So here's my cloth diapering post. While I was pregnant, I googled the heck out of cloth diapering in an attempt to figure it all out before Birdie arrived. I think I read every single blog posting out there about cloth diapers (CDs) and now, like a fellow FS blogger, I want to give back. Maybe some clueless mom-to-be will stumble across this and find it helpful, I hope so.
I have no idea what made me look into cloth diapers but by the time I was pregnant, I was intrigued by the concept. I knew that I didn't want to force Husband into it though, he needed to be fully on-board, so early in second trimester, we attended a Cloth Diapering 101 session at the Manassas CD nirvana, Abby's Lane. I'd read about them extensively by that point but still didn't really grasp the different styles (other than: some were cheap, some were expensive). Abby's Lane had all different kinds that they discussed and let us look at. We picked pockets for price and convenience.
One of my beloved Rumparooz
See - clean and fresh despite dozens of uses.
We bought all different brands, having heard that some babies don't fit certain brands. We're lucky in that we can use every one we purchased, though we definitely have our favorites. I prefer our Rumparooz, BumGenius, Applecheeks, Blueberries, and Sunbaby diapers - in that order. We have one Fuzzibunz and I hate it. HATE. IT. In fact, I keep meaning to just swap it with another mama but need to get my act together. With the exception of the Applecheeks, all our diapers are one-sized, meaning that they'll grow along with Birdie. Almost all of them have snaps as well (as opposed to Velcro) since that will extend the life of the diaper to Birdie's hypothetical little sibling.
Yes, we wash them at home. In the same washer we use for our clothes. Exclusively breastfed babies have poop that is water soluable. When we introduce solid foods, we'll have to pre-rinse the poop off in the toilet (part of the reason I'm glad to wait until 6 months before having Birdie eat solids). We use the wash routine recommended by Abby's Lane (including regular Tide detergent) and try to sun-dry as much as possible. So far, there are only two small stains in our 20 diaper collection so I guess it's working!
Upstairs changing area
The above photos shows how we've got things set up on the second floor of our house. This is generally where I change Birdie's diapers, her Daddy prefers the pack n' play on the ground floor. I have a large Planetwise hanging wetbag right next to the changing table (which is actually just my childhood dresser with a changing pad on top). Dirty dipes go into the wetbag with the inserts pulled out. The whole wetbag later just gets dumped in the washer (including the bag itself). Dipes are in the top shelf along with wipes (baby washclothes) and wash solution (water+ 1tsp baby wash + 1tsp tea tree oil). In the far right container are her cold-weather caps and some spare diaper inserts. Cloth wipes go right in the wetbag with the diapers once used. Daycare does the same thing though with disposable wipes instead of cloth.
Instead of a spray bottle downstairs, I use a peri bottle poached from the hospital.
Birdie doesn't really get rashes but we've sometimes used Earth Mama Angel Baby rash cream when she looks a little sensitive - we will switch to coconut oil once the cream is used up (supposedly better for baby's skin plus cheaper and more CD-friendly). Birdie still sleeps in disposables since she's a heavy wetter but we're planning to switch her to overnight wool diapers soon. Overall, it's working out splendidly. I have bought a few more diapers than what we actually need but only when they've been a ridiculously good deal and a really cute (i.e. girly) print. Most of our diapers are gender-neutral so they have maximum future potential. I wouldn't change a thing and am glad we won't have to worry about constantly ordering more disposables once we move overseas in a couple years (though hopefully this kid will be potty-trained by then).
Random addition to say I LOVE this mobile - Birdie will stare at it for 30 minutes while I shower and get dressed!
Meet one of the newest Catholics out there. Birdie was baptized at an Arlington church a couple of weekends ago. She was a perfect angel the whole time, barely even whimpering when the priest blessed her with oil and holy water. She's wearing a string of pearls belonging to her great-aunt (we do not make a habit of baby jewelry and she was supervised the entire time it was worn) and a new christening gown that her aunt/godmother will be embroidering her initials and baptism date into. We hope to share the gown with Birdie's future sibling and cousins.
We were lucky to have so many family members and friends join us, both at the church at the party afterwards. You can tell they really love us because her baptism was part of 8 am Mass. To make up for it, we rewarded our loved ones with a brunch afterwards. Birdie's godparents are amazing people and I'm not just saying that because I'm related to both of them. Her godfather may still be young (a college student) but he's one of my most thoughtful and interesting cousins (though they are really all so interesting and funny - I love my family). He's the third of four children but doesn't have any nieces or nephews yet so Birdie is lucky to get all of his child-focused attention for the next few years. Bonus point: he was an altar boy so he'll actually be good at filling the "Catholic" role.
