Mama Kisses...A Cloth Diaper Review

I have a confession to make...my name is Kellie and I am addicted to cloth diapers. There, I said it! Right now, I am in dire need of a haircut and color and I've been rotating the same 2-3 outifts because nothing fits and I need to go shopping, but all I can think about is...CLOTH DIAPERS!!

My son is 7 weeks old and we have been using cloth since he was 1 week old. I built a pretty good cloth diaper stash before he was born and bought all of them on Craigslist. I LOVE finding good deals, so I stalked CL for weeks before I bought any and consulted with a friend of mine before purchasing any. My stash consists of 15 Small Fuzzi Bunz, 5 Fuzzi Bunz OS Elites, 9 white OS Bum Genius, 6 blue/orange OS Bum Genius, 3 Thirsty covers Size 1, a dozen indian prefolds, 4 Bumkins Contours and 2 Rumparooz covers. Clearly I show no brand loyalty with cloth. I bought everything pretty neutral because we did not know if we were having a boy or a girl. I got all of this, minus the Thirsty covers and prefolds for $250! I was pretty proud of myself! I also got 4 wetbags, 1 travel wetbag, some disposable liners and CD detergent. 

Now that our boy is here, I really wanted to "trade in" the white Bum Genius. Once I saw how cute my boy looks in cloth, I knew I just could not settle with white. I decided to sell the 9 Bum Genius and buy some replacements that were more colorful. I've pretty much been banned from Craigslist for awhile (there are some unfinished projects in our garage that must be finished before buying anything else I've been told.)

What was I going to do?! I seriously can't picture myself ever paying full price for cloth diapers. I love them, but I love getting deals just as much! So, this new obsession lead me to an online store Kissed By the Moon. They have something called "Mystery Fluff". You can spend a certain amount of money and get a surprise of cloth diapers. For example, if you get "Baby Kisses" you spend $30 and get a surprise worth $30-$40. I did Loved Mystery Fluff, in hopes of getting more for my money and getting used diapers. I got $60 for my Bum Genius diapers, so I purchased the "Mama Kisses" (spend $60 and get a package worth $75). Perfect!! In the comments I requested "I would like OS or Medium diapers, please no GDiapers or white".

I ordered my Mystery fluff on Tuesday and was so happy to see a package by my door on Friday afternoon! Yay!!

Look who's excited for new diapers too!

Here's what was waiting for me...

The Sustainablebabyish Flat diaper was my "Carnival Prize". It is so cozy and soft! I actually can't imagine letting my baby boy poop in it! We'll see...

When I ordered this I was expecting to get 6-7 diapers that were visibly used. I only received 5 diapers, but two of them (Bum Genius Elemental and Simplex) look brand new!! The Bum Genius 4.0 is in EEUC too! FuzziBunz and Rumparooz are in GUC, but the wear is more obvious. The Rumparooz velcro is pretty worn, but it still works! I am not the biggest fan of velcro, so I am happy that I only got one...all the rest are snaps!

I love doing the Mystery Fluff because I get to try new diapers! I am super excited about the Simplex because it's crazy adorable print and it's more narrow between the legs so I think it will fit baby boy great! I've also never used the BG Elemental or Rumparooz Pocket OS! If I were to do this again (which I am pretty certain I will!) I would do the same order, but specify that I prefer snaps to velcro in addition to my other requests. 

I would definitely recommend this to someone who is not set on one specific brand and is interested in trying new diapers.

My cloth diaper guru of a friend, Jenna, and my CD consultant for EVERY question (check out her blog A Mama Collective) said this is what these would cost new...

THAT'S $116 worth of diapers for $60!!! Did I mention it's also free shipping for orders of $49 or more too?!

Here's my boy in my new favorite diaper, the Simplex! Love the print, love that it is sized (medium), love that it is AIO and LOVE how adorable he looks in it! Still a little big, but it will fit him soon enough!

I would ABSOLUTELY order the LOVED Mystery Fluff again! In fact, I might just go order more right now! Shh...don't tell :)

Renewed and Refreshed

Last weekend I left Ted with his dad for the first time. I was so nervous to leave him, but it was so nice to take some time for me! I mentioned in an earlier post about a friend whose 10 month old son is battling cancer (follow his story here). Another friend planned an outing and rented a cabana for a day. It was so wonderful to spend an afternoon with fabulous ladies and give my friend an afternoon with no worries.

Jason and Ted had a great afternoon bonding too! It was good for them to have some alone time to bond. When I am there, Ted always wants me or if he is fussy, Jason will always hand him to me. This way, they had to fend for themselves and Jason learned he can soothe his son without his mama being there. I left him a bottle (his first one!) and was gone for about 4 hours. I came home and Daddy and Ted were chillin' and watching baseball. I got some time away, Daddy and son had time to bond...I would call it a very successful day. :)

This sweet boy has also gone two nights in a row only waking up once!! Talk about refreshing! I was so worried about him transitioning to his crib so early, but it's a win-win-win all around! Ted is sleeping 5-6 hours at a time, Jason is getting to sleep all night and not be exhausted at work, and Ted is so playful now that he is so much more well rested! So thankful for feeling so renewed and refreshed :)

Six Weeks

I know every mom says this, but it is so true...time flies! I cannot believe this sweet boy is six weeks old! I had planned on updating when he was one month, but it's just gone too fast! 

