Books:

Some of my favorites include…

-       The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – Down right the best book I’ve read and believe every nursing mother should own it.  Whoever wrote it was reading my mind. I’ve read most chapters more than two times.

-       Happiest Baby on the Block – Would suggest watching the DVD instead of reading the book.

-       Working without Weaning – I read this while nursing the second and third month of maternity leave.

-       Sleep Books – I’ve read “No Cry Sleep Solution” but preferred “Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child” because it was comprehensive across multiple types of sleep training. Baby Wise is a popular sleep training method, but has been linked to dehydration. My midwife posted a blog worth reading when you’re considering which sleep book to choose.

Car Seat & Stroller

We were handed down a Preg-Perego car seat. We have three car seat bases – two for our cars and one for my parents.

With the car seat, we were given this stroller. We haven’t purchased another stroller yet since we have hardly used the one we have. It’s pretty easy to open/close and should last until he’s much older.

When you’re looking for car seats, first check consumer reports for safety. After that, go to the store and figure out which of those is the lightest. Ours is a bit too heavy for me once the baby is in it. I dread carrying the car seat around.

Baby Carrier

We started with a Ring Sling which I really loved while he was little and will continue to use for a while. We also purchased an ErgoBaby but hasn’t really worked until he was 3 months (you can buy an infant insert but it got pretty bad reviews on Amazon). Personally, the Ergo is more comfortable but the Ring Sling is easier to get on when I’m alone. I’m glad I have both.

Sleep

We chose to use an Arm’s Reach Co-sleeer instead of a bassinet or pack ‘n play. I loved being able to just open my eyes and see what he was doing when he made noises. We were hoping to have him in the cosleeper longer than 4 weeks but he was so noisy that I had a hard time sleeping. We’re now using the cosleeper as a place to nap at my parents’ house.

Speaking of a pack ‘n play, we had one handed down to us and have yet to open it.

Crib

We were fortunate enough to find a Pottery Barn Kids floor model crib for 65% off. It wasn’t on clearance so we were able to buy the matching toddler converter.

We also bought the waterproof mattress & changing table topper ($100 off!) from Pottery Barn, too.

Crib Sheets:

We have 3 crib sheets (two from Target, one from Dwell Studio) and change them about once a week. It takes a while to get a full load of baby towels, wash cloths and sheets so this is the perfect amount for us.

Here is a good article on budget friendly sheets.

Baby Bag

I bought my baby bag from Zulilly for $175 off the retail price. I LOVE it because it has all these little pockets on the side.

Since we use cloth wipes at home, I bought Seventh Generation Wipes in bulk (cheaper!) and use them while we’re out. They have no alcohol, synthetic cleaners, dyes or fragrances.

Traditional Swaddles:

When he was tiny, I really liked Summer Infant SwaddleMe both in the knit and fleece. We were handed down the small and when he grew out of it, we bought the large.

Our favorite is probably the Miracle Blanket. At first I was intimidated by it (when you’re not sleeping swaddles can seem very complicated). Now it wraps the tightest.

We have a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle but he’s just now big enough for it. I think the previous two are easier to use, but it definitely gets the job done.

Noise Machine:

We have the ever popular Sleep Sheep and have used it pretty often, but find buying a ‘white noise song’ (hairdryer, vacuum) from itunes for .99 works just as well (and it’s a lifesaver in the car). We think that the sleep sheep was waking Louie up because it stays on for about 30 mins, but we can’t be too sure.

Blankets, Towels & Washcloths

If I was to register all over again, I wouldn’t have added these on my list because people LOVE to give you these items.

I really like our Bumkins organic towels and washcloths because they are so thick. Carters makes some nice thick towels too.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

The first few weeks are a haze. This little timer helps you remember when your baby ate last, was changed, etc. I also needed it so I could remember to take my Advil before the pain started back up. We don’t use it as much anymore and have moved on to a more complicated system called Baby Connect but I wouldn’t recommend that  until you’re looking for patterns, want to know how much he sleeps, etc.

Monitor

We chose Philips AVENT Basic Baby Monitor because it had the highest ratings on consumer reports for battery life. I have to admit, the battery life isn’t amazing, so I can’t imagine what the others are like. Otherwise, we are happy with our choice and have no complaints.

