Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Oh, Glorious Day!

Its in the 70's outside and the windows are open! I love it!


Peanut isn't feeling great today, but that doesn't stop him from playing hard. Yesterday, I caught him playing with his toy box... instead of the toys!


Doesn't he look like he's having fun? He's doing the "army crawl" more and more, but he still isn't so interested in sitting.


I feel like I had some great luck today.  While out on errands, we stopped at the only children's clothing thrift store I know of around here, Smarty Pants. I was able to get all this...  for $10. Yep, 2 pairs cotton 2 piece pjs, 1 really warm with a hood pj, 2 footie pjs, and 2 long sleeve onsies. Most items were off the clearance rack, which means one item at $0.75, and 2 at $1.00.

Plus, I got a stack of patterns off of freecycle.org...


These were up earlier in Jan, but when I emailed the gal, she said someone had spoken for them. She called me last night to say that the other gal never came to pick them up, so they were mine if I'd come and get them. So, I did.

women's, non-maternity

maternity

children's

Are items from the 90's vintage, yet? What about 80's? Anyhoo, I *think* with the right fabrics, these could make some nice outfits. And, luckily, there is one little girl in the family (a niece) because all the children's patterns are for little girl outfits. Oh, yes, we'd love to have a little girl, but who knows what the Lord will give us.

Dinner is in the crockpot, the kitchen is just about cleaned up, Peanut is asleep and I'm having a cup of coffee (full caff! living on the edge today!). This has been a good day.


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Things others might have known...

...but I'm only just figuring out.

  • You can't wipe down dry wall. Why would anyone use anything but washable paint?
  • Dish soap is an awesome degreaser.
  • Baby toys should be marked if they are dishwasher safe (yes, I know that batteries mean "no")
  • Door knobs loosen over time and use.
  • Door jams and knobs get nasty, even in a house of only adults.
  • Switch plates do, too.



Yep, Peanut is starting to sit. If you put him in a sitting position, and give him a reason to sit, he will sit for a few minutes before falling over.  He's getting up on all fours and rocking a bit, but that only lasts a few seconds before he flops back down. He is also army-crawling to grab something he wants, but not far. He's going mobile!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Sewing like a big girl

A few years ago, I did actually sew a clothing item for myself, and I wore it Tuesday -- the day I'm out and about. It was also apart of my efforts at wearing more skirts and trying to be a bit more fashionable.  Of course, the jury is out if my outfit was 'fashionable' or not.

I picked it all out the night before to facilitate the whole process, but used the timer function on the camera for the pictures... so a few have my head cut off ... not on purpose, I promise. (I was trying to be Oona-like and failed.)
Can I put this shirt with that skirt? Noone looked at me too funny today, so I guess its okay.
I wore my traditional cardigan that had pockets as the skirt doesn't have any pockets. I love pockets.


I really don't mind having my face in pictures, really.

Isn't it a beautiful print? I purchased it as a sarong while in Thailand years ago. It was a single rectangular piece of material that a lady wraps around her and folds down to secure. My hips are just too much to accommodate this style of clothing, so I made a skirt with it. I used the selvage as the bottom hem (so I didn't have to hem it) to get the most out of the pattern. There is a zipper in the back, even with a hook. Seems I remember the zipper being the hardest part of this.

Yes, I wore my tennis shoes with the skirt. I was running errands and doing grocery shopping... you must forgive my fashion fopa. [edit: sister pointed out that its 'faux pas'... joys of English]
 Unfortunately, I don't have the pattern, so I'm not sure what pattern I used. I'm sure it was Simplicity or McCalls, as that's mostly what I have.

I'm quite proud of myself, that I remembered that I had made something!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Busy, busy days


We have stayed quite busy over the past week. Its been a good week overall, as well, which has me feeling pretty good.

I made yogurt. Peanut and I have made a point to have some yogurt each morning at breakfast, and a piece of fruit at lunch. These habits are going well, so far!


Peanut is getting pretty good with getting food into his mouth. He loves to eat, and so far, has liked everything I offered him. We tend to have quesadilla for lunch and Peanut seems to really like them. One day we had strawberries at lunch, but Peanut picked out all the tortilla bits and ate those before eating the strawberries. 


Our kitchen faucet was leaky, and the company sent me a new one. I spent one afternoon replacing the old faucet with the new one. I needed Hubby's help to turn the water off and unscrew a piece and then screw a piece back in, but it took about 30 minutes all told. I'm feeling very handy.


