18 months Already?!

E is 18 months old today. What?!  It seems like the last year and a half has flown by and yet SO much has changed since he was born. He isn't even the baby of the family anymore though it doesn't seem possible.  E is still little at around 22lbs fully clothed (his official stats won't be until his 18mo appointment on the 19th), but I think he's middle of the curve for height and he has a big ole noggin. He's in 18 month shirts (and has been since a year old) and pajamas and 12 month pants. I think he's long in the torso with short legs. 

After waiting for ages, E's hair is finally really coming in now and it includes some curls!  Sadly, I think they'll be gone after his first haircut which won't be for quite awhile. He still likes his bobo (paci), but we are working on weaning him from it as he bites them in half now. We have one left that is a tougher material so he can't bite through it and it stays in his crib. If he breaks it, we are screwed!!

E can say quite a few words and regularly "talks" gibberish that is so cute as he gets so serious and has the best facial expressions. He is a total jokester. His latest is refusing to call AR, Papa. He'll point at him and say "Mama" and giggle. We correct him and he points again and says, "MamamaMA! Cue another giggle. When AR isn't home he totally says Papa, so he messes with him because he knows it bugs AR! 

He's still anaphylactic to dairy and egg and his next skin test is in March. He eats a lot, but you wouldn't know it with his weight. He's also on Neocate E028 Splash "formula" to make sure he gets the right amino acids and vitamins for proper brain development with his food allergies. We also give him Vitamin D and an additional DHA vitamin. His eczema is better, but he gets patches behind his ears and on his index fingers (from sucking them) often. We had to switch up his bath routine and soaps and lotions to get to this new maintenance phase. We use original Dove bar soap and Free & Clear shampoo on him. For lotion we have Vani Cream and a prescription steroid cream and Epiceram for hot spots. 

He is a boy on a mission and gets into EVERYTHING. We had to do additional baby proofing for him. He climbs. He runs. He copies everything his big sister and older cousins do. My favorite is when he tucks his head and just runs with a big grin on his face. If you hear the pitter patter of his little feet it's usually not a good thing. It usually means he's swiped something and is running away. 

E loves outside and playgrounds and freedom. He's very dramatic when told "no" and has a ridiculously loud cry. He pinches, hits, pushes, and pulls his sister's hair already. They already argue over silly stuff and toys. I have to try not to laugh sometimes. They do LOVE each other and he always worries about her and asks for her when she's in preschool.  He's adjusting to being a big brother slowly. We're working on "gentle" a lot. He gives great kisses and hugs and his laugh is infectious. It'll always cheer you up on a bad day. 

Happy 18 months sweet boy. I hope you keep that smile and never stop laughing. 

Daniel's Birth Story

On October 30th at 5:53pm our family grew from four to five and our hearts swelled with the birth of our son, Daniel Vicente. He weighed 9lb 5oz and was 21" with Apgars of 9 and 9. Big sister is in love with her new baby brother while it took big brother a little while to warm to the idea. We are so blessed to have our three beautiful, healthy children.

I'm going to share D's birth story here as I've done with M and E in the past. I'll do a summary and then the detailed version like I did after E's birth more for my own memories years down the road. Feel free to skip the detailed version if you don't want the nitty gritty (possibly TMI) details.

The summary:

We checked into labor and delivery just before 8am on October 30th and were scheduled for an attempted version or a c-section at 9:30 if the version failed. Here's a summary of what transpired.

8-8:30 Got checked in to the triage side with blood draws, IV lock put in, and monitored baby and contractions or lack, thereof. 3cm dilated. 

9:00 Dr. Webb came by to explain what would happen with and without c-section while we waited for the ultrasound machine to see if version was still an option. 

9:10 anesthesiologist came by to go over meds in case of c-section or for epidural later should I be allowed to labor on and I signed releases. 

9:20 Dr. Webb came back and did an abdominal ultrasound to see how baby was positioned and if he was still transverse and then a vaginal to make sure there was no cord or hands/arms near my cervix for when they broke my water. She was confident we could do the version and gave is the final option. We went for it as I didn't want surgery with two kids at home already. 

9:30 water broken while version took place and I was 4cm after it was over. It worked!! I stayed in triage for a couple hours for monitoring to make sure he didn't move back and was handling contractions okay. 

11:30 moved to L&D room 610 started IV drip to push fluids

11:45 still 3-4cm and baby boy was high started Pitocin at a 1 (max dose 21)

12:07 temp of 100.3 (probably nerves as it later came down again)

12:56 still 4cm. Internal monitor fell off. Pitocin at 3 contracting regularly every 3 minutes and starting to intensify

13:45 got epi just as things got intense

15:00 pit increased to 5

15:20 break through contractions in my pubic bone brought me to tears as I feared epi was failing again like it did with Evan

15:56 epi boosted, 5cm, flipped sides. Lots of pubic pain brought me to tears.  Boost worked within 10 minutes

17:00 2nd epi boost, all over pain, flipped sides, feel him in my left rib and got scared he turned again. Pit turned off as I was starting to contract too much. In hindsight, I think I was complete at this point just nobody checked me. 

17:37 fully dilated, felt pelvic pain as he descended and intense pressure. Could feel contractions through epidural in my stomach and front pelvis. Told them to have Dr. Webb hurry because he was coming fast. I could feel him coming down and my body pushing on its own

17:53 1st push and he was born 9lb 5oz 21" apgars 9/9. No tears. 

Detailed Version:

On October 29th I had an appointment at 41 weeks pregnant for an NST and ultrasound to check on baby boy. He failed the NST, but passed the biophysical profile ultrasound. After those, I met with my OB, Dr. Webb, and she said he looked good with the practice breathing and my fluid levels were good (13.1, I think), but he was transverse or sideways.  She thought based on feeling his position during cervical check, externally, and via ultrasound pictures and due to the fact I'd had three previous births that I was a good candidate for a version. She wanted us to report to the hospital the next morning to attempt it while they broke my water and got things going since I was already a week past due. Also, due to the baby's position if I did go into labor on my own I had a huge risk of prolapsed cord or a limb coming down the birth canal first. If I went into labor that night or even thought I was in labor I was to report immediately to the hospital. If the version failed or his position changed worse overnight, I would get an immediate c-section at 9:30 the next day. 

She left the room and gave us a chance to process everything. I started crying more from fear than anything and disappointment I might need surgery. I feared he was just too big and that's why he wasn't in a good position. I did NOT want surgery with two kids at home already. When Dr. Webb came back in she went over the c-section paperwork and releases with us and answered all of our questions (would I be knocked out for the c-section if version failed, could Alexi be there for surgery, could we take pictures in the OR, etc). We were to report to the hospital at 7:30am to get checked in and figure out what course we'd take.  

