Diapering

With three children under the age of 2, diapers are a hot topic in our household. We started using cloth diapers with Sofia when she was about 8 weeks old. We mainly use pocket diapers with her and some hybrids (snap in insert). We have been extremely happy with how well cloth diapers have worked for us. We chose to use them for many reasons; we like the cost savings, they are environmentally friendly, and they have been much easier on Sofia's bottom than disposable diapers. Plus, they look really cute! While we were in limbo for two weeks this summer (between Baraboo, Waukesha and Port Washington) we used disposables and Sofia developed the worst diaper rash she has ever had. I couldn't wait to get her back into cloth. Once we did her rash cleared up within days. I don't think disposable diapers are evil or anything like that, what people choose to diaper their baby with is completely their choice. We have definitely used disposables when we're traveling and with our boys when they were first born.

Diapers that only contain urine are easy, I just throw them into a step on style bin with a liner inside. When Sofia was younger and exclusively breastfed her diapers that had poop were easy, they could also just be thrown in because EBF baby poop is water soluble. Once she started eating solids we use a diaper sprayer that is attached to our toilet and we rinse the diaper in the toilet before putting it in the bin. Pocket diapers do require a bit of preparation. I was the diapers every three days or so. My system is to take my wet bag and dump all contents into the wash machine and run a cold rinse cycle. After that I run a hot wash cycle using Rockin' Green detergent. If it was a really potent load I may run an additional rinse. After that I hang the cover part of the diaper and dry the inserts in the dryer, diapers hold up better if the actual diaper part isn't run through the dryer. When the weather is nice I hang everything outside to dry. The sun bleaches the diapers and I don't have to use energy to run the dryer. We use a wide variety of brands because when I built my stash I wanted to try a few different kinds to see what worked best and I only bought diapers that were on sale. We have Bum Genius, Tweedlebugs, Swaddlebees and Fuzzibuns.

When Tim and I found out about our boys we knew we wanted to use cloth diapers but we didn't want to invest a lot of money into more pocket diapers, they range in cost from $10-30 depending on brand and style. We have enough diapers for two babies to use for about 2-3 days without doing laundry. We talked to a good friend of ours who also happens to work at a natural parenting store and she recommended prefolds. Prefolds are a fraction of the cost of any other diaper. For some reason prefolds always sounded scary to me, I was worried about leaking issues and being able to "pin" the diaper correctly. There are actually no pins used with prefolds, rather a neat little device called a "snappi" that holds everything in place without any risk of poking yourself or your baby.

However, we chose to use a type of prefold that doesn't even require a snappi. We are currently using Imagine prefolds with Thirsty covers. We also use Best Bottom diapers which are a snap in style. For the first two months Tim and I only used prefolds and cloth diapers a few times with the boys, we were really just trying to keep up with the boys feeding schedule and spending time with each child. Now that the boys are eating less frequently and we have a better system we are using cloth diapers more with the boys. Some days when we are really on the go I tend to use disposables.

I don't know why I was ever afraid of prefolds, they are so easy to use and actually require less preparation than a pocket diaper. Imagine prefolds are great because you just fold the diaper into the cover and you're all set. My only complaint with prefolds is that I think the boys need to be changed more frequently because they feel the wetness of their diaper. Pocket diapers have a fleece lining between the skin and the insert of the diaper. If you are at all curious about cloth diapering I encourage you to give it a shot. Most diaper places will offer a trial period so you can see if it works for you.

Blessed

Life has started moving faster and faster with three kids. My days go by pretty quickly with all that needs to be done for three kids under the age of 2. Today I didn't take the kids out to the library or the YMCA since Sullivan and Everett are still a bit under the weather. I had a bit of time alone with each of my children while others were napping and it was amazing to just hold each one of them, kiss their soft skin and hair, take in their sweet smell and appreciate them as individuals. Even though it is a lot of work, I also appreciate being able to stay home with them which makes me take the time to appreciate my sweet husband. I don't know a guy who works harder than him. He is working so hard at his new job to promote the practice and help them be more efficient with their time and resources. Tim always helps as much as he can with the morning routine and when he comes home he jumps in and helps with the kids. He has also spent a ton of time working on our house to make it a more comfortable place to live. I know this season of my life will be over before I know it so I feel so blessed to have taken the time to really appreciate each member of my family today.

She had to have a few more hours of fun in her costume.

Sullivan

Everett enjoying bath time.

Someone is getting a little too big for the baby tub.

My little artist.

