How We Do Cloth Diapers

I have a number of family and friends who are pregnant right now, and many of them want to know about our experience cloth diapering. So I'm sure some of you out there may be interested as well, or know someone you can share this information with. We knew we wanted to use cloth diapers, and I had been researching the options even before I was pregnant, so I had an idea of what was out there, but it was so overwhelming! In the haze of pregnancy, I spent an evening on the verge of tears on the phone with my mom stressing about diapers. I confessed to her I was more concerned about how we were going to cover baby's butt than the whole process of getting him out. HA! Yes, pregnancy hormones are a real thing and they are nothing to be messed with. The fog cleared and I went with my original plan. I'll get right down to business and if you want more detail, read on.

24 Size Newborn Cloth-eez Prefolds

12 Size Small Cloth-eez Prefolds

4 Thirsties Duo Wrap Covers

3 Snappis

14 BumGenius 4.0 Snap Diapers

Cloth wipes I made with flannel

2 Planet Wise Large Wet bags & 1 smaller one for travel

~I washed the Prefolds & Covers with Purex Free & Clear. Warm pre-wash, Hot wash with detergent, extra rinse. Hung the covers and wet bags to dry, everything else in the dryer on Perm Press.

~I wash the BumGenius diapers with Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda. Cold pre-wash, Hot wash with detergent, extra rinse. Hang the diapers to dry and wet bags to dry, everything else in the dryer on Perm Press.

~If there are a number of extra nasty diapers, I will add a little detergent to the pre-wash cycle.

~If a diaper is still poop colored after washing, an afternoon in the sun removes the stain.

~I do diaper laundry about every other day. When I get down to two clean diapers, I wash. Sometimes the timing is weird and we supplement one of the prefolds or a spare disposable.

~The Duo Wraps dry within a couple hours, quicker if they are in the sun or a breezy spot. In a pinch I've thrown them in the dryer for just a couple minutes.

~The BumGenius diapers dry in an afternoon outside or overnight inside. We have a cool drying rack my dad found that fits them all and works great.

~The wet bags take longer to dry indoors - a day or two, but they are always ready by the time we need one.

If that's all the info you wanted, carry on. If you would like to know more, here you go….

We used disposables for the first two weeks. The real concern was getting through the nasty meconium stage. If you absolutely want to use cloth from the start, I'd recommend a disposable liner so that the tar poop doesn't ruin your diapers.

**SIDE NOTE** Our midwife gave us the most spectacular advice: Rub coconut oil on baby's bum during diaper changes and the meconium will slide right off. It's true! No need to use multiple wipes to scrape that stuff off, oil up that bum and get on with your day. **

Around two weeks old we started the cloth diapers. We used Cloth-eez Prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper in the Newborn size. Liam was back up to birth weight of 7 lbs, 11 oz at that time and the newborn size fit until he was about 11 lbs + at 2 months. At that point we were also using the Small size in the mix for nights and naps when he needed more absorbency. We used Thirsties Duo Wrap covers in Size One with all the prefolds.

**SIDE NOTE** If you go the disposable path, do yourself a favor and get a couple of the Duo Wraps. It's like a rite of passage in parenthood to clean up a blow-out but it's not necessary! We don't have problems with the cloth diapers but I don't trust the disposables we use while traveling. So we put a Duo Wrap over the disposable and voila! - no blow-outs. And trust me, there have been a bunch of diapers that would have completely ruined Liam's outfit and spoiled the day of whoever was holding him at the time. Totally worth the $12 investment to grab a couple of them, plus they look cute. **

When Liam hit 2 months old and was over 11 lbs, we switched him to BumGenius 4.0 snap diapers. He probably could have started those sooner, but the prefolds were still doing their job and I needed to buy different detergent for the BumGeniuses so I was waiting. We love these diapers! I would happily do prefolds for the rest of his diapering life, but the biggest improvement with the BumGenius is the moisture wicking liner fabric - the inserts can be soaked through but Liam's buns stay nice and dry. The snap adjustments make it easy to get a good fit and they are as easy to change as disposables. The adjustments also mean Liam can wear these diapers until he is ready for the big boy potty. Awesome!

We use the normal insert during the day and add the additional newborn insert for bedtime sleeping. I haven't had issues with absorbency, but the beauty of our diaper system is that if Liam ever needs something extra inside the diaper, his old prefolds work just like another insert.

Today I decided to adjust the rise on the height of the diapers. Liam is 4 months old and over 15 lbs with chubby thighs. BumGenius recommends changing to the middle rise around 16 lbs but it can vary depending on the size and shape of every baby, so Liam seems to be falling right in line with that. You can see in that picture above how it is pulling a little in the middle - time to extend!

