Pool Play

This "Spring" has brought some wonderfully hot afternoons in which pool play seemed only to be a natural conclusion. So a few weeks ago on one such hot day we busted out the old pool from last year, borrowed a pump from a friend (thanks, Lydia) because of course we couldn't find ours on that day, and "filled her up" for post-nap jubilation. Now by "we" I am referring to Matt in this case doing all the hard work because I was working on another project that day of the sewing origin.

So here's some fun in the sun pool pics I have to share of our frolicking delights.

 Daddy spoiling our girls with a mix of freezing hose water and boiling water from the stove. 

 Water play: good. =)

 Frolic away...

 "Oh! It's so cold!"

 Play, play, play.

 Taking serious safety precautions here. ;)

 Dump and fill, dump and fill.

 Never mind our recycling bin propping up part of the deflating pool. hehe.

[Guess we'll have to spend an other whoppin' $18 on a new one this year (dramatic sigh)].

And what better than Popsicles in the pool on a hot afternoon. =)

We had a great time. Thanks for sharing in the joy with us.

And by all means, next time come play with us! =)

Symptoms vs. Hope

So I'm often asked how I'm doing in passing. I'm sure you are too.
But I think many people take the opportunity at church to ask how I'm doing due to the large protruding watermelon I appear to have swallowed.

My response on good days or in good moments is just that, "Good. And you?" And my response on harder days is, "Hanging in there." Or if I'm feeling quite honest or feel like the question was asked with depth, instead of an extension of a greeting, I will answer, "Tired."

I try not to dwell on the negative about pregnancy. But all the while there is the reality of pregnancy for me that has moved past the "feeling good" second trimester high. While I technically have a week and a half left before I officially move into the third trimester, my body is already there. I think a lot of my premature move into the "the trimester feeling" is due to my quickly-protruding watermelon belly. "They say" with more and more pregnancies the woman's body begins to show earlier in the pregnancy. I had not anticipated that to mean I would look 7 months pregnant at 5 months in.

That being said, I wanted to be honest about the pregnancy situation over here - not because I won't be honest if you were to sincerely ask me, but because I try not to dwell too much on the reality of the situation, instead focusing on keeping my eyes on the prize soon coming. But I also think it could help others to admit the reality of the situation, therefore encouraging those who are not in a similar situation and encouraging those who are "right in there with me."

My dear friend Kassie is in her third trimester. She is 8 weeks out from her due date, despite the fact that we both think Jayla will be a late baby (due to her track record). I sincerely hope we are not having similar symptoms, but I must say at this point in the pregnancy I am having symptoms similar to the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Rachael and the last few months of my pregnancy with Abi.

Here's how it's going over here. Here's what you'd see if you lived here:

I haven't gotten a 6 hour stretch of sleep in over a month (excluding 3 spread out days when I literally just fell into bed). I wake up at night every 1.5-2 hours to pee, relieve the tension of cramping legs, reposition my pillows and drink water. If I don't wake up on this schedule, my tongue will stick to the roof of my mouth (only it usually is if I have a slept a full 2 hours) and my throat will be sore from the scratchiness the next day, resulting in "smoker cough" sounding vocal chords. I sleep with a pillow between my legs to lessen the round ligament pain and my feet propped up on an old comforter at "above my heart" level to lessen the affects of the varicose veins that are decorating my right leg in particular. Whenever I get out of bed I always feel a burn as the normal blood flow returns to my varicose veins. If I don't sleep with my legs propped up, I feel that burn all day long. I have congestion as if I were sick 24/7. Afrin helps. Sometimes I have to pair Afrin nasal spray and Sudafed every 4-6 hours to make it through the night. I have Charlie Horses... nightly. So to try to avoid them I eat a banana to two bananas (on really tight legged nights) nightly. Sometimes it works. Other times I eat a second or third banana in the middle of the night. I've taken a second prenatal on nights that our bananas are not ripe enough. I will confess right here and now that I HATE bananas. I think they taste like mucus. But I despise Charlie Horses all the more. If I add more water to my nightly intake, I'll be up sooner than 1.5 hours. I need my nightly naps, solid sleep is no longer a part of my life. I take 2 extra strength Tylenol a night to try to help with the burning/aching varicose veins and leg throbbing. I've often been told that getting more sleep or going to bed earlier could help. I've tried it, but my body just can't lay in one position for long before the leg cramps, aches and varicose veins make me get up (every 2 hours at max).

