Cloth Update.

Alright so I wanted to post real quick about how our cloth diaper adventure is going so far, what I've learned, what we've tweaked...so on and so forth...so here we go.

All but one of my cloth dipes are Kawaii One Size Pockets. The lone ranger is a BumGenius One Size Pocket diaper, and I really don't like the way it fits Kinnley. I'm not sure what it is about the fit, I just know I don't like it. Eventually, I would like to try different types and brands but I'm fine with the stash I have for now.

The Pail vs. Wet Bag argument. We live in a small house (and by small house I mean a trailer we are currently renting) so obviously anything that I can do to save us space is crucial. Having a pail for dirty cloth just isn't an option (and really, having a pail seems like more work anyways). I have 3 wet bags, 2 large and 1 small size. I hang one large wet bag off a hook over the dryer and keep a small one in the diaper bag. The other is just extra. As far as detergent goes, we're using Rock N Green Lavender Revival Hard Rock. I love Rock N Green because it has detergents specifically made for the type of water you have. We have hard water, therefore we use the Hard Rock. We haven't had any issues with the detergent, but we have also only been cloth diapering for two months. I buy my Rock N Green from Teeny Greeny, a boutique cloth/green store in Kansas City.

I was washing my dipes every other day, but now I'm trying to wash them every four days. I'd like them to last through more than one child, so obviously cutting down on how many times they are washed will help. Not drying your dipes in the dryer will also extend their life. I've been drying mine on low in our dryer, but I finally got a drying rack! I just put the rack out on my porch and let them dry! Easy, peasy. I'm hoping that sun-bleaching them will help get some of the shadow stains out that my diapers have gotten. 

Wipes, wipes, wipes. Until recently we had been using disposable wipes. Boy was that a pain! At the two baby showers that I had, we received a total of 52 wash cloths! So I separated them out, wash cloths that have hems around the edge are for bath time and wash cloths that don't have them hemming are wipes! Of course, you can always buy actual cloth wipes...but this way cuts down on cost for us. My first batch of wipes solution was very simple: 1 cup bottled water, 1 tbs witch hazel, 1-2 drops tea tree oil. My issue with that solution was it is stinky. So my next batch contained the following: 1 cup bottled water, 1 tbs witch hazel, 1-2 drops tea tree oil, 1 tbs veg oil, 1 tbs baby shampoo. I read that the veggie oil helps the solution to be smoother on the baby's bottom and that the shampoo helped made it smell better. That's the solution we are currently using. Its 'ok'. We store our solution in little spray bottles and just spray it onto the dry wipes. That process may change over time, but it works for now.

I've also tried to simplify the whole cloth wipes thing by adding an extra step after I wash and dry my dipes. I stuff the insert into the dipe and then place a folded wipe into the dipe, then I fold the dipe in half and put it inside my bin. It makes it so easy to just grab a diaper when it's changing time, the wipe is already inside! I have just been storing my dipes (and extra wipes) in a bin that I keep in the living room. I also just hang the wipe solution spray bottles off the side of the bin! Everything all in one place!

As far as overnight goes, we don't have many issues or complaints. Kinnley is just over 2 months old now and has been consistently sleeping from about 10 pm until 6/7 am. The first night that she slept that long she just had a regular dipe on and she obviously woke up soaked. So from then on, at bed time, I put a cloth diaper on her that has a regular microfiber insert PLUS a bamboo insert. It's worked so far! As she gets older, this method may have to change. 

A couple things I've learned...

• Always pack an extra outfit for your little one in your diaper bag. Especially if you are new to cloth. Leaks are going to happen. The time is going to get away from you and the next thing you know it's been 3 or 4 hours since your baby's last change and she is wet through her cloths. It's nice to know that you have a back up, just in case. 
• Those annoying plastic sacks that you bring your groceries home in (because you once again forgot to pack your cute reusable bags), those are going to come in handy. Throw one (or two) into a side pocket of your diaper bag. One of these days you'll forget to pack your wet bag for dirty dipes and you'll be thankful for that little plastic sack!

Colder Weather.