I see why people have a video monitor now that Louis is rolling. When he starts fussing, typically he’ll fall back asleep…but not if he has flipped over. It would be nice to know if I should go upstairs or not, but at the end of the day it would be more about convenience than anything. If my living space was 2 floors away from the baby, I would buy one in a heartbeat!

Baby Bath

We were handed down the traditional plastic baby bath and frankly, I hate it. I’ve heard this tub is great and have seen it on Gilt (or Zulily?) for 50% off.

Here is a blog post about the PUJ Tub.

A very inexpensive way to give baths.

Chairs & Swings

We were handed down the following items:

• Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing – Ours was 6 years old but they still sell almost the exact same item today. This swing is wildly popular, but Louis didn’t love it (he would last 10 mins in it). I think because he really liked to focus on items and the swing didn’t let him. I would suggest registering for it or if you have to buy it yourself, look for second hand just in case your baby doesn’t like the swing.
• Graco Silhouette Baby Swing – We gave the Papasan swing back to its rightful owners after we discovered Louis didn’t like it, but had a backup that we planned to give to my parents. They didn’t need it, so we tried this swing again at 3 months. He likes it a bit more now that he’s older. I think he likes this one better because he can sit up.
• Fisher-Price Papasan Seat – Having some sort of seat is a must have item. PJ would (and still does) bring Louis into the kitchen while he cooks. If you have a huge child, like myself, you’ll be disappointed to figure out that this particular seat will last 2 months.
• Fisher-Price Calming Vibrations Bouncer – Louis LOVES this chair. He kicks the areas where his feet go and it lights up the toys above his head. Once he grew out of the papasan seat, we move to this one. My parents (who watch Louis) have the Fisher-Price Infant-To-Toddler Rocker and my dad doesn’t like it that much.

Clothes

I haven’t had to buy many clothes thanks to hand me downs, but have found a few favorite discount sites that I have bought from…

Baby Gap – NEVER buy full price! If you have one in the mall, they have a great clearance section. Sometimes they will do a 50% off all sale items and you’ll be able to get full outfits for around $10.

Old Navy – I have come back around and started liking Old Navy again. Their onsies are some of my favorite and I really like their thermals because it’s easy to over their little (or big in my case) head.

Zulily – Even though they love to feature girls clothes 99% of the time, I’ve purchased some great boys clothes that aren’t cheesy (why are boys clothes so cheesy?!).

Gilt – While this site can be rather expensive, I’ve found a couple things that I MUST have.

Toys

-       Play Gym I have admit, they look pretty terrible, but baby boy LOVES his play gym. We have the one where he can kick the keys with his feet and he gets down on it. No matter what you buy, I suggest that it has a mirror. Babies just LOVE to look at their selves!

-       Manhattan Toy – We have the mobile, car seat wallpaper, rattle and soft tiles we use for tummy time. He literally cannot keep his eyes off these images.

-       Sophie – He loves Sophie so much that we have one in the diaper bag, our house and my parent’s house.

-       Rhino Toys Oball – Easy to grip for those tiny baby hands.

-       Bumbo – get it from Craigslist for $15!

**Breastfeeding Must Haves

Nipple Cream

There was one point where if this was the only product I owned, I would have been happy. I suggest a tube for upstairs and downstairs. You’re going to need it! Since you’ll only need it for 2-3 weeks, Dr. Oz suggests using Lanolin as Chap Stick because it doesn’t slow the regrowth of skin cells like typical lip gloss.  

Gel Pads

Just make sure you have 2-3 sets on hand. Trust me. J

Nursing Bra & Breast Pads

Get used to wearing these every day for as long as you nurse (or at least to sleep). I have 3 nursing bras that are triangle tops that just slide over (Motherhood Maternity Brand) and 4 nursing tanks (although 2 are too small).

It’s also easiest to nurse around the house in v-neck tops. American Apparel has a nice deep V that I like (previously owned) and Gap Body has deep v-necks with buttons on the front (and often discounted).

Pump

My midwife told me that the Hygeia breastpump is the only one on the market that allows you to use it through multiple children. All other pumps will degrade after what I would assume is a year of use. I personally have the Medela Pump in Style and will be doing research before child #2 to figure out if I need to buy a new one (and will because pumping is hard enough, I want to make sure mine is up to standards).

During a recent conference, I bonded with other pumping moms and they exposed me to a couple different pumps. One friend had a Medela Free Style, which I was really jealous of because I feel like I’m attached to my pump. Another friend is nursing until her child naturally weans herself and bought a hospital grade pump from ebay.

