Cooper's Mommy

The Birth of Emma Marie

2011-10-30T22:57:00.001-04:00

I have a lot of regrets regarding Cooper's birth. Mainly the interventions I allowed that ultimately led to an emergency c-section. With Emma, I wanted to do things differently. I wanted as few interventions as possible, and I wanted to have a drug-free VBAC. Things didn't exactly turn out how I had planned.

Sunday, October 16th I woke up having contractions. No big deal. I had been having (& whining about) them for weeks. Cooper and I went to lunch with my parents, and the contractions continued. We then went to Walmart to get some groceries. After walking around Walmart for 30 minutes I was pretty sure I was in labor. I called home to wake up Jerry (who works 3rd shift) & let him know he probably wouldn't be working that night. We took a walk when I got home, and the contractions continued. I timed them & they were about 4 minutes apart but not particularly painful. Jerry wanted to go to he hospital (an hour away). I knew it was too early but agreed to call my doctor & let her know what was going on. She wanted me to come in. I didn't want to but I figured I would just get sent home anyway so we left for the hospital. At this time I'm still not in much pain.

We got to the hospital about 8 PM. I get put on monitors, and my contractions are now 2-3 minutes apart. And then they checked me. 1.5 centimeters. Yep, that's right. ONLY 1.5 with contractions 2-3 minutes apart. I was not happy but figured oh well, they will watch me for an hour and send me home. I'm hungry anyway. At the end of that hour I was 3 cm. They decided to keep me. No food for me I guess. While my doctor was checking me she thought she felt something below baby's head. She thought it was the cord. Cooper's c-section was caused by a prolapsed cord (every time I mentioned this to a nurse her eyes grew to 3x their normal size). I was terrified. But she concluded, after feeling more (this hurt. a lot.) that it was her hand.

Laboring on the birth ball

We got moved to a room and settled in. (and then we moved rooms but that's not important) In my new room my nurse had a birth ball waiting for me per my request. My contractions were getting more intense at this point but still very manageable as long as I didn't lay down in bed. I had asked for the mobile monitors so I could walk but by the time they were hooked up I was too tired for walking. I sat on my birth ball and was quite content there for most of my labor. Baby was very high so I was trying to bring her down.

Fast forward to the next morning. My doctor comes to check on me. She checks me and I'm progressing, just slowly (I think I was like 6 cm) but baby was still very high. I had been on Spinning Babies trying everything I could to bring her down. She just wasn't moving. So I keep laboring, but we were worried about baby's size and if she was going to fit. My doctor comes back around 11 AM. The baby is HIGHER than the night before. We are all a little irritated with Emma. We talk about it and decide we have 2 options: go ahead and do a c-section or try a little pitocin to see if she will come down. I was very against pitocin because it increases the risk of uterine rupture. The doctor left and let Jerry and I discuss our options. We decided to try the pitocin (slowly) to give us the best possible chance at a vaginal birth.

Kissing Cooper right before surgery

With the pitocin my contractions definitely got stronger. They were a little painful now but I felt like I was dealing well. I sat on my birth ball and groaned through them. If I tried to be quiet the contractions were much more painful. I didn't need any of the tennis balls, rice socks, or massagers I had brought. My doctor came back when we reached the highest we were willing to go with the pitocin. She checked me. 8 cm and baby was just as high and her hand was on top of her head. A c-section was going to happen. I was very upset. She did check me again in the OR just to make sure there was no change. There wasn't. I was prepped for surgery. Including a horrendous spinal block that had me crying for my husband. After I was numb and draped, they finally let him in. Then the surgery started. This is where things get a little fuzzy in places. Some things I remember vividly and some things not so much. I remember some pulling and tugging. I was terrified of how I would feel about that prior to the surgery (I didn't feel anything with Cooper) but it really didn't bother me. I knew it was just my doctor bringing my baby to me. Then I heard "Oh my goodness this baby is huge Keshia!" (from my doctor). More pulling and tugging then she asks if we want a picture of her coming out (I did but was unsure if my squeamish husband could do it without passing out.) I remember asking why she wasn't crying. (It was because only her head was out) Then the rest of her came out and I heard her sweet cry! All I could say was "she's here! she's here!" Poor Jerry had to sit down a minute after taking my birth pictures for me before he could go to the baby.