We acquired a boat load of books, and it was creating quite the ordeal in the living room. So I did some changing and organizing. I just moved the shelf at the bottom of the bookshelf so the books sit better.



Next step is clear out the small bookshelf in Peanut's room to set up a toy storage area. I plan to rotate the toys, so not all of them are in the living room at once. Just makes cleaning up easier.

I'm planning to put up new posts on Tuesday, Thursday and sometimes Saturday. I've started on an "internet diet", and posting more than 2 or 3 times a week is just too much. But I love to blog, so I want to keep at it. So, fellow bloggers, how do you balance your on the computer and off the computer time and still get enough sleep? I'm still figuring that out.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Diaper Bag Make-over

So, I have a nifty single strap backpack that a formula company gave to the hospital to give to me -- hope that makes sense! Its a great diaper bag -- not too big, but big enough, easy to carry, and cool looking. But lately its been so full I can hardly zip it!

I've also found that its hard to find things when everything is stuffed into the one compartment. So, a make-over needed. In fact, as I emptied the diaper bag I found a pocket diaper without an insert, 2 onsies, 3 pairs of socks, a long sleeve shirt and a pair pants, plus 4 sposie diapers. How did I do this?

I considered the various bags in my closet, but none seemed just right. So I stayed with the same bag.

Then, I collected the few drawstring bags I have around the house. I used some twill tape to write on and stitched those onto the drawstring bags. I labeled a bag for clothes, clean diapers and dirty diapers.
Yes, its a big girly for a little boy, but I'm the one the diaper bag is really for.

Here's what I finished with --


From left to right... the black backpack, a container for sposies, a changing mat, a bag for clean clothes, a container with coconut oil, wipes container, bag for clean clothies, 2 wet bags (dirty diapers and clothes), a nursing cover and burp clothes.

Now, hopefully, even the non-mamas who use the diaper bag can find what they need. Last time Peanut was at the nursery at church, his onsie and pants got wet, but they couldn't find the clean onsies in the bag, so he had only a shirt and pants (and it was chilly outside, poor boy). No biggy, but when there were 2 onsies on the bag....

And Peanut has decided he wants to help...


But the kitty was thwarting him...





Monday, January 16, 2012

Book Review: Lord of the Rings

On Sunday, Hubby woke up feeling pretty puny. So, we stayed home (no church, no small group). I decided I wouldn't try and make it a "productive" day, so we just napped and laid around and read.

Here's what much of my afternoon looked like --


Wrapped in the afghan that Hubby's grandma made, reading "Return of the King".

This trilogy really doesn't need me to endorse it, most know that it is worth the read. And these aren't books that can be read through half thinking about other things. They require thought and effort of the reader. These books will be a challenge to most Americans, as they are written at a High School (or so) level. "The Hobbit" is more written at a Jr. High type level, and the "Silmarillian" is at a college level. So, don't expect to breeze through this trilogy quickly.

I certainly enjoyed the books, and have 2 observations to present about them.

First, the title is deceptive. The story isn't about the ring, its about the hobbits. Yes, the ring is what prompts the adventures, but the story is about the hobbits and their adventures, of which the ring is a part of, but is not the center of. The movies make the books out to be about the ring, and its story arc, which is why the scouring of the Shire is left out of the movies. "Its anti-climatic", says one. Well, sure, if the story was about the ring, its is. But the hobbits haven't reached the climax of their story arc. They don't come into their own until they return and rescue the Shire from those who have sought to destroy it (which the primary individual seeking to destroy the shire does so because of the hobbits and their involvement in his downfall).

Second, I found it interesting at my own reaction to the story. I enjoyed the books, but my heart leapt as I read about Sam replanting the trees in the Shire. And each time Sam thinks about his garden and planting things, my emotions are drawn in. Upon finishing the book, I started working my own spring garden plans.

About reading out loud -- I think reading out loud is a wonderful thing and is particularly great for children. I think it is especially helpful to read something (out loud) that is just beyond the child's reading level. Listening to the story makes it more accessible and introduces them to vocabulary and writing styles that they might not have encountered before.  These are excellent books to do this with, keeping in mind that the fight with Shelob (in the 2nd & 3rd boook) is particularly gruesome and could be very scary. She is a giant spider after all and the passages are rather detailed in now nasty she is. Otherwise, I think the stories could be appropriate for most children starting about ages 6 to 8 (for reading out loud and, perhaps, not right before bed). I'm thinking about this a lot these days, and I can't wait for Peanut to be ready for me to read chapter books out loud to him.







