SPRINKLED

We were very lucky yesterday to attend a relaxing, low-key baby shower (or "sprinkle") for Cora, hosted by our friend Christina. We enjoyed great company, yummy food, and fun gifts for our baby girl!

I won't post pictures of everything, but here are a few highlights...

We SWEAR by the Rockabye Baby CDs for getting babies to sleep through the night, and we hope they work as well for Cora as they have for James over the past year - thank you Team Mitchell!A couple of the adorable outfits Cora received - thank you Team Hancock and Team Bourne!A gorgeous handmade dress and blanket - thank you Team Hollingsworth!And adorable Mary Jane socks and tights - thank you Team Kennedy!There were many other cute blankets and girly outfits, bibs and a book (The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, a gift for James, actually), a pretty PINK nursing cover (with NO patterns, since I learned with James that they are major distractions for breastfeeding babies), and even a giftcard to my favorite baby clothes store (thank you Team Sanchez)! You were all very generous and we really appreciate you taking the time to celebrate this big event with us! Miss Cora will be here before we know it, and we're growing more excited by the day!

3 HAIRCUTS

Team Lindsay got haircuts today.

We debated and discussed for months whether to cut James' hair... We didn't want to do it. We considered waiting until he turned 2-years-old. We thought the flyaway fluff was adorable. But you've all seen the video of James being "full of crazy". We really were becoming convinced that his long hair was tickling his neck. Then something happened that convinced us a haircut was needed... We accidently snapped James' rat-tail into his PJs one night (you know, those PJ tops for babies that have the snaps down the back of the neck?) For the rest of the week it became an issue as we realized how many of his shirts (and PJ tops) have snaps down the back of the neck. Fighting with his hair (on top of already fighting a wiggly 15-month-old who does NOT want to get dressed) was just not something we were willing to continue doing. Besides, just look how long that rat-tail (and his "bangs") had gotten:

So we searched for the "perfect place" to take James for his first haircut. My requirement was child-friendly AND cute. I was envisioning one of those salons where the kids sit in brightly colored boats, but the 'burg has no such place. Luckily, we found something even better, thanks to our friend Dawn. An old-timey barber shop with an old-timer barber who has been cutting hair for well over 30 years (at least - we met a 32-year-old there for his 1-year-old son's first haircut, taking him to see the same barber who gave him HIS first haircut 31 years ago). For some reason, James is a HUGE fan of older men, so we figured Mr. Downey would be a hit. He was. James didn't care for the booster seat (he actually pitched quite the fit when we tried to set him down), but as soon as he was allowed to sit on his Daddy's lap, he was good to go. All smiles for Mr. Downey, no crying, and no fidgeting (thank goodness, since one of my biggest fears this morning was of James jerking his head around and getting stabbed by scissors). He even read a book while he was under the trimmer:

And THEN he noticed himself in the mirror, so he was content to sit and watch the rest of the haircut:It ended up being quite a bit shorter than Jay or I expected, but we think he looks oh-so handsome. And older (boo). Mr. Downey even gave him his first part before posing for a photo:Jay's turn was next. It's been a LONG time since I've seen Jay's hair this short (or this well cut, since I usually do it for him myself). I left the shop with two very handsome dudes and an envelope of my baby's hair (and one free haircut, since Mr. Downey doesn't charge for first-timers)! You can see the back of James' hair in this photo (as he's gazing at the barber shop pole):Don't worry grandmas, we've still got some fluff up top to blow in the breeze:On our way to the barber shop, Jay promised James that he could have a smoothie from The Tomato Place if he behaved during his haircut. And since he was such a good boy (even waving at all the other gentlemen awaiting their turn, clapping for the little boy who was in line before him, and flirting with the little girl who was waiting on her daddy), we stopped by for some "Heavenly Blues" on the way home. Ah, the anticipation:Delicious!

(For some reason James always holds his arms/hands like this when he drinks from a straw - so cute!)

Oh yes, and I got my hair cut this afternoon as well. Nothing fancy, just a shorter version of my norm, in preparation for Cora and to battle the summer heat, which is really starting to get to me...

