The Day I Became a Cloth Diaper Addict

The day has arrived.  I am officially addicted to cloth diapers.  I can't help it, I have simply fallen in love.  I am always thinking about ways to improve the cleaning process and have officially set up a clothes line in the back yard.  If you are wondering about cloth diapering-- just do it.  Gone are the days of diaper pins and hand washing in the toilet.  Now, the diaper covers are adorable and the more you do it, the better you get at getting them clean and making the process efficient.

I had wanted to do cloth diapering from the beginning of the pregnancy and I am so glad I stuck with it.  We had a period where Penny couldn't wear the cloth diapers because she had a small diaper rash due to her thrush and it killed me to watch our trash can overflow with diapers every day.  It was more disgusting than washing them out and made me feel guilty about what I was putting into the environment.  To be honest- if you can't handle poop, don't have a baby.  Washing out her diapers takes about 30 seconds for each one (about 5-7 diapers a day) so really I am only spending an extra 5 or so minutes a day on them.

And the best part? At least for my family overall... we are spending about $500 TOTAL on all our diaper needs for all of our kids.  If we had three kids, all using disposables, that total would be around $4,000 or more. That is a down payment on a new car.  So, yes, I love cloth diapering.

Penny's diapers line drying

Enough of that... for now at least! :) On to a Penny Update

Sorry for the days of silence.  We had Ken's younger sisters over to stay for a Wednesday and Thursday and it was so fun having them!  They helped us put our backyard together (it is still a work in progress but much improved).

The new section of our yard!

 Later in the day, Suzanne and I went for a much needed swim.  Ken, Monique, and Penny joined us later and Penny dipped her feet in for a few minutes in her adorable bathing suit and hat (Thanks Pat and Ashley!).

We spent the morning of 4th of July with our friends who were having a little welcoming party for their new baby.  It is SO much fun to be around other babies and new mommies.  They are all so adorable and you can feel the love pouring out. Penny was held by my friends mother and fell asleep almost immediately.  She definitely knows when a mother is carrying her!  Then we headed up to Lake Arrowhead to walk around the lake.  Penny was a trooper in the car but we only made it to Running Spring before deciding to turn around because it was pouring rain!  There was a thunderstorm and it was pretty fun, but not conducive to a relaxing walk near the lake.  We headed back down and made dinner at home and had a quite evening.  We are going to save the firework shows for next year when Penny can actually enjoy them.

I will be back to the grind tomorrow with my runs so I am savoring my last hours of rest day.

Hope everyone had a safe 4th!

Steph

76 Days to go & GO USA!

I will keep this one brief because the game is coming on and I have to go grab the laundry before it starts.  I went on another run this morning, this time I went 1 1/4 miles woohoo!  (sarcasm intended).  I keep getting down on myself for the distance but I can feel myself getting stronger and my muscles are sore constantly.  I keep a mantra in my head when I hit the hills and I have to walk them, "Soon you will be charging up this hill".   I also have been doing squats and different dance-type body weight exercises while I am rocking Penny to sleep.  It gives me something to do as well.  I know all the work will pay off when it comes time to get through this race and I'm glad Ken will be there with me to help push me.

USA plays Belgium today and I can't wait for the game to start.  I wanted to go watch it at a bar, but bars and babies don't always mix.  Especially when there is going to be loud cheering and yelling.  I hope you all get a chance to watch the game!

~Steph

First Run Postpartum, 77 days to go!

Wow, the time is absolutely flying by.  I am trying incredibly hard to stay on track, but the days seem to get away from me.  I did go on my first run in 11 months though!  Man, it was hard but it actually felt great.  I only went a mile, but was my goal and I am wary of pushing myself too hard too fast.

Ken is the best husband I could ever ask for.  I asked him if I could go on a run while he watched Penny and he didn't even hesitate.  He even helped kick me out of the house when I was stalling.  I felt completely exhausted the rest of the day but I know that the more I work out, the better shape I will be in and the less tired I will be in the long run.

Eating all of that food is still pretty difficult but my milk supply doesn't seem to be affected so I am not going to force food down my throat. I am not sure yet if Penny likes me working out... they say that it can make your milk taste sour after a workout.  I am just interested to see if it will affect her at all but she doesn't seem to mind so far!

As always, she makes ken and I die from laughter every day.  Today she told Ken loud and clear that she does not like being held high in the air.  She had the saddest face and Ken and I couldn't stop laughing.  I think it still amazes us the way she is able to communicate with us. Her little baby coos and gurgling is so adorable and we love having conversations with her.

 Wearing Daddy's shirt.

Chillin like a villain on the couch.

Love,

Steph