back to reality

The past two weeks have been a lovely (albeit strange) little vacation of sorts...

Mark has been off work - so we've been a two-parent household pretty much 24-7... let me tell you, THAT is amazing! Hazel and her Daddy have LOVED the quality time they got to spend together, I loved the company, and watching the bonding between my guy and my girls... it's just wonderful.

And of course, there is the delightful new little person in our home - waking up more and more each day, getting lots of snuggles from her big sister and Mama and Daddy - and just generally making things feel even more home-y and family-ish around here.

Then, of course, there's the part where we are slightly sleep-deprived and frazzled by the adjustment to being parents of two little girls... but I can honestly say that it's WAY easier than I thought it would be... at least so far (famous last words, I know...). The confidence and familiarity that I feel this time makes a HUGE difference - I've taken the girls shopping by myself already, and I'm feeling ready for the next week when Mark goes back to work (even though I know it will be tough - I also know it will be OK).

Hazel is adjusting like a champ - some sleep issues at nighttime - but she loves the heck out of her baby sister and is her cheerful bubbly little self as usual.

Meriel is pretty laid back, pretty chilled out - although she's fussing herself awake as I speak/type... and we're so excited to get to know her little personality better in the days, months and years to come.

Gotta go tend my littlest - here's something to tide you over!

Welcome!

Thrilled to announce the arrival of Meriel Katharine!!
August 16, 2009 (her due date! go figure...)
1:42am
8# and 21 inches (a puny little thing compared to her big sis!)

We're home and doing great - Hazelnut is loving the baby - and having her grandparents around to play with too.

Our family of four:












Daddy and daughter:












Ready to go home on Monday morning:

thoughts

As we wait for the arrival of our littlest, it's impossible to keep the whirling thoughts in my brain settled down into neat rows and columns. Instead - I have a tumbling waterfall of mental musings, spilling over the edge, into the pool... splashing bigger speculations and reflections back up off the surface, to be examined again.

They range from intense, soul-searching thoughts to very basic questions.

.....

My heart breaks a teensy tiny bit for Hazel - even though I KNOW that a sibling is a true gift to her... we will lose our Mama-Daughter-Duo act. A chapter is ending - and although the next chapter will be excellent - it's still a little sad.

How will I take a shower with a toddler and a newborn in the house?

My beautiful little daughter is growing up - she will be the BIG sister - and I'm so excited to see the sibling love that will exist between these two critters.

How long can you REALLY hang out, dilated to 5 or 6cm?? Check out a ruler if you want to weird yourself out...

Family of FOUR. Wild.

What about the kidneys? Will it be an easy fix? Are we in for more stretching, more growth, more stepping out in faith than we've ever known? Will my baby be in pain?

Boy? Girl? Name? (we've got the boy's name settled - girl is still up for grabs a little bit)

Will I feel as inside-out as I did after Haze was born - or is there an element, however small, of having "been here before" to the transition?
....

For the record - I'm not overdue (due date is this Sunday) - so my impatience is only founded in knowing that it will likely be VERY soon... and still not knowing exactly when. But Baby is still technically "early" at this point - and s/he is proving to be un-rush-able.

At any rate - we are SO STINKING EXCITED to meet this little one. Trying to wait on God's timing is tough when you're wanting to meet a new person you already are dearly in love with.

keeping promises

As promised - some pictures of our growing little family!!

Tub-time! As long as we're not washing hair - we're golden!!










Playing with Baby's diapers - she likes to put them on her stuffed animals and then change them. She brought down 3 diapers and a stuffed duck this morning - so Daddy & I had some fun of our own!






















And the obligatory belly shot - bet you didn't think you would see the ACTUAL belly... Hazel, although it looks like she is bestowing sweet kisses on her little sibling, is actually blowing raspberries on my belly. Another favorite pastime of our little Nut.










My midwife appointment this morning indicates that we could be a family of four before the week is out! I'm at 5+ and almost 100%... so our next post may be big news! (But we know from last time that being dilated doesn't mean labor is imminent!!) Prayers for a safe, speedy, natural delivery and healthy kidneys are coveted!!

owls!