Cooper holding his baby sister for the first time

He was making sure she latched right ;)

Then the doctor told me what would make me think about my second c-section in a completely different way. She said "I had to move her hand and the cord out from in front of your cervix." That's right. We were well on our way to another prolapsed cord. If my water had broken, Emma would have been in the same serious situation Cooper had been. I am so, so thankful we decided to have the c-section when we did. I wanted my VBAC so badly, but I wanted my little girl to be safe so much more. And she is. All 9 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches of her!

Emma Marie
October 17, 2011 12:57 PM
9 lbs 3 oz 21 inches long

Endless Labor

2011-10-15T22:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am still pregnant. And, no, I am not happy about it. If one more person tells me I need to be patient I will scream. I am tired, and this is getting old.

I had an appointment with my OB Wednesday. I was 1cm dilated. That is better than the 0 that I was last week so I was a little encouraged. A couple hours after my appointment, I started having contractions. These contractions steadily got stronger and closer through the day, much different than my usual contractions. Usually they start at 6pm in the evenings, stay all night, and then space back out around sunrise. So having consistent contractions through the day got my hopes up. Thursday morning came and the contractions were exactly the same. Thay have stayed exactly the same since. Yep, that's 4 days (and nights) of contractions 10 minutes apart. With no baby to show for it. I'm incredibly annoyed. Also? Today is my due date. I know its not an expiration date and yada yada yada but combined with the endless labor its salt in my wounds. Yes I'm whining. But its my blog and I can whine if I want to. If you would like to see more whining, feel free to check out my Twitter feed. There's plenty of whining going on over there. Especially since its seems like EVERYONE in my Twitterverse has given either birth or congratulated someone else who has this week. Ok, end rant. I'm off to contract and try to get some rest.

The Waiting (& Whining) Game

2011-10-03T08:29:00.002-04:00

I am now 38.5 weeks pregnant with baby Emma. She's turning out to be quite the little booger. First she decided at 26 weeks to try to come. Thankfuly she didn't, but I've had contractions ever since, which makes for a very uncomfortable 12.5 weeks. Then yesterday morning she stopped moving at a time when she is usually very active. After 2 glasses of very sweet tea and half a can of Dr. Pepper (which I hate), still no movement. So off to the hospital (an hour away) we go to check on her. She had a few tiny pokes on the way there, but it was still very unlike her and needed to hear her heartbeat. As soon as they put her on the monitors she started kicking like crazy. She hates those monitors so that didn't surprise me. Her heartbeat was "perfect and reactive" and they said she looked great. The OB on call, who I happen to love, said the same thing had happened to her, so I felt better. Still, I didn't feel too bad about it. Better safe than sorry.

And now the whining: My contractions have been playing with my emotions all week. I've been sure I was going into labor atleast 3 times this week, and then they fizzle out. Since I never expected to make it to 36 weeks, I now feel 2 weeks overdue. That makes those episodes of fake labor even more frustrating. I'm so so ready to not be pregnant anymore. So now I wait for Emma to get ready, and hope that its soon! :)

I'm so excited for birth this time. And not just because I want her out. I'm prepared. I WANT natural childbirth (yes, I'm VBACing since Cooper was a c-section). With Cooper I just expected to get an epidural as soon as possible. I never even considered going naturally. I can't wait to hold her and nurse her. Cooper is just as excited as I am to get her out. He literally begs me almost daily to "let her out." Oh, how I wish I could son.

Big Milestone for Baby Emma

2011-09-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today Emma hit 35 weeks gestation. If she was born today, the chances she could breathe all on her own are very good. There was a time when I didn't know if we would make it to 30 weeks so I'm pretty excited about 35. I've still got some things to do and buy before her arrival. I'd like her to wait atleast a couple more weeks, but thinking about her coming now is a lot less scary than it was at 26 weeks, when she was just barely viable.

