Today was a good day! I got to spend part of the morning at home making breakfast and watching cartoons I no longer understand, and then things started to get productive. We rearranged Sweet Pea's room to see what we need to get and if 2 cribs will fit in the room. Thankfully, two cribs will fit, her dresser still fits, and there's room to get another small dresser!! There's not going to be a whole lot of space in there, but the room is mostly used for just sleeping anyway. Then we moved downstairs and rearranged some of the living room to fit the baby swing, and in general cleaned up a bit. You can see the whole living room folks! All the tables are clean, you can sit on both couches, and you can see the floor. A miracle, I know.
Then I got to have my nails done! Last year for Valentine's Day Mr. Man and I got each other gift certificates to this spa type place in town. He got a massage this week and today I got pretty toes and hands! Pedicures are a must for pregnant women, at least once if not twice. I am still able to reach my feet, but not for long. I hope this one lasts a while, but I will be saving to get another before this little guy enters the world. Sadly, my fingernails aren't holding up as well. I waited as long as I could to clean the kitchen but since it had to be done sacrifices needed to be made. Thankfully I can re-do my nails myself and I didn't get a full-blown manicure so it's really no big deal.
I brought some old baby stuff that we're not going to be using to see how much I could get for it. Sadly it was only like $8, but I found a Baby Bjorn carrier for only $35!! It's not my favorite color in the world, but it's still in amazing shape and I couldn't say no. I have been looking in this store for one for the longest time and today there were 2!
To make things better we got pizza for dinner, and Sweet Pea was good for dinner and actually ate for me. Maybe it was due to the fact that dinner was served in the living room while watching Finding Nemo, but I'll take it!
For once our living room, kitchen, kids room, and hallway are presentable. Now we just need to tackle the bathrooms and our room and this apartment might start to look like responsible adults live here. I am most thankful for Mr. Man because without his help there would be no hope for our apartment since I cause most of the damage. I think it helps that nesting is starting to kick in, and the realization that we are probably going to be living here a while so we might as well make the place more livable, right?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Adventures in Cloth Diapers
I've been meaning to give an update on our experience cloth diapering and haven't gotten the chance, but since I was asked about what we've been doing here it goes. I will update this with links on Monday. Blogger doesn't support adding links when using a Mac so I have to wait until I get to work, but you can find most of this stuff at www.cottonbabies.com
So far we have used prefolds, Hemp Babies big/little weeds, kissaluvs, fuzzibunz, bumGenius 1.0 & 2.0, Bumkins All-in-one, diaper socks (from Cotton Babies), prowrap covers, Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, Bummis Whisper Pant, Dappi Nylon Pants, and gdiaper covers.
If I had an unlimited diaper budget I would have nothing but bumGenius 2.0! I love these diapers. They have improved on their original model and this one is great. It is a pocket diaper so you can determine how much absorbency you need. During the day and for naptime we use 1 of the inserts that come with the diapers from Cotton Babies, and for nighttime we use 2. I love these because the size adjusts as your baby grows so you don't need to keep buying diapers like you do with fuzzibunz. The best part is that poo comes off of the diaper really easy. Also these use Velcro instead of snaps to close which I find a lot easier. I also like all-in-one diapers, but you have to get various sizes of these as baby grows.
Since I don't have all the money in the world to work with my next favorite is using prefolds or hemp babies inside of a diaper sock. The socks are made out of the same material as the inner layer of the bumGenius pocket diaper so you get the same results with poo. You can also put pocket inserts in the socks. We also use stay-dry liners on top of the prefolds so Sweet Pea doesn’t feel wet. Prowrap covers are the best by far, but I also like the gdiaper covers.
I’m still trying to decide what I want to use for Little Man. Sweet Pea didn’t get into cloth diapers until she was around 5 or 6 months so we never got to cloth diaper a little one. And I have no idea how different boys are from girls. Based on popularity I may get some Kissaluvs size 0 with stay-dry liners, along with using small prefolds since we will be going through so many diapers in one day. I hope to keep getting more of the bumGenius 2.0 pocket diapers since they are my favorite and are only really bulky at night. Everything else gives Sweet Pea some serious booty padding. This was great when she was learning how to walk, but now sometimes all you see is diaper butt. It’s a small price to pay for saving some money. Plus, she has no clue that her butt looks big. If we could all be so lucky.