Burrr! It's getting so chilly outside! We finally got a Boba and I've been so excited about it! But the first time we put it on I was less than impressed :( Kinnley didn't seem to like it. I felt like it was hurting her legs. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 13.8 lbs. so she isn't quite big enough to be in the regular hold but I tried the newborn setting and she was WAY too big for that! So I followed my mom's advice and googled "Baby too small for big setting but too big for small setting in Boba" and what did I find? I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM! However, it was easily fixed. All you have to do is roll up a receiving blanket and put it in the carrier under her bum. We experimented and IT WORKS! :) I'm once again a happy mama. I was really under some stress because Zach wants to go to the local high school football game tonight and I really want to go as well. But I didn't want to go if Kinnley had to be in the stroller. She'll be MUCH warmer in the Boba, right against me!

The other great thing about the Boba 3G is it has a little built in hood. But I was still worried about her little ears getting too cold and I won't be anywhere today to get her a hat. I went into my bathroom and found a cloth, stretchy gray headband and tied a little knot in it and gave it a try! Sure enough, it fits perfectly and covers her perfect little ears! It's just a bonus that the knot looks so cute!

It's been a CRAZY week! Hence the lack of posts. Monday we had Kinnley's two month appointment and shots, Tuesday our good friend Lanaya came over for a visit, Wednesday we went to Mimi's house, yesterday I had to go to the doctor, and today we have to run back to the doctor and then the football game tonight. Tomorrow, we have plans to go to the farmer's market in a nearby town! I'm soo excited about that! Anyway, today happens to be Zach's birthday!! We are so lucky to have him in our lives!!

Long Weekend.

Wow. Can I just say I am exhausted?! This past Saturday we managed to make it to my sister's volleyball tournament (They got 2nd place! Congrats Vikings!) and to an out of town wedding, but it took A LOT of work. I am a list maker, so I usually start prepping for long trips by making a list (or five). Since we have a baby now, my list making comes in handy and we usually don't forget anything! I think I made our packing lists a week in advance and I always leave it somewhere that I see it every day, then when I think of something else I should pack I just simply jot it down. It also helps me to show the list to Zach, sometimes he thinks of things that I don't.

I have found that I will probably always over pack for Kinnley. I would rather have too much of her things, than not enough of something. For instance, I think we had 10 cloth diapers extra packed. But 10 extra is better, to me, than not enough! Kinnley stayed with my mom and step dad (THANKS GUYS!) so that Zach and I could go to the wedding and enjoy ourselves. Plus the ceremony part was outside and I cannot imagine if we would have had Kinnley with us, BURR! We stayed overnight and then came home on Sunday. We missed our munchkin a bunch!

A weekend away from home means a lot of work to do on Monday. I've got to catch up on cloth diaper laundry, towel laundry, weekend laundry. Plus the usual housework and unpacking to get everything back in its place! Whew!

All the extra work is worth it. We had so much fun while we were out of town, we were able to spend time with great friends and even make plans to hang out with my step sister (she attends college in the same town the wedding was in). A very successful weekend, we are so blessed!

Peanut Butter Everywhere

I am a sucker for Pinterest recipes and all those recipes people share on their Facebook pages. I am always immediately hungry.Today, I decided I was going to attempt my first time baking since the birth of Kinnley. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I'm sure you've seen the photos of these cookies around. They are basically just Peanut Butter Cookies that you bake in a mini muffin tin and then when they are done baking, you press a peanut butter cup in the center. Yeah, sinful. And super easy. The recipe I saw originally (shared by my mom) called for a roll of premade peanut butter cookie dough. Now, if you know me or my mom...you know that's not how we do things. We like homemade, from scratch stuff :). So, I started my adventure by putting Kinnley in her bouncer and bringing her into the kitchen. I had just finished putting the butter and peanut butter into the mixer and Kinnley starts to cry...I looked at the clock and sure enough, she was hungry. So I took a nursing break...10 minutes in to my adventure. She was very quiet for the rest of my cookie making adventure. She was very observant, hopefully this means she will be helpful in the kitchen someday. The cookies turned out so, so good. First time baking since giving birth: SUCCESS! But here are a couple tips (disclaimer: these tips were given to me by my mom.)

• Make sure to refrigerate your peanut butter cups prior to making these cookies.
• After baking the cookies and pressing the peanut butter cups in the center, place the cookies (muffin tin and all) into the fridge to help them set up. Trust me on this one. Leave them in the fridge at least 7-10 minutes. 
• Probably a good idea to store the cookies in the fridge as well, unless of course your cookies don't make it that long :) 

The recipe that I have linked above is just the peanut butter cookie recipe. To make the peanut butter cup cookies, just make sure you buy mini Reese's peanut butter cups. OR if you don't mind the premade dough...just buy premade dough and peanut butter cups and have at it! :)