Drake photo dump

The sweetest face in the world!

L-O-V-E him!
O-M-Gosh I could eat this face up.
That's right, we took him to the circus, and he took a nap. WHAT??? He barely even flinched when they shot the chicks out of the cannons. He hardly naps at home. He was a bit young for the circus, but he did enjoy parts. He liked to stand in front of our seats, and the top of the seats in front of us were the perfect height for him to hold on to. He'd stand there and bounce when he got excited- it was so cute! Eric and I enjoyed the circus nonetheless; it had been a long time since either of us had been.
Sweet boy!
Watching with Daddy.
On the train Sunday, headed to the circus. He was trying to steal the camera from Daddy, of course.
This is from back in November, at a park in Florence. Drake loves to swing.

The Drakester's 1 year checkup & Eli's 30 week prenatal

Drake had his 1 year checkup today. It's almost a month late, but I chose to do it late (with a doctor I trust) rather than on time (with a doctor I wasn't a fan of). We were thrilled to be back in the care of Dr. Dorsey. Drake is developmentally right on track. However, Dr. Dorsey is still not happy about his weight. While Drake is gaining, it's very slow. There is essentially no upslope in his weight over time. Dr. Dorsey wants us to take him back to the pediatric gastroenterologist, and I have that appt for next week. He says that while he believes things are probably just fine, he doesn't want to make that call in case we are missing something in the big picture. So, he'll let the GI doc make that call. My heart and Mommy's instinct tell me that he is just fine, and that he's simply a shrimp.

Dr. Caicedo is the Peds GI doctor, and I really like him. And I like him personally, not just professionally. Just last week, I was assigned to the pediatric GI lab, doing the anesthesia for all his endoscopies. He is not only kind and friendly, I think he's a technically proficient doctor. I just hope he agrees with me that my little stinker is healthy as a horse, but the size of a miniature pony.

Drake's height was between 10-25%, his head circumference was 5th%, and his weight was less than 5%. Actually, his weight isn't even up on the curve. His motor and verbal skills are fine. They checked a hemoglobin level, which I knew was standard for their practice at nine months. It was 12.7, completely normal. They did it since the GP in Florence had not. In any case, other than the weight, the visit was fine.

I had my 30 week appointment today, with my favorite midwife Tina. I L-O-V-E my midwives. As if you didn't know if you've been reading my blog for awhile. Eli is measuring on track (my belly matches my weeks), and his heartrate was fine at 140bpm. I drank the nasty drink for my gestational diabetes test, and should get those results soon. They also sent off another HIV and syphilis/chlamydia test. While I appreciate their thoroughness, I am always amused that they assume every pregnant woman's husband is cheating on her. (And giving her diseases). They don't care that I've been negative the last 3 times (twice with Drake, and once with Eli). Apparently the STD testing is NC law? I go back in three weeks, unless something comes up. By then, she should be able to tell me if he is vertex or breech. This is my biggest concern right now. I feel like he's head down, but we'll see. I mostly feel his kicks up high.

Well, that was our day full of appointments. Busy, with a trip to Target thrown in as well. I am off tomorrow, and Drake is going to Mother's Morning Out so I can go to a hair appointment and run a bank errand. I'm not sure what kind of fun we'll find tomorrow afternoon. Maybe the mall play area? Then it's back to work Wednesday-Saturday:-(

Cloth Diapering 101

Welcome to Cloth Diapering 101!!!!

I hope this blog post will answer lots of questions for lots of people. To start it off, I've included three photos of my sweet Drake as a newborn, in his CD gear.

The green part is a kissaluvs fitted, the red part is a XS thirsties cover

This is a small Green Acre Designs pocket diaper.
A prefold covered up by a blue thirsties cover. You can tell how inexperienced we were, b/c we didn't have the prefold tucked in well.

I've been meaning to write this post for what seems like forever. The reactions I get from people when they find out we use cloth diapers vary. Some think it's gross, and some are like "Good for you!". The most common reaction is, "How does that work?". The general public envisions the old school flats, that have to be dunked in the toilet, and fastened with pins. Well, while one could certainly do it that way, cloth diapers have completely been revolutionized. There are so many different types, brands, and methods, that I could go on and on. (And on). However, since wee man frequently demands my attention, I'll keep this post mostly about what we have personal experience with. And what my general recommendations are. This post was originally just going to be an email to my close friend Paula, but just this week a pregnant coworker was asking me questions. I've decided it would be easiest to just write one big blog post, and direct curious mommies-to-be here to my blog. So here goes nothing.

