How to use cloth diapers.

I've wanted to write this blog for a while, and am finally getting to it. I've heard from a lot of people that they can't believe that I use cloth diapers, and how I have the time or drive to do it. Honestly it all came down to money, and once I started using them I realized that I actually prefer cloth instead of disposable. The idea of this blog is to inform people how to prepare a cloth diaper, and how to take care of one. If you've looked into cloth diapers you can see that they are kind of expensive(I spent $300 on a pack of 20). It seems like a lot of money, but it was an investment. I plan to have 3-4 children and all of them can use the diapers. My son is 9 months old, and he's already used the diapers over 500 times (I keep track because I wanted to make sure I was getting my moneys worth). I only use cloth during the day. I figure the disposable diapers absorb better and I don't want my son laying in his pee all night. All the products that I am showing you I bought off the website www.nellsnaturalbaby.com. Except for the wipes, I bought those at my grocery store. You can use any website that you like, but I liked this one because everything is there and it's easier to get it all at one place.

 These are all the products you need for cloth diapers. Starting from the top: Wet bag, bio-soft diaper liners (These come in roll of 100, this is how I know how many diapers I use), wipes (I use cottenelle for poopy diapers because I can flush them in the toilet), bumGenius pocket diaper, diaper inserts (the short one is for newborn, I double mine for added protection against leaks)

Step 1- place newborn liner on top of bigger liner. I match the tags together, but it makes no difference.

 Step 2- Open pocket of diaper and place inserts inside. I insert the liners with the newborn insert facing down.

Step 3- make sure liners are flat, and that the flap is laying down to close the opening of the pocket.

Step 4- Tear off a piece of the disposable liner. (These work great for poopy diapers because you can just grab the corners and then put it in the toilet without there being a mess)

Step 5- Place liner on top of diaper

 Step 6- button up diaper so it's ready for baby when needed. Also have wipes on hand and rash cream just in case. It's very important to use a natural diaper rash cream. Do not use diaper creams that contain cod-liver oil, wax, or paraffin It could mess with the absorbency of the diapers.

 Place used diaper in wet bag when finished. Do not let diapers sit more than two days. I have two wetbags, that way I can wash one and use one.

 My son in his cloth diaper.

 He loves his cloth diaper. :)

 You can dry the diaper liners (don't dry the pockets though), but you can't use dryer sheets because it could mess with the absorbency as well. I just hang dry everything to be safe. When you wash the diapers you want to first rinse the diapers in a light wash of cold water (No soap), then add soap and wash in hot water on a light cycle. Line dry afterwards.

I lay my wetbag on the washer to dry, you can hang it too. Also use a natural cloth diaper safe detergent. One with no additives. I bought this, but am thinking of making my own detergent once this runs out. Use very little detergent. Once a month you might want to clean your washer with bleach on a light cycle with nothing in it just to strip the washer from any smells.

Hope this helps everyone. I promise it's not that hard. I developed a routine overtime so its easier. I wash my diapers every two days and in the morning my son plays with the liners while I prepare the diapers.

4 Months!

As you can see Augustus is 4 months now! My baby is starting to become independent. He spends about 30 min. of alone time trying to figure out his feet and hands. It's so funny to watch him, he's really confused when he's wearing socks or footy pajama's. Not only has my boy traveled to Illinois by car (week 1) but now has traveled by plane too! We're starting him early because Mommy and Daddy love to travel. He didn't cry once on the plane, and he got a lot of compliments from passengers. :)

After much debate with people about feeding Augustus solids, I've finally come to the decision to wait till 6 months. I've read so many articles about why it's important to wait, and honestly it's not going to kill him to wait. His growth and weight chart are outstanding at each visit off my milk alone. On November 4th he'll be 24 weeks and I've decided to wait till then rather than his 6 month appointment.

Milestones:

You put your hands together, grab toys, and chew on the constantly.

Went on your first plane ride to meet your great grandparents. 

you bare weight on your legs, and prefer standing rather than sitting...it tires Mom out having  to hold you up all the time.

You played in your exersaucer for the first time this month, and got the biggest smile when placed in it.