On October 30th we got up before the crack of dawn (who am I kidding?! I didn't sleep a wink all night and was up basically every hour and I even went to lay with Mari for awhile in her room) and packed the kids in the car and headed to drop them off at my parents-in-law's house. We stalled there partly from fear of what we'd be facing that day and partly because we had a hard time saying goodbye to M and E. Especially, E knowing he wouldn't be the baby of the family for much longer. We got to the hospital just before 8 and checked in to L&D. They had me down for a c-section only and no version, so I panicked that my OB just gave me hope the day before when there really was none. It was just a paperwork snafu, though, since I was scheduled after 3pm the day before the paper trail hadn't caught up yet. My fears were squashed after Dr. Webb came by to say good morning and give us a rundown of what was going to happen. Everything boiled down to getting one last ultrasound to see where baby was positioned.  

While we waited for the ultrasound machine, the anesthesiologist came in to go over spinals (if I got c-section) and epidurals (if I was allowed to labor on) and had me sign the releases and answer a zillion questions. I was also hooked up to the monitors for baby and got an IV port installed. During his speech I actually had a contraction on my own and baby's heart rate deceled and didn't recover right away. A slew of people came in including Dr Webb and had me roll to my side. I'd been on my back awhile and they thought that was all it was, but Dr Webb warned me if it happened again our decision for a c-section would be made.  Luckily, it was just a fluke.  She kept asking us if we had any questions and if we were okay. We were both just nervous and quiet as we just wanted to know if I'd need surgery or not. 

Finally, around 9:20 Dr. Webb started our ultrasound to figure out where baby was. She did an abdominal one first to see general position and then a vaginal one to make sure there was no cord or limbs between my cervix entrance and baby as they planned to break my water as they turned baby in the hopes his head would settle into my pelvis and prevent him from turning back where he was. Thankfully, there was only fluid between baby and his exit!  Dr. Webb then gave us the final option. I could most definitely go for the version or do a c-section.  We opted for the version hoping to avoid major surgery. During the ultrasound, our OB was amazed at how Daniel could possibly fit inside me with his size the way he was. His back (spine) was basically parallel to the floor while his head was arched over my right leg (totally explains sciatic pain!) with his chin jutting out instead of tucked in. I wasn't going into labor because there was no pressure on my cervix from his head and he was ill positioned for birth. Dr. Webb actually drew a diagram on my chart of how he was inside me and everyone kept checking it out once they found out I was "that woman!" that avoided a c-section with a successful version. 

Next, was version time.  I'm pretty sure I held my breathe the entire time. The chief resident was going to break my water, while Dr. Webb turned Daniel, and our nurse held this special phone to alert the OR if we needed them.  The OR staff was literally waiting to hear if I was coming or not and was set up already for me just in case. That was a little freaky to know. Since I was only 3cm they tried using a tiny string like think to break my water and were able to, but only a trickle was coming out. They put the ultrasound on me and got the bigger hook (think crochet like hook) and used that to make sure my water really was broken while using the ultrasound to see baby. It was actually pretty freaking amazing to watch. We could see the Chief Resident breaking my water in the ultrasound machine and baby's head moving into position!

They asked me to cough a few times to see if more fluid would leak and we all got a laugh out of my nervous and very pathetic fake coughs. It's hard to do on demand!  I felt no pain during the entire process which I did med free. There was just a lot of pressure and some intense moments. Dr. Webb had one hand on baby's head to shift him and the other on his tush holding him so that when my water was broken he wouldn't flip the wrong way. Thank goodness it worked!!!  I was the talk of the whole L&D and postpartum floor that day being able to avoid surgery. I was given the okay to eat breakfast at this point and they wanted to monitor me in triage (closer to OR) for awhile to see how Daniel handled things going forward. I started having contractions within twenty minutes and AR brought me a sausage, egg, and cheese asiago bagel from Au Bon Pan for breakfast. I also got hooked up with a stash of cranberry juice (a hot commodity on the L&D floor!) and we just chilled and called family to let them know I'd escaped surgery so far and Daniel was safe. I texted a few people (friends and labor buddies) to bring them up to speed and then we waited after breathing a huge collective sigh of relief. 

At 11:30, I was moved to the delivery wing and even walked there on my own. At 11:45, I was checked again and was still at 4cm and contractions weren't regular or strong, so they started me on Pitocin. I started at a dose of 1 (Max dose is 21 and I'd never get above a 5. For reference, with Evan I had a dose of 18!!).  I was so hot I had them turn down the air in my room. I had a low fever and I think the rest was adrenaline and nerves as the fever went away. They opened my room door for awhile, so I'd get more cool air. I was sipping Gatorade and cranberry juice, resting, lurking on Facebook and Candy Crush, and we were watching HGTV to pass the time. I was still pretty much okay during contractions at this point, but knew it would get intense soon as the Pit dose increased with my water already broken. 

Just before 1, I was checked again as the internal monitor had fallen off (they took it out and hooked me to external monitor instead).  I was still only at 4cm, but I was contracting every 3 minutes and the Pitocin was now at a dose of 3 and my pain was picking up.  The nurse ordered my epi at 1:15 as there was a c-section scheduled for 1:30 and she didn't want me to miss my window and have to wait as I warned her that one second I'd probably be fine and then the "shit would hit the fan" as that's how my other labors were. I didn't want to suffer through the shit hitting the fan this time (for lack of a better way of saying it) and thank God she heard me. 

Anesthesia arrived and the head doctor was also named, Heather. They started going over the standard release info until they realized I'd already done it in triage. They realized I was "that" woman who had the version and were excited to meet me and checked out my chart's notes. I was prepped right away and my contractions were getting super painful at the same time. Sitting in epidural position during intense contractions is tough. I'm so glad my delivery nurse called them when she did or I would've been out of my mind in pain like I was with E in labor.  It took forever to check my epi as they thought it hit a vein and they checked twice to be sure it hadn't. I was given the all clear and they finally started the drugs at 1:45pm.  This epi hurt a bit and took longer than usual to put in as every contraction they stopped (normal).  I was relieved when it was over and I started to get the tingling in my legs signaling it was working.  After the epi kicked in, I napped for awhile and at 3pm my Pitocin dose was at a 5. At 3:20, I started having break through pain in my pubic bone which brought me to tears. I was so scared my epidural was failing again like it did with Evan. I just breathed through them while I silent cried and AR paged the nurse. He had left to get a coffee when I started to feel pain and when he got back, I was in tears and he walked in and panicked a second. At 3:56, my epidural was boosted and I flipped over to lie on my other side and thank goodness I got relief within 10 minutes.  At 5pm I started to feel break through pain all over my belly again. The nurse helped me flip again and as soon as I did, I felt him in my left rib.  I think it was his tiny tush, but it worried me that one second he wasn't there and the next he was...I thought he had somehow flipped back again.  My epidural was boosted again and I continued to feel the contractions in my belly and complained to the nurse about him in my ribs.  I think I was actually complete at this point (fully dilated), they just didn't check me yet.  