Let's start with the accessories, before we get to the actual diapers. First thing you'll need is somewhere to store those dirty dipes. We have a plastic bin from BRU. It's very simple. You can throw dipes in through the blue hole, or just lift up the entire white cover. I think it contains the stink just fine. It's very lightweight, and easy to take outside to wash out periodically. Now that Drake is on all solids, his diapers do stink more than the first six months or so. You can buy essential oils to go in the bin, but we just use a Glade plug in, in the closest outlet. Works just fine.

Next you need bags to go in that diaper pail. These are generally referred to as diaper pail bags (shocker), or wetbags. While there is no water in the pail or bag, they are still called wetbags. Just go with it. You need two of these big bags. Because while one is being washed with the dipes, you'll want to go ahead and have another placed in your pail. I recommend one with elastic (it'll stay on better), and one with a zipper. While the one with the zipper won't stay on as well, it's essential for traveling. The zipper will contain smells better than the elastic drawstring one.

You will also need small wetbags. These are for the diaper bag when out and about. You'll put dirty dipes in there when changing them at the mall or wherever else you go. Just a random FYI: the thing that makes all these bags waterproof is a layer of PUL. It's also the stuff in diapers that makes them waterproof. You'll become very familiar with PUL.

Now, stuff to clean with. Let's start with the baby's bottom. You'll need wipes. Cloth wipes are much easier, because otherwise you are going to have to keep a trashcan with your diaper pail. It's kinda pointless. It's SO much easier to toss the wipe and dipe together into the pail. You can use water, or make your own cleaning solution. We buy our stuff to make our own solution from Punkin Booty Bits. You'll need to buy a spray bottle to put the solution in it once mixed. You can also buy travel sized premade solution from them. This works well for the diaper bag. I'll get to cleaning and washing your dipes later, as well as diaper creams.

You will need snappis to hold the prefolds together. A prefold is a type of dipe, and we'll get to that later. A snappi is the name brand of a product that has essentially taken the place of pins, that used to fasten dipes together. They are plastic, and cheap. You can get them from any CD store. I'll make recommendations for stores later.

This picture is of wipes (left and center), plus snappis. The snappis are the yellow and white things in the bottom right hand corner. The bottles in the bottom left corner are travel sized punkin booty bits cleaning solution.

Another accessory you'll need are some liners. I like the Bum Genius stay dry liners, which come in packs of six. These are awesome to protect your dipes from creams, when you have to use them for bad diaper rash. They are also great for prefolds so that the wetness isn't up against the baby's skin.

Now, washing these diapers. Let me just refer you straight to www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com. If you click on diapering basics, you will find more information than you EVER wanted to know. It can be very overwhelming, so don't say I didn't warn you. Just remember, one item at a time. We've used the all free and clear, which worked fine. We now use seventh generation free and clear liquid detergent. Also, works just fine. We have an old, top load washing machine. We do a long cold rinse, a long hot wash, and then a short cold rinse. Three different cycles. Detergent only goes in the middle cycle. And always use the largest load. More water is better. That's how we wash, in a nutshell. We simply take the large wetbag full of dirty dipes, and hold it right over the washer. Then we throw the bag in too. Then start the washing! PUL can break down over time if you put it in the dryer alot. So, our prefolds, inserts, liners, and wipes go in the dryer. (NEVER use dryer sheets. They will cause build up on your dipes.) We have a drying rack for our covers and pocket diapers. I'll get to these different types soon, I promise. Once everything is done, we'll take the dipes off the rack, get the stuff from the dryer, stuff all the pockets, and then put it all away. Now you're good for another couple days. We wash every 2-3 days. I'm sure that will go up once Eli is here!

