It's been a while again...

So, unfortunately it's been a while since I have blogged.  I have missed sharing some of the things I have been up to lately.  But I have some very exciting news as to why I have been absent from my blog...

We are expecting another little munchkin!  :)

I have had pretty yucky morning sickness and tiredness, and with a 10 month old cruising around, things have gotten a bit crazy.  

But I am feeling much better lately, so I hope to start putting some things back up on the blog!

Our new little munchkin will make his/her grand entrance at the end of March 2015.

We are pretty excited!! :)

Cassandra

Laundry Bombs with out the Bomb!

A few months ago I posted about a laundry soap I had made called Laundry Bombs.  They were called Laundry Bombs because after you mixed up the ingredients, you used a tablespoon to pack the damp powder mixture into a round bomb.  I love this detergent! It works great!  However, it is very time consuming making all the little bombs!  And right now, I just don't have time to do that!

The thing I really liked about Laundry Bombs is that it included many different elements.  I wasn't a huge fan of just washing soda, baking soda, and borax.  To me, it just didn't seem like it would work all the well.  I'm sure it does, and I know the saying is sometimes less is more.  But I really wanted something with different ingedients that did different things.  

So when I ran out of Laundry Bombs the other day, I didn't want to make more.  So I decided to make Laundry Bombs without the bombs!  This simply is just a dry powder that I keep in buckets.  I will add a little bit of vinegar everyonece in a while to the laundry.  But I just used the dry ingredients to make this laundry detergent. 

The recipe I used was as follows...

1 Box of Borax

1 Large Tub of Oxi-Clean

1 Box of Baking Soda

1 Box of Washing Soda

3 Cups of Epsom Salt

10 Bars of Fels-Naptha Soap - Grated

The first thing I did was grate up the Fels-Naptha bars.  This is not the easiest thing in the world.  My hand and arm was TIRED by the time I was done!  I know that some people say to just use your food processor to grate it, and I kind of think that is gross to mix soap with food.  But for how long and how tiring it was, I think I might do it next time!  

Once the bars are grated, dump all the ingredients into a 5 gallon bucket.  

Then you need to stir and stir and stir to get it all mixed up.  It does get a little clumpy and stuck together, so as I was stiring, I would tilt the bucket on it's side so I could easily get to the bottom of the bucket. 

Once the detergent was all mixed, I poured it into ice cream buckets so I could store it easier into the drawers in my laundry room. 

I put a label on the container I am going to leave out.  

I really do like this detergent.  Like I said above, I will add about a 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar periodically to the wash.  The vinegar just helps get detergent build-up and smells out of clothes.  

I feel like this detergent leaves my clothes clean and fresh!  I do have some problems getting baby food stains out of Bug's clothes, but I'm sure all detergents would not be the best at that.  I mean blueberries and orange carrots aren't the easiest colors to remove!  I just spray them with a pre-treat spot remover before washing. 

I hope you enjoy this detergent like I do! 

Happy Washing!
Cassandra

P.S.  It is a year and three months later, and I am just now making another batch!  This stuff lasts FOREVER!! And I still love it! :)

Sunning Cloth Diapers

My cloth diapers have taken a beating the past week (I'll leave that to your imagination) :) 

They were totally stained!  Because it is finally getting nice and sunny in our neck of the woods, I decided to try "sunning" my diapers.

It is so easy and it WORKED!!!

All I did was wash my diapers like normal, but then instead of throwing them in the dryer, I put them on my laundry rack to dry in the sun.

The sun basically acts as a natural bleach and it takes the stains out.

Once the diapers were dry, I did toss them in the dryer for a few minutes because they were all crunchy from drying in the sun.  But just a few minutes was all they needed  and they were soft and fluffy!

I most likely won't do this very often, just when my diapers are needing a good whitening.  I always am waiting until the last minute to wash diapers, and I don't see that changing in the future.  I don't have time to let diapers dry outside all day long.  But I do love the energy saving of not using the dryer, so we'll just have to see how it goes! :)

Happy Cloth Diapering!
Cassandra :)

Crying It Out...

This past week I did something I thought I would NEVER do.  I let my little Love Bug cry it out to go back to sleep.  I was VERY sure I would never do this, but two things made it very apparent that I needed to do this...

1.  Bug was waking up every 45 minutes to an hour and just wanted to be cuddled back to sleep.  If I did try to nurse him, he would eat for about 30 seconds and fall asleep.  

2.  I was having a conversation with my aunt about Bug's sleeping habits and I started crying... a lot and unstoppable because I was SO exhausted and knew something needed to change!

