Pondering these things...

One of my favorite Bible characters is Mary. I know this is a bit of a cliche, but I really admire the innocence, and yet worldliness that she had to posses at the same time. Mary had such innocence when the angel told her the good news, with her incredulous response. Of course she was a sinner like the rest of us; but she clearly was blessed with a rare measure of grace to have found such favor with God. However, I'll bet Mary had hopes and dreams like any other teenage girl; she had met her man, and was betrothed, probably eagerly anticipating her wedding. She valued purity, and held her virtue in high regard.

After Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit, she had surely grew up overnight. She had the human form of God growing inside her. She was probably scorned and judged for her pregnancy. She was almost divorced by her intended. She made an awful journey at one of the most vulnerable (and uncomfortable) times of a woman's life. And then, after enduring the raw intensity of a natural birth in less-than-ideal conditions, she gazed into the tiny newborn face the Son of God, and loved him, not only as her Savior, but as her child. And as she looked into his face, she may have remembered the prophesies. She knew as soon as her infant child was in her arms that he would live a difficult life, then be tortured and die; but the Bible does not say that she focused on those things. At her child's birthday, she treasured up these special moments, and pondered them in her heart.

Last year, I was about six months pregnant at Christmas time. I was round and full with child, and my daughter consistently moved and squirmed inside me. I was glowing, and loved that time in my life. And I treasured being quite pregnant at the time of year when we celebrate Christ's birth. I loved the anticipation of meeting my dear little girl, and getting to know her life.



Unlike Mary, I do not have knowledge of a prophesy predicting how Lorelei's life will go (nor do I want one), but I also know enough to know that I need to treasure the moments I can, just like Mary did. So, on Lorelei's first Christmas, these are the moments I treasure in my heart:

A couple of weeks before Christmas, we decorated our tree. Lorelei, of course, did not understand what was going on, but she was so involved with the action. She helped unwrap ornaments, grabbed them off the table and floor, and promptly stuck them in her mouth. I sat her on my lap and showed her some of my favorite ones. We dressed her in Christmas pajamas, and let her crawl around the living room. After the tree was decorated, we turned on only the Christmas lights, so the rest of the room was dark. We held her up to the tree, and watched as her eyes fixated on the lights, and her tiny hands reached out to grab them. She stared and smiled and snuggled and watched in wonder and awe.










My daddy brought Lorelei a Christmas dress from Germany. It was simple and elegant, a dark brown courduroy with a satin braid around the collar and a light layer of tulle underneath. Equipped only with a brief description during a transatlantic phone call, and a couple of cell phone pictures, I bought her shoes and made her a hairband the day before we saw it for real. Even though it was still a few days before Christmas, I had to try it on her the moment he brought it home. It fit her perfectly, and she looked so beautiful.




On Christmas Eve, we went to church, and like always, Lorelei was rather squirmy, and eventually had to be taken out of the fellowship hall. However, during the music, she had a blast. She knows how to "dance" now, and she bobbed and wiggled to the Christmas carols with such a huge grin on her face.

After church, we went to my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ron's house for a big Christmas Eve dinner. A bunch of my Italian relatives were there, and it was overwhelming and loud and full of love. Lorelei was passed around from aunt to uncle to cousin, and was snuggled and kissed and loved enough to tide her over until next Christmas. She was such a good girl, and loved trying new foods (like Spanakopita!), and receiving astronomical amounts of attention.





On Christmas morning, Lorelei woke up around 7, and I brought her to the living room where Allen and I had slept the night before. I nursed her under the tree, and snuggled with her, so excited to begin her first Christmas day. We placed her stocking in front of her, and encouraged her to pull her gifts out. We tried to show her how to tear the wrapping paper (she was not interested in it), and tried to show her each and every present slowly (she was not interested in them either). She preferred to sit in our laps and chew on anything that she got. But I could tell she sensed our excitement.







Christmas day, we were at Allen's family's, and Lorelei was very tired.  She fit the typical stereotype of the baby who couldn't care less about her gifts, but did not fit the stereotype of the baby who preferred to play with the paper and boxes. Instead, she wanted nothing to do with any of the opening of gifts (though they are some of her favorites now), and alternated between being very clingy, and getting into everything.  As frustrating as it was to constantly chase around an overwhelmed and overtired little girl, I treasure the fact that with everything going on that Christmas day, what she most wanted to do was climb in Allen's and my arms.





