Wednesday 28 May 2008 at 9:25 pm
Today I am 38 weeks! Let the countdown begin!
Anyone care to guess the birthdate, sex, or weight?
Tips: Actual Due Date is June 11. At 35 weeks an ultrasound estimated the baby at 6 lbs 4 oz (who knows how accurate that really is). My belly is measuring about a week ahead of schedule. So far no contractions. Cervix will be checked for the first time tomorrow, so no information for you there. Happy guessing!
Covers
So we have discussed all the types of diapers that need covers in order to be waterproof: prefolds, contours, prefitteds, and fitteds. Covers can be made of a variety of materials. Many are made of PUL or some other kind of polyester laminate. People also use fleece diaper covers, such as these or these. Another popular material to use for diaper covers is wool. These are typically called shorties and longies, depending on the length. Many people either knit their own wool diaper covers or sew some out of old sweaters. Everyone claims that both the fleece and wool are very breathable and cool in the summertime and warm in the wintertime. I'm not totally sure I believe them. My big question about wool is: isn't it itchy? I know anytime wool touches my skin it makes me itch. Doesn't it bother the little babies? Maybe I am just allergic to wool or something. I have not bought and wool or fleece diaper covers, but some of them are definitely adorable.
As you can see diaper covers can close in many ways, some are just pull-ons, others have snaps or aplix (the velcro material). It really depends on the brand. Many people prefer snaps for closing any type of diaper because the baby has a more difficult time getting the diaper off. Covers can typically be used more than once, unless the poop gets all over the cover. Most of the poop should be contained by the diaper inside, so you should be able to just replace the prefold or fitted or whatever type of diaper you have inside. Diaper covers can vary a great deal in price. There are some cheap, but good ones called proraps that are about $7 or $8 a piece (I got a few at a Junior League Rummage Sale for 50 cents!), and also some custom wool or fleece stuff that can cost up to $40 or $50.
I have a couple of the proraps that I got at the Junior League sale (they were used) and a bunch of Thirsties covers that my mom sells.
Wednesday 28 May 2008 at 11:16 am
I'm sure everyone has seen all the information out there about BPA and how it affects our little ones. In Canada, they are recalling all BPA bottles and sippy cups and have ban the import and sale of bottles containing BPA. Here, they haven't quite gone that far just yet. Apparently some Babies-R-Us stores are giving you store credit for returning your BPA laced bottles and sippy cups. It really depends on the store though, so call ahead to see what their policy is. Here is a great list of what products are BPA-free and what brands are better than others. I have noticed that most things are labeled as BPA-free if they actually are.
Sunday 25 May 2008 at 1:16 pm
These days I am totally exhausted. I don't think it helps that it is hot here, and so going outside, even just walking from the car to the store, is more exhausting than it would be if it was 20 degrees colder. It is really kind of pathetic how tired I am. I know your body does this to prepare you for the exhaustion of having a new baby. Really how am I going to survive? I guess I will be taking lots of naps. At least my body will be a little lighter to carry around, although the baby will only get heavier :)
I've always been a person who loves sleep and who needs lots of sleep, so the next few months should be interesting around here. In kindergarten I was the only kid who actually slept during naptime (or resttime, whatever it was called). Yes I was one of the younger kids in the class, but still, I actually slept on my little red and blue plastic mat everyday.
Matt is busy tearing up the front yard with the rototiller we bought last week. He is loving it. Up next is planting some new grass and also a flower bed. I wish I could actually do some of the work, but it is hard to bend down, hot outside and I'm tired. So I just check on the progress every once in a while.
Anyone feel like guessing the circumference of my belly? I measured it today because I was curious how big it actually was. Here is a picture from this last week so you can guess, but really I think my belly looks much bigger in real life than in the picture:
I also wanted to share with you the beautiful blanket that my dear friend, Katie, made for the little baby.
Isn't it beautiful? I am so impressed. It is soft and lovely and I can't wait to wrap the baby up in it. For those who are wondering how Katie is doing, she is doing fine so far. She is on a trip to Israel right now and comes back sometime this week. Her mom is busy at work talking to all the doctors and trying to get her newest treatment plan worked out. Some bad news is that the tumor has spread to her spine and neck, so now it is in her brain, spine, and neck. I don't believe she will be having surgery, but she will begin treatment shortly after her return from Israel. Her mom has been in touch with many of the top brain cancer folks in the country, so hopefully they will decide on a good course of action. Keep praying for her please.
