Introducing... INDY!

Hi, I'm Indy, Meg and Tim's new puppy!

Can I lick your face? No? Okay... maybe later.

Here is some info about me.

Name: Indy (short for Indiana Jones)

Breed: Labrador Retriever, black, male

Born on: April 2, 2011

Adopted on: May 28, 2011

Hometown: Newmanstown, PA with the Eberly Family

Parents: Sir Nittany (chocolate lab) & Lady Alexia (black lab)

Favorite Toy: Squeaky limp raccoon

I love to: chew on anything, play with Daddy, tackle small children, nap on tile floors, eat grass, wrestle with my stuffed duck, be around people 24/7, lick ice cubes, get belly rubs

I hate: my crate, being told "No", being home alone, hot weather (I am wearing a black fur coat all the time, after all), my collar & leash

Now can I lick your face?

<3 Indy

P.S. I have my own theme song. Top that!

The return of... Awkward & Awesome Thursday!

Awkward

- Going for a run at the park, and noticing that the girl coming the other way starts running whenever she sees me approaching. You don't have to impress me, lady, just walk if you feel like walking.

- A stink bug hanging out on the ceiling, directly over the stove where I'm cooking dinner. "I always feel like, somebody's watching meee..."

- Having my pants completely unbuttoned at work while I'm sitting at my desk. The belly has a mind of it's own these days!

- Filling out the "food log" for my midwife and feeling an intense urge to lie about what I ate.

- My husband describing me as "round all over." Let's just pretend that never happened.

- Looking forward to May birthday cake at work... since April. (My birthday's not even until July.)

- The ginormous dog crate sitting in our living room. And we don't even have the dog yet.

[Yes, it's larger than our TV & TV Stand combined.]

Awesome

- Strawberries on salad w/ balsamic vinegar... trust me on this one.

- Thrifting for baby & maternity stuff. If you aren't doing this, you're missing out on some amazing deals!

[Craigslist, $5. No joke.]

- Getting in shape gradually from refereeing lacrosse without even realizing it.

- Country music in the summertime

- Talking to people from The South on the phone at work. Something about their twang makes them sound cheerful!

- My skin finally clearing up. (Hormones, you are the devil.)

- Oversized mirrors. They always make your house look better.

- The fact that my husband went flat rate at work & is killin' it! This means if a job has a pre-set time of 3 hours, and he gets it done in 45 minutes, he still gets paid for 3 hours of work. He made 16 hours yesterday... umm yeah, I am  one proud wife :-)

- This beach cover-up I ordered from Victoria's Secret. Meow!

[Not me.]

Half Baked

Our bun in the oven is almost halfway done!

I am 16 weeks along and feeling fab.

[That's my tired morning face. It goes away eventually.]

Baby A is the size of an avocado, moving around like crazy (although I can't feel more than a slight flutter every now and then) and can HEAR! How crazy is that?

I heard his or her heartbeat at my last appointment and am very excited for my husband to experience that awesomeness at my appointment on June 1st.

It's pretty miraculous and really gives you a different perspective on the whole situation. It's not just about how I'M feeling anymore... I do everything for that little heartbeat! Including foregoing dessert in favor of fruit, which is actually pretty sweet. Pun intended.

Not much else has changed. I get up in the middle of the night 2-3 times to pee. I think random children standing at bus stops are adorable. My mom and I scour Craigslist for deals on baby stuff. (And OH the deals we've found!) I have tons of energy and feel pretty darn great most of the time. This pregnancy is treating me well.

My husband is the cutest. He rubs my belly and says precious things like, "I can't wait to meet you!"

Me neither!

Butttt... I'm glad we have 5 more months to prepare. And sleep. And lay on the couch after dinner watching American Idol.

