Product Review Friday - Cloth Diapers (The Early Stages)

A few weeks ago, I actually ordered something from BabySteals.com - three GroBaby shells with 150 of their disposable liners. Once they arrived, I also bought a dozen Gerber Diaper Service Quality PreFolds. And so the cloth diapering began.

So far, I am not minding the change. We still use disposables for night time and if we are going to be out of the house for more than an hour or two. But, I am saving at least 4 disposables a day this way. So, in about 4 months I will have paid for what I bought (about $100 so far). I have 15 prefolds (had a few already that I used as burp clothes) and three covers, and I have realized I need more. I want at least two more covers and another dozen prefolds (or other reusable liners) so I don't have to do laundry each day. I can reuse the covers if the kids don't get too soggy or have a blow-out, but often I am ending up with both kids needing a new cover within an hour or two of each other. It takes 3-4 hours for the covers to dry (hanging up), so I either have to use a disposable or throw a cover in the dryer most of the time. I am waiting to see if BabySteals has any good steals in the next week or so though before I spend about $60 on what I still need (there are hints they are having cloth diapering things up soon).

As for work, it isn't a lot more effort for me to cloth diaper. I do have to rinse off some of AJU6's dirty diapers, but other than that, it might take me an extra 15-20 minutes a day to load the washer, take everything out and hang it up, and then fold the prefolds so I can just put them in the covers.

One thing I do like about the GroBaby covers is they are one-sized. I can use the same cover for AJU5 and AJU6. I just have to use the snaps to make it a little shorter for AJU6, and that is easy to do. I also fold the prefolds differently for each kid. The Gerber prefolds are a little too long for the covers "naturally", so I fold them the other direction for AJU5. This gives her extra material to fill where a girl natural needs it. For AJU6, I just fold down 1/3 of the diaper, giving him more absorbency where boys need it. I will probably buy the Green Mountain prefolds next, and they might be a little smaller. Hopefully they won't be quite a bulky on AJU6, as some of his shorts just don't fit over the diaper well.

And now I know some of you might be wondering why I changed - I was tired of having to buy diapers for AJU5. She is resisting potty training, and spending about $40 a month on her diapers alone was getting to be a pain. Now my diaper purchases go at least twice as far, meaning I don't have to buy them nearly as often!

REJECTED!

At church on Sunday, I was sitting in the pew with AJU5 and AJU6 during the first song. AJU6 was asleep in my arms, and AJU5 was looking at the hymnal. Then I hear the paper tearing. AJU1 had just come to sit with us, so I give him a look and point him towards AJU5. He takes the hymnal from her, and she goes crying and running to the back of the church. I hand AJU6 off to him and go after her. I am able to calm her down, and we return to the pew. I hold her for the songs, and before too long she is asleep in my arms. All is good! Then AJU6 wakes up. And he is hungry. And I didn't pack a bottle for him. So, I try to lay AJU5 down in the pew. No luck. Before too long AJU6 is really hungry (whining), so I have to trade kids with AJU1. I lay AJU5 down next to AJU1, take AJU6, and head to the back of the church to feed him. AJU1 tries to grab AJU5 and hold her, but she rejects him. She moves to the opposite side of the pew - as far away from him as she can while staying in the pew. I return from feeding AJU6 to this picture.

It has been like this a lot. Whomever has been playing or caring for AJU5 is the only parent she wants. There is no substitutions allowed in the game supposedly in her mind. The "funny" thing is that it isn't always mommy or always daddy. But, rarely will she allow us to tag in and out as needed.

I better go. AJU6 is making circle on the floor trying to get to toys. He is starting to learn that if he turns around, he can go backwards to the item he wants. This is not good....