The view of Baby's room from the door:













Yes, the walls are ORANGE. (It's called "melon" actually - and I *love* it)
Another view from the door, just a little bit sideways...










The view from the closet corner of the room:










And the view from the bed (mine for a few weeks after Baby arrives)... the closet door was removed to create more room, hence the lovely yellow bedsheet/curtain:











In case you were wondering/couldn't tell - the fabric we used to make the curtains & bedsheets is the most adorable owl print ever... along with some leafy fabric, and a few others we threw in on our own. Turned out pretty well, I think!!

coming

I don't have many original thoughts in my head right now.

But I do want to post a few things in the next few days - so here's a preview of what's coming!

- pictures of the Nut. It's been a long time, and she's too cute for words, and growing so fast.

- pictures of Baby's room - it's ready for a teensy tiny occupant, and I'm super happy with how it turned out.

- a belly picture. I really haven't done this much/at all. But I figure - for posterity's sake, it wouldn't hurt (much) to have my pregnant girth documented in photos. Plus, it's always fun to look at pictures of SOMEONE ELSE'S pregnant belly.

So - that is the veritable cornucopia of wonderment awaiting you in the next few days. Please, try not to wet yourself in anticipation.

disproportionate

I'm often struck by how teensy tiny things can have such an enormous impact...

Sometimes it's a pain in the rear:
Little mosquito bites = big old itchy nonsense
Paper cuts = throbbing little wound that might not heal for days because it keeps getting irritated
Rock in your flip-flop = OW OW OW!

Sometimes it's a good thing:
Driver on the road waves you ahead with a smile = People are SO friendly!
10 minute power nap = a whole new person
Phone call (or even voicemail from a friend) = an extra burst of energy

Today, I am mulling over a couple teeny tiny enormous things... like sleep and quiet moments for my brain.

Wednesday night - Hazel was awake off & on from 1:30 until 4:15... and then she took only one 40-minute-nap (should've been 2 hours at least, given her crummy sleep the night before). By 7:30 last night, I was in tears - exhausted and so emotionally fragile.

Last night - Hazel slept 12.5 hours without a peep, and now she's fast asleep (knock, knock) for her afternoon nap. Right now, I almost laugh at the Me from last night who was so easily unglued. Sleep makes all the difference.

And today - just taking a few minutes here and there to focus my heart and my mind - train them heavenward and allow God to show me a bigger picture - what a change.

Yes, being a mama is tough. Yes, there are days when I want to cry right along with Hazel as she protests having her hair washed AGAIN. Yes, there is nothing quite like being responsible for another human life.

And yet - there is more. There is joy, there is eternity. There is God in all things. There is laughter and messiness and life and perspective.

Sleep and God help me see those things. Just gotta make sure those two things are in my day somewhere, and I'll be okay.

drippity doo dah

It's been a seriously not-hot summer.

One week in June topped 90 degrees. That's it. Most of the time - we're hovering in High 70s, Low 80s Land.

I appreciate it - I really do - because at 8.5 months pregnant, I am STILL SWEATING. I cannot imagine what state I would be in if summer was actually treating us as it usually does.

I knew y'all wanted to know about my body heat issues.

Anyway - having one of those lovely, productive days (which I SO appreciate) and as it's following a very fun & busy day yesterday - I'm just a very happy clam. (albeit a sweaty one). I made some new food for Hazel (who is currently taking her 2-hour-nap for the SECOND DAY IN A ROW) and hope we can get her slightly picky self to eat some new and delicious things... done laundry, did some grocery shopping - all very Mama-ish things to be excited about, but hey. I like a simple life.

At any rate - just wanted everyone to know that although I'm melting into a pregnant puddle when it's 75 degrees out... that there's a goofy old smile on this face.

prayer

I am praying for strength, energy and patience.

Strength - there is SO MUCH TO DO... and it's so hard to get it all done. Toddlers, oddly, don't make tasks quicker or easier to complete. Go figure.