Before he was born, I put my serger to good use and made 50 cloth wipes from leftover flannel. I just cut squares about 8X8 and serged the edges. I made some double sided, but the single ply has worked just fine. If you are cloth diapering, it only makes sense to use cloth wipes - you just throw them right in with the rest of the laundry and never run out. You can purchase cloth wipes or use wash cloths, but making them was really simple and free for me.

We keep a squirt bottle with water next to his change pad to wet the wipes. When he was younger we would spray right on the wipe, but now Liam gets a kick out of spraying his bum. I tried an aloe, tea tree, soap mixture, but something in that seemed to irritate his bottom so we have just been using water. Most experts recommend water for the first few months anyway to keep the sensitive skin happy.

We use two wet bags in rotation .. one gets washed with the diapers and hung to dry while the other one starts the cycle of filling up with diapers over again. They contain the stink and keep things dry. We had intentions of hanging them up but couldn't find a good spot or system, so they just sit between the dresser and trashcan on the ground and that has worked well for four months so I assume we'll just keep it that way.

Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Do you now know more about cloth diapers than you ever wanted to? Great! Not a super interesting post, but hopefully helpful!

Preparing

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of baby preparations. Immediately after he returned from a three week tour of Australia, Curt & I took a long weekend to visit our families in Michigan and had the pleasure of attending two baby showers hosted by my family. It was so nice to see many of our loved ones and see the excitement and love they already have for our baby. We are so blessed to have tight knit families who support us, even if it is from a distance most of the time. 

Last weekend my parents arrived and after a few splendid hours of sunshine, we headed off to our frIends' house for a fabulous party to celebrate their new books. It was a lot of fun and Jessica always throws the best get-togethers. 

The next day I had a surprise party of my own with my work friends to celebrate the baby & my birthday. They snuck into the house and decorated the whole place with the cutest poms, streamers, and balloons. Fatemeh made that gorgeous cake complete with sparkler candles. A couple long distance friends made the trek to our house and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter gathering. 

The rest of the week was spent finally getting the nursery ready for Baby. My dad painted the room, transforming it from boring tan to a calming greige. Curt refinished an old dresser, a project that has been in the works for a few months but was stalled by cold weather and multiple tours. My mom painted a thrifted baby glider and helped me make and upholster new cushions. 

Among the smaller details, this birch tie-back I've had in my head and my dad was able to construct. There are still a few things to finish - hanging shelves and art, creating a mobile out of more birch branches, putting the crib together (it should arrive this week), maybe replacing a table lamp, and adding the little finishing touches. We still have about seven weeks until Baby is due to arrive, but it feels so good to have most of the nursery ready and I know those weeks will fly by. 

I got up early this morning to see my parents off, throw in a load of laundry, and crawl back into bed. Curt snuck out at some point to get his sister and her friend from the airport while I slept in for the first time in a few weeks. I usually hear him get up and ready but I was so tired I slept through it all and woke up to find the last few bites of this amazing chai French toast waiting for me on my bedside. I realize once Baby comes that my days of sleeping in will be long gone, so I am trying to soak in as many as possible when I have the chance. 

I'm also taking the day to sit back and relax for the first time in a while and do nothing all day. The drizzly weather and constant stream of hot tea is enhancing the laziness as we work our way through our DVR. All the while trying to make a dent in my latest library book. What are you doing this weekend? 

that one time

A quick photo post is better than nothing, eh?

Last weekend Curt & I hopped a plane to Grand Rapids to see his sister compete in a statewide volleyball tournament. 

I happened to surprise my grandparents with a quick visit. This silly lady kept telling me she thought she was dreaming :) 

I rarely miss an opportunity to eat at my favorite joints while home, and this little family trip to Yesterdog did not disappoint! 

Wednesday was Curt's 28th birthday. We celebrated by working all day and partying for a minute before falling asleep on the couch that night. His requested cake was Cake Batter ice cream with Oreos mixed in, a layer of fudge, yellow cake, chocolate ganache, and Oreo crumbs on the side. It was delicious! 

My garden gave me a couple more strawberries this week and they were delicious! I can't believe how much better strawberries are from the garden rather than the store. 

My harvest: The last of the lettuce (had to dig them up, they're bolting), carrots, and said strawberry.

I've also been taking a few photos of my feet recently... don't know what that's about ... 

And lastly: I got some new "toys" at work in the form of new sprinkles to put on cake pops. It's heavenly. 

This weekend Curt and I will actually have a chance to stay home and relax. I plan on altering a pair of pants to make them skinny and hopefully red. What are you weekend plans? 

PS: Anna Maria posted some more info about her gorgeous booth if you'd like a closer look! I can't wait for people to get their hands on this new line, it's fabulous!

