New Diapers

One of my investments for the new baby will be some new cloth diapers. My old flat folds are shot after 3 kids. Not to mention cloth diaper technology has come a long way in the last 5 years or so! So I have spent several months exploring my options and trying to find the most economical way to go. Several acquaintances have been most helpful in sharing their preferences.

So I have decided to go with a "one size" "all in one" diaper. That means you buy one diaper and it has the diaper and waterproof cover all in one piece (no need for plastic pants). It also means you buy one diaper and it will fit from about 8 lbs to 30 lbs. You need around 20-25 of these diapers so you don't have to wash every day. My initial investment will be around $200, but I would easily spend that in disposable diapers in less than a year.

Recently I ordered two sample diapers from two different companies. These are a "generic" diaper. The name brand diapers, which appears to be much the same in style and quality, costs nearly twice the price of the "generic." I chose the stay-at-home-mom owned company http://www.justsimplybaby.com/ for my samples.

So, here is a little informative tour of our new diapers.

Inside

The inside is a soft fleece fabric. You stuff a liner (or two) inside the pocket for absorbency. Many moms claim the baby's skin actually feels dry because the fleece wicks away the moisture. The outside of the diaper is made from a soft, flexible waterproof fabric and acts like plastic pants. Elastic around the legs prevents leaks.

Outside

Do you think this diaper has a few snaps? Some adjust the rise (or length) of the diaper, and the others adjust the waist. Just Simply Baby recently added a 3rd hip snap, which gives a tighter fit around the legs

This is what the diaper looks like all snapped!

They also added a cross over waist snap that allows you to get a tighter fit on smaller babies. They now claim the diaper will fit a 6 lb. baby, but I would guess it would fit at 8 lbs much better! As the baby grows, you simply change the snap positions to grow with them. I tried one on Juliana to see if it really fits a 30 lb toddler. It fit her fine! Basically, my take is that these are like cloth disposables. Easy to change (only one piece to get on the baby), easy to wash, and economical because the size accomodates baby's growth.

Juliana is completely enamored with these new diapers. She wanted to "play" with them and check them out thoroughly. I showed her how the snaps work and how to stuff the inserts inside the pocket. Since this will be a regular task after we wash the diapers, I figured I just might do myself a favor. It would be terrific if she could help with the folding/stuffing! (She already loves to help fold clothes.)

You can see her meticulous delight in folding and arranging the diapers last night. I had to hide them this morning for fear she would wear them out before baby even gets here! Oh, and look at all the cute prints and colors these diapers come in!

If you have any questions about Just Simply Baby diapers, check out their website, which I linked above, or email me. Katie's customer service is outstanding! If you decide to order, use this coupon code ARCH at checkout to get 5% off your entire order. I am so excited to try out these new diapers and see how they work for us. Definitely looks like it will simplify things. And, with 4 little ones, I am always looking for ways to simplify!

Princess Glamor Shots!

After Christmas, Juliana had a glamour session with her new princess outfits. From what I hear, these were all her own poses!

This beloved lamb goes everywhere with her. I have to wash it every 10 days or so just to keep it looking reasonably white!

My Hero!

With this pregnancy has come a few challenges. One of them is how I handle stress--I don't! If my schedule feels full, too many things happen at once, or I can't figure out how to solve a problem, I fall apart. It happened again today. Most people would not have considered it much of a problem and the solution would have seemed obvious. But throw in some hormones and tiredness and cranky kids and you have a melting pot named Christina!

Enter my hero! He rode up in a white Suburban and wore a grey sweatshirt and sneakers, but to me he looked amazing! He sat down with the kids, made the decisions with them, and worked out all the schedule conflicts and problems in just few minutes. Then he took the time to help me map out the kids presentations they will be giving next month for 4-H. He conquered the mountain while I was still at the bottom contemplating a good cry!

I am so blessed with a husband who cares so much for me. He doesn't laugh off these failings I have. He knows it isn't the "real" me. He just jumps in and does what he can to ease the burden and help me get back on my feet. Some problems can't be immediately erased, but it sure helps knowing those strong shoulders are helping me carry them!

I love you, my Hero!

Who is God?

This week we began studying some of God's attributes in school. Although this could be a deep, theological study, I focused on presenting a clear and simple definition and having something memorable for them to remember about each attribute. Before we began, I asked both boys to answer the qustions, "Who is God?" and "What is He like?" Below are their answers as they dictated them to me. Their perspective is precious! (Although similar in tone, the boys could not hear the other while they shared their ideas.)

Nathan (7):

He is amazing. He can do things that I can't. He is my God and I shouldn't believe in any other god. I should worship God. He lives higher up than you can imagine. God is different than everybody on the earth by how bright He is and that you can't see Him. You cannot see God unless you go to heaven. God isn't scarry. I think He would look like a pillar of fire!

Peter (6):

God is someone you should love more than anyone or anything in the world. God is higher than anything in the world. He lives in heaven. He made the water and everything. You can't see God unless you go to heaven. I think God is big. God is GOD! God is stronger than anyone in the world. God is very smart. He knows everything. He knows if something is going to happen.