PRACTICING PREFOLDS

Cora's newborn prefolds are now prepped and ready for her, so Jay and I figured we better start practicing. There are a variety of ways to use prefolds: as simple inserts or "doublers" inside the pocket of pocket diapers, trifolded and laid flat into diaper covers, or folded in various ways and "Snappi-ed" or pinned (yes, with those "old school" diaper pins), then covered with a diaper cover. Since we aren't using pocket diapers with Cora for at least a few months (and stuffing inserts doesn't require any sort of practice anyway), we focused our efforts this evening on mastering the 3 common folds: the Angel, Twist, and basic Wrap. We folded and we Snappi-ed. Then we folded some more. I think we're pretty well prepared now, as long as Cora lays as still as a stuffed animal... I practiced on the teddy bear, while Jay had the monkey:

(And yes, Jay is a VERY good sport about letting me take photos for the blog)

Even James participated (and mostly cooperated) and let his Daddy practice on him (though wiggly 15-month-olds, in my opinion, are NOT well suited to prefold folding and Snappi-ing... we'll definitely be sticking with our AIOs, pockets, and FLIPs for the toddler)!

(And no, that is NOT a newborn prefold. We just happened to have a large prefold on hand, received as a free bonus from my favorite online cloth diaper retailer)

MILESTONE MONTH

They say 15-months is a "milestone month". Sure, we'll agree with that.

While the past 3 months have been full of changes and developments and "milestones" for James, it's the past few weeks that have been especially busy... He has learned to walk (he's a slow-but-steady, confident walker, about 90% of the time now), he says all sorts of things (about a dozen real words used correctly, words he randomly imitates from us - even words such as "pirate" - awesome!, and little sentences that we can't quite figure out - he even has little mumbled "conversations" with himself and his toys that are adorable), he is using more of his toys and "toys" (i.e. random kitchen items) for their intended purposes (actually sorting shapes in the shape-sorter, etc.), he can point out and correctly name a few objects (ball, flower, light, cat, etc.) as well as find them in books (and on flashcards, and also on these fun picture cards I made him months ago of items around the house), he can climb onto couches and coffee tables (as long as there is something nearby for him to get a boost off of), he sleeps in a big boy bed (and has done so by himself, all through the night, for 3 nights in a row now), and we hear this is just the beginning of the REAL learning explosion, which usually hits around 18 months... We can't wait! He already amazes us every day - he is pure entertainment!

James actually turned 15-months-old yesterday, and today was his well baby exam. He wasn't such a "well" baby though... Turns out that double ear infection is STILL hanging around and his cough has developed into some sort of infection as well. Since he's had no fever and has been sleeping wonderfully, we really had no idea. He's not contagious, so he could have gone to daycare today, but we decided that since it's so much quieter at home he'd be better off sleeping the day away in his own bed. Which is exactly what he's doing right now. He's been asleep since we left the pediatrician's office 3 hours ago!

His official stats this month are 24 lbs 4 oz (25th percentile) and 32 inches (75th percentile). You seriously would have thought we were pulling his toes off to get those measurements! James is still suffering from white-coat syndrome (and his sickness, which causes EXTRA clingy-ness in him, is likely not helping). He's following right along his usual growth curves, which are flattening out at this age, so we won't be expecting huge changes in weight or height between appointments anymore, let alone the monthly weigh-ins we do at home. We were sad to find out our little man is still sick today, but happy to hear that he is otherwise doing great and developing on schedule.

UNSACKED AND UNCAGED

James' new room is complete. He has fresh paint, room-darkening drapes, and a brand-new mattress. On the floor. This weekend (starting Saturday night, so as not to disrupt the weekday routine), we moved him from his crib in his nursery, all the way downstairs, to his new mattress in his new "big boy room". Here are a few before/remodel pictures of the old guest room:

(Man, we really hated that steely-blue color, and the paint was SUCH bad quality!)

This is an in-progress photo of the magnetic wall Jay made for James:

And here the first coat of "Candid Blue" (nice and bright!) hits the wall:

Jay worked really hard on James' new room. I could tell he wanted it to be PERFECT before we moved him in, just like the nursery (way back when). The magnet wall he added was such a great idea! We'll get pictures of that finished product a little later (Jay is making a frame for it, so James will know where the magnets stick). He also replaced all the socket covers (for once the DIY wiring of the previous owners didn't make him scream) and the closet doors (so that James wouldn't be pinching his fingers in bifolds). I am SO happy with the outcome! By the way, we moved all James' decorations and some of his bedding down from the nursery (keeping with the pirate theme we love) and the furniture is a hand-me-down from his Daddy (the same bedroom set Jay grew up using - though the bunk beds are on hold for a few years). The only addition we still plan to make (excluding the magnet wall frame, of course) is the "repurposing" of James' crib bumper. I had a fun idea to cut it up and make pillows out of it, and since I have ZERO sewing skills, James' Grandma was gracious enough to work on it for us. I'll definitely post photos of the new pillows once they're complete!

