared didn't lead to disease, the cut powder in my veins didn't kill me, the crimes I committed didn't put me in jail.

Now I could get my life back together. But the pieces didn't seem to fit any longer. I was no longer the friendly accounting student at WNEC. I didn't have my old friends to lean on. I didn't have a job I could drive to on Monday morning. No, I had to start from scratch. Getting a new job was easy with no record haunting me. New friends followed.

I decided to hold off on school for a bit, while my family and I played catch up on the thousands of dollars in loans from my first attempts at an education. I started working out, which started the puzzle piece of fitness. I was determinded to compete in a Figure Competition. I worked out like crazy, ate the plain chicken breasts and broccoli. And it sure paid off. I looked great and felt even better. Plus, being able to deep squat 150lbs at only 5'1" and 130lbs wasn't too shabby. I could become a personal trainer and do a complete 180 with my life.

Except those pieces didn't fit for long either. Somewhere along the way I met Tom and my life started to feel whole again. As my puzzle finally began piecing together, we worked on our life with eachother. We bought a house, got a dog. I made plans to start Nursing School in a few years while I bounced around a couple of jobs.

Then came the day I got the positive on the pregnancy test. Man, I couldn't have been happier. I remember looking back at my life, never wanting kids or marriage. Saying how if I ever got pregnant while young I'd "get rid of it". Feeling my precious child move inside of me, I knew that person was long gone. While still very Pro-Choice I knew the person I was now could never, ever "get rid of" a baby. This was our child. The look on Tom's face was priceless. We were so happy.

I sit here now, a SAHM to my wonderful 9 month old and our spunky (and spoiled) 2 year old puppy. Tom is at working Landscaping, and will later come home and change into his police uniform before he goes out and patrols the streets. His dream job. My dream life.

Sometimes I get sad when I think about the life I may have had. I could be a college graduate in my very first apartment. I could be getting ready to start my first real job. On the weekends I could be sitting in a coffee shop with old friends, while over the summers I could be vacationing across the country with new friends. But would this have made me happy?

Sure, we could have more money. I could go back to school now. I could be 50 pounds thinner. It's all possible. Except I know none of it matters now. I may not be proud of all the pieces in my puzzle, and some of the pieces may fit a bit strange. But when I wake up in the morning and Tommy flashes me his big gummy smile I know I'm right where I'm meant to be. Highschool, jobs, the past, none of it matters. I have pushed through the many obstacles I've put in front of me. Now I can only look ahead and be proud of the person I've become. The mother and future wife I've become.

I may not be able to post any graduation pictures on my facebook. But my son has just learned to crawl and you better believe my facebook will have lots of pictures of his great accomplishment. To me that's better than a cap and gown anyday :-)

The End of my Experiment

2010-06-03T08:29:00.003-04:00

So that cloth diaper experiment I was all gung-ho in doing? Yeah, that one? Didn't last long! lol

I know I did a day full of AIOs, Pockets, and Prefolds? Not entirely sure about prefolds. But I know the Fitteds Day is what got me. I just couldn't do it. Everything started out well. I put Tommy in his super cute wool soakers and shorties and we rocked out all morning. Until it came time to leave the house. The wool I have may be super cute, but it's not an overwhelming supply. Plus most of it is brightly colored and finding shirts to match isn't the easiest thing in the world. Besides, it was cooler outside and he needed to wear pants. I don't have any wool longies. Therefore, wool was out. Of course, that left a small problem. I have very few "trim" fitteds. By trim I mean fitteds that will comfortably fit under our PUL covers. Tommy's butt was HUGE! I couldn't take him out of the house like that! I don't know about most moms but I take pride in the fact that we cloth diaper and I can still put a pair of jeans on my child. There was no way I would be able to pull that same pair of jeans over a fitted with a cover. Nope, not happening.

I'm sure if I had to do it, I could have used fitteds all day. But I didn't so I grabbed a BG Organic quicker than you can say poop and went about my day.

In conclusion, I am very happy I have a varied stash for Tommy. Each diaper serves a purpose and makes our lives that much easier. When we go out AIOs and Pockets are necessary. At night an AI2 or double stuffed pocket topped with a Flip Disposable Insert works like a charm. And when Tommy is crawling around the house having fun nothing is cuter than a fluffy fitted or classic prefold.

Friday Fill-Ins: #178

2010-05-28T09:23:00.002-04:00

So I found this neat new blog called "Friday Fill Ins" and I'd like to keep up with it! Let's hope I do better with this than I did with Wordless Wednesdays lol!

Friday Fill-Ins: #178

And...here we go!

1. Fruit -- the best food to take on a picnic.

2. Summer vacations!

3. I need lots more flip flops.

4. To love someone is to be vulnerable.

5. I'd love a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually sugar filled.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include going to the camp ground and Sunday, I want to put Tommy in the pool!

Cloth Diaper Challenge - Day #2 Prefolds and Covers

2010-05-19T12:35:00.002-04:00

After our battles with the firey rash from the constant suedecloth yesterday I decided to wait a day or two before having our Pocket day. I decided that Prefolds would be the perfect way to let his bum air a bit while still having an easy option for going out.

Trifolding is how I typically use our prefolds. I love the look of a snappi'd prefold, but spraying off a poopy diaper is annoying since the poop gets all over the place and in the folds as opposed to staying in one spot on a trifolded diaper. With the exception of a couple Thirsties we mainly use One-Size Covers. As I previously stated Tommy has discovered the wonders of ripping off his diapers, so I have to be careful to only use aplix covers when they'll have clothes over them.

I have a few different brands of prefolds in our stash. Today consisted of GMD Yellow Edge Prefolds, Infant Size Unbleached Indian Prefolds, Infant Size Bleached Red Edge Indian Prefolds (unsure of the actual brand), and Megaroo's Extended Tab Prefolds. While we have a variety of covers I often find myself using the same ones over and over. Today Econobums, Swaddlebees ABC Wraps, and Flips were used.

Within 2 diaper changes Tommy's rash was gone. This just solidified my belief that it was a suedecloth sensitivity that caused it. I mostly trifolded, which made dirty diapers very easy to clean, but I did snappi a couple to get all over coverage when going out.

Final Thoughts

Using prefolds all day was much easier than I anticipated. The only real downside was that I really like having Tommy go coverless around the house, but it's hard to do that with prefolds. I have a hard time getting a tight fit when snappi'ing the prefold and they're not as absorbant as some of our fitteds, so I prefer not to go coverless. I really liked having the natural fibers against Tommy's sensitive skin all day and it was very easy to clean off dirty diapers.

Tomorrow? Pockets!

Cloth Diaper Challenge - Day #1 AIO's

2010-05-19T12:21:00.002-04:00

Monday was the first day of my personal cloth diaper challenge. I decided to start off with AIOs. I did include a Flip AI2 with the Organic Insert as our night diaper, because I know the AIO's I have aren't night worthy for Tommy at the current time. And I figure it could be considered both an AIO and a Prefold/Cover option depending on how you look at it lol.

The day's diaper roundup consisted of 4 Medium BG AIO's, 1 Small BG AIOs, 1 BG Organic AIO, and the Organic Flip if I recall correctly. There may have been 1 more BG AIO in there somewhere, but that's the only brand I used that day.

Sized bumGenius AIOs are one of our favorite diapers. The fit is fabulous, they're very absorbant, and they're very easy to clean. However, I wasn't sure how a whole day of suedecloth would work out. The Organic AIO's are our favorite diaper. Tommy has recently learned how easy aplix is to peel open and it's his new hobby. I haven't seen him do it too much to the bumGenius diapers, but he's constantly yanking off his Thirsties Covers. I'm sure the day will come that he discovers his BG's have aplix and that's why I really like that the Organics have snaps. The fit of the organics is perfect (he's still on the smallest rise setting) and the softness is just unmatched. The layering can get annoying when you have a super messy diaper, but as long as you have a diaper sprayer everything comes off fairly easy. The only other downside is the organic cotton tends to stain easier than synthetics, but I can live with that. That's what the sun is for!

