Labor & Delivery Bible Verses

The big day is quickly drawing near and I'm starting to feel the pressure (literally).  Yesterday started week 37, and I have a feeling we won't be making it to 40.  Being the typical procrastinator that I am, I have a rather lengthy list of things I'd like to get done that could have very easily gotten done earlier.  I will say, though, that all things baby-related are done, for the most part.  I just have to pack his and my bags and we'll be ready to roll.   However, I have this huge desire to have anything and everything perfect before he arrives.  Like, ALL laundry done and put away, microwave and toaster oven cleaned out, car detailed, car oil changed & wind shield wipers replaced, thank you notes written, garage swept again, everything completely deep cleaned and sparkling.  Does it sound unattainable?  It kind of does to me too.  Anyway, I'm trying.  ...in between taking care of a toddler, being huge & exhausted, I'm trying.

I'd like to share one of my major tasks that got completed today:  bible verses to motivate me throughout labor and delivery.  I know I've got a lot of pregnant friends out there, and maybe, just maybe these can be helpful to others as well.  I've got them printed out & I'm going to cut them out so I can tape them around the delivery room so I see them while I'm laboring.  The nurses might think I'm a little weird, but I know I'll like having these reminders all around me to help me through the pain so I can think of something other than how bad it hurts.  :D  So, you out there reading, do you have any other motivational quotes or sayings or verses that helped you through labor and delivery?  If so, please share!  I didn't do a TON of research to gather these, just enough to get a list I felt would satisfy me.  I've got to say, I'm thankful for all of these promises He gives, and am even more thankful for the baby I'm about to meet.  So here they are, in no particular order:
 

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! [A baby!] Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35-36

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
Philippians 4:6-7

My grace is enough; it is all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Listen to me...you whom I have upheld since you were conceived and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hair, I am He who will sustain you! I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:3-4

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.

Do not be afraid...for I am with you...declares the Lord!

Jeremiah 1:5, 8

So do NOT fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the father.

Colossians 1:11

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow weary and tired, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

I can do EVERYTHING through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Come to Me, all you who labor

and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;

not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

My child, I’ve got this.  –God

Your body was designed to do THIS!

:D

Audra's Nursery

It feels funny for me to call Audra's room a "nursery" now that she's over a year old.  But I guess technically, it's a space for a "baby" and has all the things a nursery usually has.  My goal here is to show you what it looks like (b/c a lot of you relatives reading haven't seen it & may like to) but also, to explain why some things are the way they are so any of you reading mommies-to-be can get ideas for your future nurseries.  :)  You should know that we live in military housing, and won't be here for very long.  We technically are allowed to paint the walls, but we'd have to repaint them white before we leave.  Not really wanting to go through all of that, I had a tough job of bringing color into her room without paint.  While I still think that paint would have added a LOT, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  So here it is! :)

THE CRIB:
The fleece around the rails is so that she won't chew on the wood.  I made these in an afternoon quite easily.  And I'm not even that crafty!  (I read this tutorial, but actually ended up not following the directions as I made it since it was so easy to figure out on the fly.)

The crib skirt is made up of 3 separate panels (two for the sides, one for the front).  Each panel has ribbon at the top that ties onto the bed.  I can tie it in different places depending on how high or low I have her mattress.  This way we can use it whether her bed is on the highest or lowest setting.

Besides adding a splash of brightness, the yellow blanket (in the picture below) serves a purpose:  it prevents her from feeling the coolness of the sheet when I lay her in bed after rocking her.  It took a while for me to figure out this little tip, but it really works.  However, I feel like it makes her really warm when she sleeps (she would wake up drenched in sweat), so every now and then I start thinking we don't need it anymore and I take it off.  We go weeks of doing fine without it, then at some point I feel like I need to put it back on again.  It's just one of those back and forth things.

Audra tends to sleep near the "head" of her crib and rarely gets close to the foot.  We found this a perfect place to stash a toy or two for her to play with when she wakes up.  It started with just a book or two, then we started adding other toys that she loves.  Right now you see:  1) a book her Lolli & Pop recorded for her, 2) a Buckley Boo monkey [she LOVES trying to do the buckles!], 3) a puppy (she is majorly obsessed with puppies these days), 4) a doll that was my mom's & then mine 5) another teeny little puppy (it's a finger puppet), and 6) in front of the book, a mini Taggie bear blanket.  These things have kept her busy for over an hour on multiple occasions.  And over an hour more of sleep in the mornings = happy mama! :D  She will wake up, fuss for just over a minute, then spot her toys and get to playing. 

Another thing that keeps her busy, that we actually didn't even anticipate: the light switch.

After arranging & re-arranging her room, this was really the only way that fit everything and felt right.  Her crib happens to be right under the light switch.  She likes to flip it on and off.  Which I usually don't mind... unless it's in the middle of the night and I'm trying to get her to stay laying down and go to sleep.  For the most part, though, it's fun for her to play with.

THE CORNER:

• We used to have her swing in this corner, but we no longer use it.  
• That little bouncy chair is part of her swing, and we left it out because she likes to crawl in it & do the buckles.  
• The little piano is part of her tummy time mat.  This will be going out in the living room again before too long for baby brother!  
• We use the lamp a lot at night.  She's only tried to pull it down a few times, but the piano and the crib have both stopped it.  I have plans to attach some fishing line toward the top & anchor it to the wall somehow, but it hasn't happened yet.

THE BOOKSHELF:

• I originally arranged the solid fabric cubes 1 in each corner, with the heart one in the middle.  Then I realized I didn't want her pulling down some of the non-board books, so I put those up higher.  That strategy worked for quite a while.  She's bigger now & can reach all the books, but she's not quite as destructive as she could be.   
• The iPod up top is just an iPod touch, an older one we had laying around.  It has all of her music and also her white noise that we play during naps and at night.  We love the iPod setup; we just put it on continual repeat and the white noise plays all night. 
• The trash can used to live on the floor, until she started playing in it.  Now it lives next to the iPod.  I don't believe getting a taller trash can would help any since she tries to play in her diaper pail that lives downstairs.  I have one of those Febreeze stick and refresh pods in the lid.  The Febreeze scent actually ran out & I stuck one of the Bath & Body scent pods in there.  I love this combo!