Energy - sleep is elusive these days - and after a night of tossing, turning, and getting up to waddle to the bathroom... the Nut awoke at the lovely hour of 4:45am. Yeah. That's what I said.

Patience - Sleep-deprived toddlers are clingy, whiny, easily frustrated and tough to distract. Sleep-deprived mamas are crabby, whiny, easily frustrated and tough to be around. The two of us are quite the pair today, let me tell you.

And so, I pray.

Lord, give me strength to be who I need to be today. Fill me with Your energy and purpose - and allow me the insight to realize what is important and what can wait. Help me choose love and patience over selfishness and exhaustion. And above all, remind me continuously that Your grace is enough for me - enough for today, enough for my daughter, enough for us all to come to the end and still be smiling. You are enough. Praise for that!!

two times

It's looming.

A very familiar thrilled-and-terrified-and-impatient cloud hovers above my home, or more accurately, above my head (Eeyore-style, only it's not a gloomy raincloud).

There is a strong resemblance to the wonderings of early 2008 - and yet, it is markedly different.

What will this baby look like? Be like? Is this baby a precious new daughter or a beloved new son? Will I be a good mama? Will I know what to do? What will my life look like on the other side?

Because I have "been there" once before, I know the answers to these questions more clearly than I did before the birth of my daughter... but only in the sense that I *know* I have no idea.

I am standing on the edge of becoming a mama of two. The mama in a family of four.

I am standing on the edge - raising up on tiptoe to peer into beyond, hoping for some glimpse of what is to come, praying that the next few weeks will bring me closer to becoming the woman God has made me to be.

And He is bringing me calm (okay, I know it's the calm before the storm - but it's still a blessed, heavenly calm) - not in practical, day-to-day terms (I have a toddler in the house, folks)... but in my heart. I feel myself beginning to rest deeply. My heart is ready to discover how beautifully it can stretch to hold love for another tiny being. My mind is slowing down, knowing that I cannot plan everything, knowing that the next few months will turn my world upside-down and shake it like a snow globe... but that we will emerge, right-side-up in a world more lovely and intriguing than before.

There have been many, many blessings in my life that have altered me forever.

I love and am loved by a man of God - one who will never leave me of his own accord, in whom I trust completely.

I was given the precious gift and responsibility of motherhood in February 2008 - in the shape of a tiny, dark-haired wiggly baby girl.... who has since become a tiny, blonde-haired wiggly toddler girl.

And now, I get to be a mama again.

What a gift to be allowed to be called "Mama" by one child - to have small, soft, chubby arms wrap around my neck and a little face bury itself in my neck - to look into one girl's sparkly eyes and see love.

But two times? To be mama two times??

I can barely comprehend the treasure.

funnies

Things are returning to "normal" around here (whatever that really means with an 8-month pregnant mama and a sillysweetbusy 17-month-old gal in the same house). Mark is home safe (hurrah!) and our days feel a bit more predictable and patterned.

To keep y'all entertained whilst I'm busy gestating, nesting and trying (in vain) to keep up with my toddler - here's some funny Hazel-isms of late:

- Words used to not have an end consonant for Hazel (milk was mih, nose was no). Now, all words that end in a "k" sound actually end in "key." Now milk = mih-key, sock = sah-key, duck = ducky (this one actually works) - and so on. It's super cute (and yes, there's usually a slight pause between the two syllables).

- The two taboo words in the house right now are "outside" and "car." If you say either one out loud, you've just signed yourself up for at least 5 straight minutes of the cutest gal ever repeating "owt-sah? owt-sah? owt-sah?" or " kah? kah? kah?" in her little high-pitched baby girl voice. She may also bring you your shoes and her shoes, and attempt to put them on. She *loves* to play owt-sah, and *loves* cars - playing in the driver's seat of real cars (parked and OFF, of course) and playing with her Little Tykes plastic car in the driveway.

- She loves to get the mail. This is something she and Daddy usually do when he gets home from work.