For now though, here is a round-about view of James' new room: Here is a close-up of the photo Stephen sent James for his new room, all the way from Maui. He took it himself, of course, on one of his daily snorkeling trips. We like to show the print to James and tell him that his Uncle Stephen and Auntie Robyn live with the sea turtles now.

This is the view James sees from his new bed (notice the location of the baby monitor... we tried hanging it high above the mirror, so we could survey the entire room, but found we needed to see our baby up-close at night to feel assured he was safe - and you can also see the furniture straps Jay used to secure the dresser to the wall):

James really loves his new room! We let him play in there all day Saturday as we added the toys and decorations. At first, we think he was just in awe of the fact that he was allowed in the room at all (since we always keep the door shut, except when company is visiting), but as his toys made their way into drawers (the bottom drawers of both dressers hold "noisy" toys - not that he can't get to them, he can, but at least they are "out of sight, out of mind" in the middle of the night), closets (push toys and the giant toybox, holding more "noisy" toys, are behind closed doors for the same reason), and bookshelf (holding only "quiet" toys and books), his enthusiam just grew and grew. It was so fun to see him realize that this was HIS room now and he had free reign to really do as he pleases. And he can go in and out of his room as he pleases, which is a new concept for him, since his nursery was upstairs and required one of us to take him up there (and then stay in there with him).

I think it was harder on us than James the first night, having him so far away. Jay was anxious, just waiting for James to wake up and need him to run downstairs. He even made me sleep with the volume on the monitor turned way up (and I normally don't use the volume at all, since James had previously been sleeping practically outside our bedroom door). I admit that I was a bit nervous too... Would he stay in bed? Would he sleep well? Would he wake himself by falling that 6 inches to the floor? Would he just play with his toys all night? Would we get to him fast enough if he woke up crying in the middle of the night, scared and needing us?

I tell ya, the stresses first-time parents endure are never ending...

Saturday went better than expected though. Luckily, we had weaned James of his sleep sack about 2 months prior, so we didn't have to add that into the mix. He doesn't use a blanket (he literally moves ALL OVER the bed when he sleeps, and he gets tangled every time, so we quit trying), but it's plenty warm here in the south this time of year, so he doesn't need it anyway. We had reinstated bedtime stories. We had even reduced the amount of rocking-to-sleep we were doing. We were ready. James went right to sleep after his 8pm bottle and stayed that way until 1:45am (Jay snuck out around 8:30pm). He had woken a few times prior to that, but put himself right back to sleep after getting comfy again. At 1:45 though, he woke enough to realize he was in a different bed and different room, and he launched himself off his mattress and high-speed crawled to the door. Jay was down there in less than a minute and had him right back to sleep, but then stayed there with him the rest of the night to be sure he slept well. It was cute to watch them both on the monitor, Jay's feet hanging off the end of the mattress and James literally sleeping on top of him!

Sunday night was even cuter though. Jay passed out right along with James at 8pm (we had a busy day, what with the swimming adventure and start of the computer room remodel) and just stayed there all night. Since I was wide awake (I even had ice cream ready, waiting to watch a DVR show with Jay after he got James to bed), I decided to take some photos of the baby (and Daddy) monitor:

(Good thing we bought James a good mattress - ahhh, TempurPedic!)

On Monday afternoon, right on schedule for naptime, James took a nap in his room all by himself (and he even put himself to sleep):

And last night went so well! James was asleep right after his bedtime bottle and slept by himself all night long! We heard him shift positions a few times, and once he either fell out of bed or crawled out of bed after waking up, but we watched the monitor and the little man just climbed right back onto his mattress, snuggled in, and went back to sleep. Jay had to wake him at 7am this morning to get him ready for school!

Finally, I'd just like to note that while the title of this post says UNCAGED (as in, James is no longer in his crib), he is still caged, technically, since his room is gated (to keep him from wandering the house at night). The gate was also suppose to keep the cats out (it has worked for over a year with the nursery upstairs, hence the reason we bought a second one), but Jude decided this new room was too interesting to be kept out of, and she learned to jump over the extra-tall gate! Bummer... Guess we'll just have to keep the door shut, as usual.

Congratulations Bub Bubs, only 15-months-old and sleeping in a big boy bed! We're very proud of you, and also relieved that your baby sister will have a crib available for her when she arrives. You're such a good big brother already!