 THE ROCKING CHAIR:
I recently read an article that said a rocking chair was one of the least-used items that parents think they need before a baby arrives.  I couldn't DISAGREE more!  This is BY FAR the most used seat in our house.  We use it at night, before naps, to read books, to cuddle, and when I nursed I used it then as well.  We were lucky enough to have parents to buy us a nice, big, comfy chair and if you get that chance I say go for it!  Ours is big enough for me to curl my legs up and still sit comfortably.  (Well, before being pregnant I was comfortable, these days... not so much.)

And of course, these essentials live next to the chair:  a Boppy (not used much anymore) and slippers (for those nights when you rock so long your feet get cold).

THE DRESSER:
This dresser was mine from middle school (yes, you read that right), so it's definitely seen better days.  Honestly, though, when we were trying to decide on what to buy Audra, it just made sense to give her my old dresser and get ourselves something new.  After all, we knew she would give this dresser a run for its money and we would be taking care of our new one.  But it works.  It has just enough room for her changing pad, a basket of changing necessities and also some little containers for her headbands.  

And above the dresser:

The back wall has her closet, which (obviously) houses her clothing, shoes, laundry & some bigger stuffed animals.  The clock is the same one I used in my classroom when I taught.

Here's a pano view of the whole thing:

 And a few more of my cuties:

This is what this area most often looks like:

Just to keep you up to date, we actually moved the crib into baby boy's room and set up a toddler bed for Audra.  I did a lot of research and found one that had both front rails included.  We didn't actually need her to move to a toddler bed, since she was doing just great in her crib.  But we wanted her to get used to her new bed well before baby boy arrived so it wouldn't be so much "new" at one time.  We really like that it feels pretty much the same as her crib to her.  We used her same mattress, her bumper still fit in, and she still has rails all the way around (which are necessary because she likes to sleep with her body right against the edge).  I was really happy to still be able to make her crib skirt work, too!  We really love the way it turned out!  Here's the link, if you're interested in getting something similar.  :)

We started really getting down to business in baby boy's room today, and I can't WAIT to show you how it turns out.  It's going to be perfectly, boyishly colorful.  :D  As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to comment or email or message me.  Hope you all are well! 

Amazed.

Audra has been 100% amazing me lately.  Seriously.  I've just been in awe of the things she does and puts together.  She's so verbal for a baby her age (just shy of 15 months and speaking 22 words & signing 6 words) and is getting better and better about putting 1 word with the next to form a thought.  (Example:  more please [she signs while saying both of those] or signs eat then points to high chair.)  I love that she is starting to communicate with us.  It's making life so much easier! 

I am in constant awe of this personality I'm seeing develop before my very eyes.  She is quite seriously one of the bravest, toughest and most adventurous babies I've met.  Our neighborhood park has a slide that's about 5 1/2 ft high.  It has pretty wide steps that she's able to climb up on her own.  This week, she got brave enough to go down it by herself. Usually Nic would go with her, but this particular time it was just her and me at the park & I wasn't going to attempt it with this big belly.  I held her hands once she got to the top the first few times, then I backed further & further away & she just pushed off like it wasn't an issue!  I caught her at the bottom of course.  She always wants to climb, play, and explore.  And in doing so, she often falls down and gets roughed up (it's what babies do).  But she rarely ever cries!  Even if she gets a scape, even if it BLEEDS, she usually never even makes a peep.  Nic and I usually discover these things when changing her or holding her a bit later, and then feel bad that we aren't exactly sure when the injury happened.  She's much more likely to cry because she's startled by something (like a hard fall on the kitchen floor) but she's over it within a minute.  Amazing.  I know some adults who aren't even this tough.

To contrast that tough, brave, adventurous spirit, she is also the most kind, loving, sweet & cuddly girl you could imagine.  She truly loves to share and spend time with people.  She will often get a book and then hand it to one of us and climb into our lap.  She is known to give many spontaneous [STRONG!] hugs and kisses and to sign more and then point to one of us (as in "more mama" or "more dada"...isn't that the cutest thing ever??).

Earlier today, she woke up from her nap and was still chillin' in her crib, so Nic and I decided to go up and spy on her.  We peeked through her open doorway and just laughed at what we saw.  She was playing at first, then literally laid down and attempted to hug all of her toys that were in her crib at once!  (She has 3 books, a doll (that used to be my mom's then mine), a monkey Buckly Boo and a puppy all that stay at the foot of her bed until she wakes up & plays with them.)  Then she looked at one of the books (a Bedtime Prayers and Promises book that Nic's parents recorded for her) then after doing that for a minute, she stood up, held onto the crib rail and started dancing!  Heehee!  For like 10 seconds, she had a dance party (who needs music anyway?!), then she sat and looked at the book some more.  This is our girl.  Loving, inquisitive, FUN. 

What did we do to deserve to be blessed with a daughter so amazing?

 She got in this cart all on her own... seriously, nobody helped her one single bit. 

Hugs for dad at bedtime.

Bedtime stories.

 

More about the vacation in a bit!  ...and also Audra's room... So many things I want to write about! :D

Baby- Round 2

I've always heard that a woman's pregnancy can be very different from one to the next.  I have friends who have had drastically different pregnancies-- I mean, the first being easy breezy, and the second they're tossing their cookies multiple times a day and are flat out miserable.  I was afraid of that happening to me with #2 since Audra was such a piece of cake.  I never got sick with her (though there were days of feeling very nauseous), I wasn't even all *too* uncomfortable, even in the end.  It probably had something to do with the fact that she was born under 7 lbs, but still, I wasn't aching with misery by any means. 