Cutting Garden

With my veggie garden blooming and for the most part, maintaing itself, I needed something new to try and got my heart set on a cutting garden of sorts. I love, love, love fresh flowers around the house, but despise paying grocery store prices for such a temporary fix. Hence, the cutting garden.

I did a quick search of flowers meant for cutting and came away with a short list of options. I was able to find a few at Home Depot to work with, as well as some seeds to try.

I'm leery of planting anything in the ground for various reasons, the primary one being I don't exactly know where I want them, so they all went into large pots, which the internet assured me would be okay {I believe everything I read on the internet}. I suppose it is less of a 'cutting garden' and more of a 'flowers in pots for cutting' situation.

My 'flowers in pots for cutting' experiment includes:

{not my pictures - click them to link}

Bachelor's Button in the form of really cool seeds

Cosmos in the form of seeds

A Burpee mix of wildflower seeds, all preferred for cutting. 

I also purchased starter plants of the following:

Dahlia XXL

Shasta Daisies

Coreopsis (Tickseed)

I already have a few small gerbera daisies growing, which I replanted in a larger pot this weekend in hopes of encouraging growth. I have also been growing some zinnias from seed, which should start blooming any time now. 

My dad gave me a few Red Canna Lily bulbs back in April, which I promptly planted with no clue what would happen. They sat in the ground for quite some time with no apparent growth whatsoever, so imagine my surprise when I turned the corner yesterday to see GIANT stems with GIANT leaves growing in the bed on the side of our house! All I could do was start yelling, it surprised me so much. That area of the yard was possibly once a nice, bordered flower bed, but is now just a weedy, overgrown space where giant centipedes and spiders live {ask me how I know}. I'd like [Curt] to weed it soon, throw some new dirt down, and see if I can't grow some more flowers from seed among the Canna Lilies. I'm going to take the "scatter seeds, say a prayer, and see what happens" approach.

I can't wait to see what blooms from all this, and I hope to have a home full of colorful flowers for the next few months. What are your favorite cut flowers? Do you have any tips for cutting gardens? 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Back in March I built myself a little raised bed to see just how green my thumb is and I've been pleasantly surprised with the results. This post is really so my dad can see my progress, but I figured others might be interested as well. For your enjoyment, here is my garden, in GIF form so you can see the before & after. I took half the pictures on May 2, and the rest on May 18, so the progression you see is roughly over two weeks.

First, the bed itself: It's hard for me to see the growth because I stare at it every day, but seeing these two pictures is amazing to me. The beans and carrots have especially taken off recently, but the whole thing looks a lot more green :)

Next to the garden I have a tomato planter my dad made me a couple years ago. These plants have also shot up in the last couple weeks! The one in front is a Juliet Roma and a Cherry in the back, which died in a frost back in early April but is slowly coming back and even has some buds.

Here's a closer look at the Juliet Roma, which has quite a few baby tomatoes, and even more buds:

Back in the garden, the romaine lettuce has been growing like crazy since the beginning. I started these as four little tiny heads and we've been eating them for a couple weeks now. I just pluck off a few leaves from the outside of the plant whenever we want a salad. I am in love with the convenience of a salad whenever I crave it and I'm even more excited for some tomatoes to add in! You can see that one head of lettuce has split into two - twice the fun!

I lost a couple green peppers in the frost and replaced them with these guys. They are starting to bud and get fruit. The plants that died got replanted in pots and seem to be making a comeback, so here's to loads of green peppers this summer.

Speaking of pots, here's a look at a Better Boy tomato plant my dad started from seed in his grow lab basement. He brought the plant down to me in early April and it already has baby fruit :) I need to replant him in a bigger pot with a cage so he can keep growing.

Here's a look at strawberries in the raised bed. I lost my first four or five strawberries to neighborhood birds so I had to put a net over the whole bed. {you can see it in a few of the before pictures} This has done wonders and we've been able to eat a few strawberries already. It seems like although the plants have continued growing, the strawberries themselves have stalled, other than that one set of blossoms. I can't wait for more because the strawberries we did eat were absolutely amazing!

On a whim, I bough a few cucumber plants when I had to replace other plants from the frost. The little plants from the store were a little sad looking, and I did lose one, but wow! this cucumber has really taken off in the bed. I moved another cucumber from a planter into the bed and I hope that will thrive as well!

I don't really like carrots, but I have charming memories of eating them straight from my grandpa's garden as a child so I couldn't resist the urge to try some myself. It took awhile, but they are finally growing like crazy. The only hangup I have about carrots is that one seed = one carrot, which is a little depressing when you consider that one tomato plant yields tons of tomatoes.

I planted these beans from seed before the frost, which hurt them initially, but most are flourishing now and starting to bud. I think the beans have had the most impressive growth lately and I'm getting ready to eat lots and lots of green beans .. mmm!

