Diaper Drama

The other day, we went to Costco to stock up on diapers and baby wipes. A box of size three diapers for Iain, a box of size five diapers for Ada, and a box of baby wipes to share cost us $100. I'd love to say that we didn't have to buy diapers and wipes and were using all cloth diapers and washcloths as wipes, but I can't. Our various babysitters prefer disposables, as does Ada's daycare. And when anyone in the house is sick, or tired, or stressed out, disposable diapers get used because they are just easier. They are a major convenience and until cloth diapers become convenient or easier in some way, that's just how it is going to be.

Last night, I was feeling guilty about all of the disposable diapers we have used with Iain lately. I lost track of where his diaper covers were over the weekend. I wasn't sure if the dirty diapers needed to be washed or what their status was. And we hadn't used the cloth diapers in a few days. We were in the middle of sleep training him via the "Cry it out" method and just didn't have the dedication to deal with cloth diapers. So after the nanny went home, I put Iain in a cloth diaper. That would normally be just fine since it was five o'clock. But he fell asleep at six and only woke up at nine for a little snack. He woke up a few times at night briefly to cry for a bit of attention, but we ignored him like the "Cry it out" method calls for and he went back to sleep every time.

You can imagine my surprise when I woke up at six in the morning and found him wet from head to toe. It made me doubt the whole "Cry it out" strategy. Now I want to modify our strategy to include stealth nighttime visits to check on him to be sure he isn't wet and hasn't pulled a blanket up over his head. To make myself feel better, I decided he was only wet like that for a little while, maybe an hour.

We are getting more sleep, or at least we anticipate getting more sleep now that we know that he doesn't really need to eat in the middle of the night. And I won't be putting Iain in cloth diapers past four in the afternoon. At least not until he has a set bedtime and I can add a doubler to his diaper that will prevent the mess we woke up to this morning.

Moral of the story: Cloth diapers take some serious dedication, patience, and a lack of easy access to disposables. And, using the "Cry it out" method to teach your child how to self soothe can really work if you are committed to it, but it is not easy.

Busy, Busy, Busy

These are from a few months ago. Ada loves to play with the computer -- mainly just to push the power button whenever I'm in the middle of a big project at work. In an attempt to save my sanity and keep her occupied, I removed the batteries from our wireless keyboard and let her go to town. She had a blast and I got to clean the kitchen. Lucky me! If only we could all go to work in our underwear -- we'd save on our work wardrobes but I think that might cause a bit of an issue with Human Resources...She is also obsessed with Rick. Constantly needs to be near him and is now being accepted as his shadow. She insists on "helping" him with everything -- or at least being between him and whatever it is he is trying to get accomplished. Clearly this is the reason kids are so cute -- so that we can't really get mad when they try to "help" and render us totally unproductive.

Moral of the story: The older they get doesn't necessarily mean they are more helpful.

Squirt, Squirt

Iain got the doctoress straight out of the shoot.

He got Rick twice over the past two weeks.

And he finally got me this morning. I made it two weeks and a day before he peed while I was changing him. And the best part is that I knew it was coming...

As soon as I took his diaper off I was thinking, "Wow, I've made it two weeks. This is too good to be true." And then the waterworks started. Luckily, I was prepared and had a cloth diaper in hand ready to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the changing table cover got the brunt of it and is in the wash.

I guess I never really thought much about how different it is to change a boy versus a girl. When Ada peed, it went up her back and soaked her outfit. When he pees, it goes airborne and takes out anything in its way. I'm thinking I liked my odds with Ada a bit better. I keep thinking maybe there is some logic in the Pee Pee Teepees, but I can't help imagining them to just shoot up in the air like a sprinkler we had when I was a kid. It was a clown head that you attached to the garden hose and he had a hat that would shoot up into the air when water squirted out the top of his head. It just seems that the Teepee might prevent the stream from arcing across the room, but I'm not sure it really solves any problems. It just might redirect the ensuing mess to a smaller locale. Hmmm...

Moral of the story: Stay alert when changing all babies as you never know when they'll need to go and you're bound to have a mess on your hands, literally.

Dress For Success

I didn't know the term "Dress for Success" applied to toddlers until today.

Ada's in her toddler bed now and didn't want to go down for a nap. I was late putting her down so part of that is my fault. After a bit of a struggle, I forced her to lay down while I changed her diaper. Then I just shut the door and let her cry it out until she was ready to nap. It didn't take long since she missed a nap yesterday and was up late this weekend.

Three hours later, she woke up and called for me to come get her. I delayed so I could finish what I was working on and went in about five minutes after her initial cry when she started knocking on the door to be released. As I opened the door, she ran away as she always does. Looking after her, I noticed her pillows and diapers and a blanket strewn across the floor with the diaper drawer hanging wide open. At first I thought she had moved her nap to the floor of her room and made a fort. I picked up the diapers, put them away and as I was shuffling around on my knees, I noticed my pants were suddenly wet. Hmmm... that's odd. Then I started to really look around and noticed a diaper on the floor that I had missed. It was wet to the touch. Then I looked at Ada and she wasn't wearing a diaper. That's funny, she had one on at the beginning of her nap.