CELEBRATING OUR HEROS

SWIM SEASON PREP

Earlier this month we signed James up for his first swim lessons. We are so excited! Jay has been talking about teaching James to swim since before he was born (Jay is quite the water baby himself, if you didn't already know, being from a beach town in Florida and all), and I am happy to be in the same class as the other mommies/daddies and little ones we know (I am growing to really appreciate time spent with other new parents, both for the comraderie AND the advice). It will be a 2-week class, following the American Red Cross Parent And Child Aquatics Program, that we'll attend in the evenings after work. Jay will likely be the "parent in the water" at most lessons, but we'll take turns if I'm feeling up for it (that is, if my giant belly hasn't worn me out to the point of exhaustion by the end of the day, in which case I will opt to float lazily nearby and just watch my boys enjoy the lesson, while taking photos, of course).

To prepare for this course, we hunted through James' ample suppy of swim trunks (hooray for hand-me-downs!) to find a pair that fit. And as we sort-of expected, the 2T sizes were way too loose for our skinny boy, and we didn't have anything in 18 or 12 month. Luckily, and surprisingly, the 6-month trunks that his Grambot got him a year ago STILL fit. And they actually FIT now, rather than hang halfway off his bum and past his knees, like they did when he first wore them on his 4-month birthday:

(Do REI infant clothes really run this large? Seriously?)

For sun protection purposes, we got him a rash guard. Then, we also got him a rash guard suit (a one-piece thingy), to switch between throughout the summer. Even though James has a TON of cute hats that fit (all hand-me-downs), he refuses to wear them. He won't leave his sunglasses on either (so, good thing we just bought him a pair especially for the pool, eh?)... Oh well, at least the lessons are during the early evening, so the sun won't be too bad. We'll just have to keep his splash pool at home in the shade, I suppose... In other preparations, we searched for reuseable swim diapers (both in our storage boxes of hand-me-downs and online). We found one pair (from Jackson), which just so happens to fit perfectly. Success!

(Don't mind James' pout, the sun was in his eyes during the diaper change)

However, since his swim lessons are daily (and we don't do laundry daily), and just in case James actually USES the swim diapers for their intended purpose mid-lesson (to contain BMs, though not urine, FYI), we figured we better get an extra pair or two so he doesn't miss class due to potty breaks! Problem is, the tag on those swim diapers from Jackson is so faded we couldn't figure out what size or brand they were. So, of course, I had to do some research. Good thing I like diaper research, eh? I narrowed it down to a couple of brands, then picked Imse Vimse because they have side snaps (in case there really is a BM to deal with, then at least we don't have to slide the dirty diaper down like undies), and because I liked their patterns, of course. Here is James modeling his new swim diapers:

Finally, we also decided it would be a good idea to introduce James to the pool where the lessons will be held, so he would be familiar with the area (and the crowd), before his class starts next week. This was opening weekend for the pool and we went both Saturday and Sunday. It was pretty busy, but James handled it well. Maybe a little too well... As we were checking in (paying our $10 usage fee - they even charge for babies!), we stood James up on the counter and he walked right over to the young girl at registration, jumped into her arms, and proceeded to snuggle in and suck his thumb. We were shocked! I mean, he's not shy or anything (in fact, they've been calling him "man of the house" at daycare lately due to his popularity with the older kids - they were literally all hanging out the door to wave bye-bye to "Baby James" on Friday), but still, he'd never even met this girl before! She SO wanted to take him home... And that's when I sweetly snatched him back (hee hee). Anyway, he got a whole 10 minutes in the kiddie pool that day before a thunderstorm hit (don't worry, we scored a Rain Check for Sunday).

Here he is testing the "beach" end of the kiddie pool:

And waiting for the thunderstorm on his Mama's giant belly:

Sunday was awesome! We spent about 2 hours (with warming and hydration breaks, of course) in both the adult and kiddie pools, surrounded by good friends (the other new parents we know, who we're taking the swim lessons with). James really had a great time, so the lessons should be a lot of fun for all of us! Here he is enjoying the water with his Daddy:

And drying off at the end of the day (still teething, if you can't tell):

CLOTH DIAPER CARE

After my last cloth diaper post, I had 2 friends (one a cloth diapering skeptic, the other a new - though planned - convert) ask me about washing and caring for cloth diapers. In case anyone else out there is interested in how diaper duty works in our household (and for those friends and family that babysit James and Cora, and are willing to use our cloth diapers instead of the FLIP disposable inserts), here is the easy process:

1. For dirty diapers, the poo gets dumped or sprayed off into the toilet (we do NOT dunk or rinse them in the toilet or sink because that is not necessary, and you can use any type of sprayer, either attached to your shower or to the toilet itself), then the diaper simply gets placed into a bucket (or wetbag). We recently purchased a couple of wetbags (one for the downstairs bathroom where we dump/spray off the dirty diapers, and one for the nursery upstairs) to replace the big bucket we kept in the laundry room. We did this for 2 reasons... First, James has decided that the diaper bucket is a great toy, and we disliked having him push it around the kitchen and pry it open in an attempt to empty the contents onto the floor (don't worry, we always caught him in time). Second, I was tired of carrying dripping diapers from the bathroom to the laundry room after spraying them off.