Birdie's godmother is my sister, a woman who is already a wonderful aunt. She learned to sew so that she could embroider a couple of bibs as a baptism gift - isn't that sweet? I'm so glad that we're back in the States for these early years so that my sister, who is local, can really be a part of Birdie's life. She's already our #1 babysitter!
Several other aunts, uncles, and cousins made the trip down and were were touched and overwhelmed by their generosity and thoughtfulness. I know others wished they could make it and we certainly missed them (my in-laws, especially) but they were with us in spirit. This is why we had Birdie baptized. We may not be the most observant Catholics but this religion is so ingrained in my memories and part of my shared family culture that I had to give her the easy option of joining in.
I've been reading this book to Birdie two to three times a week for the past four months...but only at night. Why nighttime? I need to make sure I don't have to leave the house with mascara running down my cheeks.
I usually have to pause and catch my breath by the second page. By the second to last, I'm basically choking out the words. At first, I could blame it on 'new mommy' hormones but damn, that book still gets me every time. Oh, I'll keep reading it though - I don't know if any of her other books more simply or articulately describe the immediate and overwhelming rush of love that comes the night a little one is born (or 8am, in our case).
I'm beginning to write this post the day after your four month birthday. Each month seems to creep up faster and faster but I wasn't able to start this yesterday because we were too busy torturing you getting you vaccinated at the doctor's.
So much has happened in the last month (I think I say that every month). You are more and more like a real person every day. You rolled from your belly to back last month but RIGHT before your four month birthday, you rolled from your back to your belly. And promptly started crying because you got stuck. You haven't seemed to have put the two movements together yet but I'm convinced that will come soon, along with sitting up.
You look at everything and are so friendly to new people. If somebody smiles at you, especially if it's someone you know, you are quick with a grin in response. Some babies are belly-laughing around this time but you mostly giggle though sometimes it does sound a little deeper. You're still a shrimpette and wearing many of your 0-3 clothes. Luckily, you also are fitting into some of your summery 6 month outfits so we can get a little use before the weather changes! Your grandparents think you're teething but if you are, drooling seems to be the only symptom! My oh my though, you do drool quite a bit!
You've been at school nearly all month and it's been going really well. I was so sad to drop you off at first but you didn't shed a tear. Your teachers, especially Miss Tasha and Miss Mina, love you and tell us that you're such a good baby. They've taught you to sleep in your crib (sometimes) so we are trying to get you to do the same at home too. You're one of the only girls in your class (and soon will be the only one) so we bought you all pink baby stuff so it doesn't get confused with the boys. I guess you're making lots of new baby friends there but I miss our mommy & baby playdates from maternity leave (like the last one below).
Right around your baptism, your grandpop came for a visit. He started singing the ABC song to you and that's how we found out you LOVE it. My favorite is "You Are My Sunshine" but it never calms you (when you're upset) the way the ABC song or Skin-na-ma-rinkie-rinkie-dink do. Your new favorite game is peek-a-boo, especially when daddy or I "hide" you in our shoulder and then "find" you high up in the air! Your hand to mouth coordination skills are improving daily and you seem to be pretty fond of Sophie the Giraffe. I miss you during the day and am always wondering what you're up to and if your teachers are going to be the first to see you sit up. Even if they are fortunate enough to catch that moment, I know I'm still the luckiest one to cuddle you (even in the middle of the night) and have you forever.
A year ago today, I was recovering from gallbladder surgery and still felt a little weird. I couldn't explain it but I knew I couldn't be pregnant. I mean, before my surgery they'd given me a pregnancy test and it was negative!
We were leaving the apartment to head to some dear friends' wedding reception when I thought to myself "what the heck, just take the test again). Two little lines later and I was crying over the sink. I was so scared that the surgery had endangered the pregnancy but our little fighter had other plans.
We are so lucky to have a healthy, happy - and right now sleeping - baby today.
P.S. Call it my first bout of mother's instinct but I just knew something felt off...and I was only a couple weeks pregnant with none of the stereotypical symptoms!
