Cloth Diapers: Week 1& 2

We started cloth diapering last week after being home from the hospital a couple days.  We have been using our cloth diapers in combination with disposable ones for two main reasons:

1. We only ordered 7 newborn sized All-in-one (AIO) diapers because I wasn't sure how big Cub was going to be. Branden had to be squeezed into newborn size diapers and after a week couldn't fit in them anymore; however, Kristyn was in newborn size for over a month.  Since I wasn't sure which way the pendulum would swing with Cub, I decided not to buy too many.  Plus my sister had given me a few of the newborn sized "gdiapers" that she uses on her daughter. These are hybrid diapers and with the right insert you can reuse these a few times before they have to be washed.  (We don't have a the right insert)
2. All of the suave diaper changing moves I may have acquired 7 years ago have vanished... On more than one occasion since Cub's birth, I have been peed on, pooped on, put a new diaper under him only to immediately change it because he pooped more in the brand new diaper. We have had to change multiple onsies in a single changing, and changed sheets on the bed because the changing pad doesn't take into account the arch fountain that is my son's pee stream.

So with these factors, we have been cloth diapering in combo with some disposables.  My only complaint has been I didn't purchase enough so I am doing diaper laundry every day, but that will be over soon because he is just about ready to be in the One-size AIOs we bought. The cloth diapers are the only diapers that have not leaked on Cub regularly.  I can say definitely is that Huggies are my least favorite diapers of all time. They have been leaking on my kids for 10 years! LOL. 

So for our first two weeks of cloth diapering I can say I LOVE my bum genius newborn, AIOs. They are absorbent, have a great fit, and are just adorable on Cub's little bum.  Not to mention the laundering of the diapers is much easier than I anticipated. I was concerned that since I cannot dry them in a dryer they would take forever to dry, but that is simply not true. They have dried quicker than I expected.

I am pretty excited about this cloth diapering business, and pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is than I was anticipating! :-)

Top 10 Memories of Year # 28

These memories are in no particular order, but I thought it would be fun to look back at the amazingly blessed year I have had!

1. Taking the kids to their first day at a new school!  It was roller coaster school year, but to see them start at a new school with a smile on their face was awesome.
2. Learning that a boxer WILL eat a raw turkey if he can get to it and is not supervised. (This is probably one of my all time favorite holiday memories!)
3. Spending Christmas in St. Thomas.
4. Meeting my niece Sophia Jean.
5. Learning we were going to have a baby!
6. Sissy and Bubba's reactions to having a new brother or sister.
7. Seeing Zach's face when the sonogram tech told us "You're going to have a boy."
8. Spending quality time with my 93 year old great-grandmother, and seeing her fawn on her great-great grandchildren.
9. Hearing Sissy tell me that she was happy my job was to stay home and take care of her and Bubba.  She said it was the most important job.
10. Anytime Bubba asks randomly if he can cuddle with me. 

I have been blessed beyond measure... I have so many more memories that are also collective. This was our first full year in Abilene and the friendships I have made have helped me grow in the Lord, and helped make this first year, the transition year, a memorable and wonderful one.
Each day my husband and kids remind me of the Lord's love. He has blessed me with an incredible family and their love fills me with joy. Year #29 will be just as memorable, even more so since I will have an extra member to our family to add to our memory books. Cheers to a new year!

Wow... What a Summer!

The biggest roadblock in blogging, is when you don’t have a computer on which to blog… I realize my last post was back in June, and Cub has grown into a watermelon, but Zach has been cross-country multiple times since then and that means the laptop has also been across the country.
            Sunday was the 36 week mark of my pregnancy. Which means I am officially 9 months pregnant!  I am so anxious to meet our Cub.  Sissy was born at 37 weeks and 2 days, and Branden was born at 36 weeks and 6 days, so obviously we are anticipating that Cub will make his arrival soon.  The hardest part of this is not getting disappointed with each irregular contraction that is not productive…  Today is my birthday, and what a cool present that would be, but clearly it is not my timing. This is a lesson I should know by now, I should know it and be able to teach it; however, when you are nine months pregnant, have been pregnant through the hottest summer on record, feel like the size of house, and every movement takes effort because my body isn’t my own, the idea of an impending birth is awesome!!!! One thing I do know… you can’t will your body into labor. I am all about “the baby will come on his own time,” I just have to keep reminding myself of that, and keeping busy.
           And wow have we been busy!  Our summer has been filled with trips, visits, pools, sunshine, preparing for Cub, and loving all over Sissy and Bubba!  Those kiddos got to go back to school with amazing stories. Trips to the beach in CC, cross-country road trip to Elizabethtown, PA, Hersheypark, Connecticut & Hammonassett Beach, a cruise with their dad to Cozumel and the Yucatan, and a vacation to Branson with Nanny & Dadad. I am so excited for the upcoming year for our entire family!  It is going to be Legen… wait for it… dary! J

Craving to be crafty...