Finally, at 5:37 the nurse checked me and said I was fully dilated.  AR and I were shocked, though we suspected it with my break through pain.  As soon as she was done checking me, I felt the urge to push and could literally feel him dropping down and my body pushing.  They called Dr. Webb and I told our nurse, Shonna, to make sure she hurried because he'd be here quickly.  Dr. Webb was in the room maybe 5 minutes later (but felt like forever) and checked me and asked me to give a practice push to see about turning his head to a better position.  She immediately told me to stop pushing (my body was even doing it on its own) and got dressed in the delivery gown and mask and they converted the bed quickly for delivery and I asked for a mirror again.  I barely had my legs in position when I could feel another contraction coming and told her as such.  Dr. Webb asked if I remembered what to do and I blanked out for a minute and then AR helped hold one leg, while I half grabbed the other (the adrenaline was giving me the shakes).  Alexi turned his back for a second and Dr. Webb said, "Look!  Here he comes!!" and we were shocked and said no way.  They'd asked me at least a half dozen times how long I'd pushed with my previous births and both M and E were 20-25 minutes (longer for M), so we fully expected that.  I yelled at the resident as he got in front of my view of the mirror and stopped pushing until he moved.  Not pushing did nothing as Daniel still came and as soon as I saw the mirror again I gave a final half push and he popped out!!  He had the cord around his neck once, which Dr. Webb quickly unwound and then his shoulders and body flew out.  I literally half pushed him out the first try!!

Daniel was placed right on my chest and we were all just stunned he was there so quickly and then he promptly peed all over me.  Dr. Webb was as shocked as we were and AR later said it felt so anticlimactic because one second they said I was complete and in one push he flies out!  He expected it to take longer and have more anticipation, as did I.  I mean we went in thinking I'd end up with a c-section and instead out flies Daniel after a single half push and he was a big baby!  The nurse was so excited to weigh him, but we did the delayed cord cutting and skin to skin for a bit.  Alexi took pictures of us and then put the camera down to cut the cord, which I got to watch this time.  Dr. Webb kept saying over and over what a rock star I was and that I could totally birth a 10 pound baby easily (um, no thanks!?).  The whole room was a flutter with excitement at the fast delivery, successful version, and avoided c-section.  Bonus: I didn't tear or need an episiotomy this time.  I just had a few minor tears near my urethra, but nothing that required stitches.  Not tearing made a HUGE difference with the healing process.  Huge.  I felt great pretty quickly and within 2 days the minor tears around my urethra didn't even sting at all.  We finally let nurse Shonna weigh Daniel and get him cleaned up.  She did his length twice to be sure it was right and he weighed 9 lb 5 oz and was 21" long.  After he was cleaned up he came back to me for skin to skin and to nurse.  The kid came out starving...he was rooting the moment he was born.  He also had a lot of swelling on his face and bruising on his right cheek and eye from coming out so quickly.  Thankfully, he's nursing and gaining well.  He's got cheek dimples when he smiles and the softest baby fuzz hair.  He was nursing promptly every 2-3 hours around the clock until 3 weeks old.  At 5 days old he was already back to gaining and weighed 9 lb 3 oz and by 10 days old he was already 10 lb 3 oz.  We think he looks a lot like E as a newborn, but he's much lighter skinned like me.  

Happy birthday, Daniel, and welcome to our crazy family!

An Unexpected Diagnosis- Food Allergic

We started E on solid foods when he was 6 months old and followed the same routine we did with M- skipping cereal and making our own baby food. E really enjoyed his meals so we began adding in new foods fairly quickly and being our second child, we weren't as careful at doing the whole "give one food and wait a few days for any potential reaction" routine. It would come back to bite us in the end. 

I started him on yogurt at 8 months and noticed he started to get red around his mouth right away. I assumed it was just a contact rash as E has had sensitive skin and eczema since he was around 3 months old.  A few days later we had pancakes for breakfast and gave E some. He loved them!  Within five minutes, though, he got red around his mouth and hives popped up on his cheeks and he started rubbing his eye.  I immediately thought he might be allergic to eggs not thinking that there was milk in the batter, too. The next day we tried yogurt again because 1) we're dumb and didn't really think one of our kids would have a food allergy and 2) he was our second and we were kind of lax about the whole new food thing and wanted to know if it was milk or egg that bothered him. Poor E flared up within ten minutes getting hives around his mouth and up to his eye and his entire eye got red and watery and itchy. We decided then to halt all new foods and wait to speak with his pediatrician at his 9 month appointment. I took a picture of his reaction just before he started screaming and pulling at his mouth and we watched him like a hawk. 

At his 9 month appointment, his pediatrician took one look at the picture I took and said, "oh no" and referred us to an allergist immediately.  He got an appointment within a couple weeks due to a cancellation and I explained everything to his allergist. She had a skin test done for milk and he failed it quite obviously. At this point we didn't test for anything else, but after a failed attempt at trying soy formula (E's slow weight gain and my milk supply being newly pregnant were concerning both my pedi and myself) I ended up taking him back in and Dr. H tested him for egg (due to the pancake) and soy. He failed both as shown in photo below- egg is bottom right reaction, soy is on the left, and controls are on the top. 

Our son was diagnosed with severe food allergies and is considered anaphylactic to dairy and egg. Dr. H gave us a ton of paperwork to read and several good websites to use as resources including kidswithfoodallergies.com where there are forums that you can chat and ask questions of other moms and allergy specialists.  It has become a life saver for me even if I still have days where I don't feel like I truly belong. My child can't possibly be THAT allergic, right?!  She also had the nurse come in and demo two different epi pens and had me chose one on the spot. That's when it really hit me that this was no joke. I chose the Auvi-Q talking epi pen and left the office overwhelmed and with Dr. H's number in case I had more questions (I did, of course, and phoned her several times).

E has since passed a skin test for soy, but his food allergies are still no joke. He had to be enrolled in daycare for several months when my mother-in-law underwent chemo treatments and while there we had an unfortunate reminder of the reality of an anaphylactic food allergic child. He had a substitute teacher in his class one day and despite all of their precautions and rules in place for the safety of kids that have food allergies, E was fed yogurt by the sub. The school called me immediately and I gave the okay to administer Benadryl. By the time they gave it, he had gotten hives and was starting to wheeze. He also had a cold, so the director hesitated to administer the epi pen as did I.  I flew to the school to pick him up and monitor him myself. I was so scared for him and incredibly disappointed that he had another reaction that I didn't say much to his teachers or the staff until the next day. In hindsight, he should've been administered the epi pen that day and I won't make that mistake again. Thank God E is alright. 

I had hoped that he wouldn't have a reaction that day and that maybe this whole food allergy diagnosis was a fluke. Seeing the hives and hearing him wheeze was heartbreaking. He was itchy and suffering and this WAS still the real deal. It's also hard when you feel half of your family just thinks you're a neurotic over protective parent. Those that have seen him react take us seriously (my mother-in-law has us check ingredients for her all the time) and panic along with us when he gets too close to something off limits (i.e. when his cousins walk around with bread and butter, chocolate, yogurt, etc). It's gotten better in that we asked my brothers and sisters-in-law to have their kids sit at the table to eat now. They've all also told their little ones that Evan can't have certain foods because it could make him sick. Its a start, but now E climbs on chairs (and tables) so we have to be even more diligent. 