As far as I can tell, she stood up after her nap, thew the pillows on the floor, took off her diaper, peed on the floor, and then danced around until I came to get her. Completely my fault for delaying her release, and even more so for not putting pants on her after I changed her for her nap. Turns out, that layer of pants can be a major delay tactic for children who want to remove their diaper. Pants can also cause accidents during potty training due to that same delay so be sure to dress for success.

Moral of the story: Always put your child to bed with pants on so they can't easily unhook their diapers and pee all over their rooms -- unless that's what you're going for.

The 24 Hour Bug

It's finally here. We've been fearing it all winter and it finally arrived. Ada caught a 24 hour flu bug and it hit her yesterday afternoon. Talk about a rough 24 hours for the poor kid, not to mention tough on us (and our plans for the weekend now that we are contagious and awaiting the full-blown cootie invasion ourselves). Gesh.

We've done eight loads of laundry. Changed the sheets on our bed, her bed, her bed again. Covered the couch in blankets, towels, more blankets and more towels. Wiped up the floor in the kitchen, the floor in the hallway, the floor in the bathroom and the floor tiles in her room all due to messes caused by (what I call) the stomach flu. I've changed shirts and pants more times than I can count, both hers and mine, and finally took a nice cleansing shower at 10:30 last night when I was so covered in yuck I couldn't bear it any longer. Luckily, I suggested Rick change out of his work clothes, including his new dress pants, prior to tagging in for some Ada cuddles after work. Shortly after he changed, she begged for "wa-wa" and he succumbed to her whines, being careful not to let her have too much. But after awhile, she had worked him down and "not too much" became "more than enough" when it ended up all over him, his pants, and the couch--which got nailed three or four times even with all of the blankets and towels we could find to cover it and ourselves (Next time I'm getting garbage bags or a plastic drop cloth).

After changing her outfit three times in the first hour, I decided our house heaters, and her temperature, made it okay for her to don a diaper and a blanket or towel as needed. At one point, we had barely pulled the towels out of the dryer in time for her and Rick to dry off after her second shower of the night.

You know it's bad when, after draining the tub and wrapping her in a towel, she curls into the fetal position while still in the tub and hunkers down as if for the rest of the night. That was my sign that she desperately needed some rest and was too tired for me to even bother with a diaper at that point. She was so dehydrated that the diaper wasn't going to do any good and I knew she'd be up in three hours anyway.

I highly recommend you have a "tag team" system in place for sick kid days. I, once again, have no clue how I would have handled it all without Rick. Between running up and down the stairs for laundry, across the street to pick up dinner and, later on, shakes. Lifting Ada up and down out of the crib, off the couch, into the tub, out of the tub, into our bed, out of our bed. And then there is the whole task of waking up in the middle of the night with her. Rick got the first two times as I was a worthless lump in the bed at that point. I got the early morning wake up call at 6 am, which turned into me being the "wa-wa" sucker and having it come back to get me, literally, half-an-hour later in the form of a mess on the kitchen floor.

So if you want to see your heart break, just spend time with, or even look at, a sick child who doesn't understand why her little body is expelling a bunch of crud from her tummy. She just doesn't understand yet. All energy is drained and she can't understand why you won't give her water, even when she asks politely. It's awful.

On the bright side, I learned a few more tricks to add to my Mommy-arsenal.
1. Cover large areas with bath towels - or even beach towels if you get desperate- and then layer them with smaller hand towels, cloth diapers, or burp cloths that are easier to wash and replace.

2. When your child is demanding water, give them a few sips and then rub a piece of ice on their lips. Wrap the ice in a thin washcloth or a handkerchief and let them suck on it.

3. Consider raising the heat or just keep them covered so you don't have to wash their clothes every five seconds. Turns out that sick kids hate being dressed and undressed.

4. Have a lot of blankets and backup bed sheets on hand whenever possible, just in case.

5. When in doubt, just keep feeding movies into the DVD player while snuggling on the couch. Ada highly recommends Finding Nemo, Cars, and Toy Story 1 and 2.

Moral of the story: Sick sucks. Call in backup for help with mess reduction and pull out your patience reserves. You're going to need them... and a nap.

Ada Fashion Watch

This is one trend you fashionistas won't want to miss...

Grandma DD found some boots for Ada and today was our first time trying them on.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to put on any pants.

Suggested trend of Winter 2009-2010...

sddsesfyuil;kmereddddddddddddddddddddddddd (Which is Ada type for...)