Barely two weeks in to my new assignment and I'm calling in for a sick child. My poor baby went for her four-month well-child check-up (wow, that's a lot of hyphens) and, as before, did not react well to her vaccinations. She cried far far far less in the immediate aftermath (THANK GOD because it was so distressing last time) but ran a fever up through this morning.
So, I kept my baby home and have been working through some of her naps. She's still feverish and keeps spitting out the Tylenol but her mood is good and for that, I'm glad.
I can't believe I'm writing about a four month old baby. That letter is coming soon.
What else came from this doctor's visit? Um, we got the green light to start solids but the doc was ok with waiting until 6 months as well. We had thought to avoid cereals completely but the doctor said lots of babies hate iron supplements and it might be easier to give her fortified-cereal rather than the drops. Either way, we don't really have to start until closer to her 6 month birthday so we'll see how it goes.
Her weight, which is 11 pounds, 9 ounces, dropped a few more percentile points (from 19% to 13%) but her head circumference and height keep growing (she's now 24 inches tall!) We'll keep doing periodic weight checks either at the doctor's or at my breastfeeding support group but overall the doctor thinks we just have a skinny minnie and that if I keep offering larger bottles, that's about all we can do right now. Birdie drinks 3.5oz bottles right now (3 of them during the typical workday) but I'll throw in a 4oz bottle every couple of days - she NEVER has finished it.
Birdie started school last week and it's been surprisingly hard to handle. Hard because I never imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom...until I spent my days with Birdie. I still really don't see it for the long-term but a six-month maternity leave sounds just about perfect to me.
Oh well. I'm very lucky to have had the 15 weeks I had, right?
Anyhow, we got into a great daycare near our home and I had Birdie do four half days before I went back to work (I went back on Wednesday). The school did a great job of putting me at ease. They welcomed me to stay as long as I wanted on each of the days and to drop by anytime. Of course, I can't drop by now since I work downtown but their openness makes me so comfortable.
Birdie's Aunt Coco has started early with the princess/fairy gear. The tutu is still a little big but Birdie kept a good grip on the wand!
Husband is doing the drop-offs and pick-ups. He drives to work daily so it makes sense but I am secretly glad that I can leave before them and pretend that Birdie is just chilling at home all day. He says she gives him a huge grin during pick-up time and I simultaneously love and hate that. Love that we have such a sweet and happy baby, hate that she is so happy to see us...does that mean she misses us!? Mommy guilt is a tough thing.
Buuuuuut. I do really like my new assignment and I worked really hard to get it lined up before my maternity leave. I'm kicking around the idea of extending for a third year - we love our house and daycare plus the reliable access to good food and first-rate medical care. I have a few months to decide so we'll see and I've only been in this job for a couple days.
My cousin just had her first baby. The squishy baby photos are adorable and really makes me realize how quickly Birdie has grown! Just when I start to feel slightly jealous, I remember how those first weeks were. Well, honestly, I can barely remember them but I'm convinced that this is a protective mechanism in my brain, intended to ensure that I will do my part to continue populating the earth. Until then, we'll have a lot of fun playing with Birdie's second cousins (my dad looked it up, that's the official genealogy term for the children of two first cousins!)
My cute-pie. She didn't cry at all during the baptism!
Lastly, we celebrating Birdie's baptism into the Catholic Church last weekend. These photos are from that event, which we were so lucky to share with friends and extended family. Birdie has awesome godparents (my sister and cousin) and we are once again happy to be at home when we had our baby!
First off, you've kept me so busy the past few weeks that here I am, two weeks late in writing your three month posting.
You've grown so much! All of your newborn-sized clothing was put away awhile ago but I'm not starting to find that some of your 0-3 items don't fit either. Honestly, it just in time because I was starting to get sick of them anyways. It's a little sad to see you stretched into a too-small sleeper and remember how not too long ago, your little feet didn't even reach the bottom.
Right after you hit two months, we visited our friends for their annual Fishapalooza and their Maryland fish farm. You met Josh and Ward, the sons of mama's college classmates who will surely take you to all the cool parties once you three hit UVA in 18 years. You had several playdates with Ryan, Augusta, and the rest of our mama/baby group friends. In all of these events, you've been so well-behaved and I've been so proud of my baby that barely cries (lucky me, I know). You tried out Augusta's Bumbo seat and while I was determined not to waste space on additional crap, I knew once I saw how much you loved sitting that I had to get it. Thank goodness for CraigsList (and I'll be selling it back in just a couple months). We've gotten lots of use out of it since you love to sit up and watch me cook or check out Daddy in the garden.