Birthday parties and family gatherings with those that aren't aware are anxiety inducing for me at times. Some days I wish I could put E in a bubble to protect him. I really hope he outgrows these allergies by the time he's in preschool. Most, but not all, kids outgrow them around age 3. We carry his epi pens and Benadryl with him at all times and have extras for his daycare providers. We got two books about his allergies for him and M to learn and I have an Allermate alert bracelet for him as well. This is our favorite book so far, but it only covers his dairy allergy. 

http://home.allergicchild.com/portfolio_item/cody-the-allergic-cow/ 

E's next allergy test is on my birthday in March and I'm hoping and praying he passes at least one of the two remaining allergy tests. If he does, we'll do a food challenge in the doctor's office to see how he handles the food. It's a 5 hour process if all goes well. Gulp!  Until then we continue to read food labels on everything and protect him the best we can. 

More to come: Egg Allergy and the flu shot. 

God Bless Baby E

On August 12th our sweet Baby E was baptized at our church by our favorite priest.  He slept through the first half of the ceremony and woke up in time for the baptism.  When the priest poured the water he looked at us with a look that said, "IwanttocrybutyousayitsoksoI'mjustgonnadomypoutylippucker" and handled it like a champ.  We are thrilled to congratulate JD and IR as his loving Godparents.  We know you'll do your best to look out for our little guy and teach him the ways of the world and set excellent Christian examples.  We know he'll love you both in return.  On a side note, isn't his little suit adorable?!  Boys DO have cute clothes available. :)

Loving Godparents

The baptism with Father Moran. He officiated our wedding and did my 1st communion & confirmation.

His top bottom wouldn't stay. Can you tell by the broad shoulder look?!  This kid is SOLID.

Baby Product Raves- The 2nd Time Around

We didn't buy much for baby E having purchased all large items in gender neutrals when we were waiting for M's arrival, but we did get a few new things I'd like to rave about. Of course I also will share some of the old faithful products I've used and loved with both little ones.

New Items:
These are the items we have bought (or borrowed) for our second go round at this thing called parenting.  I am 100% satisfied with all of these and consider them keepers should we have another little one.

Graco Pack n Play with newborn napper ~
The newborn napper has been invaluable since Day 1 as once again we have a little one that doesn't like the baby swing.  I really wish I had one when M was a newborn.  He love(s) snuggling in it and still likes it now at almost 3mo even though he's about to outgrow it.  Our previous pack 'n play was also a Graco, but two of the corner supports broke (one from being in the luggage area of a cruise ship and the other because I fell on it).  We also use the changer attachment on it daily.  I have yet to use the bassinet portion or drop the mattress and use it as a regular play pen, but those days will come all too quickly.

The newborn napper

Beco Gemini baby carrier~
Both A.R. and I have carried him easily and comfortably (read: no back aches) in the Beco Gemini and once he's bigger it is designed to face baby out for short periods if he should prefer to look around more.  I've also used it many times to wrangle our 2 year old while nursing E at the same time.  It's truly been a life saver for us.  Also, E hates his infant carseat for long periods of time, so we often put him in the carrier for shopping outings.  I just need to buy the strap covers as he's starting to chew on the shoulder straps of the carrier which is common and okay...the company even mentions it on their website.

E in the Beco Gemini when he was an itty bitty

Diaper wipe warmer~
Okay, this was a splurge and is not by any means a necessity, but I know our little guy appreciates a warm wipe on his tushy during middle of the night diaper changes.  I appreciate the warm wipes as they limit the built in sprinkler system that comes with a baby boy...no shocking cold wipe (from the A/C) on his tushy = no sprinkler action.  The Babies R Us brand is sufficient.  Nothing fancy necessary.  It even has a little light on it that has helped us during late night changes.

Snug-a-bunny swing (borrowed from a friend as M HATED the swing we got)~
E actually still isn't sold on the swing completely, but on the rare occasion he does tolerate it this swing can occupy him for a good twenty minutes.  He likes the mobile and soft fabric.  Of course he also decided to have one of his first diaper blowouts all over the white seat.  Luckily, Oxiclean got it out and it didn't stain.  We like it enough (and so does he) that we sold our old swing on Craig's List.

Old Faithfuls:
These items have been our go-to products for both little ones.  They've been put to the test for two babies and passed with flying colors.

Carter's Vibrating bouncy seat~
Our little ones seriously live in this thing until they outgrow it.  It's perfect in the kitchen while I'm pumping, cooking, or cleaning.  I even take it into the bathroom when I'm showering if I have to.  The vibrating feature is the best I've seen and the batteries last forever.  The mobile is also great for them to stare at and bat at once they are old enough to work on eye and hand coordination.  E has never slept in it (M napped in it frequently), but it does help occupy him and he loves to sit in it while we eat and look around.

Davinci Parker nursery furniture~
Our furniture all came from Babies R Us, but I believe Target and other online stores also carry this line now.  We love it and have gotten great use out of the changing table, dresser, and crib.  The crib is on baby number 2 and has had the mattress set at all levels and was converted to a toddler bed for six months before becoming a crib once again.  All pieces have held up well so far to the abusing from two little ones.

Moby wrap~
I know I could sew one now for a heck of a lot cheaper than I bought mine, but alas I bought it while pregnant with M and have used it with both babies.  It is a life saver in the early days with a newborn when they are still squishy and want to be on you close and snug.  E doesn't like it as much now (almost 3mo), but I hope to keep trying new carries with it, so I can use it with him longer than I did with M.  She only tolerated it in the newborn stage.  Even though my little ones outgrow it quickly (they don't like the restrictive feeling of being carried in it once they are past the newborn stage), I know other moms use it well into the first year and beyond with great success.  I would still buy (or make) another if mine should need replacing.

Boppy~
I LOVE my Boppy.  I used it everyday for 19 months while I nursed M and I've used it everyday since E's birthday so far.  I even borrowed my friend's Boppy so I have one upstairs and downstairs.  I have various covers and a waterproof cover for it.  I consider this a MUST if you are a nursing mom.  I will say that I've heard some nursing moms prefer the competition pillow called Breastfriend, but I never tried it as I didn't want to be strapped into a pillow.  My Boppy is my best friend and will be until the day E weans himself.  Also, it isn't just for breastfeeding!  E loves tummy time on it while he hates tummy time on the floor.

City Select stroller~
If I could marry a stroller and be bonded to it for life, it would be to my City Select.  It is just as good as a double stroller as it was as a single.  I cannot rave about it enough.  The adaptor works great with our Graco infant seat and I've had M in various positions in her seat on the frame at the same time with no issues.  The storage basket is the best part of it.  It holds so much (I've gone grocery shopping with just this stroller!) and then some.  We also bought a cup holder/storage attachment that snaps on.  I think the only complaint I have is the bruises I keep giving myself on my legs folding it up.  That isn't the stroller's fault, but my clumsy nature.  Plus, I bruise easy.  We also discovered the second time around that taking the seat off to fold it and put in the car is million times easier than leaving it on.  DOH!  I can say that with the canopy on M's seat and the infant seat in the top position, we do have to be careful when we click in E's seat as sometimes the canopy on the stroller seat gets in the way.  Otherwise, it is pure love.  We scored ours on sale one Black Friday from the site in the link above and I got the second seat and adaptor on sale from Amazon a year later.