We finally got a XL Bummis Diaper Tote for our diaper pail (a.k.a. 13 gallon garbage can). This has made a huge difference in the stink factor. As for washing we wash every 2-4 days depending on the days events and how many Pampers we use. Our routine is simple. Empty the whole diaper tote into the washer, turn tote inside out and throw in too, do one cold rinse cycle, wash on hot, rinse on cold with an extra rinse. Purex Free and Clear seems to work best for us. You only have to use a tiny bit to get diapers clean. We tried using baking soda and vinegar along with detergent for a while, but it threw off the pH of the diapers and gave Sweet Pea diaper rash. Every other time or so I let all of the pocket diapers air dry to help them last longer.
I think that covers everything. I found a new site www.diaperkit.com where you can buy preshrunk, precut, cloth diapers that you can sew. I may give it a try before I try everything on my own. Since my machine can’t do a zig zag stitch and I don’t think I can invest in a serger anytime soon I don’t know how successful I can be at the whole cloth diaper thing.
So far we have used prefolds, Hemp Babies big/little weeds, kissaluvs, fuzzibunz, bumGenius 1.0 & 2.0, Bumkins All-in-one, diaper socks (from Cotton Babies), prowrap covers, Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, Bummis Whisper Pant, Dappi Nylon Pants, and gdiaper covers.
If I had an unlimited diaper budget I would have nothing but bumGenius 2.0! I love these diapers. They have improved on their original model and this one is great. It is a pocket diaper so you can determine how much absorbency you need. During the day and for naptime we use 1 of the inserts that come with the diapers from Cotton Babies, and for nighttime we use 2. I love these because the size adjusts as your baby grows so you don't need to keep buying diapers like you do with fuzzibunz. The best part is that poo comes off of the diaper really easy. Also these use Velcro instead of snaps to close which I find a lot easier. I also like all-in-one diapers, but you have to get various sizes of these as baby grows.
Since I don't have all the money in the world to work with my next favorite is using prefolds or hemp babies inside of a diaper sock. The socks are made out of the same material as the inner layer of the bumGenius pocket diaper so you get the same results with poo. You can also put pocket inserts in the socks. We also use stay-dry liners on top of the prefolds so Sweet Pea doesn’t feel wet. Prowrap covers are the best by far, but I also like the gdiaper covers.
I’m still trying to decide what I want to use for Little Man. Sweet Pea didn’t get into cloth diapers until she was around 5 or 6 months so we never got to cloth diaper a little one. And I have no idea how different boys are from girls. Based on popularity I may get some Kissaluvs size 0 with stay-dry liners, along with using small prefolds since we will be going through so many diapers in one day. I hope to keep getting more of the bumGenius 2.0 pocket diapers since they are my favorite and are only really bulky at night. Everything else gives Sweet Pea some serious booty padding. This was great when she was learning how to walk, but now sometimes all you see is diaper butt. It’s a small price to pay for saving some money. Plus, she has no clue that her butt looks big. If we could all be so lucky.
We finally got a XL Bummis Diaper Tote for our diaper pail (a.k.a. 13 gallon garbage can). This has made a huge difference in the stink factor. As for washing we wash every 2-4 days depending on the days events and how many Pampers we use. Our routine is simple. Empty the whole diaper tote into the washer, turn tote inside out and throw in too, do one cold rinse cycle, wash on hot, rinse on cold with an extra rinse. Purex Free and Clear seems to work best for us. You only have to use a tiny bit to get diapers clean. We tried using baking soda and vinegar along with detergent for a while, but it threw off the pH of the diapers and gave Sweet Pea diaper rash. Every other time or so I let all of the pocket diapers air dry to help them last longer.