I knew this was going to be our easiest diapering day. I mean, you can't get much easier than AIO's- put the diaper on, take the diaper off. No stuffing, on lying inserts, no folding prefolds, nothing. For going out AIO's are the quickest and most convenient option as well.

Unfortunately, the suedecloth let us down. Tommy's butt looked like it was on fire it was so red the entire day. I felt so bad for the little guy :-( After 2 or 3 changes with no signs of the rash clearing up I put a disposable liner in the diaper and lathered him with Desitin. I do have Grandma El's CD Safe rash cream, but this rash was just too much for that. I needed the Desitin. Sadly, the only time the rash even started to clear up was the next morning, after wearing the Organic Flip for 12 hours.

Final Thoughts

I really love our bumGenius sized AIO diapers. I always will. But I'll also always know that I cannot use them all day long without battling a nasty rash. The suedecloth is just too much for Tommy's sensitive skin. Using one or two throughout the day is not problem, but if I ever want to switch to AIO's full time I'll have to invest in a dozen or two more BG Organic AIOs to avoid any rashes.

Tomorrow? Prefolds and Covers :-)

Cloth Diaper Challenge

2010-05-19T10:56:00.002-04:00

I was putting away diaper laundry a few nights ago when I took a long, hard look at our diapers. I was amazed at the variety of diapers in our stash- we seriously have a little of everything. Prefolds, Flats, Fitteds, Pockets, AIOs, Wool, PUL, Fleece, you name it, we've got it!

We've also had a seriously red bum lately. But on how earth could I ever figure out if it was the diapers causing it if he had on a different type of diaper all the time? I couldn't. Plain and simple. There's no system I use to determine what diaper he'll where when. I just put on whatever I feel like at the time. Sure it's fun and far from boring, but is it practical? I'm not sure.

Looking at our stash, I realized there were enough of each diaper type to last at least one full day. So I decided to challenge myself to only use one diaper style each day. Would Prefolds be as easy as some say? Would I get tired of stuffing pockets? How would AIO's make my baby's bum feel?

There's only one way to find out!

Mommy Lessons

2010-04-08T09:41:00.002-04:00

I may have only been a mom for 7 months now, but wow have I learned a lot in this short period of time! I thought I'd compile a little list of the lessons that I've learned in my parenting journey this far.

Park next to or near the shopping cart corral at the grocery store so you can easily get a cart, put the cart cover over the seat, and get yourself ready without having to lug your baby around or leave the car while grabbing a cart or putting it away when done shopping
It's next to impossible to sleep when the baby sleeps. But it really is the only time you'll ever be able to nap, so try your very hardest!
No matter how convinced you are that your LO won't roll over and off the couch or similar, he will. He may not be able to roll over or sit up one minute, but the next minute? Look out! Don't ever leave them alone on a couch or bed, or anywhere without being strapped in
Don't put the changing table in front of a window with long curtains. Baby WILL yank the curtains.
The first time your LO looks at you walk into the room and gives you a huge smile you will turn to mush. It's the best thing in the world
Try to take a walk everyday, unless it's downpouring or a blizzard. It'll save your sanity!
You really don't need all the fancy baby gear. The most important things are a stroller, a swing/activity center, and a highchair or baby seat.
I know everyone says the infant seats are a must and are soooo great and maybe they are for the first week. But then baby gains weight and those things are a million pounds. Just get a convertable seat and carry or wear your baby. So much easier (and lighter!)
If baby is hungry, feed him. With the exception of certain medical conditions, babies don't need to be on some rigid 3 hour feeding schedule.

Lastly, and most important:

Enjoy every single second that you can with your baby. They aren't lying when people say time goes by too fast- it does. You don't want to miss a thing, so just sit back and love everything about your baby

Moments

2010-03-21T09:53:00.002-04:00

We recently started bringing Tommy into our bed at night and we all sleep much better. Two nights ago we were laying there; Tommy and I facing eachother. I looked at him and he did the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He opened his eyes, looked at me, and let out the most adorable little giggle and smile ever! I just melted.

That small moment made me remember why I love being a mom.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T07:09:00.002-04:00

I guess he was pretty tired...

6 Months

2010-03-07T21:33:00.003-05:00

Tommy turned 6 months old today. 6 months ago today, at 5:27am, Tommy eagerly pushed his way into the world. You never, ever know just how much that tiny person is going to change your life, how much better they're going to make everything, until you look into their eyes for the very first time.

haha I remember the very first thing I said when I saw him. "Why does he smell like a sugar cookie?" Good to know my girly parts smell so good lol.

But really, I'm amazed at how big he's gotten. It's like he grew overnight.

Birth

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

The Dreaded Rash

2010-02-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

A few months ago Tommy had a really bad rash which we discovered to be Thrush, or a yeast rash. He was prescribed Nystatin and things cleared up pretty quickly. But for some reason, a few weeks later, his little tush became red. Sometimes it would be much worse with red welts and blisters, which I knew was yeast, and sometimes it would just be a bit pinkish.

Since then I've been trying everything in attempts to relieve Tommy of this dreaded rash. Honestly it's never seemed to bother him. He loves being naked, loves diaper changes because of that, and has no issue with me wiping him. From here I began a very long and annoying elimination routine.

Whenever I used Desitin the rash would get a bit better. The Nystatin always helped as well, but I prefer not to use medications if I can help it. Using creams meant I had to use liners in our cloth diapers and/or stick to prefolds and flats. This wasn't too big of a deal and I luckily haven't had any issues with cream stains or build up.

I stripped all of our diapers to make them nice and clean, so we'd have a clean slate so to speak. I also determined it most likely wasn't our detergent. When we began using cloth I used Allen's Naturally, which I love. When we started running low I had to think about if we'd continue to use Allen's. I had heard great things about Rockin' Green, especially when paired with hard water so I bought a couple sample sizes to give it a shot.

I was less than impressed :-( Sure our diapers came out clean, but they didn't have that nice & yummy smell Rockin' Green is known for. Sample sizes don't last long and before I knew it we were out of that as well. I then decided to give All Free & Clear a try- it's what we used on our clothes and while some say you shouldn't bring All near your diapers with a ten foot pole, others swear by it. It couldn't hurt to try, right? So I did and it didn't make a difference with his rash. Not better, not worse. We're still using All.

Food allergies was a common rash causer I soon found out, but Tommy wasn't on solids at the time. Even now he only sucks on Bananas and Apple Cores so it's not like he's eating a 3 course meal and snacking on oranges.

After eliminating all the above possibilities I was left with only one other option.

Our diapers. Our precious diapers.

I really didn't want to admit that something could be wrong with our diapers. I never had build up issues, my laundry routine worked great, Tommy didn't seem to mind what kind of diaper was on his butt. I rarely dealt with staining and the only time I had that awful ammonia stink was in the morning after he wore the same diaper for 12 hours. I thought I was lucky, but I guess not. It finally my turn to deal with diaper issues!

I sat down and thought long and hard about when his rashes got worse and when they got better. A few weeks earlier I had started letting Tommy go coverless while we were at home and saving the PUL diapers for going out and nights. Hmmmm. We're getting warmer...

We have several different kinds of diapers with PUL. Bumgenius AIO's, BG Organics, BG Pockets, Rocky Mountain Diapers, AppleCheeks, Thirsties Duo's, Econobums, Flips. Surely he couldn't be allergic to ALL of these diapers? Thinking a little harder it finally came to me.

He was sensitive to synthetics. While trying to figure out why he never got redder after wearing a BG Organic AIO yet he turned 10 shades brighter after a BG Pocket, I finally got it. To be sure I was right I took away all diapers with suedecloth and fleece inners for a few days.

Bingo. His little bum was nice and soft and red rash free! There were still some small rashy spots, but the difference was undeniable.

