Author: monstauffer

From My Monkies to Theirs

We had the privilege of going with Aunt Jes to the Zoo last week. [Thank you again, Lauren, for the tickets]. The girls had a blast and were quite good for staying up hours past their nap times.

We started our adventure early, having breakfast in the car to try to get down to the Zoo and utilize our morning energy stock. After bathing in sunblock and stuffing the stroller with dryer sheets (keeps bug away without the need for bug spray on skin [motions to eczema kids]), we hit the zoo. We organized a plan of attack when looking at the map and show times.

Abi was initially QUITE nervous about the animals themselves moving unpredictably. But with Mommy holding her, she only shuddered a little bit and eventually warmed up to the fact that the animals were in cages and not free to, say, bite her toes. It’s funny but while that little girl ADORES animals, the actual things make her nervous and she comes a little unraveled at first. Security is found in the trusted’s arms, though.

Rachael was her regular all-in three year old self. She took an extra step of independence in wanting to walk for most of the Zoo, with some stroller breaks. [Now, I’m a fan for her walking and she’s on the verge of being too big to ride in a stroller at “walking events” but for now if I have the option of getting her red-head skin out of direct sunlight under the stroller’s extended hood, I’ll take it.]

We re-slathered on sunblock throughout the day (Matt would have been so proud, Mr. Apply hourly to avoid 3rd degree white skinned man) and paced outside viewings with inside AC rechargings for this pregnant Momma. But I must say, while the on had some hot moments found behind the double stroller of 66+lbs of kids…. on hills, the breeze and the temperature when not “working out” were perfect! I was thankful. And the baby animals – especially the baby fox? A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

The Zoo Park: YAY for burning energy with JOY!
Such a brave “jumper”. hehe.
Abi’s idea was to ride on Rachael’s lap. =)

My Spiderladies.



Turtle Petting:
Oooh… he’s slow and isn’t unpredictable in movements. I can do this!

brave in the trusted arms of Aunt Jes.
– despite her pain-labeled face in this pic, she really was thrilled. Just caught her in an odd-faced moment. –

It was a wonderful time. And while we were there all day, I only took a few pics so as not to be “the photographer” but instead to be fully there. =)

– Thanks for sharing in our Zoo fun!

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Mobile Project

I had an idea. While thinking through things that I’d like to get before Hannah comes, I thought about a crib mobile.

After looking around online I wasn’t impressed with the prices. THIRTY DOLLARS? Who pays THIRTY DOLLARS for a mobile?!

So I decided to do something better: make one.

So I gathered an arrangement of ideas in a pile:

And out popped the idea of making butterflies.

So I got to work and made this.

Each butterfly is made of an old clothes pin, painted in leftover pastels from the nursery paints. I used half a black pipe cleaner from our homeschool supplies for each antenna. After cutting out a simple pattern for the wings from an index card, I used some fabric scraps to sew the wings and pinch them into the paperclip. Superglue to keep the antennas on and reinforce the string’s knot. Voila!

I mixed and matched the colors for cute combos.

Then I grabbed two “charactered” sticks from the backyard, sanded them down (something about not wanting bark particles falling in the baby’s face) and washed them (don’t want dirt falling in the baby’s face either), and used some nearby twine-string to adjust out the balance and hang the butterflies. A lighter to cauterize the string’s edges and superglue for reinforcing the knots and attachments to the stick and I’d say this project costing me a total of $0 turned out well. =)

Rachael and Abi each blessed it with a little swing and we enjoyed watching it bobble about.

I hung it on the shelf’s hook coming out from under the shelf hung above Hannah’s crib.

Hope she likes it as much as I do. =) 

Plus, it looks great with our pastel nursery with the flower, bee and butterfly chair boarder around the room. 

Win, win!

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Straight to Bed

Yesterday I cleaned off the extra twin bed in the girls’ room. I had been using it as an “outgrown clothes” pile for a few months after setting it up in celebration of passing out of the first trimester of pregnancy with Hannah. Since Alivia never made it beyond the first trimester, I wanted to celebrate Hannah’s advancement and the Lord’s blessing us with a thriving pregnancy. The plan is for all three girls to share a room in the nursery (Rachael and Abi’s bed will eventually bunk together), and continue to leave our “new kid room” freed up for Respite care kids from foster care and, when the time comes, our new adopted child(ren).

With Hannah baking in the oven and Abi’s second birthday approaching, I set up the bed before I got too big and it would be highly uncomfortable to build a twin bed. Then it sat there… collecting outgrown clothes as a loading dock for storage in the file clothes boxes.

Life continued on as normal.

Looking at the calendar, I came to realize Abi will be two in a little less than 2 weeks. (Wow on many levels). See, 2 is the age Abi will be when Hannah arrives. This may not sound phenomenal to you all, but to me it makes September feel like tomorrow. And all the preparations and joys and anticipations that September holds right along with it.