I only have one more progesterone shot and I'm pretty excited about that. The medicine is very thick which means a big needle. The shot doesn't bother me too much though; its the 3 days of soreness and 5-6 days of itching that gets to me. But if they are the reason Emma has stayed put, then I am thankful for the soreness and itching. I still have contractions almost constantly. Most of the time they stay pretty irregular, but there are times they get pretty close and regular. The closest they have gotten was 2-3 minutes apart and they stayed that way for a couple hours. I went to the L&D floor to get everything checked out and stop them if needed, but not long after we got there they slowed down to the irregular ones I had been having for 2 months. Some of them can be quite painful, but most are only slightly uncomfortable. Its like being in very early labor for 2.5 months. I believe active labor will be a nice change when it arrives.

Then there is the issue of knowing when it is real labor and not these that I've been having. Usually the rule is when they get to 3-5 minutes and stay that way for an hour you go to the hospital. Well, been there, done that and more and it wasn't labor. It will be interesting to see how that plays out since we live over an hour from the hospital. Hopefully I don't ignore them for too long thinking its nothing.

I have an ultrasound scheduled for next Friday to check size and position. Maybe I will remember to post those pictures!

Wordless Wednesday: 33.5 Weeks Pregnant

2011-08-31T22:25:00.000-04:00

Baby Be Blessed

2011-08-06T17:25:00.003-04:00

Until about a year ago I had never heard of Baby Be Blessed, but I quickly fell in love with their dolls. They are hand-sewn, personalized, and each features a "scripture patch" on its belly. Every Friday (including this Friday) they do what they call "Yay...Free Friday!" They have a giveaway on their blog for one of thier awesome dolls! This is how I got a doll for Cooper. I won one!

A couple weeks ago they posted a code on Facebook for a discount. And I knew I needed to order Emma's doll soon if it was going to be here in time for her impending arrival. The plan is for Cooper to bring it to her at the hospital when he meets her. I'd like to share with you the verse we chose for Emma's doll. It seemed very appropriate for her.

"O Lord, You alone are my hope. I've trusted You, O Lord from childhood. Yes,
You have been with me from birth; from my mother's womb You have cared for me.
No wonder I am always praising You! My life is an example to many, because You
have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising You;
I declare Your glory all day long." -Psalm 71:5-8

Wordless Wednesday: 28 Weeks

2011-07-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

Baby Emma: An Update

2011-07-27T03:41:00.004-04:00

I had an appointment with my OB yesterday, to check my cervical length and do another fetal fibronection (fFN). She did the swab and asked about my contractions, all the while wearing the same worried look she had had ever since all this started almost 3 weeks ago. My contractions come and go, but for the past 2 days or so they have been increasingly painful, and I feel like I'm having a small panic attack during them (even the ones that don't hurt). I just can't breathe. With some of the smaller ones this is what alerts me to the fact I'm having one. Not long after the contraction is over the feeling goes away and I can breathe again. Still, its not a pleasant feeling. I mentioned this to her, and she said it was not unheard of and not something I should worry about. Whew, one less thing to worry about!

After I had my lovely shot, we proceeded to the ultrasound room. A cervical length measurement is taken best by vaginal ultrasound. Thankfully, this doesn't take long. While she was taking my cervical length she mentioned "oh, her head is right there." I immediately perked up and said "huh?? her head?? Are you sure?!" She said yes she thought was her head. Then we switched to the regular ultrasound to take quick a look at baby. Sure enough, Emma had finally gotten her head down where its supposed to be! She's not breech anymore!! I would have done a happy dance if I knew it would cause more contractions! After fighting with a very wiggly baby to get what she needed to see, the ultrasound was over and we went to my doctors office to wait to talk about the findings with her.

She came into the room reading my chart. I saw the worried look melt off her face when she read the ultrasound results. My cervix was 3.9 cm!! That is awesome! She even gave me a high five. She said she was "very reassured" and I could tell she was. Pending my fFN results which should be in sometime today, everything is stable right now. She also stated she was really doubtful that the fFN would be positive with my cervix looking this good.

Before I started taking the progesterone shots my contractions were shortening my cervix. Since I've been on the shot, yes I am still having contractions, but they don't seem to be affecting my cervix! I think that a positive result! So now I just keep taking the shots, and we monitor my cervical length and fFN. Its a waiting game, but atleast its looking a lot more positive now!