One problem- half our stash is Bumgenius. With Suedecloth. After those few days going synthetic free I put a BG AIO on him when we were going out. Sure enough when I changed him no more than 2 hours later his bum was a bit red. Nothing near the nasty rash that started all of this, but it was still red. But I couldn't bring myself to let all those near perfect diapers just sit there. I had to come up with some solution.

We still go coverless whenever possible. Fitteds are my diaper of the week (because we all know you can never just have one favorite when you're a CD addict ha). He still wears his BG's, but we have a system for them. To begin, Tommy gets Desitin or A&D ointment on his tush to act as a barrier. Then I'll take a preemie prefold and lay it on the diaper in attempts to cover as much of the suedecloth as possible. If that means a tiny bit of the prefold sticks out of the legs so be it. We've yet to have an issue because of this.

Sometimes I'll add a disposable liner but usually I don't bother. I know this system isn't perfect and Tommy does get a tad red, but I can live with that. As long as I know he's not hurting, then we'll continue doing what works.

How do you combat rashes while using cloth?

Review: Rocky Mountain Diapers

2010-02-12T09:27:00.004-05:00

On my search to find the trimmest one-size pocket or AIO diaper I stumbled upon Rocky Mountain Diapers. I've toyed with the idea of trying these before but the leg elastic adjustment intimidated me. Once I saw a video review on Dirty Diaper Laundry though, I just had to have one! Sew Crafty Baby had them on sale so I scooped one up.

First Impressions: At first glance this diaper was adorable and looked relatively simple. It's a pretty typical pocket diaper in that it has a PUL outer and Suedecloth Inner. What I like about RMD is that they coordinate the outer and inner colors. The colors have fruits for name, and I chose the Mango/Lime combo. Mango is orange, Lime is green, Lemon is yellow, Grapefruit is pink, Berry is blue. They're also coming out with a Chocolate!

The pocket opening is in the back and is fairly wide which makes stuffing a lot easier. To find the leg elastic adjustment you have to go into the pocket opening. It's pretty self explanatory as to how you would adjust the elsatic.

Ease of Use: The leg elastic isn't the easiest of adjustments to manuever, but once you get the hang of it it's simple. There are 4 snaps, one of each size (nb, s, m, l). It comes snapped on the largest setting. At first I snapped it on the small setting, or the 2nd to last snap. Tommy had room to spare (see Fit) so I re-adjusted it to the smallest setting (nb). Once you find the setting that fits you don't have to adjust again until baby outgrows that particular setting.

RMD use snap closures. While not as easy as hook and loop, they're still very simple. The hardest part is trying to snap the diaper on with a very squirmy baby.

The pocket is easy to stuff and it's very easy to get a great fit with RMDs.

Fit: I first tried the "small" setting since Tommy is 13lbs. The "newborn" setting just looked far too small for him. I was wrong! He had a lot of room to spare with the small setting. It was very bunchy in the back and there was a lot of room left around the legs.

The "newborn" setting fit him much better. The leg elastic was nice and snug without being too tight and the waist wasn't too tight or too loose. It was just right as Goldilocks would say :-)

However, I noticed that even the newborn setting was bunchy in the back. I think this was due in part to using a smaller sized insert. I'm not sure of the brand but I used a hemp/cotton insert that was roughly 8" x 3", no larger. In my opinion a Medium Joey Bunz would either just fit, or you may need the larger size. I don't even want to think about what size insert would be best on the large setting! I think a thicker and longer insert would have filled the RMD out a bit more.

For the visual reader, here are some comparison pictures. The newborn setting is on the top, the small setting is on the bottom

Likes: There are several things I really like about Rocky Mountain Diapers. The colors are adorable for one. Snaps aren't my number one choice, but they are practical and still easy to use. Because these have snaps they'll stay newer look much longer. Having a wider pocket opening makes stuffing a lot easier. But my favorite feature is that this is a true one size diaper. Most one size diapers say they fit from 8-35lbs, but on average they don't start really fitting well until babies are at least 10lbs. I can see RMD fitting right from the hospital all the way through PL'ing. Plus they are just super trim. What more could a mom want in a diaper?

Dislikes: Of course no diaper is without it's faults. I don't like how they didn't come with an insert, but I believe they've fixed this. I haven't tried a larger insert yet so that may solve this issue, but I really don't like how bunchy RMD are in the butt. I wish adjusting the leg elastic was a tad easier, but I honestly think they've made it as easy as they could. The only other issue I have is I wish they came with natural inner fabrics. I think Tommy may have a sensitivity to suedecloth, and I know many other babies do as well. But that's not a huge deal to me- I'll take A RMD, suedecloth and all :-)

Overall? Rocky Mountain Diapers are a great pocket diaper with a decent price. The adjustable leg elastic really sets these apart from other one size diapers and they aren't lying when they say these are one size fits all. This is a quality diaper that would be a great addition to any stash!

9 out of 10 !

Cloth Diaper Anonymous

2010-02-07T11:13:00.002-05:00

Hi, my name's Alycia and I'm addicted to cloth diapers.

It all started when I was a few months pregnant. I read a lot and was hooked instantly. Being the savvy shopper I am, I was able to build up a stash of at least 50 diapers for under $100. Trading, buying, selling. It was just so much fun!

Then Tommy was born. I only had a handful of diapers that fit his tiny self. I just shrugged it off and used sposies for a month. Finally that fateful day came- his diapers fit! But I hated 95% of the diapers we owned. Diaperswappers became my favorite website and I spent hours trading for new diapers. Selling my old diapers. Buying new ones.

After a month or so I found what worked best for us. Bumgenius AIO's and Pockets and gDiapers. These made up our entire stash. Great, right?

Then I discovered how great fitteds were. There were so many cute prints and colors and he didn't really need a cover when he was just hanging around the house. I sold off the few diapers I could part with and whatever else we no longer needed, traded what I could, and built up a decent stash of fitteds in addition to our BG's and gDiapers. This was it!

Except our gDiapers started leaking. I got bored with them. Those were the next to go. Around this time I got over my fear of prefolds. Thankfully I had some, but I just had to buy the Econobum by Bumgenius. Through it all BG's still remained our favorite.

One day I stumped upon Kelly's Closet and oh my gosh, so many diapers! Around this time Thirsties Duos came out and I got over my fear of flats. Back to Diaperswappers I went and the trading began yet again.

After all this, I truly thought we had the perfect stash for us. For going out we had BG Pockets, AIO's, and Organics. For around the house we had fitteds, prefolds, and flats. We had an assortment of covers, including Econobum and Thirsties Duo's when needed. For nighttime we had a couple One Size Flip Covers and their Organic Inserts. And then no stash is complete without wool. We have half a dozen recycled wool soakers and longies, along with some wrap style covers and fleece. Not a big fleece fan though.

Seriously, this is a great stash! A little of everything and a ton of prints and colors. How could we ever get bored with all of that?!

Well, I just won a giveaway. I won an AppleCheeks pocket plus a bamboo insert. That wouldn't be a big deal- what's one more diaper? Except I just bought an AppleCheeks from Kelly's Closet with the $25 store credit I received for being February's Spotlight Mom. Whoops.

Oh, and then there's the Amazon giftcard I had. I just had to give a Motherease One Size a try. I mean, there were just so many amazing reviews! Hey, it was only $12.45.

Whoops! I almost forgot about the store credit to Sew Crafty Baby from sending in some cloth diaper action shots. I figured I'd pick up another Thirsties Duo Wrap in a size 2. I suppose this was a justified purchase since his size 1 Duo won't fit much longer.

Now I have my tax refund dancing around my head as I figure out how many diapers it could buy. Tom wants to get Tommy another custom italian diaper made as well, so that's at least one more diaper. I'd really like to grab a Goodmama. And a Softbums. Don't forget Rocky Mountain Diapers. Throw in some more Pampered Cheeks and we're good for the time being.

Honestly, I could have a months worth of diapers in our stash and I still wouldn't be able to resist buying new diapers. They're just so cute and squishy and soft! And those prints. Oi. Those prints are irresistable.

I've come to the conclusion that stash nirvana is a myth. We can all say we've reached stash nirvana all we want, but as soon as that new diaper in unveiled we'll be like kids in a candy store.