I think that covers everything. I found a new site www.diaperkit.com where you can buy preshrunk, precut, cloth diapers that you can sew. I may give it a try before I try everything on my own. Since my machine can’t do a zig zag stitch and I don’t think I can invest in a serger anytime soon I don’t know how successful I can be at the whole cloth diaper thing.
Friday, January 19, 2007
"Tree Squirrel With Pine Nut"
So, we have started to find a name for our baby boy. Mr. Man found the name Kono yesterday which is a Native American name meaning "tree squirrel with pine nut." Trust me this is not an option for our son, but it just goes to show we are having more fun finding names that don't fit rather than names that do. I must have picked one of the worst baby name books out there, but it was like $3 at McKay's. It is so hard trying to pick out names. There is way too much to think about. The name needs to work with the last name, initials can't spell anything bad, it cannot create a bad nickname, or cause the child trauma from mean kids. We also want it to have a significant meaning. Someday we will figure out a name for this child. Suggestions, serious or other, are most welcome.
I have also made myself turn to the "Why Bother?" latte at Starbucks. For many, many reasons I have to drink decaf and now I've turned to skim milk. Some regulars who got drinks at the coffee bar I worked at lovingly called a decaf, skim, latte a why bother because really what's the point? Well the point is I love coffee and need a fix sometimes. I can't handle the caffeine, but I love the taste and it's a comfort food/drink. I much prefer whole milk, but I need to do something to prevent gaining over 40 pounds. Thankfully I've only gained around 20 this time around and have managed to not puff up like a balloon. One of these days I'll try to get a belly picture up. I have a feeling I'm going to be huge by the time this little guy arrives.
On a sewing note, I made some baby wipes last night out of an old flannel sheet. Since we use cloth diapers most of the time I guess it only makes sense to use cloth wipes to save money too, right? I need to get a container ready for them and see how they work.
One little blessing today there's fried chicken for lunch!! Last night I really wanted some fried chicken and that's what they're having for the staff meeting in the building where I work. They are kind enough to let me eat their food even though I don't work with them. I love working with these people even though I don't really work with them, if that makes any sense at all. The baby is starting to suck away all of my brain power so I'm starting to lose it. Oh the joys of pregnancy.
I have also made myself turn to the "Why Bother?" latte at Starbucks. For many, many reasons I have to drink decaf and now I've turned to skim milk. Some regulars who got drinks at the coffee bar I worked at lovingly called a decaf, skim, latte a why bother because really what's the point? Well the point is I love coffee and need a fix sometimes. I can't handle the caffeine, but I love the taste and it's a comfort food/drink. I much prefer whole milk, but I need to do something to prevent gaining over 40 pounds. Thankfully I've only gained around 20 this time around and have managed to not puff up like a balloon. One of these days I'll try to get a belly picture up. I have a feeling I'm going to be huge by the time this little guy arrives.
On a sewing note, I made some baby wipes last night out of an old flannel sheet. Since we use cloth diapers most of the time I guess it only makes sense to use cloth wipes to save money too, right? I need to get a container ready for them and see how they work.
One little blessing today there's fried chicken for lunch!! Last night I really wanted some fried chicken and that's what they're having for the staff meeting in the building where I work. They are kind enough to let me eat their food even though I don't work with them. I love working with these people even though I don't really work with them, if that makes any sense at all. The baby is starting to suck away all of my brain power so I'm starting to lose it. Oh the joys of pregnancy.
Monday, January 15, 2007
FREEDOM!!!!
I'm officially free from the bondage of school!!! I managed to get my paper done and turned in today despite the fact that it is Martin Luther King day. I didn't get my reflection papers done, but I really do not care at this point. I'm done that that's all that matters.
I had a doctor appointment in Chattanooga today. His heartbeat sounds good and everthing still seems normal. Thankfully they didn't make me take the horrid glucose test today. I decided to go by myself so that we all wouldn't have to get up early and throw Sweet Pea off of her schedule. Plus this meant I got to wander freely though Target and a craft store without having to worry about anyone else. I can't wait to get a Target in this town. I love Target! I was able to get 5 clothing items for Little Man for under $8!!! What a deal.