Pump Accessories

Your pump will likely come with four 5oz bottles and 2 valves. Here are the items I need to make pumping easier:

-       At least 4-6 extra bottles & 2 extra valves of whatever brand your pump is

-       Extra bottles to pump in so you’re not washing 24/7

-       Hands free Breastpump Bra so you can multitask at work

-       A place for your wet bottles

-       Cleaning your bottles

Bottles

One of the main mistakes I made when registering is putting a couple different bottles on my list without consideration of what is best for breastfeeding. We now have a nice set of bottles that may never be used because the flow is too fast or the nipple isn’t right.

If you are going to put some on your list I would suggest Tommee Tippee or Dr. Brown. If you’re breastfeeding, you want the flow of your bottle nipple to be very slow or nonexistent. You can test your nipples by filling them with water and turning them upside down. This way your baby will continue to work for the milk like he or she does at the breast.

**Update: My Tommee Tippee nipples have started to flow faster than the baby likes. We’re not sure if it’s from washing, boiling or something like that. We’ve started trying the nipples that came with the Medela pump.

Nursing Cover

If I was to do it all over again, I would NOT register for a hooter hider and instead register for the Aden and Anais swaddles (well, I did but nobody got them for me so I bought them myself). These are super light and swaddle nicely since they are so big. I used them early on as covers when I was nursing, will probably again but realized they are LARGER than my hooter hider and have more purposes:

http://www.adenandanais.com/learn/howtoswaddle.aspx (go to the part where it says “how to use as a multi-use blanket”).

We don’t use them as much as we did the first month but mainly because he needs to be Velcroed in a regular swaddle, but will probably break them out in the summer again.

Fun Links:

Nursing Mom Wear

Another Useful Registry List

Yet ANOTHER List

Newborn List & List for babies 2-3 Months

I think this list is funny because it’s all the items Louis hates (except that blanket – those are our favorite). This is one of the reasons people try everything! Babies are very particular.

The best list ever of what to register for from real moms

My cloth diaper review

Maternity Wear:

• Blazers/jackets/cardigans – non maternity items
• Jeans – Old Navy & Gap Maternity (I had to buy new jeans every couple months)
• Tshirts & knit tops – Old Navy (believe it or not, their stuff is pretty good)
• Tanks – Target (Liz Lang or whatever) & old navy. In fact, I still wear all my maternity tanks to this day (have one on now).
• Splurge (really good quality items) – Isabella Oliver (some of the only tops that took me from 20 to 40 weeks) & Nordstrom (dresses for weddings and onsites)
• Destination Maternity – but very few items, that place is too expensive for the quality
• I also did a little shopping in Chicago. And I had a fair amount of hand me downs.

I spent a little too much money on maternity clothes mainly because dressing well made me feel good. I struggled with being pregnant and it’s the little things that help (me anyway).

**This was actually written a couple months before I gave birth in early October of 2011. Unfortunately after 12 hours of active labor I was unable to have the natural birth I prepared for. Luckily, I avoided a c-section.

It’s also worth noting that I received the list of midwives to interview from a local Le Leche League chapter.

Blogs: Not that I suggest that you get all your educated information from blogs, but I find these pretty educated and informative.

Banned from Baby Showers – this woman is a Bradley Method instructor and posts information that I find informative. When I first got pregnant, the reason why I pick St. Vincent to deliver is because it was close to my house. Huge mistake.  This is one of many posts of what to NOT do.

The Feminist Breeder – She had a recent VBAC home birth and LIVE BLOGGED while it was going on (ok, someone else did the blogging, but it was cool to see).

That Wife – I can’t say I’m a fan of hers, but she documented every part of her home birth, midwife visits, interviews, etc, etc. I would use the link I listed to avoid the crap and just read the birth stuff (it starts on page 6 and click “newer entries” at the bottom which will start you from oldest to newest).

Books:

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth-This is the book that helped me finally realize the path I was currently on wasn’t right for me. Ina made me feel powerful and gave me the confidence that I can deliver naturally.  I actually might read it again before my due date.

Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods– This book helped me get over the “omg, I can’t do ANYTHING” feeling early on in my pregnancy. She’s also a natural birth advocate.