How crazy is this?! This boy is definitely not a "newborn" anymore!

About a week ago I went through all of his clothes and sorted out all the newborn clothes. I tried to squeeze him into them for as long as possible...one night I could barely get his onesie on for bedtime. It actually got stuck on his bicep! When I tried to get it off, I think he actually laughed at me!

We also transitioned him into his crib. This was heartbreaking for me. I want him to be close, but the truth was NONE of us were getting any sleep. I think I was mostly sad because to me it means he's not a newborn anymore. He's graduated to "infant". I don't know why this hit me so much, the first night he slept great...I didn't sleep at all, I just kept watching the monitor.

This is our saving grace! 
The Woombie has helped ALL of us sleep better! 
And how cute is he?!

As sad as I am to see my sweet boy graduate from newborn to infant, I am loving what being an infant means! We are starting to see this little man's personality and I love it! We've finally got nursing down and this boy loves to eat! Can you tell?

11.1 pounds at his one month!

I love this squishy face!

He still sounds like a little dinosaur with a sweet roar when he wants to get our attention. It is the cutest thing! He also snorts at me when he is hungry, also adorable! He finally likes his Wubbanub and I love it! I didn't really realize you have to train a baby to take a pacifier, so I was discouraged at first. I might regret it someday, but now I don't care because how cute is this?!

This sweet boy is definitely starting to recognize his dad and follow us with his eyes.

He loves sitting with his dad watching baseball and "Airplane time"

The very best part of this new infant stage is this...

 

Seeing this sweet boy smile brings so much joy to my life. It makes up for every sleepless night and every stressful moment. The best part is he is smiling at us, his mom and dad. I am still in complete awe that I am his mama.

We had a fun impromtu six week photo shoot and this boy was killing me with these adorable faces! I also think he likes being naked...all boy for sure!

Charlie wanted in on the photo shoot too!

He's still "adjusting" to the new member of

our family. Every time Jason has the baby instead 

of me he jumps on my lap. :)

So these first six weeks have been quite an adjustment, but I wouldn't change it for anything! Jason told me last week that even though the baby is only six weeks, it seems like he's always been here. It just makes me think that he was always meant to be ours. I was always meant to be his mama. :)

A Matter of Perspective

Last night...was rough to say the least. Ted was just not having it. I bought a woombie to help our sweet boy sleep better at night. It is supposed to mimic the womb and help him with fussiness, colic, and not startling himself awake. At least, that's what the website said it will do. I know it will take some getting used to, but like I began this blog...last night was rough!

First time in the Woombie...definitely not sure of this!

Seriously though...how cute and snuggly is he?! Last night was his second night in it and it started off well. He fussed for a few minutes and then settled in to it. I nursed him and then he was asleep, and I mean OUT by 8pm. I seriously thought I was dreaming! I thought we were ALL going to have a great night sleep...none of us did. My sweet boy was up at midnight, not too bad. He slept for 4 hours and I thought I can handle this! But, then he was up until 2am...then again at 3am...4am...and 5am. Finally when he woke up at 6am, we got up and went for a walk. Of course he's a great sleeper when we are walking. I can't complain about that, I am SOO grateful to get some exercise. 

So, we were up...most of the night. It's crazy what goes through your mind when you are that sleep deprived. I was exhausted, Baby T was sleep deprived and exhausted. It kills me in those moments when I cannot soothe my own child. I felt like a failure. I don't know what to do, so I just start crying with the baby. Seriously, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...I was crying. Crying because I was exhausted, crying because I had no idea how to soothe him, crying because I had no idea what to do.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE snuggling with this boy...

So what do I do in those moments in the middle of the night where I have no idea what to do? 

I think. I think about the day that will come (sooner than I think) where he won't want to snuggle with me. I think about how tremendously blessed I am to be his mom. I get to watch him grow and achieve and learn. I think about how special our bond is, even when he is screaming in the middle of the night because he is so tired. I knew him before anyone else...I felt him kick first. I saw him move first. I knew he was there, even when others didn't. I hate to say this, but in the middle of the night, I have to remind myself of these very things. When I am frustrated and sleep deprived, I have to tell myself "You are so blessed to be his mama". I hate that I have to remind myself. I hate myself for getting frustrated.

I pray. I pray for those who are not as blessed as we are. I pray for those who are not able to have children. I know their frustration is worse. I pray for people who do not have any easy pregnancy. Even though my labor was long, my pregnancy was easy. I loved every minute of being pregnant. I was truly blessed with health. I have a friend right now who is on bed rest in the hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy. Every day that her baby girl stays in her womb is a victory. I pray for them. I pray for people who have children who are sick, who truly cannot help their child. I know that is every parent's worst fear. A very dear friend of mine has a sweet ten month old boy who is in the fight of his life battling cancer (read his story here). I would take a million sleepless nights if it meant he could be healed. I know she would too. So, it's a matter of perspective. Last night was rough, but it could always be worse...right now I have this perfect little boy who sometimes only wants to snuggle with his mom...even if it's 3am. I'll take it and remind myself in those wee hours how truly blessed I am. 

Trying the Woombie during nap time

Five minutes later

So we will try again tonight and hopefully all get a little more sleep. Happy Monday everyone! :)