Cloth Diapering...

So far it is going really well. We (I) have just started using cloth for bedtime too about a week ago. I had held out because Kaylee wasn't sleeping through the night and I wasn't sure if she was wet (so easy to feel the jelly feeling in disposables) Right now I am using rainforest babies at night with a bamboo soaker pad on the bottom and their stay dry fleece topper on top. So far, no leaks and no waking up from being wet!

I have built most of my stash from deals on deal sites. I got some great deals on Fuzzi Bunz from Mother of a sale (they have daily deals as well as lots of child related products on sale everyday) and  I got my Rainforest Babies from Olivia Place, and I got some awesome deals on laundry size wet bags (but for the life of me can't remember for sure where from - I think it may have been mother of a sale again) On Mama Bargains I also got an EcoBumz, which I really like too. I also found a WAHM who runs a business (Go Green Pocket Diapers), to help people get affordable CDs. They have just improved their basic pocket diapers and they have a new awesome diaper called the Champ (it has color coded snaps, double gussets and a front and back opening and a snap in insert) With all the deals I really have not paid more than $9-$11 for a diaper, except for my splurge on a PLUMP diaper. I love it!! And would love to splurge on more as they are so cute and comfy.

I have had a few friends ask for info...I am definitely no expert as I have only been doing this for a few months. I am going to paste my FB message to them below (mainly so I can point people here instead of searching for it on FB and copying and sending it again)

So I had thought about cloth diapering, but had too much going on post c-section and recovery to even think about it. I just started a few months ago and has been good. My hubby is not 100% on board b/c he can't get the hang of it. I have a few different types and in his defense with his work schedule this go around, he really doesn't change enough to get comfortable with them. Most of my CD's have snaps because I think they are more durable (if we were to have a 3rd child) Other friends had told me their velcro was wearing out. I did buy 6 Aplix (velcro) diapers from Bum Genius for Lou to use. Most of my diapers are called one size, so they can be used from birth (No way with how tiny Kaylee was) to potty training. I do have some Fuzzi Bunz perfect fit smalls and mediums b/c I got them on one of the deal websites for a good price. I have chosen to use what are called pocket diapers. I stuff an insert in the pocket (that's what absorbs the pee) and then they just snap/velcro on like a disposable would. Pretty easy. When you change them, you are supposed to take the insert out and then you put the insert and the diaper in a wet bag. I also have used gDiapers as well. They are pretty easy too and even have biodegradable inserts you can flush down the toilet too. I have yet to use CD at night though b/c Kaylee has not been sleeping through the night and I wanted to know if she was waking up b/c she was wet. With cloth it is harder to tell, you can't just touch it and feel it all jelly like with the disposable.



Then every 2-3 days you empty the wet bag into the wash (and throw the wet bag in as well) I do a 25 min cold water rinse and then A regular hot wash with an extra rinse cycle and detergent. You have to use special detergents. I use Rockin' Green, but there a bunch of ones that other people recommend as well. Then the inserts go in the dryer on low heat and the shells (or diapers) hang to dry to help them last longer.


Poop is obviously the worst part. For the most part you can just flip it off into the toilet. Then put the diaper in the bag. Some people do this swish technique to get messy ones cleaned off, others have a diaper sprayer (it connects somehow to the toilet). I actually use my Mud sink in the laundry room. We really use it for nothing, so I turn on the hot water and rinse, sometimes using a little nail brush if something won't come off. Then every so often I throw some bleach in the sink after to kill any bacteria.


Here's a website my sister found and we have both been using diapers from them I actually just got one of their new diapers (The Champ) and I really like it alot. www.gogreenpocketdiapers.com


Besides saving lots of $$ (over the long run b/c their is the initial investment you have to make in purchasing them), helping to not fill our landfills, they are super cute to boot! I saw a calculation that says on average you spend $800-$1000 a year on disposables. Depending on the kind/brand and # you buy, you could prob spend $200-300 on the diapers and be done. You also should have a travel wet bag for when you go out so you have a place to put the dirty diaper and a bigger wet bag or pail liner for at home. You are not supposed to use diaper rash creams with them. Some people use clot wipes (which I think I may do soon) b/c you can just wipe and put them in the diaper and don't have to throw them away separately.


In all it is a little more work, but I think it's really not too bad (and I was worried b/c I have a very bad gag reflex). I do laundry every 2-3 days. The worst is the obsession with buying cute diapers!!

 I'll find some other link for you and send them. I know there is a blog, Doable Diapers, that recently did a CD 101 . The link is to part 1, the other 2 were posted in January, so just look on the archives on the right.


There are 2 new diapers coming to market. Hopefully with the help of Mother of a Sale, I will get to test and review them! So Stay tuned....

"Cutting a Rug"

I wish cutting a tooth was as much fun as cutting a rug! For the past couple weeks I've been peering in Kaylee's mouth trying to see if she has any teeth coming in (Kelsey got her first one at 6 months). Last week I thought it looked white, but who knows. The past few days she has been uncharacteristically fussy at bedtime. Today as I was bringing her up for nap I happened to put my finger in her mouth and low and behold I felt ridges of the tooth broken through. That explains alot.

Bits & Pieces

(turn your volume up as she is very quiet!! Remember if yu got ths in an email you need to go to the actual blog to watch the video and press the triangle to play)

Kelsey loves her baby sister!!