Saturday 24 May 2008 at 5:24 pm
Alright, on to the next type of cloth diaper. Are you excited? Here is part 1 - prefolds for those who missed it.
Contours Contour diapers are very similar to prefolds. You need to use either pins or a snappi to keep them closed. You can also just place them in a cover and the cover will keep them closed. Contour diapers are basically what they sound like, contours. They are are cut out to look like a diaper but have no elastic or way of keeping them closed. There are a couple of name brand contour diapers, like Kissaluvs and Imse Vimse. They are usually made of cotton of sorts, whether that is flannel or terry or regular old cotton. I think these must be purchased in specific sizes (S, M, L), but there may be someone out there who makes a one-size contour diaper. I was just looking at the Imse Vimse contours, and some of them do have elastic at the legs. These are also pretty affordable starting at around $5 or $6 each, but going up to $10-$15, depending on the material and company. I'm sure there are probably some bamboo or hemp contour diapers out there somewhere as well. You can also make your own contour diapers from prefold diapers in the case that you aren't into folding your diapers and want them to go on easier or something.
Pre-fitteds Pre-fitted diapers are pretty much the same as contour diapers. However I think that most pre-fitted diapers do have elastic in the legs and often at the back as well. These diapers and the contours are not nearly as popular as other types of diapers. Again these are made mostly of cotton or prefold diapers. There are a couple of companies that make them, but for the most part I think these are homemade.
Fitteds
Fitted diapers are very popular. They are the next step from the pre-fitted diapers. They contain elastic at the legs and waist. Fitted diapers require a cover as well, although many moms just let their babies roam around without one as long as they are at home and not wearing clothes over top of the diaper. These diapers all have some sort of closing mechanism built in, such as aplix (higher quality velcro) or snaps. There are oodles of companies that make fitted diapers. These are made in tons of materials, such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, cotton velour, bamboo velour, really most anything you can imagine. There are many diapers with cute patterns. Fitted diapers come in multiple sizes from newborn to large. They also come in one-size. These diapers can range in price from $5 up to $30 or $40. I would say most are in the $10-$20 range. There are some extremely popular brands, such as Goodmama and Muttaqins, which are on the expensive end to begin with, but will also fetch much more at an online auction. These diapers are also very hard to get a hold of, and must be 'stalked' online at the places they are sold. I have yet to get one of either of them. They both are supposedly very nice, well fitting diapers and the most prized ones are the one size diapers that they make.
One thing to remember with fitted diapers is that each diaper will fit differently (or so I am told). So depending on if your baby is short and fat or tall and skinny or any combination in between depends on what diaper will fit best. This is why I have so many different diapers for the beginning. I don't have that many actual diapers, just lots of different brands and styles to see what will fit the little munchkin. Many of the newborn size diapers will only fit up to about 10 or 11 pounds, so if you tend to give birth to large babies it might be best to just skip the newborn size diapers. I have no idea what size kid I will have, but I hope it will be 7 or 8 pounds. Another thing with the newborn size diapers is that many of them offer a fold down thing in the front to help avoid the cord stump in the beginning. Some of the diapers are cut with a little dip in them, others have snaps that hold them into position.
Fitted diapers are made in a variety of ways. Some have lay-in soakers, some have sewn-in or snap-in soakers, and others the layers are all sewn together. The lay-in and sewn-in soakers are better because they dry much faster. Soakers are basically extra layers of fabric that are sewn together to provide extra protection in the wet/poop area, kind of like a pad would provide for a mother. Some soakers are oval shaped, others have a little contour to them. Fitted diapers will also have a lot of different layers and all the makers will tell you what the different layers are made of. Many use a variety of materials to provide better absorbency.
Ok, I think that about wraps it up for this segment of Cloth Diapers 101. Everyone getting all this? Up next is covers, since I have now discussed all the types of cloth diapers that require a cover in order to be waterproof.
