Cloth diapers.

E wears cloth diapers. It started from the desire to preserve the environment, but I figured there was no way it was a financially smart decision. Then I did some research, and the claims are that cloth diapering can save thousands over disposable diapers. One website even made some claim that one can go through a whole package of wipes during a particularly bad diaper change session--an experience I never had with A, so I had a hard time believing it.

Then I thought about the numbers. Size 1 diapers cost about 19 cents each, and wipes cost about 3 cents each. For ten diaper changes a day, that's $2.20 a day. To recoup the costs of cloth diapers and accessories so far, if I can keep this going for 8 months, we've broken even. Anything beyond that is gravy. Then, I can theoretically sell these babies when our diapering days are over.

I also read (and this was the big push for me with E) that cloth diapers can reduce (or even eliminate) diaper rash. E had a persistent and painful looking rash from about a week old. His pediatrician recommended using a washcloth instead of wipes, saying that even the sensitive ones can irritate a sensitive bum. The washcloth method wasn't helping, so we switched to Huggies naturals diapers, which helped a little bit. But switching to cloth cleared it up overnight.

It hasn't been all peaches and cream. M was not on board, mostly because he isn't interested in dealing with poop. I'm worried about how this will play out when E gets to solids. I'm assured it's "not that bad." We shall see. In places I've looked, cloth diaper moms say that you're supposed to put poop in the toilet for a disposable diaper anyway, that it says right on the package (I looked, and couldn't find it on the diapers I have). That makes sense, but seriously? How many people do that? I've been doing it for A's diapers since reading that, and it's helped with odors especially with this super hot weather we're having.

Additionally, E gets upset when he gets wet. Not a bad thing, I suppose, but it's not something we dealt with while A was young--he never really complained about a wet or soiled diaper. Thus, it was easy to forget to change him, creating other problems.

And despite not being in FAVOR of the switch, M has been on BOARD with the switch.

A very important message.

We will be spending Independence Day in a popular New Jersey summer destination. Having spent the early years of my driving career working and living in that same destination, I saw lots of late night drunk driving. As a new driver, it was frightening. Now that I am a mother, I'm not behind the wheel all that often at those crazy hours, but I also know now that late night is not the only time people make the bad decision to get behind the wheel after drinking.

I pledge that I will not be driving under the influence on July 4!

Take the pledge. Save a life.

Together We Can Spread the Message
Stay Sober Stay Alive
July 4, 2010

1. Simply pledge your driving sobriety this Independence Day by noting your blog URL and blog name.

2. At the bottom of this “Blog Hop” you will see text in which you can grab the code for this McLinky. Simply click the link and copy and paste the code into your very own blog post’s HTML section. Then click “compose” and copy and paste this pledge, adding your own message to the top as I did above. Copy the pledge from “together we can stay alive” above.

3. Follow the host Hollywood Chic [-first on the linky-] of this Independence Day Pledge for more information on the Department of Transportation, Buzz Driving, and Stats.

Also an optional badge was created to spread greater awareness and linked to this pledge, please wear it proudly until July 5, 2010 when this pledge will close.

The Eagle has Landed.

When Neil Armstrong said that the Eagle had landed 41 summers ago, I don't think he meant pooping on the potty. But around here, pooping on the potty is certainly one small step for man...and all that jazz.

I had picked up a few toys from freecycle for A, and decided these would become potty rewards. When we start hardcore on July 5, my plan was to make a chart and for so many stickers on that chart, A would get to pick a toy from a bag. He found one of those toys in the garage and started playing with it (my master plan was unbeknownst to Daddy, who let him play with it). Amazing agreeable kid that he is, he willingly gave it back to us and agreed to getting it as a potty reward.

So, Daddy decided to go in little steps and told A if he had NO accidents all day today, he could get his spaceship back. No surprise, #1 was no real problem. He really didn't tell us when he HAD to go, but went every time we told him it was time with no issue--including out at a store.

The very big deal came around 10am, when he said, "I have to go potty," and just let loose. As if this wasn't a big enough deal as it is, he went ALL day with NO accidents! So proud of my little A!!

You do? Or not?

This morning, A has been all about questions, as you might expect from a smart about to be 3 year old boy. But I've noticed these questions are choices, which is something new.

• Now? Or not yet?
• Do you like this? Or not?

Just made me chuckle.

Happy Father's Day and Happy 2 months to E!

E is two months old today! To celebrate, he, along with his brother, father, and grandfather, are at a minor league baseball game today. It appears E has been sleeping the whole time, which is certainly for the best considering it's probably about 90 degrees out there.



And since I love to show how different my boys are, here's A at 8 weeks:



To celebrate Father's Day, I took advantage of an awesome deal for portraits.








And, having paid for the shirts, the boys are wearing them today (interestingly, A would only wear it when I told him E would be wearing his as well). Since A "helped" me take E's two month shots, he wanted in on the brotherly action too.