Last night I went to bed at 10p, got up at midnight to pee. Woke up at 1:30a with throbbing legs, right groin pain where my varicose veins were bulging and throbbing. I napped on the recliner part of the couch with two ice packs, one on my varicose veins on my right thigh and the other I rested both my calves on. I think I got one of the most solid two hour stretches of sleep I've gotten in a long time. I even found an app on my iPad that simulates the noise of a fan (all of ours were being tied up for white-noise factors during sleeping). I slept hard and good. And woke up at 5:30a feeling "ready for the day." I cannot get more than 8 hours of sleep (in cat-nap chunks) without paying the repercussions of pain the next day.

So needless to say, when bedtime rolls around each night I am a bit reluctant to go. Sleep feels like more work than staying up and more pain or pain potential too.


But in this entire picture, I want to tell you that while the reality of the situation is pretty ugly at times (and I'm not even into my normal symptoms of pinched nerves in my legs shooting spasms up my leg into my glutes and the random pinches of moving from a sitting/laying to a standing position, though a few have started) Matt and I chose this. We wanted this. And I still do want this. No, I don't want all the symptoms - those I could do without. But I want our Hannah Joy.

Joy can be described as choosing to focus on the promise over the situation. I think her middle name is fitting and I think there will be many times in her life that I will be reminded that her middle name is fitting.

It is a choice. It is a mindset. And it changes how you live.


Pregnancy has never been ideal for me. That's just the truth of it. Sacrifice is high for me in this equation. But I find joy in looking into Rachael and Abi's eyes, watching them play, remembering their babyhood, even the less beautiful parts. And I allow myself to focus on the joy of the promise in our Hannah Joy.

Is it a distraction technique? Maybe. But dwelling on the roughness of the situation never made it feel more comfortable. And a bitter heart is hard to change. I don't want to associate these symptoms with "what Hannah is doing to me." Certainly Hannah's presence is causing my body to freak out. But anyone's growing presence would cause my body to freak out. So instead of tying that negativity to her, I choose to brush off pregnancy (as best I can in moments) and focus instead on the hope of the promise: the tiny fingers, the little alien toes, the grunts, the little rash movements. I wonder about her eyes, her hair, her face. Will she have the Stauffer nose? Will she follow suit and look "just like" Rachael and Abi in her newborn days or will she carry characteristics of her own? What will be her snuggle spot? Who will she take to?

The list of wonders and excitements in longer than the pregnancy symptom list. And that's the way it should be.

I'm going to avoid the game of creating an image to go with Hannah, so as not to be let down when I meet her. No expectations need to be tied to her yet.

I just look forward to delighting in her. Our newest miracle. Life.

And in the harder moments of pregnancy symptoms I am trying hard to focus on the life that comes from all this hurt and pain.

That life...

our Hannah Joy.

Wordless Wednesdays: Ever Willing

 to help with:

laundry

and supervision. ;)

- love 'em.

From My Monkies to Theirs

We had the privilege of going with Aunt Jes to the Zoo last week. [Thank you again, Lauren, for the tickets]. The girls had a blast and were quite good for staying up hours past their nap times.

We started our adventure early, having breakfast in the car to try to get down to the Zoo and utilize our morning energy stock. After bathing in sunblock and stuffing the stroller with dryer sheets (keeps bug away without the need for bug spray on skin [motions to eczema kids]), we hit the zoo. We organized a plan of attack when looking at the map and show times.

Abi was initially QUITE nervous about the animals themselves moving unpredictably. But with Mommy holding her, she only shuddered a little bit and eventually warmed up to the fact that the animals were in cages and not free to, say, bite her toes. It's funny but while that little girl ADORES animals, the actual things make her nervous and she comes a little unraveled at first. Security is found in the trusted's arms, though.

Rachael was her regular all-in three year old self. She took an extra step of independence in wanting to walk for most of the Zoo, with some stroller breaks. [Now, I'm a fan for her walking and she's on the verge of being too big to ride in a stroller at "walking events" but for now if I have the option of getting her red-head skin out of direct sunlight under the stroller's extended hood, I'll take it.]