Snack Attack

I've always had a cheetah-like metabolism, but since I've had a baby inside me who's been stealing all my nutrients, I've been crazy hungry day and night. I gave in to some cravings early on to keep myself from vomiting (never did, by the way, I just love bragging about that!) but now I'm buckling down and making sure my snacks in-between meals are both filling and healthy.


[An everyday lunch during work.]

Clearly gaining weight is essential during pregnancy, but I'd like to stay in the 25-35 lb. range, which is what is recommended for my starting weight and body type.

These snacks are in my kitchen right now.

(Warning: I may start drooling as I type...)

Greek Yogurt

(Chobani lemon & pomegranate are my favs)

Roasted Cashews

Pistachios

(great for prime time TV munching)

Bananas & Peanut Butter

Granny Smith Apples

(tart & never mealy)

Strawberries

(rinse & enjoy plain)

Oranges

(you'll feel like you're playing pee wee soccer again)

Cheese & Whole Wheat Crackers

Avocados

(with a sprinkle of sea salt or squeeze of lime)

Pretzels

(look for the fewest ingredients possible)

Olives

(very high in sodium, so watch that)

PB&J Sandwiches

(homemade jelly courtesy of the Amish)

Have I broken down and raided the snack machine at work for Peanut M&M's? Heck yes! Life without chocolate would be a miserable existence. But no, I don't do that everyday. Or even every week. I still drink a cup of coffee every morning. Full caffeine. And eat fish often. And I accidentally breathed in paint fumes while I was refinishing a mirror over the weekend. Whoops... sorry, baby.

At least I'm acing the exercise part!

Reffing a lacrosse tournament in June when I'm 18 weeks and another one in July when I'm 22 weeks. I wonder what Baby Annan will make of all the whistle-blowing?

Mini-Us

I won't lie, I stole the picture idea from The Daybook.

My husband and I constantly wonder what our kid will look like. Will my brown hair/brown eyes come out on top? Will he or she have beautiful blue-green eyes like Tim? We are dying to know. We'll be finding out the gender in about 4 weeks, provided that our babe cooperates during the ultrasound.

It's gonna be a long wait!

P.S. The Bachelorette starts on Monday. Who's excited? THIS GIRL!

Baby Junk

The world of babies can easily drain your bank account if you let it.

There are things that are marketed as "musts" for new moms and children. Somehow, their absence didn't cause any pain & suffering before they were invented.

I am always thinking about ways to simplify life for my own personal sanity, so Tim and I decided to draw the line when it came to certain baby items. We are nixing some because we flat out can't afford it (or don't think it's worth the money), and others because we just don't see the point. Feel free to disagree. This is just one pregnant lady's notion of what we are willing to live without.

1. Wipes Warmer

Sure, we want our baby's bum to be comfortable at all times, but we are taking a different route with wipes. Along with our reusable cloth diapers, we're doing reusable cloth wipes! Stack of soft washcloths, DIY backside cleaning solution in a spray bottle... done. Throw them in the wash along with the cloth diapers and throw them back on the clean pile. We do not think our baby will be scarred for life without an above-room-temperature hiney.

2. Designer Baby Room Furniture

The prices of some cribs make me want to vomit. They are more than one of my paychecks! Sorry, kid, as long as it's sturdy and meets current safety specs, it'll do. I'd like to see the study that says baby's sleep better in a $1,200 crib vs. a $100 crib.


[Mariah Carey's baby's room. Let's add that ginormous giraffe to the list, too.]

3. Diaper Genie

When you cloth diaper, you usually do laundry everyday. Dirty diapers go in a wet bag (waterproof bag that zippers & hangs on the back of a door) and then right into the washing machine. No big plastic bin that takes up space and requires refills. No stinky situation created by week-old diapers.

4. Changing Table

I'm talking about a separate changing table that doesn't serve any other purpose. We plan on using a small Ikea dresser with a changing pad on top. Two birds, one stone.


[The wasted space is killing me.]

