Wool Longies

Only a second here for a quick picture of the wool longies I knitted for Becca. I don't have pictures of the whole thing, but here she is wearing them under a dress:

Pics of Wool Soaker

Here are a few pics of the wool soaker that I mentioned in a previous post, modeled by Becca Boo. It took me one week to do the soaker.


Notice Becca's snow boots...she loves wearing them whenever she can.

Does anyone know how to lanolize the cover for the first time? I think I need to lanolize it to make it really effective.

Another Project Finished

I'm feeling super productive lately when it comes to projects. Tonight I finished one of Nate's birthday presents: a pair of pajama pants. His birthday is on Sunday, so I really needed to get them done. He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to get them a bit early to wear to bed tonight if he wants. It was about time he had another pair...he wears the last pair I made him every night.

I have also been continuing to knit when I have a free moment. I finished two baby hats while at my parents, even conquering the double pointed needles for the first time. They both turned out great and I can't wait to send/give them to the parents. I'm taking a break from baby hats for a little bit so I don't get sick of doing the same thing, and I'm working on a tank top for Becca using some cotton multi-colored yarn. I'm using the pattern on the bottom of this page, but I'm thinking of adapting it to make the straps wider...we'll see if I can swing that. I also officially finished Becca's longies today when I fixed the ankle that had the tight cast off. She wanted to put them on as soon as I finished them. I think it's cute that she likes what I've made her.

I've decided I need to continue doing more sewing, so I can get more experience, and I've come up with my next project. I'm going to make myself a nursing blanket. I've been eyeing the Bebe Au Lait (aka Hooter Hider), but it's over $30. I really think I can make something similar for a lot less. I'll be on the lookout for good fabric on sale.

I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

Stay tuned for project pictures and for a post on hobbies (more for my sake than for anyone else's).

Baby movements

I've been feeling our baby move around so much more. It's the coolest thing. Poor dads never get to experience that amazing feeling of your child moving around before he/she is born (at least not from the inside). You can feel it a little from the outside, but it's not frequent or obvious or long lasting enough to have Nate try.

I was laying down tonight with my baby belly unshirted (is that a word?) trying to feel the baby move from the outside when Becca came up, kissed my tummy and then laid her head on it. So sweet. :)

Project finished

I'll try to post pictures soon of the wool soaker I finished for Becca. It's so cute on her and it worked twice today to keep in the wetness on her wet diapers. It took me one week and a day to finish it. I think that's the fastest I've ever finished a knitting project before. It helped that I just picked it up whenever I could, even if just for five or ten minutes at a time. I used a single crochet edge to finish the legs and I used the mattress stitch for stockinette (scroll down to "Invisible Vertical Seaming on Stockinette Stitch")to make a very nice looking seam.

I've also started a new project. I will be making two baby hats (maybe more). It's my first time knitting in the round and I'm enjoying it. It's nice not to have to purl in order to get the stockinette stitch look. It's kind of a mindless pattern because you start by just knitting around in a circle for 5 inches worth of hat. I don't have to worry that I'm going to mess up the pattern if I'm not paying attention.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

This book was on my list because it is a classic that I thought I should read. I'm not usually a fan of abridged versions, but I might suggest it for this one if you could find a really one. At 1432 pages (Everyman's Library), it is quite a task to read the whole thing. I have to admit that I did not read every one of those pages. :)

One reason I recommend this abridged version is because I kept getting lost of the extras that Hugo put in his book. Some of the extras I trudged through, and some I even enjoyed, but I skipped many of them. What I would consider an extra includes anything that sets aside the story to kind of give an extra description or to add the author's thoughts on something: convents, the sewers of Paris, the battle of Waterloo, etc. You would just get to an exciting part and Hugo would cut to about 10-40 pages of something else that would add some explanation to something you are reading, but really felt like an interruption more than an addition.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story. The characters are so interesting, deep, and dynamic. Hugo is constantly intersecting one character's life with another, so that someone you may have seen in the beginning all of the sudden comes up again halfway through. It made the story much more exciting. My favorite characters were the bishop who helped Jean Valjean at the beginning of the book and Jean Valjean himself. The bishop, whom I had only a small knowledge of before reading the book, is such an amazing character--so selfless. He gives up his bishop's palace and lives in the small building used for the hospital, so that the people who are sick can have a larger and more beautiful place in which to recover. That's just one of many wonderful ways he plays out his faith in God. Jean Valjean is a dynamic character...going from convict to in many ways a mirror image of the bishop who saved him from incarceration. He is just as giving, but also much more interesting, probably because we follow so much more of his life.