Creams:

The California baby diaper rash cream has not harmed our diapers at all. It's very mild. You won't need a liner when using it. However, we have had issues with bad diaper rash a few times, which the cali baby stuff just doesn't touch. We special ordered a cream called Calmaseptine from Walgreens, which our pediatrician recommended. It's really thick, and fabulous! It always clear Drake's bottom right up. However, it will stain dipes and cause buildup. You'll need a liner when using it.

I do alot of my CD ordering from www.jilliansdrawers.com. Their shipping is fast, and their selection good. I've enjoyed shopping in person at www.peekaboobottoms.com, but haven't ordered from them online. I've never ordered from www.tkcuddlers.com, but plan to soon. Adorable dipes with lots of designs available. Also check out www.greenacredesigns.com for cute dipes with embroideries, etc. You can order customs at these last two. For more info, other than the pinstripe site, check out www.justmommies.com. Go to their message boards, and then find the cloth diapering board. It's an active message board with lots of people to sound ideas and questions off of. I'm sure that www.mothering.com also has one too!

Okay, I think it's time to start talking about actual types of dipes. I'll go over the abbrevations once, and then use them. Prefolds=PF, All in ones= AIO, Bum Genius=BG, and Happy Heiny's=HH.

I think the best type of diaper for the newborn period are prefolds. First, you'll need a ton since you change dipes constantly. And prefolds are by far the cheapest. Here is a pic of my basket of prefolds.

We use unbleached Indian prefolds. Unbleached is important, because they are a beige color. So, they stain less than the Chinese white ones. I order mine from Jillians drawers. Green Mountain diapers are apparently popular for Chinese prefolds as well. I've never ordered from there, but have many online buddies who use those and are happy. Prefolds are the the flat pieces of material, that you have to fold around the baby and then fasten with a snappi. There is no PUL in a prefold, so you'll need a cover to make it waterproof. (Prefolds and fitteds require covers, and we'll get to that later). I was very intimidated by prefolds, and learning to fold it around a squirming baby. But honestly, it's really not that hard. Eric learned it very quickly too. So did my Mom, MIL, and nannies. You can watch videos on plenty of CD websites, and you tube as well. When a baby pees in a prefold, there is nothing to wick the moisture away. This isn't such a big deal with teeny babies who get their dipes changed constantly. But, if you don't want them to feel the wetness, just add one of those BG stay dry liners. The liner will feel dry, while the prefold is wet. The magic of microfiber!

The next type of diaper is the fitted. Fitteds are more expensive than prefolds. They will also require a cover, b/c there is no PUL in a fitted. Kissaluvs and Goodmamas are two popular brands of fitteds. I'm not a fan of fitteds, and here is why. If I have to make a second step and use a cover, why not just use the cheapest thing possible under it? I have some Kissaluvs, but they lost their softness after just one wash. The goodmama diapers are the cutest things, but I refuse to pay that much money for a diaper that I'm just gonna have to put a cover on.

So, now you know that prefolds and fitteds require covers. Covers are easy. There are tons out there, but all you need are a couple Thirsties Duos. They come in two sizes, with snaps to adjust them. Lots of colors available too! If you venture into other brands, I only have one big recommendation. LEG GUSSETS! If the cover doesn't have elastic gussets around the legs, then it will leak and be useless.

The next type of diaper is the AIO. This type of diaper has three main components. The "stuffing" to absorb, the liner part that will go up against the baby's skin, and the PUL outer layer. These three things are all sewn together, and then it fastens with either velcro or snaps.

We love velcro, and others hate it. I personally hate snaps. I recommend trying both. I didn't like AIO's for two reasons: they took forever to dry on the rack, and they got stinky. However, they are super duper convenient, so I'd try at least one.

The next type of dipe is the pocket. We use a LOT of pockets. However, I can see why people don't like them. (They hate to stuff them, but we don't mind). Pockets have two main parts. The PUL outer layer that makes it waterproof, and the thin layer of microfiber or fleece goes against the baby's skin. You have to stuff pocket diapers with inserts, which is what gives it it's absorbency. There is a slit in the rear of the diaper to place the insert in. A benefit of this is that you can double stuff as babies grow and become heavy wetter's. The downside is pulling the insert out of the pocket diaper before throwing both pieces in the dirty pail. That's not as gross as it sounds, b/c the inserts usually have a little tag on them that's easy to grab. The other downside is that everytime you do diaper laundry, you'll have to stuff these pockets with inserts. Since it's just part of our routine, we don't even think about it. Our two favorite brands of pocket diapers are BG and HH. I like HH best, because the elastic velcro is stretchy and gives a good fit. Not all brands fit each baby the same. I'm really hoping the HH and BG fit Eli as well as they do Drake, b/c I really don't want to buy any more diapers.