Mayo Clinic’s Guide for a Healthy Pregnancy – I chose not to read “what to expect when expecting” book for many reasons, but mainly because it’s more of a troubleshooting guide of “is this normal” at the reading level of a third grader. Here is an interesting NPR article of the book.

Facebook:

If you’re interested in natural birth, follow “The Bradley Method of Childbirth” because they post some great articles. Some of my favorites include:

• Demand Growing for Giving Birth at Home (NY Times)
• Baby’s Palate And Food Memories Shaped Before Birth (NPR)
• Childbirth: A Drug Shortens Labor but Does Little Else (NY Times)

NPR:

Right now NPR is doing a special series of “Beginnings: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Beyond” which is proving to be very informative.

The Baby Project: This summer they picked 10ish people to blog about their last month of pregnancy, child birth and first month of life with baby. I like these birth stories because then you can say, “yes, I want that” Or “no, not that” or most importantly, “how can I avoid that?” For example, if you want to have a natural childbirth, I firmly believe avoiding Pitocin is the first step. Your contractions will be harder, faster and hurt more with this drug (I’m happy to talk about why, if you REALLY want to know) and will probably drive you to an epidural.

Podcasts:

 Pregtastic: I L-O-V-E these!

• Here is a nice post of some informative sessions worth listening to.
• If you’re looking to create questions for your OB/midwife or pick a birthing method (Bradley is what I did) check out the “birthing options” section of the main page.
• Even if you’re not planning a homebirth, but want to go natural, I still suggest understanding midwives processes so you can ask your OB what their stand is on it (for example, cutting the cord after it’s done pulsating instead of right away).

Movies:

The Business of Being Born: This movie is pretty one sided, but if you’re interested in the specifics of why early intervention has higher chances of leading to a C-section, it’s totally worth a watch. I’ve watched it twice and saw completely different stats each time.

• Suggestion: Watch it the first time BEFORE you’re pregnant. It might be too overwhelming when you first find out…so much info at one time.

Babies: Women in Africa wipe their baby’s poopy butt with their knee. Whatever it is that you’re doing, it will be fine.

My Midwife Questions: I got a lot of my questions from “That Wife Blog”. To be honest, I wished I was a little more educated before the interview, although these really helped me get a feel for the two midwives I interviewed. I only asked about 3 questions to my OB before I knew she wasn’t the right provider (and that’s all we had time for because she made me wait for 45 mins, ironically enough).

-          Am I allowed to see stats from your practice?

-          How many births do you attend per month?

-          How long is the average prenatal appointment? What does that schedule look like?

-          Can I call at any time with questions?

-          Do you let us do whatever we want during labor? (Food, positions, water, privacy for intimate time with my husband, etc.)

-          Do you have guidelines or restrictions about who can give birth at home?

-          Non-emergency transfer rate?

-          If I transfer, how long will you stay with me at the hospital?

-          C-Section Rate?

-          Episiotomy rate? Do you stitch onsite after birth if i tear?

-          Do you attend breech births?

-          Augmentations used to initiate or during labor?

-          Do you wait until the cord has stopped pulsating before it gets cut?

-          How much time do you allow for the delivery of the placenta? What methods do you use to encourage delivery of the placenta if there is a delay?

-          How many attendants will be at the birth?

-          Do you recommend a doula?

-          How long do you stay after the birth? What cleanup do you do?

-          Belief about postdates?

-          What are your guidelines concerning weight gain, nutrition, prenatal vitamins, and exercise?

-          What are your standards for high blood pressure?

-          Require any prenatal tests?

-          Have you ever had to resuscitate a baby?

-          Experience with Bradley Method?

-          Postpartum visit after birth?

-          Do those organizations have any requirements that you must follow in relation to my care?

-          How do you handle post partum hemorrhage?

-          What hospital do you recommend? Assuming mine is corporative, can I use mine?

-          Who is your midwife backup? What are their qualifications?

-          What’s the plan if someone is in labor when I am?

-          Cost, insurance, etc.

-          What happens financially if I end up delivering in a hospital because of complications?

-          For what reasons would you suggest I go to the hospital?

-          Thoughts on natural plateau?

3 Months in Cloth

I’m going to try to keep this simple by listing what we purchased, a review, suggestions, how to use and wash.

Cloth Diaper Terminology:

One Size: You might see a diaper with a ton of snaps on it. These diapers are designed to fit your baby until they are out of diapers. We have a couple of these diapers (pocket style) but prefer not to go this route simply because I can’t imagine using the diapers again on baby #2 if baby #1 wore them for 3 years. Although, many people love them.