So, I'm addicted to cloth diapering. It's just too much fun to give up!

Operation Get Cloth Diapers Featured on Ellen!

2010-02-02T21:54:00.003-05:00

Kim at DirtyDiaperLaundry is starting an all out attack on the Ellen Show to get her to feature the Modern Cloth Diaper. How awesome is that?!?!?

Why, do you ask, should Ellen even consider devoting a show to cloth diapering? Well, why not!

But really, here are the reasons:

1. Cloth is the new cool!
2. Who doesn't want to see adorable babies with equally adorable fluff covering their bums?
3. C'mon, how many people do YOU know who still think of cloth diapering as pins, flats, poo-splosions, and plastic pants? We need to show the world that modern cloth is not only cute, it's functional and just as easy as sposies.
4. If anyone can convince people that cloth is cool, Ellen can!

I can probably come up with a million more reasons but those are what I feel are most important.

Now get off your butts and get Ellen to listen!

Utter Exhaustion

2010-01-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

I am so tired. Beyond the new mom tired. I physically cannot keep my eyes open. I mean it. I sit down on the couch at 11:00am and I'm nodding off within 10 minutes. I hop into the front of the car with Tom, I'm drifting off and on within 15 minutes. I've almost fallen face first into my computer.

I want to say it's the Methadone. Blame it on something tangible. But it's not. I was like this before the Methadone. I'm sure it was the drugs. Which means the methadone is probably doing the same thing the drugs did. But I nodded in and out when I wasn't on drugs. I *wanted* to be on drugs, but I wasn't at that point in the day. But I'd still nod off in class.

Now that I'm a SAHM and Tom's home for the winter, he's noticing how bad it is. He hates it. It has caused so many damn fights with us. Today was particularly bad.

I ask one of the midwives, the one I really like, and you know what she said? That I need to stop Weight Watchers. My body doesn't want me to lose weight; that's why my breastmilk supply has drastically dropped. I need to eat more. I don't think I could possibly eat more.

Wait, that's a lie. Eating isn't a problem for me. That's not the point.

I've had blood drawn half a dozen times for this same problem. Everything comes back normal.

Nodding out all day is NOT normal.

Maybe I'm not active enough? I excerise 2-4 times a week, I try to walk with the baby and dog a few times a week. My eating has drastically improved. I've only lost 9lbs in 8 weeks so I'm not dropping weight super fast.

I'm a complete wreck right now. I just don't know what's wrong with me.

All I know is something is.

Sleeping

2010-01-15T12:23:00.002-05:00

How does your baby like to sleep?

The Circumsizing Debate

2010-01-14T08:32:00.002-05:00

My son has been circumsized and I am very happy with our decision. I need to begin with that statement.

Yet I have no good reasons as to why we wanted him to be circ'ed. Not one. In fact, everything I've read has made me lean towards *not* having him circ'ed. But I couldn't bring myself not to do it. I just couldn't.

My biggest reason? I remember when I saw my first picture of an uncut male and I thought it was the most revolting sight. (Please- I do not in any way mean to offend anyone. These are just my thoughts and mine alone) I know I felt this way because I had never seen a man like this before and had been brought up with circ'ing being normal. I just didn't know any other way. So when it came time to make the decision for my son, I immediately remembered that picture. I then thought of him being laughed at for that same reason.

I know that won't happen though. I was shocked when I saw that Baystate's circ'ing statistic was only 57%. 57%??? That's it?! I figured it would be more like 95%, really.

I know that many boys are intact. I know Tommy wouldn't have been laughed at. In my head I know this.

I even read all the reasons why you shouldn't have the procedure. Every single reason made perfect sense. All of them. I agreed with them. I even watched the video of the procedure being done and I almost cried. Yet I still put my son through it.

Tommy was a very happy and calm baby when he was born (and still is very happy!). It was very hard not to cry when they came and took him for the circ. I pictured him coming back bloodied and screaming and just mutilated. Even if I had backed down, his Daddy insisted it be done so I didn't have much of a choice. (I told him he made this choice- he was the one with a penis and it took the pressure off of me)

But that's not how it happened. Not in the slightest. He came back the same happy baby that he left as. The nurse said he was really good during the procedure; he cried but not screaming.

Aside from him being a little raw & red and having gauze and A&D all over him, you'd never know he had the procedure. I really don't know what he looked like pre-circ though, as he needed to provide some urine samples due to the methadone so he had a little baggie on for the entire first day, and he had the circ on the second day.

He was never gushing blood, he didn't look hacked up, and he never appeared to be in pain or unhappy. He always had the option of pain relief and I made SURE they used pain relief for the procedure.

Tommy has healed up perfectly and is a wonderful 4 month old boy. I wouldn't change our decision whatsoever.

I have nothing against those who choose to keep their sons intact. In fact I completely understand why they choose this path. If I had grown up differently and/or been exposed to different things I may have made that same decision.

I truly believe we need more than 1 choice for things. How boring would it be if we all made the same choices? We need some healthy debate!

We do not need those who are anti-circ relaying lies about the procedure. We don't need those people telling moms who are simply looking for research that their child will be mutilated and come back bloodied and their spirit shattered.

I don't understand why people can't simply relay the facts. Tell them that there is no medical reason for circ'ing. That they could need corrective surgery later on due to common side effects. That it really is painful. These are the things anti-circ'ers should be telling people. The truth.

I'm very happy with our choices, and I am happy that there are people who make the opposite choices as us. How boring would the world be?

So, that's how I feel about boys being circumsized. I know I could go on and on but I don't feel the need to. To sum my feelings up:

Everyone is entitled to make their own choices. Those choices should be educated and not made lightly. Facts should be given for both sides of the arguement but agendas should not be pushed. And most importantly, there is no right or wrong choice. The best choice is what is right for your baby and your family.

A Sincere Thank You

2010-01-05T23:20:00.002-05:00

I've made it my goal to read through all the past entries on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer (theclothdiaperwhisperer.com) and came across one that just made me want to smile and cry at the same time. It's nothing gut wrenching in the "make you want to run out the door and save a life" type of way, but it's heartfelt and sweet and just makes you appreciate the little things in life, especially when they come from your darling boyfriend or husband or fiance or partner.

You can see the original post here: http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/07/unexpected-beginnings.html

"Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Unexpected Beginnings
Of course we met the usual opposition from every one we knew. Remarks like “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” or “Have you even thought about how hard that will be?” were among many that we heard, but that didn’t stop us. We purchased our pre-folds and covers and began preparing for our baby. In order to ensure that my experience was successful, I bought newborn prefolds and pro-wraps. I felt confident that I was going to be a cloth diaper master from day one.

Things have a way of not working out the way you think they will, and sadly, that was the case for me. My birthing experience was the exact opposite from what I wanted. I wanted a completely natural delivery, but what I got was a transverse baby who would not budge, and a complicated c-section followed by over medication. And then on top of that, I had severe allergic reactions to all of the medicine and depression. I guess when your pediatrician says "Oh, you're the girl who reacted to all those medications! You were the talk of the hospital," at your baby's six month checkup, you know that things probably did not go according to plan. Needless to say, it was not the ideal situation that I had so naievely desired and dreamed of.

When we came home from the hospital I was so overwhelmed with the new role of motherhood and adjusting to nursing that I couldn’t even think about using the cloth diapers. I had no idea how to fold the prefolds and I was so afraid of somehow hurting her. Even though I had spent countless hours researching detergents, folds, different diapers, and covers, I was not prepared for actually using them. One day when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed I just burst into tears. Later that day I said to my husband amid a flood of tears “I’m so stupid. I can’t believe that I thought that I could actually do this. I can’t believe that I wasted all of our money on these diapers and I can’t use them”. He calmly said “Liz, don’t even worry about it. I’ll use the cloth diapers and you can use disposables until you’re ready”.