With #2, it's true that some things have been different.  For starters, I had food aversions instead of cravings.  With Audra, I craved pineapple and tater tots (not at the same time).  With this one, the thought of meat and also the smell of the greek yogurt we feed Audra both made me sick to my stomach.  Luckily, those went away in the 2nd trimester.  The other major thing that's been different this time has been how quickly my belly popped out.  Literally, as soon as I found out I was pregnant, it made sense as to why my clothes were fitting more snug despite CrossFit and *attempting* a healthy diet (we really need to get better at that).  By 3 months, I was showing like I did at 5 months with Audra.  Now I'm almost to my 7th month and I'm showing like I did at 8.5/9 mos before.  It seems like everything is about a month/month and a half ahead of where it was before... both in my belly size, and also fetal movement.  I felt baby boy move about a month and a half earlier than I felt Audra move.  Not sure if it's because I'd felt it before with Audra & therefore knew what I was looking for, or if it really did just happen sooner.  Nic felt him move in my belly about a month earlier than before as well, and likewise with visibly seeing my stomach move when he moves.  His movements feel a lot more powerful at this stage in the game than Audra's did.  I'm not sure if that means he's just a bigger baby, or just stronger.  Maybe both?  People tell me boys are supposedly bigger (in general) than girls.  Audra was even on the small side, despite being born 6 days past due.  We'll just have to wait and see how little man stacks up when it comes to size.

This time around has been more difficult, as far as energy and motivation go.  I said above that my belly is already quite large, and I feel like I feelt at 8.5/9 months before.  It's hard to walk great distances unless I go really slow, bending over is quite difficult, and staying on my feet to chase Audra around and do housework gets exhausting really quickly.  Sleep is poor, despite our TempurPedic (that I LOVE!).  I had almost forgotten until it happened again, that my hips tend to fall asleep when I'm in bed.  Whichever hip is down will fall asleep, then I'll roll to the other side only for the next hip to fall asleep too.  Then I'll roll back over to the 1st side, but sometimes that 1st hip is still asleep & numb despite me being off of it for a while.  ...sigh...  I pretty much toss & turn all night long.  :-( 

But you know, I've got to count my blessings.  I haven't gotten sick.  I've got a healthy baby in there.  And I've got an uber-supportive husband who is great about letting me get off my feet and helping around the house when he's able.

I've been keeping busy getting things ready for this little guy's arrival.  It's been interesting to see how much of getting things ready for him has meant changing things for Audra.  For example, we'll be transitioning her into a toddler bed any day now, to move the crib into his room.  We'll also be getting her in a convertible car seat (this has been a long time coming, we just haven't gotten around to it), so he can use the infant seat.  You'd think that because we already have one baby, we'd have pretty much all that we need for #2, but that really hasn't been the case.  Well, I suppose technically we could re-use a lot of the stuff-- but a lot of it is all GIRL!  So we're replacing many (not all) of those things.  And I also just want him to have his own cute little room; a BOY room with his own things in it.  I'll post pictures when I get the nursery done.  I've got a lot of the things bought, just not in their right places quite yet.  Before I post pictures of his room, I'll have to post pictures of Audra's room before it changes since I don't think I ever did that.  So ya, another blessing this time is that WE'RE STAYING IN ONE PLACE!  With Audra, I delivered her in San Antonio, came home to Lubbock about a week later, and then about a week and a half after that, moved to Virginia.  There was no nursery prep, and that made me really sad at the time.  So this time, we're not going anywhere and things can get decently ready.  :)

Since we're so new to the area, it's been hard to find an OB that I trust and who has the same visions as I do for this birth.  I have a few friends who have given birth since I've been here, but they both had home births... which I'm completely supportive of, but willing to do myself.  I DO, however, want as close to a home birth as I can get while still in the hospital.  There's a great birthing center in Norfolk, but it's across the water, which means having to cross the bridge tunnel.  And God forbid I would go into labor during rush hour and have to sit in that traffic for an hour... no thanks.  So I did some research online and found one doctor who had really great reviews.  I began to see him, only to discover from one of my L&D nurse friends who's seen this OB in action, that he really isn't what I'm looking for.  (He turned out to be one of those who delivers on his timeline instead of the mom/baby's.  Plus I never quite felt at ease with him, anyway.)  My L&D friend (who's new to the area too) was super helpful in talking with her coworkers and figuring out what practice would be a good fit for me.  I took her recommendation and switched at around 20 weeks to the practice I'm currently using.  They have a completely different feel from the first.  There's a midwife and two OB's, all who deliver with the same philosophies.  They've assured me that they will try their hardest for me to have a completely different birth than the one I had with Audra.  (Hers was pretty stressful, as I chronicled here.)  They all seemed rather appalled when I told them Audra's birth story.  It didn't seem that bad to me, at the time, but now thinking about how much smoother it could (and SHOULD!) have gone, I guess it's right for them to think that.  Hopefully this guy's birth can be the peaceful, calm, medication-free birth I so longed for the first time... I know the dr's will help me get there, so a lot of it will be up to me to just remember what I've learned.

I've been constantly amazed at how much a woman's body can change, all as a result of pregnancy.  Last time around, I really didn't notice many changes, except near the end I started to get some chloasma dark patches on my cheek bones.  They were never really enough for anyone to notice, and were easily covered up by makeup, but I could see them and knew they weren't normally there.  Those spots and then the stretch marks, which I didn't get until about 9.5 months (BOOOO!) were really the only ways my body changed.  This time, I've gotten the chloasma spots again (I noticed them right away), I've gotten a lot of little skin tags, and my vision has changed.  A lot of people don't realize that your vision can change during pregnancy, but it's true!  I had to increase the font on my phone and I notice myself holding other reading material insanely close to my face.  Hopefully it'll change back, so I'm not going to see the optometrist quite yet.  So it's been pretty interesting, all these new little things that have come about as a result of our little man. 