Prefolds & Diaper Covers: Prefolds are the flat diaper that you will fold and insert into a diaper cover. It will look like this. The prefolds/covers will come in different sizes so you will have to buy larger diapers as the child grows. This is our preferred method of cloth diapering and the cheapest.

Cost: $33 for 1 dozen organic prefold diapers
Cost: $12 – $14 for one diaper cover

Pocket Diapers: The diaper cover has a pocket in which you will stuff the specialized insert (similar to the prefold) inside. The pocket has a fold-over top, so it forms a sort of envelope that keeps the moisture on the inserts away from baby’s skin. We have two of these diapers and while it’s not our preference, there are advantages over the prefold method (reviewed later).

Cost: $17 – $20 for one diaper, insert included

Here is a nice review of the Bumgenius Pocket Diaper: http://babyproducts.about.com/od/clothdiapers/fr/Bumgenius-3-0-4-0-One-Size-Cloth-Diapers-Review.htm

All in One Diapers: If I was to compare one particular diaper to disposable, it’s the all in one. There is no separate diaper/cover like the ones previously mentioned. If budget is not important to you, 24 of these is easily the way to go. Also, if you have two in diapers this option would be nice because they could wear the same size.

Here is a good blog post about all in one diapers: http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/08/the-much-requested-cloth-diaper-post/

Cost: $24 – $30 per diaper, no diapers/inserts necessary  

I read that you should buy a couple options to try before spending a lot of money on one particular brand – I’m really glad we did this! If I created “starter kit” of different cloth diapers (with a preference toward the prefold option), here is what I would suggest:

2 dozen Cloth-eez® Organic Prefold Diapers (size small yellow edge): 24 diaper inserts is enough for about two days. Size small should last until your baby reaches 18lbs. Cost: $33 per dozen (x2 = $66)

2 Bummis Super Brite Diaper Cover (8-16bs): After 3 months, this cover is wearing well and hasn’t leaked out his legs. I like this diaper cover because it has a moisture repelling layer on the inside which helps moisture from coming out the cover and on to his onsie.  Cost: $12.09 (x2 = $24.18)

2 Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Cloth Diaper Cover: Small (8.5-15 lbs): After 3 months, this cover is wearing well and hasn’t leaked out his legs. This cover does not have that moisture repelling layer, but it’s a bit thicker which is nice.  Cost $11.75 (x2 = $23.50)

1 Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap Diaper Cover (size one): Since I noticed some wear and tear on a couple of my Velcro diaper covers, I thought I would try the snap versions. I really like this cover, have noticed it holds up the best but like how easy the Velcro is to fasten. I believe snaps would last for more than two kids. Cost: $13.75

1 Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover (size one): The only reason I’m suggesting this one is because it got such good reviews on Amazon. It did not hold up well for us at all, but the snap version of the same diaper is our favorite. We will use them until he’s 18lbs, but they will not be passed down to our next child. I wonder if our hard water is to blame for the fact it’s a lot more worn than our other covers.  Cost $12.75

BumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper 4.0 – Snap: I’ve already said that I prefer prefolds, but this would be a good night option, for sensitive babies or people who don’t change diapers as often as they should. :) The microfiber wicks away the moisture from your baby’s bottom which is not the case with regular prefolds. I’ve had problems with leaking but I believe it’s because it is one size and my baby’s legs might not have been big enough to fill in the holes.  Nevertheless, I think it’s worth trying because SO many people like it and it’s the easiest to use for baby sitters, etc. Cost: $17.95

7 covers & 24 prefold diapers works for almost 2 days, although we typically wash every day.

Total Cost for diapers from 8 – 16 lbs: $158
(Since we’ll have to size up, I’m assuimg I’ll spend around $300 total)

Here is a post for smaller starter kits: http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/newmom.htm
Here are another couple options: http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/packages.htm

Cloth Wipes: We love cloth wipes probably more than the cloth diapers. They are thick, durable and we rarely need more than one for a big poop. I made up a little routine for our cloth wipes after some trial and error.

Poopy Diapers: I dip BabyKicks cloth wipes in water & Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion Concentrate, ring them out and place them in a cloth diaper warmer (mainly because I didn’t know how else to keep them wet).