5. Bumbo Seat

I've gone back and forth on this one, and decided that I'm only getting one if it's free or less than $10 at a resale shop. They retail for $40! It's a freakin' piece of molded plastic. I get it, your baby can sit up and see what's going on. But my cynical side says, "Clearly babies were happy, healthy and learned to sit on their own before the invention of the Bumbo seat." Who knows, maybe I'll end up getting one and loving it.

6. Diaper Stacker

Baby's top dresser drawer will be filled with 15 or so cloth diapers. We won't need to store stacks of disposable diapers anywhere... or bulk boxes of them either. Win-win.

7. Rocking Chair/Glider

We are sticking with the Ikea Poang chair that we already have. It kinda-sorta rocks/bounces. Those big, bulky gliders look so old fashioned and awful to me. Not to mention we don't have room for one. We will, however, be updating the Poang with a new $29 neutral-colored cushion (it currently has a bright red one).

8. Bottle Warmer

Most of the time, Baby Annan will be getting milk straight from the source, so we won't need a bottle warmer. If Mommy isn't around, there's the good old microwave (since we're using glass bottles) or the really good old pot of shallow water on the stove!

9. Pacifier Wipes

Okay, now this one is just straight up dumb. Rinse it off with warm water. Your kid crawls on the ground where it was most likely dropped and puts everything in his mouth. He'll be fine.

10. Bottle Sterilizer

We already have one. It's called the dishwasher.


[Bottle sterilizer, aka, counter space taker-upper.]

11. Alcohol Test Strips

I actually saw this on Kourtney & Khloe take Miami. Kourtney was out getting hammered drunk at a club, then came home and had to pump. She tested her breastmilk for alcohol with these special strips and dumped it out until it was back to normal. My solution? Don't get hammered drunk. However, after talking with my Mom who raised three healthy children, a glass of wine or two while nursing won't cause any harm.

[You're still my favorite celebrity mom, Kourt!]

12. New Baby Swing

Emphasis on new. I've heard from a lot of moms that their child didn't like certain swings, but you don't know that until it's paid for and assembled. I like the idea of a swing, but didn't want to waste a ton of money on one, so I bought a used swing in great condition from a nice lady on Craigslist... for 5 bucks. It retails for $130. Talk about a sweet deal. Now if Baby Annan hates it, I won't feel too bad about it.

Do any Moms out there agree? Disagree?

If I'm totally crazy and you desperately needed something on this list, by all means, tell me!

If there are any items I missed that I shouldn't waste my time on, I want to know.

I live by the 7 P's. Poor prior preparation promotes piss poor performance.

P #8 might be practicality. Or pure awesomeness.

Okay, I'm done now.

Why getting a puppy while pregnant is not as crazy as you think

I've noticed a phenomenon. Or maybe it's just another annoyance of being pregnant. Yes, I have a lot of them already, and they mainly deal with the opinions of other people. As soon as you get pregnant, people act like anything "else" you want to do should wait. Because you know, pregnant women are incapable of doing anything other than sitting around and knitting baby booties. Sarcasm...

[Knitting... and knitting... and knitting... and knitting... Pee Wee's Big Adventure? Anyone?]

When Tim and I got engaged, we agreed that as soon as we were able (location-wise, money-wise) that we would get a dog. In February, simultaneously, we found out we were having a baby and we were offered a great house to rent that allowed pets. Finally!

Well, as soon as we mentioned this aloud, the debbie downers chimed in. Your getting a dog AND having a baby AND you just moved? You're crazy! No real explanation for this was given. Just that we were crazy. Interesting.

(For her peace of mind, I'm not talking about my Mom who brought up the valid point of expensive vet visits. That's actually a legitimate reason to not get a pet and she has experienced this with multiple cats. Between gear, food and shots, they are very pricey and we factored this into our decision and our budget.)

It's my natural instinct to prove naysayers wrong, so I decided to brainstorm a little listeroo of why getting a puppy while pregnant is not crazy at all. Why, actually... it's awesome!