2. Wet-only diapers (and all cloth wipes) go straight into the bucket/wetbag.

3. We wash diapers every other day to reduce/prevent staining of dirty diapers. You can wash every 3 days if your diaper stash is large enough, but you should expect more stains the longer you let the poo sit on the diaper.

4. On diaper washing day (or night, since we most often wash at night) we just empty the bucket/wetbag into the washer, being sure to remove all inserts from the pocket diapers and to close all velcro/applix securely to the laundry tabs (to prevent damage to diapers during washing/drying). Once per week, we also wash the wetbags, which can be thrown in right along with the diapers (another bonus of no longer having a stinky diaper bucket).

5. There are a variety of ways to wash and dry your cloth diapers, diaper covers, and inserts. Depending which detergent you use, and which brand/style of washer/dryer you own, there can be specific instructions (if you want to follow them, they are always included with new diaper purchases). Basically though, all you have to do is a cold wash without detergent (usually with a second rinse, and sometimes including half a cup of vinegar), followed by a hot wash with your detergent (generally using half the amount you would use for normal laundry, and with both a prewash and second rinse). There are a few preferred detergents for cloth diapers, but the only real requirement is that it is free of additives and softeners. If your diaper load is really small, you can add an old towel to help trick your washer into filling more (this is especially important with the new HE front-loaders). Never wash your diapers with your other clothes (because that's just gross). All diapers, covers, and inserts CAN be hung to dry exclusively (in fact, hang drying in the sun helps to remove stains), however, most diaper covers SHOULD be hung to dry (at least most of the time), and anything organic will usually need a tumble dry in order to come out feeling soft. We throw all the diapers and inserts in together on timed-dry for 40 minutes on medium, then hang dry the rest of the way. Our diaper covers are hung dry, except for once every other week, when we tumble dry to reseal the PUL waterproofing layer (it requires heat to do so).

And that's it!

Note that the FIRST time you purchase cloth diapers or inserts, they will need to be "prepped" before you can use them. All this means is that you need to wash and dry them a few times (usually 2-3 times for regular fitted, pocket, and all-in-one diapers and inserts, and 5-6 times for anything organic or unbleached - because it takes more work to remove the natural oils). Prepping your diapers is what gives them their absorbancy (try to use an unprepped diaper and you will have nothing but leaks). And now you know why cloth diapers have such good resale value - the more they are used and washed (as long as they are washed correctly in good detergent), the more absorbant they become.

And another side note, even disposable diaper users are suppose to dump poo into the toilet (at least the solid type), and daycares are required by law to do so in some states...

WAITING ON HIS NEW BACKSEAT COMPANION

Since the cover of our infant carseat has been washed and freshened (and put back on the newborn setting with the newborn insert), and a brand-new Pearl Jam sticker has been applied to the outside, it is officially ready for Cora! Therefore, I couldn't wait ANY longer to see what the backseat of Jay's Jetta would look like outfitted with both carseats. Jay obliged me and set it up last night. Unfortunately, Cora will not be able to sit in the middle as James did for 9 months, because there just isn't room for the infant catseat next to his convertible carseat (we tried). So, this is what the set-up will look like (minus Cora, of course, and the 2nd mirror that we have purchased, but not yet installed):

James was happy to smile through his thumb for the photo op this morning, though he kept reaching for the infant carseat and saying "This?" (as in, What is this thing and what is it doing here?) See why we're considering a bigger vehicle (ahem, minivan)? If the kids are going to be this close together, it doesn't leave much room for storage. And while the Jetta has a large trunk for it's size, we know it won't be able to handle 2 adult suitcases, 2 child suitcases/duffles, a double stroller, pack-n-play, etc. for traveling later this year. Besides, with this set-up we won't be able to take even a single visitor out as a family without taking a second vehicle!

Due to the addition of the second carseat, we are no longer able to take turns riding in back with James. It was weird (and sort of sad) not to be able to talk to him face-to-face in the car today, but it was time for us to make the adjustment anyway. Cora will be here before we know it (and we bet she'll entertain James just as well as we have, if not more so)!

