All About My Girls

Well, Daisy has been with us for 7 weeks now, and I am thrilled to say that she is a total mommy's girl. I have to admit, I love that I am the only one who can get her to calm down and she cries when I leave the room. Alice was always a Daddy's girl--needing Daddy to rock her to sleep and calm her down. She's still a Daddy's girl, except now she says, "Mommy, I miss my Joe." She started saying this because my niece asked her one day if she missed her Joe, and it stuck. But Daddy is officially her "Joe," and I think I'm going to be Daisy's "Sarah."

I feel bad sometimes, because Joe gets frustrated when he doesn't have the magic touch he had with Alice, but I secretly love it...although I just posted it on a public blog, so it's not so secret anymore. At Daisy's last appointment, she weighed 10 lbs 12 oz, and was 22 inches long. I don't remember her head size, but I know she was in the 90% range across the board. She is getting super big and fatty--she's already in clothes Alice was wearing at 5 months.

Daisy smiles now and is starting to goo at me. She smiles the most when I'm changing her diaper. It's super cute, as if she is saying, "Ahhh, Mommy! My bum feels so good now!" She smiles when she's laying on the floor and I get down to look at her. She smiles at Daddy when he comes home, and she really smiles a lot for Grandma Jones. She only cries when she is hungry, has a dirty bum, or is tired. Which is most of the time. But at least she doesn't sit and cry for no reason--unless I'm gone. I am totally loving staying home with my girls.

I love cuddling Daisy and kissing her fatty cheeks and watching her smile. I love learning about Alice--she has a crazy imagination, that girl. The other day, we beat up monsters and then made cookies because they were crying. Another day we ran hid from dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and then bit their heads off. Yesterday she invited the horses that live in the pasture across the street to come in the house and eat ice cream. Alice loves to dance and she has come up with her own fancy dance pose--I'll have to get a picture of it and post it, because it is, to say the least, fancy. Alice loves, LOVES shoes and accessories--especially mine. She loves to be a helper and frequently tells me that she is pretty and a good big sister.


I love my girls.

Cloth Diaper Update

Daisy poops. A lot. Remember how I said we were going through a pack (the hospital size) a day? And remember how Daisy was born at 9 lbs, and is now 9 1/2 lbs? Well. These things affect my cloth diapering journey.

First, I have 24 cloth diapers. 12 of the fitteds, and 12 prefolds with covers. I have used all 24 in one day. Really, I have. I don't really mind doing the laundry, but I was getting really frustrated with getting a diaper all snappied in place, only to have Daisy grunt and poop AGAIN in a clean diaper. I know this is what babies do. And I know I should be glad I wasn't throwing those diapers away. But instead I was annoyed because it's really hard to get those prefolds on right.

For some reason, Daisy does not like the fitteds. She screams bloody murder when I put them on. BLOODY MURDER. I'm not even joking, either. At first I thought she had a medical condition, and then one day I took off her diaper and she stopped crying. I put a clean fitted on her, and she started crying again. I took it off; no crying. I put it on; uncontrollable screaming. I don't know what it is about the fitteds that she doesn't like, but she DOES NOT LIKE THEM. And they're really bulky. I didn't think I would mind because, hello, it's a diaper, and it's made for poop, right? Well. Clothes don't fit right with the huge bulkiness. Besides, there's something weird about the fit, too. I have to do the snaps on the smallest setting because it's too tight on Daisy's chubby legs if I don't, but then the waist is huge. Then I have to put a cover on top of that. I don't mean to complain, but let's just say the Kissaluv Fitted Newborn diapers just aren't cutting it for me. I think I'm going to sell them on KSL or Craig's List or something.

As for the prefolds: surprisingly enough, I really like the prefold diapers--and these are the ones I thought I would hate because these are the traditional flat diapers that you would have to pin. I really like these because, for some reason, Daisy doesn't mind the wet feeling with these all that much. Instead of the "I-Am-Going-To-Die-Right-Now" scream that Daisy would use when she was wet or dirty with the Kissas, it's more of a "Please-Change-Me-Now" whimper. Once I got hang of using a snappi (instead of pins), things are great. The fit is much trimmer, so she doesn't look like she has a JLo-style junk in the trunk under her clothes, which is nice considering the cover has to go over the prefold. My only issue is that I bought a newborn size prefold--Daisy, again, is now almost 10 lbs. The prefolds are almost too small.

So, between the amount of times I have to change her diaper and the fact that the newborn sizes are too small, but the one-size pockets I have are still WAY too big, Joe and I are 'sposie-ing it 75% of the time. I do cloth during the day until I run out of prefolds, and we use disposables when we are going anywhere--just in case Daisy decides to have a diaper-diva moment.

I'm not giving up yet--if I can sell my Kissas online, I'm going to use the money to buy bigger prefolds and more pockets to build up my stash. I know I will like the pockets because I've been using them on Alice, so as soon as Daisy hits about 12 lbs, I plan on cloth 100% of the time. Or at least 85.

Is This Normal?

So Daisy sleeps. A lot. And poops. A LOT. I have always heard that babies eat, sleep, and poop, and that's it, but I never believed it because Alice only pooped once a day, ate on a very consistant schedule, and was awake during the day and slept through the night.