So, those are the "types" of diapers. I've given a few examples of brands. There are a million different brands out there. Some are big companies, some are moms working from home. You can buy in bulk and save money. This is NOT something I'd do until you know that brand fits your child well. Do a test with the diaper before buying it. Many CD stores will let you try a certain dipe for free, as long as you return it unstained. If you like it, you can just keep it and send them the full amount.

On a side note: diaper services. Although there are some out there that market themselves as "green", I'd only imagine that they have to meet certain health codes. Which I'd imagine would require a harsher detergent than I'd like for my dipes. Since my desire to limit chemicals that my kids are in constant contact with was one of my reasons for using CD's, I feel that using a service to wash them defeats that purpose. (Run on sentence, I know). I also had a fear of not getting my own diapers back. Plus, I don't know of any diaper services where you could use anything but prefolds. I need some variety!

I almost forgot to talk about sizing! Hello Nikki, wake up! Start with the newborn/small prefolds. They will fit even a ten pound newborn. We pretty much exclusively use one size diapers. This means they will have snaps or fasteners that allow you to "grow" the diaper with your baby. Prefolds don't come one size, and I don't know of many fitteds that do either. You can find plenty of pockets or AIO that come one-size. A lot of one size diapers will be a little big on newborns. (Another fabulous reason to use prefolds on your newborn).

I welcome any additions to this post via comments. This means you Mom, Lindsay, and Kim! Future CD mommies need your advice! For example, Linds loves the BG flip diapers, which I know nothing about. I also welcome any questions via the comments! I'll answer them the best I can.

Now, I know Paula just wants a simple list of what to buy to start with. So, here you go, and this is purely my opinion.

Two large wetbags

Two small wetbags

One diaper pail

Cloth wipes

Wipe solution

4 snappis

4 small thirsty duo covers

36 unbleached indian prefolds

This will probably get you through a month, no problem. Then you'll be itching to try new cute stuff. Go to Jillians drawers and try their 21 day starter program. It only costs ten dollars! It doesn't start until 12 pounds though, so you may have to wait a couple of months.

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've included some pics of my wee man in his adorable CD's. Just to motivate anyone on the fence! How could you not want an adorable fluffy butt like that?

Snow and ice

AUUGGHHH. I am so tired of this weather. It's totally ruining all of my weekend plans. This morning was supposed to be Drake's first mommy and me gymnastics class. This afternoon I was supposed to hang out with my two besties from grad school. And tomorrow is supposed to be brunch and the circus. Today was a complete wash, and I suspect tomorrow will be too. The roads are just sheets of ice. I haven't even been outside, because I'm scared of slipping on the ice, and falling on my big preggo belly. I did cook chili, vegetable soup, and cupcakes today. At least I'm fat and happy!

Our week

Another busy and fun week in the Kirsch household! I worked Monday thru Thursday, and Eric was gone Sunday till Wednesday night. And then the fun could begin! Here are some funny, interesting, and crazy things that have happened this week.

First off, on Tuesday I forgot my locker combination at work. When I got off at 5pm, I could NOT remember it. I thought I knew it, but my brain was failing me. I think the problem started b/c I was getting off 3o minutes late, so I was already pissed and flustered. Well, the locks are built in to the lockers; they aren't the kind that can just be cut off. Maintenance took an HOUR to get to the locker room, only to tell me that they couldn't help. They offered to call in the locksmith, who of course lives 45 minutes away in evening traffic. When all was said and done, the OR manager called an administrator at home to find out where the master key was kept, and security had to come let us in to an office and find that key. So, I was supposed to leave at 4:30. I finally left at 6:45. By that time, it was all just a bad joke. I mean, we can do brain surgery and clip aneurysms faster than that!!! So, I now have my locker combo written in about ten different places.

