Miscellany Monday

 

1.  new blog design!
Thanks to Jessica at diamond doll design, I have a new blog design that I won and love!

2.  congrats to the happy couple!
We went to a wedding this weekend where KC was the best man and we're so happy for our friends!

3.  'Happy Mothers-to-Be Day'
My husband is awesome and got me a 'Happy Mothers-to-Be Day' gift yesterday.  Now it's time to start packing for the hospital.  Yikes!

4.  no photos yet!
Still waiting for photos from our photographer, she said 2 weeks (it was 2 weeks on Tuesday), but KC said I had to wait until today to send her an email.  I needed to have some patience!


5.  belly sign!
At the wedding this weekend, I was tempted to put a sign on my belly that said "It's a Boy, 35 Weeks, Not sharing the name, June 11th".  I was asked so many times, crazy!


Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! :-)  Have a great week.  Happy Monday!

35 Week Update!

Lookin' a lil tired and rundown after a day of wedding festivities and driving the drunk ppl home!

 
How far along? 35 weeks - 35 Days to go!!! (Though I'm more counting the 14 more days of work!)

How big is baby?  5.25 pounds/18 inches!  About the weight of a honeydew melon.

Weight gain? ??lbs I ate a lot at the wedding this weekend, I have no idea!

Symptoms? Hip pain/discomfort towards the end of the day.  Tiredness and some finger swelling.  Other than that feeling pretty good.

Sleep?  Ok this week.  More (more) pillows!

Food cravings? Still love ice (so weird) and popsicles/freeze-pops.  Now, I like to make 'slushies' and put some juice in the fridge for a few hours!  Yum!

Movement? All over.  He is definitely rolling around in there a ton.

Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and maternity tops and some regular cardigans. 

What I am looking forward to? Still no pictures, looking forward to taking a look at those. 

What am I missing? Somedays, just the sense of feeling 'normal'.

Milestones? Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Other? Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and MIL!  My husband was sweet enough to get me a Happy Mother-to-Be's Day gift to help pack for the hospital!

Vera Bradley Weekender bag

Diaper Debate

After reading several different diapering posts way before baby c was even a glimmer in my mind, I had it in my mind that I wanted to do cloth diapering.  

Now, when I told my family I was planning to do cloth diapers, they looked at me like I had 6-heads.  I tried explaining that they're not like they used to be, you don't have to pin them and there are lots of different options, but they still didn't understand.  I decided that the blog-world would be my cloth diaper supporters.

There are several posts that I relied upon as I was doing my research.

• Julia at My Life in Transition
• John and Sherry at Young House Love
• Katie at Bower Power

And those are just a few of the blog posts out there.  Then I found some of these great resources to help answer some questions, etc.

• The ABC's of going cloth by Dr. Momma
• Basics of Cloth Diapers and Comparisons by PinStripes and Polka Dots
• Cloth Diaper FAQ by Zoolikins
• Detergents by PinStripes and Polka Dots
• Washing Instructions by Niki's Diapers
• Where to buy:  Cotton Babies, Amazon, Target, Babies R Us to name a few

Then there was the cost comparison that I found at DiaperDecisions.com:


Where the grand total for disposables came out to be:  $2577.35
One-Size Pockets (based on a 12-pack of BumGenius at Cotton Babies):  $203.40 * 3 = $610.20
All-In-One One-Size (based on a 12-pack of BumGenius at Cotton Babies):  $264.95 * 3 = $794.85
**Based on the fact that we would be going to daycare and wouldn't have time to wash every day, we figured that 36 diapers would be a good number.  We also determined that All-In-Ones were the only way we would be able do it, vs. getting different sizes.** 


So we started with the one-size pockets from BumGenius.  After hubs took a look at them, he decided that he wasn't a fan of the whole pocket thing.  If he was going to be on board with the whole cloth diapering, then they needed to be the All-In-Ones.  