Pajama Top, Diaper Cover and Snow Boots

Moral of the story: Kids can look cute in anything.

Potty Time, Excellent!

Mmmmm.... maybe not quite yet. I've been trying to get Ada interested in the potty and the other day I got her to pee a whole 6 drops of urine into the potty. I celebrated by singing and danceing and clapping and congratulating her like we just won the potty lotto. For a moment I was so excited thinking, "Yeah. We made it. She's ready! No more diapers." Then reality stepped in.

No she's not. Not even close to ready. Keep dreaming momma.

As it turns out, she needs to care that she has a poopy diaper and want it changed. Ada could sit in that mushy diaper for hours and not be bothered.

It would help if she could say "Poop" or "Pee" so that she can communicate that she needs to go. I can't get her to even say her name yet so those might take a bit longer.

On the upside, I can get her to sit naked on the potty and read books. At least there is that. I'll keep hoping that she's an early trainer... but I'm not holding my breath or selling my stock in diapers just yet.

Moral of the story: Potty training must be 100% on their terms. Keep suggesting it as an option and hopefully, someday, eventually, it will stick.

Cloth Diaper Trick

For those of you who are braving the intense grossness of washing your own cloth diapers... here it is. Finally. After doing this for a year and three quarters, Rick finally had the idea that maybe, just maybe, we should give all of the diapers a good rinsing before depositing them into the wet pail for the three days before they stank so bad we'd have to wash them. We used to just rinse out the poopy ones. Now we give the wet ones a whirl in the toilet bowl or under the sink briefly before transferring them to the wet pail.

Result? Not so stinky. Now we forget to wash them every three days...which kind of creates another kind of problem since the bin gets filled to the brim and almost doesn't fit into our washing machine. But that's a much better problem to have.

Moral of the story: Rinse as you go.

Dreamy Bubble Bath...

Ever need to relax and draw a nice, warm bath?

You crawl in and adjust the water to stop scorching your skin. Pull back the shower curtain for some privacy in case someone walks in accidentally.

That's what I did just the other night. I got the flu and wasn't feeling very good so I thought a bath would improve my situation.

I got the water just right. Got settled with my makeshift pillow to keep my ears above water (Ada's rubber duck upside down works great). Quiet house. Ahhhh!

Sniff. Sniff. What the hell is that smell?

Ug! The diaper pail is 6 inches from my nose and rank nasty full of dirty cloth diapers. Gross!

I tried my best to picture myself on a beach somewhere warm with an umbrella drink in my hand, but after about 3 minutes, it just wasn't worth it. I got out, dried off, dressed, and did the laundry. Talk about calling Cinderella back from her elegant ball. I didn't even get to enjoy the bath at all. At least I'm clean and the diapers are clean. There is that.

The scream heard 'round Ada's room

She got me.

In a moment of weakness, she caught me off guard and I'll admit it, I screamed.

I gave Ada a bath --she smelled like sunblock.

Got her to her room for a new diaper --she bit me in the side just under my rib along the way.

While getting her diaper ready, distracted by the new teethmarks in my side--she pooped on the letter H. A regular, mini-sized, grown up turd. On the floor. In plain view.

Scared the bejesus out of me.

Then I laughed while cleaning it up and cursing her mildly under my breath.

Moral of the story: Yeah. Good luck with that one.

Little crap!

What a day.

So far, Ada didn't get up until 9:30. Nice.
Ate breakfast - made a mess. Got a shower. Okay.
Did laundry, played with the laundry machine buttons. Fun. Beep Beep Beep.
Put clothes away. Realized Nemo wall stickers are more than one parent can install alone. Fine.

Then came the poopy diaper. "Poop. Poop." I think she learned a new word. Yeah.
Got the diaper off and in the blink of an eye, Ada has taken off running all over her room.
"Get back here or you'll get poop on your dress!" "Ada, come to momma." "Ada." Slightly escalated as she starts grinning... "Ada, get over here now, please." I coerce her over with a stuffed animal. Why is she all wet? Damn it Ada. She peed on the floor. I wipe. She takes off. I catch her again. Ug. Her feet are wet. There are pee prints all over the floor. Damn. Damn. Damn. I wipe her feet, legs, hands, butt. She takes off again. I grab her again, wrestle her into the new diaper. Throw the wipes away. Garbage is filling up. Better take that with me too. Yuck. My feet are wet. Set the diaper and garbage down. Grab 2 wipes and attack my feet, the floor and all surrounding areas while keeping her from running through the pee again. Grab the garbage and the diaper again. Drop the garbage in the kitchen. Once in the bathroom, dump the diaper in the diaper pail. "shit." That's a poopy diaper. I have to rinse it first. Grab it out of the diaper pail. Poop falls like big glob of cookie dough onto, yep, the yellow bathmat that is a pain-in-the-rear to clean because it has a rubber back and we have to put it through the wash machine downstairs so as not to ruin our new fancy dancy expensive machine and then it unbalances and so we have to throw it in with other stuff and basically this means it will just sit by the back door for a month or two. Great. And we just got it back into the bathroom 2 weeks ago maybe. Ug. I grab some TP, scoop the poop into the toilet. "Damn." The diaper is still in the toilet. Now I have to shake out the diaper without dissipating the poop lump. Tricky. Flush. Ring it out. Put it in the pail. Scrub hands, arms, under fingernails.