We re-slathered on sunblock throughout the day (Matt would have been so proud, Mr. Apply hourly to avoid 3rd degree white skinned man) and paced outside viewings with inside AC rechargings for this pregnant Momma. But I must say, while the on had some hot moments found behind the double stroller of 66+lbs of kids.... on hills, the breeze and the temperature when not "working out" were perfect! I was thankful. And the baby animals - especially the baby fox? A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

The Zoo Park: YAY for burning energy with JOY!

Such a brave "jumper". hehe.

Abi's idea was to ride on Rachael's lap. =)

My Spiderladies.

Turtle Petting:

Oooh... he's slow and isn't unpredictable in movements. I can do this!

brave in the trusted arms of Aunt Jes.

- despite her pain-labeled face in this pic, she really was thrilled. Just caught her in an odd-faced moment. -

It was a wonderful time. And while we were there all day, I only took a few pics so as not to be "the photographer" but instead to be fully there. =)

- Thanks for sharing in our Zoo fun!

Mobile Project

I had an idea. While thinking through things that I'd like to get before Hannah comes, I thought about a crib mobile.

After looking around online I wasn't impressed with the prices. THIRTY DOLLARS? Who pays THIRTY DOLLARS for a mobile?!

So I decided to do something better: make one.

So I gathered an arrangement of ideas in a pile:

And out popped the idea of making butterflies.

So I got to work and made this.

Each butterfly is made of an old clothes pin, painted in leftover pastels from the nursery paints. I used half a black pipe cleaner from our homeschool supplies for each antenna. After cutting out a simple pattern for the wings from an index card, I used some fabric scraps to sew the wings and pinch them into the paperclip. Superglue to keep the antennas on and reinforce the string's knot. Voila!

I mixed and matched the colors for cute combos.

Then I grabbed two "charactered" sticks from the backyard, sanded them down (something about not wanting bark particles falling in the baby's face) and washed them (don't want dirt falling in the baby's face either), and used some nearby twine-string to adjust out the balance and hang the butterflies. A lighter to cauterize the string's edges and superglue for reinforcing the knots and attachments to the stick and I'd say this project costing me a total of $0 turned out well. =)

Rachael and Abi each blessed it with a little swing and we enjoyed watching it bobble about.

I hung it on the shelf's hook coming out from under the shelf hung above Hannah's crib.

Hope she likes it as much as I do. =) 

Plus, it looks great with our pastel nursery with the flower, bee and butterfly chair boarder around the room. 

Win, win!

Straight to Bed

Yesterday I cleaned off the extra twin bed in the girls' room. I had been using it as an "outgrown clothes" pile for a few months after setting it up in celebration of passing out of the first trimester of pregnancy with Hannah. Since Alivia never made it beyond the first trimester, I wanted to celebrate Hannah's advancement and the Lord's blessing us with a thriving pregnancy. The plan is for all three girls to share a room in the nursery (Rachael and Abi's bed will eventually bunk together), and continue to leave our "new kid room" freed up for Respite care kids from foster care and, when the time comes, our new adopted child(ren).

With Hannah baking in the oven and Abi's second birthday approaching, I set up the bed before I got too big and it would be highly uncomfortable to build a twin bed. Then it sat there... collecting outgrown clothes as a loading dock for storage in the file clothes boxes.

Life continued on as normal.

Looking at the calendar, I came to realize Abi will be two in a little less than 2 weeks. (Wow on many levels). See, 2 is the age Abi will be when Hannah arrives. This may not sound phenomenal to you all, but to me it makes September feel like tomorrow. And all the preparations and joys and anticipations that September holds right along with it.

So I started chipping away at the clothes on the bed yesterday: sorting, stacking, putting in boxes, and labeling some newly added boxes before shoving them under the bed until Abi grows into them, for Rachael's outgrown clothes, or until Hannah will grow into them, for Abi's outgrown clothes. Kinda crazy and fun the memories that flooded out of those little clothes as I enjoyed the folding and storing process.

Once the bed was cleaned off, Abi said, "Hannah's bed" when becoming acutely aware of a new climbing structure in the nursery.

"No, Abi. That's Abi's bed.... this is Hannah's bed," I pointed to her crib.

She looked confused.

"Hannah's bed?" She patted the new twin.

"No, that's Abi's new bed. Hannah will sleep in the crib." I re-explained.


She carried on with life.


Today at nap time we followed the normal routine: new diaper, fan on, lights out, Rachael potties. And then Abi took a bold step of initiative.