When we got home late Christmas evening, she was fast asleep. We put her to bed, still in her little red dress, and surveyed the mountain of gifts that now covered our living room. Our little darling had no idea how significant this day was in her life as she slept peacefully in her crib. She did not know that very soon, she would rip through all her gifts faster than it would take to wrap just one, or that she may prefer to play with toys than snuggle with momma someday. She did not know that we were celebrating the birth of a baby like her. All she knew is that she is loved, and that when she woke up, we would be there.

And she always is, and we always will.




"I'm bursting with God-news;
I'm dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I'm the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others..." (Luke 1:46-47)

"Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself." (Luke 2:19)

The Message Translation

My Cloth Diapering Experience

Many of you know this already, but I have cloth diapered Lorelei since she was about two weeks old. I think I am at this point ready to give it up. The main reason is that since she started eating "big people food, she has been prone to a diaper rash that needs to have triple paste on it, and that stuff does not go well with CDs. The rash is not caused by the diapers; it is from her food I think. That said, I am so happy I had her in CDs as long as I did, and will absolutely have the future Paislettes in cloth too if I can. In fact, I will probably put Lorelei back in when she is potty training. I wanted to write a little post on my CD experience with hopes that it will shed some light on the decision I made (which many people thought I was nuts for,) and answer some of the most commonly ask questions that I get.


Lorelei in a SweetDollBaby velcro pocket

First of all, why did I even think to do this?
I first heard about present-day cloth diapering from my dear friend Julie, as she had her oldest in prefolds and covers. She answered my many questions about it, and the more I thought about it, it just made sense. Now, let me say that I did not choose to CD because of the environment or sensitive skin or because I am super into all things natural. Those are all perks for me, but not the main reason. I decided to CD Lorelei for one reason: Cost. As I was considering the expenses we would face once I became a stay home mom, and what things we could cut out or downsize on, cloth diapers seemed like a no-brainer. I have read that the average cost of disposable diapers can be about 750-1000 over the first year. We invested $300 in cloth diapering, and probably would have invested less had I known all the things about it I know now, and I can re-use my diapers for future children. For that reason alone, it was worth it.

But aren't cloth diapers those huge pieces of cloth that you stick with pins? Isn't that a pain, and unsafe?
Cloth diapers have really changed since my grandmother used them. They range from as basic as pre-folds and covers (which you do fold and "pin" with something called a snappi,) to All-In-One diapers (which look like disposables, but are made with cloth.) I am not going to use this post to get into all the details of different kinds of diapers and brands, because the information is so vast and there are so many opinions on it, but I will tell you what we did.

OK, then what DID you use?
We used a combination of pre-folds and covers, and then slowly moved to pocket diapers as Lorelei grew older. When Lorelei was two weeks old, the pre-folds came in the mail from this website. I ordered a starter kit of them, which included three dozen pre-folds (we really only needed about 2 dozen,) 5 covers (waterproof plastic covers, like a swim diaper,) and 4 pocket diapers (more on that later.) I also ordered snappis to fasten the prefolds with. There are tons of videos on the internet on how to fold them and fasten them, and I used about three different folds on Lorelei. Then, I put a waterproof cover over them so that she did not leak through her clothes. I had to replace the pre-fold at every change, but unless it had leaked through and was really messy, she could wear the same cover all day. At night, before she started sleeping through the night, we used disposables so that they were easy to deal with in the middle of the night. Even though pre-folds and covers are supposed to be the "hardest" cloth diapers to use (read: the ones least like disposables,) I did not find them hard at all. They took getting used to, but they were not ridiculously hard to put on an infant, and they held her mess in pretty well most of the time. And the best part- Allen knows how to use them too!


My package from WeeBunz



A prefold with a snappi. The cover goes over this.

Once she turned about three months old, I started using pocket diapers. These are bit harder to explain, but I will try. Basically, they look like a disposable diaper in their shape, and are fastened with either velcro or snaps (all sewed on the diaper, not separate like the pre-folds.) The part of the diaper that touches the baby is fleece or microfiber, and there is a pocket in the diaper where you stuff an insert (made out of an absorbent terry fabric,) and the insert absorbs the pee so it does not get all over the baby's skin. I had four of these diapers by name brands (FuzziBunz and BumGenius) which came with my starter kit, and I mostly used them for overnight, but never considered using them exclusively because they cost about 15-20 dollars PER DIAPER. However, through a message board I learned about this off-brand site called Sweet Doll Baby that sells them for $7.50 per diaper. I slowly started ordering from them, and now have about 15 of them which I used as Lorelei's main diapers until she was about 8 months old. I love them, and they are even easier for daddies and babysitters to use!