[Our puppy on the way!]

1. It is a great distraction from pregnancy. Honestly, it's not mentally sound to get too wrapped up in something for too long. I got sick of reading baby books within the first month. Being focused solely on what's happening in my b0dy for 9 months would be maddening. Now I am reading about puppies, what kind of food is best for what breed, how to crate train, etc. It's fun and it takes my mind off of all the things that could go wrong during child birth.

2. We want a pet that is comfortable around children, and we want children who are comfortable around animals... and learn how to care for and respect them. If we get a puppy now, we get both of these things. Our dog and baby will grow up together, and we think that's just adorable. We also think it's important that our kids understand death. I know this sounds morbid, but it's a good lesson in the value of life. Dogs don't live forever, and explaining it will be heartwrenching, but it's something that kids are frankly better off not be shielded from. They need to know that it's a part of life and it's something you will get through eventually. I knew allllll about kitty heaven when I was little and it did not scar me for life.

3. We want to post hilarious youtube videos of our baby and our puppy interacting. America's Funniest Home Videos... here we come!

4. Playing with and walking a dog is great exercise for pregnant women. At 8 months pregnant, I probably won't want to move my big butt off the couch. But if there's a cute little puppy whining to go for a walk... I'll have to get up & get moving! You can't say no to that face.

5. Caring for a puppy is the perfect practice for my husband to care for an infant. I'm not demaning him, he's just never had a pet before. Obviously, he can't stick food in a bowl for an infant and let it poop outside, but just the responsiveness and selflessness that owning a pet teaches will be extremely helpful. I'm sure we'll be playing quite a few rounds of "rock-paper-scissors" for who gets to change a diaper vs. who gets to take the dog out.

6. Labrador retrievers (which is the breed we're getting) are great "alert" dogs. Not great guard dogs because of their friendly nature towards strangers, but they will alert you if they hear a sound, which is very reassuring.

People who've been in our situation (baby + puppy) have told us it's not hard... and actually a lot of fun. Life is too short to not do the things you want to do! We can't put all of our plans on hold just because we're having a baby.

So we're just going for it!

Baby Room Inspiration

Looks like our baby is going to have a cooler room than us. Figures!

We have yet to paint or hang up more than a clock in our bedroom.

Not knowing the time was driving us insane and we use our cell phones as alarm clocks.

(The fluorescent numbers on digital alarm clocks disturbs our precious sleep.)

I'm not going to reveal ALL of our decorating plans yet, but we are staying away from the typical palette of pastel colors and animal themes.

Us? Rebelling against the norm? Shocking!

I found this poster on AllPosters.com (thanks for the lead, Mom!) and fell in love with the tropical colors. I'm really digging a travel-themed room. It's not baby-ish, but definitely bright and fun. This poster just makes me happy when I look at it and I hear Barry Manilow singing "Copacobana." We're not trying to raise a communist baby or anything, but Cuba was once a cool place to visit before Fidel Castro took over and ruined it.

We have lots of random souvenirs from our Caribbean cruise that we went on back in 2008, and no where to display them. So why not incorporate them into the baby's room? "Look, baby, this is from when your parents were young, fun & single! Did you know a Red Stripe is cheaper than a bottle of water in Jamaica?"

They'll be learning something new everyday.

Project: Baby

Aside from the craftiness going on inside my uterus right now, I'm getting the urge to start a few baby projects. Some things do end up cheaper to buy than to make (when you add up materials + time + labor) but then you're stuck with whatever colors are available and honestly, most "baby" colors make me want to gouge out my eyes. Why is everything primary colors? I'm not starting a daycare center, it's my home. I want it to be calm, quiet & serene.

Which is why we're getting a puppy. They are always calm, quiet & serene.

I wish I was kidding.

At least our baby accessories can send out this vibe, right?