More fun news- I bought a new car! It's a new to me, 2006 Honda Pilot. I pick it up tomorrow, after spending hours there yesterday making the deal. Originally, I was looking at a 2009 with 8500 miles, but it was much pricier. That was last weekend. Sometime this week, they got in this 2006 with only 33,000 miles. It has leather, a sunroof, and a DVD-- which the 2009 did not. The only thing I liked better about the 2009 was the outside body style. In the end, the 2006 was just as safe, for $4,000 cheaper. I pick it up tomorrow, and can't wait to have butt warmers! I'm proud to say that I am paying more cash for it, than what I'm financing. And my goal is to pay it off by the end of the year! I'll let ya know how I do.....

Drake has done two adorable things this week. First thing, he is using his first sign. I'm thrilled, b/c I'm the only one to sign to him. I didn't think he'd ever pick up on any of them. He signs for "up". I do it everytime I pick him up, or he wants to be picked up. I figure that it's better than a whining child attached to my leg. I will say that it's quite pitiful when he's crying in his carseat, and making the sign to me. It's hard to explain to a 12 month old why he simply can't be "up" right at that moment.

The other cute thing he did this week was one evening before bed. Our basement is now our family room, and it's where my rocker is. We were all down here Friday night, and Drake was playing before bedtime. Well, I guess he decided he was tired of playing, and ready for bed. He walked over and got his sippy of milk, and walked over to me and signed "up". So, we had some milk, and then rocked right to sleep. It was absolutely the sweetest thing!

A lady at work last week sounded horrified when I said something about rocking him to sleep. She could NOT believe that I don't just lay him in his crib and let him fall asleep. Well, I was very proud of myself for not going off on her. I simply said that both Drake and I enjoy our time together at night, when I rock him to sleep. And that crying it out for long periods is simply something that I think is detrimental and wrong. And that I don't enjoy going to bed alone, and I'm not going to force my child to do it. I said all of this quite politely, so I'm proud. It would be one thing if he just laid in his crib and went right to sleep. And who knows, maybe he would. But we've never really tried consistently. I think I may enjoy rocking him to sleep more than he does. So, we'll continue to do what we enjoy, and the people who love to tell me "You'll regret that" can just bite me. There will be a day in ten years when I'd pay large sums of money just to have my sweet boy rocking in my arms.

I rejoined the YMCA this week, and can't wait to start participating in all of their activities again. The Y's in Charlotte are ginormous, with tons of activities. I signed Drake up for parent and child gymnastics, and can't wait. We start next Saturday, from 10:45-11:30. Eric and I can both participate with him, as long as we have on the appropriate clothes. I think it'll be a great time to play and tumble around with other kids. While we've managed to keep him out of day care until this point, and are happy about that, there is the significant disadvantage of not having the opportunity to play with other children. (Not going to sleep on his own is probably another disadvantage.) I'm excited to start! Registration for swimming starts Tuesday, so I'm going to try and get him signed up for that too. It's only a 6 week session. But I think it'll be fun. The point is not to become proficient at gymnastics or swimming, but rather to do fun things with him. Obviously, we participate in the swimming with him as well. I think 12 months is the perfect age to start all of these fun things, and I can't wait!

I've started preparing for Eli's birth, and I'm getting excited. Naturally, I can't wait to meet him, but I think the birthing period is just such an amazing time. Right now, I'm re-reading the Ina May book, plus the Ricki Lake/Abby Epstein book. And I just got all my hypnobabies books back, so I'll be restarting that this week as well. I can only hope and pray that Eli's birth is as picture perfect as Drake's.

Drake has a little cold, and is kinda pitiful. He has a really snotty nose, and a bad cough. But no fevers, and his chest sounds clear. So, I think it's just a cold and doesn't warrant a trip to the pediatrician. In any case, healing thoughts and prayers are appreciated. We skipped church this morning, b/c I didn't want to subject other kids to his cold. Although, I'm sure church last week is where he got the cold!

Have a good week! I didn't take any photos this week, so nothing to add there- Sorry!

I did it....