And that’s what he did. He looked up on-line how to fold prefolds and began using them at every diaper change. He tried different folds until he found the one that he liked. He washed the diapers, made the wipe solution, used cloth wipes; he did everything. Then when our baby was 1 month old, I felt well enough and brave enough to give them a try myself. He taught me how to use the Snappi and fold the prefolds. I can honestly say that if it weren’t for my husband I would be using disposables right now and I would be so disappointed in myself. "

How can you not read that and smile? :-)

Laughter

2010-01-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

Tommy just had a laughing fit. He made himself laugh so hard he cried.

It was just so adorable and funny I wanted to cry but I laughed instead.

He's growing up way too fast.

Cloth Diaper Addict

2010-01-02T19:41:00.005-05:00

I never thought I'd love Cloth Diapering as much as I have. You know you're a CD addict when..

1. Anytime you get money you immediately think about all the fluff you can get

2. You actually look forward to laundry day

3. You have your CDs organized by color, size, brand, and type.

4. You decide what your LO is going to wear by what diaper he has on

5. You talk about your cloth as if they were your babies

6. You're a pro at the dunk, swish, and method

7. You actually look forward to poopy diapers so you can use your diaper sprayer

8. You're no longer afraid of poop

9. You cut up all your onsies so you can show off your cute cloth

10. You rarely let anyone else change your baby for fear that they'll ruin your diapers

11. You spend hours upon hours on diaperswappers and similar sites.

12. You hide your fluffy mail from DH because of the insane amount you get

13. DH has told you you have a problem with diapers

I'm sure there are tons, tons, and tons more. But c'mon, who doesn't like being addicted to fluff??

Here's my baby with his cute fluffy bum!

It's a New Year

2010-01-02T14:31:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010!

My #1 New Year's Resolution? To blog at least every other day! Tommy is growing up so fast and I want to make sure I document everything I can!

My second resolution is to continue going to Weight Watchers each week and keep taking the necessary steps to lose weight, get healthy, and just feel good about myself again. Piece of cake, right? haha

And my third and last resolution is to be the best mom I can be. I'm going to stop worrying about what I "should" be doing, what the new crunchy thing to do is, and what my family shoves down my throat. Tommy will still flourish and thrive if he continues to be fed breastmilk from a bottle, if he wears cloth diapers instead of sposies, if he watches a bit more tv than I'd like. He'll be o.k.a.y.

So now that we have that out of the way. Tommy is wearing cloth full time now! I've finally found a system that works really well for us! Right now our stash consists of the following:

13 Bumgenius OS Pockets
3 Bumgenius OS Organics (2 Aplix, 1 Snap)
4 Bumgenius AIO Size Small
5 Bumgenius AIO Size Medium
1 Bumgenius Flip Cover
4 Econobum Covers
1 Thirsties Duo Diaper, Size 1
1 Kissaluvs Hybrid OS Contour
1 Pampered Cheeks Medium Fitted
2 Little Beetles Hemp Fitteds
1 Loveybums Medium Sherpa Fitted
11 Small gDiapers (trying to sell 9)
1 V2 Thirsties Small Cover
1 Bummis Super Snap Wrap, Small
1 Booroi Small Cover

14 Econobum Prefolds
2 Flip Organic Inserts
6 gCloth
1 Thirsties Hemp/Microfiber Insert
4 Hemp Babies Bigger Weeds
5 Preemie Indian Prefolds
6 Infant Indian Prefolds
12 Premium Prefolds
12 Gerber Birdseye Prefolds (burp clothes)
12439842787307343174 Microfiber Inserts

I never thought I'd be so sad to have so many diapers :-(

While we're talking about fluff, here's a survey I filled out.

Why do you love (or not love) cloth diapering?

What don’t I love about cloth diapering? Not much! I never in a million years thought I’d love cloth as much as I do! Who doesn’t love seeing a sea of blues, greens, yellows, pinks, and cute prints on their little ones bum? I’d much rather look at a Clementine Bumgenius then the poorly drawn Winnie the Pooh on disposable diapers. Sure the laundry every 1-3 days can get old, but putting away fluff is so relaxing and dare I say it, fun!

I’m sure when Tommy starts solids and I can no longer just drop the diapers in the dry pail I’ll like cloth a bit less. But I also know I’ll have a diaper sprayer for that time, which I’ve heard is the #1 best buy for cloth, so I have a feeling it won’t matter much what kind of poo he has!
What style of CD is your favorite? All in One’s, hands down. Drying times don’t bother me so these are my go to diapers. I prefer sized AIO’s as they’re the trimmest on my little one, but one size are great too!

Favorite Brand? Bumgenius! I’ve tried and own every type of Bumgenius with the exception of their Bamboo Fitteds. I just love everything about them- how easy they are, how well they fit, the neat colors, the variety. Sure they could use better aplix and maybe some cute prints, but I can live without those things.

How about your least favorites? Kushies & Cricketts off the top of my head.

Why? (skinny or chubbier baby? snaps are too annoying, velcro wears out too fast? diaper fell apart in the wash? Details people!) While the Kushies fit pretty well right from the hospital (Tommy was 6lbs 14oz when he was born), they seemed really stiff and started looking like trash way sooner then they should have. The Cricketts on the other hand seemed like they’d be great little diapers but I could never get them to fit right on Tommy. I also could never figure out how to shorten the rise with the snap placement they had.

Did you prefer a different style and/or brand when your LO was younger?
Nope, I always found myself reaching for the Bumgenius Small AIO I had.

How many tries did it take before you found a favorite? I’m not really sure to be honest. Before Tommy was born I built up this humongous stash that I ended up hating. I traded or sold almost all of those diapers.

How 'bout those cloth wipes? Are they worth it? What's your favorite fabric, why? Least favorite? Do you think it's better to buy wipes from somewhere or make your own? What's your favorite size? We still haven’t made the plunge into using cloth wipes. Though I’m on the hunt for some BG Bottom Cleaner so I can try them!

Anyone with an HE front-loader out there who's got a successful wash routine, keeping the stink out? Care to share? What brand detergent do you use? I have a top loader, sorry!

Until next time!

Cloth Diapering

2009-11-24T10:02:00.004-05:00

I never, ever would have imagined I'd be using cloth diapers. Not once, not twice, not ever. Seriously though, how appealing is the thought of having to wash a poopy diaper and put plastic pants on your kid? I wish I could remember when that "ah-ha!" moment happened and I decided that CD'ing wasn't so scary. In fact it could be kind of fun!

I know Bumgenius were the first diapers I heard about and I just went from there. I wish I could say we cloth diapered right from birth but Tommy was such a peanut he didn't fit into any of the diapers we had. Now at 11 weeks he's in cloth full time days while we use up the last of our sposies at night. Here are my thoughts on the diapers we've used so far-

Bumgenius Small AIO: love love love! These fit Tommy perfectly, and will continue to fit for awhile I think. We haven't had a leak or blowout and they're nice and trim under his clothes.

Bumgenius Organic OS AIO: These are very absorbant, but just so bulky on him, even on the smallest setting. They also take awhile to dry, but I don't really care about that stuff.

Thirsties Small Pocket AIO: Even those these say "small" they're still pretty big on Tommy. They're good for when he's going pantless around the house, but under clothes they're bulky. I believe they're supposed to fit starting at 12lbs, but Tommy's only 10 something lbs.

Kushies Newborn AIOs: I got these used so they were pretty beat up but they work really well! No leaks or blowouts and they wash out awesome! No stains even after some big messes! These don't fit him too well anymore though; they're only supposed to last through 10lbs but we've been able to stretch that a tiny bit.

Small Dream-Eze Fitted: These have a good absorbancy and there's really nothing wrong with the function of the diaper. My only gripe is it's a side snapping diaper and it's a pain in the butt to put on him.

Small Little Beetles Hemp Fitteds: I love the way these diapers fit and how trim they are, but they don't hold much even with a doubler. I try not to use covers, especially around the house, and he soaked through these diapers within an hour. It soaked through to his clothes. No other fitted has really done this after only an hour.