So I guess the main reason why I never thought I could do cry it out was because I am a nurturer, I like to meet people's needs, especially my little Bugs and it hurts my heart so bad to hear him cry.  But like I said above, something needed to change. 

To make a long story short, I will give you the time line of events that brought this to be...

**April 4th - we started Bug on probiotics and he was sleeping for about 3 to 5 hours at a time at night.  GREAT!  I could handle that!

**April 15th - Bug gets his 6 month shots and a few days later catches Daddy's cold because of his weakened immune system.  

**The next few days are awful!  The first cold for my Bug was so hard on me because I couldn't help him!

**He is sick for a while... around a week and a half.

**He's better by the last few days of April, but his sleeping is HORRIBLE because I spoiled him while he was sick.  I knew I had to do something, but we were leaving for Arizona in a few days, and I knew things would be different and habits would change, so I just suffered through it.

We get to Arizona and his sleeping is obviously still awful!  This is where the conversation with my aunt happened and let me tell you it was HARD to hear!

I was DEAD set against crying it out, but I guess it's because I didn't know what would happen.  I just imagined my baby crying and crying and thinking his mommy didn't love him anymore.  

But she told me exactly what happened with her baby 14 years ago.  She said her baby was very much like Bug in personality and habits and she finally had to do something. 

Here is what happened at our house with crying it out...

Night one - I nursed and put Bug to be like usual around 9:30.  He nursed a long time, and I knew he should not be eating before 2 AM.  In my mind I knew he would not starve to death waiting 4 and a half hours to eat.  I needed to have that goal in my head, because I think it would have been harder for me to let him cry when he woke up around midnight. When he woke up, Bug cried for 47 minutes, he stopped for about 5, and then cried for about 10 more.  He fell asleep and slept from 1 to 7:30 the next morning.

I will say the only reason I was able to let him cry as long as I did was because my husband is AMAZING and kept reassuring me it would all be okay.  He basically had to hold me down in bed.  Not forcefully, but he had his arms snuggled around me. 

Night two - I nursed Bug to bed at about 9, he woke up at 10:30 and cried for 25 minutes, and slept until 7 the next morning.

Night three - I nursed Bug to bed at around 9:30.  He woke up and cried for about 5 minutes at around 1 AM and slept until 5.  I nursed him at 5 and he slept til 8.

Night four - No crying!  He slept from 9:30 - 6, nursed and slept until 8:30.

My baby Bug still loves me, even more than ever because he isn't so tired and crabby all the time! :)

We have been going on about a week, and some nights he will whimper for a couple minutes, but he goes right back to sleep.  I have been getting up between 4 and 6 to nurse him, and he will sleep for a few more hours.  But that is manageable!

His naps are also much better.  He has been taking one and a half to three hour naps two to three times a day.  So, so, so, so nice!

My main reason is writing this blog isn't to boast at what we did, but it is to help someone who was in my position.  I was exhausted and didn't know what else to do.  I was beside myself with terror and what would happen if I let my \precious Bug cry himself to sleep.  

I NEEDED someone to outline exactly what was going to happen.  My aunt told me down to the minute what happened with her baby.  And it really helped me to know what to expect. I would not have lasted as long as I did the first night if she would not have told me it took an hour and five minutes for the first night.  

It is okay to let your baby cry.  It will make your baby happier which in turn will make you happier!

That's all for now! 

Cassandra :)

Mesh Feeding Baby Bags... A Teething Solution

My little love Bug is TEETHING!!! His first tooth just poked through a few days ago, and life has been pretty miserable for him lately :(  I feel so bad for him.  But I just wanted to share some things that have been helping us get through the pain.

The first, and most amazing thing, is our mesh feeding bags.  THEY ARE A LIFE SAVER!! :)  The week before the tooth broke through, Bug could not get enough of cold, juicy watermelon and honeydew in his feeding bag.  He would chew and gnaw until there wasn't any fruit left.  

Once his tooth broke through, he really hasn't been interested in food AT ALL, but I have been putting ice cubes in the bag and he really enjoys that! 

These are the type of bags we have, and I love them!  For the most part, they are very easy to clean (except banana... I have been tempted to throw them out after putting bananas in them, but I just let them soak overnight and it seems to help).  But they have really been a great help to soothe teething pain!  And we also love them for when Bug just needs a snack and isn't in the mood for baby food.

The second thing that has helped is teething tablets.  I know that people have all different types of reactions to teething tablets because they are a natural medicine and not FDA approved.  But in my opinion, I would rather use a natural pain reliever than a medicine full of crazy ingredients. But that's just me.  

The tablets just melt in Bug's mouth in a few seconds.  I hold it under his tongue until they dissolve, and then I rub the powder on his gums.  They really do seem to give relief to his hurting mouth!

