Cloth Diapers Week One

We have been using cloth diapers for a little over a week now. And I haven't quit yet! ha ha ha. I know most of you don't care how we catch our children's excretions, but a few people wanted me to keep them posted, so this is for them.

We got a sprayer that hooks up to the toilet and that has been a LIFESAVER! (We got a no-name one on Ebay for $20. NOT the $50 one the diaper companies sell.) We tried to make our own, but by the time we got all of the parts we needed it would have been almost $50, so we opted for the Ebay version instead. Poopy diapers are really not a big deal. We just squirt them off into the toilet and drop them in the pail.

Carter LOVES them. He gets to pick what color he wants to wear, and he loves his "snappy." (New version of a diaper pin.) He calls it his "na-ee." We wash them about every three days and hang them out to dry for a few hours. Both Mason and Carter help me hang them and take them back down. It might get old, but for now they think it's fun. Diaper changes don't take too much longer than disposables, maybe a few seconds is all. The diaper pail doesn't stink either!

We did run out this morning because I forgot to wash them last night. (We need to build up our stash!) I realized he only had ONE clean diaper when we got up. I put him in it and told him not to poop until the rest were clean and dry. He didn't listen. ha ha ha. I had some pre-folds that were clean, just no clean covers. So he ran around in just that for part of the day. He even napped like that! I was worried there would be a huge puddle underneath him, but there wasn't! Then of course he pooped in that too. So, he ran around naked for about 30 minutes while the diapers finished drying. Problem solved. ;) We already knew, but we know for sure now we need a few more diapers. ha ha ha.

All in all, I'm happy it has gone so smoothly. I was think we wouldn't use them on the baby for a few months, but right now I'm feeling brave enough to at least give it a try!! Yay for saving money!

A little Q & A

So, in the wake of our recent announcement, there have been a lot of questions. I will try to answer them as best I can. he he he.

When are you due/how far along are you?
I wish I knew for sure. Somewhere between November 9th and November 27th. We aren't really positive. We've had one ultrasound that says the 27th, but I don't really think that's possible. We're going by that for now, but I won't be surprised if it changes at the next ultrasound. So for now, let's say about 12 weeks.

Was this planned?
Ha ha ha. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Apparently the Lord has other plans in mind for us than we had for ourselves. We were hoping for a little more time to get more prepared financially and emotionally (AND LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT), but I guess we will work it out!

When did you find out?
In the bathroom at In 'n' Out burger on March 18th. For MONTHS Mason would pray for a baby sister at every meal and bedtime. Then one day he just stopped. About that same time, Carter was suddenly obsessed with babies. We even got him his own baby doll because he was so into them. We were oblivious to the hints from our sweet and so "in-tune" little ones though. It took a few more weeks for us to even think it was possible. I decided to pee on a stick just to ease my mind, and well . . . The rest is history.

Are you hoping for a girl?
Duh.

Are you excited?
Now that we've had some time to get used to the idea, yes. We are excited. Still very nervous about how things will all work out, but trying to have faith and be patient. I will be even more excited WHEN we find out it's a girl. ha ha ha.

Have you been sick?
Yes. I've lost 12 lbs. so far. I just never feel like eating anything. (Except mashed potatoes.) And when I do it I throw it back up more often than not. I am on drugs this time around though which has been nice. They cause other problems for me, but it still is nice to not throw up so much. Hopefully we are almost past the sick part. The worst has been I am just EXHAUSTED all of the time. I can't get anything done around the house. Once the kids are dressed and fed, I can't seem to muster up any more umph for anything else!! I think that has been the hardest part. Mason is a SWEETHEART though! He always rubs my back and asks if I need anything. He'll give me a kiss and then say, "Does that help you feel better Mom?"

I think that about covers it. Let me know if I missed anything! ;)

So, uh. . . .

Carter got a new shirt. Just say'n.

Here goes nothing! ha ha ha.

This Friday we will be the recipients of three boxes from the UPS man. I am strangely excited to open them up and begin to use their contents. We are really really really trying to be more financially prepared and get control of our money. Easier said than done huh? One place in the budget that seems like a waste to me was diapers!! We spend hundreds on something we just throw away!! And, they are not getting any cheaper. So after A LOT of research and consideration, we've decided to go with cloth. For just over $150, we are getting enough diapers for Carter for 3 or 4 days. I've heard, and I'm hoping it's true, that they are not near as bad to care for as diapers of the past. I've also heard, and hope it's also true, that kids potty train quicker in cloth. We usually spend at least $80 a month on diapers, so this will be a good budget cut for us. I'm sure most, if not all of you could care less, but just in case anyone is thinking about cloth, here is what we are starting out with:



We are getting a few of these. They are SO NICE, but almost $18 a piece, so I'm just planning to use them when we are out and about. One day maybe we can build up our stock!! They have a pocket you stuff the absorbent liner in, and then it's just like a disposable.


We are getting a few more of these. They're still kind of pricey, but it's a cover, so you can reuse it a few times each day with different liners inside. They come in really fun colors, which I liked. I hope to get a few more of these eventually too.

And the rest will look like this. These are kind of like the Flips, but cheaper. I think we will use these at night and when we are just home hanging out with nowhere to go. I'm thinking they will be the most labor intensive. They are covers also, and you use an old school pre-fold diaper inside.
We will have to wash them every 2 or 3 days and hang them out to dry. I'm not really worried about that. My biggest fear is when we are at church, the store, etc. and have to deal with them. I'm sure we'll work out a system that works for us. Another plus, is they are 1 size fits all, there are snaps you undo to make them bigger. So any future little Ballantyne's that come along will be able to use the same ones. The charts and research says if you use them on 2 kids you will save over $4000! I'm excited to save a little money and save a diaper tree or two in the process!! ha ha ha. Wish us luck! We are going to need it! ;)