My Daughter is Making Me a Liar

2011-07-17T19:08:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't noticed, I kind of suck at updating the blog in a timely manner. So again, if you want more timely updates, you can check my Twitter. A link is over there >>

Moving on, I went to the doctor last Monday, and she did a repeat cervical length by ultrasound. It was 4.6 and the funneling (where it was trying to open) was gone. This is a good thing!! However, I kept having the contractions off and on. Since I was still having contractions and my cervix is changing so much, my doctor and I decided it would be best if I start taking progesterone shots once a week. This is to help prevent preterm labor. I recieved the first one in the office on Tuesday and I go back this Tuesday for the second. I am going to try to give them to myself at home so I don't have to drive the hour to my doctor's office every week, but we will see how that goes. I'm not a fan of self-inflicted pain.

Wednesday night the contractions got a little to close for comfort so I decided to go to the hospital, just to make sure. And of course they stopped right after we got there. Emma looked good on the monitor, despite hating them and trying to kick them off the entire time. My cervix was closed, so they sent me home.

Last night (Saturday night) the contractions got very close, and very painful. They were 3-5 minutes apart and I was terrified. After attempting to make them go away by hydrating, I called the nurse on call and was told to go to the hospital right then. So we left. It takes an hour to get there. About half way there I noticed the contractions had slowed down significantly and they weren't near as painful. I called the nurse back and she said to still go. So we did. Once we got there we had to wait for them to get a room ready. While we were waiting, they stopped completely. So once again, after making sure Emma was looking ok, I was sent home.

This is a very frustrating waiting game. The contractions come and go, mostly coming at night. Most of the time they don't really hurt and stay atleast 10 minutes apart. I am hoping for no more trips to the hospital. We will see if she cooperates. The good news is the contractions are stopping on their own with no drugs. This is a good sign. I'm still a little annoyed that they only stop after we go to the hospital. That is going to get very expensive very fast. But I'd rather go and they go away than not go and it be real preterm labor. So, the short story is, now we wait. But, for now, things are pretty stable.

Emma is Being Difficult

2011-07-10T14:35:00.004-04:00

This pregnancy is proving to be all around more difficult that Cooper's. Not only does she not cooperate during ultrasounds, now she's trying to scare Mommy to death too.

Thursday night I started having contractions. This went on for about 2 hours when I finally decided it was time to go to the hospital. (I talked to the nurse on call after it had been going on for an hour and she told me a few more things to try and stop them before I went.) About halfway to the hospital, they stopped. So I came home. So sense paying an ER visit for no reason. But I did call my doctor the next day to see if she wanted to see me, and she did.

Friday afternoon I went to the OB's office. She said asked about the frequency of the contractions and movement of the baby (No problems with movement. She's a wiggle worm like her brother, although not quite as much). Then she said that there were 2 tests she'd like to do that would give us a better idea of what's happening, measure my cervical length on ultrasound and do a fetal fibronectin test (from here on out referred to as fFN). My cervical length ended up being shorter than they'd like. It was 2.8 cm when they'd like it to be over 3 cm. Because of this she put me on modified bedrest over the weekend. The fFN test took a little while to get the results. But I was having contractions Friday night and had to call the nurse on call. She had the report and told me it had been negative (a good sign). We also saw during the ultrasound that Emma is still breech. That means if I do have to deliver, it will be a c-section unless she decides to flip.

So for now I am still on bedrest. I've been having contractions off and on all weekend, but nothing bad. They've stayed pretty far apart and are very mild. I go back to the doctor next week to check my cervical length again and that will probably decide what comes next. If you want more frequent updates (or want to hear how bored I am) you can follow me on Twitter. I'll try not to whine too much ;)

Yo' Drops and Ecomom Review & Giveaway!!

2011-07-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I was sent Yo'Drops by Revolution Foods to review from Ecomom. Mommy and Cooper both love them! Cooper loves them because they taste so good! (Yep, I tried them, too!) They are tangy like yogurt but crunchy like crackers! Sounds weird but it really is a great combo. I love them because they are relatively mess-free and super convenient. Also? They are made with REAL ingredients! I can pronounce everything on the ingredient list! If you've looked at the ingredients in any of your child's snacks recently you know how rare that is.

At night, Cooper gets to watch cartoons before bed, and Mommy gets some computer time. He usually asks for a snack around this time. Most of the time he eats his snack before we head to the bed but the other night he asked while we were already in bed.