- Trying on grown-ups shoes is fascinating as well - she gets a little mad that her tiny feet pop right out when she tries to walk - but it's so cute to see her standing in our big ole shoes.

- This child, she is a dancer. She can wiggle her bum like nobody's business - little shimmies and shakes (her upper body stays still while her little hips go back and forth - it's crazy!!). People ask if I taught her that (yeah, right!) or if she saw it on TV (we really don't watch TV at all). Proof that some people really are born to dance.

- She HATES getting her hair washed. More than anything. Purple faced, shrieking, screaming, thrashing baby monster takes over when it's hair-wash night (thank the Lord we don't feel the need to do that every night!). No amount of coaxing, singing, or fancy-little-face-shielding-plastic-visors make this better. The neighbors must think we're torturing her.

- She recognizes people in pictures now - she saw Nana & Papa on the wall yesterday, then started pointing to the front door (where most people come in), the computer (where we see them on video calls) and downstairs (where they would come from when they were here visiting last weekend). It's super cute.

- When she gets really frustrated, she's taken to whacking herself in the forehead. I'm not sure why, but it's hard to watch without laughing at her. She stands still, crying, then leans over and hits herself in the head. I don't think it's proven to make her feel much better, so maybe it will stop soon.

That's it for now - I'll try to put up a few pictures soon (it's been a long time!).

fuzzy

WHEW.

Things have gone by in a bit of a blur the past few days... Mark took off for a trip to Colorado with our YoungLife friends on Friday the 3rd - my parents showed up the same day and spent the past 3 1/2 days taking care of Hazel & I and helping get all kinds of good things done for Baby Preparation (we got a crib bumper, crib skirt, valence and curtain all made, and my dad was able to prime Baby's room so it can be painted).

It was wonderful. They cooked, washed dishes, changed diapers, and told me to sit down. A lot. They left this morning (darn the "real world" and jobs and things) but my sister is coming into town today, to stay until Thursday... then Hazel and I have a zoo date on Friday, and Mark is (FINALLY) home sometime on Saturday.

It's been a bit fuzzy, but good.

I had my 34-week check-up yesterday, and all looks good... I get yet another (my 7th) ultrasound next time to keep checking the amniotic fluid levels around Baby and make sure that the left kidney is still functioning as it should be... and that the right one is just as we expect it to be (backed up with fluid). Good blood pressure, good heartbeat for Baby, and only 26 pounds of extra weight on Mama.

Yesterday was also my 7th anniversary... and for the first time, Mark and I were many, many states away from each other - and out of all reach of communication. He DID manage to leave a card and 7 long-stem red roses with a friend, who delivered them yesterday - that was a sweet surprise. It's so awesome to look back and see how we've helped each other grow - as individuals, as a couple, and in our walks with Christ. What a cool journey... here's to many more years.

I'm going to relax, put my feet up, and enjoy a little summertime feeling for a bit. Hopefully the Nut naps well and lets her mama shake off some of the fuzziness.

a cautionary tale

Today I decided to tackle one of the most disgusting tasks of my adult life.

Surprisingly, it has *nothing* to do with being a mama. It has everything to do with being a homeowner.

For the past few weeks/months/years - who knows? It just seems like for-ev-er.... I've had a battle waging with our dishwasher.

Here's some history:
We built our house in 2004.
We installed a water softener in 2008.
We've had FOUR YEARS of VERY hard water running through our pipes, and through every appliance that uses water.
There's some GUNK in here.

Since the water softener installation, things have gotten better.

But four years of gunk deposit doesn't (unfortunately) disappear on its own. It takes some scrubbing, some scraping, some hacking... and lots of time.

I've cleaned the dishwasher out before (although, as I discovered today - nowhere near as thoroughly as I'd thought).

Can I just tell you that the ICK that builds up in a dishwasher is one of the most stomach-churning things in the world? I was scrubbing and scraping and hacking (and trying to keep my cookies) - and I thought - I have to blog about this. SAVE the others (if anyone out there is as deluded as I am) from the horrors.