Thanks Ada. She's playing on the still clean part of the yellow bathmat with a comb. Nice.

And it just turned noon.

She's currently next to me with a face full of pasta sauce and hair that has a reddish tint from the tomatoes. Time for a quick wipe down and a nap. Thank God for naps.

I can't skip yoga today. I need some peace and calm. Gesh, Kids! Any tricks for washing bathmats? I'm sending Rick out to buy a new one today.

The down and dirty of cloth diapers - update

So as you may have read, we are doing cloth diapers. 14 months later we are STILL doing cloth diapers. I will admit that we have been relying a bit more on disposables when we travel and when Ada has the runs because it's just easier.

There are a lot of positives --saving the environment, less cost overall, not ripping the sticky tabs off when you try to fasten the diaper, less diaper rash, less leaks, not having to use two disposables at night, and knowing that I don't have to go to the store to buy diapers every five seconds.

And a few negatives -- rinsing the diapers, washing the diapers, doing all of the diaper laundry, the vile smell of the diaper pail, having to buy several diaper pails to figure out what worked best for us (1 foot high flip lid garbage pails and we still aren't extremely happy with them) -- which could all be solved if we had a diaper service. But that would negate the whole cost savings thing...

So, we're still washing, rinsing, changing, drying, fastening, and for the most part, making cloth diapers work.

That's the update.

What a day!

It started out well... and I was optimistic that we were going to have a great Monday... but then... well, things changed...

You know it's going to be a rough day when you've given your child 3 baths before noon and begin to run low on towels even though they all started out clean this morning.

Ada decided this was not going to be her day. She didn't want to take a nap. She got the runs, and diaper rash, and pooped every chance she got. Silly me didn't wise up and switch to disposable diapers because we are running low on them and I am committed to saving the world one cloth diaper at a time (who cares about saving my sanity?). What time we didn't spend in the bathroom flushing diapers clean, rinsing diapers out, washing poop off baby's bottom, we spent cuddling in her room, applying diaper cream, or wiping up pee and poop from her naked baby time -- supposedly the best cure for diaper rash. Not a cure for mom's sanity. Poor little butt.

On top of all that, Ada decided she didn't want to be a neat eater today either. Bananas and pancakes on the floor at breakfast, cheese and crackers and sweet potatoes at lunch, a teething biscuit somewhere in between -- which she got on her feet, in her hair, and all over her shirt and pants mind you-- eggs, mashed potatoes, applesauce and cheerios for dinner. I guess today was white/yellow food day. Do white/yellow foods give babies the runs? They sure did today. Poor baby.

In an attempt to try to make things better, we set out for a walk to run an errand. It's cold out but Ada loves being outside. I put her in the Ergo carrier, snapped her on my back and she was asleep before I even got into the hallway. I came back in from the hall to get a water bottle and we were off. Actually, I was off and she was out. I got 3/4 of the way down the street and struggled to get the little sleep hood snapped in place so that Ada's head would stay snug to my back as she slept. All the while I'm trying to pull her pant legs down and her socks up so that her legs don't get cold. Poor kid.

We get to our destination after a good ten minute walk in the cold. I go in, get the car passes from the alderman's office. I readjust her pants and socks again and we head for home. I stopped to get a toy for my neighbors' new dog and the clerk stops me to tell me my bag is leaking. Yeah, that water bottle I was so eager to get so that I wouldn't be so thirsty... yeah, well, I guess the lid wasn't on quite right because it soaked my bag. And everything in my bag. Fortunately, only a packet of tissues and the two thank you cards I had written earlier today were ruined. Everything else is airing out nicely. As I left the store I apologized for the water trail I left behind and the clerk was quick to point out that as a pet store, that floor has seen much worse.

As we continued on our journey, I decide to get a replacement peephole for our neighbor because we installed one for her last night and learned that her door is way too thin for a peephole. Now I don't know what to do. Make it stick out? Leave a big hole in her door? Or suggest that she get a more sturdy door for security's sake? I'm voting for the 3rd option. Anyway... we stop into the local ACE hardware, get another peephole and the nice lady there fixes Ada's hat so her ear doesn't freeze off from sticking out. Silly kid.