So I started chipping away at the clothes on the bed yesterday: sorting, stacking, putting in boxes, and labeling some newly added boxes before shoving them under the bed until Abi grows into them, for Rachael’s outgrown clothes, or until Hannah will grow into them, for Abi’s outgrown clothes. Kinda crazy and fun the memories that flooded out of those little clothes as I enjoyed the folding and storing process.

Once the bed was cleaned off, Abi said, “Hannah’s bed” when becoming acutely aware of a new climbing structure in the nursery.

“No, Abi. That’s Abi’s bed…. this is Hannah’s bed,” I pointed to her crib.

She looked confused.

“Hannah’s bed?” She patted the new twin.

“No, that’s Abi’s new bed. Hannah will sleep in the crib.” I re-explained.

She carried on with life.

Today at nap time we followed the normal routine: new diaper, fan on, lights out, Rachael potties. And then Abi took a bold step of initiative.

“Abi’s bed” she said and began to climb up on the twin bed.

“Do you want to nap there?” I asked, a little startled.

A huge smile spread across her face.
“Abi’s bed.” She repeated.

So I let her pick out her sheets (she picked the striped hot-pink ones. hehe), dressed the bed, brought over the familiar loves (ducky, lambie and blankey). And my proud almost 2 year old had the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face as I tucked her in “just like Rachael.”

So proud of herself that it’s contagious.

She was still beaming as she fell asleep – no fuss, no need for verbal reminders of nap time. Just Abi – being huge… just like Rachael.

(shrugs shoulders) That was easy.

Abi’s private section of the nursery.
The nursery’s layout. 
Rachael’s close by for moral support. 😉

I was planning on having her try out napping in the “big girl bed” next week and then transition her to “night sleeps” at 2 years old. We’ll see if she doesn’t just transition herself.

Go, Abi, go!!!

– (Sigh) My growing girl.

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Stack ‘Em Up!

We took our Memorial day easy after having two packed days on the Saturday and Sunday before. Unfortunately, my “sleep in” dreams did not happen as I had a fantastic visit from Mr. Charlie Horse TWICE at 5am. I stayed up for 45 minutes of potassium and prenatal vitamin consumption, as well as water rehydration. Then I “napped” until 8am.

After doing the diaper laundry, I came to a realization while putting it away that we have virtually no room for Hannah’s cloth diapers. Being as how we had a lazy Memorial day ahead of us with plans of hot dogs in the backyard amid the girls playing in the swimming pool (will post those pics in a further post), my creative wheels started turning. I eyed my dwindling stack of receiving blankets, noting that 3 color coordinated.

Backstory: Saturday morning I got the privilege of discovering a woman selling her newborn cloth diaper stash (24 prefolds and 6 covers) for only $25 on craigslist. Since the prefolds themselves cost $2 a piece and the covers cost $8 a piece, I knew I wanted to jump on that deal before someone else did. We were in her area Sunday and were able to complete Hannah’s diaper stash until she gets into our current pocket diapers. I WAS (and still am) PUMPED!!!

So looking at the stack of 39 (I made 15 myself) newly washed and ready to be stored Hannah diapers/covers, while putting away Abi’s diaper stash, I decided to take advantage of our “lazy day” with a little sewing project.

I used this free diaper stacker pattern (though mildly vague).

And primarily this picture over the pattern words, which were a bit confusing to me. I read another pattern (“simple design” one) with pictures and figured I had the hang of it enough to improv.

I grabbed my three coordinating receiving blankets and, after reading reviews on other diaper stackers being too thin, grabbed some extra polyester to line the diaper stacker with reinforced durability. I laid out my fabric, measured twice, and cut once (though nearly twice. LOL).

This is my starting picture (minus my piece of cardboard to stiffen the bottom of the completed diaper stacker.) 

And this is the finished product:

 It is hung by a “child sized” hanger inserted into the stacker. I chose a metal skirt clip for two reasons: we have a plethera of these and I wanted the hanger head to be able to swivel and hold the weight of the cloth diapers.

** See Hannah’s cute cloth diapers in there? =D All 39 fit with extra room.

This hangs wonderfully on the end of our changing table in the nursery. YAY! And it’s also easily transported to the laundry room for refilling on laundry day. 

A close-up of the primarily hand-sewn part. I took the butterflies off an old and semi-useless burp cloth (it was really small and thin), then sewed it onto a few leftover pieces of the receiving blanket material I used in the diaper stacker. 

It took me about 4 hours (I hand-sewed a little of it so I could watch the girls “swim”) and cost me $1.59 (I ran out of thread. hehe).

