I would like to take this time to thank all the moms out there who responded to my post where I asked for help and advice on CD’ing. Your information and knowledge in this area is greatly appreciated. I didn’t realize there was so much information out there about CD’ing. The internet is full of information but I like the first hand knowledge. It’s honest and I can trust the information because it’s coming from someone who has experienced it. Between EcoBuns and you, the readers who responded to me, I feel comfortable and sure of the decision that my wife Rebecca and I are making.
Thank you again for the kind words and helpful advice. I know I will have more questions in the future and especially around September 1st when Lola is born. The stories will become more frequent as I document my experience with cloth diapers so stay tuned. Coming up fairly soon though is a giveaway brought to you and part by Jabber Log and EcoBuns. I will be posting up the specifics within the next few days so keep reading and tell your friends. May the cloth be with you. (I know its dorky but I like saying it. 8)
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To one lucky person goes…
Hello folks and here it is! This post will contain specific instructions on a giveaway brought to you in part by EcoBuns and Jabber Log. If you were not aware, this Saturday June 11th is the Grand Opening of EcoBuns at 12330 James st. Suite B30 Holland, MI in the Outlet Mall. The event will be held from 10:00am – 3:00pm and will include fun for the whole family. Don’t miss The Critter Barn who will be stopping by from 11am-1:30pm! There will be great giveaways from Bummis, GroVia,Hevea,Moms in Tow,deBoer Bakery and Selestial Sun! Mini Cloth 101 classes will also be held to inform anyone who is not using cloth yet!Now that you have heard about the exciting event planned at EcoBuns, let’s talk about the giveaway. What is up for grabs is a BumGenius All in one organic, matching pair of baby legs and a Bummis Swimmi dipe. This package will go to one person and in order to qualify for the giveaway you must complete three steps.
First you must go to the Jabber Log fanpage here and “Like” it. Then you must sign up for an email subscription to Jabber Log here. Finally you must go to the EcoBuns Facebook page here and post on their wall that you have completed the first two steps. This giveaway is definitely worth the process and the winner will be announced this Saturday so sign up fast. If you happen to live out of state though, we ask that you pay for shipping and handling and once again, it’s worth it. Help us celebrate this amazing new adventure in purchasing EcoBuns and reading up on Diaper Wars on Jabber Log.
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Bummis, Snappi’s, Cloth!
It’s been five days since my daughter was born. I have fallen head over heels for my daughter and who would have guessed that I would love using cloth diapers as well? When my son was in diapers it seemed so easy to change him, throw away the diaper, and put on a new one. The convenience was there but the cost was up the roof. Now, I know that this is normal and I’m not one to complain about this but it seems that cloth diapers, in the long run, will save me a lot of money. This I like. I dig the fact that I can change my daughter, throw the dirty one in a wet bag and wash it later. My wife and I have changed several of her diapers and it’s a snap!Any fear I had in using cloth diapers are gone. The first couple changes were an epic fail but I am now a pro. One of the first dirty diapers I changed at home that fell under the FAIL category came with some poo on my hand. Lola was fussing and kicking her legs and I was battling with the Snappi. I was trying to do it fast so that I could pick her up and once I got it, I wanted to do a backflip because I did it so fast. Before I could pick her up though, my wife pointed something out.
“Umm…babe?”
“Yeah?”
“You have something on your hand.”
I looked down to see some poo and I went from cloud nine to egg on my face.
“Well…I’m glad we were not having Guacamole or I might have eaten it with a chip”, I said to my wife.
I received the popular eye roll from my wife but after that I have been careful to not get anything on me but if you have kids you know this will definitely happen again. In fact I’m sure it will happen again. When my son was younger I remember he and I were playing in the kitchen and I was holding him while my wife vacuumed the living room. At one point his face was all red and I felt something warm on my forearm. I moved him away from me and revealed the dreaded blowout.
“BABE, BABE!”
“What Rich!?”
“HE CRAPPED ALL OVER MY ARM! CLEAN IT OFF, CLEAN IT OFF!”
“Ok! Do you want me to clean you off and you can clean him then?”
“OH! Yeah, I’ll clean it myself.”
That was a pretty bad blowout but so far we have not experienced one blowout with cloth diapers. I have changed some pretty bad diapers too but no blowouts. We’ll see if anything happens later on though. From what I have been told from other mom’s of the cloth, they have never experienced the dreaded blowout. I’m definitely enjoying cloth diapers and if we decide later on to have another child we will be using cloth. We have many pre-folds and awesome looking covers. Right now, Bummis are our cover of choice but maybe it will change in the future. This post is only the beginning. The Diaper Wars Saga will continue for a long time. I’m sure there will be many funny stories to come and if you have any stories, please feel free to comment and share. Thanks to EcoBuns for the awesome products and, May the cloth be with you!
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One of life’s greatest moments…Birth.