Then we decide to stop by Jen's house to say hey to her new baby and see how she's doing. The baby was asleep and adorable as usual. We got to see the nursery and it's so cute. Ada got hot and fussy so we decided to head back home as it was nearing dinnertime anyway. I walk down Jen's driveway with Ada on my back and as I turned the corner onto the sidewalk, ho hum, la la la, WHOOOP! I slipped on a patch of ice and landed, thankfully, on my left hand and my knees. Ada didn't even flinch. I got up. Looked around to see if anyone saw me and to ensure them I was fine but no one saw me. This is the height of irony as that's how Jen and I met. She fell on the ice while walking to work one day, I saw her and asked if she was okay. We've been friends, and neighbors, ever since. Of course I had to text her to say that we'd fallen but were okay and she needed to be extra careful if she goes out with the baby. My poor knees.

We got home alive, thankfully. As soon as we walked through the front door, Ada started crying. I changed yet another poopy diaper, fed her some milk, made dinner and tried to make the best of it until daddy came home. He got to witness at least two more poops, including one while on a towel in the living room that she immediately stepped in and was whisked off to the bathroom for her 6th rinse in the tub today. Poor baby!

She's screaming, I'm exhausted, life sucks and then there is Rick--calm, collected, sympathetic. He's happy to come rescue both of us from our crazy poop-filled day. Our hero!

Moral of the story: If you have to have a poopy baby, be thankful that you can stay home and not deal with that mess in public. And sometimes, it's worth screwing the environment when it comes to a baby with the runs. Sanity should trump all else when a screaming toddler in involved.

Give me a P!

So today, in typical Ada fashion, I was changing her diaper and she was squirming around like a typical 11 month old. She started out on the changing table but got too wiggly so I decided the floor would be safer. In her room we have an alphabet mat made of foam where all the letters of the alphabet link together in interlocking pieces -- it's great as a shock absorber when she falls and looks cool too.

As I went to set her down on the map, she of course wanted to stand up -- it's tough to get her little knees to bend when all she wants to do is stand up. ALL the time. So she's naked, standing up. There is a poopy diaper on the changing table and I'm trying to grab the wipes, put the cloth diaper in the diaper cover while holding her up and what does she do? She pees all over the letter P. While standing mind you. So now I have a poopy diaper, a pee covered P and the surrounding tiles, and a pee covered Ada who now, of course, wants to sit down and start crawling all over so she can spread the wealth of pee to the rest of the letters. Luckily, she was only able to grab her elephant rattle before I was able to wrap her in a cloth diaper haphazardly and briskly walk down the hall the bathroom hoping pee wasn't dripping all through the house as I whisked her off to the sink.

I gave her a quick rinse while fighting to keep her from scorching herself as she found it really fun to play with the faucet knobs. Once she was "clean" which is a relative term and only a temporary state at this age, I toweled her off, again attempted the diaper dance and was able to successfully finagle her into her diaper. I quickly returned her to the far end of her play mat and then removed the peed on P and the elephant rattle and the poopy diaper and the wet diaper from her room. Who knew multitasking was such a prerequisite for being a parent. Whew.

Moral of the story: Don't put a P on the floor. You're just asking for it to be peed on simply for the irony of it all.

Nanny day two

Yesterday went super duper well for the new nanny Ashley and she had an easy day with Ada -- minus the cloth diapers and the fact that Ada pooped 3 times in the morning to the point where Ashley gave up and decided to try the cloth diapers again another day. She did however note that Ada was the "happiest baby I've ever seen" when she first got here in the morning as Ada was playing and smiling and being silly, as per usual. Ashley even got her to take 2 one-hour naps and managed to get the stroller in and out of the inner and outer vestibule doors, without locking herself out. Something I consider to be a miracle.

I was both comforted and a bit peeved when I went to hug Ada good by in the morning and she quickly turned back to Ashley and reached out for the pass off. She's been doing this a lot lately. She must be secure in our relationship or bored with me (more likely) since she tends to reach out to go to other people when I'm holding her. I'm proud of that fact since most babies nuzzle in to mom's shoulder and act shy. Not my Ada. You want her, you got her. Here she comes! She even plays the same game between Rick and I and we play pass the baby, back and forth, back and forth.

Today however wasn't so easy. Ada has been and continues to teethe. I warned Ashley before I left and listed off the twelve steps we take to make her happier when her teeth hurt. "When all else fails, go outside and she'll quiet down."were my parting words of wisdom. I was shocked to hear upon my return, at 5 pm not 6, that Ada was a fussy little mess all day. Ashley had to resort to drugs twice and got the pleasure of listening to my little fuss pot all day go on and on about her teeth. Ada even whined while outside in her stroller on a walk -- very rare for this kid. Talk about making your mom into a liar on day two. And the result--still no teeth. Someday, sometime, hopefully in the immediate near future, I'll be able to post a photo of this damn elusive tooth and my very own shit grin as it will be one of the most glorious days of my life, and Rick's and Ada's too I'm sure.