"Abi's bed" she said and began to climb up on the twin bed.

"Do you want to nap there?" I asked, a little startled.

A huge smile spread across her face.
"Abi's bed." She repeated.

So I let her pick out her sheets (she picked the striped hot-pink ones. hehe), dressed the bed, brought over the familiar loves (ducky, lambie and blankey). And my proud almost 2 year old had the biggest smile I've seen on her face as I tucked her in "just like Rachael."

So proud of herself that it's contagious.

She was still beaming as she fell asleep - no fuss, no need for verbal reminders of nap time. Just Abi - being huge... just like Rachael.

(shrugs shoulders) That was easy.

Abi's private section of the nursery.

The nursery's layout. 

Rachael's close by for moral support. ;)

I was planning on having her try out napping in the "big girl bed" next week and then transition her to "night sleeps" at 2 years old. We'll see if she doesn't just transition herself.

Go, Abi, go!!!

- (Sigh) My growing girl.

Wordless Wednesday: Table Setting

by Abi.

=)

Stack 'Em Up!

We took our Memorial day easy after having two packed days on the Saturday and Sunday before. Unfortunately, my "sleep in" dreams did not happen as I had a fantastic visit from Mr. Charlie Horse TWICE at 5am. I stayed up for 45 minutes of potassium and prenatal vitamin consumption, as well as water rehydration. Then I "napped" until 8am.

After doing the diaper laundry, I came to a realization while putting it away that we have virtually no room for Hannah's cloth diapers. Being as how we had a lazy Memorial day ahead of us with plans of hot dogs in the backyard amid the girls playing in the swimming pool (will post those pics in a further post), my creative wheels started turning. I eyed my dwindling stack of receiving blankets, noting that 3 color coordinated.

Backstory: Saturday morning I got the privilege of discovering a woman selling her newborn cloth diaper stash (24 prefolds and 6 covers) for only $25 on craigslist. Since the prefolds themselves cost $2 a piece and the covers cost $8 a piece, I knew I wanted to jump on that deal before someone else did. We were in her area Sunday and were able to complete Hannah's diaper stash until she gets into our current pocket diapers. I WAS (and still am) PUMPED!!!

So looking at the stack of 39 (I made 15 myself) newly washed and ready to be stored Hannah diapers/covers, while putting away Abi's diaper stash, I decided to take advantage of our "lazy day" with a little sewing project.

I used this free diaper stacker pattern (though mildly vague).

And primarily this picture over the pattern words, which were a bit confusing to me. I read another pattern ("simple design" one) with pictures and figured I had the hang of it enough to improv.

I grabbed my three coordinating receiving blankets and, after reading reviews on other diaper stackers being too thin, grabbed some extra polyester to line the diaper stacker with reinforced durability. I laid out my fabric, measured twice, and cut once (though nearly twice. LOL).

This is my starting picture (minus my piece of cardboard to stiffen the bottom of the completed diaper stacker.) 

And this is the finished product:

 It is hung by a "child sized" hanger inserted into the stacker. I chose a metal skirt clip for two reasons: we have a plethera of these and I wanted the hanger head to be able to swivel and hold the weight of the cloth diapers.

** See Hannah's cute cloth diapers in there? =D All 39 fit with extra room.

This hangs wonderfully on the end of our changing table in the nursery. YAY! And it's also easily transported to the laundry room for refilling on laundry day. 

A close-up of the primarily hand-sewn part. I took the butterflies off an old and semi-useless burp cloth (it was really small and thin), then sewed it onto a few leftover pieces of the receiving blanket material I used in the diaper stacker. 

It took me about 4 hours (I hand-sewed a little of it so I could watch the girls "swim") and cost me $1.59 (I ran out of thread. hehe).

I think it came out pretty cute! =)


P.S. For those of you concerned about Hannah potentially being a boy: 1. They got a really good "tell all" peek. 2. If Hannah turns out to be an Elijah, Elijah will get over the butterflies since "he'd" be sharing a room with his sisters for a good while. hehehe. But I'm pretty sure Hannah is 99% more likely. ;)

P.P.S. Matt was impressed that I created this in one day. His exact response: "You made that (smiling and surprised) just today?" =D YAY! I did!