Happy Heiny's Small Pocket: This was def. a stay dry diaper, but that's the only thing I liked. The outer PUL was very stiff and I just don't like pockets n general.

ATD Small AIO: I didn't think I'd like these but they're a good little diaper! I'm not a huge fan of snaps, but these use snap tape. No leaks and had a good fit.

Cricketts Infant Fitted: Cricketts have good absorbancy and overall I like them. My dislikes are the fact that they have snaps and they're a bit bulky on my little guy.

WAHM Small Panda Hidden PUL AIO: I'm not sure what mama made this diaper, but it's a pretty good diaper. It fits him really well. For the most part it absorbs well unless I leave it on too long (more than 2-3 hours). It'll start to soak through at that time, though I think that's pretty typical for any diaper.

lil'fluffers (my diapers!) NB and Small Fitteds and AIO: These are diapers that I've made myself and I have to admit I'm pretty happy with my work. I have one AIO that he's since outgrown and a bunch of fitteds. Out of all the times he's worn these (at least 2-3 times each) I've only had him leak through once. Now if only I could find the time to make more....

Here are some fluffy pics of Tommy...first is the Little Beetles Hemp, and the others are all diapers or covers I've made. I just love fluff!!!

No Longer a Crunchy Mom to be

2009-11-17T16:09:00.004-05:00

Please excuse my lapses in blogs. Be prepared for more in the future.

First off, I'm proud to welcome my baby boy, Tommy, into our family! He was born on Monday September 7, 2009, Labor Day of all days, at 5:27 A.M. It's amazing how much you can love this little person that you've just met, although it feels like you've known them forever. He's absolutely perfect- 10 fingers, 10 toes, a head of hair (that he later lost and regained haha), baby soft skin, a huge smile. He really is just a perfect little baby boy. *sigh*

While everything I planned to do hasn't exactly gone as expected things are starting to settle quite well. I didn't get the natural birth I was hoping for, but dear god thank you so much for making epidurals. Seriously, thank you.

Then, due to a beyond outdated and ridiculous hospital policy I wasn't allowed to breastfeed since I'm on methadone. Boo fricken hoo. I thought I could just start nursing when I got home but Tommy really likes the bottle so I'm currently nursing a machine every 2-3 hours. This leads to very sore boobs that my lovely son likes to clamp down on when I do attempt to nurse him. Ouch.

I was also very excited to start cloth diapering as soon as we got home but Tommy was a lot smaller than we anticipated. The midwives kept telling me he was going to be at least 7.5lbs, if not 8lbs. I don't know why I actually listened to them, I know there's not accurate way to predict weight before birth, but I did, and therefor had very few newborn diapers on hand. I had like 2 diapers that fit him at birth. He's now 10lbs (probably a bit more) and fitting into a decent amount of diapers finally. He's in cloth by day and sposies by night (at least until I run out of them). My awesome grandmother just bought me a set of gDiapers which I'm really excited to try, and I think I'm about to trade for a couple Bumgenius and Thirsties AIO Diapers. We'll see!

Now that things have settled into somewhat of a routine I'm excited to start blogging about my journey into being a crunchy mama. Following is a review of the cloth diapers I've used thus far, with pictures :-) Oh, and here's the man of the hour:

taking care of business

2009-06-29T08:59:00.004-04:00

No wonder why I've never kept a blog for long....I can't remember to actually update it! And now I'm left with a whole book's worth of stuff to update with. *sigh* here we go....

I'll be 30 weeks pregnant on Friday. I can't believe it...already?? I can still remember trying to decipher that oh-so-faint pink line on the pregnancy test. Was I seeing things? Was that really a line?

I think I have my answer, don't you? :-)

At first I felt like this was the boring part of pregnancy. In the beginning you have all the emotions rushing through you- the excitement, the panic, the wonder, the pure bliss. You wait for the first ultrasound; that first time you hear the heartbeat. Nothing can beat that moment. Until the next one at least.

Then you start counting down the days until you find out- Pink or Blue? I was so convinced I was having a girl. My whole family was convinced. I'll admit it, I wanted a girl so, so badly. The day of my anatomy ultrasound couldn't come fast enough. And then the day came and I saw it. No doubts whatsoever. This proud mama was having a boy! I thought I was going to be upset if I was wrong about my guess...I really did. But I wasn't. I couldn't have been happier. I immediately swung into boy mode.

I'm so proud of my little bambino!

Okay. So now I know what he looks like, what he sounds like. What he is. I've felt him move around. What's next? What can I look forward to now, other than the day he arrives?

Do you know how long it took for Tom to finally feel him kicking?? He's got a damn hard kick too! I waited, and waiting for that moment. And then he SAW him moving! I have to say, hands down, seeing this little baby move around inside my belly is one of the most amazing, coolest, beautiful sights ever.

I really can't wait to be a mama. I can't believe I'm going to be a mama in the very near future. The very near 10 week future. Wow.

I wish I could feel these fantastic moods all the time. I will admit, my depression has been improving. One of the midwives prescribed me zoloft, and I took it for a week or so, but it really messed with my meds and I felt like a zombie. I know perfectly well that if I had given it a few more weeks the side effects would have leveled off and it probably would have been a big help. I just couldn't do it. I won't go into all my thinking processes, though I'd be more than happy to explain, it's just too much...stuff.

So, I couldn't just let myself whither into a black hole. If I wasn't going to take the meds I had to do something to try to help myself. My awesome grandma bought me a sewing machine (a Singer 1507) and I just went to town. In fact I have some wonderful mamas testing the diapers and fleece soakers/longies I've been making because I want to start my own WAHM business. It's actually starting to come together and I can't wait!!! I plan on starting a WAHM Wares thread on diaperswappers, but I'm debating on opening my own HyenaCart or joining a Congo. I'm leaning towards a Congo though. I also need to check out Etsy. Decisions, decisions.

I'm also going to either transform this blog, or make a new blog for the business. Here are the details:

"lil' fluffers: cloth diapers and more for the natural family"

Product Line

Diapers and Accessories

Fitteds
Pockets
AIO's
NB to size Large
OS snappiable/pinnable Fitteds
Hook n Loop or Snappiable Closures
Doublers

Fleece

Soaker Shorts
Longies

Baby Items

Embellished Tshirts
Pants
Booties *coming soon
Beanies *coming soon
Blankets
Stuffed Toys

Mama Items

Mama Cloth (Rounded Wings, Triangular Wings, and Pocket Style)
Wraps and Carriers *coming soon
Nursing Covers *coming soon
Nursing Pads *coming soon

My main focus is going to be the diapers and mama cloth. I'm very excited to get started online, but my long term goal is to get started locally. There is an incredible amount of families in my area that cloth diaper and use other natural parenting styles, but there aren't many shops around here that support these lifestyle choices. There's "Kids in the Garden" in NoHo, and a bunch of other little shops around there, but I really can't think of any other places that are centered on natural parenting and living. It would be an absolute dream to become so good at sewing that my items will be on the shelves at these stores. Wow. I can hope. And I will.

For now I'm going to look into the local farmer's markets and craft fairs. There's a farmer's market every Tuesday afternoon in Springfield and there are a couple shops similar to what I'd like to have so maybe I can have a booth there. I know I would love to be able to see a diaper or compare different items in person if at all possible; which it's not for the most part around here. I know I can't be the only mama thinking this. I hope I can provide this option for them.

I know my sewing still has a lot to improve on. So far I've been getting great reviews on how my diapers work, and the stitching/workmanship has been good and held up well.

I'm being realistic in I know I'm not going to be bringing in lots of money right away. It'll take awhile before I actually make a profit at all. But it's something I enjoy doing and if I can bring in a bit of money it'll help us out tremendously. So many mamas helped me out by giving me awesome deals and I want to pay it forward.

Alright, this has taken me long enough to write. I'll be back soon!!!