Our first visit to the ER

Sofia and Everett both had minor colds starting on Friday but were doing a lot better Sunday morning. On Sunday morning Sully woke up with cold symptoms. By bedtime he was really struggling. He woke up two hours after we put him to bed screaming and having a really hard time breathing. Tim and I kept him upright to ease his breathing and called our pediatrician. I don't want to be the mom that overreacts to things but Sullivan's breathing was getting worse and worse. After observing Sullivan for another 30 minutes and talking to the triage nurse Tim and I agreed that we wanted to bring Sullivan in to the hospital. He's still so young and had breathing issues when he was born and the rate at which he went from ok to bad really scared us. So around 11:30pm I packed up the diaper bag and Sullivan and took him to the ER in Grafton. Tim stayed home with Ev & Sofia who were fast asleep. I'm so thankful that we are in Wisconsin and not in Memphis where I probably would've waited hours to be seen at an ER. Our pediatrician had called ahead and as soon as we walked in they knew who we were and brought us back. We did a few tests to see what Sullivan's oxygen levels were as well as pulse and heart rate. The doctor then decided he wanted to do a chest x-ray to see how Sully's lungs looked. The x-rays were the saddest thing I've ever taken part in with Sullivan. The radiologist was so sweet and caring but we had to put Sully in awkward positions to get good pictures. It was so sad seeing this tiny little body on the huge table. Despite all of the testing and struggling to breath Sullivan smiled at every doctor and nurse. I enjoyed holding him on my chest in between each test. Holding him straight up against my chest really helped him breath as well. The doctor concluded that he has a viral infection, likely bronchitis. It was amazing how sweet every person was the we encountered, nurses, doctors and receptionists. We left the ER around 2am and tried to sleep but both Sullivan and Everett woke up at 4am. I took Sully back to his pediatrician in the morning for a follow up visit and they gave him some steroids to help with the breathing. I'm happy to report that he is 100% better today. It's amazing what a sweet disposition he kept throughout the whole ordeal, Tim always says you could hang Sullivan upside down by his toenails and he'd still be smiling. I don't know where the phrase comes from but it's the truth, he is one happy, easy-going little kid. Hopefully this is our last ER visit for a while but who knows with two boys and our daredevil little girl. Moments like these make me so appreciative of being able to stay home with my kids.

Extra snuggles with Dad when he's not feeling well.

Kitchen Floor

Tim and his Dad have been working so hard for the past few weekends to lay tile on our kitchen floor and entry way. They laid a new sub floor all day Saturday, it was quite the process. Then the tiling took all of Sunday. Here are the before and after photos. The next steps for the kitchen include new countertops, new backsplash and Tim has plans to make a new kitchen table! At some point we'd like to buy a new refrigerator and stove to match our new stainless steel dishwasher but it's hard to replace things that are working well. The dishwasher died about a month ago.

Before: Awful linoleum!

Yuck!

Laying the last tile at 10:30pm Sunday night.

So happy to be done.

Tile set, Tim did the grout the next night after work. He finished at 2:30 am, I know, he rocks.

Finished product!

Fun Fun Fun

This blog will be more pictures and less writing since Sofia is nearing the end of nap time and we are about to take our crew hiking at Harrington Beach State Park. Port Washington had trick or treating yesterday. Apparently our neighborhood is a popular place to trick or treat, the streets were lined with cars. Sofia dressed up as Tinker Bell and the boys were pirates. Sofia was a bit confused about the whole ordeal at first but after 2 houses she politely took her candy, smiled and waved goodbye. Towards the end she would try to close people's doors after taking her candy, it was pretty cute. In typical Wisconsin fashion it was a bit too cold for her to wear tights so fleece pants were a last minute substitution. The boys only lasted a few houses before they were too cold. Sofia made it a few blocks before we were carrying her. Below is a bit of catch up from the past two weeks.

We were pleased to have the Raymond visit us! They are expecting boy #3 in just a few weeks!

Ok, I'll admit it. When they look at me like this I just melt.

Tim and I at a Packer game! They won, obviously.

Lately Sofia is obsessed with arts and crafts projects and coloring.

Working on one of her master pieces.

Feeding the goats at the farm.

Hay ride out to find our pumpkins.

Searching for the perfect pumpkin with Dad. 

Her hair is finally long enough for pig tails, she is not a fan though.

Completely disgusted by pumpkin carving, Sofia wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

We let her paint her pumpkin instead.

Tinker Bell and her pirates. 

Tinker Bell was just a little excited about trick or treating so here are the boys by themselves.

Trick or treat! 

What our week looks like

A lot of friends and family have asked me how I survive during the week. So I thought I'd write a little bit about what our week looks like because I think in 10 years I will wonder how I ever made it with 3 kids under 2. Also, I should let people know that we do more than survive, we have a lot of fun during the week. Monday is more detailed but many of the things mentioned for Monday are repeated throughout the week. Here is a rough idea of what a given week may look like for us. You can tell I was a teacher in my past life, we have a lot of book/story time  and craft time built into each week. One rule I have for myself is leave the house at least once a day, even if it's by myself.