ANOTHER DIAPER SWITCH-A-ROO

During our continuing preparations for Cora's impending arrival, there has been much discussion around the household about her diapers. It was an easy decision to pick her daytime cloth diapers for use at home, the BumGenius Organic One-Size All-In-Ones, like we use for James (in fact, we only have 3 more to purchase and that stash of 12 will be complete). Her overnight diapers will likely be the Bum Genius 3.0's, also like we use for James, but we're waiting to see what kind of overnighter she is (once she starts sleeping through the night, that is, which could be quite a while from now). And we thought we had the daycare diapers figured out too (if you recall my post about the New Baby Bundle by gDiapers), but then I decided that I didn't want gender-neutral size small gPants for Cora (because they would be hard to distinguish from James' orange and brown size mediums). Only problem is, they don't sell the tiny gPants (the ones you need for the first month) separately. So that led me to do even MORE searching (and review reading). Turns out there is a much cheaper cloth-hybrid diapering system than the gDiapers! Some of you living in other states may have already heard of it (there isn't a single retailer in Mississippi, of course). It's called FLIP, and it's by the makers of BumGenius (Cotton Babies)! And you know we love BumGenius, so I just HAD to try FLIP. Especially after I did the math and discovered that over the next 1.5-2 years, while both our babies are in diapers, we would save a whopping $1000 by switching to FLIP!!

Here's how it breaks down (in case you want to do the calculations for your own family):

FLIP diaper cover = $13.99 (and the FLIP covers are ONE-SIZE)

gPant diaper cover = $16.99-$18.99 (and you have to buy 3 different sizes throughout the diapering years: small, medium, and large)

FLIP disposable inserts = 18 for $4.95 ($0.28 each)

gDiapers disposable inserts = 160 small for $57.96 ($0.36 each) or 128 med/lg for $57.96 ($0.45 each)

(If you want to see my spreadsheet and how I calculated our potential savings, just email me and I'll send it to you.)

So, our thoughts on these new cloth-disposable hybrids now that we've tested them?

1. We love that they have snaps instead of velcro (they won't cause damage to other diapers during washing/drying and they will be even harder for the toddler to undo)

2. The one-size system is the same as our other BGs, so yes, we love that too (great custom fit)

3. The gDiaper inserts (both disposable AND cloth) fit the FLIP covers, as do some of our other cloth inserts, as well as prefolds (meaning that we COULD use them as cloth diapers should we choose to, without even having to buy new inserts)

4. They DO NOT LEAK (even the one daycare lady who couldn't get a gPant correctly fastened to James' bottom no matter HOW many times we showed her was able to figure out the FLIPs, and all the daycare ladies like them better than the gPants because there are less pieces - i.e. no liners - and they fit more snuggly around the legs)

5. The FLIP covers are made of the same PUL material as the BGs. If you have seen the semi-naked baby photos of James on the blog lately, you can see for yourself that the BGs still look brand-spankin' new, even after 9 months of use. However, James' size medium little gPants are faded, pilled (where the velcro came loose from the laundry tabs in the wash and stuck to the outside of the diaper), and losing their "g" (not that we care about the g's though).

6. If we decide to go a different route for overnight diapers with Cora down the road (I'm considering trying some fitteds, which require covers), the FLIP covers can be used (with just about every brand of fitted I've researched). Bonus! (And another money saver)

7. Most of all, we just LOVE that we're saving money!

However, just like the BGs we own, we hear that the one-size system actually fits best once the baby reaches 9-10 lbs (not the 8 lbs as stated in advertisements, and there is a chance that Cora may arrive smaller than her brother, who was 8 lbs exactly at birth). So, what to do during the first month? Well, instead of the tiny gDiapers with disposable inserts (since they can't be purchased separately anyway), we're going for gold and starting cloth diapering immediately with Cora. While I'm on maternity leave and Cora is still such a little thing, she will be sporting prefolds and diaper covers, which is the absolute CHEAPEST form of cloth diapering on the market. Even after ordering 4 Thirsties Duo Wrap diaper covers (size one, which fits 4-15 lbs) and 2 dozen Green Mountain Diapers prefolds in size newborn (in the unbleached version, which fits up to 10 lbs), the total came to less than $100. If we were to buy disposable diapers for the first 2 months (the Seventh Generation brand, of course), that would cost us $160-180 (newborns generally go through about 400 diapers in the first month alone). So we're STILL saving money! And for anyone who doesn't already know, cloth diapers can be resold. EASILY! In fact, I sold those GroBaby diapers that we tried with James back when he was 5-months-old and we were still figuring out what worked for him (and us), and I recouped almost full-price of what I paid for them. So when Cora outgrows these little diaper covers, I'll simply sell them on one of the cloth diaper swap boards, and probably get back about $40 of the $100 we just invested. Cool, eh?