You still talk to Daddy and I in our bed every morning

You now wear 6-9 month clothes

You got your first sickness, bronchiolitis and you hate the breathing treatments that I have to give you.

You weigh 15lb 14oz and you're 27 inches long.

We love you Augustus, keep up the good work!



3 Months!

Augustus at 3 months

It's so hard to believe my baby is 3 months old. I looked back at his 2 month picture and I saw so many changes! He's gotten so big, and I chose this picture because you can see how curious he is. He's very interested in everything these days and trying to figure out how things work. He loved my camera because I have a Nikon D40 and it's huge so I'm sure he thought it was funny looking. This month Grandma Arakelian came to visit. She's our last visitor for a while.

We've reached a huge milestone this month, we're finally out of the newborn stage! The so called "4th trimester" is done. I called my lactation consultant (during week 3) and cried on the phone because I was tired, my hormones were crazy, and all my boy wanted to do was eat every hour. She promised me that it would get easier by 3 months. She was right! I'm so thankful that I had the support from my husband, and her to get me through those hour feedings and late nights. During the day Augustus normally eats every 3 hours, besides our cluster feeds before bed. Then, at night he sleeps between 5-7 hours before he needs to eat. It's wonderful! I actually wake up energized these days. You think that would motivate me to work out...

Milestones:

You smile like crazy now! You love meeting new people and smiling at them too.

You laughed for the first time at Grandma Arakelian, then to Daddy, and at Daddy again when i was in the room. You laugh at Daddy all the time now. (I still have not done something funny enough to make you laugh)

While on your stomach you can lift your head 90 degrees. you also push your chest up with your arms.

YOU CAN ROLL OVER! This is one of the most exciting things from this month. I was so proud of you when you first did this.

You have an impressive vocabulary. you love to use the word a-goo, and you like to use it in different ways (ex. a-goooooooo, a-goo-goo-goo, and in different pitches) you also like to squeal in delight, and see how loud you can make your voice.

You chomp on your hands all the time, I was told this was a sign of teething. We'll see.

you're wearing 3-6 months clothes (but I don't see you in them for much longer)

~Looking forward to 4 months!!!



2 months!

It's amazing to think that my little guy has only been here for 2 months. He's become apart of our daily lives so much that I couldn't think of a time without him. I'm so happy to have him, he's such a blessing to us. :) We've had a lot of visitors since Augustus has been born, I've been observing and taking every ones advice and it's really helped me while watching Augustus. Grandma Evans came for a week at the end of 1 month, then Grandma and Grandpa Clem came the last week of June. Also, John and Becca (Mommy and Daddy's friend from the military) came with their two daughters for a short visit. In the middle of July Zach and Amanda (Mommy and Daddy's friends from Illinois) and their two daughters came for a long weekend. It was their first family vacation, and they wanted to spend it meeting you. The last weekend of July Aunt Karen came for a visit, her visit was to spoil you. Finally, we're waiting for Grandma Arakelian to visit August 8th. She'll be here for a week, and will enjoy spoiling you like crazy!

Major events during Month 2:

 You're finally sleeping in your crib! You start out in your crib, then after your 3:00 am feeding you think it's play time so Mommy takes you to our bed and after a while you fall asleep.

 You wake up only once a night usually around 3-4 in the morning

 One of our favorite times with you is in the morning. We lay you in our bed and you talk to us. While talking you kick your feet and move your arms around. It's one of the best times of our day, even if we're super tired. (Sometimes Daddy calls Grandma A. and lets her listen too. ;) )

 You're up more during the day, usually that time you like to spend under your jungle mat, or looking at your mobile in your crib.

 You know who your Mommy and Daddy are. You smile at the sound of our voice and smile when Daddy comes home from work.

When Daddy comes home from work you like to be held by him and then you lay your head on his shoulder, it's so cute!

 We have a wonderful bedtime routine. Daddy gives you a bath, changes your diaper, and puts on your pj's. Mommy feeds you, while Daddy reads you a bedtime story. 

 Since you've been born you've been to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Washington D.C I have a feeling that you're either going to love traveling, or hate it because you'll be doing a lot of it with Mommy and Daddy.