Brand Cloth Diapering

I wanted to share some tricks of the trade and a compilation of my personal reviews and the reviews I've heard universally about some cloth diaper brands. I'm not going to review all cloth diaper brands (there are a bunch) and I'm only going to briefly review the cloth diapering brands that are connected to our diapering system and therefore I have chosen or chosen to by-pass.


Prefolds (old-school cloth diapers)

• You can use pins or snappis. I prefer snappies - snug, secure, no baby stabbing. But less cost-effective than pins. 
• Generally prefolds cost about $2 a diaper unless you are buying in bulk.
• Material: generic cotton - decent, Chinese cotton - holds up well, little rough, Indian cotton - BEST! holds up great AND soft. Comparison. Our Indian cotton prefolds have had more wear/tear on the edges in terms of the edge stitching, but I like softer over needing to re-edge a diaper (which I haven't had to do yet).
• Bleached or unbleached - depends on your preference. I prefer unbleached since my kids tend to have sensitive skin and the cost is maybe a few pennies different. To me, why risk that your kid has sensitive skin if you can just buy the more sensitive skinned ones (unbleached) for about $0.10 more.
• Best brands I've found for the cheapest cost: 
• Osocozy brand (prefer unbleached) runs about $13 a dozen on Amazon.com. Best brand if you have to buy new. Easiest on the pocketbook unless you can find some incredible sale.
• Green Mountain - a little more expensive, but if you can find them used they'll last through many childrens' bombings.
• Econobums - I've heard they are a good/absorbent brand that is financially savvy but not experienced them personally. And they seem to always come in a pack with other stuff when sold new.
• Bummis - strong, thick, quilty and gentle on the pocketbook if you are buying them second-hand. Otherwise about $4.00 A DIAPER.
• Gerber brand birdseye = good for burp clothes, BAD for cloth diapering. Birdseye shreds in the wash after about 3 months of use (if it makes it that long). 
• If your prefold doesn't have sizes - it's a bad prefold. No one's 3 month old is going to fit into a toddler prefold. Best economical expense = small gaps between sizes, but you will be choosing to fold down a portion of the fabric while baby grows into the full fabric, which some people call bulky and I call "extra poop safety" as well as "financially savvy."
• Check out some youtube prefold folding videos if these intimidate you, they might change your mind. 
• To double a prefold for naps/night put extra insert OUTSIDE of prefold but inside of cover to allow best pull away from skin.
• Fleece on sale at a hobby store is best call for more sensitive skinned kids. Buy a yard, cut down into insert-sized strips and throw into inner lining against skin, making a barrier between baby's bottom and the prefold itself. I found fleece on sale for $4.50 for a yard and it made 24 "barriers" of fleece.
• Wash (water for every cycle but the last) 4-5 times when bought new to maximize absorbency. OR my preference: boil for 15 minutes in water alone and then wash. Cuts down on water use and gets the job done faster than 5 times through the wash. 

Covers

• You will only need a rotation of 3-5 over the span of 2 days depending on preference, material inside, and the age of your child (young baby wanting to err on the higher amount of covers, vs. older/more controlled BMs = less covers). If baby dirties cover beyond recognition, then wash. If baby spots on cover, then wipe clean and lay aside to dry while baby wears another cover. Less changing of covers = less laundry.
• Can be used with just an insert (see below) or a prefold with or without a snappi/pins.
• Thirsties covers are by far the cheapest with the best overall reviews throughout the sizes. Offered in velcro (hook and loop closure) and snaps. I prefer velcro for tighter/trimmer fit. Lasts through multiple kids may need to replace velcro with multiple kids. 
• single sized thirsties covers (ex. Extra small, small, etc) - fit best for newborns, especially if your newborn has a slim waste. Most reviews talk about thirsties covers being one of the few that work on that "fresh out of the oven" time. Single-sized covers cost about $10.50/cover. 
• duo wrap covers - 2 sizes from birth to potty training. Size 1 (6-18lbs) Size 2 (18-potty training). Just the covers run at about $12.75/cover. Again, you'll only need 3-5 to use in a rotation over the span of 2 days. 
• duo diapers (different than wraps) have insert included in diaper that can be flush against baby's skin. These also come in 2 sizes (size 1 and 2) and run about $18 a diaper (sometimes $16 for the solid colors). A little more pricey but you know for sure you have all the pieces to get started if you are uncertain. These diapers can also be used without the insert as a regular cover. I would suggest getting extra inserts or using your prefolds as extra inserts.
• Prorap covers run about $8.00/cover and come in 5 sizes (newborn, small, medium, large, XLarge). Medium, Large and XLarge start to get more difficult reviews in terms of leaking (kids start to thin out in the legs so it gets more varied to make a cover that will get the job done for everyone). Newborn has the umbilical cord cut-out which is VERY good for keeping irritation away from baby til they lose their cord. Newborn and Small get best reviews for being a cheap in price, but good in fit diaper cover. Inner shell is more plastic than some covers, making it easily handwashed, quick-drying, and washer-safe. Not suggested to dry these in the dryer due to how quickly they dry and the risk of melting them. GREAT pick for newbie to 3 month old size, especially cost effective. Reviews say they last through multiple kids, but I have no personal experience with this.
• LOVE Wonder Wraps, but they're less cost-friendly unless you get them second-hand. They usually range about $18-$20 a wrap (if you can find them in stock), but are a one-sized cover. The shape of these is slightly different than other covers (more pear shaped) and therefore covers VERY well with 0 leaks. Lasts through multiple kids. May need to replace velcro after 2 kids.
• Wash at least 3x if new before first use to remove factory chemicals. 