Frozen teething rings are also a huge relief.  Obviously, just throw these in the freezer and then let your baby bite and suck!  Simple :)

A warm bath has also helped us.  I know it may sound funny, but baths TOTALLY make my Bug chill out.  So if he is really fussy and nothing else is helping, I put him in the bath and it instantly relaxes him and once he is relaxed, his pain in more manageable.  

This tooth has been quite the upset for my Bug.  And to be quite honest, it is breaking my heart to see him in so much pain.  But these tips have helped make the pain much more bearable (for both of us)  :)

That's all for now!

-Cassandra

Naptime Creations

So I have been absentee from the blog for a bit again...  and I really don't like it! :(

But while I have been gone, I have really gotten into crafting.  I have started my own "business" of sorts.  It is called Naptime Creations and I have a page on Facebook.

Check out the page at www.facebook.com/naptimecreationsbycassandra

If you ever want anything made, let me know! I would be more than happy to create something off the page, or something special you had in mind.

Check back soon for more posts about things I am trying out in our little world.

Thanks for visiting!

Cassandra :)

Cloth Diaper Fleece Liners

When I first started cloth diapers on my Bug, he hated the feeling of being wet.  Which I don't blame him for!!  So I changed him alot.  Which wasn't too bad, but then I had an idea...

I also was looking for something to act as a barrier for when I put on diaper cream, because I did not want to buy special cream for cloth diapers.  

I was reading a blog somewhere that said to cut little pieces of fleece and put them down so the diaper cream goes on that and not the cloth diaper. 

So I tried that and when I used diaper cream, it worked okay.  But the pieces were too small. (These have now become my wipes).

So I decided to buy more fleece and cut them to the size of a tri-folded prefold.

I have since discovered that if I always put a fleece line down it does two things...

1.  It wicks away the moisture from my little Bug's bum, helping him to feel more dry.

2.  Saves my diapers from getting super stained when he poops! :)  The sides get a little stained, which comes out after a few washed, but the whole thing stays fairly clean for the most part. 

I do only use these with prefolds because most other diapers on the market already have a wicking away liner.  

The coolest thing is that when I was looking for doublers and inserts online, I ran across fleece liners.  They are doing the same thing I am using them for.  But in my opinion, they are super spendy!  So I am feeling pretty good about myself for coming up with the idea on my own, and it is really a "real thing" for cloth diapers!  (Pat myself on the back! :) )

I bought one yard of fleece for about $6.00.  I didn't wait for a super great sale because I wanted it NOW! So it wasn't the cheapest, but I probably made about 60 liners or so.  So I still think I came out quite nice with the price.  

The fleece really does wash up nice to.  I haven't had any stains or anything and for the most part, it is still very soft and thick feeling.  

I will advise you to buy the fleece from a "good" fabric store like Jo-Anns or someting.  The first stuff I bought from Wal-Mart because Bug was super tiny and needed to eat alot, so when I was out and about, I couldn't be gone for that long.  So I got it at the one stop shop of Wal-Mart.  The fleece is thin, VERY stretchy and poor quality.  I am using this for my wipes, but I am very glad I got some better quality stuff for my liners!  

Ahhh... I just LOVE talking about all the great things about cloth diapering!  It is so much fun!

That's all for now!

Cassandra :)

Baby Food... Yum! Yum! YUM!!

My little Bug is 4 1/2 months old and he is so ready to eat some solid food! 

We have been trying rice cereal and oatmeal cereal for about 2 weeks now, and he LOVES it!  But I feel it is making him a little constipated... sorry for the TMI! So we are trying out some veggies starting this week.  My husband gave Bug a taste of the green beans while we were making it and he looked at him like "Dad, you're such a tease! Give me more of that!!!" :)

I decided to make all my own baby food purees.  When I first started looking into making baby food, the word "puree" scared me because it sounded so fancy!  (Insert slightly embarressed face here!)  But then I learned that it just means really really blended up baby food.  Just like the kind you would get in the store.

It is so much cheaper to make your own food and it is SO easy!  I made all the food listed below in about three hours give or take.  (Two hours for the veggies one day and one hour for the fruit the next.)

Hope you and your baby enjoy these veggies and fruits.

Green Beans
16 ounce bag of frozen green beans

Steam for about 20 to 25 minutes.  I got a new cookware set that has a steam basket with one of the pots, so I just used that.  It worked out really nice.  The water was green, but I feel like so much more of the nutrients stayed with the food by using the steamer and not just boiling them.  

Blend them in the blender until very smooth.  Add the water you used to steam as necessary.  My blender needs it really "sloshy" so I probably used about a cup to a cup and a half when making it.  But start out slowly adding water to avoid making it too runny!  

