Sunday, October 23, 2011

Smartipants Cloth Diaper Review


I was recently given the opportunity to try out a Smartipants cloth diaper. When first looking at the diaper it looked a lot like all my other cloth diapers. However the first time I used it I found out this diaper had a ton of really cool unique features! For one, this diaper eliminates the need to pull out yucky wet inserts before throwing them in the wash. An wide open pocket both in front and back allow the insert to agitate out of the diaper in the washer. How awesome is that? Next, and probably my favorite feature, is the inside of the diaper is lined with a super soft stay dry material. That means no more struggling to stuff inserts against sticky PUL. The insert slides smoothly over the soft fabric that completely incases the insert. I also loved that Smartipants has a sewed on name tag on the insert. I know some people don't care which insert goes with which diaper but I always like to place the inserts which the exact diapers they came with and after collecting more than a couple different brands it gets harder to match them up. Smartipants makes it easy by labeling their inserts.



I do have to mentionb a couple “cons” or things that didn’t necessarily fit our family the best. While the option to not remove the insert before laundering is wonderful for some, I don’t mind doing it and would rather only have one open pocket in the diaper. That way I don’t have to make sure the insert is tucked in both the front and in back. The Smartipants diaper boasts “gentle stretch elastic” and while I love that this is one of the few diapers that doesn’t leave a reddish ring around my son’s chunky thighs I do wish that the fit was a little bit more snug. I haven’t had a leak yet with these diapers but it feels loose enough that it might happen at some point.


All in all I really like this diaper. It fits snugly but comfortably around my son's waist and it has some unique features that other diapers in my stash do not have.

If you would like to check out these diapers and purchase one for yourself go to www.smartipants.com.

This is definitely a diaper you'll want to add to your stash!


Thursday, September 8, 2011

A tear jerker to read to the kids =)

So I just HAD to share this with you! Ian and I just went to the library and borrowed this book. "Oh My Baby, Little One"...omg so cute! This book is a great read for anyone but especially those single working mamas <3 This book is about a mom who tells her "little one" how her love for him stays with him all day while he's at school. And how her love for him stays with her all day while she's at work. This book made me cry while I read it to Ian. I am a stay at home mom but my mother was a single working mom and so I can relate. I also books that rhyme and this one has a smooth flow to it. So check it out at your local library too, you won't be disappointed. P.S. I read one page to my mom over the phone and got her all teary eyed too!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Time for Solids!


Well it's almost that time. I've bought my Baby Bullet food processor and now I'm just waiting for that magic 6 month mark to introduce Ian to the wonderful world of food. I must admit I'm getting a little sad =( So far my beautiful baby boy hasn't eaten anything except his momma's milk. Though I hated breastfeeding for the first month or so I've come to really enjoy and look forward to our special nursing time. It's the time of the day when my rolly polly 5.5 month old will sit still long enough for me to cuddle him, stare into his eyes and comb my fingers through his soft baby hair. I often catch myself humming him a tune while I rock back and forth and pat his little bottom. The starting of solids means the inevitable weaning from nursing. Am I ready?? I don't think so. Just stay my sweet newborn a little longer won't you.
I am however very excited to see his face when he gets his first taste of something sweet, something sour or salty =) I love watching him experience new things so here goes....
Goodbye mustard yellow breastmilk poo, hello stinky brown solid food poo. Goodbye milk drunk face, hello messy orange carrot face =)
Letting your baby grow up is hard.


"Oh my baby, little one,
the hardest thing I do
is hold you tight, then let you go,
and walk away from you."
-Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Teething Bites!

Little man is teething...I see a little white bud under those cute pink gummy gums. He's a lot more fussy than usual but he has his good days. So far we've tried, teething tablets (fail!), amber necklace (fail!...though he does look super cute in it) and tylenol (Ding Ding Ding we have a WINNER!) He loves chewing on our fingers or anything else he can get in his mouth. He's able to hold on to toys a lot better so we've been giving him frozen teethers. He loves them. He also loves frozen washcloths. So mama's if your baby is still too little to hold on to toys try soaking a clean wash cloth and putting it in the freezer. They are able to hold onto blankets and towels a lot faster than hard toys =) Anyways we're getting through it. I'll keep you updated on tooth watch!
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I'm Pregnant! Me!!

I'm pregnant!
Yes Me.
Inside me right now is a mixture of me and my wonderful husband.