At the end of June, a huge storm (a derecho) hit the DC area and we were out of power for five days. I went bananas trying to preserve all of the milk that I had pumped and stored for you but my mama friends totally understood and were awesome in offering up freezer space. We stayed at your aunt's apartment downtown and took advantage of the location to meet up with city friends for lunch and playdates (you slept through a delicious lunch at Loriel Plaza). Mama and Daddy even got an impromptu date night out to Pearl Dive Oyster Palace - yum! You also rolled over for the first time! Unsurprisingly, it was from your belly to your back and having you do tummy time is harder than ever now that you've figured out an alternative. You are pushing yourself up all the time and holding yourself in a standing position pretty well (with our help, of course).
(proof in the video! sorry for the upside-downness.)
We went to Toledo for the fourth of July so that you could meet your paternal grandparents and great-grandparents. While we wanted to take you to the zoo, it was much too hot but I think you enjoyed the Toledo Museum of Art as well. You spent a lot of time looking at paintings and seemed entranced by all the colors and shapes in the Baroque wing. Your first fireworks show and first trip to the drive-in movie theater were all successful. In fact, you slept better on this trip than you do at home! We were so glad that we went because just this past weekend, your great-grandma passed away. She was so happy to meet and hold you and we hope that you brought some light to the end of her life.
Our firecracker on the 4th of July.
I took you to Texas alone to visit your other grandparents (Daddy was supposed to come but had to go back to Toledo for his grandma). You were, once again, pretty good on the airplane but cranky nearly the whole trip. I don't know what changed but naps were terrible and I hope to have my happy baby back now that we're home. It was nice to hang out in Austin though and your grandparents LOVED spending time with you! You got in a swimming pool for the very first time and while you gave a little yelp at first, you soon relaxed and were kicking your little legs around.
Ready for the pool!
A week from today, I'll be back at work full-time and nothing terrifies me more. I never thought I'd want to leave my job, my career, but you've made me question everything. I will miss you so much - I hardly think I can stand it - but I know that your daycare is wonderful and they'll be good to you. I'm glad that I'm going back to a job where I can be useful to the world and set a good example for you about women making a difference and supporting their families.
Once upon a time, Thursday night meant scoping out the best happy hour. While I hope my happy hour days aren't over forever, things are different.
With the Olympic trials on in the background, I'm watching both my family and my pan-fried trout with a (small) glass of pinot gris in hand. I can see my husband keeping one eye on the trials as he plays with Birdie who is babbling happily to the parrot dangling in her play gym.
This is a happy hour indeed but I didn't know it would be this wonderful.
Today, you're two months old. You share this milestone with your Aunt, who is celebrating her 28th birthday. I had to put away all your newborn clothes this week which made me cry. Most were hand-me-downs but some were gifts. Before you came, I worried that we'd never use them but you've been such a shrimp that we got really good use from them all! When I weighed you on Thursday, you were 9 pounds, 7 ounces! Seems huge to me but I guess there are babies born everyday bigger than you are now. I thank you for coming much smaller.
You're laughing a lot these days. You love to smile back, especially when mommy or daddy are grinning at you. When daddy blows on your feet, that sets off the biggest storm of laughs. You still don't take much notice of the dog but he sure loves you! The other day, a friend was over holding you when you cried - Cooper growled from across the room. He's very protective of you and loves to give you doggy kisses. We let him lick your feet and legs but keep him away from your hands and face.
We're learning more about you everyday. Just in the past week, we learned that you're not only dairy-sensitive but soy-sensitive as well. This is a huge bummer but you're a much happier baby when all those products isn't making you gassy and cry. You finally fit into all the adorable cloth diapers we bought you so we're transitioning you out of disposables. Your fluffy butt is adorable and you can last much longer between changes so we're pretty happy.
You and I bought a couple special books for your first Father's Day gift this week. Since it's Father's Day when I'm finally wrapping up this post, we can share that we got "Daddy Kisses" and "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" for daddy to read to you. He seemed pretty happy! Also making him happy are your newfound six and seven hour sleep stretches. This is awesome and started right at your two month birthday as you grew out of the eight-week growth spurt.