Inserts

• Wash (water for every cycle but the last) 4-5 times when bought new to maximize absorbency. OR my preference: boil for 15 minutes in water alone and then wash. Cuts down on water use and gets the job done faster than 5 times through the wash. 
• Materials:
• Microfiber (MF)= cheapest in cost, absorbs instantly unless repelling (detergent build-up due to not washing with cloth diaper safe detergent), holds up same as other materials. Quick absorbing. Debate of whether can go directly against child's skin. I've put it against Abi's sensitive skin and had no issues, but these have been washed MANY times before. There are some reviews that say MF should never be put against baby's skin and results in hive-like spots of diaper rash. Your call. You can use a fleece barrier if you are using an insert alone in a cover. Can bleach if needed to keep white (though some argue against the sheer "harshness" of the bleach product in general, it is infrequently in reference to it being harsh to fabrics, but to sensitive skins - these people also tend to be the "all organics" people).
• Hemp = very absorbent, absorbs slow. Preference for many cloth diaperers for a night diaper. More pricey cost - up to $5 per insert. Retains smell with repetitive use so you'll need to treat extra for smell. Can be put directly on skin contact. Longest time to dry in dryer.
• Bamboo = supposably more absorbent than Hemp and MF, but my personal results with bamboo have been much less absorbent (apparently I'm in good company too) than hemp. Retains smell like hemp. Dries quicker than hemp. Less expensive than hemp, but more expensive than MF.
• Zorb = very absorbent, can be cost effective (especially if second-hand), no blue zorb material can touch baby's skin so be sure to have it covered in fleece or another material if not already. Absorbs better than MF, better than bamboo, and less bulky than hemp. Material made specifically for heavy-wetters in the cloth diaper world. $5 an insert piece at this site for the non-sewers. $11 for a yard here if you make your own insert. I got them for $0.50 an "insert" off craigslist. 
• Terry (towel) = now more than 2 layers at a time to avoid retained smell and allow for extensive washing. HIGHLY absorbent and cost-effective, especially if you use old towels and make your own. BEST night diaper material I've found for the cost. 4 layers of towel wrapped in material in the form of 2 inserts suffices our heavy wetter at nights/naps when all other materials have failed. Funny how the cheapest wins. ;) 
• Comparisons of all the kinds of inserts here. and here. and here. Or there's this method of testing. Or this one by brand and it's part 2 [Gotta take a second to give a shout-out to the Sunbaby insert that beat out many high priced brand name inserts when you can buy them for up to a quarter of the price. ;) ].

Pockets/All-in-Twos (AI2)

• Designs for 12lbs to potty training crowd, and not little babies. 
• One-size = most economical verses buying and rebuying specific sizes. (That's why one-size are less frequently available in resale markets due to their versatility). 
• One-size is especially helpful if diapering more than 1 child at one time since the sizes can be altered by snapping down to fit the child on the spot. 
• Sunbaby and Alvababy (in China) make most cost-effective and quality diapers. Soft fleece inner-lining and durable, can be used for multiple kids, outer PUL. Cute patterns/colors or solids available. Plan ahead: takes 3-4 weeks to arrive. About $5 a diaper with some combination deals.
• Most like disposable diapers, excluding use of inserts to customize for child. 
• Stuff insert into pocket post wash and shake holding opposite end of pocket to dump insert out before wash.
• MF insert = good til about 9 months then need additional insert. Suggest less bulky material as second material to avoid leaking through legs. 
• Snaps survive far better than velcro on these diapers.
• Wash at least 4x if new before first use to remove factory chemicals.  