Thursday 22 May 2008 at 09:41 am
I have had quite a few questions about cloth diapers lately, so I figured I would answer some questions. If you have specific questions leave a comment or send an email to matt at macyfron.com (yes this is really lucy posting, but I shut down the lucy account due to spam issues). I will probably also do this is several parts since there is a ton of stuff to learn about.
First there are many different kinds of cloth diapers, from the old fashioned but still very popular prefolds to the all-in-ones that are most like disposables. I will start with the most basic and go up from there. Just remember I don't have any actual experience using any of these diapers just yet, so I am not an expert, but I will teach you what I have learned.
Prefolds
Prefolds are the traditional cloth diaper that our parents or grandparents used.
They are basically big rectangles of cotton. These require a diaper cover to be used. There are two main types of cotton prefold diapers, Chinese and Indian. I don't really know much about the differences, other than where they are manufactured. Apparently the Indian ones are softer and more absorbent. There also are some new bamboo prefold diapers out there, but they are much harder to find and more expensive. There are lots of people who dye their prefold diapers or embellish them with fun fabrics. These diapers are usually secured with either diaper pins or a snappi. A snappi is made of plastic and looks like a 'Y'. Some people also just lay the prefold diaper inside a cover and the cover holds the diaper in place. There are several different ways to fold a prefold diaper. I don't really know much about the different ways, but there is a bikini twist, which allows for more absorbency in the key region. There are tons of people out there who just love their prefold diapers and wouldn't use anything else. These diapers are definitely the most economical, especially if you don't buy the dyed or embellished ones. You can usually find prefolds for about $2 each, sometimes a little less if you buy in bulk.
Gerber apparently makes prefold diapers that are sold at most stores, but apparently they are not of very good quality. So be cautious as to where you buy your diapers. Prefold diapers must be prepped before being used. Basically this involves washing and drying them about 5 times. This causes the fabric to be the most absorbent and soft. If you use a prefold diaper without washing it enough, the diaper apparently will not hold much of anything at all. There is a short cut to washing and drying 5 times (which would use lots of water and energy). You can boil them for 30 minutes (I think) and then wash them once or twice (with drying in between). Prefolds come in a couple of sizes, preemie, infant and regular. Sometimes there are more sizes offered, but these are the typical sizes available. The infant is supposed to last until about 6 months and the regular from then until the baby is potty trained. You could probably get away with using regular sized the whole time if you don't mind having a little bit more bulk in the diaper, but really I have no idea. Prefold diapers also come in bleached and unbleached. Bleached are bright white, while unbleached are off white.
Up next...contours, pre-fitted, and fitted diapers.
Wednesday 21 May 2008 at 1:16 pm
A little while ago I went outside to plant some herbs in some pots. I was outside for maybe 20 minutes or so, not long at all. When I walked back in the house smelled awful, kind of like a car that has overheated. I traced the smell to the hot water heater. I have called the warranty company and now I sit and wait for the contractor that they sent the problem to to actually call me. I have the doors opened and Albert locked in a bedroom upstairs. Hopefully eventually the smell will go away and I can close the doors so that I am not air conditioning the entire neighborhood. It is supposed to be 96 today, which means the AC is going to run nonstop until I can close the doors. When I came inside I was planning on going upstairs to take a shower. Looks like no shower for me today. There is probably enough residual hot water in the hot water heater, but I don't really want to risk it or anything. Plus I have unplugged the hot water heater to make sure it doesn't continue heating up and somehow blow up on me.
The warranty company while useful in that they pay for repairs, is also kind of annoying because I have to wait for someone to call me and hopefully fit me in that day. Without the warranty I could call someone on my own and get them here today. But then again since we probably need an entire new hot water heater, it is probably best that the warranty pay for it. When you call the warranty company they seem to want me to diagnose the problem for them. I tell them there is a burning smell coming from the hot water heater and they translate that to mean burning wires. Did I mention wires? I don't think so. Not that it couldn't be burning wires, but I think it is probably the heating element that burned up or something. But really I am not a plumber or hot water heater repair man so how would I know what the problem really is, that is why I am calling the warranty company, to get someone who knows how to fix the problem.
