Cloth Wipes....Oh how I LOVE you!

With V I didn't use cloth wipes. I actually don't even remember why I decided to use cloth diapers....I think it was to save money though. Plus, I like the idea of getting back to basics. As I have said, I wanted a natural birth, I like cloth diapers, I made Victoria's baby food, I'm all about breastfeeding (V did until she was 20 months).....this is how my great-grandmother did things, and I think more simple is better.

When I first took the plunge into cloth diapers I didn't expect much. I didn't want to spend a lot of money since I didn't know if it would work for me. I took my plain ol' Gerber flats, took to Youtube to find out how to fold them, and used those. I also got the "premium" prefolds from Baby Best Buy and some basic Dappi Covers. I would not recommend either of these really now that I know what I know about cloth. Anyway....I fully expected leaks and bulk going into it, so when that happened it didn't bother me. It happened less than expected so I was down with cloth. I found out there was a lot better but I didn't want to sink a lot of money...well more money...into one size diaper when I kept expecting V to grow into the next size....which she didn't so I just went ahead and invested in better diapers....and fell in love! Cloth wipes didn't occur to me for a lont time to tell the truth. Then I read that a lot of people used those cheapo baby wash cloths from like Wal-Mart....so that's what I did since I had some of those. I HATED it! How could I hate them so much and love cloth diapers? They were so thin and ineffective.

With Emily I started buying cloth as soon as I found out I was pregnant (I was preparing for another tiny, slow grower) and I decided to try cloth wipes again. I did some resear and got these

This is not my picture....it is Nate's Mommy Made It!'s picture from her Etsy shop. I ADORE these wipes! I got the 40. I probably could have used less, but I'm glad I got the 40. I keep around 5 in my diaper bag, I put all the black and blue ones in the bathroom for wash cloths, and the rest are for my wipe warmer in Emily's room. I have plenty for the warmer, back up, and still have them in the diaper pail. She includes a wipe solution too:) I actually looked up some more through Google and you can find a ton that way. The one I'm going to stick with because it seems to work the best for me is the Chammomile Tea and honey solution. These wipes are thick enough to be able to really scrub at something. They are also super soft! I haven't tried any other brands or fabrics so I can't compare but these are very effective and cost efficient. They are also pretty! I probably should have got gender neutral but I didn't....I guess if I have another kiddo and it's a boy he'll have girly wipes. Oh well:)

This is going to gross some people out but I don't generally wipe pee only. Google it though and it's not out of the norm. With Emily, almost every diaper has poop so she is definitely getting wiped enough. Now, as a baby gets older if they have completely soaked diaper I will wipe, but I don't like for my kiddos to get that wet. I change diapers frequently. This is how I am fine with only 5 wipes in my travel case though. I know that will cover me for my errands and such. I don't generally have to refill my case every time I go out but if I do that doesn't bother me.

I LOVE my cloth wipes! I will never go back to using disposables as my main source of wipes ever again. I have a pack of 72 that I keep in my bedroom for night time changes but that's it. I also use disposable diapers at night. That whole set up while baby is in my room is easier for me. I don't like having cloth in different rooms because it gets annoying for me. Anywho....if you are considering cloth wipes....GO FOR IT!!! You'll love them:)

A Heavy Heart

Have you ever wished someone knew how you felt? Maybe when you're sick or something like that? I know with me, after my most recent c-section, the day I came home I did a load of laundry. I wished my husband understood how much I didn't want to be doing that and would just do it. His idea of keeping the house clean and my idea are two different things. Not to mention when I make a list for him he kinda freaks out....and then complains about how much I want him to do. My response is generally this..."Someone has to do it and if you don't, who do you think will?" The answer of course is me. He does a ton to help so I'm not trying to discount that.....it's just seems to come in spurts. LOL! He works his butt off at work and on side jobs though so he gets a bit of a pass with other things. Anyway...