Diaper Rash Creme

• Cannot use regular diaper rash creme on cloth diapers due to most cremes being made with Zinc Oxide or Fish oil. Both stick to your cloth diapers and do not wash out well, if they ever wash out. These ingredients repel water - not a good feature when you want your diapers absorbing urine. 
• Pure, Organic Coconut Oil is the best and cheapest cloth diaper safe creme. It costs $17 for a 32 ounce jar. You only need a fingertip's worth for a diaper change so this stuff goes a long way. (Also great for eczema.) Washes out easily and safely from cloth diapers in one wash. [Sure beats a 3.75 ounce jar for $15 of "cloth diaper creme".]

Okay, that's all the wisdom I can think to share for now. Hope that's helpful.

Have a great day!

The Creek

This morning I got up and felt the desire to "go away" from our house. We'd settled back in since vacation and now it was time for a little cabin-fever driven play. Today not being a homeschooling day meant we were free until nap time, while I still hoped to spend the lunch time with Matt.

At first the idea was a local park that has farm animals, play equipment and not too much walking. I gave a few friends a call, discovered their full plans, and then rethought about our original plan. If we were not partnering with anyone else, we were free to do whatever. Then the idea popped into my head: muddy water play. The level of grease in Rachael's hair this morning sealed the deal, clearly bath time was in order for today so why not get the most out of the dirt before returning to the world of clean.

Rachael was all-in, my previous "ew-dirt" toddler now turned into a "dirty can be fun" preschooler. But Abi had her own plans of lying in a pile of play jewelry (can we say uncomfortable?) and wrapping her stuffed duckie in a blanket. VETOED! Abi got over it with a few minutes of consoling and then happily got into a swim diaper and bathing suit. With T-shirts (for extra sun protection), water shoes, a few bath toys, some towels and my camera we were out the door to our adventure.

The girls, having never play in a creek before (dude, they're small), learned all kinds of things about creeks through hands-on experience. And boy can I tell you, we experienced the creek TO THE FULL. Short of drinking the water intentionally (sorry Abi), we did just about every other little sensory experiment imaginable.

Rachael learned about water currants, floating and sinking objects,

 Boat floating down-currant. Then whale's turn to float in a bucket.

depth of water, mossy rocks being slimy,

and all kinds of other personal experiments like how much water can be splashed by jumping furiously in the water.

Abi enjoyed many dump and fill pleasures with her self-declared recycled cottage cheese container which was a HUGE "no no" in the sharing category. That container was an emotional attachment, a beloved friend not just a selfish moment of "I don't want you to have it". No, cottage cheese container was NEEDED  (funny how they attach to things randomly). Rachael was content to play with everything but Abi's cottage cheese container so no wars were waged creekside. Abi also highly enjoyed kicking and splashing - a must for my mud-inspired baby.

 Dump and fill.                             Kick, splash, kick!

 Catch the small waterfall.

While the girls were a little hesitant at first about the shiftiness of creek rocks, they soon kicked into their regular selves, sitting in the cold water with squeals and 'do it again's. In a few minutes their limbs had gone numb in the creek's shade-covered arctic waters and their focused turned to exploring the water.

 Explore. Discover. Delight. 

           Joy.                                         Catch and release.

      Exploration.                                Watering her hair. =)

We stayed for 45 minutes of bliss, soon-to-be lunch grumbling encouraging our departure. I wondered what people thought as two young children emerged from the "no swimming" lakeside entrance (we walked a little ways back to the creek) fully wrapped in towels and soaking. We looked like rebels, but there were no signs posted in the creek area regarding swimming (probably since the water was um ankle-deep), but my children very nearly swam in that very ankle-deep currant.

A quick towel-drying, change of clothes for the ride back, peanut butter sandwich lunch, bath time and redressing has produced two wonderfully exhausted children and a quiet napping house.

I'd say our adventure was a success for all. =)