Just Can't Wait!!

I am one excited mama-to-be, when I started this blog about a month ago I was not sure what direction it would head in. I can totally see that a huge part of this blog is going to be about my baby boy and that includes the pre-baby stuff too. Well duh Ileana, this baby in me is a huge part of me literally! Be prepared to read lots more about baby because lately he is all that is on my mind, I can't wait to meet him in 10 weeks. 10 weeks WOW that is coming up fast :)

Today my husband and I ventured to Ikea once again with determination to grab the rest of the stuff for the nursery. I am so excited that we got the perfect rug for his room for HALF the price, true story! We spend like 20 minutes looking at all the rugs on the floor and couldn't find the right one. We wanted a round rug that was blue, not baby blue, not navy blue but this certain shade that would compliment his room perfectly. What that shade is exactly I can't say because I'm not even sure. Before we paid we decided to check the "as is" section, and there it was. I felt as though I heard the celebratory "aaaahhhhh" sound when I saw it, you know that sound right? So after inspecting the rug we found that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the rug, it was just the display...um hello new rug, you are so perfect for our sons room!

Just a little preview for you, keep in mind the rocker will not be there

Decorating is going to be so much fun, well it has been already. I already know how I want to decorate it is just a matter of going out and getting the stuff. I have been having a lot of fun using Photoshop and created a few pieces of art for the walls. My Mom has been sewing the bedding and it will all be done by my baby shower in just a few weeks.

The two diapers are in place...going to need a much bigger stash!

I was a little eager beaver and decided to just put something in the drawers so I could stop using his stroller as a dresser. I opened up the drawer organizers and put his two cloth diapers in :) That is a whole other journey I am embarking on and I am so excited. You can read about why I chose to cloth diaper here. I just cannot wait to be a mommy!!!




Today I am linking up with:

The Cloth Diaper Revival

Pillows

Last night I had a less than wonderful night of sleep...boo hoo, waaah me, no but seriously I did. I must have woke up about 10 times having to re-adjust until I could fall back asleep. Now I have had many women tell me that towards the end of their pregnancy they had to sleep with multiple pillows, I didn't think much of it and figured every woman is different. For some reason I thought I was a lucky girl and could sleep soundly through the whole ten months. I have had a good ride for the past 7.5 months, I must say at times I don't even "feel pregnant". Now that my baby boy has become quite the mover at night I decided at 5AM to take their advice and this is what it has come to...

After I made myself a pillow cocoon I slept AMAZINGLY! (Don't mind my Christmas flannel sheets) I am so thankful for all the advice I have been given, whether I ever use it I know that in a given situation I might have a solution. I have been day dreaming about going back to sleep tonight because I know I will be nice and comfy. 

After seeing this picture I realize that I have left my husband barely any space, I hope that he isn't having the same sleep dilemma as me. Ok let me be honest if the pillow wasn't there I would be, I am sorta a bed hog :) 

Happy Sunday :)

104 Days Left!!!

On this rainy Friday I woke up feeling sick, so I called in sick and spent the morning in bed. I'm feeling a little better now thankfully. Since going back to work after Thanksgiving break I have taken it upon myself to be the "sick monitor" of the kids. This is the time of the year that their little germies seem to multiply and everyone gets sick! Therefore I keep a thermometer (and sanitizer) handy and when I hear the words "I don't feel good" I am on it! Seems as though hand sanitizer backed by thorough hand washing was not as effective as I had hoped. But I really don't find being stuck inside on rainiest day of the season so far is such a bad thing.

Aside from feeling sick, my pregnancy app reminded me this morning that I have just 104 days to go! YAY!! I am feeling good most days, today is an exception. I have a lot of energy and an amazing appetite. Baby is healthy and quite the mover! I am convinced he is an acrobat! My belly "popped" about 2 weeks ago (I've been told) and a lot of people started feeling comfortable to ask if I am expecting. 