Wet Diapers: I mixed Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion Concentrate with Witch Hazel (per the directions on the bottle) and spray the “boy parts” and wipe with a dry cloth.

I purchased 20 BabyKicks wipes and received 6 wipes for free when I purchased my prefolds from Green Mountain. I use the free wipes that came with the diaper warmer for the pee diapers. Some people will cut up old towels, old tshirts or use old wash cloths.

Other Cloth Diaper Accessories

3 Wet Bags (2 Large, 1 Medium): You’ll need a place to those dirty diapers, so I suggest 3 different wet bags. One will always be in the wash with the dirty diapers, so you’ll need a backup. The third one (medium) will go in your diaper bag. I’ve tried a couple brands and highly suggest spending the extra money for Planet Wise because it’s lined and keeps the smell out (for now anyway).

Charlie’s Soap: You can’t use a detergent that is sudsy because it will leave residue on the diapers which will end up making your diapers smell like ammonium (which you’ve pretty much ruined them after that). If you buy the 35 pound bucket it’s only 13 cents per load. We also use the Charlie’s hardwater treatment.

Thirsties Hemp Inserts: We use these extra inserts during the nighttime, but you could use them anytime (long car rides, feeling lazy, etc).

Diaper Sprayer: We haven’t had to use this much yet, but I’m really, really glad I had it after I gave birth. If you are pregnant and have no idea why this would be useful, then someone needs to bring you up to speed about all the fun in your near future.

Tips:

-          You can use the diaper covers over and over until a big poop sticks to the cover or it becomes damp (if this is the case, I set the cover aside, wait until it drys and use them again). That’s why you only need 6-7 covers for 24 prefold diapers.

-          You have to wash the prefold diapers 5 or 6 times to increase their absorbency.

-          Don’t use traditional diaper rash creams with cloth diapers. People will use Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Calendula Cream or CJs BUTTer. We haven’t had any problems with rash so we haven’t tried anything yet.

-          Washing diapers is what everyone worries about. Here is a “how to” site. We rinse with cold, wash with warm and rinse again. Once a week we do a full load of just water after the wash to ensure all the detergent is out of the diaper.

-          They say you don’t have to rinse off breastmilk poopy diapers, but we do a quick rinse in the utility sink before we throw them in the wash.

-          You have to change the diaper every 90 mins – 2 hours. They get wet pretty quick because they don’t have all those chemicals to hold the pee like disposables.

-          Sometimes the diaper covers stain. After another wash or two, it comes out pretty well. Considering I’ve had to throw away onises for staining, I’m surprised the diapers don’t stain more.

-          Cloth diapers do not fit as well in pants and onesies will be tighter, quicker. I’m a big fan of Baby Gap’s thermal pants because they stretch and are easy to get off of that big diaper butt!

-          You are supposed to ‘strip’ your diapers at some point. To be honest, I’m not sure when and how to do this. I’ll update this post once I find out!

-          There is a diaper service in Indianapolis. I don’t know anyone who has used them though.

What I bought that I didn’t need/like:

1 dozen Cloth-eez® Organic Prefold Diapers (size newborn orange edge): I ended up not using the newborn cloth diapers because he was already too big after birth. We used disposable for the first couple weeks when the belly button was healing. I also have two covers so now that I know what I’m doing, I will try to use them for baby #2.

2 Thirsties Duo Wrap: These covers did not hold up well. I’m not sure if it’s our hard water or the Velcro sticking to the cloth sides during the wash, but they are pilling all over the sizes and holding stains (unlike the others). The Velcro will also come undone while Louie is wearing them (not often though). We will use them until he’s 16/18lbs, but they will not be passed down to our next child. I would read the reviews though to get a second opinion.

Snappi Fastener – We folded the diapers with the fasteners a couple times, but they weren’t as absorbent so we stopped.