It's just been so fun to think about him and wonder what he'll be like.  Will he have blue eyes too?  Or will he get my green?  Will have have curly hair or straight hair?  Will he get the tall gene from Pop?  Will he be outgoing, adventurous and tough, like Audra, or will he be more calm, cautious, and take things in to himself?  So many questions, all to be answered in due time.  I just can't wait to meet this little guy! 

Hopefully next post I can put up some pictures of Audra's cute little room.  Sorry these have been so few and far between... I know that a lot of you family members who are far away enjoy reading these updates, so I'm sorry it takes so long!  We've been pretty busy over here! 

Love you all, hope you've had a great summer!  :)

Cloth Diaper Update

It seems like cloth diapers are a hot topic lately (at least in my world).  I get asked about 2-3 times a week the details of how I diaper Audra.  I wrote a post when we first started cloth diapering, and pretty much all of what I said is still true.  However, I thought it'd be good for me to update with answers to the most common questions I get, along with any other tidbits I feel like offering now that we've been doing this a while.  :)

1.  What brand do you use?
We use FuzziBunz One Size Elite. 

I recently discovered that these diapers have changed a bit since we got Audra's stash. 
1.  They used to have minky inserts, and they now use microfiber.  I've been told the microfiber is more absorbent. 
2.  They used to include replacement elastic with the purchase of a diaper.  Now, if you want replacement elastic, you have to call the company and ask for it.  They'll send it to you for free. (We haven't needed it yet, and I bet they're saving money by not giving them out when people may/may not use them). 
3.  The internal elastic no longer includes numbers for sizing.  I noticed that the numbers start to wear off after a while, and it makes sense that they wouldn't want to spend money printing them on there.  But how do you size them then, you ask?  Once you have them sized the first time (trial/error), you really don't need the numbers.  All you would do from then on is loosen it 1-2 holes as your baby grows. 
4.  They're using a different type of fleece.  When I saw it, it didn't look much different to me.  A few of our diapers have a fleece that is less prone to piling.  It looks smoother and softer, which makes for a cleaner look.  The new fleece looked like that.  The woman who ran the diapering store seemed to think it was a thinner, less absorbent fleece.  I haven't tested it, so I don't know. 

At first I wasn't sure if I liked all of these changes.  After talking them over with my husband, we decided that they aren't big enough changes to make us want to switch brands.  So, we'll be stashing up on more FuzziBunz when baby boy arrives.

2.  Why did you decide on FuzziBunz when there are many "better" brands out there?
To put it simply, those were the first I tried, and I liked them and decided to stick with them.  That's just my personality.  I find something I like and I stick with it.  I don't really enjoy the process of trying and possibly not liking something else. 
Are there other brands that I might like better?  It's quite possible.  Are other brands cuter?  Sure, other diapers come in super cute prints.  But I don't mind the solid colors I get with FB.  I honestly still find it overwhelming to look at and talk with other mamas about all the brands available.  There are TONS!  And it's exhausting to me!  I feel like you can spend a LOT of time (and money!) trying out various brands and always thinking there might be something else out there that's better.  Like I said, I'm the kind of girl who sticks with what works, and FB work for me.  I have many friends that really enjoy testing out different diapers and have lots of different types.  If that's more you, then go for it!  I just like having a lot of the same thing.  I like consistency. 


3.  Don't you find them hard to stuff?
At first, yes.  Then I found this video and tried her method (she talks about stuffing the diaper around 1:25).  It actually made it easier!  I also make sure I'm spreading my fingers as I pull my hand out of the diaper so that the insert is completely flat in the diaper & not curled under at the sides.  I don't think twice about stuffing the diapers.  It takes me a total of maybe 10 seconds, if that.

4.  Do you use them ALL the time?
We used to.  But the fact of the matter is that cloth diapers are less absorbent than disposables.  And when we're out and about, we have less time to change a diaper, which makes leakage more likely. 

This is where I differ from a lot of cloth diapering mamas.  I cloth diaper to save money and make my life easier.  I'm not a fan of making things any harder than they need to be.  We use cloth at home and at friends houses, then when we're out or going to bed, we use disposables (times when leaking is likely).  It's just easier/less stress for us.   Even after the few packages of disposables that we bought, we're still confident that we're saving money.  Disposables aren't cheap!

5.  What about the poop?  Isn't it gross? Do you put it in your washer?!?
Yes.  Poop is gross.  And only tiny traces of poop go our washer. 

When babies are breast fed, their poop is water soluble.  In other words, the only thing they're taking in is liquid; and when you throw that poopy diaper in the wash, the water easily dissolves and disintegrates the poop.  Those are the only poopy diapers we put in our washer.  When the baby starts on solids, it's another story.

When your baby starts eating solids, you've got a few options:
1.  Use a diaper sprayer and spray that poop off the diaper into the toilet (diaper sprayers use your toilet's water line and usually hang on the side of the toilet). 
2.  Use a thin liner on top of the diaper to catch the poop so it doesn't actually get absorbed into the diaper.   Then dispose of both the liner and the poop.

We use option 2.  We used to use the gDiaper liners, because we started with gDiapers and were given a ton of the liners at a shower.  They did the job, but I wasn't a fan of the way they disintegrated when they got wet.  Imagine putting water on a dryer sheet that had tiny bits of sand built into it.  That's what the gDiaper liners felt like to me.  They were rough, and when they got wet they left tiny bits of sand-like pieces on Audra's butt.  They actually irritated her skin and we ended up switching liners before we used them all.   When I was researching different liners, I came across a brilliant tip:  use Viva brand paper towels instead of an actual cloth diaper liner.  Brilliant!  They're soft.  They're strong, and best of all: you can get them almost anywhere!