Summer Infant tub~
Originally, we had a collapsible infant tub with M, but it leaked something awful and we quickly ditched it to buy this tub.  It's still amazing the second time around and E has never once cried during bath time.  He loves it and my back loves the base that snaps on the tub to make it easier to reach when it's in your adult tub.  The base later can be used as a step stool.

Columbia diaper bag~
It's man enough for A.R. and large enough to carry what we need for toddler and newborn.  It lasted through Miss M and I think we might be retiring it after E as sadly the cooler section has come unstitched slightly.  I think I can fix it for now with my trusty sewing skills.  Plus, I've been tainted seeing the Skip Hop diaper bag videos and how they attach to strollers.  I will say we were clueless about diaper bags before E was born and didn't even register for one.  A shower guest (thank you Nilda!) gave us this bag stuffed with goodies and we were in love.  A.R. liked it because it wasn't pink (we have it in black) or girly and I liked it because it was practical.

Medela PISA metro bag breast pump~
I have to admit that should I have to buy another pump someday I probably would lean away from a Medela and go with either an Ameda or a Hygeia.  That said, I do also have to admit that my PISA has carried me faithfully through two little ones so far.  I was part of the recall back in 2010 and had my original pump replaced, but alas this pump does it's job and it does it well so far the second time around.  It isn't light or exactly quiet but it works and gives me peace of mind.  I would consider a Freestyle if I were to buy another Medela just because lugging the PISA back and forth to work is a PITA (large and heavy).  I do like the look of the bag itself and I bought this pump because it wasn't attached to the bag...I wanted a pump I could go anywhere with and that wasn't tied down to a bag.  I do think the bag will last through another year of pumping at work, but only time will tell with that.

Lansinoh Lanolin~
Lather on from the first nursing onward and you'll never regret it.  I actually didn't even finish the tube I bought for this go round as I only needed the soothing lanolin for about a week postpartum.  Either way, this is my go to nipple cream and always will be.

Summer Infant Video monitor~
We have an older model of the monitor in the link above, so our handheld doesn't have video on it, but I'd still spend the money on a video monitor all over again.  We have two stories in our house and this monitor has given us such peace of mind.  I love that I can look at baby sleeping before going to bed each night and not have to physically go into the nursery and risk waking baby.  We have the camera mounted on a wall in our nursery.  My only complaint would be that the batteries last such a short time on the hand held monitor that we usually just keep it plugged in.

Activity mat~
I don't believe the one we have is still sold in stores, but there are several that replicate it exactly (just in a different theme).  E and M both LOVED this mat and it's gotten great use with both of them.

My random mom thoughts on other "must have" baby items that maybe aren't such a necessity...

Many moms swear by special swaddle blankets (i.e. Swaddlemes) and sleep sacks, but we've never purchased either nor used them. I find them over priced and unnecessary. We swaddled both babies using regular blankets or the receiving blankets we got from the hospital and it worked just fine at no extra expense for the short time they actually liked the swaddle. Of course both of our little ones weren't swaddled past a week old. They HATED it!

After the swaddle days, I just dress them in sleepers to sleep and cover with a regular blanket at night (which E always kicks off- just like his Dad!). M never was mobile in her sleep until almost a year old and E isn't mobile yet, so I have yet to worry about a blanket being a danger to them while sleeping. If E moves a lot in his sleep I'd reconsider using a blanket, but I wouldn't feel right with him in a sleep sack at that point either.

We also don't use noise machines as we want them to get used to the regular noises of the household. Each child does have a CD player with radio in their room to play lullabies or light music on if we want it.  I also don't own a diaper caddie (a small re-purposed basket works great downstairs and sits between our family room and kitchen), the letters spelling out my little one's name above the crib, and crib mobile.  We have a Bumbo, but use it sparingly (and yes, safely- before the recent recall that adds a seat belt and new warning label to it).  I wouldn't consider it a necessity.  We have the beloved Seahorse many moms rave about, but I also wouldn't consider it a must have...E and M could go either way with it.  M was never attached to hers and it NEVER put her to sleep.  She'd stay awake staring at it.  E likes to look at his, but isn't yet in his crib with it.

Complicated Not Complications

I feel very fortunate to be on my third pregnancy when so many women out there struggle with infertility and having just one baby, so I hope this post doesn't come across as one giant (literally and figuratively- I.Am. HUGE) pregnant lady whine or make it seem like I'm ungreatful.  I just want to write about some of my experiences this pregnancy while they are fresh in my mind as who knows if it will be my last time feeling those sweet baby kicks from the inside.

All things considered, I've had fairly easy pregnancies and this one hasn't been that different.  I haven't had morning sickness in my last two pregnancies and after suffering through it once, I'm VERY thankful for that!  My record of "easy" pregnancies came crashing down this time when in the beginning of my third trimester I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  It's by no means an "end of the world" type diagnosis, but it does complicate things a bit the further along I get with the constant monitoring and a ton more appointments to attend.  The positive thing is that the baby is perfectly fine all cozy in my womb, albeit BIG, but healthy and fine.  I'm going to be honest and say that I was in complete denial about this diagnosis when I left my hospital's Diabetes Lifecare unit after my first appointment.  I had very similar test results from the one and three hour glucose tolerance tests this pregnancy and last pregnancy and yet last pregnancy I was given the "you're borderline watch your carb intake" speech by my OB and sent on my way.  This time I was given the diagnosis and sent off to another set of doctors and nurses for monitoring.  Then, I started to take my blood sugars which involves a teeny tiny needle and four sticks a day in any finger I choose at the time.  One stick is right when I get up in the morning (a fasting number) and the other three are two hours after my main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  My denial ended when all my readings were coming back high except my after breakfast number.  Then I began to wonder if I should have gotten the diagnosis last pregnancy...who knows.  That ship has certainly sailed.

Most concerning to my new Diabetes nurse were my high fasting numbers.  They signified that my body wasn't able to keep up with the placenta's demand for extra insulin for baby.  Leaving this untreated could result in a variety of complications such as too much amniotic fluid (baby gets too much sugar and pees out the extra causing extra fluid), preterm labor, larger baby (extra sugars become extra fat making baby super chubby), early maturing placenta, high blood pressure, etc.  I was shocked when she told me I'd need to go on insulin and I needed to come in right away for an appointment to learn how to administer it.  I was even more shocked that once I got there and she had further reviewed all my sugar readings she decided to put me on insulin TWICE a day as all of my lunch numbers were quite high as well.  The insulin shots actually turned out not to be as bad I had envisioned.  I use the smallest needle on the market, a nano, and there are no viles and syringes.  The insulin dose is in what they call a pen and it is very easy to set up to make sure I get the correct dose.  I get a large dose at bedtime before I go to sleep which lasts overnight and then I get a second dose in the morning before I eat breakfast that will help my lunch numbers.  The insulin is slow acting and takes 4-5 hours to peak in my system, hence I take the dose at breakfast to help my lunch number at noon.