**I tried to use my food processor first, and I liked that you didn't have to add so much water (because I wanted to add breast milk to the food when I fed the Bug)  but it really didn't get it nearly as smooth and creamy as the blender. I think the food processor will be good for second and third foods when they don't have to be so smooth and the baby can handle some texture.  

Pour or scoop the green beans into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes - the orange kind (some call these yams)

I simply poked holes in them with a fork and then I put these on a piece of aluminum foil to avoid them dripping in the oven.  I baked them for about an hour or so. 

Once they are nice and soft, you can do one of two things.  Blend them with a little water, or just mash them with a fork.  

Once again, I feel like blending is good for first foods, and the mashing for later stage baby food.  If you do mash with a fork, you might want to cook them a little longer to get the sweet potatoes good and soft.   

Pour or scoop the sweet potato into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

Peas
16 ounce bag of peas

Steam for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Blend them in the blender until very smooth.  Add the water you used to steam as necessary. I used about a cup of water for the peas. 

Pour or scoop the peas into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

Carrots
2 pounds of "real" carrots, not baby ones

Peal and cut the carrots into about two to three inch pieces.  Steam for about 45-50 minutes.  Depending how big or small your pieces are will depend on your cook time, but you want them to be very soft.

Blend them in the blender until very smooth.  Add the water you used to steam as necessary. I used about a half cup of water for the carrots. 

Pour or scoop the carrots into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

Apples
5 pounds of Braeburn apples - I used these because they are nice and sweet and not tart, but any kind would work.

Peel, core and quarter the apples.  Place into your pot and let them steam for about an hour.  You can add about a cup of water, but as the apples cook, they will get liquid-y. 

Once they are soft, scoop them into the blender and puree.  You should not need to add any extra water, but if you do, that's fine too!

Pour or scoop the apples into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

** I made a first batch of apple sauce with just putting the whole apple in the pot.  That's what I generally do when I make apple sauce.  But I usually use a food mill, and that really mashes everything up.  When I put it in a blender using the whole apple, it did not blend up the seeds and the core stuff really well.  So needless to say, the first batch can not be used for baby.  But adults could eat it.  Just a bit of insight so you don't make the same mistake as me! :)

Pears
2 pounds of fresh pears and two cans of pears in light syrup.

Peel, core and quarter the pears.  Place into your pot and let them steam for about an hour.  You can add about a cup of water, but as the pears cook, they will get liquid-y.  I cooked the fresh and canned pears separately.  Mainly because I wanted to see if they were different.  The were not different tasting, just different in color a little bit. They could be done together if you wanted to. 

Once they are soft, scoop them into the blender and puree.  You should not need to add any extra water, but if you do, that's fine too!

Pour or scoop the pears into ice cube trays and cover with saran wrap and freeze overnight or for about four hours.  Once frozen, crack the trays and put in a ziplock bag and label with contents and date. 

Bananas 
**I made bananas buy mashing them with a fork and then freezing them like the rest of the food, but when I un-thawed them, they tasted rotten.  Not sure if that was a freak thing, because I know others who freeze them, but I just make them fresh each time because they can very easily be mashed up with a fork!

I had so much fun making the baby food!  And it really was so simple!  I also love knowing that my little Love Bug is not eating fresh food that his mommy made for him with love! :)

Here is a breakdown of prices...

Green beans - $1.00 - made 15 one ounce cubes
Peas - $1.00 - made 18 one ounce cubes
Carrots - $1.69 - made 22 one ounce cubes
Sweet Potatoes - $2.12 - made 27 one ounce cubes 

Apples - $4.40 - made around 50 cubes!
Fresh pears - $2.24 - made 18 cubes
Canned pears -  $0.96 - made 18 cubes 

So as you can see, a huge money saver too! Most baby food is about one dollar per can/container.  And let's say you  baby makes two meals out of one container, that's 50 cents a meal.  This is crazy cheap when comparing!

Hope you enjoy making your baby food as much as me!  I just can't wait to start mixing flavors! :)

Have fun!

Cassandra :) 

Cloth Diaper Washing Routine and Detergent

One of the big choices when using cloth diapers is how to wash them.  This can be a little daunting at first, because I mean, come on... you are washing poop... in your washing machine... that washed all your other clothes!  Kind of gross! :)

But I promise, it is not that gross.  And it really isn't all that hard either!  

Like said in my cloth diaper 101 post, I am not saying this is the greatest way to wash cloth diapers... this is just what works for our family.