Almost Went Crazy

So, we found out Tuesday that Jersey #2 might be discharged Wednesday, and if she wasn't discharged then she would most likely be discharged on Thursday. So, we thought we had until Thursday to get everything ready to surprise them - food, welcome home banner, etc. So, yesterday (Wednesday) morning we made plans to deliver everything Thursday morning. It was still a rush because we originally didn't expect them until Saturday at the earliest, but it was do-able. We could work on the decorations during Wednesday evening service, and we still had about 24 hours to cook. Around noon, Coach Mom posted that she was being discharged. She had also posted a question on facebook to another friend (who I knew was out of town), so I started a chat with her to answer the question. I subtly tried to push for them to return Thursday, and I was elated when she agreed. She got off Facebook, and I thought everything was fine. Then my husband called. He said they were flying back in a few hours!* I didn't believe him. So, he sent me the email with the information. I checked for myself. Then I started to panic a little. I called my two main helpers. The first one didn't answer her phones, so I called the second and relayed all of the information. We both were ready to rush and get things done and delivered in time. I called the other friend back - left a message on her cell and a message with her mom at home. Then I got to work. I have about 10 letters to make in the Welcome Home sign. Luckily, both kids were asleep! I barely got them all done and my enchiladas put together before it was time to meet to decorate/deposit food. Luckily we made it!

Of course the AJU's didn't sleep through all of my prep work. AJU5 wanted to help, and I wanted to let her play some with the paper. So, I left her in my closet with everything I didn't need and I took everything else (and AJU6) to the office to work. Unfortunately, I forgot to check and see what she could get into. She found my ink pad (for stamps), and had covered her hands. Luckily, she didn't get any on the carpet! Other than that, she had just spread things out.

It was a little crazy, but we had fun! They didn't get all of the food we had planned, but we can just deliver things as they are ready. We could have decorated more, but this means less mess for Coach Mom to clean up. We are just happy Jersey32 recovered so well that she was able to return home only 5 days after open heart surgery. We did laugh last night at church that the next time we pray for a fast recovery we will stipulate the length (let them recover in 7-10 days). We definitely learned (relearned) that God likes to laugh at our plans!

*We donated one of AJU1's free frequent flyer tickets to their family. So, when the flight was changed, the airline automatically sent AJU1 an email with the changed itinerary. It gave me about 30-45 minutes advanced notice before Coach Mom could update the journal with the news. I was very thankful for those 30-45 minutes!

Feeling Good!

First, Jersey #2 is feeling pretty good. She even startled the nurses this morning by getting out of bed all by herself (and tried to get back in alone too, but they caught her). She is really recovering well from everything, but there are still a few hurdles to cross before she can come home!

Second, a friend and I have been walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been great. The walking is making both of us feel better, and having a chance to talk to another adult is also nice. We stop at the park near the end to let the kids play, so there is an added bonus for AJU5 there.

In other news, AJU6 can now roll over. This is a mixed blessing. First, once he crawls he will be truly mobile (and he is getting close). Second, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls over. And of course he doesn't want to sleep on his stomach, so he cries. I had to flip him three times this afternoon before he finally fell asleep. At least he isn't cranky like he was yesterday. What ended up being a 2.5 hour visit to the service shop for my car got him off schedule. He was cranky as all get out yesterday afternoon - refusing to eat because he was so tired but refusing to sleep because he was hungry.

What has been making you feel good lately?

Ramblings

First, thanks for the prayers for Jersey #2. She made it through surgery just fine, and just a little while ago she had her breathing tube removed. She is showing her strength and joy with lots of smiles and requests for food and drink (no drinks for a few hours and no food until tomorrow).

Second, AJU6's second tooth popped through yesterday. Hopefully we will have a little break before the top teeth come in. He handled the teething fairly well, but a non-teething AJU6 is less work for sure!

Third, my brother-in-law is giving me a little bit of a math work-out. He is taking college Calculus I, and I am tutoring him. We spent 3 hours last night on Skype working problems together. Unfortunately I didn't know how to do one problem (well, one part of one problem) and it wasn't in AJU1's or my calc books. Oh well.

AJU5 wants a bath - so I am bring pulled away. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Prayer Request (and Milestone)

If you ever read the comments on my blog, you might recognize the name Coach Mom. She is an IRL friend. Tomorrow, her daughter (Jersey #2) will undergo a five hour open heart surgery to replace a heart valve. Jersey #2 was born with Tetraology of Fallot, and underwent an even longer and more difficult surgery at almost 3 months old. Now she is 6.5 years old and in need of another surgery so she can be active again. Please pray for this family. Tomorrow many of us are wearing either crazy socks or rainbow colored clothes in honor of Jersey #2, as this is the type of clothing she loves to wear. If you join us, send me a picture so I can pass it on to her mom. They are going to show Jersey #2 all of the pictures to pass the time when she is stuck in bed.



In other news, AJU6 has a tooth now. You can't see it really yet, but I can feel it. I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised to feel it this morning. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight...