We had felt defeated. We went to see an infertility specialist.
I was given all the necessary antibiotics and such that I would need to take before a scary test called the "HSG".
Basically they were going to insert a catheter into my uterus with a blue dye that would run through my fallopian tubes and let them see whether they were blocked or not.
Sounds painful...it is.
I was instructed to wait until my next period started and then call in to make my appointment.
What harm could continuing to "babydance" do in the meantime?
I went ahead and took my ovulation test, it was positive on cycle day 14, as usual.
Hubby and I babydanced, as usual.
And I began my two week wait, as usual.
Then came the day my old Aunt Flow was suppose to visit, as usual.
She was late.
I've always been very regular, it was 10:30p and she still hadn't arrived.
I felt no cramping like I usually do....
Should I waste yet ANOTHER test? Why not...
Dipped the stick in the pee cup...finished up, wiped, flushed, looked.....Oh...my...gosh!
I'm seeing double..
*blinks*
Still seeing double!!
I'm pregnant.
*crying*
I'm pregnant right now at this very moment.
I shoved the still wet pee strip in the pocket of my hoodie and ran to the living room where I knew a board game of Scrabble was under the coffee table.
I spread the pieces out and looked for just the right letters.
"Neil, love? Wanna play a quick game of Scrabble?"
He won't resist, he loves Scrabble.
We sit down on the living room floor and he notices I've already late out a few words.
He reads them silently.
"I AM PREGNANT"
There is a positive pregnancy test underneath.
Neil: "Is that real?"
Me: *choking back tears* "Yes."
We're Pregnant!!!!

I rent a doppler at 7 weeks...it arrives when I'm 7 weeks 6 days....no heartbeat detected.
Heart sinks
This can't be happening again. (we'd had a miscarriage last year so I knew all too well that a positive test didn't always equal a baby)
I try again the next day....I'm 8 weeks...I'm still....I listen....*whoosh whoosh whoosh*
My baby!!!!!!

First prenatal appointment at 10 weeks 4 days. I listened to the heartbeat this morning before the appointment. Heartbeat was nice and strong. 180 bpm. I'm still a nervous wreck!
Ultrasound probe inserted...awkward...uncomfortable....FORGOTTEN....THERE IS MY BABY!!!!
*LOVE*
Baby is measuring right on track.

19 week appointment. We're going to find out if it's a boy or a girl! Baby is measuring perfect. Dr. says baby is very photogenic! I'm a really proud mama! Scrolling down....omg there it is! I see it before the dr. tells me. A little peter wiener!
I'm having a little boy!
Neil is thrilled!
We call everyone on the way home, everyone guessed girl but they were wrong. Neil and I guessed boy, we know our little love better than anyone!

We have two baby showers. Everyone is so happy for us. They know how long we've wanted to be parents. They know how hard it was for us to lose our first pregnancy. They know how monumental this is and how much we appreciate being given this chance. They shower us with love.

I take weekly videos and pictures documenting every moment of this miracle.

The nursery is ready. The hospital bag and diaper bag are packed and by the door. I'm having lower back pain and braxton hicks all the time. My due date is next week! You could be here any day little one. My heart feels like it's going to explode because I love you so much all ready. Any time I feel scared that something could still go wrong...even this late in the game, you give me a strong *thump*...."everything is okay mommy, I'm still packing and getting ready for my trip....by the way...I gotta come outta where?!?"

See you soon little one! xoxo

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Why the heck are you cloth diapering!?!

So almost every friend and family member asked us why we ended up choosing to cloth diaper our son. I'll admit at first I thought it was gross. The thought of cleaning mucky yellow sticky baby poo off of fuzzy material just made me cringe. The first time I ever saw a cloth diaper on a baby, it was huge and (to me) unattractive. Why oh why would anyone choose this?
When I became pregnant with my son I started making weekly vlogs about my pregnancy. I met a lot of really sweet moms on youtube who were also making ttc, pregnancy and mommy vlogs. Some of them became interested in cloth diapering and made videos about it. After watching them show off all the different kinds of cloth diapering and even a few videos on "A Day In The Life Of A Cloth Diapering Mom" I got to see what it was REALLY like. It wasn't hard at all. It looked (call me crazy) kind of fun even! Not to mention when I first saw a FuzziBunz diaper....omgoodness can we say CUTE!?! So once I was totally convinced that cloth diapering was something I just had to try I had to convince my husband....here were the reasons I gave him:

1. Cloth diapering saves money (yepp hit them where it matters ladies, the wallet! haha) So far we've spent way more than necessary because I've become addicted but I think you could easily spend between $100-$200 if you went with prefolds and covers...(less if you buy second hand) as opposed to $2000-$3000 on disposables...OUCH! And that's per child....with cloth diapers they'll last you subsequent children too....SCORE! (So far we've spent about $650 including wetbags, pail liners, diaper sprayer, WAY more diapers than necessary and diaper accessories)

2. It's better for the environment...we're not adding any waste to landfills...Go Us!

3. They are SOOOOOO cute!! I actually enjoy changing my son's diaper because it's a chance to pick out a new color. It's also fun to coordinate with his outfits...or let him run around in a tshirt and his dipe...he still looks put together.

In the end it comes down to what works best for your family. For some families that is and always will be disposable diapers..and that's okay. But if you're interested in cloth diapering there are so many different options to choose from I'm sure you can find the perfect fit for your family. Cloth diapering is just as easy as disposables once you jump in there and start doing it. It does seem overwhelming at first but YOU CAN DO IT...if you want to =)

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I did say it was addictive didn't I?
Since this photo was taken I have added two LovelyPocketDiapers...one black FuzziBunz diaper and one Charlie Banana diaper.
In this photo are FuzziBunz, BumGenius, Happy Heinys, ComfyRumps, BestBottoms, Rumparooz, & Thirsties.