Friday, January 13, 2012

Exercise Fun

I have wanted a Wii for several years now. Yes, I am one of those that they have marketed to, and it was successful. I don't dislike physical activity, but physical activity for the sake of it isn't fun to me. I don't really like to run, I don't want to have to go some place else. Riding a stationary bike is okay, but it's dull. Have you figured out that I'm rather picky about this topic? (like most topics, I think... :P)

For Christmas, I opened a bag that contained  a Wii remote. I thought, COOL! But what will I do with this with out the console? Sweet MIL, at that moment, says, "Wait.... I forgot something!", and proceeds to bring out the Wii console, and another game for Hubby. She might have honestly forgotten, but I don't think so, she is clever like that.

Let's just say that I have exercised more since Christmas than the whole year before (perhaps, I could be exaggerating). The BMI and weight measurements are rather dull and repetitive, since they are done everyday (I'm sure you can skip this if you want) but its fun to see the stuff on the graph over time. I like the balance games (I got a balance board with Christmas money), I like seeing how I progress, I like competing against myself. Yes, the little dude on there can be cheesy, but I like cheesy most days. The trainer gal is a bit too perfect, but she's simply drawn so its not intimidating.

Its amazing how the balance board seems to figure out what I'm doing and if I'm doing it right. I did a push-up/side plank exercise the other day and really struggled (I'm really not strong enough to it yet) and at the end the trainer girl says "seems like you aren't quite strong enough for this exercise yet. Keep working and you'll get strong enough (or something like that).  That is cool (at least to me, as you might be able to tell, I'm not all that self-conscious).

I'm not so crazy about the super mario brother's game that came with the Wii, but that's just not my forte (as the balance board dude says about my performance in many balance games).

When you use your left (or off) hand, there is a "nunchuck" that you hook into the remote for use in the off-hand. I've found its a bit fickle about if it recognizes what I've done -- of course, could be I'm just not doing it right. When you do the boxing, you really have to throw the punch for it to register as "right", can't just push your arm out there willy-nilly. That also makes this somewhat lazy exerciser work harder... when the punching bag isn't registering that you've "hit" it, makes me try to hit harder the next time around.

I've discovered I'm puny at balance games and at rhythm games. No surprise there, and I'm getting better! And I'm having fun while doing it!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real

My pictures are totally  not in order, so bear with me, I'll get to each topsc.

{Real}




We'd decided to keep the backseat open when driving at Christmas. We did great, until we saw the various cousins on New Year's day.  Then the backseat filled up with the various hand-me downs and such. But it all worked out; we got home safe and sound and it was just as easy to nurse Peanut in the front seat, as the back seat. It just meant Peanut was outside a few more times than otherwise.




 {Funny} 

I'd realized that knitting in the dark would be difficult, so I took along some wool yarn to make dryer balls. I love them!


{Pretty}

I have journaled a fair bit in the past, but left off when I got married. I had someone to share my thoughts with, I didn't need paper! More recently, I'm feeling the desire to record my thoughts, even though I have someone to share them with (Hubby); I also want to write out my prayers, I find it easier to stay on track. So, to make the writing even more enjoyable, I covered the composition book with some cute paper. I'd started with fabric, but it was too slick, so I used paper in the end. But I still think the fabric is pretty. I'd started to take pictures of the process, but was running out of time (nap time for Peanut) so the pictures stopped. I'm enjoying my new journal!




{Happy}

I made a cake for a triple baby shower. I had fun doing this, and its one of the first layered cakes I've done. The shower was a "Three Kings" theme, since it was three baby boys we were celebrating.


And, today the prize I won from Prince Lionheart arrived! Exciting times!




round button chicken

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Celebrating the everyday

Getting the labels off books, using a just-the-right-size piece of wet paper towel.



Figuring out my baby clothes storage system. For now, I've settled on two boxes -- 1 for 0-12 month clothes and 1 for 12 to 24 month clothes.



Making ice cream in my new, Christmas gifted, ice cream maker. Thanks, Dad and L! I'm on a ice cream making kick these days. I've even figured out, yes, already, a recipe that we like better than the one in the book that comes with the maker. More on these adventures later.


And taking pictures with the new, Christmas gifted, camera. Thanks, Mom and Dad - in-law! It even has a "food" setting, which is so totally cool.

And Peanut enjoying all the new-to-him board books from his cousins. We are now loaded with books. And Peanut has started actually looking at the books, not just chewing on them. He got several new toys for Christmas, and some hand-me-down toys, and as soon as I get the shelves in his room cleared off, toy rotation starts. Just too many to keep in the living room.