Injustices

Yippie! I finally was able to steal Mommy's computer so I could write a post. It is me - AJU6 - and I am here to tell you about all of the injustices in my world.

First, why is it that I can't move forward? No matter what I do, I only can spin in circles or move backwards. Occasionally I can move maybe an inch forward, but that doesn't really help. I just want to get to my toys or Mommy and Daddy!

Second, why is it that no one understands me? I say all these things, and all I get out of Mommy is "that is a good story." Hello. I am trying to tell you what I want. I am not telling a story!

Third, where is my food? I see everyone else eating around me, and all I get is plastic spoons to chew on. Why isn't there food on my spoons? Mommy was nice enough to let me suck on an apple Saturday night, but I want more!

Those are the big three. Occasionally there are other small ones, but I don't want to sound like my life is that bad.

Love,
AJU6

Busy Day

So, here is how our day went:
4l30 - AJU5 comes ot my side of the bed and hands me her duck, a blanket, and her water cup. I tell her to hold on a second so I can put AJU6 back in his bed (he is out). She goes crying to her room. Moments later AJU1's alarm goes off. After one snooze (10 minutes), he is up and getting ready for work. His plan is to take our "work" truck and pick up a trencher so he can work on the backyard in the afternoon. But, he notices that the back license plate is missing (most likely fell off), so he has to take his car and go to the DMV on the way home.
6:00 - AJU6 is awake and wants to be out of bed, so I am up for the day.
7:00- AJU5 wakes for the day.
10:00 - Head to story time. Today's topic was robots, and we got to make a robot for AJU5 to wear that had "wings" (arms).
11:30 - Leave the library and head to Costco for a few things.
1ish - Get home from Costco and try to get the kids to nap. AJU6 agrees, but AJU5 stays up until 1:45
4:00ish = AJU1 gets home after spending an extended period of time at the DMV because the computer system went down. AJU5 also wakes from her nap and AJU6 is back down for his long nap.
4AJU5 and I help AJU1 in the back yard until 5;30. Then we come inside, clean up, and get ready to go.
6:00 - Leave for an evening of indoor miniature golf with our churches "youth" group. It is more the children's group, but it was a fun evening none the less.
8:30 - Head home and get AJU5 into bed.
AJU6 is still up since he napped at the golf place, although he is about ready to crash. His bottom middle teeth are about to break through, so he is having a hard time falling asleep these days.

My Purchases

Here are the shirts I bought. I didn't iron them or anything, so that is why there are some wrinkles. Tell me what you think.

Deals?

So, I became a "fan" of BabySteals and KidSteals on Facebook a few weeks ago. I like to see what is for sale, but I have yet to buy anything. Some things I don't think are real steals. Hats for $20? No thank you. I bought one for AJU5 for $4 today at Wal-Mart. It may not be "name brand," but she doesn't care. Fancy diaper bags? Nope. Already have a few diaper bags, and I still just use the one because it is too much of a hassle to switch bags.

I am surprised by the number of people who buy multiple times a week. Yes, the stuff is about 50% off, but do you really need it? I guess I am just cheap. I have a hard time buying most stuff. I think that because we are getting by with what we have that we don't need more.

I still splurge occasionally. I buy things for the kids that we don't need. I am very guilty of buying lots of cheap things - like the 8 plastic baskets I bought today at Wal-Mart for $4 plus tax. Luckily my husband is the same way. He buys big things occasionally, but normally he spends very little (except for basics like gas, etc). We don't eat out much because it is more work some times and costs so much more than homemade food. It has allowed us to have the big things we want.

Today I also bought four new shirts. The ladies over at All Kinds of Pretty have made it very obvious to me that I shouldn't we wearing my unisex t=shirts (that I got free) all summer. And, since I am bigger than I was 3 years ago when I bought most of the short sleeved shirts I own, I needed a few new ones. The one I like the best my husband thinks is ugly though. He hasn't seen it on me though, so maybe then he will change his mind (it was a clearance shirt, so I can't find a pic online). Actually, there was only one shirt he didn't make a negative comment about - the most basic shirt. Oh well. He likes solids and that is about it. So, It doesn't surprise me he doesn't like the ones with a little color on them.

Now - those four shirts cost me under $60 with tax. So, I am happy! I do know how to find deals. I just have to decide I need to buy something first...