Project 1: Nursing Covers

They cost anywhere from $25-$40 to buy, and they only take 1 yard of fabric to make. When you add in the D-rings to make the straps adjustable and the strip of boning to make the top part rounded (so you can see what your kiddo is up to under there), the cost of materials will be about $10. I'm making 2 of them. 1 for home, 1 for work. I will be returning to work at some point while Baby Annan is (hopefully) still nursing, so in order to pump discreetly, I need a nursing cover!

[Gee, I have no idea what's going on under there...]

Project 2: Burp Cloths

If you can sew a square, you can make these. One side is an absorbant material like minky, flannel or terrycloth and the other side is a fun, cotton print. They're going to get covered in spit-up but they can still look cute. We'll need a few for every room! Won't Tim look so adorable with a drooling baby over his shoulder?

Project 3: Baby Mobile

Again with the jolting, primary colors! Add in some nursery rhyme songs with terrible sound quality and you've got yourself an average Fisher Price mobile. We can do better, Moms. Which is why I'm planning on making a bunch of these tissue paper pom poms to hang over Baby Annan's crib. Tissue paper is really inexpensive and comes in every color imagineable. Not sure how we're going to hang them yet, but it will probably involve fishing line so it's as discreet as possible.

[Courtesy of Martha Stewart]

Project 4: Boppy & Changing Pad Covers

My mom already picked up some minky dot fabric (similar to this) to re-cover my sister-in-law's boppy that she's lending me. So soft! I'm also borrowing her changing pad, so I'll have to measure that and find a tutorial for a cover. It's basically a rectangle with elastic around the corners. In the words of Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa), how hard can that be?



[An example of a print that I hate.]

Project 5: Baby Room Decor

Not sure what direction I want to go in with this yet. Etsy has some fantastic ideas, and I'm in love with their alphabet prints. I'm not a big fan of wall decals, which are all the rage right now, so hanging up lots of frames it is! My husband will be thrilled. I'll also need a comfy pillow for the poang chair, and I can't wait to see the baby blanket my mom is making! Where do you think I get my craftiness from?

Project 6: Baby Food

Okay, so this will obviously occur later on, but I'm already thinking about it. I make our meals from scratch, so Baby Annan deserves the same! I have a food mill, food processor & blender so I'm all set with tools. I love the idea of making big batches of baby food and freezing them in individual containers. That way, you can just pop a few in the fridge for the week and they're thawed & ready to go. I like knowing what's in the things we eat and could really do without the added sugar & preservatives in conventional baby food. Not to mention it's thifty as all get out and the recycling bin won't be overflowing with tiny little jars.

Clinkity clink clink.

I'm sure I'll think of more projects as time goes on. Entering week 15 on Monday. BANANAS.

Not handicapped... just pregnant

My biggest pregnancy pet peeve so far has been people asking,

"Are you still allowed to referee lacrosse now that your pregnant?"

I know they mean well and they're (hopefully) just looking out for my health and welfare. But really, why is that any of their business? Clearly I'm not going to purposely do something to harm my baby. A few have even gone so far as to ask what my doctor says about it. Uh, yes, I have talked to my midwife about it and that's between she and I, thanks. I didn't ask when your last colonoscopy was, did I?

Our society has this mentality that once you become pregnant, you are this fraile creature that needs extra protection (and closer parking spaces at the grocery store). It's pretty common sense, to me at least, that this is not true. There are pregnant marathon runners for goodness sake. 

Think back to the pioneer woman. Was she just lounging around in the cabin for 9 months while her husband did all the work? No way, jose! She was up doing chores until sundown. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, gardening, skinning animals & walking everywhere imagineable. Riding in a bumpy wagon to town to get calico cloth for Laura & Mary's Sunday dresses. Okay, I read the whole Laura Ingalls Wilder series when I was little. Pa's coon-skin cap didn't make itself! (They also got oranges in their Christmas stockings. Oh, the simplicity of it all!)