I had a virus recently and I told my husband if anyone is going to be sick it needed to be him. I can't be sick. I have 2 kiddos to take care of and I have a newborn that I nurse and HAVE to be around a ton. I can't be sick. Well, wouldn't ya know...he got sick within just a couple of days. Jeez!! I didn't mean to go get sick! Now, I have a very dear friend, one of the best friends a girl could ever ask for, that told me today that now she knows how I feel in regards to my baby being breech. Her baby is breech at 35 weeks and she is very much hoping for a natural, unmedicated birth. I wanted so bad to have an natural, unmedicated birth. I wanted it sooooo bad with Victoria but I wasn't as educated and went for an induction. I put my body in a situation it wasn't ready for and it didn't work. This time was going to be different. I had my heart so set on it this time. It broke my heart daily when she was still breech. I felt like my dreams were being ripped away and it was really hard. It's hard for anyone to understand the disappointment, pain, stress, etc. of that. When people were so light hearted about it I would get very upset....on the inside. People don't take you serious when you want a natural birth. Today, when I read that though, that she knew how I felt, I never wanted that. You want someone to know how you feel sometimes, but in order for them to feel that then they would have to have a lot of hurt and worry too. I remember wishing that people would stop telling me to just go for the c-section. I wished people could grasp how much I felt like I had no control. I wished someone understood. Now I wish I could take all that wishing back because I don't want that for anyone, but definitely not my sweet friend. I know she is having a very hard time with this so for the randoms that read my blog sporatically ...please make sure you remember my friend in your prayers. I know it seems trivial to a lot of people, but it's big to some.

Matter of fact....can you just remember all my closest friends in your prayers because although it's a very small group.....most are going through something really hard right now. It honestly breaks my heart. So...for 3 people that mean a lot to me (one of which is experiencing another heart ache I can relate to....that is actually why I started this blog)...prayers are definitely needed.

Snow and Doctor Day

Last night it started snowing!!! Not our "first snow" really this winter but the first that stuck. I was kind of sad last night when it was sticking and my little Victoria was asleep. It stuck around though and this morning I was awakened to a little girl running in my room yelling "There's snow all over the place!!!!" She was even surprised that there was snow in the back yard as well as the front. Snow makes me feel all giddy inside. I LOVE the stuff!!! I want it to blizzard every time it snows. I just don't want to drive in it. I want to eat it in the form of snowcream. Well....today of course, the girls had doctor appointments. That is my luck....scratch that...I used to have luck but the hubs has none and it wears off on me sometimes which is really not fair. Anywho....he and I talked last night about me not taking them, but since it was a dry snow I figured I would put the SUV in auto 4-wheel (even though that was completely not necessary) and go for it. Imagine my surprise when I backed out this morning and realized our road was a little slick and icy. Hubs was in trouble for not telling me. He just laughed and said if had told me I wouldn't have taken them and we both feel like Victoria really needed to go since she has developed a tree nut allergy.

Well, Miss V wouldn't stop telling me she wanted to play in it. It was 8 and the appointment was at 9:15 so that was not an option. We finally got loaded up and found our way to the doctors. Miss V has grown 4" this year! She is now 39.75" and 32.5 lbs. They took 4....that's right 4 vials of blood to check for the tree nut allergy. Victoria said "Ow" when they stuck her but that was it. She enjoyed watching the blood come out (ewwww). Miss Emily has grown almost 2 full inches since birth!!! That is just CRAZINESS!!!!! She is now 21.75" (.25" longer than V at the same age even though E was an inch smaller at birth) and weighs in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. (almost a pound gained from birth.....my kids don't gain a lot of weight the first year). So that was that. I'm not looking forward to the next appointment....then I get to start my vaccine battle. I'm not really "against" them per se, but I like to space them and I'm not a fan of all of them.

Anway.....I had told V that she would get a special treat so we went to Starbucks right next door (not at all for me) to get her a cake pop. Because I am the worst mother on the face of the planet I got my poor kiddo with nut allergies a Rocky Road one (they were out of birthday cake). She takes it out of the bag and says "It has nuts on it!" Jeez...are you serious?!?! I really have to adjust my whole way of thinking. I was just thinking oh chocolate...she'll like that. Nope....pecans all over the outside and inside. I apologized, told her what a fantastic little girl she was for telling me it had nuts, and went one exit down to another S*bucks to get her the birthday cake pop which she loved.

When we got home she finally got to play in the snow! She paused on the way out to say she couldn't play in the snow because she didn't have her mittens. She's very particular. Of course I planned on putting them on her but it amuses me she's so on top of things.

She was pretty happy about it and wanted to drive her new 4-wheeler in the snow (because that's what we do round these parts! LOL!), but alas....the Powerwheels 4-wheeler couldn't handle the snow so I let her drive it in the road...which never happens. Today has been a great day and it's only lunch time! I love a good snow day:)

Baby Blues

With Miss Victoria I had the baby blues. This is different than post-partum depression. I was sure it was PPD though! I kept telling the hubs what I was feeling was not normal at all. He was very supportive though and just kept telling me it was, and it was okay, and the doctor had said I might feel this way for the first 2-3 weeks. It did slip away without me even really noticing around 3 weeks.