In addition to the insulin and daily glucose readings, I also had to attend a 3-hour training session on what gestational diabetes was all about and get my meal plan designed by a staff nutritionist at the Diabetes Lifecare center.  I was surprised to hear some of the facts and statistics behind gestational diabetes and I was also relieved that while my family history of Type 1 and 2 diabetes and pre-pregnancy weight were/are risk factors, it doesn't mean I did anything wrong or caused the diagnosis.  Gestational diabetes is a hormonal issue in that your body just can't keep up with the placenta's demand for insulin.  Even maternal age can be a factor- older pancreas = may not be as efficient.  Plus, I could have gotten the diagnosis even with NO risk factors.  Also, to hear that I now have a 50% chance of getting an actual Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in the next 10 years is humbling.  Chances are, though, that within 24 hours after delivery my crazy pregnant hormones will settle themselves and my glucose readings will be back to normal again.  I can quit taking my insulin cold turkey as soon as I have this baby and I only have to take my blood sugars twice a day for a week postpartum to make sure they are back in normal ranges again.  I will have to do one more glucose tolerance test (drink the yucky sugary liquid and have blood drawn) 6 weeks postpartum.  Luckily, this test is only a 2-hour one!  I also need to make sure my primary care physician is aware of my gestational diabetes diagnosis and I should have my glucose levels and A1C level tested at least annually in the next ten years to make sure I'm not one of those in the 50% that does get Type 2 after a gestational diabetes diagnosis.

So now for the even more complicated part:  1) getting my insulin doses regulated and 2) appointments, appointments, and yet MORE appointments.  The nurse did a fancy calculation based off my height and weight to determine my initial insulin dosage and after three days I had to report back my numbers to make sure it was working.  Let's just say I started off at 24 units of insulin at bedtime and 12 units at breakfast and now, two months later, I'm on 42 units of insulin at bedtime and 18 units at breakfast.  Regulating my lunch numbers has been the trickiest.  My fasting numbers stayed steady for quite awhile and then at the 33/34 week marks suddenly skyrocketed again.  Come to find out that gestational time frame is when the placenta peaks on its demand for insulin.  Here's hoping my dose doesn't have to go up any higher at bedtime...pushing those 42 units in burns something awful.  I can't put the insulin in a stretch mark (HA!) because there's no fat behind them to help transport the insulin where it needs to go, so I'm running out of non-poked real estate on where to put the injections. I did learn quickly that injecting the top of my baby bump = OUCH + bruises, so I typically alternate sides each day.  I find it incredible that I'll be able to quit the insulin cold turkey once I have the baby.  There's a slight chance I might need a little while I'm in labor, but once the placenta is delivered I should be fine.  Here's hoping!

Now as for the appointments.  I love my doctors.  All of them.  And I definitely appreciate their due diligence, but holy cow do I have to go to a lot of appointments now.  Starting at 33 weeks I started twice weekly appointments with my OB.  I have an NST (non-stress test) early in the week to make sure baby is reacting well to the uterine environment after kicks and sleep cycles and then every Friday I get another NST, then an ultrasound (alternating between just a simple fluid check and a full biophysical profile), and then meet with my OB.  Fridays trio of tests usually takes a total of at least 2 hours!!  In addition to those appointments I also have to fax my blood sugar readings to the Diabetes center once a week and I meet with a nurse every other week. I kind of like the extra ultra sounds and getting to see this little one, but having to rearrange my day off to accommodate my appointments and making sure my in-laws can watch my daughter has been challenging. A.R. can't take the time away from work to come help me as then he'd lose out on his paternity leave postpartum.  He did come to one ultrasound to see our sweet baby at 32 weeks, though.  This baby is BIG.  He/she was estimated to be 5lb 4oz at 32w3d and was estimated to be 7lbs at 34w5d.  I'm actually not that surprised as that puts baby around 9- 9 1/2 lbs at birth and let's face it, I make big babies:  #1 was 9lb 4oz and M was 8lb 6oz. I also have too much amniotic fluid right now. A condition called polyhydramnios which can be due to the gestational diabetes or a bigger baby so I get fluid checks via ultrasound once a week. I like getting to see Baby R 2.0 a little more often.

I also won't be allowed to go past 39 weeks pregnant, so an induction has been scheduled. I'll be trying acupuncture first to avoid the induction. I hope it works and can't wait to try it. It is a relief to know there's an end date in sight now that I'm getting really uncomfortable. I can't wait to meet this baby!

Birthdays & 3rd Trimesters

March is full of birthdays in my family.  It starts with my nephew on the 10th who turned 3 this year.  I still remember when he was born and we went to meet him in the hospital!  Then, it's my Uncle's birthday on the 12th.  We won't talk about his age- I don't really know it anyway, but he's my Dad's youngest brother.  Next up is my little brother's birthday on the 13th.  I can't believe he turned 17 this year and is a Junior in highschool already.  It seems like just yesterday I rolled my eyes as my parents decided to adopt again and brought his adorable baby chub home.  He was such a super cute baby and now he's almost a man and is debating his future post highschool.  Craziness.  And of course we know whose birthday is next.  MINE!  I'm a March 14th baby and spent it this year turning 30 for the 2nd time. :P  I'm feeling old this year, but I don't know if it's just because I'm later in pregnancy and starting to feel the fatigue from that again or if the number freaks me out a little bit.  The 15th was my late grandmother's (paternal) birthday may she rest in peace and on the 25th a very special little girl I know will turn two.  That's right.  Miss Mariela's birthday is fast approaching and of course I've pretty much planned her entire birthday out already.  I wanted to be prepared in case I wasn't feeling well this late in pregnancy and she won't be disappointed.

Due to her utter and complete obsession with one purple and green dinosaur, she will be having a Barney themed birthday party and this year we cut the guest list by a third and just invited immediate family only and one close family friend and her daughter.  There might even be a visit from said purple dino for the kids to enjoy!  My nephews also love Barney, so we rented a costume and I'm hoping they won't be scared of him.  We're going to decorate sugar cookies to go along with the Barney song, "The Cookie Song", and of course I'm making M's cake again this year.  This is my inspiration, but I don't think I'll be covering the whole thing in fondant as M LOVES frosting, but hates cake and I want her to be able to enjoy it, too.  I made the fondant and dyed it 6 different colors for the decorations last weekend and I hope to make the Barney topper this weekend.  Here's hoping I have some artistic skills as I couldn't find a Barney cake topper to buy anywhere that wasn't less than $30 (on Etsy or Ebay).  Apparently, Barney cake toppers are from the early 90s and are collector items now.  Who knew?!   I also created her invitations myself in Photoshop and am making her birthday banner.  I'm also thrilled that my brother (her Godfather) is once again able to fly up to be with us for her birthday party and he is also bringing M's Great Grammie to the party to be with us.  She is one lucky little gal.