Daisy poops every time she farts. We go through crazy amounts of diapers, and she HATES a wet bum. People always say that babies poop a lot, I just thought they were all big whannies because I never had a problem with poop. I understand now. I went through one of those hospital packages of diapers in TWO HOURS. Is this normal?

And Daisy sleeps ALL THE TIME. Like 20 hours a day. She wakes up when she's really, really hungry--maybe every 2 1/2 to 4 hours. And then she goes back to sleep. If I'm lucky she might sit up for about 35 minutes, and then she goes back to sleep again. And then, she only wakes up like once during the night. I'm not complaining, but I'm a little worried--should she be sleeping this much? My Ped. says that she should be awake and more alert. She's not. I'm wondering if it's because she's a big baby--she can go longer? I don't know. I'm getting to the point where I'm worried that I'm not exhausted. I know this sounds crazy.

This baby is not schedule-friendly. With Alice, all I had to do was decide to feed her every three hours, and Alice just did it. Voila. Done. This baby? Not so much. I try to hold her off to eat every three hours, and do you know what she does? She insists on eating at 2 hours, 2 1/2 hours, or 4 hours. Not three. Never three.

You think that you know how to do this stuff because you already have one kid. Nope. I feel like a first-time mom all over again, worrying about every little thing, getting up just to check to make sure she's breathing, worrying over poop and sleep, wondering if everything is normal. The more I know, the more I realize that Daisy is, in fact, normal. Alice was not. Maybe. This is hard.

Here She Is...

So guess which is the theme song for the newest member of our family?

Introducing our very own Miss Daisy

Daisy Fay Bingham

August 3, 2011

9 lbs. 20 inches

Born 12:25 PM

And Miss Alice is thrilled

Birth story to come later. In the meantime, we're happy.

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!

Feeling a Little Lost

When I graduated high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: I wanted to be a teacher. And I wasted as little time as possible getting it done. I went to school right away, only giving myself summers off to work and save money for the next round of books to buy (when you're an English major, we're talking 400-800 dollars on books per semester).

I didn't take the customary year off, I didn't play a little bit. I graduated in May of 2000, started college in August of 2000, and didn't stop until I graduated college in April 2004. Then, I got a job right out of college and started teaching at my Alma Mater August 2004. And I have been returning to school to teach every August since. Until now.

For the first time since Kindergarten, I am one week away from August and am not getting ready to go back to school. I went to Wal-Mart the other day and walked right by the school supplies. You know, kind of like you do when you see an old boyfriend and then pretend you didn't so you don't have to revisit the pain? School supplies are like my old boyfriend--except they're not douche bags. They just cause pain, is the point.

It's not like I am permanently separated from school--I'm still doing lesson plans for my sub during maternity leave, and I am still attending any meeting I can before Baby makes his/her appearance (15 more days!). And I do realize that I will be back in the swing of things starting October. But October ISN'T school season. It will feel so weird. And I'm going part time. Never in my life have I part-timed anything relating to education. I've part-timed being a mom and wife and housekeeper. I've part-timed being a pizza maker, sandwich maker, hostess, and grocery checker. But if it related to education, whether I was doing the assignments or giving the assignments, I have been in, whole hog, all or nothing.

And that's changing. I am almost 3o years old, and I don't know how to not be in school. I am going to be 30 on September 9, and for the first time since I was 5, I will not be celebrating at school.

I'm at a loss of what to do, really. I don't know how to live life without school or planning for school or shopping for school. I don't know how to dress if you don't go to school--Do regular people buy clothes for themselves at times other than August? I don't. I buy "back-to-school" clothes once a year. What do people wear when they don't go to school everyday? Do they still shower and wear nice clothes? (Believe it or not, I have some really nice clothes. But I haven't been able to wear them for about 3 years, because right when I was starting to get my body back from being pregnant with Alice, I got pregnant again.) What do people do during the day in the fall? I've never been home during the day in the fall. In summer, I stay inside in my pajamas recovering from last school year and gearing up for the next. What do you do when you don't have anything to gear up for? I realize that I should be gearing up for 3/4 time motherhood, and that will be challenging, but does that require professional dress? Because I have some killer slacks and heels that I really want to wear again if I can manage it. I don't know how to get ready to be a 3/4 or full-time mom. I do know how to get ready for school, though. I've been doing it all my life.

And more importantly: will I really go most of the fall without reading The Crucible? I have read The Crucible every fall for 7 years! What am I going to do without entertaining myself by making unsuspecting boys yell "Whore! Whore!" As loud as they possibly can as we read John Proctor in class (I really do make them yell it. And they have to keep doing it until they really "feel" it. It takes about 5 times before they really start to let loose. And they fight over who gets to say "bitch" too. What am I going to do without that?)

It's sad, really. I am an (almost) 30 year old woman who doesn't know how to function without the public school system. You might find this blog taking a bit of a turn over the next two months as I navigate August and September, for the first time in my life, at home, away from bells and crowded hallways. It will be a ride, to say the least.

Is it Bad...

That I think, "My kid is cuter than yours" on a daily, sometimes an hourly, basis? I am sure you all think that about your own kids, too.



















And really, who can blame us?