I wish I had the time to explain to every one of my uber-personal-question-askers that exercise is perfectly safe for healthy, pregnant women.. Generally the rule of thumb is, whatever you were doing BEFORE you got pregnant, you can continue doing throughout your pregnancy. In my case, this means sprinting up & down a lacrosse field 50+ times per game. Maybe this rule doesn't apply to downhill skiiers or cliff divers, but you get the idea.

I credit running for reducing my nausea & giving me lots of energy, when typically, the first trimester leaves you drained of energy. I would mainly feel tired on days I wasn't exercising. On a few occassions when I felt a bout of nausea coming on (usually right after work), I would quick lace up my running shoes & crank up the iPod tunes. Nausea gone!
It was pretty amazing.

[For some reason, I always think to take a belly pic before I go running.]

If people are questioning my exercise habits at 3 months when I'm not even showing, I can't wait to see the reactions I'll get this summer when I'm doing tournaments and going for jogs at the park at 5-6 months pregnant.

"Why don't ya take a picture, it'll last longer!"

(Pee Wee Herman)

Yes, Cravings are Real

Whenever we'd play the card game "Bullshit" my grandmother would always refuse to say that and call it "I doubt it." One of the awesome things I'll always remember about her. That, and the fact that she would let my cousin Kasie & I have homemade milkshakes before dinner. Grandma's are cool like that.

Whenever pregnant women would talk about their cravings, I always thought it was bullshit. I mean... I doubted it. I'm a big "gotta see it to believe it" kinda gal and my parents taught me to be skeptical about everything. I must say, it's served me well. Naturally, I thought the whole "craving" thing was an excuse for pregnant women to eat whatever they wanted.

It is so not an excuse.

Cravings are real, homie!

At about 6 weeks in, my nausea kicked in. I can't really complain about it because I was still eating a lot and it came & went throughout the day. It hit me hardest when it came time to do grocery shopping, when co-workers were heating up food in the break room and when I had to handle raw meat to prepare dinner. (My wonderful husband did that for me for a few weeks, thank goodness). For the next 3 weeks, what I wanted to eat at any given time was so ridiculously specific, it blew my mind. Dinner for me some nights was half a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, a handful of stuffed olives, something really garlicky & lemon water. So random. However, I was glad I was eating and not barfing.

Then things got weirder.

I wanted peanut butter. ALL.THE.TIME.

I would sit at my desk at work (hoping no one would walk in my office) and eat peanut butter right out of the jar with a spoon. I must have gone through 3 jars in 3 weeks.

[My fav PB]

Sour gummy worms, starbursts, oreos, peanut butter ripple ice cream, lots of carbs, hot dogs, and basically anything else I hadn't eaten in 5 years.

We were on our way to Best Buy in DE one day and we passed Jimmy John's (this amazing hot dog place that's famous in our town) and all I could think about for the next hour or so was eating a Jimmy John's hot dog with sauerkraut. It consumed my every thought.

[Yes, we stopped & I got my hot dog :-)]

Forget grocery shopping with a list. I followed my nose. Either I wanted something SO BAD or it made me want to vomit.  And then after week 9, this crazyness slowly ended and I got back on track with my usual diet. I must admit, it was fun while it lasted.

I now understand why Natalie Portman gave up on Veganism during her pregnancy.

Crazy for Cloth!

The slightest mention of wanting to use cloth diapers makes people look at me like I'm insane. Maybe they aren't aware of how far cloth diapers have come since the 1980's when my Mom used them on my precious bottom. No more plastic covers. No more diaper services. No more pins. No more folding stacks of pre-folds. You put them on your little one just like you would a disposable diaper.

[No more folding.]

Oh, how the times have changed!

I cannot contain my excitement over today's cloth diapers.

(Shout out to YoungHouseLove for convincing me!)