It’s 9:58pm on August 30th 2011. So much has happened since yesterday and my life has changed once again. Out of all the greatest moments I have experienced there is one that tops all of them; the birth of my children. The most recent addition to my family is Lola Mae. My little girl has finally arrived and this time yesterday my wife was in labor. Rebecca had been having contractions for most of the day yesterday but nothing significant or close together. We ran some errands and went to the airport to pick up her mom. Rebecca told her mom how she had been feeling and that she believed that something might happen tonight. I was excited and remembered that the day prior, Rebecca mentioned that within 24 hours she would go into labor. I wondered if she was right and when her contractions got closer and closer the evening of the 29th I knew it was going to happen.My wife had labored for a while at home and when her contractions were less than 5 minutes apart for more than an hour I called the on-call nurse. We had been told to head on in and I tried to remain calm. It was definitely surreal and although it felt like I was dreaming the sight of my wife’s painful contractions told me this was reality. We got into the car and headed to the hospital. It’s about 5 to 7 minutes away from where we live and even though the speed limit is about 35mph the whole way, I was slightly over the limit.
“Um…babe?”
“Yeah”
“We don’t have to rush there. We’re not that far.”
“Yeah…uh…I know.”
I had not realized that I was hauling butt to the hospital. I was already sweating bullets and I thought about how this was going to go down. I couldn’t wait to meet my baby Lola. We arrived at the hospital and walked up to the window.
“Are we trying to have a baby,” asked the nurse.
“No ma’am, my wife swallowed a basketball and is hunched over in pain because she can’t get it out.”
Yeah…that wasn’t my actual response but I did want to say something to that effect. Instead, my wife and I let out an awkward chuckle and nodded our heads and we were pointed to the front of the hospital. The hallway to the front is not that far but it felt like forever. Rebecca stopped at one point with a bad contraction and I couldn’t help but feel bad. Once we got to the front of the hospital we mentioned to the people at the front desk that Rebecca was in labor. They told us to head up on the elevator and when we got in we forgot what floor the birth center was on. I felt like a fool and jumped out of elevator and asked which floor it was. The ladies laughed at me and told me it was the third floor and Rebecca and I were off.
Once we got into our room the nurse checked my wife and she was dilated between a 5 and 6. As for me I was dilated at a 9 but this isn’t about me, this is about my wife. Her contractions were getting closer and closer and more painful as time passed. She was having back labor and it seemed as though the only thing that helped ease the pain was me rubbing her back. I was happy to oblige and eventually my wife tried out the jacuzzi tub. She seemed to enjoy it but in the end it wasn’t working. What did work was the back massage and standing rather than laying down. Rebecca started feeling some pressure and I knew she was close. She had been checked again before the pressure and she was at an 8. Our doctor had not yet arrived because he was delivering another baby and when my wife said that she felt like she had to push I began to freak out. She squatted slightly and I helped her on the bed. I pressed the nurses button and she rushed in.
“What’s going on? Are you ok?”
“She feels like she needs to push.”
“Ok, good because the doctor just got here.”
The nurse checked Rebecca one last time and immediately said that it was time. My heart was racing and my blood pressure was up. The doctor walked in and said hello. I responded with a friendly hello but I wanted to say,
“Come on doc, let’s do this! There’s no time to dilly dally!”
I stayed calm and continued with my coaching. I kept telling my wife that she was doing great and that she could do this. She had begun to push and I felt so close to her. I coached some more and the doctor said she had a few more pushes and she would be done. I could see that the baby had her head out and I told Rebecca that she was almost there. She took a deep breath and pushed with all her might. Lola was born and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I shed some tears when I saw her and heard her cry for the first time. Even as I type this my eyes are watering. The doctor placed Lola on her moms stomach and we both gushed over our little girl. It’s a feeling that is hard to explain but I felt my heart grow a few times larger than it was. Think about the ending of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and how his heart grew in size. That was me…well…minus the Grinch part but my heart grew the moment my daughter was born. I cut the umbilical cord and put on her first cloth diaper. I will admit I had a little trouble with my nemesis “The Snappi” but I got it and Lola was styling.
In the end, we got to the hospital around 9pm on 8/29/11 and Lola Mae was born the same day at 11:27pm. Rebecca did great and both of my ladies are in good health. At the time Lola was born she was the only girl on the floor surrounded by a bunch of boys. I hope this isn’t a sign of what may happen in the future but then again; Logan was the only boy on a floor surrounded by girls when he was born. It probably doesn’t mean anything but no matter how I look at it I might be in for a slew of riffraff when she gets older. It’s been a crazy couple of days. Watching your wife go into labor and give birth to your child is amazing. It truly changes your life and tugs at your emotional strings within. I’m a proud father and another chapter in my life has begun. I will cherish these moments and I have once again experienced one of life’s greatest moments…Birth.