Reference Pages & Helpful Blog Posts:

• Easy way to try cloth? http://jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10
• I’ve read this site at least 20 times trying to figure all this out (and purchased many items from them too): http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/index.html
• Cost of cloth vs. disposable diapers: http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php 
• Podcast of cloth diaper how to’s and FAQs: http://www.pregtastic.com/how-tos-and-faqs-of-cloth-diapering/   
• Recently found this site & wish I would have known about it earlier: http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/new-to-cloth-diapers/
• http://diaperpages.com/stepbystep.php
• http://yourbabybooty.com/blog/the-low-down-on-cloth-diapers/
• http://www.themodernhome.com/tag/cloth-diapers
• http://amandasquickbite.blogspot.com/2011/05/cloth-diaper-plunge.html
• http://thefeministbreeder.com/i-love-my-fuzzibunz-so-much-i-want-you-to-have-some-too/        
• http://jandmh.blogspot.com/2011/07/everything-you-never-wanted-to-know.html
• http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/05/dog-days-cloth-dipes/
•  http://pinkadotsgirl.blogspot.com/2011/07/cloth-diapers.html

January:

• Clean Basement
• Contact guy to make custom bookshelves for living room
• Schedule necessary life appointments (dentist, etc)
• Research security system
• Touch ups – paint & wood

We work a LOT – this list, while short, is going to be a challenge. We value our weekends and it sure doesn’t help that I’ve been sick twice already this month (yeah, SERIOUSLY!). Luckily, we’re making progress.

Our basement is pretty big. One side is clean, but we still have the other side to tackle. Don’t mind that the paint jobs don’t match at all. That’s work from last year – to make a long story short, I didn’t drylock the walls very well and it was an epic fail. I wish I would just done the floors and not the walls, but whatever.

this is actually a very clean basement

ugh. just half of the opposite side. still dusty from the glass block window install.

We contacted a company to create custom bookshelves for the front of our living room. It was WAY too expensive. I think we’ll just end up with something from Room & Board (the tall dark wood one with the cabinets underneath).

bookcase option

After getting our TV stolen last fall, we are going to look into what it takes to get a security system. Have you seen the ATD Pulse?! Whoa…

It’s been a year since we’ve painted the downstairs, now it’s time to do some touchups. My favorite is the coffee stain on the baseboards from the time period when my husband kept falling down the stairs.

That’s it! We’ll see how it goes…

Anywho, this year my resolution is less about self improvement and more about doing.

As I was creating my 2010 photo album I realized I didn’t take boo for photos last year. I don’t know if this was because I didn’t do a lot of photo worthy things or couldn’t be bothered. In 2011 this will change because I’m starting a 365 day photo project!

You can find my photo project under a new URL: http://highwaytomel.tumblr.com/

My photos will be silly (like the first one), random and probably boring but hopefully my photography skills will get better! We’ll see…

Cheeky.

Enzo didn’t even know “sit” when we picked him up 2 months ago. He’s come along way after weeks of training. We now know how to sit, stay, down, come, off, “go home” and the most important – potty.

(excuse the flash on that photo!)

There is one thing I’m about 99% sure we can’t train out of him (considering I’ve heard other IG owners complain of the same thing). It’s the food stealing and coffee drinking. He’s SO bad.

He has this thing with food. When a treat comes out he starts shaking because he is just SO excited. Dinner time is literally the best time of the day. He eats his dinner in about 30 seconds flat.

We have him trained to sit somewhere else when we’re eating dinner – he doesn’t beg. But when there is company over, he knows that people leave their plates unsupervised. Look away and you’ll see a sneaky IG running away with your chicken wing. Or the lettuce from your turkey sandwich. Or duck bone. Or half of your grilled cheese sandwich. Or the cheese rind. Never fails.

I’m a firm believer that there is never a dull moment in the home of an IG.

always chilly

P.S. No lie, while writing this post, I got up from the chair when Enzo was asleep and when I came back 45 seconds later, he was drinking my coffee.

Just a quick story of how terrible the closet setup was - last winter I was looking for my welly’s that were in a reusable grocery bag. I yelled at That Guy for losing them somewhere (I’m SURE it was his fault, right?) and looked EVERYWHERE. One day in the spring, I cleaned out the closet and there they were - hanging on a hook, in the back with 3 coats strung over them. Who knows how they got there, but nevertheless, it made me mad.

Fast forward 6ish months and we’re back using the closet everyday for our winter coats. Now we’ve got tons of dog crap to accommodate and I had about enough.

Before…

closet chaos

After…

happiness

Let’s get a little closer…

so efficient

The shelf is just high enough so I can only reach the stuff you see (reason why it’s all up front) but I have to blindly pat to find everything else. Of course, while you’re blindly patting, those things in the front are falling on your head.

organization at its best

I wanted some “pretty” baskets but the white ones shown came in at a cool $8 per while most decorative baskets hovered around the $20 range.