We've decided on the brand FuzziBunz and I love that the front page of their website has articles about cloth diapering misconceptions, the cost savings, how they're better for the planet, and so on. We wash and re-wear our clothes. We wash and we-use our dishes. And the philosophy is the same with cloth diapers.

My husband and I are not big environmentalists. We don't look down on people who choose disposable diapers. I really could care less how other people choose to contain their child's waste. It's your kid. It's your money.
I am just super psyched about this, and want to shout it from a mountain!

At first, cloth diapers sounded more expensive and more time consuming. But when you take a closer look, they are the exact opposite.

The Cost

There are about $400 of up-front costs (depending on how many diapers you buy). We are planning on acquiring a set of 12-15 cloth diapers + inserts, a sprayer that attaches to the toilet & a wet bag to store them before they go into the washing machine. That's all you need for the remainder of your child's diaper wearing days. And when the next baby comes along... you're all set. Nothing to buy. If you select a high quality cloth diaper up front, they last through multiple years and multiple children. How awesome is that?

Washing them will run you about $2/week. Line drying increases their lifetime, bleaches out stains if you lay them in the sun and saves money.

Hence our new washlines outside & in the basement!

[Look closely between those 2 trees.]

This handy chart on the FuzziBunz website breaks everything down and shows you how you can save $2,685 over the course of 3 years by opting for cloth. Um, yes, I'd like that very much. You also never have to run to the store for more diapers, which saves gas. If you use cloth wipes and make your own wipes solution in a spray bottle, that's more cost savings right there. You just throw the used wipes in the wash with the diapers.

The Time Factor

It seemingly takes more time to deal with cloth diapers. You can't just roll them up, poop & all, and toss them in the Diaper Genie. This is where the sprayer comes in. When your sweet little child emits something foul, you take the diaper to the toilet and either "shake" the contents in the toilet, or, spray it off with the sprayer, depending on the consistency. (Mmm, I hope you're eating lunch right now!) Then, you put the pee diaper or rinsed #2 diaper in the wet bag for later... or directly in the washing machine. Bam, done. You save time by not having to run to the store when you're out of diapers, wipes, etc. And since most mom's do laundry frequently, we don't think this will be overwhelming.

[YoungHouseLove's sprayer]

Other Benefits

Cloth diapers keep diaper rash away from your baby's bum b/c they are made of natural fibers & are breathable. Therefore, you don't need to constantly buy & apply diaper cream! Amazing! That stuff is PRICEY. Obviously, I'd keep a tube on hand just in case, but that is a major selling point in our minds.

We've HEARD that cloth-diapered babies potty train faster b/c while absorbant, cloth diapers don't wick the moisture away as well as disposables. So they feel uncomfortable a little more often, and they want out. We really hope this is true.

Cloth diapers are so gosh darn adorable! They come in awesome colors (not just white anymore). I'm talking every color of the rainbow, even patterns. So they're a little more cute when hanging out of an outfit. Love it!

You have the option of putting an extra insert in the diaper, for long car trips and for overnight. Some are absorbant microfiber and some are hemp. We're going to try out both. The inserts are of course... washable & reusable! Are you sensing a theme, here?

Less trash, which is great for us since we pay a trash fee of $2/bag to our township. The less trash we put out, the more money we save. And we like saving money.

FuzziBunz makes a "one-size" diaper, which is the one we are going with. That means, they are fully adjustable w/ various snaps from the time your baby is 7 pounds to the time she is 30 pounds. They grow with your baby & always have a snug fit so they don't leak.

So that's our plan and we're sticking to it.
We MAY have to use disposables at first, if our little one is drowning in the one-size diaper... and of course for the beach, those Little Swimmers diapers look extremely convenient.

Can't wait to see if all the cloth-diaper claims are true! I'll be sure to tell you about it.

Here's to you, Mom!

Thanks for always loving me,

even when I would stomp up the stairs and yell "I hate you!" in my teens.

Lucky for me, I turned out just like you.

Happy Mother's Day!