I was going to take a picture of my belly today and share that, but that may not happen anymore since I haven't showered and am really not even dressed yet. I am wearing Matt's workout shorts and a tshirt that really doesn't fit very well at all.
So if you wonder what I am doing today, it is sitting and waiting for a repairman to call me and tell me he can come fix my problem. I hope they call soon.
Monday 19 May 2008 at 1:15 pm
1. Everyone here gets so excited about the Spurs games. When I go out to the grocery store or out anywhere really, tons of people are wearing jerseys and tshirts, especially on game day.
2. Last night someone at one of our neighbors' houses died. These people just moved in maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago and I still haven't even figured out who actually lives there. The other day I saw an old lady with a walker go inside and also an oxygen equipment guy there. Maybe the old lady died. Matt saw them take a body in a body bag out of the house this morning at around 5 am when he was preparing to leave to go to Houston.
3. Did you know a sprinkler system takes longer to install than a new roof? We have had neighbors get both a new roof and a sprinkler system and the sprinkler install is going on day 4, where as the roof took 2 days total.
4. It is already 97 degrees outside at 12:30 pm. According to Wunderground, it is 102.
5. This weekend Matt pulled out some ugly bushes and planted some pretty flowering bushes in their place. I sat and watched.
6. We got both our parents webcams for when the baby arrives. Yesterday Matt got his parents set up and running. It was quite fun to see them and know the baby will be able to see them. I think they seem quite excited about it as well. My parents' webcam will hopefully be set up sometime next week.
7. Does anyone know if any of the shows on HGTV come and do stuff for free? Or is the homeowner always paying for whatever work is done? Ok just answered my own questions. Most of them you have to pay for and most of them you have to live in the LA area. Well darn.
Thursday 15 May 2008 at 9:38 pm
In the past week or so, it seems my belly is really starting to get in the way. When I stand at the kitchen counters, the largest part of my belly seems to hit right on the edge of the counter. This makes cooking and doing dishes much more difficult. I'm not complaining, but I think if I was this large all the time it would be quite annoying and I would want to grow longer arms so I could still reach the same things. Maybe I just had a big growth spurt or something, I don't know, but boy does this belly get in the way and boy is it heavy. I also think that all of a sudden my booty and thighs have grown. The shorts I am wearing in the picture below were much looser last week. Either I shrunk them in the dryer or I now have a much larger booty. I thought all the weight I am gaining at this point is really just the baby's weight gain. Anyways, here is today's picture. Yesterday was 36 weeks, so not too much longer!
Wednesday 14 May 2008 at 7:56 pm
On Monday, I had my first encounter with a stranger touching my belly. I was walking into Walmart (no lecturing needing, thanks) when this woman, who was walking in with her husband, looked over at me and came running to touch my belly, and exclaim "oh look honey, she's pregnant." Yes, yes I am, but that doesn't mean I want you touching me. She kept walking beside me and asking questions and talking and blah, blah, blahing. I didn't know how to escape. I tried ignoring her questions and walking away fast, but I can only walk so fast these days, and really it isn't all that fast, just ask Matt. Finally she headed the other direction. I thought maybe I was going to be able to escape this dreaded stranger touching the belly thing, but apparently now my belly is so big that it must be touched. Now I shall just sit in the house and wait for the baby so that no strangers will touch me. :)
I don't think our hospital has an internet connection, so most likely there won't be pictures of the baby sent out until we are home from the hospital (or at least until Matt goes home for a shower and to check on the kitty). I have compiled my list of emails, so if I don't have your email address (or don't think you would be on the list) and you would like to be on the list, let me know.
Tuesday 13 May 2008 at 8:02 pm
My dear friend Katie, who I have talked about many times before, needs your prayers. For those who don't know her story, she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor almost 4 years ago. In 2006, on her 27th birthday she had her third major surgery to remove some new tumor growth. After a year of treatment, which finished up about two months ago, everything was good tumor-wise, no new growth. We just learned that there is new growth in her brain. We don't know much else, other than new growth, so please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. She will most likely have additional surgery sometime soon, and undergo more treatment.