With my new found freedom I have done a ton of cleaning today and even some sewing. I can't wait to get this apartment in order since there is a chance we may try and make things work so we can stay here rather than move again. Everything is still up in the air, but either way getting things clean and organized will make staying or moving easier on everyone. Now if we could just get all of our tax info in so that we can file and get our money.
I had a doctor appointment in Chattanooga today. His heartbeat sounds good and everthing still seems normal. Thankfully they didn't make me take the horrid glucose test today. I decided to go by myself so that we all wouldn't have to get up early and throw Sweet Pea off of her schedule. Plus this meant I got to wander freely though Target and a craft store without having to worry about anyone else. I can't wait to get a Target in this town. I love Target! I was able to get 5 clothing items for Little Man for under $8!!! What a deal.
With my new found freedom I have done a ton of cleaning today and even some sewing. I can't wait to get this apartment in order since there is a chance we may try and make things work so we can stay here rather than move again. Everything is still up in the air, but either way getting things clean and organized will make staying or moving easier on everyone. Now if we could just get all of our tax info in so that we can file and get our money.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Let It Snow?
Ok folks it is "snowing" in Tennessee. I could have counted the flakes on the way to work this morning if I wasn't driving. Mr. Man told me there are supposed to be flurries today. I'll believe it when I see it. Though I love and miss snow, I really don't want to deal with driving in it down here. People just don't know what to do and it's dangerous enough already without slippery stuff on the roads. I'm just happy the weather is cooling off again so we don't feel like we need to use the AC in January!
Christmas Update
Christmas was wonderful! We flew to Michigan to spend Christmas with my family this year. I got to see my dad for the first time in a year. The grandparents were so excited to play with Sweet Pea, but I think that they are happy for some peace and quiet now. We did a lot of eating, sleeping, and doing nothing. I think there are still imprints of us in the couch from sitting there so much. It was wonderful. I was hoping to see some more snow and let Sweet Pea play outside in her big pink snowsuit but there was hardly any:( We got a few cute pictures that someday I will put up. Most of them are still on my mom's camera so I need to wait for my cd.
Now I'm just trying to get my last papers done for a class I took an extension in. I have until Monday to get everything done and I'm not even close. As long as I can turn in something I will be happy. I keep telling myself "one more week and you can do fun things again." I have some money from Christmas and I am dying to go to Hobby Lobby and get some supplies to make some projects, but I am banning myself from any craft store until my work is turned in.
Little man is growing and kicking away. Sometimes I still wonder if there are two in there. Otherwise he is sprinting from the top to the bottom of my belly to kick me in the ribs and then in the bladder. I don't think he's quite big enough yet to stretch between the two but you never know. Now if we can just come up with a name for this little guy we will be all set.
Christmas Update
Christmas was wonderful! We flew to Michigan to spend Christmas with my family this year. I got to see my dad for the first time in a year. The grandparents were so excited to play with Sweet Pea, but I think that they are happy for some peace and quiet now. We did a lot of eating, sleeping, and doing nothing. I think there are still imprints of us in the couch from sitting there so much. It was wonderful. I was hoping to see some more snow and let Sweet Pea play outside in her big pink snowsuit but there was hardly any:( We got a few cute pictures that someday I will put up. Most of them are still on my mom's camera so I need to wait for my cd.
Now I'm just trying to get my last papers done for a class I took an extension in. I have until Monday to get everything done and I'm not even close. As long as I can turn in something I will be happy. I keep telling myself "one more week and you can do fun things again." I have some money from Christmas and I am dying to go to Hobby Lobby and get some supplies to make some projects, but I am banning myself from any craft store until my work is turned in.
Little man is growing and kicking away. Sometimes I still wonder if there are two in there. Otherwise he is sprinting from the top to the bottom of my belly to kick me in the ribs and then in the bladder. I don't think he's quite big enough yet to stretch between the two but you never know. Now if we can just come up with a name for this little guy we will be all set.
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