Peanut loves to pick things up to eat. Most recently, he's started on goldfish. Mamma loves goldfish, too. He's learning to use signs to ask for "milk" and "more". I think he's generalized "milk" to be "eat", as he uses it in the high chair also. No, I"m not worried about it, but its funny to think about. Truly, nursing is the eating he knows!



Tuesday, January 10, 2012

True, Beautiful, Good

Before Christmas, Hubby discovered "Two Cellos" on youtube, and received a CD at Christmas. While out running errands today, we had it in CD player. At one point, I thought, "this is art", which got me thinking about what "art" is.

While I was teaching, we often talked about thinking about things that are true, beautiful and good. That seems a pretty good way to determine if something is "art".  Now, I don't propose a logical or scientific definition, as I don't believe there is a 'science' to art -- its an art!

And my thoughts on these things are strongly influenced by my beliefs -- there is one true and triune God, we are sinners and separated from Him, but through his Son, Jesus Christ, we are brought into reconciliation with him. The Bible is His words to us, it is infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts.

True -- in today's world, discussions are less about what is true and more about "facts". These two areas do overlap, and perhaps they are just the same thing. The feel of the words, the ideas, is so different though. And something in me says they are different.



Beautiful -- oh, this is truly varies between individuals. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for sure. At the same time, how you define "beautiful" can make a difference. I'm not sure I can provide a definition, but I can provide examples. Seeing a father play with his child, where both are happy and laughing is a beautiful thing, though its not the stereotypical "beautiful". And pretty things aren't always beautiful. Many times, little girls are pretty, but not beautiful. And I wouldn't call a father playing with child a pretty thing.



Good -- Ah, if we could all agree on what is good, the world would be a better place, yes?



Bloggers celebrate these things, each in their own way.

down--to--earth had "on my mind..."
Like Mother, Like Daughter has "Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real"
Ivy Nest has "From the Weekend"
Throwback to Trapper Creek has "Wordless Wednesday"
SouleMama has "This moment"

There are others, I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

I like participating. Life gets in the way sometimes, but I think it is worth making the time to celebrate truth, beauty and goodness. Sure, we must also acknowledge the hard parts, the ugly bits and a dirty things. I know, with confidence, that these hard, ugly and dirty things will be transformed into beautiful, true and good things that will bring glory to God.

Just felt like opining today.

Monday, January 09, 2012

Sleep Training -- the other plunge

Day time naps have been a bit of a battle with Peanut. He didn't seem to like sleeping during the day, and would sleep for 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a day. At 2 months, that didn't seem quite right, but then, every child is different, right? Plus, at 7 months, he was still getting up every few hours at night to nurse. Talk about tiring for a mama.

I am a reader, so I read lots on this. My three primary resources were
Breastfeeding Made SimpleBaby Wise, and The Baby Whisperer.

And I got to talk with one of Hubby's cousins who is a pediatrician with 2 kids of her own. Her youngest is only 5 days younger than our Peanut.

I received Breastfeeding Made Simple at a baby shower (Thanks Susan!) and really enjoyed reading it. It walks the reader through 7 "laws", which are the basic principles of how the breastfeeding relationship between mom and child works. Principles like 'the more you nurse, the more milk your body makes'. So, when Peanut wanted to nurse, I let him nurse. And, to be honest, I was worried about my production at first (which I shouldn't of been). I learned from this book that the first 40 days is when your supply is established, letting baby demand-nurse helps increase your supply to match his needs, and babies know when they are hungry, thirsty, or need comforting... the clock doesn't.

When I read Baby Wise years ago, when we were first trying to get pregnant, I though it was a great idea. When I re-read it a month or so ago, I thought... what was I thinking? The author starts with presenting all these testimonial's about mothers giving up breastfeeding from exhaustion, and that his system solves that. so, he says, nurse your baby by the clock. (he doesn't say it quite so bluntly, though)

Though the Baby Whisperer says her method is different, its still a nurse by the clock. She does talk more about routine and less about schedule though. Eat, play, sleep... repeat is her thing.  Yep, looks a whole lot like the Baby Wise method. Anyhoo, we are more of  eat, play, eat, play, eat, sleep kind of family, even Peanut.