So we decided that it was worth it to suck-up the extra $185 or so and go with the All-In-One, One-Sizes. I spent a lot of time looking for one-size, all-in-ones and they were definitely hard to find without pockets.

cottonbabies.com

We got a variety of each of the colors.  Here they are all pre-washed (5-times!!) and snapped and ready to go packed away in a dresser drawer below the changing pad, as well as a few others I have to find room for in there afterwards.  We ended up with 36 diapers total.  We did this based on the assumption that he would wear about 12 diapers a day and we would want to leave a few at daycare, plus we'd need some for him to wear while we washed the dirty ones.  It is probably waaaay more than we need but to us it seemed about right.  (By the way we got some totally cute free Baby Legs because we spent more than $100 - we ordered them in 3 different batches so as to spread out the cost)

We knew we'd need some wetbags, so we went with a big 'pail-size' one and a smaller travel-size one (Medium bag)  (Btw, that is not the pattern I intended to get I must have clicked the wrong one, but oh well, I'm over it and think this one is fine).  I think we'll need a bigger travel one.  We also still need to get a 'pail' for the bigger one to stay in his room.  (It's on the registry, just need that registry completion coupon!)

cottonbabies.com 

Cleaning the diapers, while I know it won't be the most desirable work, it is what it is and I think we can handle it.  We also are going to get the diaper sprayer (registry coupon!) that you can easily install on the toilet.  (Check out the Young House Love post above).  We also got some of the bumGenius detergent as well (thanks to the bulk pricing at cottonbabies) just because it's what we felt the most comfortable with for now.

cottonbabies.com 

 As you can see, Cotton Babies was our store of choice for most things.  They had the lowest prices that I could find and offered 12-packs of diapers which made for a price discount on the diapers.

We do have some disposables for the first few weeks of his life and/or until he fits into the cloth diapers.  We also are going to use disposable wipes too I think.  I am hoping that we are up to the task (otherwise we just spent a lot of money).  I am worried that we are missing something or may be over-looking something but I guess we'll figure that out as time goes on.

Anyone else doing cloth diapers?  What have you gotten so far?  Anything I'm forgetting?  Did your family look at you like you had 6 heads too?!?!?!

34 Week Update!

How far along? 34 weeks

How big is baby?  4.75 pounds/18 inches!  About the weight of a cantaloupe.

Weight gain? 32lbs

Symptoms? Exhaustion.  I cannot keep my eyes open!  Still some rib pain. Indigestion and heart burn this week.  Finger swelling.  My fingers are looking a little chubby and I cannot wear my rings depending on the time of day and what I've been doing.

Sleep?  Ok this week.  More pillows!

Food cravings? Love ice (so weird) and popsicles/freeze-pops

Movement? All over.  He is definitely rolling around in there a ton.

Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and maternity tops and some regular cardigans. 

What I am looking forward to? We should be getting our pictures back in the next day or so.  Really looking forward to seeing them.

What am I missing? We are going to a wedding this weekend and I think that might make me miss a glass of wine or 2 again.

Milestones? His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well.  Happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Other? Burp clothes and blankets were a bit too much for me all at once.  I will work on them a bit more gradually.  Also, here's a few shots of the play quilt I finished (added bonus of a few glimpses of the nursery).

Tips for Bringing Home Baby

I came across this post by Alexandra (aka Shortcake on Weddingbee), that I wanted to share and ask if anyone has any other great suggestions.

(I parsed it out a little, but give 100% credit to her)

• prepare everything, in advance.  Sure, you can run out and grab things as you need them, but those first couple of weeks can be mighty hard.  Give yourself a break and plan ahead!
• Wash, dry, and put sheets on your crib or bassinet.
• Set up your changing table or area with supplies.  Make sure you have at least one large box of newborn diapers, and a couple boxes of size one diapers.  If you are cloth diapering, make sure you have prepped (washed 4-5 times) your absorbent pieces (flats, prefolds, inserts, etc) in advance.  Even if you are using cloth, it's a good idea to have some disposables on hand for meconium poops, which can be difficult to wash out.
• Stock your fridge and freezer with easy-to-prepare meals.  Make sure you have essentials (milk, butter, eggs, cereal, pet food) on hand before you're due.  Freezer cooking is a great way to fill up and stock up!
• Arrange for someone to come and help you everyday, or stay with you, if possible.  Don't be afraid to ask for help!
• Sleep when the baby does.  I didn't do this - the temptation was too great to stay up and get things done. BUT, everyone will be happier and healthier with more sleep.  Sleep - just do it.
• Install the baby's car seat and have it inspected.
• If you have a dog, let the dog meet the baby outside of your home. 
• Be flexible - let go of any pre-conceived notions you may have about mothering. Be willing to learn from those who have been there. At the same time, trust your instincts - motherhood is scarily instinctual, and you'll know your baby best!
• Write down every pee, poo, and feeding (and side if you're breastfeeding) for the first two months.  This will help you see patterns, as well as if your baby is getting enough to eat.  This information is invaluable if you need medical assistance or breastfeeding advice!

Did you receive any other advice that you think is share worthy or anything that you found was important when you came home?