A Slap of Reality

2009-05-29T07:38:00.002-04:00

25 weeks pregnant. 6 months pregnant. Only 3 months left! I can't believe how fast it is going. I remember that evening, January 2nd, getting ready to go to Tom's graduation from the Police Academy, seeing that very, very faint pink line. I remembering asking Tom if he saw anything and him saying "I see a really dark line and a really light one." Two lines? "We're pregnant."

We were both in disbelief, to say the least. He wasn't convinced until I took about a dozen more tests including the digital with the word "pregnant" right on the screen. I was only 4 weeks at that point and I remember thinking how long it was going to take until we'd know we were having a boy, until I could feel him moving, until I looked pregnant. Now I've reached all those milestones and I'm sad that I don't have much left to go. Tom still hasn't felt him move so we have that to look forward to. We start childbirth class on Sunday so that should be good. Plus the baby shower and setting up the nursery. I'm excited about all of those things.

I talked to my midwife about how I've been feeling. She immediately put me on Zoloft and told me to get into counseling. That was two weeks ago and I just now starting taking the medication. I was very nervous being on Zoloft would upset my awesome standing at the methadone clinic- I've busted my butt to remain drug free and a good patient and I've earned all 6 takehomes in the process. If you're on certain meds they limit how many bottles you can have. Secondly, and most important actually, is the fact that the baby could potentially have withdrawals from the Zoloft. Great, now my baby has to suffer not only from Methadone but from Zoloft too?? The midwife said that the meds used to treat the NAS would take care of any Zoloft withdrawals and she wasn't concerned at all. But I am. Luckily a friend is on Zoloft and gave birth while on it and she didn't have any problems. I'm hoping the breastfeeding will significantly reduce both withdrawal symptoms.

Tom was convinced all my issues were from not being active enough. So I started walking a bit more and began sewing. Oh my, I love to sew now! I want to start selling some stuff and make us some money. It's so much fun. I'll admit that doing more has helped, but I think it's only masked the issue not solved it. So I started taking the meds and we'll see how it goes.

And I'm going to end this saying how much I love feeling my little boy move. He's been going pretty fast lately. I thought it had hit me- the fact that we'll have a baby soon. I was wrong. It's just hitting me now.

Sadness

2009-05-06T13:43:00.003-04:00

I have been so completely depressed lately. I feel like I've been sucked inside a black hole and I have no clue how to get out.

This stress must be awful for the baby, but how do I stop it? I cry at the drop of a hat. I feel like Tom's not on my side, even though I know that's not the case. I feel like nothing I do is good enough. Something's out of place, I get blamed, something doesn't go right, I get blamed. I didn't do this or I didn't do that. I don't smile enough. I don't talk enough at night while we're relaxing in the living room. I don't pay enough attention to him in bed. I don't fuck him enough. Okay, he doesn't come right out and say some of this stuff, but that's how he makes me feel. Part of me knows I'm overreacting. I know I am. He truly is an amazing man and I am lucky to have him in my life. There is no convincing me otherwise. But you know how everyone has their "quirks?" Yeah, it's those that are bugging me.

Sometimes I get real panicky about having a child with him, with anybody for that matter. I feel so incredibly selfish saying this, but I sometimes I want this baby all to myself. I've been getting so excited about babywearing, co sleeping, cloth diapering, everything. He'll be laid off this winter and will only be plowing so he'll be like a SAHD. We had talked about me staying home as long as possible, but I know I'll have to get some type of part time job at least once the baby's here. But I don't want to work full time while he's home, watching every important moment in our baby's life. I want to be there, and be there with him. I don't mind working part time. But gahh.

He loves this baby so much already though. It hasn't quite hit him that we're having a baby, but I can see the love and excitement in his eyes. He is going to be a great father, so why am I feeling all these wretched things? I hate it.

I want to chalk it up to the raging hormones, but hormones don't make you this miserable. They don't make you cry every day. Do they?

I'm going to talk to my midwife next Wednesday. I hope everything goes well.

Vaccines

2009-04-29T08:35:00.002-04:00

I was watching Law and Order: SVU last night and what started out to be a case similar to that of Caylee Anthony's turned out to be all about vaccines. Specifically the MMR, a vaccine I am thinking about skipping. At first I was really excited, finally the controversy will be exposed, maybe people can see that there are other options rather than fully vaccinating on schedule.

Yeah, I couldn't have been more wrong.

In a nutshell, the very irresponsible, partying, crappy mother did not kill her little girl. The little girl contracted Measles from a boy on the playground who's mother didn't vaccinate at all. Aside from Olivia and Munch standing up for people's right to choose, the entire episode was like a witch hunt, completely bashing those who chose not to vaccinate. They arrested the mother who didn't vaccinate and charged her with murder. That makes me sick. Murdering someone requires intent, a willful act to end someone's life. Even negligent homicide- one has to neglect their child or a person to such an extent that their life ends. I do not see neglect anywhere in this woman's life, and she made a very valid point.

"I'm the good mother. My child has good food to eat, clothes to wear, a warm home to live in, and all the love in the world. That mother? She BURIED her little girl in a shallow grave. She only cares about partying and drinking and getting high. I'm the good mother."

Now, I don't necessarily agree with the good mother/bad mother part, but she was right in the sense that she did not neglect her child. She made the best choices she could. The little girl's mother didn't even get her medical treatment when she got sick. She buried her baby instead of seeking medical help. Yet she walked. How does that work?

The whole trial focused on how deadly Measles were, how those who don't vaccinate are irresponsible and harming all the innocent people in the world. Bullshit.

Do you know what goes into many of the "required" vaccines? Aluminum, Mercury, Formaldehyde, Monkey Cells, Cow Serum, Fetal Blood Cells....and that's just some of the awful stuff. I don't believe in not vaccinating completely. I plan on delaying my child's vaccines, and skipping the ones I feel aren't necessary and/or too dangerous.
In fact I made a chart using "The Vaccine Book" by Robert Sears, which you can see here: http://docs.google.com/View?docID=dfbz46sm_1ghspfcdp&revision=_latest

I haven't finalized any of my plans yet, but I have a rough idea of what I'd like to do.

Wait until he's a year old before beginning any vaccines
Do not give more than one shot containing Aluminum/Mercury at one time
Do not give more than one shot a time, for the most part
The vaccines I know I'm skipping are: Heb B, Polio, Influenza, Varicella (Chicken Pox), Hep A
The vaccines I'm unsure about are: DTaP (I wish I could just skip the Tetanus and Diphtheria portion, but they don't have a separated version), Hib
The vaccines I'm pretty sure I'm going to skip, or at least delay are: MMR, Rotavirus, PCV

I'll most likely end up vaccinating him with all the vaccines except from the first bullet, but on a slow and delayed schedule. I still need to do more reading as I'm very unsure about some things.

I'm not convinced that vaccines are the cause of Autism. I believe Autism is caused by environmental factors, such as chemicals and other unnatural substances that a woman and/or child is exposed to. I also think genetics must have something to do with it, but I'm not sure to what extent. There is a program about a family with six children who are all autistic. I personally think those parents were very irresponsible; after their second or third child was diagnosed they should have stopped having children until they figured out why this was happening. Some of their kids have Asbergher's (sp?) which is a very, very mild form. These children are very intelligent and can function pretty well, but their social skills are nil. Then they have some children who are very severe. Their six year old daughter, aside from walking and using her arms and legs, has the mind of a one year old. She cannot talk and she's still in diapers. She has to be strapped to a chair during meal times. I cannot even imagine being a parent to a child like this. To look into their eyes and see...nothing. These poor children are stuck inside themselves. They have a younger boy that's case is just as severe. The rest of the children fall somewhere in the middle.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this program? "I'd love to see what she did while she was pregnant." I wonder where she worked, if she worked. I wonder what she ate. I wonder what she was exposed to. Genetics had to have played a role in this situation, but I have to believe they would have been able to find a link somewhere. Her environment must have played a part, probably a very large part. I want to know so badly what she was around, what she could have done differently, what, if anything, could have contributed to this.