Though I think both Baby Wise and Baby Whisperer ignore some basic facts about babies and nursing, there are some other principles that both present that seem to make sense. First -- what I think is wrong. Do you always get hungry and thirsty at the same time each day? I don't. My hunger and thirst schedule can vary depending on activities and even weather. Add in the facts about nursing, baby's appetite, and baby's stomach size and maturity, and you realize that some of these methods just don't fit what I understand reality to be.

At the same time, I know I craved a schedule, which is the main idea for both Baby Wise and Baby Whisperer. I wanted Peanut to be more predictable for my own sanity. What to do!!! So I cried at times, and I thought, and I prayed, and I thought some more. Then I realized I was being anxious in my own way, so I tried not to think about it too much. Then I made a decision. I really just wanted to be able to put Peanut down for nap without spending 30 to 45 minutes doing so (nursing) and then him only sleeping 30 to 45 minutes. And I wanted to get more than 3 hours in a single stretch at night.

Hubby's cousin pointed out that its likely Peanut is waking up so much at night (which is normal), but doesn't know how to go back to sleep on his own, so he cries to nurse. Start with bed time, she said, and let him put himself to sleep.

Here's what I did... I took what I thought was right from Baby Wise and Baby Whisperer and left what I thought was wrong. When Peanut was nursing, I worked hard to keep him awake. That did take work, as we were in the habit of nursing to sleep. At first, I did this only for day time naps. Hubby was still finishing up school, so I didn't want to mess with bed time yet, as that would disrupt his evening work hours. I tickled his feet, I talked to him, I scratched his back, I rubbed his head. Then, if I could tell he was sleepy, I'd change his diaper, pray with him, and put him down. But if he wanted to nurse, I let him nurse. Sometimes, it meant he nursed every 30 to 40 minutes, especially in the late afternoon. He decided when he wanted to nurse, but he didn't nurse himself to sleep. Often this was an eat, play, eat, play, eat, play, sleep cycle.

For first few days, the day time naps were a tad rough. He cried. I went in every 5 to 10 minutes and comforted him as best I could. Sometimes he calmed down, and sometimes he just wailed harder. But I persevered. I used my nifty flylady timer to keep track of how long it had been since I put him down and decided that after 1 hour, if he wasn't asleep, we'd call that nap time a wash. By the third day, it was all much easier. Peanut  was falling asleep on his own within 10 to 20 minutes of me putting him down! I started telling him that it was okay if he wanted or needed to cry for a bit, but that he needed to go to sleep.

A very nice side affect is that Peanut is more focused when he nurses, so we spend less time nursing.

At the grandparent's house over Christmas, we went back to nursing to sleep, which was a big mistake. About 2 or 3 days in, we switched back to going down for daytime naps awake. At night, Peanut was waking up at least every 2 hours. We played with ways to keep him warm, which helped some, but it really came down to 2 things: (1) it was a new place and he just wasn't used to it, and (2) at night Mommy was right next door, could hear any noise made very clearly and jumped at each noise.

When we got home, that very first night, Peanut was put down for bedtime awake. We went through our normal routine, but then I brushed his teeth after nursing, then put him in bed. I think he cried a bit, but it was late (we'd just driven in that evening), and nothing too difficult.

Plus, I wanted him to sleep longer at night, which meant letting him learn to go back to sleep without nursing. That meant crying.  In the middle of the night. I decided no nursing between 12 am and 5 am. Hubby and I would suffer together.

So, that first night, I let him cry 5 minutes when he woke up around 1 am, then I went in and let him nurse for a bit. The next night, I let him cry 10 minutes before going in to him. Third night? easy-peasy, he never cried more than 2 or 3 minutes when he woke me up. Night #4, though... I let him cry for 15 minutes before I went in to him, and then I didn't let him nurse. That was a hard night. He woke up around 1 am and I let him cry, but he fell asleep within 10 minutes, so I didn't go into him. The he woke up around 2 am, and cried and cried. I recognized the cry was different, so I went in to check and he was on his front. He does not like sleeping on his front and though he rolls fine, he won't/can't do at night. I picked him up, comforted him, rocked him, tried to help him calm down. After about 10 minutes, he was still upset, but I put him back down and went back to bed. He went back to sleep about 5 minutes later (I'm pretty good about checking my phone for the time).  And last night? I nursed him about 9 pm -- a "dream feed". And I heard him about 4 am, but he fell back asleep within 10 minutes. Then I heard him about 5 am, and went into nurse him. I got about 6 hours of most uninterrupted sleep!