Katie is one of my oldest friends and has known me since birth (she and her twin brother, Josh, are about 8 months older than me, and are like siblings to me). She was the only bridesmaid in my wedding besides my two younger sisters. Here are the most recent pictures of me, Katie, and Josh, taken at the end of March while we were in Florida for my baby shower.
Monday 12 May 2008 at 10:14 am
On Friday we had a big doctor's appointment. I took the 3 hour glucose test (I should have the results later today) and got an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech first did all of her measurements to see how the baby was doing and then let me see the baby, and even did a 3D ultrasound of the baby. Here are the pictures.
During the ultrasound the baby seemed happy, it smiled and then stopped smiling and then went back to smiling. So I have to say our baby likes the ultrasound, must be because daddy does ultrasound research for a living :) The technician was unable to get a full face view of the baby because of the way it was sitting, but we were still happy to get these pictures. According to the ultrasound the baby is about 60th percentile for gestational age, which sounds good to me. Not too big, not too small.
A quick question for you mothers out there. Did your pediatrician visit the baby in the hospital? The pediatrician we visited last week does not visit babies in the hospital, she says this is a new trend and they just started with it in January. I thought that was a little odd, but otherwise we liked the doctor.
We had quite a productive weekend around our house, and once I download all the pictures I will share what we accomplished.
Thursday 08 May 2008 at 08:28 am
I think that summer has arrived. Today the high is supposed to be 95! This morning in about 45 minutes the temperature went up about 10 degrees. At 8:26 am it is already 82 degrees. I'm not complaining, just pointing out the warm weather. Luckily it isn't supposed to be very humid. Hopefully it won't be. Hope the weather is cooler where you live.
Tuesday 06 May 2008 at 9:54 pm
Basically my days consist of attempting to cross things off of my to do list. I keep adding more items to it, so it doesn't really seem to be getting that much shorter. I am getting tired more easily these days, but have more that needs to get done, so I spend lots of time resting. I have an actual activity planned for the next three days. Tomorrow I go get the car seat installed by professionals, and they teach me the proper way to install it. I'm sure I could easily figure it out, but might as well have someone who is trained teach me since it is free. Thursday we go meet with the pediatrician. Friday is my long doctor's appointment, which includes the 3 hour glucose test, ultrasound and regular doctor's visit. I am going to be starving after that since I can't eat from midnight on, and then won't get home until probably 1 pm. Not looking forward to that.
I think I found a mattress that fits the crib a little better, but will wait until Matt checks it out as well to see which one we will actually keep. I'm still waiting on our tax rebate to arrive. I thought since it was originally scheduled for this coming Friday, May 9, that maybe it would come early since they announced that they were sending them out earlier. Guess it won't be earlier for us. Oh well.
I won another prize! A sling from Lipstick to Crayons. Since I already have a pretty sling that a friend gave me, I ordered one in Matt's size so he can carry the baby around.
This past weekend we set up the crib and I thought I would share a picture (still looking for tips on better mattress fitting).
I also thought I would share a picture of our dresser/changing table.
I also wanted to give everyone a garden update. Everything seems to be growing. The blackberries are being eaten by the birds and the lemons seem to keep falling off the tree.
Lastly just a little baby update. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and am measuring slightly big. My doctor has ordered a 3 hour glucose test and an ultrasound for next Friday to make sure I haven't developed gestational diabetes since the last test and to check the fluid levels and size of the baby. We still have many things to do before the baby arrives. This weekend we are going to pack our hospital bags, get the carseat installed in the car, set up the clothesline in the backyard, and hopefully figure out a proper crib mattress (or just deal with this one).
FireMom (practical parenti…): I don’t honestly get a sh… Christina E (practical parenti…): Up until Charlotte was 5 … Nicole (7 weeks - finally…): Love the ruffly baby bott… citystreams (8 weeks): Greta is so cute! I love … lauren (in other news): I know this isn’t really … MG (who does greta lo…): Hrm. The bonnet is throw… tara (who does greta lo…): A. Definitely. :) (I’m g… Chris (who does greta lo…): Heather and I both think … weisburgers (who does greta lo…): We completely disagree…th… Emily (who does greta lo…): She is a good combination…