So then why am I still selectively and delaying vaccines for my child? Until they prove that the vaccines have no link whatsoever to Autism, I will be cautious. Until they remove all chemicals, and the nasty ingredients that no child or person should be injected with, I will be cautious.

Do you want to be injected with Formaldehyde? Cow Blood? Monkey Cells?

It has been shown the high levels of Aluminum and other metals have adverse reactions. It has been shown the Mercury is very dangerous. Yet many vaccines still contain these ingredients. I feel my safest course of action is to give each vaccine separately, so if Tommy does have a reaction I know exactly which vaccine caused it. It is my responsibility to protect my child, and I will do just that.

This parenting thing is a lot tougher than I imagined. Oi Vey.

How Can I Believe?

2009-04-26T12:26:00.003-04:00

I just had a huge entry written. But I deleted it all.

Do you ever feel like you're in second place? It's such an overwhelming; unbearable feeling. Especially when it's your boyfriend, the man you're going to marry someday. I don't want to feel second in his life. I want to be first. I deserve to be first.

I have everything I could ask for. He is such an amazing person, he treats me like a queen. He really does. But sometimes, it's the stupid little things that happen that just crawl under your skin and drive you insane. You know in the grand scheme of things they mean nothing, but in the here and now, you just can't get over it.

I know the stress is really getting to me. I'm caving in, slowly. Very slowly. I have so much love for this little person growing inside me. Being pregnant is by far one of the best things that has happened to me. But at the same time...I wonder if I made the right choice. Whenever the issue of money comes up I feel so guilty. I'm sorry I had to stop working. I'm sorry I sucked at saving and have nothing to show for the time I did work. I'm sorry we have so many bills to pay and not enough money to pay them. I'm sorry we're struggling. Somehow I feel like it's my fault.

My aunt and I had a heated discussion about religion the other day. To be honest I don't know how I feel about God. Sometimes I think people use organized religion as a cop out. They put their lives into God's hands...yet how does one know God really exists? I know that's the whole point of having "faith" but still. I don't want to trust someone with mylife who I don't have proof exists. Maybe I'm just too cynical but I'd rather rely on something tangible.

On the otherhand there are times where I wish I did have faith, that there really was a God out there. I'm not a huge fan of living a life completely devoted to God- going to church several times a week, enrolling my child in Bible Study and Catholic Schools, preaching abstinence, and all that jazz. But I'm beginning to wonder if I can believe, and have faith, but not be one of the outwardly preachy Christians. I want to be realistic but have faith all at once. Is that possible?

I was baptised Catholic. I really cannot stand Catholicism and their close minded ways. Why do they get to choose who marries who? Why do they get to decide when it's okay to have sex? Why must abortion be such an awful sin?

Is there a religion out there that lets you have faith without instructing you how to live your life?

Sometimes, when I get really depressed like I've been today, I wonder about these things. Sometimes, when I'm really happy I wonder about these things.

I really need to do something to get this stress under control. It's not healthy for me, or for my baby. I'm really stuck as to what to do though. I try talking to Tom but it just never goes well; unless I start bawling my eyes out of course. I don't want to do that. Should I try counseling again? Lord knows I could use it, especially with my family issues I've been carrying.

Maybe I should figure my life out before I become responsible for someone else's.

I'll Take That Into Consideration

2009-04-23T15:24:00.003-04:00

All throughout my life I have flip flopped between wanting kids, not wanting kids, adopting, rinse and repeat. During those few occasions where I pictured kids in my future I had a pretty stereotypical image of the type of birth I'd have and the type of mom I'd be. You know, flat on my back, strapped to a table, screaming for an epidural, and then finally meeting my baby after the nurses got done with them. And then of course I'd take him or her home, prepare a bottle, constantly have the car seat and stroller by my side, and the moment I saw a yawn I'd head for the crib.

I honestly don't know how much more wrong I could have been.

Everything I never imagined myself doing, I plan to do. Cloth diapering, babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, delayed vaccinating crunchy mom to be. I think I've come up with some pretty valid reasons for my chosen ways. For example:

Cloth Diapering: Not only is this so much better for the environment, it will save us a ridiculous amount of money. And with me not working, saving money is a very good thing.

Babywearing: I'm short and I tend to get very tired lugging around an infant carrier all day. And let's be realistic, how easy is it to maneuver a stroller around everywhere you go? A sling and/or wrap is the perfect solution. Tommy gets to be close to me and I won't break my arm with that damn car seat.

Co-Sleeping: I really enjoy my sleep. I mean really. Plus I'm paranoid, very paranoid. If my baby was in his crib in another room I would be having constant anxiety attacks wondering if he's still breathing...is he crying...is he okay?! I know there's no way in hell that Lucy, our fur baby, and queen bee of the house, will ever leave the bed, so Tommy sleeping in the bed isn't an option. The Arm's Reach Original Co-Sleeper is perfect for us...it attaches to the side of the bed so he'll be near me the whole night. Not having to get out of bed when he needs to nurse or be changed is just an added benefit.

Breastfeeding: By this I don't mean for a week. I'd like to breastfeed for at least a year. Ultimately I know however long I BF for, be it a week or two years, Tommy will get huge benefits from it. I just see no reason to switch him to nasty smelling formula after he's been nursing for months. That's not fair to him. Breastmilk is the best possible nourishment I can give him, so why would I stop early just because society says so?

Delayed Vaccinating: Let me start off by saying I don't fully believe the vaccines cause Autism. Do I think the high levels of aluminum, mercury, and other chemicals contribute to Autism? I think it's possible. I also don't think it's right to inject my poor baby full of these diseases and chemicals when his tiny body can't handle them well. He won't be in daycare, he'll be at home with me. No worries about Diphtheria here. I could never not vaccinate, at least as long as there's no concrete evidence towards Autism, but I think delaying is the best of both worlds, at least for my baby.

I can't even count how many books I have in my collection. I'm not making these decisions blindy. I'm usually met with interest and at least...what's the word? My family is pretty open to most of these choices. Even if they don't fully agree with my ideas they take the time to listen and learn about why I'm choosing these things.

Today on the otherhand, wasn't like that. I was talking to my aunt about another aunt in California. Apparently said aunt mentioned something along the lines of, "Alycia's not going to ... nurse... is she?" My aunt replied that I was and was met with immediate shock. "Why would she do that with all the awesome formula they have now. Ugh."

I didn't think much of it and went on to explain how great breastfeeding was and somehow I mentioned breastfeeding for at least a year.

You could of heard a pin drop.

"Why on earth would you do that? Most people don't breastfeed when the kid has teeth."

I'll spare you the fun details, but in a nutshell I argued that many, many women continue to breastfeed up to a year nowadays, and that teeth aren't an issue for the most part. Who cares if they can drink regular milk? Milk isn't going to give my baby the health benefits that breastmilk will. Why would I deny my child this?

Now, I don't know how much longer after he turns one I plan to continue. I honestly can't see myself nursing a two year old that's capable of asking me to suck on my boob. But hey, stranger things have happened. And if that's what's best for my baby, so be it.

Needless to say I've quickly learned to smile, nod, and tell them "I'll take that into consideration."

Watch Me Grow

2009-04-23T15:19:00.009-04:00

I can't believe you're already 20 weeks. You're getting so big and um...strong!! For still being so small you've been punching and kicking me pretty hard. Who are you trying to impress in there?? I'm kidding...I love every single punch, kick, hiccup, every single movement you make. I was poking you last night and you poked back- twice!! Thank you for that. I love knowing you're really in there, alive and kicking! It's just such a huge sense of relief, being able to feel you. We're halfway there. I can't wait to meet you. I can't even put into words how much I already love you.

The Ramblings of a Crunchy Mom to Be

Creativity

13 months

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The End of my Experiment

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The Circumsizing Debate

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Cloth Diaper Addict

It's a New Year

Cloth Diapering

No Longer a Crunchy Mom *to be*

taking care of business

A Slap of Reality

Sadness

Vaccines

How Can I Believe?

I'll Take That Into Consideration

Watch Me Grow

No Longer a Crunchy Mom to be