"cloth diaper" is a verb

**I want to share a disclaimer about my last cloth diaper post. I am fortunate that I am able to stay home with Mac and Paisley, and that makes cloth diapering a reasonable undertaking for us. When we travel or I go out for long periods of time, I put M and P in disposables for the convenience. Disposable diapers are certainly more convenient, but we are committed to using cloth. Please do not feel that I stand in judgement of anyone who chooses to use disposables. Thanks for hearing me out. :o)

Our CD necessities...

Fortunately, I have had friends enter into the CD world before me, and they have been great support both before I began and now that we are almost 5 months into this journey. I am able to ask questions, get feedback, and gain second hand experience. My CD support group has been such an important part of our CD success. Thank you, friends, especially Becca and Kristina. Also, I use a CD facebook page to post questions, and there are tons of moms out there willing to help.

To start, we installed diaper sprayers in two of our bathrooms. These are like kitchen sprayers that connect to the toilet water system. When a diaper has more than urine, we spray any solids into the toilet, and flush it away! You have to deal with poo regardless of what type of diaper you use... 

Next we put the diaper in a wet/dry bag. The bag has a zipper for dry diapers and a separate part for dirty diapers. This bag keeps odors down, and we can easily throw it in the washer to clean. 

 

To wash the diapers, we use Rockin' Green. There are several detergents that CD moms use, but we have always used the RnG and been happy. We also throw in the ammonia bouncer from time to time to keep away any odors. 

Biokleen is also good to get out any organic stains... and it is CD friendly. 

We have a drying rack for the diapers. I prefer for them to dry in the sun because the sun bleaches out stains. If you don't believe me, try wetting what needs bleached, and put it in the sun. The UV rays naturally bleach the product to bright white again! It's why our diapers still look brand new too. 

Any products (creams or lotions) we put on M and P also needs to be CD friendly. It's important to only use products recommended for CD because it prevents build up on the diapers, and build up can cause issues. 

Do you use any products you'd recommend with your CD??

Happy CDing!! Please ask if you have questions!

-ashley

chitter chatter

Paisley rolled over yesterday! She was on her back and rolled onto her belly this morning while I was playing with Mac. I've known she was strong enough, but this girl does things in her own time. :o) Of course she refused to let me see her do it again. Strong personality... already.

We walked again yesterday and  today! Here are a couple of pics I took:

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M and P are really entertaining each other these days. I listened to them talk to each other during nap time this morning. She would babble something, and he would "listen". Then he would chime in with his own thoughts. It was so sweet, and I tried to catch it on video. The video isn't much for viewing unless you're in a dark room because I didn't turn on the flash. It was nap time after all so I tried to be sneaky, but if you could see the video, you'd see that she totally caught me... And of course he stopped talking and just stared at my phone. :o\

P usually wakes up from the morning nap 30 minutes before it's time to eat (about 9:30). I get her, and we have some "girl time". Here's a pic I snapped of her sweetness:

And when it was almost time to eat, here's how I found Mac... face down! He sleeps so hard he wakes up with lines on his face. It is pretty cute. He's always cuddly, but he's especially affectionate when he first wakes up... I. LOVE. IT.

I got a random pic today of the two of them.. Paisley was reaching over and rubbing her big brother. He didn't pay her any attention this time, but she surely was into him.

Tomorrow is hump day!!! Halfway through the week! Woo hoo! 

-ashley

Why We Cloth Diaper

I'm doing it.... starting my post(s) on cloth diapering. It's been my intention to write about this since the beginning of the blog, but I haven't been disciplined enough to sit and actually get to it. I've asked what you want to know, and here's what I've been told...

- Why we chose to cloth diaper

- What it takes to get started

- Where do I get diapers

- Which diaper brands I use and prefer

- Anything else that I can think of :o)

Economics. We chose to cloth diaper because it is economical, and with twins, the amount of diapers we would use before they are potty trained is incredible. I change diapers at least 5 times a day per child equaling a minimum of 10 diapers per day, 70 per week. If M and P were in disposable, size one diapers, I would get a box of 192 for $47.99 from Babies R Us. That box would maybe last us 2 1/2 weeks. As the diaper size gets bigger, the amount of diapers in a box decreases, though the cost remains relatively the same. Let's say that M and P were in size 1 diapers for 6 months (which is highly unlikely since infants double their birth weight by 4 months)... We would spend roughly $465.96 in six months. For me, if I'm going to commit to spending that kind of money, I want to have something to show for it, which brings me to my next 'why'. Click here to read more.

Investment. Cloth diapers are an investment. There is an up front cost but then you're finished. Sure, I will add a new diaper here and there, but not because we need it (yet), but because I may want to try a new brand or get a new fabric. (Have you seen these diapers? They are SO cute) 

Health. Even in "sensitive" disposables, there are lists of chemicals that are unnatural. (Click here to read more about the chemicals.) Bottom line, if it isn't from nature, it's probably not good on your skin or in your body. Cloth diapers are free from chemicals and lead, and since M and P are prone to outbreaks, it's comforting to know I'm diapering them in something that isn't going to irritate their delicate skin. 

Green. We recycle, and I try to respect the environment in which M and P will grow and inherit. I don't drive an electric car, and I don't plan on going that route. However, it is an added bonus that the diapers we go through aren't ending up in landfills where they don't decompose. 

There's plenty more where this came from, but I will break it up so you'll keep reading. 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, y'all!!!

-ashley

Spring, Is That You??