While that seems like a long time it really isn't. It is only 15 weeks or about 4 months. In that amount of time we have a lot to do! 

The nursery is currently our guest bedroom and is under construction while the new baseboards go in. My husband and I have already purchased the crib and glider, as well as an infant car seat set. My mom  has started sewing the bedding. I am feeling really good about the progress but eager to get started putting it all together. This weekend we are going to add a chair rail to the walls and paint! Then hopefully we can get started assembling the crib and glider, and slowly adding more furniture.

For the next 104 days we are making it our mission to enjoy everyday, since they will be the last 104 days of just "the two of us" for a long time and that is perfectly OK with us :)

Cloth Diapering Part 1

Making decisions for baby had the potential to get really overwhelming. However, I have this amazing group of friends and family who have answered all of my questions. Believe me I have a lot being that I am a first time Mom!

One of the burning questions I had was what brand of diapers do I use. After asking everyone I knew, I got a lot of responses....long story short I found out that disposables were not the only option and I was inspired to research cloth diapering after two moms told me why they use them. 

My idea of cloth diapering was so old fashion. I envisioned a plain cloth diaper fastened by safety pins in which have to be soaked in a bucket before washing. To my surprise this is so not the case! There are so many options available and cloth diapers to fit anyones lifestyle and they are SUPER CUTE!

Now the two moms I talked to use completely different systems, both highly rated and recognized but different in their own respect. So I had to do a little research of my own, and when I research something I pour hours upon hours into finding out every detail possible....pros, cons, how to videos (thank you YouTube), pricing...you name it I looked it up!

Based on my findings I have come to the conclusion that cloth diapers are:

1. CUTE (yes this matters to me)
2. Very easy to use
3. Reduce diaper rash
4. Budget friendly (OMG diapers can run you up nearly $2000 or possibly more before potty training, cloth diapers depending how crazy you go buying covers about $500)
5. Make for an easier transition in potty training
6. Environmentally friendly 

Being that I am not in this alone in this I had to find a way to convince my husband that disposable diapers were not the only option available. His biggest question for me was will I have to touch poop? I'm not going to lie, I thought the same thing at first. Now when using disposables you also have the risk in touching poop, so yes it is possibly but not likely once you master diaper changing or upon freak accident. We agreed to cloth diapering!

I was so excited and purchased 1 of each type of diaper we will be using. For daytime we will be using Flip diapers and for nighttime, the Bumgenius 4.0. The most appealing thing about both is that they are made by the same company and are a once size diaper, meaning that baby can fit in them from about 8-35 pounds. They come in very cute designs and have a snap or hook and loop (which more closely resembles disposables) closure. They are highly reviewed by other moms on the web and one of my friends. Leaks and blowouts are really rare, which is a huge plus!

The Flip diaper is a hybrid diaper. It is made up of a PUL diaper cover and has three different options for inserts: organic cotton, stay dry or disposable. I am not going to be home all the time nor will my husband and I be the only ones who watch our son, so I love that there is a disposable option. Cleanup is really easy once you remove the diaper you literally flip the dirty insert in your wash bag and as long as the cover does not get dirty you can reuse it! 

The Bumgenius 4.0 is a pocket diaper meaning that you stuff the insert into the pocket. We chose this style because it can be a more absorbent nighttime diaper by adding a doubler with the insert of choice.

The Bumgenius was $17.95 and the Flip was $19.95. I found out that one should have at least 10 covers and 24 inserts which is about 3 days worth of diapers. However, I always like to be prepared so I plan to have a bigger stash but it is good to know what is essential. 

Next step was to figure out laundering these bad boys! It is recommended to wash every other day using a special detergent formulated for cloth diapers. The covers can be hung to dry and the inserts go in the dryer. 

My registry has been updated with diapers so our actual investment is not going to be much and the best part is that I can use these when I have another baby. I am thrilled to start cloth diapering and glad that I made this decision :)