There is something about being pregnant that makes me wish I was a "crafty" person. I tend to look at cute projects at arts and caft shows and say I could totally do that, but it never comes out just right. I am not particularly crafty, but enjoy taking a stab at it every once in a while, and with a baby on the way I really am trying to do some crafty things to make our house a home for all of our kiddos including Cub. A project is under way for all three kids, but these are baby focused. Not even sure they are for Cub, I like to give them as gifts also.  So, we shall see... Here are my attempts at being crafty :-)

A Summer Swim

So, I went to the pool this morning... Before it got to be 106... That's the normal here in Abilene. And I'm ok with that as long as I have a pool to go to and an air conditioned place to relax... I went to get some sun and swim some laps. Turns out I got more sun in than laps... I am out. of. shape!  Ugh, guess I need to swim more often.  Oh well, at least I got to work on my tan. :)

The Art of Being Alone

So this is not something I have to do often. Usually my home is filled with two energetic kids and a husband that brighten and bless each day.  But every so often, when the stars align just right (usually in the summer), Zach will have to leave for a few days, and the kids will be away at their dad's.  This leaves my once noise-filled house with silence.... Which to me is deafening!

This happened a couple weeks ago over a weekend, and I had a friend ask "Did you just love the time you got to yourself?"  I replied brutally honestly, "No, I suck at being alone." But, that weekend made me start to think about why I hate being alone so much, and what I could do about it.

The why was the convicting part. The silence of being alone in my house usually leads to filling my time and home with useless, meaningless noise. The TV, the radio, a movie, etc.  I suddenly find that my email needs to be checked countless times, and facebook needs to be thoroughly stalked, and before I know it I have wasted hours on  the computer or watching meaningless TV. And when that isn't enough, I get in the car and drive... I drive to the store to shop for things I don't need, or to get something to eat that I easily could have made at home. So what happens when the noise and business stops?  Silence, which leads to my wild imagination wondering if that creak I heard was someone trying to get into my house, and if it is can I get to my phone in time to call 911 or get to my gun in time to scare them off.... Or even worse, I have found that I allow the silence a time for me to dwell on mistakes I have made, sins I have committed. I find myself doubting that I am forgiven, or even lovable. In the light of day, when all is well and the noise is plentiful this seems ridiculous, and logically I know this; however, logic doesn't play a large part in the thought process when you let the enemy into your mind.
So what can I do about this? 

First things first, I acknowledged that time alone can be a blessing. Not because I wouldn't rather spend time cuddling and playing with the kids, or doing things with my husband, but because it is a time I can be productive and focused to a degree I can't when my attention is divided.  This past weekend the kids were gone, and Zach left for a 4-day weekend. Yes, I had time to spend with friends and do activities, but I also accomplished things that needed to get done. I did not sit idle with nothingness.  In the evening, when the deafening silence is the worst, I filled my time with God's word, and prayer. It was a true comfort and  joy to read the Bible and spend so much time in conversation with my Lord. I also read...  just for fun!  I haven't done that since probably last summer! These activities sound as though they should be easy and logical choices for a Christian. But sometimes when your are so filled with silence it can be terrifying and it seems easier to be idle, or busy with nonsense. I can attest to the fact that filling your time with God's word, and tasks that better your home and family are so much more rewarding and encouraging!

I was so grateful when Zach got back Monday, but the weekend was not a waste, as they have been in the past. This is probably a post I will have to come back to periodically when I am alone, to remind myself what the Lord truly desires for me.  "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." (Proverbs 31:27)

I can do this!

A Two Pounder

Well, there is good news and bad news....

The good news is, it looks as though we have finally moved beyond papaya (which is good because I never saw any at the grocery stores) and I am now carrying around inside of me an eggplant sized baby. "The Bump" also says that the baby is somewhere between 1.5 and 2.2 lbs!  I would like to blame that on my boost in weight gain, but let's be honest it probably has more to do with the cinnamon roll I indulged in than the tiny baby :)... Oh well, I'd do it again, and I'd eat that New York Super Fudge Chunk as well!

The bad news, no one in my family actually likes to eat eggplant so we won't be enjoying this piece of produce the next few weeks. Guess we'll have to wait and see what is in store for us in the next few weeks.