Cloth Diapers

Some people have asked us if we still like cloth diapers as much as we did before Karis was born, now that we have been using them for a few of months. The answer is an enthusiastic YES!! I love, love ,love the diapers and even Kevin hasn't had any complaints about them (he took a bit of convincing to agree to use them). We chose to use cloth for a few reasons...mainly for the health of our baby (I absolutely hate chemicals and disposables are full of them!I I couldn't imagine having them on her 24/7) and for financial reasons(cloth is a big initial investment but in the long run can save you thousands of dollars...per kid!). Of course they are also a ton better for the environment and are supposed to help lessen the occurrence of diaper rash....and look super cute on babies!

I know a lot of people hear the words "cloth diaper" and their minds immediately go to white cloth and safety pins, I know that's what I thought of at first! But CDs (cloth diapers) have come a long way since those days. There are many types of CDs that come in many different styles so you can choose a type that best fits your needs.  You may be thinking "But isn't it a lot of work?"...well yes and no. I do have to wash them every couple of days but it really isn't that hard or time consuming(and I HATE doing laundry!). They get run through a couple of different wash cycles then I hang them to dry out in the wonderful sunshine for some natural stink and stain remover. Air drying them also helps them last longer since the dryer can wear the elastic out!

 The diapers soaking up some sun in the backyard! They smell and look so fresh and clean afterward :)







The diapers we chose to go with are called pocket diapers and we are using BumGenius 4.0s. They have a pocket on the inside of the diaper that you stuff an insert into which is what absorbs the pee! The pocket s also great for nighttime use....I just stuff extra inserts in so the diaper is able to absorb more. This means I do not have to get up to change her at 3 AM and there are no leaks!  Here's what the inside looks like:

<---that little flap covers the pocket so the insert stays in

The insert easily goes in and out---->







We are using the one size diapers...so they adjust to last from newborn to toddlerhood, meaning we don't have to keep buying new ones each time she grows!

There are lots of snaps on there to help get the best fit possible!








I also use cloth wipes and those are awesome as well and save us even more money! They just get thrown in the laundry with the diapers! The diapers do have to get washed with laundry detergent that doesn't have any additives, perfumes, dyes, etc in order to keep them from developing a buildup that would hinder their absorbency and waterproof lining! We Use Charlie's Soap right now and it works great (I even started using it on all our clothes!) but I might try some other natural brand just so I can compare :)

The diapers get stored in her dresser, below her changing pad,  for an easy grab during diaper changes. I used to pre-stuff them after washing but lately have gotten lazy and just throw the inserts on one side and the diapers on the other and stuff as I need a diaper!

Splish Splash She Was Taking A Bath

Karis absolutely loves bath time! She loves splashing and kicking her legs around in the water so I usually let her do that for a while before I actually wash her. It is so entertaining for me to watch and always gets me laughing! The only bad part is when bath time is over...she starts crying as soon as I take her out of the tub!

A cute video of her playing in the water! It's from my phone so not the greatest quality but blogger wouldn't upload the better video from the computer :(  It's still super cute though!

Week of Firsts and the Fourth

Karis had a pretty big week of development with a lot of firsts, her last week before she turned 3 months (where has the time gone?!). She has started "talking" all the time and her noises actually turned into some real vocal sounds, "Oh" and "Ah". I can't wait until she starts making more "real" sounds and communicating with us more. Karis has also rolled over from her tummy to her back about 8 times (ya, I might have been counting...)! It definitely started as a complete accident but now I see her actually learning how it works and trying it on purpose. She also got her first drool rash! Okay, Okay, that's not really anything she learned to do, but it's still a first! She has been drooling like crazy so I imagine teeth may start appearing in the next month or two (not looking forward to that!). The last thing she did for the first time this week was laugh! I didn't think anything could be better than a baby smiling...until she laughed! She has made sounds with a smile before but now it's definitely a laugh! Karis first laugh was at a ceiling fan (figures) then she laughed at me sneezing! She is starting to find more and more things funny. I absolutely love it :) 

Some (ok, lots, had to add some I couldn't post when our computer broke!) Karis pictures,not necessarily related to her firsts:

Yes, the ceiling fan really is this interesting!

Holding her favorite rattle

Karis and I on my birthday

Love this little girl :)

trying to get this rolling over thing down...

...But she does still hate tummy time. lol

Smiles for Mickey

who said you had to be UNDER the activity gym?

what is this blue thing I am sitting in?

For the Fourth of July weekend, we spent some time with family, had a nice lazy Sunday after church, then had some friends over for a 4th cookout before heading to the Alachua fireworks. It was a great (last) weekend before I had to head back to work after being off for maternity leave.

Church for the Fourth (notice the patriotic theme to our shirts?)

drooly face

Fireworks

Daddy and his baby :)

Family :)

Jacob and Josiah. Sadly, the only picture I got of anybody else!

 

 

 

 

Since my other babies have been left out recently...here they are:

Roxy and Stitch trying to steal Kevin's chicken

Sammie boy