Moral of the story: Don't make promises when it comes to the behavior of a nine month old. She'll sell you out and prove you wrong every time.

Staying dry on a rainy Monday...

Yes, a rainy Monday. Not only a tough start to a new week, but a rainy one at that. What better to do on a rainy day than walk to the zoo for lunch with a friend? At the onset of today's adventure, Ada and I started out dry. She had a fresh diaper and I was showered and ready to start the day. The sun was hiding behind the clouds and the rain hadn't found it's way to our neck of the woods just yet. An so our adventure began.

With Ada strapped on the front of my chest in her Ergo carrier, snug as a bug in a rug as they say, we set off to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Not to really go see the animals or anything like that but we have a friend that works at the Zoo and today was slated for our semi annual lunch date. I debated taking the bus, but kept missing it as is typically my luck, and opted for the nice walk instead. We walked the bus route just in case I got tired or in case it took longer than expected. About half way there, I notice a familiar face -- this happens to me a lot for those who don't know me so it isn't much of a shocker. It was a woman pushing a stroller and I of course had to see if it really was someone I knew or not. So I ask, "Is your name Allison by chance?" And she replied, "Yeah, and you're Amanda right?" Sure enough, this is a woman I used to have in my business classes at Iowa. She was my roommate's neighbor Freshman year and I had known her about 7 years ago for about 3 years. Turns out, now she is an attorney here in the city. Go figure. The weirdest part is that she wasn't pushing her daughter in the stroller, but was watching her for a friend, and doesn't even live in the neighborhood. What are the odds of that? Pretty good in my world. Hmmm... maybe I should start to play the lotto...

So as we are catching up on old times and saying our goodbyes, it starts to sprinkle. I pop out my handy dandy trusty umbrella -- the one I got for high school graduation and just sent in for a replacement since totes has a lifetime warranty -- and we continued on our way through the sprinkles.

On the way from the zoo with our friend Ellen, it started to poor, and continued to do so through lunch. For the trip home, we considered taking the bus, but it sped past us as we were walking out of the restaurant. So we started walking and Ada fell asleep on my chest. About five blocks into the walk, I was tempted by another bus, but decided the fresh air and exercise would do us both good. So we walked, and walked and walked. Through big puddles and small. All the while shifting the weight of the umbrella and my should bag from one side to the other. Finally, about half an hour later, we arrived home. A bit wet and tired, but happy all the same.

Our little umbrella kept us mostly dry...and reminded me that I should probably invest in a few larger umbrellas if we plan to walk together in the rain often as the tiny one just doesn't cover as much as it needs to. Once we got inside, I started to change Ada since her socks and lower pant legs were a bit wet. As I took of her pants and started to switch out her diaper, she peed all over everything. And normally when she pulls this trick, she just pees and it goes underneath her. Not this time. She waited until I was lifting her legs into the air to situate the new diaper so that when she peed, it went up and back over her hip, to soak her shirt and her pants and her back and the changing table and the new diaper and the new diaper cover. Tricky little thing. Always coming up with something new to keep me on my toes.

Moral of the story: Sometimes even a big umbrella can't save you from getting wet. :)

Swish and Spin - Poopy Cloth Diapers

Until now, Ada's diapers haven't been all that nasty. But recently, she started solids. Which means she also started pooping solids. And since we use cloth diapers, that changes things a bit. We're trying to adjust and I'm sure it will be a bit of a process. It seems to be going well so far.

The good news: Breastfed babies don't poop a lot. Some poop everyday, some poop once a week. It isn't like they poop in every diaper all day long and you won't be relegated to the bathroom to clean poopy diapers every five minutes.

The bad news: Poopy diapers stink. And you have to rinse them out before you wash them in the laundry machine - unless you use a diaper service, but even then you should at least remove the majority of your baby's handy work.

The solution: We've decided to change the poopy diaper, take it to the toilet, swish it around, flush the solid material while we hold the diaper in the water, then rinse the diaper in the sink and put it into the diaper pail. Since the diaper pail is smelling more funky than ever before, we're attempting to use a "wet pail" instead of a "dry pail" meaning that we fill the pail with water and let the diapers soak in it until it is time to wash them - which is about every other day. This is supposed to cut the acid of the urine and contain the funky smell a bit. If you have a top loading washer, you can dump the water in with the diapers when you do the wash. I have a front loading machine so I can either drain it in the tub and pull out some rubber gloves to transfer it to the machine, or I can run downstairs and wash them in the coin machine. Not pleasant but I'm doing what I can to save money and the environment.

I'm also going to try out the cloth wipes for when she has a poopy diaper. I think they will be easy to use and I can throw them into the "wet pail" with the diapers instead of throwing them into the garbage can and having to take the garbage out every time she poops.