We ordered 2 of the Duo Wraps in Orchid Purple and 2 in Rose Pink (which is actually a bit lighter in color than shown in the photo below). These come in snap or velcro, and Jay and I actually chose the velcro version because the tabs can be overlapped for a tighter fit if need be (and that need is likely with our baby girl, since James has such a slim waist - a big belly, but a very slim waist). Note the double leg gussets of these covers too - absolutely perfect for containing the newborn, runny, breastmilk BMs:

Of course, to be CERTAIN we have no leaks, and to keep the covers unstained (so we can get the highest resale value possible), we'll be pinning them on with Snappis for better containment of BMs (as opposed to laying the prefold straight into the cover), at least for the first few weeks:

Here are the GMD newborn prefolds (which will also make great diaper-doublers once Cora outgrows them, or we can always use them as rags or burp cloths):

Finally, I just thought I'd note that we're also making a switch in laundry detergent for our cloth diaper washes. We just ordered some of the Rockin Green that all the mommies on the BabyCenter cloth diapering board rave about. Due to James' sensitive skin, we went with the "Soft Rock" unscented version.

You know, they say cloth diapering can become a bit of an obsession... I'll jump onboard with that statement. It IS a bit addictive. It's fun. It's easy. It makes you feel good (helping the environment). There are SO many cute diapers out there (though I tend to choose only solid colors, mostly because I don't like them to show through onesies, and also because color-coding works well in our household to distinguish between the daytime, overnight, and daycare diapers). And they are great for James' sensitive bum - the kid NEVER gets diaper rashes with his cloth diapers (or the disposable inserts that go with the gDiapers or FLIPs, for that matter), but on the rare occasion that he'd come home from daycare in a random disposable diaper (when he'd blow-out the 3 gPants we'd send with him, due to poor fit and/or poor technique by one of the daycare ladies), those are the times he's had to deal with diaper rash...

THE INTERNAL REPORT

This morning was my 34 week appointment. Generally at 34 weeks you get your first internal exam and testing for group B strep. Oh so fun. Internal report is basically nil right now (no dilation), which is just great, since we want this baby girl to stay put for at LEAST another 2.5 weeks (which would make her full term, at 37 weeks), though I'm willing and prepared to go the full 40 weeks (I think)! My blood pressure was good (124/78) and my weigh-in was interesting - I actually LOST a pound in the past 2 weeks. I guarantee you I never lost even an ounce when I was pregnant with James, so this surprised me. The doc said it's most likely because I've been sick. Speaking of which, I think I'm finally on the mend... It all started about 1.5 weeks ago with a cough and runny nose. I had thought allergies. When Claritin didn't make any difference and the cough had escalated to the point that it hurt my belly muscles to do so, I realized it must be a cold (or some sort of infection), so my concerned husband made me an appointment with our general practitioner to ensure I'd go get checked out. The doc couldn't find anything wrong, but he prescribed a z-pack "to prevent infection", just in case. I finished those meds on Sunday night, by which point the cough was so bad that I felt like my right eyeball was popping out of its socket every time I coughed. My right ear hurt so much that I figured it HAD to be infected. My face felt tender to touch (like I'd been punched - at least I assume that's what the feeling is similar to, since I've never actually been punched in the face). And then my jaw/teeth started to hurt. Oh wow was last night ever a bad night! I have never felt so much pressure in my head before... To quote my friend Christina, "being sick and pregnant is the pits". Amen! I seriously sailed through my pregnancy with James, but having a baby sharing his daycare germs with me AND adding in the fact that my body hadn't fully recovered from my first pregnancy has definitely made things more "interesting" this time around. I think I've been sick with SOMETHING at least once per month since October...

Anyway, the new antibiotics, pain meds, and cough suppressant are doing their job, and I'm finally feeling some relief. Now if only we can all get some sleep tonight (James was literally awake from 10:30pm-4:00am last night, and he only napped for about 3 hours total today)! Here I am today at 34 weeks 4 days (not much change, if any, from 32 weeks), still smiling:

DOUBLE BACK

Boo. James' double ear infection has returned. Hopefully an antibiotic shot, stronger meds, and a higher dose of ibuprofen will have him feeling better in no time. For now he's just sleeping it off (when he's not playing with his Daddy). In extremely cute PJs.

And hopefully his Mama will feel better tomorrow too. Not sure what I've got, but the Z-pack the doc gave me on Wednesday "to prevent infection" has done nothing for me. In fact, my head just feels worse. Maybe my OB will have a better answer at my appointment in the morning...