Pictures and a run down of the party to come after it's over and I've had a chance to recoup. ;)

In other news I've finally reached the third trimester with Baby 2.0.  I certainly am feeling it more this time around already.  It's been in the 70s the past few days and just a glimpse of my favorite season has me nervous on how I'll manage when the nights aren't cooler and the days are warmer.  Thank God we have central A/C!  I also tire a lot easier and get out of breathe if I try to do too much at a time.  I had an OB appointment yesterday and the baby is doing well.  We're still Team Green (Mean!) and don't know the baby's sex.  We have a girl name picked out for sure, but are still struggling with a boy option.  Murphy's Law it'll end up being a baby boy since we aren't 100% on a boy name. :)  The baby is measuring right on track and had a heartbeat in the 140s yesterday.  I failed the 1 hour gestational diabetes test and have to take the 3 hour test again this pregnancy.  I was really hoping to avoid it as it's pretty boring to sit in the lab for three hours AND I felt like crap after the last one I had to do.  The goop you drink is just disgusting to me.  It's the best for the baby, though, so I'll get through it. 

I've been having dreams of labor and delivery and A.R. telling me the sex of the baby and it makes me so eager to meet this little one and introduce him/her to M.  She's going to be a great big sister.  I just know it.  She's super protective of my stomach and won't let A.R. touch it.  She swats his hand away if he tries to rub my belly to feel the baby or give it kisses when she sees him.  Then, she admonishes him by saying, "NO! No, Papi!" and rubs my belly herself before running off to play again.  We've completed two out of our five hypnobirthing classes and we both are completely intrigued by the method.  I've been listening to my practice CDs every night and even spoke with my OB's office about it yesterday and got their support which was great to hear.  I look forward to the last three classes and what's to come.  I feel so relaxed after we leave them with the mini hypnosis sections we do in class, so I can totally see it helping me during labor itself.  It's also great to have such a supportive husband as he was pretty standoff-ish about it at first- I thought it might be too "crunchy" for him.  After watching several hypnobirths and comparing them to our experience when M was born, he said he'd do anything I asked to see me labor like the hypno mothers vs the Pitocin induced crazy time I had while waiting for an epidural with M.  Thanks, Babe!  You truly are my one and only and I can't wait to meet our new little baby.

Some upcoming posts to look forward to:
~M's new big girl room in pictures! (She's all moved in!)
~M's birthday party & 2 year photos
~Some photography posts (a new PT hobby of mine)

22 months and 22 weeks

Time flies when you are having fun or when you have a toddler.  Seriously.  M is now 22 (and a 1/2) months old and I'm 22 weeks along with version 2.0.  Even this pregnancy seems like it's passing quickly and I'm already frantic with wanting to nest- which I started this past weekend.  Every now and then I try to slow the clock down and enjoy these last few months with my sweet girl as an only and feeling my inside baby kick.  Here's an update on both of my little ones:

M, the stubborn, adorable toddler is full of herself these days.  She is spewing new words left and right and simple sentences.  I find it interesting that when a word is easier for her to speak in English, she says it in English and when it's easier in Spanish she says it in Spanish.  Right now her main words in Spanish are: Mami, Papi, zappato- shoe (but she says it to mean shoe/sock/or foot), manos- hands, bendicion- God Bless, Abuela- Grandma, Abo- Grandpa, Tio- Uncle, Titi- Auntie, aqui- here, aqua- water (but she says this for any liquid she asks for), uvas- grapes, mio- mine, este- this/that, dame- give me, gracias, and many more I don't even realize or can't remember right now. :)  She completely understands commands spoken in either English or Spanish as well.  I'm totally jealous that her being bilingual has been so easy for her...I really must get Rosetta Stone one of these days.  She can identify most of her body parts if I ask her and she can name a ton of animal sounds.  My favorite is her monkey interpretation.  She has also started to sing her favorite songs or try to.  Lately, it's been the Elmo's World tune.  SO cute!

She is obsessed with Barney and will be getting a Barney themed party NEXT?! month complete with a visit from the great dino himself.  I'm also happy to report that her hair is finally long enough for pony tail and/or pig tails and I have taken great delight in doing her hair.  She actually likes it now and sits still for me to do it and usually leaves them in all day.  Once I've put her pony tails in as part of our morning routine, she always has to look in the mirror to see my handy work.  She loves to be just like Mami- I pretty much wear a pony tail every day :).  She loves her baby dolls and has really taken to mothering them which is fabulous timing with her new little sibling on the way.  I think she'll be an excellent big sister although we will have to watch her closely to make sure she doesn't try to change "caci (poopie)" diapers on her own.  Her babies are always in need of changing. M has peed on the potty once now and sits on it usually once or twice a day just to practice.  We aren't pushing potty training at this point, but she's getting so close to being ready.  She also loves to "help" whether it be feeding the dogs, "cooking", switching laundry around, dusting, putting toys away, sweeping, etc.  She has quite the sense of humor and certainly has a stubborn streak (like me!).  Each day I have with her is a joy and I look forward to her "muuu-ah!" kisses and tight hugs around the neck each day.

Baby R 2.0 is growing big and strong.  We've passed the halfway point of pregnancy and are so close to reaching viability at 24 weeks now.  At our last ultra sound he/she was measuring a little over a week ahead.  I'm really not surprised considering I make big babies (9lb 4oz and 8lb 6oz so far).  At our 20 week scan, they saw two cysts on the baby's brain, so we had to go see a perinatologist and get a Level 2 ultrasound at the hospital.  We weren't too worried about it as Dr. Google said that with no other markers, cysts were usually harmless and would resolve themselves on their own by third trimester.  Of course we get there and THREE different people scanned my belly and we got to see 2.0 stretch and kick and squirm for about 45 minutes.  A resident scanned me and did all measurements, then the actual ultra sound tech did the same thing, and then the actual perinatologist came in and did it all AGAIN.  A and I were freaking thinking that something must be seriously wrong and they needed three opinions to confirm.  At long last the peri put the wand down, put a hand on my belly and said our little one was absolutely perfect.  There were no signs of the cysts and all organs looked great and we were released without needing any follow up appointments.  We both were stunned for a second (sort of a "pinch me to make sure it's real" moment) and then slowly let out sighs of relief.

We've been contemplating baby names lately and have some favorites, but aren't ready yet to say a girl will be called this and a boy will be called that.  I have an anterior placenta this time, so A and M haven't been able to feel the baby move yet.  I've been feeling a lot more myself in the last week and it's fabulous.  I really love this stage of pregnancy.  I have no true cravings except a bowl of Cocoa Puffs every now and then and I am really into Mexican foods this time, although, still not too spicy.  My heartburn is back and I am grossed out by chicken on the bone and certain meats (like pork chops).  I also feel like I'm carrying a lot lower this time as this baby feels like it could bottom out at any moment.  I never had morning sickness and the 1st tri fatigue is gone. I have started to notice slight swelling in my ankles, but it goes away when I put my feet up or overnight.  We've made headway in getting the guest rooms cleaned out and hope to move the large furniture around this weekend so we can paint M's new big girl room and move her next month for her birthday.  Once she's moved and settled, we'll set up the recycled nursery for 2.0.  I've been letting her play and hang out in what will be her new room for a few months already, so hopefully the transition won't be too hard.