The Yo'Drops had just come that day so I thought why not try them. He can't make a terrible mess with these, right? Wrong. Within 5 minutes they were poured out on my bed. Really it wasn't heard to clean up though, and he loved them. I'm sold :)

Want to try some yourself? They retail at Ecomom for $3.99 or...

You could win a $15 gift certificate to ecomom.com right here!!

Mandatory Entry

*Follow Cooper's Mommy on GFC and then go visit ecomom.com and let me know what you'd like to try!

Extra Entries

*Like Ecomom on Facebook and thank them for the giveaway

*Follow Ecomom on Twitter

*Follow me on Twitter

*Tweet about this giveaway including a link back to this post

*Sign up for the Ecomom Daily Deal Newletter

*Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry! This giveaway will end at midnight EST on July 18th and I will announce the winner the next day! Please leave your email address in your mandatory entry so I can contact you if you win!

I was not compensated to do this review. I received product to form my opinion and only product. These opinions are my own and honest.

And Baby Number 2 is....

2011-05-30T15:48:00.006-04:00

...a baby GIRL!!

And this baby girl is a very uncooperative little girl already! She let us see that she is a girl, but wouldn't be still long enough to actually get the picture of her lady parts. Maybe this is a good thing though.... ;)

She also wouldn't let us get any of the cute profile shots. Only these creepy, alien-baby face shots. She sure is a cute little alien though!

But since she was so uncooperative, we get to go back in a few weeks for another ultrasound! The sonographer got all the pictures she needed expect some of her mouth and nose (to check for cleft lip and palate). So we go back in a few weeks to check that. And we get to see her again. Maybe this baby girl is smarter than I thought! :)

Making a Black & White Photo with a Little Color in Photoshop Elements

2011-05-15T19:34:00.003-04:00

This tutorial is for @theleakysippy, but maybe others will find it useful too!
As a disclaimer, I don't claim to be an expert and there is probably a better way to do this, but this is fairly easy for me :)

First, here is my picture open in Photoshop Elements 8. I do any cropping, color, and lighting adjustments now.

Then I select the part I want to keep colored with the quick selection tool. (see the red arrow) It helps me to use the Refine Edges tool at the top right above the picture. It helps you see exactly what you have selected and smooth out the edges.

After you are happy with your selection, click Select (at the red arrow) and then Inverse (sorry it wouldn't let me do a screen shot with the menu open) This selects everything you don't have selected, or the part that will be black & white.

After you have the inverse selected, click Enhance (red arrow) and then Convert to Black & White

After that just push Ctrl + D to deselect everything and you're done!

The Post Where I Talk about Breastfeeding (Again)

2011-04-04T20:02:00.002-04:00

I don't think I've mentioned here since my long hiatus a while ago that Cooper was still a nursling. Yes, I breastfed a 2 year old. I could give you links to research and quotes from experts that back this up, but I won't. We'll just leave it at it was what was best for our family. Ideally I had wanted him to self-wean, for him to decide himself when he was ready to let go of that. However, since I've been pregnant I've noticed a steady decline in my milk supply. To the point where a couple weeks ago I noticed I couldn't even express one tiny drop. I don't know if any of you moms have ever tried nursing when the milk has dried up, but it hurts. Alot. Coupled with the breast tenderness from pregnancy and I almost wanted to scream when he nursed. He has been down to about 2 nursings a day for a while now, in the morning as he wakes up and at night to go to sleep. Sometimes he has a 2 minute snack or 2 during the day if he gets hurt or something. Several times the past few weeks he has fallen asleep with out nursing or woken up and just wanted to get up without nursing. I knew he was headed for weaning, but since it hurt so bad, I knew for my sanity I needed to encourage him a little. So we had a talk about how Momma's boobas (that's what he calls them & nursing) had to stop making milk since he was a big boy now. I was careful not to mention this was because of his baby brother or sister, because I don't want to make him mad at the baby. Thursday night was the last time he nursed. He has handled it quite well! I didn't expect it to be this easy at all. The first day or so he asked for it and when I said there is no milk he whined a little, but there hasn't been any all out screaming like I expected. 2 mornings ago he woke up and said "Momma I need bo- I need a drink." He caught himself. I thought it was precious. It has taken him longer to fall asleep without nursing but he does fall asleep and that is comforting. I am confident since it has gone so smoothly he really was ready and I didn't force him into it. He just needed a little encouragement! When we discussed that fact that there was no milk we also discussed having a small party for him when he stopped getting booba and call it a "big boy party." He seems quite excited for it and it will probably be this weekend. I will post pictures sometime next week!