Doctors visit: Augustus grew another inch! He's now 25 inches long and weighs 14.8lbs. He's in the 97th percentile for weight and 99th for height. My boy is a beast! He also received 2 shots and a type of vaccine that he drinks. He'll have to do the same thing at his 4 month visit too.
Looking forward to next month.... :)

1 Month!!!

Happy 1 month Augustus!!!

What an incredible month! I am finally learning how to balance my time with and without the baby. 2 weeks ago I thought that I had to sit and stare at him while he was sleeping. It took me a while to realize that I don't need to be by his side 24/7. I've been told by all the doctors that "you can't spoil a newborn" but I think I might have spoiled him a little bit. Right now Augustus co-sleeps with us. I can't get him to sleep in his crib, and so Mommy has sanity, and some sleep this is the only choice that I have. I'm hoping that by 6 weeks I can start crib training. (Keep your fingers crossed for me.)

Important events this month:

Week 1 you took your first road trip to Illinois

Week 1 and 2 you met all of your Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and family friends (still waiting to meet great grandparents and great great grandma)

Week 3 Mommy had her first week alone with you and it was challenging. I've learned that nursing is draining on a person, but worth it in the end.

Week 4 Grandma Evans came for a visit and taught Mommy some skills to calming you down. (It was a HUGE help!)

1 Month doctor appointment- weight 12lbs 3oz  your height was 24in long. You got your hep B shot and cried a little bit, but fell asleep afterwards. :)

39 weeks pregnant!



I can't tell you how excited I am that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy! I've heard from lots of people that they think their pregnancies go fast. I'm here to say "NOPE, that's a lie!" I feel like I've been pregnant for 2 years! It didn't help that I had everything ready by month 7 so all I had to do was sit an wait. Next time I'm preparing everything a month in advance.

So my baby is estimated to weigh somewhere in the 8 pound range. The doctors are only giving me till my due date to give birth naturally. If I don't go into labor by Thursday, I'll have to be induced. I chose to have this induction for personal reasons and the doctors agreed, because of his measurements and weight that they could do it. :)

Dennis and I spent a lot of time together this weekend knowing that it will be the last weekend of just the two of us. Honestly, we're ready for this. We've been together for 6 years and have wanted a baby for 2 years now. We like to plan way in advance, I always knew that we would wait till he got out of the military but it didn't mean that I couldn't think about having a baby or read up on babies. lol I'm so thankful that God has given us a healthy relationship and is going to bless us with a beautiful baby. I couldn't ask for anything more. :)

I'm not going to post again until I have the baby, I can't wait to post a picture of him on here. :) :) :)



Everythings ready....Wait what about my bag????

Hello Everyone,

I know i've been avoiding you. I must say that being a housewife is kind of boring, so there is not that much to talk about. I could write everyday about cleaning the house, cooking, or killing a billion stink bugs all day. I think that maybe, you'd appreciate actually news going on in my life. (By the way Dennis killed 7 stink bugs last night all during our dinner....GROSS!)

I am officially 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant. The doctor says that I can go anytime and that I should have my bags packed. The only problem is, that I'm a cheap skate and I only have a limited amount of clothes that fit so packing my bags is hard to do. lol I packed about 30 outfits for the baby, realizing i'll only be there for 2-3 days so of course he doesn't need that many. I'm just so worried, I don't want to pack to little for him and then look like a bad Mom. We're getting so excited for the big day. It's sort of unreal to us. I can't believe that between now and the next 3 weeks I could be a Mom. :)

Yesterday we had a doctors appointment. I'm measuring at 40 1/2 weeks, so the doctor wants to schedule me for an ultrasound to check the baby's weight. She suspects that he's already 8 pounds and could potentially be higher. So if he is they want to Induce next week! Things are going really fast, and it's hard for me to comprehend everything. I'm ready to be a Mom, but it's a lot of responsibility and you think 10 months is a long time to grasp that Idea.....well it's really not. I've been ready physically for the baby since month 7, now that the times coming i'm starting to get butterflies. I'm sure i'll do fine, but with Dennis and I living so far away from our families it scares me a bit. So Mom, Dad, Peg, Roe, Melissa, Audrey, and all my other friends that are Mom's prepare for late night phone calls when I'm freaking out and don't know how to calm Augustus down. lol