We use a wet/dry pail method.  This means that some diapers get put in the pail wet and some get put in dry.  We use a garbage can from Target with a press down latching lid.  I use lemon scented garbage bags to line the pail. I know, I know! Bad mommy for using bags and not a reuseable liner.  But honestly I am using cloth diapers for the money saving aspect, not the environmental aspect and in the long run, I think using disposable bags will be cheaper than buying diaper pail liners.  Diaper pail liners are anywhere from 18 to 30 dollars each and I would need to get two of them so you can use one while the other is washing.  I bought 75 garbage bags for less than 4 dollars and I use one every two to three days.  So about 8 - 10 dollars per year and hopefully diapers for only two years... you do the math! :)

But back to the wet/dry pail!  We have the pail in our bathroom next to the toilet.  We change Bug's diaper in his room, and then bring the diaper to the bathroom.  If it is just a wet diaper, we simple put it in the pail.  If it is a messy diaper, I either spray it off with the diaper sprayer, or rinse it in the sink.  If it is really runny and gross like breastfed baby poop can be sometimes, I just rinse it in the sink because I would fill my toilet up three times using the diaper sprayer because the poop just stays on the diaper and you have to use so much spray to get it off.  I leave these messy diapers pretty wet when I put them in the pail, trying to leave as much water as I can in them to leave them wet until wash day.  This helps the stains to not set in.  

My husband made this wonderful diaper sprayer but you can buy them online also.

I also take all the diapers inserts out right way so I don't have to do it before I put them in the washer.  Digging through diapers that have been sitting for two days does gross me out! :) So I always make sure to have everything wash ready before putting it in the pail!

On wash day I bring the bag down stairs and and put it in the washing machine.  I also throw in a towel to help swish things around.  I usually end up only filling the washer up half full with diapers, so I just feel like the towel helps to agitate them more.  I use a full load setting of water and do a cold rinse.  Water cleans diapers!  I find it best to put it on a full load regardless of how full of diapers that washer is. 

After the cold rinse, I put in detergent and do a hot wash, cold rinse cycle.  Some people say to do another rinse after this to make sure all the detergent is out, but I really don't find it necessary.  My little Bug doesn't have rashes and my diapers do not repel, so I am pretty sure all the detergent is out. But if you have either of these problems, you might want to do another rinse. 

Then I throw everything in the dryer.  I use the longest dry cycle on the hottest setting.  My fitted and hemp liners don't get dry all the way so then I just set them out to finish drying.  I know some people say to pull out the covers because heat isn't good for them, but so far I am not seeing any problems with the covers.  They still look and work good as new.  So for simplicity sake, I will continue to put them in the dryer.

The detergent I use to homemade, but it's nothing fancy.  I just decided to use it once again because of the money saving factor.  Buying cloth diaper detergent is expensive!  And I didn't want to just use regular detergent because I know that can cause repelling issues.  So I made my own. 

Here is my recipe...

1 cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

1/2 cup Oxi-clean free or baby

Simply stir them together and you have a cloth diaper detergent!  Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy! :)

I tripled the recipe and it lasted me 3 1/2 months.  I use about 2-3 tablespoons per load.  

I wrote the recipe on a piece of paper and taped it to the top of my container so I always have to ready to go and easy access to it.

I do still have some staining, but nothing too bad.  And usually a few washed will get the stain out totally!  Once summer comes, I am going to try sunning my diapers because I have read that takes stains out.  But for now, it is winter in North Dakota, so no sunning diapers for me! :)  

 I hope you are enjoying the wonderful world of cloth diapering as much as I am!  

Cassandra :)

P.S. - I know there is some controversy over using borax.  But it is only dangerous if it is ingested by a child.  Well two things...

1.  All the detergent is washed out of the diapers

2.  My Bug is not sucking on his diapers!

So for me, it really isn't a concern, but if it does bother you, there are many other simple recipes for cloth diaper detergent you can use.  

Cloth Diapering 101

When I started out on this whole cloth diaper experience, I was new to EVERYTHING!! And it seemed that there was so much to learn. And not only so much to learn, but it seemed that every blog I read had a VERY different opinion on everything related to cloth diapering. And as a new mom, it was completely overwhelming.  In fact, if the prospect of cloth diaper didn't sound so wonderful to me, I probably would have just used disposable diapers because I seriously was so confused by all the lingo, ideas, ways to do things, and types of cloth diapers. :(

And that right there my friends makes me very sad.  Looking back to where I was four months ago and my feelings of despair and nervousness over cloth diapers makes me not want any mom to have those feelings. 

I think the reason why there are so many different ways to do cloth diapers is because there are so many different types of families!  What works for my family might not work for your family!  But the way that some families express their views on the subject as "my way or the highway" makes them sound like the ultimate authority on cloth diapers.  And let me tell you, they are NOT the authority!! YOU ARE!! You have to do what is best for your family! Plain and simple!