Before it went away though I would sit on my bed and hold my precious bundle of joy and bawl my eyes out. I was fine during the day, but at night when I was settling down to go to bed, after I nursed I would hold little Victoria and look at her and wonder how the heck I was going to keep her safe. How the heck was I going to make sure she didn't make the same mistakes I did? I just had no clue how I was going to make sure she turned out ok. I also had no clue how I was going to keep her little forever. I settled for making her promise me to never grow up. She totally lied to me by the way because she is growing up for sure!

Anyway.....I forgot about the baby blues. That's how fleeting they were. Then I started reading how other mommies were going through them on my birth board. CRAP! Once I remembered them I just started to dread them. I did not want to go through that again that is for sure! Good news.....I didn't!!! I just didn't have time to sit and worry. I see how wonderful Victoria is doing and how much she loves Jesus and church and I know I am doing something right. Plus, generally my night goes like this....bath time, nurse Emily and put her to sleep for a solid 4 hours, lay down with Victoria to put her to sleep and I go to sleep too. I don't mean to go to sleep.....it just happens. I am busy and get exhausted without even realizing it. I'm going to not fret about Miss Emily though because Victoria is doing so well and hopefully Emily will be happy and love Jesus just as much....and she has a kickin' role model in her big sister. I will say I had like a week where I cried very easily, but it was just that. I would cry and not know why other than knowing my hormones were just being crazy, but I wasn't sad, worried, or stressed.

I just want other mommies that may be going through the baby blues to know that they do get better and you are going to be a fantastic mommy so keep telling yourself that. The baby blues will be gone before you know it and they are very normal. Also....for 2nd time mommies that had baby blues....try to not worry about getting them this time. You may, but you may also be way to busy.

Goodbye to a WONDERFUL year

Man, 2011 has been quite the year! My hubs and I welcomed in the New Year last year with one of those party packages through Wild Wings Cafe and it was AWESOME!!! We had so much fun! That's how we welcomed in the year....saying good-bye to the year I will be having a very small glass of champagne directly after nursing so that it will be out before Miss Emily nurses again. No wild and crazy for us this year:) This time last year I was really struggling with TTC....I had had almost all could take and was about ready to give it a rest for awhile. I was going to give it one more month and that was it....and that is all it took! In Feb. my little Victoria turned 2 and in March we found out we were pregnant! I have had a blast this year! I have had ups and downs but looking back I love every single one of them. I am very blessed with a wonderful family, a spouse...who at times makes me want scream, but who loves me with his whole heart for all that I am and I could not ask for a better hubs, I have 2 wonderfully beautiful and loving little princesses, school is going fantabulous, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and love and support all around me. I am very blessed and I am ecstatic to see what this year brings.

I haven't done resolutions in a long time. I don't keep them so what's the point? I always want to stop biting my nails and that never happens. This year though I have some goals.

1) Graduate with my B.S. in Education
2) Run the Knoxville half-marathon

That's it! I mean I want to be in better shape and lose some of this baby weight but that will come in time with training for the half-marathon.....and nursing.

I hope everyone has a very safe and blessed New Year!!

Cloth Diapering A Newborn

Diapering my newborn has proved to be quite the challenge. If you want to cloth diaper a newborn I would HIGHLY suggest investing in Rumparooz Lil' Joeys. I showed you those in this post. Jeez....wait just a min....have I really not talked in depth about cloth diapering on here?! Craziness I tell you! Well....let's just jump right in.

I use prefolds for the most part. I show a prefold in that linky up there as well. I LOVE prefolds!!! My fave prefolds are from greenmountaindiapers.com These prefolds are a bit more pricey BUT they come in a variety of sizes and I like that since it helps provide a nice trim fit. I can't stand a bulky diaper. I generally buy these when they have seconds sales which does not mean used (althought I have NOTHING against buying used dipes). This just means they aren't perfect, but honestly I can never tell what's wrong with them. I got 20 preemie prefolds for Emily (I didn't start cloth diapering with Victoria until she was like 4 months). I thought I may be crazy, but my babies tend to grow kinda slower than average so I took the plunge. I am so glad I did because they fit Emily GREAT!!! The problem you run into however is that you can't hardly find a danged cover to go over them for a new baby (and I just don't feel right putting a cloth diaper on a fresh from the womb baby for some reason). I started Emily in cloth around 2 weeks. My all time fave cover....Thirsties.....were a JOKE on my little girl (who weighed in at atleast 7 lbs. 6 oz. at the time since that is what she weighed 2 days after leaving the hospital). I did some research and ended up getting some used Bummis Super Brite newborn covers which do fit nicely but, IMO, fail in the no leaking category. They leak like CRAZY!!!! I definitely have to remember that I need to change her diaper like every hour in these things unless I want to change her clothes with every diaper change. I'm not a Bummis fan.....I'm pretty much only a Thirsties fan in all honesty and I am happy to report that at 1 month old they are not so rediculously huge on my kiddo. They are still a bit big but I'd say in about 2 weeks that I will be using them and not the Bummis anymore. Here's Emily in a prefold....please shield your eyes from the crazy lady holding her. Dear sweet hubby took it with his phone and it is a HORRIBLE angle mixed with baby thickness. That purple thingy is the snappi:)