Making Educated Choices

2011-03-28T19:44:00.003-04:00

In light of recent revisions in the AAP's recommendations for child restraints, I have been involved in and seen some debates over this issue. I think the research is clear on what is better, the longer the child can stay rear-facing, the better. If you watch the crash tests on YouTube, the evidence clearly favors this stance. Some believe this is "impractical." Personally, I don't care how impractical it is if it keeps my baby safer. Another choice I believe in getting educated in is birth, specifically having labor induced. There are certainly reasons to be induced, but having a big baby is NOT one of them. Those estimates can be off by a lot, and for most, the risks outweigh the benefits. I know by 37/38 weeks you are tired of being pregnant and just want the baby out. Trust me I've been there. My doctor suggested inducing and I was all for it. I wanted him out, and I trusted my doctor. I shouldn't have. The pitocin made my contractions almost unbearable. They were very close together, with no breaks between them. Then she broke my water and shortly after Cooper's cord prolapsed and we were racing to save his life. Maybe if I had known that 40% of inductions end in c-sections I would have waited for him to come in his own time and I might not have been sliced open. Yes, the c-section saved him, and I am thankful for that. But one intervention leads to another and, in my case, ended in major surgery. Not to mention, if your cervix isn't ready no amount of pitocin-induced contractions is going to get it fully dilated, and they will wheel you off to surgery. I'm not saying inductions aren't useful, but I think its worth it to do a little bit of research and make an informed decision.

So the News is Out

2011-02-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

We've made the big announcement. I'm pregnant! 6 weeks pregnant in fact. I've known for a couple weeks and went to the doctor for a blood test Thursday before last on the 10th. However, my doctor said my hCG was low because I was so early and she wanted me to retest in a week. So I went back the next Thursday, the 17th. I was scared, but I waited the week and went back. I knew the hCG should double every 2-3 days so as long as it had double twice in that 7 days I was comfortable making the announcement. It was 94 on the 10th. When I got back my levels from the 17th my hCG was almost 3000!! It doubled almost 5 times in 7 day!! So now everyone has it in my head that its twins. I'm trying not to freak out, because I don;t go back to the doctor for an ultrasound to see until the middle of March. That's a long time to freak out :)
As you probably know, hCG is not the only pregnancy hormone. Among the others is progesterone. Mine is a little on the low side so I'm having to take a supplement. But I know several people that have had to supplement and have had healthy pregnancies so I'm not too worried about it. Its not ideal, of course, but as long as I get a healthy baby in the end, that's fine.
I also have some other news that isn't as great. I had to drop my nursing class. I just can't do clinicals when I'm puking my guts out. So I dropped it. I hope to pick it up next spring and finish in 2013. I have a back up plan in the mean time that I will blog about later!
Big brother Cooper is very excited! He insists that he is having a little sister and too tell you the truth I hope he's right! Of course, I had be happy with either a boy or a girl, but it would be nice to have one of each!

Cooper has a Secret...

2011-02-18T15:14:00.006-05:00

Cooper isn't great at keeping secrets, kinda like his mommy...

Can you guess what his secret is??

Don't worry; I won't make you wait...

That's right! Cooper is going to be a big brother! I'm pregnant with Baby #2!!!

Part 3: My Cloth Diaper Wash Routine

2011-02-06T17:49:00.005-05:00

The hardest part of cloth diapering is getting the right wash routine. How do you know when you've found the right one? When your diapers smell like nothing when they are washed and dry. But the catch is, not every wash routine works for everyone. Your water has abig impact on what will get your diapers clean. Have you ever thought about whether you had hard or soft water? I sure hadn't, until I started cloth diapering. So here is what works for me. It might not work for you, but its a good place to start.