BABY GEAR, REVISITED

Last weekend, I hauled out the infant gear that we had stored in closets (bouncer, bathtub, play gym, and carseat) and gave everything a good washing and freshening. James sees these types of items all the time at daycare (well, maybe not the bathtub), since he spends at least a portion of every day over in the nursery with the newborns (he and his first caretaker are still very close, so they're sure to spend some time together each day). However, he hasn't seen HIS old gear in quite some time. We retired the bouncer around 4 months, the bathtub and play gym at 7 months, and the carseat just after 9 months. He's had a great time exploring these items this week as his Mama gets them ready for baby sister, so why not take advantage and show some comparison photos? I know I'm a fan of them!

By the way, the exersaucer, jumperoo, and walker are still in use. While James prefers not to get IN them much anymore (too constrictive, of course), he loves to walk around the outside of them and play with all the toys from a different angle. Hopefully he won't mind sharing in a few months...

NOT EVEN CHOCOLATE?!?!

We're STILL struggling to get James to drink milk from a sippy cup... We thought we had the answer last weekend when we purchased new, insulated sippys. He actually LIKED them, and by like, we mean that he took more than half a dozen sips, unprompted (i.e. unforced), and without spitting the milk out down his chin afterwards. Then all week daycare reported that James would simply throw the cup and not even TRY the milk. Even after coming in from outside play, when they KNEW he was thirsty. In fact, he started refusing his noon bottle too. Yikes. That is just not acceptable, so what did his Mama decide to try today? Chocolate milk! I mean, seriously, who doesn't LOVE chocolate milk? I thought I was being so nice (and sneaky, since Jay was somewhat against the idea, and I did it without telling him), but James was not interested. In fact, he seemed offended. Oh, he tried it all right, but as you can see from the picture below, he let every single sip drool straight down his chin...

What a little stinker. So, who has the answer for us?

Things that have NOT worked so far include: 12+ different types of sippy and straw cups, warming the milk, adding chocolate to the milk, offering the milk in sippys at different times of day, holding him while he drinks from the sippy, letting him walk around with the sippy, and cutting out juice to reduce other liquid calories. We're plum out of ideas...

DADDY'S LITTLE STUDENT

Jay taught James to say "bawwwll" last weekend (that's ball, in case you need interpreting). He also taught him to point them out in his new favorite book "First 100 Words" (from his Grandma). It's a BIG book, but he pulls it off the shelf as soon as we get home from work/daycare, drags it across the floor, and plops it up on the ottoman for his "lesson". He goes right to the page with the beach ball and soccer ball, points them out, and says "bawwwll". And if you roll a ball toward him while he's playing with something else, he'll stop what he's doing to watch the ball (or point to the ball) and say "bawwwll". If you ask him where the ball is, he'll either point to it in the book or go find one to hand to you (not every time, of course, but pretty consistently). Fun, eh? His other favorite pictures in this big book are the pear, flower, horse, tiger, and cat (of course), which he also points out when we ask him to. He even leans in to "smell" the flower. Oh my goodness he is so cute!

Jay has also been teaching James to correctly sort shapes in the various shape sorters he has over the past couple of weeks. He has one that rolls and lights up (from Juliet) and one that is a tool box (from his Uncle Jamie), which is definitely one of his most favorite toys in the house (he also likes to spin the gears, "hammer" the nails, and use the drill on his belly button - or ours - which is something else Jay taught him). Both shape sorters make happy, rewarding noises when James gets it right, and he LOVES that! So far, he does best with the circles and squares, but the stars are his favorite (maybe because they're easiest to hold?). He hunts for his shapes in the pile of toys strewn about the floor, takes them to the appropriate sorter toy, and just practices and practices. It's pretty cool to watch.

And don't be fooled by the title of this blog post, I'm also attempting to teach James these types of things. Problem is, he is DADDY'S little student. He listens much better to his Daddy than to his Mama. Same deal at storytime (James has continued the habit of handing his Daddy books to read, though he has done it for me... ONCE). I think he still associates me more with food and comfort, whereas his Daddy is fun and games, and I honestly think James is already at the stage where he wants to be like his Daddy. I know he's young, but it really surprises me how quick he is to imitate (or try to imitate) his Daddy. He watches his Daddy's every move, very closely and attentively, and it seems he's filing away everything he sees for future use. It's adorable, and I think it's a testament to what a great Daddy Jay is. Good job sweetie!

In fact, for the past 2 nights at bathtime, James has been repeating "Dada, Dada, Dada" with a questioning and somewhat concerned look on his face. You see, bathtime is usually something that Jay does exclusively (because it just HURTS to kneel over the tub with my big belly), and I think James is confused as to why Daddy isn't running the show. Don't worry James, I miss your Daddy too, and he'll be back tomorrow!