I recommend Les Miserables. If you think you might also struggle with the extras added to the story, find an abridged version. It will be worth it to read the story.

Anyone know of a good abridged version?

Cloth diapering--what I've learned in a year and a half

On cloth diapering in general:

1. I wouldn't go back to disposables for anything. I really do like cloth diapering.
2. How you diaper your child does not make you a bad or good parent--just as long as you're changing whatever diaper you have chosen when it's wet or dirty. But if you're open to trying cloth diapering, I think it is worth the attempt.
3. Cloth diapering is not as much of a hassle as some people make it out to be. Sure, it can be less convenient that disposables, in some ways, but it can also be pretty inconvenient when you run out of disposables. At least when you cloth diaper, you don't have to run to the store to get extra diapers...you just have to wash the load of dirty ones.
4. Finding clothing that fits over some cloth diapers can be tricky.

On the cloth diapers:

1. Pre-folds, pre-folds, pre-folds--Why didn't I just buy only these in the first place and push myself to learn how to fold them and fasten them with a snappi. Now that I know how, it's really so easy to put one on Becca. I can fasten a pre-fold diaper on her just as fast as I can snap up a fitted diaper. I recently found a new way to fold them that gets rid of the bulk in the front--I fold over the back of the pre-fold about an inch and the snappi holds that down when I pull it around the front to fasten it (I'll try to post a picture later). I really think that Diaper Service Quality Chinese pre-folds are the most economical, practical diapers out there...and just about the most absorbent too. They really are a workhorse diaper. I'll post below on where I purchase them online. I buy the thickest ones I can and I get them unbleached.
2. I really wish I would have spent less on the diapers and spent more on the covers.
3. We will be cloth diapering Baby Froyd #2 right from the start. I will be using pre-folds with wrap covers (Rikki Wrap) and no snappi at the beginning and we'll go from there.

On diaper covers:

1. Like I said above, I wish I had saved more money on the cloth diapers by buying pre-folds only so I could buy nicer covers--learn from my mistake. :)
2. Pull-up nylon covers are the least expensive covers I've found (about $3 each), but they are not my favorite. They are what we use most of all, mostly because we have a lot of them. I'll keep using them just because we have them, but we'll probably try to add to our stash of other covers as we get the chance. They really aren't a bad cover, and I do recommend them if you are looking for a good price. The three things I don't like about them are that they don't let your baby's bottom breath as well, they are hard to get off when a poopy diaper leaks, and you can't leave your baby/child's pants on when you change the diaper. Other than that they really are a good cover for the price. Just make sure you get them in nylon and not vinyl.
3. Motherease Airflow covers are one of our favorites. We have three of these covers. They run around $10. They let the diaper and bottom breath a little bit because of the design that allows air to flow in and out on each of the front sides. The only thing I've heard that people don't like about them is that they poof out a bit in the front, but that doesn't bother me. They fit over all our diapers and are very adjustable in size.
4. Motherease Rikki Wrap covers are an alternative to the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap cover that some people say leaves red marks on baby's legs. I don't have actual experience with the Rikki Wrap yet, but I have 8 of them waiting for our new baby to try. You can use a pre-fold without a snappi fastener with these. I'll let you know how they work in about 6 months. :)
5. Wool covers are the newest thing to me when it comes to covers. We have one wool cover: Disana Organic Double Knit Pull-On Wool Overpants (scroll down on the page to the soft merino wool diaper covers). This is a super soft, super thick wool soaker. Becca looks like a hockey player when she wears it. :) It's pricey (around $25), but well worth it. I wash it every once in a great while by hand with a special wool wash bar with lanolin that restores the lanolin to the cover. I definitely recommend trying wool covers. Ask around to see what people like. I wouldn't recommend this one for day time diapering under clothes, but it works well for nap time or night time diapering. We use it for Becca's naps. I am also trying my hand at knitting wool longies and soakers, which will save me money. I have one pair of longies done and one soaker 2/3 done. I'll post pictures later. I used Cascade 220 wool yarn for knitting. It's not quite as soft as the merino yarn, but I think it will hold it's shape better.