So when we change Audra, it looks like this:
1.  Stuff the diaper
2.  Tear off a full-sized paper towel and fold it in half "hot dog" style (down the long side)
3.  Put the paper towel down on the diaper.  I position more toward the back than the front of the diaper so it can better catch the poo.
4.  Get the baby!
5.  Take off baby's current diaper, clean her up
6.  Put the whole clean diaper (which now has a liner) under her and secure the diaper
7.  Tuck in any paper towel or fleece liner that may be sticking out.
8.  Let the baby down to play while you do the rest
9.  Take dirty diaper & wipes to the bathroom
10.  Throw the wipes into the trash
11.  Peel the liner and its contents off of the diaper & into the toilet (don't let baby put her hands in the toilet!) ;)  There is usually a dry spot at the very back of the liner that I'm able to grab.  As I peel it off, I hold it over the toilet.  Once it's completely off, I set the diaper aside, and use my free hand to grab the liner and tear it as much down the middle as I can.  This way, you're not throwing an entire whole paper towel in the toilet.
12.  Unstuff the diaper
13.  Throw the insert & diaper into your dry bag (it's convenient to keep this in the bathroom so you're not going back and forth from toilet to dry bag to sink)
13. Wash your hands

Here's a good example of what it looks like to use FuzziBunz with a liner.  I may have Nic record me taking off a poopy diaper, putting a clean diaper on and disposing of the dirty one, but until then you can use Shawna's video.  We are actually in the process of getting a diaper sprayer, because once in a blue moon she has an extra large BM and in that case, the liner is toast & we're faced with a poop-splosion covered diaper.  Then we end up scraping it off with toilet paper &/or spraying it down with the hose... and that's not fun.  So we can see how a diaper sprayer would be helpful.  Sprayers can get expensive, but I found these directions to make your own, so that's on Nic's list of things to do.

Also- you'll learn your baby's poop schedule (hopefully).  Audra poops like clockwork.  She always goes in the morning either right after she wakes up or right after her bottle.  And it's almost always quite sizeable-- lucky me! (One day she's gonna love that I broadcasted this to the internet.)  For that reason, I just keep her in a disposable until after she goes, again because it's easier.  From then on, she's in a FuzziBunz (and yes, sometimes she'll go #2 again while wearing a FB).

If I feel like my washer is funky (which has only happened about 2 times), I just do a rinse cycle with nothing in it and pour in some bleach.  Good to go.

6.  Do you still stuff them all while you pump?
Well, no.  A) Because I no longer breast feed (that stopped when I got pregnant for various reasons), and B) because we're so efficient at stuffing the diapers at this point, we just do it right before we change her.  So when it's time to change her, we go and stuff a diaper & put on a liner, then go grab the munchkin and change her.  We don't lay her on the changing table and then stuff the diaper; you don't want to have to worry about watching the baby while you stuff the diaper.  Just stuff it really quickly beforehand, then get the baby.  It's just easier for us that way.  And also, our downstairs changing area is on top of the dryer in our laundry room, and the diapers are almost always still in the dryer lol.  When they're not in the dryer, they're neatly organized on a small counter we have in the laundry room.  It's (obviously) easier to store them where you change the baby.

7.  How often do you wash them? And how do you wash them?
We've got 15 diapers and I wash them either every other day or every 3 days.  I hate thinking about the bacteria pool that accumulates with time.   

I used to think washing them was hard.  I was reading and re-reading directions SO diligently, afraid that I'd mess them up and ruin them.  The fact of the matter is, that's pretty hard to do, unless you just blatantly disregard any instruction regarding scents, detergents and creams.  To put it simply, here is our wash routine (my husband even has it memorized & he washes them way less than I do!):

1.  Rinse- this includes your dry bag

• use either cool or warm water- it really doesn't matter 
• you can do the 'ultra clean' and let them soak or do the 'normal' cycle- it really doesn't matter (I like to let them soak, I feel like it gets the junk out better)

2.  Wash- this should NOT include your dry bag, so take it out

• use the hottest water your washer offers
• we use about 1/4 cap of Arm & Hammer Free & Clear that includes OxyClean
• steer clear of fragrances & do some research to find out what detergents are safe for cloth diapering.  You can find charts all over the place.  This one is pretty comprehensive. 
  
  TIP: Go easy on the detergent.  The more you use, the harder it is for your washer to get it all out.  Using too much will result in buildup, which will make your diapers start to smell and less absorbent.

3.  Rinse

• use warm water this time

4.  Dry

• use your coolest dryer setting or hang them outside
• Hanging them outside will keep your whites whiter

So rinse, wash, rinse.  That's it.  Rinse, wash, rinse.  At least twice a week: rinse, wash, rinse. 
Are there other washing routines?  Of course.  You can find lots of ways to wash them (just like people wash their clothes many different ways.  But they all work.).  In fact, all the FuzziBunz website tells me to do is just the rinse and then wash.  But I do an extra rinse because I want to be sure any tiny bits of poop have absolutely made their way out of there... and to make sure all detergent has made its way out.

8.  Any other tips?
Stripping the diapers:
There have been times when I felt like the diapers weren't holding as much as they used to, i.e. becoming less absorbent.  This usually happens due to too much detergent.  And I have forever been guilty of that, even when laundering my clothes.  I try to be really careful with the diapers, but it happens.  Detergent build-up is SUPER common.  It can cause them to be smelly, even after a rinse, wash, rinse and will cause them to hold less waste.  If/when this happens, I strip the diapers.  Sounds scary, but it isn't.  All I do to strip the diapers is this:
1.  Do the normal rinse, wash, rinse.
2.  Instead of drying them, do the 'wash' cycle again but instead of using detergent, use about 4 scoops of OxyClean.  **This is why I use Arm & Hammer Free & Clear with the OxyClean already in it.  I find myself stripping them way less often, since they get a very mild stripping each time I wash them.
3.  Do 1 more rinse just to make sure no OxyClean is stuck in there (not sure if it's necessary, but I always do). 