We're halfway through with maternity leave and I'm having such mixed feelings about returning to work. I'm so excited about my new assignment but can't bear the thought of leaving you in daycare all day. For now, we've got to make the most of our time together - more playdates with baby friends, more walks with Cooper along the W&OD trail, more puttering around Falls Church....and maybe it's time to have some fun downtown too! We've visited the zoo and I had you in the Moby wrap. You were really interested in looking around and seem particularly enchanted by the llamas and zebras. Do you recognize them from picture books?
I look forward to seeing what milestones your third month will bring and watching you grow. Every day, I look at you and can't believe how much I love you. We are so lucky to have you in our lives.
Birdie is not a big fan of sleep. She gets this from me as I was notoriously difficult to put down for naps at a young age. In fact, I remember fighting sleep all the way through college (fighting bedtime that is, don't you dare try to wake me up early!). All the experts said to put your newborn down for naps in noisy, light-filled environments and it'll teach them to fall asleep under a variety of conditions.
Ha ha.
While that worked for her first month of life, the past three weeks have been very different. We basically need a sensory deprivation tent for our seven-week-old. Nighttime is our bedroom, lights out, white noise machine on, nursing to sleep. Daytime is either nursing to sleep on my lap or being worn in a sling or Moby wrap. Sometimes she will also sleep on a walk.
We're lucky overall though. After her five week growth spurt (nursing nonstop, around the clock), she's taken to only waking once a night for a feeding and sleeping from 8ish until 5ish. Not bad for the "fourth trimester". I am already in fear of what the dreaded eight week growth spurt will mean for our nighttimes.
The growth spurt was good for Birdie. She'll now smile at us, giggle and coo to herself on her playmat (which is what she's doing right now), and sometimes laugh. When daddy sticks it tongue out at her, she will usually stick her's out in response. She's also gaining weight like a champ and is a full pound and a half over her birth weight (and over two pounds above when we took her home from the hospital). The snuggly newborn is stretching out and feels heavier and wigglier to hold. Her neck strength is increasing and while she still hates "tummy time", she'll poke her head over mine or daddy's shoulder to look out and see the world. She LOVES to be outdoors and smell fresh air and really enjoys it when my dear husband takes her along when he is tending to his vegetable garden.
I'm halfway done with maternity leave. I'm home with Birdie until the very end of July and am so so so lucky to have received a 15 week maternity leave (thanks also to her early arrival). The thought of returning brings so many conflicting emotions. I am already looking forward to it - I've got a new job, new portfolio, exciting responsibilities on the horizon. But....I can't bear the thought of being away from Birdie all day, five days a week. Do you think they'd mind if I brought my non-napping noisy baby to the office every days?
You are now one month old! We have had quite an eventful month as I've gotten used to being your mama and you've gotten used to being out in the world. After several weeks of agony over whether you were gaining enough weight and stressing over supplementing, we finally got you back to birth weight! Judging by the fit of your newborn onesies, you're continuing to grow and I'm starting to enjoy feeding you rather than worrying about if you've had enough to eat.
You've spent so many more hours awake over the past ten days, however, when you want to nap, you usually want to nap on me. Right now, you're snoozing in your swing - it's like you knew I wanted to write this note to you. Yesterday, you rolled! It was so exciting to watch! I called Daddy right away and he was so sad to be at work and miss it. Now, I happen to think you're a genius and are perfect in every way but I do know that babies generally don't roll until 3-4 months...so you technically didn't do the 360 degree roll, just a solid 180 from your back to your tummy. Thankfully, you don't do it at night or during naps. Once you got on your tummy, you flipped out. You hate tummy time (unless its on our chests), especially with me, and will only put up with it when Daddy is around.
I look back over photos of your birth day and can't believe how that scrunchy newborn is slowly turning into a baby. You spend most of your days in a pretty good mood and you usually only get upset when we fail to notice a dirty diaper or have gas bubbles. I'm happy that I can stop your crying relatively easily (so glad you're not colicky!
I was scared around you at first but am slowly becoming more confident. Motherhood isn't as instinctive as I thought it would be but the love I feel for you is as overwhelming as I imagined. Johnson & Johnson put out a commercial this
month that always seems to come on when we're nursing and makes me cry. I like to think that if you could talk, you'd tell me that we're doing fine. Let's revisit this conversation in a few months.
The opinions expressed here are personal and not professional in nature and are not representative of the opinions or policy of the United States government.
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