And so, I urge you in all seriousness - CLEAN your dishwasher thoroughly at least once a year. It's SO NASTY. I thought about taking a picture of the bad-ness of it... but I couldn't bring myself to share it with the world. I want y'all to still like me.

And now, I head back to the task at hand. And hope and pray that all this work will result in a dishwasher that actually WASHES my dishes clean.

we're ba-aack!

It was a wonderful, whirlwind week - and we're (all three/four of us!) home again.

Not much time to post right now - my lovely Nut is WHINING with all her might and I'm still in jammies... but if you really want to - I have a guest post up over at SortaCrunchy today (about natural childbirth and why I made the choices I did).

Check it out!!

I'm fresh out of jet planes...

So instead, we're leaving in a Nissan. Doesn't have quite the same ring to it...

Hazel and I are hitting the road today - headed to Nana and Papa's house in IL until Sunday (Mark is in Nashville all week, and there's nothing like grandparents to love on a little kiddo with a preggers mama!)

We'll be a bit out of the loop during that time - so don't worry that I've gone off the deep end or anything (the hormonal, crazy lady who wrote the last post has left the building and been replaced by my much more moderate, rational, generally capable self. It's nice to have her back).

Enjoy the week (it's gonna be a warm one around here!) - we'll "see" you when we get back!!

just humor me for a minute

Warning: this post is written by a tired, hormonal pregnant Mama whose husband is about to leave for 8 days, come home for 4, then leave for 9 more.

People love to give advice - almost no one likes to receive it (I fall into these categories myself, so think not that I judge!!)

I find advice during pregnancy to be one of the most obnoxious things - and I've posted about that a bit before - but because of the weird, often-unhelpful things people tend to say to me during pregnancy, I try to avoid giving advice to others. All kids are different, all mamas are different, all situations are different - it's really hard for advice to not be condescending or misinterpreted. If pressed for it, I try to offer encouragement - not exactly advice.

But today, I'm going to offer the one thing that I wish someone had told me before I became a mama. This has, by far, been the biggest "surprise" for me of parenthood - and one I do wish I was a bit more prepared to handle.

I wish someone had warned me how often I would feel completely incapable, ill-equipped and unfit.

I expected parenting to be hard - but I didn't expect to feel so very NOT-good at it. I've always loved kids - I was a good babysitter and felt taking care of little ones to be very natural... I felt competent.

Something about being The Mother changed that for me... being responsible for another life, and often being the one people look to for answers. "What do you think we should do about (fill in the blank)?" How do I know? I'm new at this!!

And I'm just amazed at how infrequently I feel like a "good mama." It sounds kinda funny to say that I expected to feel like I was "good" at my job... but honestly - I did!

Right now, I don't want Mark to leave because I'm afraid Hazel will get the raw end of the deal - no Daddy, and stuck with a Mama who is tired, hormonal, getting bigger by the second... There is so much to do here before BabyMon comes - and so much of it I cannot do on my own. I am overwhelmed and certain that my kid deserves better than I'm giving.

And top all of it off - I really detest feeling this way. I like being able to handle things and help other people and come through in a pinch... I don't like being the one who needs. I just want to get my act together.

So there you have it - this Saturday morning, I have already once dissolved into ridiculous tears over pretty much *nothing* - and really, it all boils down to this overwhelming sense of not being/knowing/doing enough when it comes to being Mama. And I'm absolutely terrified that I won't be able to handle TWO kiddos.

Don't get me wrong - I ADORE being a mama... nothing on earth is like loving your kid(s). And however crummy I feel, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've never had a job that I love like this, and I covet the time that I get to spend caring for our children. I just wish that a fairy would wave a wand and give me a bit more ability, a bit more competence.

speed racer

Methinks my daughter has propellers on her rear end, because MERCY! has that child gotten fast!!

She started toddling at 13 months, took off with I-Mean-Business-Walking at 14 months, and now, at 16 months, is simply a 2.5 foot tall blur with curly hair, zipping around my house.