Diaper creams:
You can't use the typical "creamy" (white) creams when you cloth diaper.  These white creams leave a layer on the diapers that causes them to repel the waste (the same way it repels the waste from your baby's bottom).  If you do use one of these while you're using a cloth diaper, you'll have to strip the diaper (probably a few times) to get it all off.  If you don't strip the diaper, it will repel the waste instead of holding it. So you'll need to find a cloth diaper friendly option.  There are tons.  We use Angel Baby Bottom Balm.  We bought a 2 ounce jar in September and it just ran out in June. We didn't need to use it every time, but we did use it pretty often.  It smells amazing and does a great job.

Laundering your other clothes:
Wash:
I like my clothes to smell good.  I like detergents with fragrance, though I know I'd read not to use them because it would leave residue in your washer & effect your diapers absorbency.  I use them anyway.  And before I wash the diapers?  I do a rinse cycle with nothing in it, except maybe some OxyClean or my cloth diaper detergent to "clean" the walls of the washer. 
Dry:
You aren't supposed to use dryer sheets b/c they can create residue on your dryer walls, which can rub off onto diapers and make them less absorbent.  Unlike the washer, there's no easy way to get this residue off unless you want to get in there and wipe it down.  ...no thanks.  But we, particularly Nic, despise our clothes having static.  His scrubs and workout shirts are especially prone to static.  Instead of dryer sheets, wad up some aluminum foil and toss it in to prevent static.  It'll only work for about 2 loads, then you have to throw that one away and make a new one.  Our ball is usually about the size of a baseball.  You don't have to wad it tight.  Just a light crunch together will do.  Problem solved!

Google.
Google has become my best friend, in general, since becoming pregnant with Audra.  But especially when it's come to cloth diapering.  Information can be overwhelming... try not to let it get that way.  If you have a friend who already does this, ask them about it!  Or ask ME about it!  I'd be glad to help!  Stealing other people's routines and tricks has been what's helped me the most.


I hope this could be of help to some of you!  I know a LOT of you out there are thinking about doing this.  And a lot of you say you admire me for taking the time and energy to do this.  But friends, I really want you to know- it's not hard!  Seriously!  Like most new things, it takes some getting used to.  But once you get the feel for it, it's a piece of cake.  :)

Good luck to you!  & thanks for reading!

P.S.- More about baby boy on the next post!  :)

ONE YEAR.

It still seems surreal to me.  An entire year has gone by since I gave birth to our sweet girl in San Antonio.  Hard to believe that this time last year, we were still in the hospital; Nic was almost finished with his Nurse Transition Program, and we were preparing to make the drive back to Lubbock.  Since then, we've moved across the country, made new friends, Nic started a new job, we joined a new church and small group, and have gotten pregnant again.  My, what a year. 

The thing that's most surreal about it is how far Audra has come.  The cliche "they grow up so fast" definitely rings true.  She's really not much of a baby anymore.  She's a toddler.  She's walking, and doing things on her own.  Of course, she needs my help with nearly everything; but not like she did when she was first born.  When Nic and I sang "Happy Birthday" I felt a little tear-y just thinking about how she'll never be the tiny little girl we brought home again... from here on, she only gets bigger.  Of course, I know that's a good thing, it's all just happened so fast.

All about our newly-one-year-old-Audra:
Motor Development: 
She's walking, pretty much like a pro.  She can cross the entire length of the house, and definitely gets to where she's going.  She walks a lot more than she crawls.  Crawling is still faster, though, so if she's on a mission she'll resort to crawling.  

Talking:
She can say:  mama, dada, hi, bye-bye, nigh-nigh (night-night), bobble (bottle), and whoa.  The funniest of these is "whoa."  Her timing with it is perfect.  Just a few minutes ago, she vigorously shook the bag that holds all of her plastic Easter eggs (still a favorite toy despite it not being Easter anymore), and all the eggs went flying everywhere.  She looked around and said, "Whoa."  On her birthday, she was being crazy and shaking her head back and forth really fast (can you say too much sugar?).  She lost her balance and fell backwards then immediately rolled to her stomach and said, "Whoa."  She's quite the crack-up.  I don't know where she got "whoa," since I don't think I say it too often, but maybe I'm wrong. 

Favorite "toys":  Of course, most of her favorite things to play with are non-toys (which is why we don't buy all too many of them ourselves).

• Her very most favorite thing to play with is the dishwasher.  She loves to splash around in the wetness that falls out of clean dishes.  She will also take out most of what she can reach while we're loading the dishwasher... which is why we now load it while she's sleeping or eating, or super distracted.  (Though as soon as she hears us doing dishes, she races over to the kitchen haha.)  
• Her next favorite thing to play with is probably any paper product, most specifically toilet paper.  It really sucks if we accidentally leave the bathroom door open haha.  
• After that I would say she loves things with buttons; especially any remote or phone she can get a hold of. 
• Of her toys, she will sometimes play with the little blocks we got her for her birthday.  She enjoys putting them in and taking them out of the bucket.  (She generally enjoys putting anything in and taking anything out of a space.)  
• As mentioned above, she still likes to play with her Easter eggs.  
• She has figured out how to gracefully get out of her little kid armchair that her Lolli (Nic's mom) got her.  She used to just throw herself out of it, which was funny to watch.  Now she knows how to get both feet on the ground and stand up.  So lately, she's been doing that over and over.  
• She often opens her books and will "read" them.  This is super cute to watch. 
  
  It's been a lot of fun to watch her learn through play. 