Lorelei in FuzziBunz diapers


What is so great about the Sweet Doll Baby Pocket Diapers?
Well first of all, they are cheap, and about as easy to use as a disposable. They are well-made, and the people who run the company have excellent customer service. If you have any problems with your diapers, they answer your questions, or sometimes send you a new one. The diapers are one-size, which means they adjust to grow with the baby (my friend had the same diapers on her big-for-his-age two year old, and her small-for-her-age six month old.) They come in both snaps and velcro, which is a nice variety. I personally prefer velcro for the fit, but within a few months and many washings, the velcro stops working. The snap diapers gapped a bit more on Lorelei (causing more blowouts and leaks,) but do not need fixing or replacing.


Velcro Diaper from SweetDollBaby

Snap Diaper from SweetDollBaby
Diapers and inserts

Alright, they sound cool and all, but aren't they gross to care for? What do you do with the dirty ones?
Honestly, I think that they are no worse than disposables. I put the dirty diapers in something called a wet bag, which is a vinyl bag that has a plasticky interior. When Lorelei was exclusively breastfed, I kept the bag in her room next to the changing table, and as her diapers became more stinky with solid food, I moved it to the laundry room. Having used both disposables and cloth, I can honestly say that the trash with disposables in it smells worse than the wet bag with dirty cloth diapers in it, and breastfed baby diapers hardly smelled bad at all. After every diaper change, I simply remove the diaper and pulled the insert out, and dropped both in the wetbag. Easy peasy. The only gross part is once she started eating solids and having more solid poo, I started knocking the poo in the toilet before throwing the diapers in the bag. There are these fancy pants thing called diaper sprayers that are supposed to make this easier, but I just shake it in, or use a piece of toilet paper/wipe. I can imagine some people would find that gross, but it is no worse than wiping it off your baby's butt.


Didn't you have to do laundry, like, every day? Wasn't your water/electric bill astronomical?
How much laundry you do depends on how much your kid messes the diapers, and how many diapers you have in your stash. With 36 pre-folds, five covers, and then 15 pocket diapers, I did laundry about every third day (so like three days per week.) I just took the entire wet bag and dumped the whole thing in the washing machine (and then dropped the bag in after (I have a top-loader; front loaders are harder to use for cloth.) Before her switch to solid food, I just did a cold pre-wash, a hot wash, then a cold rinse with a TINY bit of detergent. After her diapers became stinkier, I started adding in a pre-wash with vinegar before the detergent cycle. Diaper companies have super eco-friendly, sensitive detergent, but I just used generic Free and Clear. It is VERY important to use very little, and to not have anything with perfumes or anything or that will cause build up on the diapers. You can dry the diapers in the dryer, but they wreak havoc on velcro diapers and can make the plastic insides shrink. I toss the prefolds and inserts in the dryer, and line dry the diapers/covers either outside, or in my laundry room. When it comes time to fold and put them away, I try to pre-stuff the pocket ones with inserts. Lorelei likes to help :-) As for the electric bill and water bill, we did not notice a difference, honestly. I think line drying the diapers helped with that.



My little helper :-)

What about wipes, diaper rash cream, and going out?
Sometimes I used cloth wipes with a solution made of water, baby soap and baby oil. I personally prefer them to disposable wipes, but never have them handy, so I use regular wipes a lot. Diaper rash cream does not go well with cloth diapers, unfortunately. They cause buildup on the diapers, which can cause leaks. You can put a liner in the diaper to keep the cream away from the diaper(it looks kind of like a dryer sheet,) but sometimes that is not worth it. Normally when she is extra-rashy, I switch to disposable. I also tend to use disposables when we are out because they are easier to get rid of, but I do have a portable wet bag to put cloth diapers in on the go.

Are there any negative sides to these diapers?
Well, yes. They aren't ALL great. I do think that the pocket ones can leak a bit more than disposables (though not always.) Sometimes the diapers get detergent buildup and need to be stripped (I just wash them a couple times in hot water.) They require more prep-work (washing before initial use, stuffing diapers after each wash, etc.,) and it is annoying that I cannot really use cream with them (or else she would still be in them!) The extra loads of wash is really not that big of deal in the scheme of things; I feel like I am always doing laundry anyway, and I can co-ordinate diaper laundry with regular laundry. And I honestly do not think it is that gross! Not to mention the fact that they just look so cute with their big fluffy butts :-)

So, there you have it. I am very pleased with our decision to use cloth diapers, and probably will do it again with future children even if we can afford disposables. I find them more comfortable, cuter, more environmentally friendly, economical, and better for the baby's skin. And, honestly, I actually enjoy it!