We try to eat dinner at the same time we feed Hazel - not always possible, but it makes for a much better eating-environment, but she often finishes up first and wants to get down. So we clean her up, set her chubby little feets on the floor and say "Mama and Daddy are still eating dinner, so can you go into the living room and play for a bit?"

And she nods her strawberry blond head and meanders to the living room to remove every single toy from its place and put it somewhere more interesting - like in our shoes, in between couch cushions, and down the basement stairs.

Last night followed much the same pattern - although as Mark and I finished up, we realized that her little voice (because she chatters NONSTOP while she plays) didn't sound like it was coming from the right-next-door living room. And sure enough, her little head poked out at us through the railing at the top of the stairs (we have a split level house - it's only ever 7 stairs at a time, so it's not a HUGE climb)... she had climbed the stairs, raced down the hall to her bedroom, pulled her beloved blanky from her crib and was bringing it back downstairs to play.

We chuckled about how fast and sneaky she is, secretly thanking God that while we didn't know she was up there she did not decide to pull anything heavy onto her head, or flush anything down the toilet, or shut her fingers in a door.

She did the same stinking thing to me this morning. What am I doing that I have no idea my child has ventured to another FLOOR of the house??

And last week, she managed to climb to the tippy-top of Aunt Martha's half-spiral staircase before anyone realized where she had snuck off to (and this one was probably 15 or more stairs, and if you know spirals, you know that the steps don't always have the most surface area for unsteady toddler feet...) Mark said his body temperature jumped about 15 degrees when he saw her at the top of the stairs. Nothing like inst-sweat to make you feel like a top-notch parent.

But really - I just adore watching her zoom around on her own, exploring and playing and imagining things in her little mind. Even though my ever-increasing waddle isn't the most convenient when it comes to chasing her around the house - I am simply enthralled watching this little gal grow up right before my eyes.

What a thrill. A chatty, blurry, chubby-cheeked, blue-eyed thrill.

the other love languages

I think lots of people have heard the phrase "love language." You know - the things others can do for you that make you feel most loved, and the things that you likewise tend to do for others (whether it's their love language or not). Gary Chapman wrote a book (or two or three) about it.

Here's the thing:

Neither Mark or I fit the mold.

Me - While I definitely have tendencies (quality time and physical affection probably being tops) - I respond well to ALL the love languages (quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical affection, words of affirmation). Mark likes to pretend this makes me trickier to figure out, and teases me about being high maintenance... I prefer to think that pretty much ANY NICE THING you do for me will be appreciated. Can't get much easier than that, can you?

Mark - In honor of my hubby's bizarre personality - I have decided that the wonderful Dr. Chapman actually (unintentionally, of course) excluded two love languages... instead of 5, there are truly (at least) 7 distinct love languages. (Lucky for me) Mark speaks the Missing Languages of Love: Entertainment and Anti-Time.

Allow me to explain them both....

Entertainment - Mark loves to be entertained... he likes to go to movies and to have people over and to go out with people and "do" lots of "things." It speaks to his heart when I arrange these things to do with him. Or send him out to do them on his own (which leads me to the second Missing Language of Love...)

Anti-Time - Being an extremely social creature, Mark is loved well when I send him out to do things with friends - whether it's out for ice cream, playing tennis, or taking off to visit friends that live in other states... when I send him outside the home with "my blessing" (haha) - that's one of the best ways I know to show him that I love him. (You may have noted that it's possible that a married couple with two competing love languages - quality time and anti-time - may be in for a fun ride... and you might be right. Loving each other this way takes some suck-it-up-sacrificing... but that's what love is about, right?)

Anyone else discovered some Missing Love Languages??

change of heart

One of the things I struggle with (and always have, honestly) is patience. I don't like to wait for things. Sometimes, it's not such a bad deal - it's more anticipatory than impatient (waiting for a package to arrive in the mail, or being excited for a trip or holiday). Most of the time though - it's just not one of my admirable qualities.

I've known for a long time, obviously, that this is something I'd like/need to work on - but it's becoming more and more apparent these days. Motherhood has a way of bringing light to character issues, I think.