Eating:
She is trying nearly everything we eat, not always liking everything at first.  We rarely feed her pureed food anymore.  She's good at feeding herself finger foods, and is getting decent as using a spoon when we're in a mood to let her get messy.  She's not a huge fan of vegetables unless they're seasoned in some way, and I don't blame her.  ;)

Temperment:
She's a pretty easy-going baby.  She wakes up happy, and will stay happy throughout the day if all of her needs are met within a reasonable amount of time.  She really enjoys getting out of the house and being around people.  She's most in her element when she's interacting with others.

Sleep:
She takes one nap a day around 11 or 12, and sleeps for 1.5-2 hours.  She goes to bed between 7 and 8 and sleeps about 11 hours straight.  We've found a correlation between amount of calories consumed in a day and the time she wakes up in the morning.  The more we feed her, the later she sleeps.  She's usually awake by 6:15 or 6:30; 7:00 or 7:30 if she ate a lot the day before.
  
One whole year of getting to know this girl.  I couldn't dream up a more perfect child for us if I tried.

A Damper on Plans

'

Well...  I guess we won't be camping.  It was already going to be an undertaking of its own just going with a 1 year old for the first time and figuring out all those logistics.  But add in being 3 hours away and tropical storm Andrea set to hit Friday, and it could be a royal recipe for disaster.  So we're going to stay dry at home and try again another weekend.  Maybe somewhere closer to home, for the first time.  And after she's walking like a real champ.  (Right now she can cross rooms, but if she REALLY wants to get somewhere, crawling's still her go-to.)

So, there we go.  Andrea put a bit of a damper on our plans (literally).  But the weekend's not a total bust, since a good friend of ours is having a birthday and now we'll be able to make the festivities!  :)  I hope all of you out there are staying safe and dry! 

XOXO,

Stefanie

Lots Happening!

Well hello again!  Finally!  It's been just a *little while* since I've updated.  Sorry about that.  There's been a lot happening around here!  Getting pregnant!  Audra's birthday (in less than a WEEK!)!  Preparing to camp with an almost 1 year old!  Aye yai yai!! 

So here's the 4-1-1.

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By now, most of you probably know that we're expecting again!  Do you know what happens during the first trimester of pregnancy?  That's right: your body builds a whole ORGAN (the placenta).  Along with that comes being very very tired.  Instead of writing on this little blog, I've been lounging on the couch, not doing housework, and letting Audra play.  Granted, not a whole lot of rest is happening when you're caring for a baby at the same time.  But in general, I haven't had the energy to put forth toward other things.  But now?  Now we're at 15 weeks and I'm feeling like a new person!  I even swept, steamed & vacuumed the floors yesterday!  And dusted!  And did laundry!  It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life!  And I'm feeeeeelin' good!!! 
I've been getting a lot of questions about this pregnancy, so let me answer some for you, in case you're wondering too.  ;)
 
Were you trying to get pregnant? 
Not exactly.  We weren't exactly preventing it, either, if you know what I mean.  We always knew we wanted our kids close in age, so we were under the "if it happens, it happens" umbrella.  It happened sooner than we thought it would... so here we go. 

Were you surprised?
I'd read that breastfeeding can make it harder to get pregnant.  Considering I hadn't had a period yet, I was a bit surprised that I was pregnant.  But it makes sense that we got pregnant very shortly after switching to solids, when I was breastfeeding a little bit less than before.  Apparently the fact that I never had a period and got pregnant while breastfeeding means I'm a little "extra fertile."  Well. Good to know.

Since you already have a girl, are you hoping for a boy?
Nic is definitely hoping for a boy!  Of course.  I think it would be fun for Audra to have a sister so close in age.  Also, we (obviously) already have all of the girl things we would need, so re-using could save us some $.  I'm pretty sure Nic is terrified of having another girl.  He just keeps thinking about when they're both teenagers, and then possibly paying for two weddings around the same time further down the road.  He's said repeatedly that if we have another girl, trying for a third will take some convincing.  He DEFINITELY does not want THREE girls!  I'm pretty sure he'll take what he gets (but he might throw a fit!).  (That was for my teacher friends.)      

When are you due?
I've gotten three different due dates:  Nov. 27, Nov. 30 & Dec. 1.  My OB is going by the earliest one since apparently there are certain procedures that can't be done until the 39th week, even if medically necessary.  (My OB spent like 5 minutes explaining this to me, though all I really remember is what I just said.)  So taking the earlier date would allow those procedures to get done if we need them without waiting longer.  They aren't hard and fast about an induction at 41 weeks, especially since my due date has been so variable.  We already said we'd just keep an eye on things at the end and just see how everything looks before scheduling an induction- if this baby goes over like Audra did.

Are you delivering on base?
We opted to downgrade our insurance so I can see a civilian provider instead of a military provider.  I'll be delivering at one of the local hospitals, with a civilian OB.  There were multiple reasons for this choice, the big ones being the availability of the OB and personalized care. 

Are you going to try to deliver naturally this time?
A lot of you know that I wanted to deliver Audra naturally, but due to the crazy nurse and basically... FORGETTING EVERYTHING I WAS TAUGHT about delivering naturally, I ended up getting the epidural.  I still haven't decided what I want to do this time around.  Part of me really longs for that beautiful, natural birth I so badly wanted the first time.  Another part of me still remembers the pain of contractions (after all, it WAS just less than a year ago), and wants to just take the easy route and get the epidural.  We'll see.  I'll keep ya posted.
 