If you have any questions, please contact me or comment away! I love to convert people to using cloth :-)


Most of my pocket diapers!

Someday, I will become a good blogger

You would think that I would be better at updating this thing.
I mean, I used to write ALL the time in college. I have the cutest little girl who is quite the fun subject for stories. Oh, and I am a bit obsessed with reading other peoples' blogs, to the point that I can hardly keep track of them all. But you see, my blog is not what I want it to be. I do not have a DSLR camera (or picture-taking skills,) so I cannot have one of those cool photography "day in my life" blogs. I have not yet figured out how to manage the time/money to become one of those vintage-crafty people. I am not really a skilled enough cook to have a food blog. I am not wise enough to have a spiritual encouragement blog.

So here I am. With my blog. Trying to keep a little piece of our lives recorded for the future. I think this blog may take a new turn in January, on its one year anniversary. It is a bit sad that in one year I have written only about 30 times, and I think that is because I put pressure on myself to write all this detailed stuff. So instead, I think I may try out some of the themes above, and make a more purposeful blog that combines my musings with some of the fun SAHM things I am learning. Oh, and I will still put pictures of Lorelei up, because those are just fun :-)

And speaking of which, the little miss is doing just grand! As of yesterday, I have had her outside the belly for as long as she was inside the belly. Yes, my little sweetheart is 9 whole months old. I cannot believe it, and yes, it is bittersweet. So without further ado, here are some of the haps from the past month (er...or two.)




-L is a FAST crawler (on her hands and knees all the time now,) and gets into everything. I have a bit of a fear that she will never walk because crawling is just so effective. She also pulls up on everything, can stand only supporting herself with one hand, and can cruise around quite a bit.
-She eats pretty much everything. It was rather crazy; I exclusively breastfed her for six months, and then fed her nothing but cereal + formula until 7 months...and then from months 7-9 she started eating pretty much everything. She hardly ever eats baby food anymore, and I just love being able to share my food with her. She is really digging cheese, cheerios, soup, and bread, but honestly this child will gobble down anything you give her, and grunt for more until you take her out of her high chair. Oh, and she still nurses 4 times a day.



-That said she is still small. She gets weighed on Monday, but I am guessing she is about 16 lbs. She just started really fitting in 6-9 month clothes more than 3-6, and I think it is mostly because her legs are too long for 3-6. I love that she is so small though, as I have to chase after her and carry her back to the "safe zone" all day.
-She sleeps from about 7:30-6:30 every night (give or take,) and takes two naps a day. Normally one nap is an hour, and the other is closer to two hours, but she tends to vary which one is the longer. It is wonderful, and I probably should be making good use of my newfound free time. But I all too often find myself napping too :-)
-She babbles all the time, though does not seem to have any "words." Sometimes I think she is saying mamama or dadada, but then she makes those sounds all the time. She has a regular voice for us, but then also has a high-pitched babytalk voice. She mostly uses that for the cat :-)




-She has a few "tricks" that she likes to do. Some of these include waving/saluting (she basically raises her hand like she is asking a question, but she means "hello,") fake coughing and sneezing, screaming just for fun, clapping, dancing, and giving sweet little open-mouth kisses :-)
-She became a big cousin on November 12 to a sweet little (big!) boy. I cannot wait for them to become buddies.
-She actually plays with other kids now. She tends to gravitate to the ones old enough to chase her. That, and she sometimes is a bit of a bully and tries to grab toys from or pull hair of the littler ones. We are working on her social skills.
-She had many important events in her life since I last wrote. Her dedication was held at my parents' home on October 30, and our dear friend Andy presided over it. It was so lovely celebrating such a special occasion with family and friends, and Allen and I were able to make it very personalized and special. Then, the next day, Lorelei had her first Halloween, and was the cutest little Ballerina in a handmade costume. Then, almost a month later, was her first Thanksgiving. We do not have too many pictures of that because mommy was sick all day.






We have so much to look forward to in the next few weeks. Our Christmas tree went up early in the week, and all Lorelei's sweet little gifts are stored in the guest room. As soon as the holidays are over, I will blink my eyes and her first birthday will be here. I am already planning the first birthday party :-)






So anyway, my one or two readers who probably know most of this from facebook anyway, I am peacing out until further notice. Hopefully, I will have a new plan for the direction of this blog soon!

xo,
Diana (and Lorelei)