So without trying to be too authoritative and over-bearing ;) I'm going to tell you what I use for cloth diapers.

Most of the cloth diapers we use at our house are prefold diapers with a cover.  
When Bug was a newborn, we used Osocozy newborn (yellow trim) prefolds and Real Nappy covers. Once he started to leak with the newborn size, I ordered the medium sized Osocozy prefolds.

When using prefolds, I do not use pins or snappies.  I just fold the diaper into thirds and lay it in the cover.  I don't know if I just didn't get big enough diapers, but I could never get them to fit around him doing a tradition fold around his tummy.  I like the simplicity of just folding them into thirds and laying them in.  Most covers have a flap to keep the prefold in place. 

For over night diapers, we used Alva Baby pocket diapers with the inserts that came with.  The link above to this dino diaper was our favorite, and I loved the inserts that come with it! 
I ordered more Alva Baby diapers from shopdiaper.com and they came with different inserts.  These inserts did NOT work for the Bug and I ended up trying some different things that I will talk about later.  

But low and behold, our over night diaper system did not work anymore.  We realized that Bug was holding his pee and then would pee a lot all at once, and the pocket diaper lining could not handle that fast of pee.  So we tried putting a prefold inside a pocket diaper and that seemed to work, but that much fabric on a 1 1/2 month old looked absolutely crazy and uncomfortable.  So I went in search of another solution...

And I found the world of fitted diapers.  A fitted diaper is basically a prefold made into a whole diaper.  So no matter where the pee goes, it will get soaked up with the cotton.  You have to use a cover with these because it is just cotton material.  
And I also found out that cotton and natural fibers absorb much better for heavy wetters than synthetic materials like microfiber. 

  The fitted diaper I chose to go with was the Thirsty Duo Fab Fitted diaper.  It is quite a mouthful, but they are pretty great!  It is not a regular fitted diaper because it is not prefold material. In fact, I'm not even sure what it is made of, but it is SUPER soft, highly absorbent, and it works wonders for us!  It also it pretty affordable compared to most fitted diapers!  You can stuff them with an insert, but you don't have to.  I use Thirsty doublers or hemp inserts.  I ordered two just to try, and I loved them, so I ordered two more.  By pairing this with a cover, we have not had any leaks at night time!

As our Bug got bigger, we needed some bigger covers.  I went mainly with Diaper Safari covers and a couple Thirsty covers.  I still use the medium Osocozy prefolds and as of right now, my four month old Bug is doing great with the medium size. 

I use pocket diapers now mainly when Bug has an afternoon with a Grandma or Auntie, or when we are going out shopping or to church.  

I love how adjustable the Alva Baby pocket diapers are!  They really are a great diaper to use and use and use as your baby grows and grows and grows!

Now like I said above, the inserts I got with my second order of Alva Baby diapers were JUNK!  So I ordered some hemp inserts.  Well, I did not know that while hemp is super absorbent, it is SLOW absorbing, and since I have a fast peeing baby, this was not working at all.  So I did some more reading and found Thristy Doublers. I absolutely love these colorful, absorbant, amazing pieces of fabric! :)

I have been using a doubler and a hemp or original insert I got with the Alva Baby diapers together.  This seems to work really well.  

So that is how we cloth diaper in our house.  This is what works for us.  It might not work for you.  The key with cloth diapers is trial and error.  For someone who does not like to experiment (I just want it to work the first time), this can be hard.  But it is also very rewarding when you find what works for you!

Here are the amount of diapers I currently am using for my four month old little Bug...

7 Diaper Safari snap covers
2 Thirsty Duo Snap Wrap covers - size two
1 Rumparoo Cover - size one

12 Osocozy prefold diapers - medium
6 Gerber prefold diapers - not my favorite, but use them when I don't have laundry done.
6 Osocozy unbleached prefold diapers - size 1 - almost too small 

4 Thirsty Duo Fab Fitted diapers - size two

9 Thirsty Fab Doublers - large
2 Thirsty Hemp Inserts - large
3 Baby Kicks Hemp Inserts - medium
4 Inserts from Alva Baby diapers - I really have no clue what these are made of or how to get more besides ordering individual diapers off amazon.

8 Alva Baby pocket diapers
3 Shop Diaper pocket diapers 
1 bumGenius 4.0 pocket diaper

I have more diapers than I probably need, but I only have to do laundry every two days.  And that my friends is FABULOUS!  :)

I know that is a lot of information!  But that is what we do.  Remember, try new things and see what works for you!  But also remember to not order a whole lot of one type until you try it first.  A diaper one person might rave about, might not work for you baby.  So try a few and go from there.  