Another tip -- we tend to use disposable diapers when we travel since we already have to take a gazillion things with us when we travel with the baby. Otherwise you have to take the diapers, covers, wipes, and a bag to transport all of the dirty diapers back home with you, and you may have to do laundry while you are out and about. We've done it both ways but find that for convience it is a bit less bulk to use disposables. That and I fear having to swish and spin in a public toilet.

Moral of the story: Cloth diapers are a bit more work and a bit more disgusting, unless you have a diaper service, but it really isn't that bad. You have to deal with the poop either way so just take a deep breath and try not to breath -- or be mature like me and yell "not it" as soon as you smell the baby bomb, then pass her off to your husband.

Cloth Diapers - note

So my friend Amanda just told me about another friend she has who started a cloth diaper website http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/. They have Thirsties diaper covers as a top selling item too.

I also wanted to add that you really do need to wash your cloth diapers 4 or 5 times before you use them to get them to be absorbent. It doesn't really make sense to me why but Rick and I forgot to wash the next size up that we have and started using them after about one or two washes. Boy were we in for it. Ada leaked all over the place because the pee just pooled on the diaper. Now that we've washed them, all is well with the world again.

And you do have to get used to folding the diapers and finagling them into the covers. It might take a little extra time but is well worth the effort.

Good luck to those other parents who join forces with me in saving the world one cloth diaper at a time.

12 Laundry, Remodeling, & Relatives Oh My!

It's been awhile since I've posted so here's the latest.

I mentioned babies soil things quickly so you do a lot of laundry as a mom. Hence the reason we decided to add a washer/dryer to our bedroom closet.

I must say that the thing is frigging AWESOME... But it has been insanely disruptive to remodel. Having a small home to begin with, space is important to us. We have been living out of the baby's closet for two months now. Oh yes, this process took two months. My fabulous husband has given up several weekends of his time, hours that could have been spent playing with the baby, and he even slept on the living room floor(see above) for a week so I could have the couch as we waited to clean our drywall-dust-covered bedroom. It has not been easy.

A huge thanks goes out to our families and friends for all of their help during this crazy time. Our friends from back home came to demo the wall, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend came the day I got diagnosed with strep throat to help re-drywall and babysit, my mother has come to help clean and bring some sense of order to the house, and my fantastic friends have come to entertain me, fold laundry, babysit, and just hang out without freaking out about the fact that my home looks like it was recently ransacked by a wild boar. Rick's parents plan to come in and help us re-assemble our home this weekend and I look forward to having a sense of normalcy back into my life.

My entry today has a little less bite than usual as I am recovering not only from strep throat, but the baby has a sinus infection and we chose this week to try the "cry it out" method -which I might add is working very well. I'm getting a good deal of sleep, for which I am very thankful, but I've also decided that this is the week that my maternity leave is officially over and I've launched my own marketing consulting firm - AY Marketing. I'm hoping to have my first client on board in the next week or so and I am actively seeking additional clients so feel free to pass my name on.

At least my schedule has been easy this week as far as appointments go. Ada is doing well in day care and between walks with neighbors and the fact that I have a 16 1/2 lb 4 month old, I get quite a good workout without even trying.

Moral of the story: Build a strong network of friends and family to help you through all that gets thrown your way, avoid remodeling, and try not to bite off more that you can chew as you only live for so long.

08 Rant Renovation

It is widely known that renovation is never easy. So why my husband and I thought it would be a quick and easy project to install a washer/dryer combo unit in our bedroom closet is beyond me. Way beyond me.

This all started when we had Ada and realized, (insert light bulb here), that babies soil everything they touch and thereby increase your amount of laundry dramatically. And to compound the issue, we’re trying to save money and the environment by using cloth diapers(see 07 Advice). So having one baby equals three or four additional loads of laundry each week for us.

My whole reasoning for even putting a washer dryer in our condo unit is that it is better for resale, we’ll get the investment back when we sell our place, and it will be more convenient not having to walk out the back door, down a flight of stairs, unlock the basement door and lug the laundry to the coin machines. My real breaking point was when one washer and one dryer out of the four machines downstairs decided to not work properly but to continue eating my hard earned quarters. Five quarters per load to be exact, then five more for the dryer.

I hit my breaking point quickly. Ada was born mid-December and I made it to Valentine’s Day-- almost two whole months mind you. I researched different machines online and went with an LG WM3431HW that we purchased from Compact Appliance. It’s an expensive piece of equipment, $1,300 after free shipping and the romantic holiday sale. It arrived just three days later, and has since been a conversation piece in our living room and then a night stand draped in plastic in our bedroom.

Our first mistake was to assume we could install hookups in our closet by sprinkling fairy dust in our bedroom. Turns out that in reality it took our friend Martin and my husband a day to bump out the closet wall six inches, several nights of re-mudding the drywall, half a day for the electrician, and a day and a half for the plumber, not to mention all the time it will take my wonderful husband to re-drywall, mud, sand, paint and re-install the closet organization system.