First, my detergent of choice is Rockin Green. I tried a different cloth diaper detergent a couple months ago and definitely learned my lesson. It left a residue on my diapers. They still had a smell, and they started to leak. Lesson learned: stick with what works. The container on the left is a "Shake it Up." It comes in the same scents as the detergent and makes the diaper pail smell much less like a diaper pail!

What do I use as a diaper pail? Glad you asked. A $10 trash can from Target that you step on to open with a Planet Wise pail liner. We have 2 that I can switch out while the dirty one is in the wash with the dirty diapers.

So when I take off a pee-pee diaper I just throw it in the pail and go on with my day. For a poopy diaper, its a little different. I shake off what will fall off into the toilet and spray the rest off with the diaper sprayer. Then it goes into the pail too.

On wash day, about every 2-3 days, I walk across the street to my nana's house because she has a top-loading washing machine and it gets the diapers cleaner than our front-loader. Its possible to get them clean with a front-loader, but go through the hassle when I have access to a top-loader? First I do a cold rinse with about a cup of vinegar. The vinegar neutralizes the urine and makes the diapers stink less. Next I fill up the washer with hot water and add a couple scoops of Rockin Green. I then soak the diapers for a bout 30 minutes, just to lure all the stinkies out. After about 30 minutes, I start the washer and let it go through its cycle. When that cycle is done, I do a whole other cycle with a hot wash and cold rinse. If its warm outside (which it hasn't been in quite awhile) I hang them outside to dry. During the winter, I just throw them in the dryer on low. After the PUL covers are dry, I take them out and finish drying the inserts and fitteds on medium. Yes, my diapers have stains in the winter from getting no sun but I will get them out this summer when its warm!

Snow Days

2011-01-16T20:56:00.004-05:00

The snow is now almost completely melted, but I am lazy posting so here are some snow day pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Cooper loves to eat snow...

...so much that he decided to just stick his face in it.

A neighbor had these intertubes and we used them to sled. Cooper mostly just laid on them.

I will not be postion pictures of myself in the snow because I don't look nearly as cute all bundled up. We had a fun few days, and daddy even got to stay home with us one night because they shut down his work. It was fun but I am not sorry its gone. Trudging through a foot of snow is just not my thing.

I've Been Published! (Again)

2011-01-13T09:16:00.001-05:00

Remember back in August (on my 2 year wedding anniversary) when I posted that The Cloth Diaper Whisperer had published a post I wrote for them? Well yesterday (on Cooper's 2nd birthday) they posted another post I wrote! Check it out here and let me know what you think!

Two years ago today..

2011-01-12T12:05:00.001-05:00

at the very time this will post, my whole world changed. I became a mommy. Not only was I responsible for myself, but a whole other tiny life.

He isn't tiny anymore, but he's still my whole world! Happy birthday Cooper!

Life After One-Size Diapers: Part 2

2011-01-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

So how do my prefitteds work? I'm glad you asked! (And if you didn't I'll tell you anyway!) We love them so far! The wings overlap so I just pin them with one pin like so >>

Around the house I don't make him wear a cover. When we go out a cover is required because these aren't waterproof. We have a wool wrap that I love using with the prefitteds that I bought from Ecomom. We also have 2 pairs of wool longies from Kangadu. I will be buying ALL of my wool from her from now on. She is a work-at-home-mom and her stuff is so cute and very affordable. I used to have a Kissaluvs wool cover but it got washed accidentally and is now a size newborn so I'm saving it :/

Here are one pair of our longies. The other pair has a tractor on the leg. Aren't they adorable?? Amber is soo talented!

I really thought I preferred pocket diapers but I am in love with using fitteds. After I figured out that the pin doesn't have to go all the way through the layers of the front of the diaper, using pins is pretty simple too. Although, when I use the wrap, instead of the longies, pins aren't necessary. These fit really trim too. Prefolds are bulky and so are our other fitteds, absorbent but bulky. These fit more like a disposable without the chemicals & $$$ :)

My little model

I have decided this will have part 3: my wash routine. This what most people find the most challenging when cloth diapering, getting them to not stink! So I think I'll share what works for us! Look for it soon!