She actually did this on her own the first time, I then had to prompt her though to get it on camera.

Kaylee's 1st Disney Trip

How funny that Kelsey's first trip was on my 30th b-day (avoiding growing up) and Kaylee's first trip was on my 33rd. Lou had a convention in Orlando so the girls and I joined him for the weekend and ended it with Sunday at Disney. It was quite chilly, luckily I had looked up the weather before packing for th girls. Lou left before us and did not see the weather. Luckily he had slacks and a windbreaker in his car. The afternoon warme up nicely when the sun was shining bright. Kaylee was very good, swapping time between the double stroller and the Beco, which daddy wore alot. We took her on Buzz Light Year, Pooh, Dumbo, Alladin's Carpet Ride, and the Jungle Cruise. She was very alert and seemed to like all of the colors and music in "it's a small world" as well.

We watched a show in front of the casle and then caught a street  parade by chance and it was so much fun. Just a few charaters on floats but then it became a street dance party. I took Kesley in the street and she was shaking her goove thang. After it was over we decided to leave since it was getting cold again, plus we still needed to eat dinner and then we had to drive home in 2 seperate cars (no fun).

All of us on Buzz..Kelsey was a little scared this time.

We lucked out and met Mickey and Minnie after not a long wait at all

Naptime...she took 2 pretty good naps in the Beco

Kelsey was also a little scared on Pooh



Daddy & his girls posing on Dumbo

Castle Shot

I finally got to ride on a horse on the carousel with kelsey

It's a Small World

Waiting for Daddy & Kelsey while they ride Goofy's Barnstormer

All of us on the magic carpet ride

So cute...she insisted on holding my hand on the carousel



War Eagle

Whether you ask me or Lou, we will both tell you our girls bleed Orange and Blue. This year it's definitely Orange and Navy Blue. Kelsey was so cute all season saying Waaaar Eagle and Go AUburn and shaking my AU shakers. The girls supported AUburn as they won the National Championships

I made their shirts!

She's crawling....

She's been pushing herself forward across the floor since Friday afternoon. I got a quick video today. But she was so fast, that I only caught the end. Oh mommy is so not happy....I was hoping I had a little while longer.  :-)

Those of you who receive emails, you will need to go to the blog to see the video. Click the triangle to play

New Sounds....

Kaylee has been "talking" more and more. She definitely has the mamamama sounds down and hahahaha. Lou and Kelsey both swear she said dada on New Years Eve, so I guess she has the dadada sound down as well.

At dinner one night in December, she was in her exersaucer chatting away and Lou started saying dadadadada at her, while I countered with mamamama and then Kelsey chimed in with kelseykelseykelseykelsey...hmmmm I hate to break it to Kels that her name will be a ways off. She'll prob be kakakaka before anything else. (Just like her Aunt Kaka)

Snow Day....

Yesterday on the way to school it was a very gray and gloomy FL day. As we were driving Kelsey says "Mommy it's going to snow so school is going to be canceled today".

Stifling my laughter up front I replied "Sweetie, we live in FL, it does not snow here. So school is not going to be canceled"

To which she replied "But Mommy (she loves to start sentences like that)...in Virginia it snows"

I'm still trying to figure out how she knows school gets canceled in Virginia when it snows??

Kaylee's Birth Announcement

Better late than never.....

A huge thanks to my sister, Cindy, who utilized her photo program skills and created these for us.

Good Friends

We had a unexpected voicemail today from good friends, Chris & Michelle Lavoro, who we haven't seen in a very long time. They were going to be camping at Jonathan Dickinson Park for the night and asked us to come down if we weren't busy. After errands (ie getting ears pierced) and putting the girls down for a nap and Gma & Gpa McD's, we packed up the girls and made the drive to hang out. We had a great time seeing them. We cooked some food, toasted some marshmallows and Chris even played some music for us (Kelsey enjoyed dancing to that). They had undecorated their tree yesterday and chopped it up and brought it for the fire, cool idea. Definitely wish we lived closer and lives weren't so busy. This is the first time they got to meet Kaylee, who by the way was very good!!!

Pierced Ears....

This is something we had planned on doing with Kelsey when she was a baby. We even bought her shamrock earrings while we were in Ireland when I was 5 months pregnant with her. The Dr's office wouldn't do it until she was 6 months and by that time we felt she was pulling on her ears too much. It just kept being put off and now she is 3. We've been talking about it and she has been asking for it, so today we took the girls to the mall. (Does anyone out there realize how expensive it is...it was gonna be $90 at the Dr's office for both and was $77 at Claire's. Holy Cow!!!) We chose little CZ white gold studs for both the girls. We were going to let Kelsey choose hers, but I had to steer her away from the hello kitty ones. I told her which one we were going to use for Kaylee and asked if she wanted the same or wanted to choose a different one. She said she wanted the same.

 

 

She was a little nervous. I knelt down in front of her and held her hands. They had 2 people piercing so they could do both of her ears at the same time (smart people). She was NOT happy after. She cried for a couple minutes and did her screaming too. Great, now Kaylee was next. Kaylee sat in my lap and was pretty good. I did have to hold her head against my chest so she wouldn't end up with crooked holes. The girl was pretty quick. Kaylee cried for maybe a minute, but then calmed down, found her fingers and was fine. Kelsey was now asking us to take out her ear piercings. :-) By the end of the day she was fine with them. I wish we had done hers when she was little.