**************************************
Audra turns one on MONDAY!  JUNE 10th!  It's so hard to believe that my beautiful tiny little floppy baby is now walking, climbing up on stuff (the dishwasher!  her push toy!  tsk, tsk, tsk.), destroying things (the toilet paper roll and anything paper, amongst others), identifying body parts, talking, and demanding my attention.  It's amazing how far she's come!  We're going to take some pictures of her eating a (not too) sugary treat for the first time on her actual birthday and celebrate just us, as a little family.  A few weeks later we'll have a few of her little friends that she sees often & their families over for a bigger celebration.  I'm thinking of a simple theme like 'girly colored polka dots.' Keep it simple.  Nothing huge or overwhelming for this baby.  Just us, a few good friends, some cake, and a few gifts.  Just a fun day celebrating our little one year old.  :)

 

**************************************************
This coming weekend, Nic's unit at the hospital is having a family camping trip in the Shenandoah Valley.  We both love camping, but are a bit hesitant to go with Audra.  She is a baby who is used to her routine, especially her nighttime routine.  She just doesn't go down easily when getting put to bed somewhere other than home.  Nor does she sleep very soundly at night while away.  Usually, she'll sleep from about 7pm-6:30am without waking up.  Or at least if she does wake up, she doesn't tell us about it.  ;)  When we're traveling, she often wakes up multiple times in the night, I think because of the unfamiliarity of everything. So that could make for some tiresome days while camping.  Despite those things, we're still going to go.  They're planning on going down Friday and coming back Sunday.  We'll pack like we're staying the whole time but have already decided to not make it too hard on ourselves.  If we feel like it's getting to be miserable instead of the fun that it should be, we'll just go home.  It'll be an adventure, either way.  I'll let you all know how it goes, and anything we did that made it easier.  Or maybe what we should have done to make it easier.  ;)

*******************************************************
All of that aside, things are going beautifully around here!  It's summer and the sun is shining and we've been spending a lot of time outdoors.  Last summer, Audra was just too little and demanding of our time and energy for us to get out and explore much.  She HATED the beach when we tried to take her, and in general things were just too new and crazy for us to get out a whole lot.  This summer, we've already been to the beach, the neighborhood pool, walking on trails, getting custard... (and that was all in one weekend!)  And we plan on doing more of the same, more often.  I'm still relishing in the fact that we can even go to a beach any time we want!  And it only takes 10 minutes to get there!  Nic and I have a goal of doing SOMETHING each day that he's not working.  As in, not just sitting around the house and going to CrossFit.  Like, actually going to a park or a beach or hitting the pool or hiking or paddleboating... the possibilities here are great so we're really just looking forward to doing them now that the weather's nice. 

I hope this has found you happy and well and hopefully getting some nice weather, too! 
Happy summer!








Shenandoah Valley picture found here.

8 months & Lots of Firsts!

Well, I didn't get that extended vacation I so badly wanted last post, but I DID get some much needed girl time, have a birthday, and had my husband home for 3 whole nights in a row- which meant more sleep.  All of those did this girl some good.  I feel happier and a little more refreshed.  And I feel like I'm in a much better place in mommyhood.  Thanks for letting me vent and then being nice enough to still come back.  :)

This past month has been quite an exciting one for Audra!  She's experienced so many firsts... no wonder she was sleeping so badly before! 

First time eating solid food:

We started with apples (not knowing that I was supposed to start w/ veggies... oops), and she loved them!  Then we moved on to peas, squash-yellow, prunes (necessary!), green beans, pear, avocado, sweet potato, carrot, squash-butternut, egg yolk, and banana.  I didn't really go in any particular order (other than following recommended food guides); we mostly just gave her what we already had on hand so minimize runs to the grocery store.  We make our own food, and I have to say... I get a strange enjoyment out of it.  I love making it and she loves eating it. While I do believe it's a money saver, the cost isn't really the reason we do it.  I just like knowing EXACTLY what she's eating.  And I like her getting the freshest food possible.  And I like being able to puree it as thin or thick as I want.  There are a lot of perks and it's just too easy NOT to do.  I can do a whole post on how we make it, if anyone's interested.  But if you don't tell me that you want to know, I'm not going to take the time to post it.  ;) Heehee.

Along with the solids has come a lot more weight on this baby girl.  And also, more sleep!  She generally sleeps from 7p to anywhere between 5:30-7:30a.  If she doesn't wake up at all in the night, she'll get up around 5:30.  If she gets up for a night feed and goes back down, she'll sleep 'til around 7:30.  I would gladly trade a night feed for sleeping in!  I just wish she felt the same.  :)

Other firsts:
Pulling herself to standing:

Very shortly after that, she started walking the length of her crib while holding on.  Didn't get that one on video though.

Crawling:

 This one was a long time coming!  She'd been on all fours since well before Christmas.  We were CERTAIN she'd start crawling while we were in Missouri.  But then she got sick, and she was held a lot.  So that didn't happen.  She was up on all fours and going backwards a lot.  Then she was up on all fours and crawling just one to three "steps", then she'd collapse onto the floor.  She'd do that over and over.  Just this week, she started connecting it all and going great distances without falling down.  AND NOW?  She's going anywhere, and getting into EVERYTHING!  Haha!  Time to baby-proof this place, for sure!  Things she never seemed interested in before are now things for little baby hands to explore.  It's funny how she sat right next to things (like a bookshelf) many times in the past, and now all of a sudden it's so interesting!  She's starting to keep me on my toes, guys.  :)

Talking:
 It started with "mama" in beginning/mid January and then about 3 weeks later, both Nic and I swore she repeated "bye bye."  And the very next day, she said "dada."  Now we can catch her saying all 3.  Though mama is still the most likely to repeated on demand.

Other fun non-milestone firsts that happened this past month:
-first time swinging in a big girl swing (well, toddler swing)

-first time riding in the stroller without her infant seat on top

-first time sitting in the wooden high chair in a restaurant

-first time riding in the grocery cart sitting space

-first time trying (very watered down) juice [no picture]
-first time sleeping without a swaddle (mentioned last post)
-first time eating outside

And I think that's it!  It's been so much fun to watch her face each time she does something new.  I love that she looks to me with excitement and is able to see that I'm sharing in it with her.  I can't get enough of this sweet, sweet girl.

Oh!  And Happy Valentine's Day!  ♥