On cloth diaper wipes:

1. If you are already doing cloth diapers, you may as well do the wipes too.
   
2. We have found that they thin, inexpensive flannel wipes such as these, work well for most diapering wiping needs. They cost around $10 for 12 of them. You could also make your own out of flannel material.
   
3. For poopy diapers, we really like having a "luxury" wipe. Ours have flannel on one side and velour type material on the other. Terry cloth on one side would also work to really grab the poop. Gross, I know. :)
4. We wet the wipes by pouring water on them over a bowl. We switch the bowl out about every day or every other day to avoid growing things in it.

On washing diapers and diaper pails:

1. I recently replaced our expensive diaper pail with a 44 quart Sterlite $10 plastic flip top garbage can. It works so well. I wish I would have done this in the first place.
2. I highly recommend buying reusable diaper pail liners such as these.
3. We only do a dry pail. We do have stains, but our diapers are clean. Stains come off by laying the diapers in the sun for awhile.
4. Having to dip a really poopy diaper is gross. I so wish I had a Mini Shower Hand Held sprayer. Has anyone tried it? Do they work well?
5. Our washing method is simple: Throw all diapers and liner into washer. Soak in cold water with detergent and baking soda and then run cold cycle. Next throw covers in too, add a smaller amount of detergent, and run a hot cycle. (Both cycles on high water level) Hang up covers and liner, throw diapers in dryer or hang outside if have stains. Once they are dry, fold them and put them away. Easy, peasy--especially if your wonderful husband folds them for you almost every time like mine does. :)

On night time and nap time diapering:

1. I've tried night time cloth diapering a few times. I really have given it a good try, but just can't get it with Becca. One time she got a bad diaper rash and other times she just woke up with a wet diaper in the middle of the night. I'm thinking about trying a pocket diaper at night to help with the wetness getting away from her skin. We will definitely attempt night time diapering with #2. Any ideas? The fewer disposables I have to buy, the better.
2. Nap time cloth diapering is easy. We either use a hemp fitted diaper or a premium sized pre-fold and an infant sized pre-fold with snappi fastener and covered with the wool soaker. This has worked very well for us. Mostly I use the pre-folds right now.

Online stores/resources we like:

1. The Diaper Pin--tons of reviews on all kinds of different cloth diapering stuff. Can be super overwhelming, but also helpful if you want some opinions on a certain product.
2. The Diaper Hyena--another resource I used when starting out
3. Motherease diapers--they sell the Airflow and Rikki Wrap covers
4. Tiny Birds Organics--sells the Disana wool cover that we have and also where I got my free patterns for the longies and the wool soaker.
5. SudznDudz--sells high quality wool wash products--I like our wool wash bar from their site
   
6. Diaper Safari--a cloth diapering site I've purchased from--mostly our diaper pail liners
7. Sugar Britches--we have their flannel fitted diapers, but what I like most from her site is the unbleached chinese pre-folds.
8. GraniteSmith Ebay Store--this is where I have bought all our nylon diaper covers
9. Green Mountain Diapers--I think I purchased Snappis from here, and maybe a few other things, I can't remember
10. Those are the main ones I can remember at this hour. I'll update the list if I think of more. You are welcome to add some in the comments. These are the ones I use the most and have had a good experience using.

If you are still with me, I'm amazed. I hope I divided and labeled the post enough that you could find what you were interested in. :) Happy cloth diapering.