I LOVE my prefolds because they are super easy to use, they are cheap, and they wash and dry very quickly. They are easy to sun bleach on a clothesline (which I'm about to buck my HOA guidelines and install come spring). I use a snappi but I used pins first and actually used them the other day when I couldn't find a danged snappi close by. You don't even need either of these......you can just fold the prefold into thirds and put it in the cover. You can't tell me cloth diapering is hard....it doesn't get much easier than that (well, unless you use all in ones).

I'm not a pocket diaper fan so much. I do have some one size pocket diapers (Bum Genius seconds), but I HATE stuffing those suckers and they are super bulky. The dry and wash better than all in ones (AIOs) and you can make them more absorbent BUT......still not a fan. Pocket diapers are a waterproof shell that has a pocket that you stuff. They are generally one size which means there are multiple rows of snaps you adjust for the right fit. Let me just add that one-size will most likely NOT fit your newborn despite what they may say.

AIOs are bulky too IMO. I do like some AIOs so that my dear sweet hubby will actually use a cloth diaper. These diapers go on the same way as a disposable....you just wash it when you take it off instead of throwing it away. They take forever to dry and they are harder to wash since they tend to hold in more detergent and such. They are handy when you are out and about for sure though. Also....the Lil' Joeys are AIOs. I recommend going to Diaper Junction to get these or looking for used ones. They come in a 2-pack for about $30...used you can find them around $10-$13 each. I also have some Bum Genius from Cotton Babies that I like alright. I even have the XS ones for newborns with a cord notch......yeah....not so much. These were way to big on my newborn and are just now starting to fit....kinda.

So to sum it all up....if you want to cloth diaper a newborn I HIGHLY suggest the Lil' Joeys. If I had it to do over again I would get 20-30 of those and call it a day. They have a snap down for the cord stump and it actually stays under it better than disposable diapers!!! They fit up to 15 lbs. so they aren't a wasted investment. If your babies grow like mine you'll get at least 6 months use out of them, but if your babies grow more average then you'll get around 3-4 months out of them which is still not bad. Then you can turn around and resell them for at least $10/dipe!!! Okay....if you don't go that route you definitely should get some preemie prefolds. I think I will get at least another 2 wks.-1 month out of these (so up to 2 months use for $20 on 20 seconds prefolds). They fit super nice and trim and I'm happy to have bought them. I didn't try the rumparooz cover but it may work better than the Bummis because of the gussets around the legs. Not sure. Anyway...if you are stuck with the Bummis covers like I am then just be prepared for a lot of changes, but hey, you have to change newborns a lot anyway. Infant prefolds are A LOT bigger than the preemie so trust me here....you'll want some preemies.

Saddly I do not have any pics of Emily in a Lil' Joey so you'll just have to trust me.....this is your best bet.

Go away baby weight!

Soooo....I gained a lot this go around. With Victoria I gained 33 lbs. and with Emily I gained 39 lbs. I gained 3 of those over night before I went in for my c-section. I KNOW I didn't chow down on over 10k calories the day before but whatever. I ended at 183 and I am now at 157....so 26 down and 13 left. The thing is.....my clothes that I wore before I got preggo with Victoria don't fit like they did at all....or fit at all really and I was 158 when I got preggo with her. Ugh! I think it's fat and not muscle AND my hips spread a bit (or my butt is just as HUGE as I think it is). I am going to start walking and doing some exercises this week. Well, I have already started doing some squats (as in 1 set of 20) and some lunges and stuff. Since I had the c-section I am not really cleared for another week and a half but I'm feeling good and I'm going to just take it really slow. Here's to hoping that I am 5 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight at 6 wks. pp like I was with Victoria....even though I really don't see that happening. Maybe I should aim for 9 lbs. left....I am just really hoping that getting moving will give me the boost I'm looking for since the scale has not budged in over a week. Here's my before and after.....41 weeks and 1 day and 3 weeks post in the same pants.

I'm 4 wks. post now and look about the same....I will update as soon as I can jog 2-3 miles so HOPEFULLY in about 3 wks. but we shall see since I was not in the best of shape before and now....well....it's worse.