I think I've rambled enough about my babes for today.  Now to add some pictures to this post. :)

Adventures In Cloth. Diapers That Is.

I really wanted to try cloth diapers with M, but A.R. was completely against it.  I did some research before she was born and while they are so very different from the days when both of our mothers cloth diapered (think wet pails, huge diaper pins, ugly rubber pants), A.R. still wasn't on board so I gave in up and Pampers became our go-to baby booty cover.  I baby sat while my younger siblings were in cloth and helped change them, so I definitely had the experience just no support or energy to push the issue.  When we found out we were expecting #2, we also discovered that my job was in jeopardy due to outsourcing (yup, they can outsource anything these days including accounting) and I panicked about money and looked at our budget to see where we could cut back if need be.  While we don't spend a fortune on diapers (thanks to Amazon Mom- which is sadly, changing for the worse and we won't be able to use them come next month), the thought of two babies in them- assuming M isn't completely potty trained come June- kind of freaked me out considering I could very well be unemployed.

Her 1st cloth diaper at bedtime

In a moment of panic with a VERY skeptical husband, I made the executive decision to try cloth diapers on M and see where it led us.  If we liked them (and A.R. came around), we'd use them with our new little one from day 1.  I have to say that cloth diapers these days are CUTE.  A.R. couldn't deny that!  We asked my parents-in-law if they were okay with my little experiement as they'd be responsible for changing them four days a week while M was in their care while I worked and my mother-in-law was suprisingly supportive and told A.R. he was crazy for not being more so.  You rock mother-in-law!!  Now came the fun part = shopping!

Cute fluffy butt!

Deciding on styles and colors to try can be quite overwhelming with all the options out there now for cloth diapers.  Luckily, I found some great tutorials and spoke with several fellow cloth diaper mom friends about their favorites and found some great share sites on Facebook to buy/trade/sell cloth diapers at very reasonable prices.  I was able to buy a full stash of diapers, inserts, and supplies (diaper pail liners, wet bags, pail, etc.) for a total of $300.  I had around 26 diapers for M in various colors (including some neutral in case we could use them for #2) and brands.  With this amount of diapers for a toddler I would need to do laundry every 2nd or 3rd day.  I decided to go with all pocket cloth diapers and several all-in-ones and fast learned that aplix (velcro) wasn't cohesive (ha! ha!) with a toddler.  Snaps are the way to go to prevent your toddler from streaking!  I opted for the pockets and all-in-ones to make it easy for my in-laws and for a husband that wasn't keen on cloth diapers to begin with as it would be easy for them to put them on- no different than a disposable diaper, really.

After doing a ton of reading I finally put my first cloth diaper on M one September day and I must say her fluffy butt was so very cute!  She wasn't keen on them at first- especially the double stuffed night diapers, but soon didn't care about them.  I totally "cheated" and used diaper liners (Bummies) when I knew M was soon going to poop to make changing poopie diapers a cinch (read: no toilet bowl cleaning) and my mother-in-law soon fell in love with them.  My favorite brands on M were actually Sunbabies!  My second and third choices were Kawaiis and Fuzzibunz.  I didn't like the fit of Bum Genius on her- they were the only ones that ever leaked on us, but I think that was more her shape (tall/skinny/flat butt/thin thighs).  A.R. did get brave and would change only her pee pee diapers.  The first clean diaper he butt on her (the BG) leaked and after that he was pretty much done with the whole thing even though it was the diaper and it's fit on M and not the user.  He would change her in the mornings and pull out the inserts before putting the diapers in the diaper pail for the wash, but everything else (washing, stuffing diapers, and changing poopie diapers) was all me.

At first I didn't mind it and then the washing troubles began.  We have a GE front loading washing machine and no matter what I did, the inserts came out stinky.  They were micro fiber, which I've heard are notorious for stink after so many uses, but I also feared we weren't getting them or the covers as clean as they could be due to not enough water in the wash (a common issue with efficient front load machines).  None of the diapers I used ever had lasting stains, but in order to avoid stink and get all the soap out, I had to do a pre-wash with Oxy Clean, a sterilizing hot wash with Tide, then the regular rinse that the sterilizing cycle used, plus an extra rinse.  THEN, I would have to run another Quick Wash cycle with a pre-rinse and extra rinse and no detergent at all just to get the diapers fully rinsed.  Curse you front load washer!!  The total wash cycle took 3 hours.  I hung all inserts to line dry and/or sunned them every other week if the weather cooperated and once a month I put the covers in the dryer to help ensure that they stayed water proof by resealing the PUL.

I read blogs and talked to cloth diaper gurus and tried all the tricks to get my front loading machine to use more water in the rinse cycle- even physically adding more water myself, but it got to be too much.  I couldn't babysit a washing machine for 3 hours every 2-3 days while working 4 days a week and chasing a toddler around the house.  It just wasn't practical.  We spoke to my mother-in-law about it and told her we were thinking of stopping our great trial effort and she offered to help us out by letting us use her top loader.  I just couldn't put that burden on her...she already feeds my daughter three meals a day most of the time when she's in her care.  I couldn't ask her to wash her diapers, too, because that's what would happen.  She wouldn't wait until I had a full load and let me come over and do it.  She'd do it herself and I'd feel so guilty putting that burden on her.  Then, the great snow storm Halloween weekend hit and we lost power for a week.  We used disposables the whole time and it was easy, fast, with no 3 hour laundry cycles and making sure I had enough diapers for the next day that were clean, dry, and assembled.  I have to admit it was nice.  I was happy.  A.R. was happy.  M was indifferent.  And our great cloth diaper adventure came to an end.  M never had a fluffy butt again.

Was I disappointed it didn't work out?  Sure.  The important thing to me is that I tried and gave it an honest effort and even got A.R. to change a few diapers.  Would things have ended differently had he been more supportive?  I don't think so, because I'd still have the washing machine issues and our washer is only 3 years old and nowhere near getting replaced, especially just so we could cloth diaper.  I even recouped most of my costs by reselling the stash I had accrued on the same trading sites that I bought them from.  The old diaper pail is now a trash can in our laundry room and the drying rack I bought is still used to dry sweaters and bras.  I also saved a few of the adorable homemade wet bags I acquired to still use in diaper bags when/if blow outs occur (with baby 2.0) or for when potty training begins with M and inevitable accidents occur on the road.  We maybe had 3 total blow outs total with M (during early breastfeeding days where she pooped all.the.time), her Pampers never leak urine or smell funny, both A.R. and I are happy again, M still has a cute diaper butt even if it isn't fluffy with purple daisies, and my laundry burden as been cut significantly.  I admit it:  cloth diapers were not for us, but I am glad I tried.