I left Drake in a strange place, in the care of strange people. It was quite the monumental thing for me. Where is the place you ask? Well, don't call DSS quite yet. It was just church:-) It was fun yet hard to leave him. (Fun b/c I know he enjoys playing). I was at first upset that he didn't even cry when we left, but then felt horrible b/c he was crying when we got there to pick him up. I think he was just hungry and ready for a snack. They said he chilled right out when they gave him a graham cracker. I had to laugh, b/c they had a GIGANTIC tupperware container of graham crackers. He was in a class for 12-16 months. That's how huge the church is we went to, that they have to split it up that small. Interestingly enough, it was all little boys in his class. No little girls for him to flirt with:-(

The childcare classes are interesting. First off, the traffic pattern is only one way. So, you enter through one door, and leave through another one. You cannot enter unless you have checked your child in (on a computer nonetheless), and gotten stickers for both parent and child. They put a sticker with each child's name and ID number on their back, and then the parents have a matching one. Then you get a pager for emergencies. They showed us to his classroom, where we labeled his bag and put it up, and met his "teachers". They page the parents if the child either gets hurt, or cries more than ten minutes. We were fortunate enough to not get called. So, I guess he wasn't too distraught. I was very pleased with how organized and safe it all seemed. Which, in a church were thousands attend, it really has to be that way. All nursery volunteers also have to undergo background checks before starting to "teach". I think that's pretty cool.

I'm always surprised how young some of the kids are that actually go into the worship service. But, I guess that's just in comparison to what I'm used to from growing up, where kids started going to the worship service at an older age. The church I take Drake to here is very contemporary- one of those with comfy seats, a rock band on stage, and fun praise music. No pews and hymn books. I think that it being more contemporary makes it more entertaining for the kids, and that's why we see them much younger. The other thing I realized this last week is that all the teenagers sit together. And are QUITE vocal. Two of them read scripture this past week, and you would've thought it was a rock concert for moment. The screaming and cheering "teenager section" tripped me out.

Well, off to bed for this tired Mommy!

Update on our sweet Shim #2

Poor Shim #2- I feel like he's been so neglected compared to how much we thought/talked about Drake while he was cooking. Being so busy moving (twice), and taking care of a toddler has me slightly preoccupied. Oh, did I mention working fulltime? In any case, sweet Shim #2. The first big update on him is that he has a name! Mr. Eli David Kirsch! We'll call him Eli, which I think is just an adorable name. I can't wait to hold and meet this little guy. He is very active, kicking and punching like crazy. I'm officially 27 weeks and 2 days. Yay for the third trimester!

My next appointment is February 1st! I cannot begin to explain how happy I am for this appointment. It's with Tina, who is one of my favorite midwives. She's the one who caught Drake. I'm SO excited, that I made my appt for 7:45 in the morning. I just had to be the first of the day. I'll also have my test for gestational diabetes that day. And catch up with Tina! I am beyond thrilled to be back under the care of my fabulous midwives.

I have bedding and paint color picked out for Eli's nursery; it's just a matter of ordering it all. The room will be green, and the bedding is green, brown, and ivory- with elephants on it. It's kinda modern, but very cute. We are going to buy furniture from IKEA. Eric's parents will be visiting the last weekend of February, and we hope to finish the nursery completely, with their assistance. We've got to get on the move, b/c if Eli comes early like Drake did, then that means he'll be here the end of March. Aaaaaaauugggghhhhhh! I have SO much to do before then. Eric is still in Florence between 3 and 5 days a week, so unfortunately I can't give him too much of a list. And right now, baby proofing is his only job. We have got to finish all the latches on the cabinets. Drake will be devastated when he can't pull the pots out each night, but hopefully he'll adjust quickly. He loves to bang pot lids together while I cook.

One little (BIG!!!!) thing about Drake to interrupt Eli's post: HE SAID MAMA!!!!!! Finally! While in his high chair tonight, and I was cooking, he started calling me. I almost fell over. Eric was like "Are you hearing this?"! That was the sweetest thing ever to these ears.

Eli is pretty much all set for diapers, since we've borrowed a lot from Lindsay. I may order a few more one size pockets, but that's probably all. I can't wait to have another newborn fluffy butt around here!