Cloth diapering is so much fun!  I love how my Bug's bottom is always free of redness and I love the fact that I'm not putting chemicals on his little bum.  

Hope you are able to find what works for you! If you have questions, feel free to comment! I'd love to talk with you! 

Cassandra :)

The Crazy World of Starting Baby on Solids

It seems to me that everyone on the Internet has a different opinion on what to do with your baby.  On everything from diapers to feeding to sleeping to playing to everything!  

I don't know about you, but every time I have an issue with my babes, I turn to the Internet and search and search and search for an answer, and every answer I get seems to contradict and be the opposite of the last answer I read.  It can make a new mom go CRAZY!!

And these differences in opinions that everyone seem to have are not just little, simple articles with suggestions, they are my way or the highway, I am the only right person, do what I say or you are a bad mom articles.

And all I'm trying to do is be a good mom and do what's best for my baby, and usually end up more confused and frustrated after searching the Internet then I was before.  

This is what happened with the whole idea of baby food.  And so from here on out, I am going to try something new and go with my motherly intuition and do what I think to be best for my little bug.  I am not saying to throw caution to the wind and do whatever I feel, like feed my baby a T-bone steak at 3 1/2 months old, but by doing a little research, asking some "real life people" and not the Internet, I am going to find solutions for my baby problems. 

So back to the topic at hand... starting solids. Here is a little bit of my story as to why I wanted to start my little Bug on solids.

I Love this little girl's facial expression! :)

My love Bug has really never been a great sleeper.  I consider it a great night if he sleeps for one four to five hour session.  Before and after that one long sleep, it is usually up every hour or two.  With that being said, he used to wake up just kind of fussing for me to get him.  About two weeks ago, he started waking up SCREAMING after a couple hours of sleep!  I would quickly go get him, pick him up and he would start sucking on my shoulder because I usually wear a tank top and he thought it was something other than my shoulder! ;)

He would nurse a little bit and fall back to sleep with in about 5 to 10 minutes, without really getting a good feeding in, then he would sleep for 45 minutes, wake up starving, eat a little bit and crash out again, and sleep a little... and this would continue for the rest of the night.

Needless to say, we were both exhausted after about a week of this!  I knew I was still producing enough milk because I still had milk left once he was done eating and feel asleep, and he was only eating off of one side.  So my supply wasn't my issue.  And after talking to my mom and my mother-in-law, I decided that maybe he was ready for a little something more before bed.

So then I read on the Internet and there were some VERY passionate articles about starting your baby on solids before 6 months.  I felt like a horrible mom!  Why would I even think about starting my baby on solids at 3 1/2 months old?!  And starting him on rice cereal of all things.  I should be locked up for the monster that I am!  Well that's pretty much how I felt after reading these articles.

But then my wonderful, trustworthy voice of reason know as my husband stepped in and made me think about our situation a little bit.  Here were some things we discussed...
*Isaac was born a week past his due date so he was almost 4 months old, closer to 4 than 3
*Both of us started rice cereal when we were 3 months and don't have allergies or anything
*My husband's brother started eating cereal at 1 1/2 months because he was just SO hungry all the time!
*Our boy is growing like CRAZY!  I put clothes away all the time that don't fit him!  He is 3 months, 3 weeks old right now and hardly fits into 6 month clothes, I am just getting ready to wash his 9 month clothes!
*All babies develop differently!  4 to 6 months is a guideline for feeding.  Not everyone gives birth to a baby of a strapping (and handsome) farm boy!  My husband's family is BIG!  There are a lot of very tall men on his side who eat a lot of food!
*He is hardly eating any cereal (less than a tablespoon) and it is mixed with breastmilk and made very runny.
*I am his mommy and I know him best, not some article on the Internet! - this is the most important one!

And after thinking about all those factors, I decided I would try feeding him some rice cereal.

The first night he thought it was pretty yummy :), but it didn't help with sleeping at all. :(

The second night he really didn't like it a whole lot, and it didn't help with sleeping and his tummy was pretty upset and I had to give him gripe water.  I kind of became discouraged because I really wanted this to be a solution for our sleep situation.

The third and fourth night I skipped because I didn't want it to hurt his tummy again.  And of course I turned back to my hateful Internet friends to tell me what a bad mom I was!  But then my own voice of reason set in and said, this is something brand new for your baby! His tummy is going to have to get used to it a little bit!

So I tried again on the fourth night and my little Bug loved it!! He was pushing my hand with his hand to his mouth to get the cereal in there faster and if I didn't go fast enough, he started to cry!  And he had a normal messy diaper without having to have gripe water! His sleep was a little better, but not great.