An inch of drywall dust later, (unfortunately they were out of fairy dust), we might have a running washer/dryer Tuesday evening, April 8th. Yes, that is just shy of two months later. Why? Because we thought our friend could do the plumbing, but it turned out to be way too complicated with a cast iron stack in the basement and no access to a vent pipe. Then we made the mistake of believing our plumber when he said he’d get us a quote. After three weeks of nagging him, the quote was $2,500! Ticked off from all that drama we called plumber #2 and he stopped by that day, quoted it on the spot, and is starting one week later for $700 less. Still way more than we expected but what can we do?

So that is the background to the story. Let’s zoom in on the day Plumber #2 came to visit.

April Fool’s Day started out well. Rick called to say that the plumber would be calling sometime today and maybe stop by to give us a quote. Awesome! Finally a responsive plumber. I was still in my pajamas feeding Ada when the plumber, Chuck, called. Mind you this was already my second pair of pajamas since Ada woke up this morning and threw up on me, down my cleavage and all over my pants at her first feeding.

Chuck said he’d come over at 11 to take a look. Fabulous! It’s 10 am and Ada is a bit fussy. I get the wise idea of taking a quick shower before Chuck arrives so I feel human and don’t smell like barf. I put Ada in her bouncy seat --which has no bounce as the batteries are dead and Rick hasn’t had a chance to change them and I don’t have four hands or a clone to do it either. I set it in front of the bathroom door as gather clothes to wear and undress for my shower. She starts screaming the instant I’m naked. Thank goodness I’ve got the blinds closed throughout the house as I now have to pick her up, walk to her room and nurse while naked. A few minutes later we try again. She’s still fussing in her bouncy seat and I jump in the shower. I have fifteen minutes until he gets here and can get ready in three so this is good.

I’m showering when, of course, the phone rings. I quickly shut off the water, grab my towel, run on tip toes past the screaming baby to the kitchen to get the phone, but it’s in the living room. We have 1,000 square feet of condo, two cordless phones and a wall phone and they are all in the living room. What are the chances of that? So I run on tip toes to the living room, soaking the floor along the way. “Amanda, it’s Chuck. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” “Great. See you then.” I go back to the bathroom, towel off and jump into my clothes while singing to Ada to calm her down. I’m mopping up all of the water I’ve strewn through our condo when the buzzer sounds. It’s been five minutes and he’s here. Ada is fussing as I let him in. I grab her and introduce her as our family mascot. While she screams, I show him the closet.
“Oh, this isn’t good. That’s a problem. Is there a unit below you?” he asks.
“Nope. It’s the basement.” I reply.
“Okay. That’s good. Can I see it?”
“Yep.”

With Ada under my arm, I grab the key and head downstairs.
“Oh, this is better than I thought. If you were on a higher floor this wouldn’t work.”
He proceeds to tell me how he can do it and quotes it out. I thank him and we head out of the basement. Again with Ada in my arms I fumble with the MasterLock for a minute and finally get it to click, no thanks to him.

Back inside he checks out the closet again.
“I’ll have to make a new hole in the wall since the electrical is in the way.”
I laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“When the original plumber came to give us a quote, the electrician was here and I asked that question specifically and he told me it wouldn’t be a problem. I work with engineers and married an architect so I understand the whole coordinating projects and tried to prevent this. Oh well. It’s just drywall. Rick can fix that.”
“Okay, so we’ll cut the back wall open and put in a vent pipe at 48 inches.”
“Sounds great.” I reply.
He leaves and I call Rick to relay the message. We agree to go ahead with the project.

After calling the plumber to give him the go ahead, I hear a strange thumping noise. I thought maybe it was cell phone interference with the computer speakers but they were turned off. After a few minutes I decide to investigate. Then it dawns on me. As I enter our bedroom I realized that I had tried to put Ada in her swing before I sat her in her bouncy seat. She didn’t care for the swing so I folded it up and put it in our bedroom. I assumed the batteries were dead since it never seemed to swing on its own. To my surprise, there it was, folded up against the bedroom wall and rhythmically knocking it. How about that. The batteries do work!

Now it’s time for lunch. Ada nurses for a bit then goes down for a mini nap. I heat up a baked potato. As soon as the microwave goes off saying it’s done, she wakes up screaming. Hold on potato, I’ll be back. I get her back to sleep long enough to reheat the potato, add cheese, bacon and just as I’m adding the sour cream, she starts screaming again. Will I ever get to eat? I put her back on the boob and eat with my magical mom skills (aka the mysterious third hand).

In all of the chaos of the day, I decided to use a digital microphone to record this crazy line of events so I could blog it. To do so, I needed to get the batteries from the closet under the stair and to top things off, I hit my head on the low ceiling.

Moral of the story: Don’t remodel and think twice before procreating.