Thursday, July 30, 2009

She's Here...

Baby A is here. She was born last Friday via c-section. She is a sweet baby. I still cannot get over how big she was. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Here are a few pictures of her in her first few days of life. Big A and Little A are getting used to having a little sister. Big A loves to play mommy junior. She is so proud that she has a sister. Nursing is going fairly well. It has been so hot here in the Pacific Northwest that just to make sure that Baby A is getting enough I have supplemented a little with a few ounces of formula here and there when she is still hungry and I don't have anymore of my own milk. I am careful to only do this as a last resort because I for sure don't want it to interfere with my milk production. I sure hope she is getting enough though.

Baby A is a sweet baby. Although, in the hospital she quickly got a reputation with her screaming and crying. Baby A loves to be held and since she is my last baby I am probably indulging her a little too much.

I am doing okay. I am still very swollen from all of the fluids from the surgery. I was really hoping it would be gone by now, especially in my feet. The swelling is uncomfortable and rather painful too. If you have any suggestions for reducing swelling please post a comment.

Oh you can see my hospital gown in one of the pictures. It worked out really well.
1 week old

Hospital crib

Big brother and Big sister checking her out

Big A holding Baby A

3 days old

Mama who is a little out of it

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

New Fluff: Just in time for Baby A



Just less than three days until my c-section. This amazing four pound package of fluff arrived in the mail today. I am just so delighted by cloth diapers. It is pretty funny. I ordered 11 newborn/medium diapers and 4 medium/large pocket diapers from Sassy Pants Diapers. The gal who makes them is just so nice and the quality is unsurpassed by any of the major brands that I have tried. The stitching is near perfect on every diaper. I was able to get some different color combos this time around. I love the browns and pinks together. These are all pocket diapers. They are not one size, but come in adjustable sizes newborn through medium and medium to large. Most of the diapers that I purchased have an inner velour layer that is so soft to the touch, some of a micro fabric which is also soft, but not as luxurious as the velour.

I think we are done purchasing diapers for a while. This will make my stash pretty complete especially if I can use all of them when this baby girl is in size medium. I would use the first size with nothing snapped and the second size with them snapped as small as they go. I am hoping that works out.

What is your favorite cloth diaper? These are mine. I am so excited to try them with this little baby in a week or two. For my older kids the medium/large seems to fit better than some of the other brands that are one size, especially with the snaps. I have found that I prefer snaps, which is a surprise. I still ordered a few hook and loop closure diapers for baby A because I think they will work out better in the beginning when she is so little. We will see. I am thinking we will save these beauties for a little while until her yucky poops are gone. I don't want to stain them and honestly we bought some hybrid diapers for the beginning or Gdiapers with biodegradable disposable inserts and then a package or two of newborn Huggies with Organic Cotton. I know they are not the best, but I think it will work out the best for our family situation in the beginning. We will see.

My laundry room sink is in. I will try to post pictures in the next few days. I am very excited to have a sink in the laundry room, especially with cloth diapering. This will be so much easier than using the bathroom sink (of course I will still use the toilet to dump the dump first), but to soak or scrub the diapers I am going to experiment with the laundry room sink and a tub. We will see. :) At least now I will be able to strip the diapers when needed.

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful summer day!

Jen D.

All the new fluff


The inside and outside of a bright coral PUL cover and yellow velor inside. I love it and I thought I was taking a huge risk in ordering the color combo.



Light Blue Small/Med PUL with brown velor... inside view and outside view.



Brown Hook and Loop Closure Diapers (it is hard to tell, but the inner fabric colors are pink, blue, brown velor and then one white micro-fabric). These are all in the smaller size.

Friday, July 10, 2009

I am still here...still pregnant...

Yes, I am still pregnant. I am sorry for not updating my blog in almost a month. I was so good for a while. I have been struggling with the last weeks of pregnancy and it is difficult to think of something blog worthy to write.
Here are some of the things that I have been working on or thinking about:(sorry the pictures are not the greatest...it was the lighting.)

Nursing/Handmade Nursing Cover Up
I made a nursing cover up out some fabulous new fabric and was actually able to make a few burp clothes to go with it. I am a little nervous about this because with my other two pregnancies I was not able to make enough milk to sustain my kids, I have always had to supplement. I am hoping and praying this time I will make enough milk and even have a tea to try that my friend swears by. We will see. I want to be realistically optimistic. I was devastated the with Big A when I couldn’t solely nurse and spend seven months with a crazy rigorous feeding schedule of nursing, feeding bottle of pumped milk from previous pumping session, feeding a few ounces of formula (yes three bottles) and then pumping again after the feeding. It was too much to do with my second so I would just nurse and supplement little a with formula. I know breast milk is best, but when you have tried everything to make it work and it is not, thank God there is such thing as formula. I would prefer for my body to work as it is supposed to, but it has failed me so many times…I must be realistic. The positives: at least there is formula, the baby can thrive off of it and it is readily available. The negatives: formula is not as good as breast milk for the baby, formula doesn’t help shed the unwanted pregnancy pounds, the cost of formula is very high compared to free breast milk, it is not as convenient when you have to wash bottles, prep formula, make sure you have it with you everywhere, formula stains, formula smells, formula diapers stink more and have to be rinsed before washing (if you are using cloth). Anyways, there is the list. I am hopeful, but at the same time know that I have struggled with this in the past…I am not sure what would change with the third pregnancy, but maybe…do you think?


Two Weeks and Counting Down
Although, I have been trying to stay distracted and busy so I don’t think about how much I want this little girl out of me, I am still counting down. There are things that I want to finish before she gets here, but I would be so happy if she came right now. My c-section is scheduled for two weeks from today. I hope I don’t make it that long, but I am not the one in charge.
I decided to sew my own maternity gown, but I am a little stuck on it now. I have not followed a pattern in two decades so it is a little difficult to know what to do with things like interfacing and what not. It is all cut out, but I don’t have the interfacing and I am not sure if it’s a must or not. We will see. I’ll post pictures when I am done, that is assuming I finish it.

Balance
I have been trying to balance things in my life. I don’t have a lot of balance right now. I struggle with it and that is one reason I am excited to be going back to work sixty percent, it helps create some sort of balance and order in my crazy life. Right now balance is particularly difficult to achieve because of the crazy hormones, waiting for this baby to decide if she is coming early or not, it is summer and things are a little out of routine due to that, both the hubby and I are home (we both teach) for the summer (this is good in many ways and also creates some problems in other ways), my three year old is still toilet training resistant (honestly, I am tempted to just put her back in disposable diapers and forget it…I have never met a more stubborn child in my life or a more difficult task and I am a teacher), my son will be two in a few weeks (need I remind you about the terrible twos), and my life and body are out of my control. I don’t know if you can achieve balance without some measure of control. It is an interesting thought to ponder.

Well I have a few ideas for posts in the next few days. I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful weekend.

Jen D.