The weather today was.. well as we say in the south "Gawjus!" It was so pretty, and I couldn't wait to get outside with Mac and Paisley. So this afternoon we went for a walk around the neightborhood. I was quite motivated after my friend went for a 3 miler this morning. I used to love going out for a long run just to be outside... now there's days that pass when I don't even go outside. {This jogging stroller can't get here soon enough!}

I actually felt so motivated that as I heated up my lunch, I did squats. Once the microwave got to the one minute countdown, I began. One, two, three, four, and jump on five. Unfortunately Mac woke up shortly after, and my legs were kind of shaky. I have a long road ahead of me in the fitness world.

Actually, think about it... society wants us to look excellent weeks after giving birth. Plus we're supposed to be knowledgeable about fashion too. It's a lot to take on.... society, stop it!!

Enough of that rant. I wanted to share some sweet pictures of M and P today before and during our walk.

P loved our walk

Mac was talking to his zebra :o)

 Happy Thursday!!

-ashley

TWO Heartbeats?!!

That's what we said at the doctor last year (January 2011) during our first ultrasound. When your memories of ultrasounds aren't happy ones, going to any ultrasound is anxiety provoking. As hard as I tried to not allow anxiety and nerves to overtake my every thought, it was a daily (sometimes hourly) challenge. We had to wait 2 weeks from the positive pregnancy test before we could go to the ultrasound. It was one of the longest 2 weeks ever! 

Dr. Murray began the ultrasound... I think it took all of a few seconds, but it felt like hours.. we waited to hear what he saw... and he said "We have a heart beat!" Jordan lost it, and my jaw hit the floor in shock. What?! For real??? I had so many defenses up that it took a while for the good new to absorb... Dr. Murray continued the ultrasound... "There's a second heart beat." Jordan quickly collected himself and said, "Two??" Then we were searching for a third. The finding of heartbeats stopped after Paisley's was detected. We officially had TWO heartbeats, and we entered the world of Baby A and Baby B. 

6 weeks and 3 days

 How blessed we've been by Mac and Paisley even at such young stages in development. :o)

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; 

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5

-ashley

Really, Mariah, Really????

I saw the Mariah Carey commercial today- the one with her new body thanks to Jenny Craig. Well I spit my tea out when I saw it! She had twins last spring, and she's sporting half a shirt without a stretch mark. If this was accomplished with strictly Jenny Craig, I'd be surprised... unless Jenny got her MD in some you know what specialty. 

I mean look at this! Go, Mariah... But you're setting the bar a little high here.. Just saying...

-ashley

Our Baby MUST Haves... pt. 3

This is the last of the "Baby Must Haves" posts... for now anyway. If you didn't get a chance to read the first two posts on this topic, you can click here and here. 

In hindsight, I should have grouped the must haves into categories... I do love organized thoughts, but mine have not been so put together recently. :0) Three of the four items on this post are related to baby sleep.. and when baby sleeps, we sleep, and we. NEED. sleep!

I remember watching the nurses swaddle in the hospital, and I remember swaddling babies being necessary to mock the womb: it's tight, warm, and secure. Blankets are one way to swaddle, but there's more room for error. The swaddles we used were the Halo,  Summer Infant's SwaddleMe, and the Miracle Blanket. All worked really well so it's really a matter of opinion as to what you want. In a nut shell, Halo is pricey, Summer Infant's SwaddleMe has hook and loop (velcro) that attaches to things in the dryer if it's not secured, and the Miracle Blanket has lots of fabric... which can be overwhelming all through the night. 

We swaddled M and P until they started breaking out, which is a sign they no longer need to be swaddled. I totally recommend swaddling. It works!

The second item is the sound machine. I skimmed through a few books and did an online seminar to teach me how to sleep train and organize our days. One thing they all had in common was the importance of a sound machine. The sound needs to be a consistent noise as opposed to ocean waves, birds, heart beats, etc. I read that when the sound isn't consistent in volume and/or noise, the brain stays stimulated, which means little to no REM sleep for baby. Therefore the sound needs to be a shhhh sound such as white noise. This sound is also familiar to them from the womb. 

We got this at Bed Bath & Beyond. It doesn't have a "white noise" option, but the waterfall option sounds just the same.

Next on the list is a SIDS monitor. Knowing the SIDS risk factors, this was vital for me. It gives me a peace of mind, and there's no price value worth a mother's security of her baby's safety. There are a couple of well known monitors out there: the Angelcare Baby Monitor system and the Snuza . 

I debated on which one was for us, and I ended up choosing the Snuza. I chose this monitor because it's portable, the baby can't roll off when rolling around (the Angelcare Monitor is a pad that goes under the mattress), and the version of the Snuza I chose has a vibration alert. Clipped to the diaper with the sensor on the stomach, the monitor moves with baby's breathing movements.If no movement is detected after 15 seconds, the monitor vibrates. If another 5 seconds passes without movement, the alarm goes off. I appreciate something monitoring M and P while they sleep... because I can't be there 24/7. 

  As a twin mom, stroller options are limited. I wanted a stroller where I could reach both babies, but a side by side isn't practical in any indoor setting. I did lots (and lots and lots) of research on strollers because I knew we needed something sturdy, fairly lightweight, and met my wishes. Thank you, Britax, because I found the perfect stroller! The stroller holds one or two children: two infants, one infant and one toddler, or two toddlers. I see this stroller as an investment because it will grow with us. I am able to push and steer this stroller with one hand! That's pretty incredible for a twin stroller! So here it is: the Britax B-Ready. I love love love this stroller! (I promise I'm not being endorsed, haha.) 

Here are all the ways to use this stroller.

*If you're interested in this stroller, check local and online stores because Britax does specials where if you buy the stroller you get a free carseat!

Hope this helps some new and soon to be mommas out there!!!

And of course, I'll sign off with some pics of the babes.

-ashley