So -- I still let Peanut lead on when he wants to nurse, but he goes to sleep on his own. And its not been as hard of a transition as I imagined it to be. Goodness, I love being able to pick and choose from various theories.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Taking the plunge

I'm doing it.


I, Rachael, take the Seamless pledge for 2012. I will abstain from buying any new clothes until the end of my pledge. I will find ways to be fashionable without breaking the bank and without contributing to the cycle of fast fashion consuming the high street. I will trawl through charity shops, I will attend clothes swaps, I will look for second-hand items on eBay and I will craft my own clothes with my own two hands.


Seamless

THE RULES

  1. No buying new clothes for the duration of your pledge. That is new mass-manufactured clothes (under clothing excluded).
  2. I will buy second-hand manufactured clothes.
  3. Vintage clothing is a-ok! (Not that I wear vintage, this would be new for me)
  4. I hope to make most of what I need!
  5. Does this mean I now have to be "fashionable"?

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Finally, making a few resolutions

So, here it is, January 4, and I'm finally figuring out what I want to accomplish in January.

I have good reasons for the lateness. We were driving on Jan 1 and 2, and Jan 3 was about unpacking, settling in and loving on Hank (who was all lonesome for 12 days! -- someone did stop in every other day to feed and water him, but it wasn't us).

For January --

1. Do a Weekly Home Blessing once a week (create the habit)
2. Make a pair of pants for myself
3. Expand the diaper stash with some new, slightly larger diapers
4. stitch up the inserts (micro-fiber terry cloth, very absorbent stuff, but frays like crazy)
5. Start spring seedlings

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Have diapers, will travel

Whew -- we got home early evening Tuesday after a long road trip. This was the first time we'd traveled with Peanut, and we were rather nervous leading up to it. How would Peanut handle a long car ride? How would we handle diapers? Should we got with sposies or stick with clothies? What items do we need to take along? Why does this feel like moving?

We survived. Peanut survived. The grandparents survived (and, I think, enjoyed the time; not that we didn't :P). Peanut did okay with the car ride. We used sposies, mostly while driving and took the cloth stash to use while at Grandpa and Grandma's. I was able to pack with discretion and even though it was a ton of stuff, it was all used.

Oh, diapers, diapers. They can make or break a moment.

This poo-splosion brought to you by sposies!


Oh, yes. We had several of them. Now, to be completely honest, I have cleaned some poo off the leg openings of onsies or the inside of pants because of a bit of seepage. Usually, the cover catches the poo, however, so most often it just the cover into the pail with the diapers.

Whoa-doggy. I've never had a poo-splostion like the one we had the day before leaving Grandma and Grandpa's, though. I could tell Peanut had filled his diaper, so off we went to change it. As I pulled off his pants, though... ARGH... poo all down his leg, covering the pants, the onsie, and what a sticky mess to clean up. I used, perhaps, 10 wipes (disposables, too) cleaning him up, all the while trying to keep the poo contained and not get it on anything else. I called for Hubby to come help, which he did and we had quite the laugh while cleaning poor Peanut up. (This was the one that interrupted by previous post.)

The second poo-splostion occurred on the drive home. We stopped in mid-Kansas on our second day of driving. Luckily, I'd gone into the "family" bathroom, so I could just pop my head out and ask Hubby to go get more clothes for Peanut. Unfortunately, Peanut is terrified of public bathrooms. Between the flush and the hand-dryers, he will start shrieking with fear. Putting him down on the changing platform brings about even more cries of terror. The poor child. Now, add in having to undress him because his clothes have poo on them and you have a very distressed little boy.

We even had two different brands of sposies to work with, but neither one fit Peanut very well. He has such skinny-skinny legs that I just couldn't get the waist tight enough to create any sort of seal around the legs.

That is one very, very nice fact about cloth diapers. The ones I've made fit great because they are made to fit my child. Plus, they actually soak up the moisture in Peanut's poo, so it not such a sticky mess. The sposies just leave the poo and all its sticky wetness there next to Peanut's bum.

And one morning, the sposie started leaking moisture after Peanut had worn it overnight. Since I can customize the absorbency in the clothies, I've not had that issue in a long time.

And the smell! I've read a few places where someone used sposies overnight because the smell in a cloth diaper the next morning was too much. But I found that the smell in the sposie was overwhelming... perhaps its the perfumes mixed with urine? Anyhoo, I'm proud to say that my clothies don't smell so bad in the morning compared to the sposie.

After the second poo-splosion, we put Peanut back in a cloth diaper. It just seemed safer.

Next time, clothies all the way.