There is an end in sight...

So I went to my 39 week appointment today. The doctor asked me why I wasn't in labor yet. I almost started to cry, because I don't know. I ask myself that everyday: "Self," I say, "Why aren't you in labor?" Unfortunately, my self doesn't know.

So I rescheduled my induction date. I had scheduled it for August 11, one whole week after my due date, thinking I would rather go into labor on my own. I have since changed my mind. I rescheduled today for WEDNESDAY! YAY! So, in other words, if I don't go into labor this weekend (which I probably won't) we will definitely have a baby by Wednesday. Which means I will be coming home from the hospital by my 6 year anniversary (August 5).

I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. Really I can't. I have been laying around in bed and my house, hopelessly depressed because I can't bend down because the baby is so low, I can't lift my legs because of all the insanely painful pressure on my lady parts, I can't lay down because of the horrible acid reflux, I can't sit for too long because of the back pain, I can't stand too long because of the swelling in my legs, I can't lay for too long because my hips hurt, and I can't roll over on the other hip because of the, once again, incredibly painful pressure on my legs and my lady parts, and I can't bend over or lift my legs enough to get dressed--to the point where Alice feels the need to help me pull my pants up. To say the least, this has been the most miserable two weeks of my life. And I only have to stand it for 5 more days! YAY! I might actually go buy groceries and feed my family something other than mac and cheese for dinner tonight. That's how excited I am.

But the reality of this baby actually coming out of my body and sleeping in a crib instead of on my bladder is causing me to face yet another reality: Cloth Diapering. Yes. You read that right. I am switching to cloth diapers. And yes, they still exist. My reason for switching to cloth diapers is two-fold: One, they will save us incredible amounts of money. It has cost us around $3,000 to diaper Alice--this is both diapers and wipes. So far, it has cost me $400.00 to buy enough cloth diapers to get me through the same amount of time. The savings alone are enough to convince me, and Joe, that it was a switch worth making. This is everything I have:

• 12 Kissaluv Fitted diapers, size 0 (For a newborn. I am to the One Size diapers don't really fit little bitties. So I sprang for the fitteds.)
• 6 Real Nappies white PUL covers (PUL is basically waterproof fabric. Apparently, a fitted doesn't stay dry, so you need a cover. This isn't one of the big brand names you would find if you started researching cloth diapers, but they were inexpensive and had really good reviews on amazon.)
• 12 prefold cloth diapers, infant size. (prefolds are usually what you think of when you think of cloth diapers. These are to be used when I am doing laundry. I can stuff them in the covers and use them like a regular diaper, or I can fold and pin. Look at me, being all old-fashiond-y)
• Three Snappies (so I don't have to use pins. I don't trust myself)
• 10 one-size Kawaii pocket diapers (these are super cute diapers that will adjust to fit babies from about 12 lbs to 30 lbs. They have snaps, and you can put them on like disposables. The only difference, besides the fact that they're cloth, is that there is a pocket in the back that you can stuff with absorbant material, like bamboo inserts, microfiber inserts, prefolds, or even an old t-shirt, if you get desperate. The Kawaii brand is apparently pretty reliable, good quality, and by far the cheapest diaper I could find)
• 2 one-size Just Simply Baby pocket diapers. These are almost identical to the Kawaiis. The only difference is that they are ALWAYS in stock and have more variety of prints. It's really hard to find the Kawaiis somewhere in stock. And these are only a couple dollars more than the Kawaiis. I think if I need to buy more, I'm going to buy through this company.
• About 40 or so home-made cloth wipes
• A wipes warmer for storage
• 2 travel-size wetbags (to carry yucky diapers in)
• one very large wet bag that hangs on the back of the bathroom door (again, for yucky diapers)

So I have already been using the one size pockets on Alice, and she loves them. She calls them her "special diapers" and likes to pick out the colors and prints to wear. But we have stayed to mostly disposables mostly because Joe does a lot of changes now, especially on the weekends, because I have a hard time bending over. And he's not a big fan of the cloth diapers, especially putting them on. I think they intimidate him.

But the plan is to fully cloth diaper this new little one. 95% of the time. We're going to lift as many disposables off the hospital as we can (insurance pays for it) to use for emergencies, and buy one box of disposables when we run out for the same reason (Joe thinks church is an emergency, but I plan on doing cloth at church, too. But if it makes him happy, I'll let Joe use a disposable whenever he wants. IT will still save us money.) So. I am diving into a world of lots of laundry and lots of poop. But I think I can do it...if Joe will jump on board. I'll let you know how it goes. Apparently, when you cloth diaper, you become obsessed by laundry, laundry soap, the quality of your water, and the stickiness of poop. I'll try not to become the psycho diaper lady, like most of the blogs I have been researching lately. I promise.

Let's see, I think I said my reasons are two fold, right? Well, I lied. There is a lot of environmentalist stuff to be said for cloth, but I don't really care about all that. I don't care if my diaper takes 5oo years to decompose. Heartless? Maybe. But it's true. I don't really care about all the "unsafe toxins" that is supposed to be in a disposable. Let's face it, we're all going to get cancer from burnt toast or water bottles or something anyway. All I really care about is saving a buck.

And 400.00 dollars, possible 450.00 if I decide I need the top up Real Nappies pack later on, versus 3000.00 over the next two years? Umm....I'll take the 400.00, thank you.

So, here comes another baby. And here comes cloth diapers. I'll let you know if they really stink as much as you might think. Or if the laundry is really that bad. Or if it sucks really bad. In the meantime, the next time I blog, it will probably be to announce a new baby--will it be a boy or a girl? And will Alice get her way in names (Alice had decided that a girl will be named Minnie Mouse and a boy will be named Donald)? And will this baby look as much like me as Alice does? Or is it Joe's turn for a look-alike? We'll see! So exciting!