Patience seems central to my ability to have a good day - because really... any day with a toddler is going to try your patience at least a wee bit.

Part of my struggle is tied to the fact that I am an emotional and relational being. I have emotional reactions to MANY things throughout my day (this sounds bad, and it is sometimes, but not always). It really just means that it is very easy for my good day/bad day to slip out of my control - because my emotions are easily influenced by what is happening (ie, things I cannot often control) - I get out of whack.

On my patient days, I am much better at keeping my emotions under control - things that would normally be frustrating or inconvenient do not have much impact on my mood or my heart. On the not-so-patient days... well, I can turn into a surly, snarly, easily frustrated Mama/Wife... and no one has fun when she's around.

Given the impending arrival of The Littlest - I figure that a short emotional wick is something better avoided - especially when you throw post-pregnancy hormones and sleep deprivation into the mix.

And so, I begin a journey of prayer, reading, thinking, more prayer... all to try to figure out how best to train myself in Patience... also known as keeping my emotions and moods tied to things eternal, not to the things of today. And I'm finding great verses, good encouragement, and am enjoying my time of prayer...

But I'm finding myself wishing for big, sweeping, overnight change.

In other words, I am impatient.

I think I still have some work to do...

bring on Monday!

Phew!

So far, I've already showered/gotten ready for the day, had some quiet prayer/reading time with God, made and eaten breakfast with my little lady, changed 2 diapers, gone grocery shopping, prepped lunch and some of dinner, washed dishes, loaded & started the dishwasher, started a load of laundry and made 24 strawberry muffins.

For some reason, Mondays are always my "Get Things Done!" day... I'm motivated and productive and I love it.

I think the afternoon will be slightly calmer, although there is another brief round of errands to run... but hopefully the Nut and I will be able to enjoy a quiet, rainy afternoon playing together.

And now, to answer a couple of questions about my post on the Cloth Diaper Whisperer (if you don't care about cloth diapers, you can stop reading now, and have a lovely Monday!):

- For the first few weeks, I used disposables on Hazel... it helped with the craziness of becoming a mama for the first time.
- Hazel did go through a growth stage or two where the cloth diapers just seemed to not fit her quite right, and were more likely to leak. We hung in there, tried using different inserts or snap adjustments, and used disposables a few days when Mama was tired of changing wet pants, and things worked out.
- Now - this time around, I'm hoping to mostly use cloth from get-go... and a couple of things that I think will help us with that are:
- Summertime - bulky newborn diapers don't have to fit under clothes - we can throw on a diaper and t-shirt and be good to go.
- Some new diapers in our stash - I've purchased Kissaluvs fitteds for the early newborn days, and am hoping to get my hands on some BG AIO (size x-small) as well. I'm hoping these fit a little bit better than the slightly bulkier one-size diapers. We've also still got a good stash of prefolds, and I've added a few other one-size fitteds (we'll see how those work on a newborn). I've been making some fleecey diaper covers (so cheap and easy!!) of my own, and have a couple of wool shorties as well. We're trying new things!
- I think it helps to have, at least in the beginning, a stash that is slightly less than complete - and that has several different brands and types of diapers. I had a pretty full stash, and only one brand (plus prefolds) and while I loved my diapers, I found myself eager to try new things and wishing I'd purchased a more eclectic beginner's stash. It can be easy to get carried away with different brands and cute colors - but having a few different ones on hand can help with those growth spurt days when things don't fit quite right, and you may find you prefer different brands/styles as your baby gets bigger.
- I'm buying diapers differently now - my BumGenius diapes are WONDERFUL - but so far, they only make the non-organic diapers with a velcro closure. And velcro is very easy and convenient - but it wears faster and your little one is more likely to be able figure out how to take it off (mine has). Now, I'm primarily buying snap diapers - since I want my diapers to last as long as possible (and who knows how many kiddos we'll have!). I've also come to really like fitted diapers with non-plastic (fleece or wool) covers - and I didn't even try those until a few months ago.

Phew (again)! Thanks for hanging in there... gotta run and get some more things done! :)