The fifth night once again he loved his runny rice cereal!  He finished the one tablespoon cereal mixed with 3 tablespoons breast milk and wanted more!  But I didn't want to push a good thing too far, so I didn't make more.  And the best part is his sleep!  He slept for 2 1/2 hours, then FOUR HOURS!!!, then 2 1/2 more hours.  That may not sound that great, but that is the first time I had slept more than 3 hours straight in a long time!  I felt so rested after that four hour stretch!  He woke up this morning feeling happy and playful and we have been having a great day!:)

So I guess I am writing this blog entry to help moms out there like me.
Maybe you aren't too confident in your mommy skills yet, and feel like you don't know what to and are turning everywhere for answers.
Maybe you have been searching high and low on the Internet and in books to give you answers.
Maybe you are sleep deprived and looking for a solution.

I say this to you, follow your heart.  You are the mommy and you are the one who knows your little love best.  You can read him better than anyone!  A mother's instinct is a real thing, and God has equipped us mommy's to know what is best for our babies.

Believe in your self and do what you believe to be best for your baby! Your baby needs you to listen to his cues, the cues that only you as mommy know!  He loves you so much and he has the confidence in you to do a wonderful job of bringing him up to be a happy, healthy kiddo!

I pray this gives you encouragement and peace!
Cassandra :)

The Twelve Dayts of Christmas

My husband is SUPER hard to buy things for presents!  He never has ideas and everything he wants is super expensive... which can be okay, but he usually can't even think of those kind of ideas either.  He also is kind of one of those guys that buys it when he needs it, never saving anything for gifts and ideas.  He really has everything he needs.  

I can always get him tools or movies, but I never have ideas of big things to get him.  

This year for Christmas, I asked him what he wanted.  He was kind of a bah-humbug this Christmas and was NOT into the gift giving mood at all.  He responded to my question with this - "I just want to spend time with the ones I love!  I can buy what I need.  What is the point of Christmas gifts anyways?! It just makes people greedy and expect to be spoiled!"  Now there is a little truth to that, but him having that attitude was not going to change people's view of Christmas, and he just needed to get with the Christmas spirit!  

So I took the first part of his answer and ran with it!  I gave him twelve dates, one for each month of the year!  This way he would have to spend a night with me (someone he loves, his first answer) at least once a month.  Also with our new baby, I thought it might be nice to make a "mandatory" date night once a month so we don't forget about our relationship! 

I also really liked this because it's not the typical dinner and a movie that so many couples tend to get stuck in a rut with.  This has us going out (or staying home) and doing some fun things that we have never done before!  

I filled twelve gift bags with the necessary supplies for each date.  Sometimes it was just money, other times it was supplies needed to complete the date. 

I got the original idea on Pinterest off of The Dating Divas page.  They have a pre-made book you can buy, which I did, but I didn't love all the dates. There was also a free one that I downloaded too, but once again, I didn't love all those dates.  So I decided to combine their ideas and my ideas and this is what I came up with!

This is what I did for each month and what I put in each bag:

January - Dinner and Ice Skating - $50 in the bag

February - Dinner at a Chinese Restaurant, then home to keep with the Chinese Zen and have a spa night... Bubble bath for two, massages, hot stones, etc. - $30 and massage lotion, hot stones, bubble bath, etc in th bag

March - Dinner and Laser Tag - $50 in the bag

April - Couple's Cafe dinner at home - printables and ideas from the Dating Diva's site - Menu printable and some of the meal items in the bag

May - Dollar Date Night - $20 dollars (two ten dollar bills, one for each of us) and printables in the bag - printables and ideas for the Dating Diva's site - Warning - this one might make you blush! :) 

June - Fishing Date Night - Fishing snacks and a new fishing lure are in the bag

July - State Fair Date - $60 in the bag 

August - Drive in for Two - Movie snacks and movie and clues are in the bag - This is found on the Dating Diva's site

September - Sleep Over Date - Movie snacks and movie in the bag - The Dating Diva's do have a date kit for this, but I thought it was lame, and just did my own thing! :)

October - Dinner and a movie - $60 in bag 

November - Lights Out Date! - Candles and flashlights in the bag - I also included this get to know you game from Dating Divas

December - Dinner and Christmas Shopping - $40 in the bag

You can download my version of the Twelve Dayts of Christmas by clicking here.  Some of the links listed above, you do need to pay for.  Or you can download The Dating Diva's date book and get them included in the download.  The link for their book is  - The Dating Divas Year of Dates Book.  The free Twelve Dayts of Christmas can be found here.

I hope you enjoy this idea.  I know my husband was TOTALLY surprised and thought it was really cool!

I hope this will help bring back the butterflies to your marriage and you will enjoy dating your husband all year long!