Monday- Tim leaves around 8:30 for work. I try to pump and have all the kids fed and dressed by then so he can help me load them into the van. Tim leaves for work and the kids and I go the Y. I usually work out for an hour or hour and a half and then I check Sofia out of KidWatch so she can run around and play basketball with me or go swimming. When we get home things are a little crazy because Sofia needs her snack and is getting ready for nap time, both boys are hungry and need to be changed and I usually need to pump. Somehow it all works out but this whole process takes an hour or two and it can be a little stressful. After snack/early lunch Sofia naps and I get one on one time with the boys. If they nap I usually take a shower and eat lunch and wash the first round of bottles. In the afternoon I rotate between the boys' needs and coloring/art projects with Sofia and TONS of book reading. Sofia is obsessed with books and reads nonstop. Around 4 or 5 I start dinner and Tim is usually home by 5:30 or 6.

Some Mondays Tim's mom has a low census day and she spend the day with me helping me out. This past Monday she was with me and we went to the farm only to discover it was closed. Luckily we were able to make it to Cedarburg in time for their 1&2 year old story hour. In the afternoon she walked the twins to Lake Park and I rollerbladed with Sofia on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail for a few miles and then met her and the twins at Possibility Playground. Tim met us there after work because it was such a gorgeous day. On past Mondays Lorraine has helped me make a big dinner that will last us a few nights. I am very lucky because if Lorraine isn't able to stay with me on a Monday my Mom will come on Saturday or Sunday and make a meal that will last us a few days.

Tuesday- We have MOPS every other Tuesday and the Tuesdays in between we go to library time at the Port Washington library. (Afternoon routine is about the same, depending on the weather we either stay inside or walk to the park)

Wednesday- We either go to the YMCA in the morning or Saukville (5 minutes) for a Babies and Blocks program for 6-24 month olds.

Thursday- YMCA or story hour at the Grafton Public Library in the morning and a Target run in the afternoon. How do I manage Target with all three kids? I finally found a method that works well. I wear one baby in an Ergo baby carrier, I keep the other baby in their carseat in the front of the cart and Sofia sits in the main area of the cart. We get a lot of looks but it works! I haven't attempted grocery shopping with all three and I have no plans to. I usually wait until Tim is home or I go on the weekends. I go to Trader Joe's once or twice a month for all of the yummy organic goodies I need and can't get from a normal grocery store, especially meat, produce, coffee and dairy products. Sometimes I go by myself to get a little break but I enjoy taking one kid with me so I get one on one time with each child and Tim gets to spend quality time with our other two children.

Friday-Sunday is family time. Anyone who knows Tim and I well knows that we don't like to sit around. We are always finding different adventures to take the kids on or working on house projects.

I always thought life would move slow staying home but it moves faster than ever before. My hands are full but so is my heart.

Busy days...

Unfortunately I won't be able to post any pictures, but for good reason! This past weekend Tim and I ripped up the ugly, nasty flooring from our kitchen (can you tell we really couldn't stand it?) and tiled the floor. Our main computer is kept in the kitchen area so it's packed up until we can move everything back into the kitchen. I can't wait to share our before and after pictures. Tim and his Dad worked all weekend to lay a new sub floor and tile the kitchen, the last tile was placed Sunday at 10:00pm and then Tim's Dad had to drive all the way back to Baraboo. I am so thankful for such wonderful family. Monday night poor Tim stayed up until 2:30am grouting the tile, he will likely seal it tomorrow night and hopefully we can move our stove and fridge back into the kitchen by Saturday. It's been quite a challenge managing the little ones with the refrigerator and stove in the middle of the living room.

Once I'm able to have access to our computer again I will share some pictures from our most recent events. My Mom and sisters volunteered to watch the kids for a day so Tim and I could enjoy a Packer game with my Dad and soon to be brother in law. The game was two weeks ago and it was a blast!! I was a bit worried about how things would work out with pumping since I wouldn't be able to pump during the game but everything went great.

Our weekends start on Friday. It's not the most ideal schedule because although Tim has Friday off he works on Saturdays until 2pm. Right now it's not a big deal because the kids are so young but hopefully things will change. On Friday, Tim and I took all three kids to the library to check out new books and the farm last Friday to go on a hay ride, pet all the farm animals and pick pumpkins. We did all of this before Sofia's nap time, we were quite pleased with ourselves. Then we drove to Waukesha to drop the kids off at my parents so we could buy all the supplies needed for our kitchen project. We bought the tile with all three kids and it was a bit of a nightmare, the tile guy at Menards caught Sofia as she jumped out of the cart and I balanced feeding both boys in the middle of the store. It's a bit easier to shop without the crew.

Pictures will come soon!!