Here's a few hibiscus plants from my dad. The red and yellow varieties have been steadily growing, but the pink one is really being a late bloomer. {ha - punny plant jokes} I was surprised to see the progression in these photos because I feel like it hasn't done anything since my dad delivered it in April.

Also from my dad, a jalapeño plant full of blossoms. Not sure what I'll do with jalapeños, seeing as the last time I used one, my hands (and consequently, my eyes) were burning for a good 36 hours after chopping it. If I end up with the load of tomatoes I'm expecting, I think I'll make some salsa so the jalapeños can go in there.

Not mentioned above, I have cilantro and basil growing in the garden. I have also been growing cilantro in a planter in the kitchen window that we've been eating. It turned to coriander a few days ago and now I don't know what to do with it. Replant some more cilantro seeds? Oh, I also have a big planter full of cilantro outside as well. 

You may have noticed the pink flowers in the corners of the bed, I don't remember what those are, but they have been blooming and reblooming since I planted them. I also have some zinnias, which I planted as seeds, along the edges. They should begin to blossom within the next month. I also have a few zinnias in planters on the front steps and planted some in the ground along our walkway. There are also six gerbera daisies in pots from my dad, but those aren't doing well. I'm thinking of replanting them in bigger pots or finding a place in the ground for them. 

Inside, my African violet has been absolutely thriving since I repotted it in a proper planter. It was seriously almost dead and now it's full of gorgeous blooms!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my garden, I'll be sure to post more when I start harvesting. I'm already planning for next year - I'd love to make another bed and do some more flowers, as well as try some berry bushes somewhere in the yard. 

What's growing around your home?

Get Away

Curt spent the better part of March and April on the road touring all over the place. Thankfully he was home for the last weekend of March when we joined my family for a not-long-enough stay in Orange Beach. The weather was perfect, the sand was white, and we were so thrilled to spend time with my family. I even got to catch up with a couple of my cousins, including this sweet little guy!

{he was the lucky recipient of the Tula Pink nursery almost two years(!) ago.} 

It was the perfect getaway - just what I needed to relax and rejuvenate. I'm actually kind of ready to do it again soon, haha! 

The following weekend was Easter and I was able to join Curt on the bus for a quick little tour of a county fair in Alabama. 

It was so nice to be with him, even if it was the strangest way to celebrate Easter.

We ate funnel cakes and grilled corn and all kinds of disgusting fair food.

I did not ride any rides - I just can't trust large structures that fold up and travel down the highway.

Isn't it nice to just get away for a day or two? It's usually just what I need to take my mind off the crazies and enjoy life :) 

around the corner

Last weekend Curt got out the power tools and hung our new reading lamps over the bed. They are perfect for reading and knitting, and a much better lighting alternative to the headlamp I had to wear to bed. {not cute!} While he was at it, Curt hung a big frame that I get to fill with something fabulous along these lines.

He also cleaned up the rogue suitcase and clothing situation that was happening in the corner of our room and now we are left with a wide open canvas to decorate. It's currently quite the blank space along the wall opposite our bed. The vaulted ceiling begs for art and photography while the open corner seems the perfect spot for a comfy chair and some chic storage. So obviously I took to Pinterest to search for some corner inspiration.

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: mydesignchic.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumblr.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: ontobaby.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: bing.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: sofiasjournal.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Obviously this collection contains vastly different design styles, but here are the underlying connections I like:

*Chair - must be comfy with an accent blanket or pillow. I don't think we have room for an ottoman, but it definitely makes kicking back and reading a book a little more comfortable.

*Lighting - I like the idea of a floor lamp with a small footprint but makes the area well-lit. A few of these corners also have unique lighting hanging from the ceiling, which adds a bit of interest while making the corner space feel a little more self-contained.

* A table or storage - ideally Curt will build some kind of lidded crate that can hold extra sheets, much like the savaged wood bench corner above.

*Mirror - we are in desperate need of a full-length mirror. Most days I either hope my top and bottom match, or stand on the edge of the tub to get a good view in the bathroom mirror.

*Art - Like I said above, we have a large wall to fill with something. While I like the settings with frames hung in the corner, I am worried that would make the wall feel unbalanced. I don't have any solution right now, but I'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions!

*Accents - These are my favorite parts of the corners: an added bit of whimsy in the form of a plant, flowers, colorful books, baubles, knick knacks or vintage containers. I will definitely be hitting up some local vintage flea markets to fill in these spots.

I plan on keeping watch at HomeGoods, Goodwill, Craigslist, and other cheap furniture spots for a comfy chair. I'm not against recovering/reupholstering something, so we'll see what we can find!