16.5 week pic and pregnancy update (18 weeks today!) (updated with a pic now, I hope!)
I'm actually a bit bigger than this now. I feel like my tummy has pushed out quite a bit in the past week and a half since this picture. I finally started gaining weight--at least two pounds the last time I weighed myself, but maybe more since then. I'm really trying to follow the Brewer's pregnancy diet, but with slightly less protein. This is slightly on purpose because I just can't get that much protein into my diet and partly because my last midwife suggested just a little less protein than the diet. I'm also really trying to drink lots of water, as I know this is super important.

Most of my morning sickness is gone, but if I push myself too hard in the morning or don't eat a real meal (2 eggs and a whole wheat tortilla or ww toast with peanut butter is my usual breakfast) early enough, I feel sick and have to rest. The only other real pregnancy pain is my lower back, which bothers me if I am bending over a lot. I do lots of stretching and pelvic tilts to help this. Sometimes I have sciatic nerve pain, but not a lot yet. My midwife said she couldn't find anything wrong with me on my last visit to the birthing center, and we are happy with that. I have nice low blood pressure and other good test results.

While I was at my parents, I felt the baby moving for the first time (at least for the first time that I was positive it was the baby instead of gas or something :) ). It's so fun to feel that little one poking and moving. I have felt it maybe once since then. I didn't feel Becca moving around until between 18 and 20 weeks, so I'm not worried.

Becca enjoyed hearing the baby's heart beat again at the birthing center. Every time you mention the birthing center to her, you are bound to hear her say, "Buh-buh-buh" to imitate what she heard. We've also been reading "Baby on the Way" by Dr. Sears and his wife and she enjoys giving my tummy hugs and kisses and saying "hi, baby" to my tummy because of that book. It's so cute.

My mom and I went to get a few more maternity clothes, and I think I'm set for awhile. Thanks, Mom!

Anyway, that's the update. We're plugging along and thankful for such a healthy pregnancy so far.

Behind

If I seem a little behind, it's because I am. I went to see my parents from Sunday to Wednesday, which included an extra quick stop on Sunday in Kalamazoo to visit my brother at the hospital (and pick up my mom). Justin had emergency surgery on Sunday to remove a blockage right where his small intestine meets his large intestine (colon). The doctor thought it was a growth or tumor, most likely benign, but it ended up being that his appendix had been shoved up into his small intestine and then somehow started forming a blockage in there (or something like that). We are thankful that it was no more serious than that. The surgeon did remove a few inches of his small intestine and colon, including the appendix. I think he will go home either today or tomorrow, but will be still recovering for a few weeks.

Since I've been back I've been trying to catch up around here, doing a little cleaning (Monday is usually my cleaning day) and trying to figure out what to feed my family with what's in the house. We have a free weekend this weekend, then next weekend Nate's sister Cara is coming to visit us for a few days (we are excited she is coming--she's in Indiana to visit U of Indiana in Bloomington for grad school), and the next weekend we will be heading back up to Michigan for Kortnie's mom's wedding and for my brother's high school musical. Not to mention to visit Papa and Nana and the kitties (Becca's favorite part). :) It's busy, busy around here, but I'll try to keep up. Below are posts I hope to make sometime this month, either on Becca's blog or my blog:

1. 16.5 week pregnancy photo update
2. Cloth diapering
3. Signing
4. Random Becca posts that I have written down for record keeping

Baby Monitors and Mattresses

Two requests for suggestions:

1. If you have a baby monitor you really like and that doesn't have a receiver that hums when you turn it up (When the baby is silently sleeping), what brand and model is it? I bought ours quickly one day without any research and we have to keep it turned down to practically nothing to get rid of the hum. It does show Becca's sounds with lights too, but I like to hear if she is up. The new baby will be in our room for a while after he/she is born, so it's not urgent, but I'm just starting to research it.

2. I'm also starting to look for a twin mattress for Becca. We have a bed frame, but want to get a natural mattress (latex or wool or organic cotton or a combination thereof). Does anyone have a particular company they like that makes such mattresses?