Things E Likes

At 8 weeks, there are quite a few preferences E has.

1. The car. He loves to go for car rides, and falls asleep really fast. No surprise here; don't ALL babies love the car?
2. His monkeys. He has a pack n play with a mobile that has monkeys. He reaches for them and coos at them. (As an aside, A loves to turn ON the monkeys for E... a way to keep them BOTH entertained!)
3. Running water. He was screaming as we gave him his bath, but as soon as we turned on the water, he was a happy both.
4. Being naked. His witching hour is from 7-8pm typically. If we strip him down to his diaper, it generally leads to a short reprieve. When M strips him down to change him for bed, this is a surefire way for Daddy to get some smiles.
5. Being outside. M used to take A for walks around the house when he was a baby, hoping to instill in him a love of nature. E, however, is very much soothed by being outside. This is yet another way M tries to deal with the witching hour. Another thing that's like a switch, taking E from fussy to happy.
   

The End.

Day 2 is over. A was amazing all day today. After my most recent post, he soiled his underpants; those little droppings were just the accidental comings...
I really worry about what will happen tomorrow, when he returns to school. I don't think they will be up for taking him to the potty every 30 minutes, but who knows. He is allowed 2 accidents in his underwear, and then it's back to pullups.

M and I are just tuckered out, and may go to bed when we put E down at 9. I said to him that we need to plan ahead for next weekend and either get takeout or have meals prepared and ready to go. This has been so much worse for us, cooking wise, than when E came home (and after Grammi left!). His response was "let's get takeout now. I know I don't feel like cooking or cleaning up, and you look like you don't feel like cooking." He thinks it's the having to get up every 30 minutes, combined with being a cheerleader, added to it's not even 30 minutes of sitting down (we took him on the :00 and the :30 of every hour...like I said, one time I came out of the bathroom at :21.)

All the trials and tribulations, though, and A is just doing fabulously at this. He hasn't put up (much of) a fight when we tell him it's time to go to the potty. Now it's just a matter of getting him to tell us when he has to go and to actually go #2 on the pot.

An interesting method.

So, we just had an awesome trip to the potty. (Now there's a phrase I never expected to say/think). (Oh, and being about the potty, you can imagine where this is going...you've been warned).

It seems that A won't go for M, but will for me. He was originally on the little potty, but I convinced him to go on the big one (thankfully....you'll find out why in a minute). I got him up there and he got going. Somewhere along the way, he said there was a shark in the toilet. I expect this would freak some kids out, but I told him to shoot it (how I've gotten him to pee), and it worked like a charm. We ended up throwing every character in the ADS lexicon into the toilet, as well as his shirt, the wall, his M&Ms, his stool, etc etc etc into the toilet so he could shoot them. This also allowed him to go #2 on the potty! (if you've never cleaned poop out of a kiddie potty, it's definitely much much better to use the big one!) He told me the first one was Mommy... gross, but I rolled with it and asked if he could make a Daddy--he did, making an Alex and an Evan as well. Yeah, I was grossed out too, but I'll do the song and dance if it makes this easier.

In the end, this process took 20 minutes. I couldn't believe it.

Tales from the Potty

We (I) decided it was time to get A on the potty seriously and consistently. His daycare teacher recommended sending him into school in underwear last Monday, but M decided against it. Friday, we went to the store and let him pick out his underwear (Marvel comics), then started in earnest on Saturday. It went fairly well, even as we went out and ran some errands. Except those errands caused Mommy to be distracted and we ended up falling off our every 30 min schedule. So, we had a couple accidents, one of them was major. Of course the major one was on our last pair of underpants, our last pair of pants, and got all over his socks and shoes. Poor kid had to walk through the mall in a tshirt and diaper. That's it. I then somehow managed to push the stroller and carry A to the car--serves me right.

Today has been going a little bit better; we haven't yet left the house. The good thing about yesterday's fiasco is that he was using a regular big person potty (which is what they use at school), so today we have mostly been using the regular big person potty too. We've discovered that he's holding back and not letting everything go, which could explain the few accidents he's had between the 30 minute mark. A problem that I can't figure out how to correct, other than promising him a goody for each time he pushes a little more out.

This is quite an extravaganza, but I can't believe that my baby is growing up and using the potty. SNIFFLE!

Rockin Green giveaway

Rockin Green soap rocks! My New Life as Mom is giving away a bag of RG Laundry soap! Check it out here!

Turn on the charn

I love that E is becoming more communicative. When I'm not looking, he'll make a little...grunt?... to get me to look then give me a big smile. Love it!

First smile

E first smiled at me right around 3 weeks...he cooed at me too. What a sweet sound. Yesterday, he giggled at me too--another first. Today, I got a smile on camera! Alas, it was on my cell phone, and so the picture quality is terrible.