See that white box in the bottom left corner? It’s an old, old security system and we built around.

this is where we store our junk

We’ve got cat scratchers, dog food, an ironing board, vacuum and some dog things that need an explanation.

So, our precious pup can’t “hold it” the entire day while we’re at work. SO, we had to invest in what they call “belly bands” which are pretty much diapers. Inside this belly band, you are supposed to put a maxi pad for extra absorbency. Also, you can see the white towels that go inside his create to soak up what the belly band misses. Ahhh, the glamorous life of an Italian Greyhound owner.

old and improved

  Now we get to hide all the embarrassing stuff and we don’t lose our scarves (or our “gumboots” as they say in New Zealand).

Don’t you agree that this was money well spent? I forgot to mention that we now have 15 more inches of hanging space! Now thinking about the upstairs…

more terrible closets

We celebrated week two of not having a TV by becoming addicted to Angry Birds. When committing to not getting a TV right away, I didn’t anticipate a video game addition. Who knew?!

damn those angry birds

Week three was dedicated to a Thanksgiving trip in NYC.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

 Week four was our braking point. Husband came home with dinner and a TV.

pad thai & TV

Right now I’m watching the Oprah’s Favorite Things episode and really wishing I had that 3D TV. Or a surround sound system – the sound on this TV is way worse than our old one.

We made it through our first weekend without TV. I repeat: WE DIDN’T KILL EACH OTHER WITHOUT TV.

It’s pretty nice. As I speak, That Guy is doing dishes in the kitchen listening to classical music (I know, right?!) and I’m actually enjoying it too. This would not be happening if something was blabbing on in the background.

Luckily, we kept pretty busy by seeing Daniel Tosh, attending the Indy Spectator launch party, taking the new pup to training, and being self proclaimed foodies (honestly, I’m not sure I would consider myself a “foodie” but after looking up the definition, I guess we are: “foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news”).

On Friday, I went to see Michael Pollan speak (which was awesome) and attended my first Pecha Kucha night. It was pretty rad that our city has found a way to bring something so…so…cultural (which Daniel Tosh slammed on us for not being, btw).

The theme for the 11^th PK night was “food” and the presentations were centered on innovative ways to spend $5,000. The winner, Jonathan Tremaine Thomas, wants to turn abandon buildings into places where we can grow fresh food and teach low income residents easy ways to cook it.

Pecha Kucha around the world

Saturday was difficult because I’m always tired. Honestly, I’m having a hard time remembering a weekend where I went out both nights. After the dog park (which was a disaster), family visits and a nap we mustered up some energy and went to Zest Exciting Food Creations. For my non Indy readers, Zest started as a breakfast/lunch joint and branched out to dinner recently. We’ve been fans of the famous biscuits and gravy for years so it was time to try their dinner options.

enjoying a glass of sparkling chianti

I have to admit, we weren’t raising the roof as we left. The menu was good but everything was just too salty. Because of this, we thought dinner was overpriced. I don’t mind paying money for great food but it seemed like they made the portions larger to justify the price. Also, the homemade cinnamon ice cream with Mexican hot chocolate sauce and donuts were tasty, but sure as hell not worth $11. That being said, I’d go back if a group of friends suggested it, but not by ourselves.

All in all, the first week went well. We’ll see how long this lasts with all the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, day before and after Christmas temptations surrounding us, but I’m digging it so far!

living room in the spring

And here is the current state:

living room today

We’re not fancy enough to get something from a real artist yet. I don’t really mind spending the money to support the local art community here in Indy, but I am just not ready to buy something that I’ll want to live with for years to come. So, we ended up with these prints and I’m pretty happy with them.

where we lounge

You might notice a new lamp in the corner. The $10 target college lamp just wasn’t cutting it anymore!

mantle decorations

New family photo, our wedding cake toppers, new pillow and…

something is missing...

No TV.

Our TV was stolen on Monday. It was the classic, “come home from work and the back door is kicked open” situation. Luckily, that’s all they took (well, except our printer and that doesn’t even really count).

So, we’re TVless right now and I have to admit, I’m kind of happy about it. As you can see, I’ve pumped out THREE blog posts this week. We have also been super busy so I haven’t really noticed (except for every time I walk into the living room, of course). We’re not sure when we’ll get another TV but I hope it’s not for awhile. I think my brain needs a detox.

I would like to switch out the pillows on the couch (those are the ones that came with the couch 3 years ago). Any suggestions?