Life After One-Size Diapers: Part 1

2011-01-05T09:07:00.002-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that Cooper was outgrowing his One-Size diapers. They are advertised to fit from birth to potty training but really they fit from about 10 lbs to about 30 lbs. Cooper weighs 28 lbs and most of the diapers, depending on the diaper, are getting a little too tight around his legs. Tight enough that he is starting to complain about some of them. Mommy had to do something soon. After he turns 2 we are going to get serious about potty training. He already uses it at home occasionally and he acts like he's ready; we'll see how that goes. But potty-training soon or not, he needs diapers now. I did not relish the idea of paying $20 a diaper again for larges, and I refuse to buy disposables until he is wearing underwear so I decided to find a cheaper option.

When we first started cloth diapering, I bought a dozen prefolds from Cotton Babies to extend my stash a little. I like them for days at home, but not so much for out-and-about, plus the husband has trouble with folding & Snappi-ing. (Really I think he just doesn't want to do it & uses that as an excuse) He can trifold and put one in a cover, but that can get messy. So prefolds would not be our ideal solution for toddler diapers.
I had heard of turning prefolds into fitted diapers but most tutorials use a serger and I don't have one. Then I found this one. No serger required and I've had so much fun searching for fabric and making them over the weekend!

*Warning: From this point on this post gets a little picture heavy*

I started out using flannel but flannel pills up pretty bad after its washed a couple times so I wanted to try a cotton knit for the outer. I like that a lot better. It holds up better and its so soft.

This is what I have so far, all flannel. (By the time this posted there was another one not pictured, made from the cotton knit.)

This is one of my favorites.

Here is the inside, with the extra soaker and extended wings.

An owl print, another favorite. Its a bit girly but these will be passed on, hopefully to a girl *wink* and I change them & I wash them so only I see them. I don't think it matters.

A *REAL* denim diaper. I think it turned out great. This one has no extra soaker because denim can rub.

I used Gerber prefolds on these to practice, but I plan to buy some GMD prefolds soon, which are a little better quality. In case you are curious, this is how much it costs to make these. I can get 4 diapers out of one yard of fabric.

Prefolds: $36/ dozen

Flannel: $4/ yard

Cotton knit: $9.99/ yard

Elastic: $1.95/ 5 yards (it takes very little to make a diaper)

Thread: $3/ more than enough for a bazillion diapers

Diaper Pins: $1.00/ 4 pins

So how do they work? I'll let you know in Part 2!

Look...

2011-01-04T21:14:00.005-05:00

... what my son did while I made him breakfast this morning.

Yes, he found the crayons and drew on his fish tank. He asked for fish for Christmas and Santa came through. He loves them, but Mommy keeps having to remind him fish can't eat marshmallows or gummy bears or anything else he gets to eat. Thankfully, the crayon came off pretty easy with some vinegar. The fish's names are Google, Freckle, Peyton, and Bob. He named them. Oh, and by the way, Freckle is pregnant....

Want an Update??

2011-01-02T21:45:00.001-05:00

Good! Because I finally have time to write one! TONS has happened since I last really updated you guys. My first semester of Nursing finally ended a couple weeks ago. I made a B which I'm pretty happy with considering lots of people failed and I got sick right in the middle and got really behind. I got dehydrated in spite of drinking an appropriate amount of water and was passing out so my doctor admitted me to the hospital. This was at the end of October and I still don't have any answers about a cause. As long as I keep Powerade handy, I'm usually ok now though.

Now for the update you really want! Cooper! My baby will be 2 this month. I really can't believe its been almost 2 years since he was born. It went entirely too fast! He can count to 3 all by himself now! I hope to get this on video to post soon. We'll see how that goes.. He knows blue and green and doesn't seem to care about any other colors. He has been speaking in complete sentences for quite a while now. I swear his vocabulary is larger than my husbands *snicker* He amazes me everyday with how smart he is and how fast he learns. It seems like just yesterday all he could say was mama and dada.

He is outgrowing most of his one-size cloth diapers, which means I get to buy more!! I'm kinda excited about that, but I found a much cheaper way to do it. And its going to get its own post :)

It wouldn't be an update post without a recent picture so here are a couple!

This was our Christmas card picture. If you look close his horse is pretending to be a reindeer, but his antlers blended into the tree :)

Here is Cooper playing in the snow on Christmas day! We had our very first white Christmas here in East Tennessee!