I think it came out pretty cute! =)

P.S. For those of you concerned about Hannah potentially being a boy: 1. They got a really good “tell all” peek. 2. If Hannah turns out to be an Elijah, Elijah will get over the butterflies since “he’d” be sharing a room with his sisters for a good while. hehehe. But I’m pretty sure Hannah is 99% more likely. 😉

P.P.S. Matt was impressed that I created this in one day. His exact response: “You made that (smiling and surprised) just today?” =D YAY! I did!

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Brand Cloth Diapering

I wanted to share some tricks of the trade and a compilation of my personal reviews and the reviews I’ve heard universally about some cloth diaper brands. I’m not going to review all cloth diaper brands (there are a bunch) and I’m only going to briefly review the cloth diapering brands that are connected to our diapering system and therefore I have chosen or chosen to by-pass.

Prefolds (old-school cloth diapers)

  • You can use pins or snappis. I prefer snappies – snug, secure, no baby stabbing. But less cost-effective than pins. 
  • Generally prefolds cost about $2 a diaper unless you are buying in bulk.
  • Material: generic cotton – decent, Chinese cotton – holds up well, little rough, Indian cotton – BEST! holds up great AND soft. Comparison. Our Indian cotton prefolds have had more wear/tear on the edges in terms of the edge stitching, but I like softer over needing to re-edge a diaper (which I haven’t had to do yet).
  • Bleached or unbleached – depends on your preference. I prefer unbleached since my kids tend to have sensitive skin and the cost is maybe a few pennies different. To me, why risk that your kid has sensitive skin if you can just buy the more sensitive skinned ones (unbleached) for about $0.10 more.
  • Best brands I’ve found for the cheapest cost: 
  • Osocozy brand (prefer unbleached) runs about $13 a dozen on Amazon.com. Best brand if you have to buy new. Easiest on the pocketbook unless you can find some incredible sale.
  • Green Mountain – a little more expensive, but if you can find them used they’ll last through many childrens’ bombings.
  • Econobums – I’ve heard they are a good/absorbent brand that is financially savvy but not experienced them personally. And they seem to always come in a pack with other stuff when sold new.
  • Bummis – strong, thick, quilty and gentle on the pocketbook if you are buying them second-hand. Otherwise about $4.00 A DIAPER.
  • Gerber brand birdseye = good for burp clothes, BAD for cloth diapering. Birdseye shreds in the wash after about 3 months of use (if it makes it that long). 
  • If your prefold doesn’t have sizes – it’s a bad prefold. No one’s 3 month old is going to fit into a toddler prefold. Best economical expense = small gaps between sizes, but you will be choosing to fold down a portion of the fabric while baby grows into the full fabric, which some people call bulky and I call “extra poop safety” as well as “financially savvy.”
  • Check out some youtube prefold folding videos if these intimidate you, they might change your mind. 
  • To double a prefold for naps/night put extra insert OUTSIDE of prefold but inside of cover to allow best pull away from skin.
  • Fleece on sale at a hobby store is best call for more sensitive skinned kids. Buy a yard, cut down into insert-sized strips and throw into inner lining against skin, making a barrier between baby’s bottom and the prefold itself. I found fleece on sale for $4.50 for a yard and it made 24 “barriers” of fleece.
  • Wash (water for every cycle but the last) 4-5 times when bought new to maximize absorbency. OR my preference: boil for 15 minutes in water alone and then wash. Cuts down on water use and gets the job done faster than 5 times through the wash. 

    • Covers

    • You will only need a rotation of 3-5 over the span of 2 days depending on preference, material inside, and the age of your child (young baby wanting to err on the higher amount of covers, vs. older/more controlled BMs = less covers). If baby dirties cover beyond recognition, then wash. If baby spots on cover, then wipe clean and lay aside to dry while baby wears another cover. Less changing of covers = less laundry.
    • Can be used with just an insert (see below) or a prefold with or without a snappi/pins.
    • Thirsties covers are by far the cheapest with the best overall reviews throughout the sizes. Offered in velcro (hook and loop closure) and snaps. I prefer velcro for tighter/trimmer fit. Lasts through multiple kids may need to replace velcro with multiple kids. 
    • single sized thirsties covers (ex. Extra small, small, etc) – fit best for newborns, especially if your newborn has a slim waste. Most reviews talk about thirsties covers being one of the few that work on that “fresh out of the oven” time. Single-sized covers cost about $10.50/cover. 
    • duo wrap covers – 2 sizes from birth to potty training. Size 1 (6-18lbs) Size 2 (18-potty training). Just the covers run at about $12.75/cover. Again, you’ll only need 3-5 to use in a rotation over the span of 2 days. 
    • duo diapers (different than wraps) have insert included in diaper that can be flush against baby’s skin. These also come in 2 sizes (size 1 and 2) and run about $18 a diaper (sometimes $16 for the solid colors). A little more pricey but you know for sure you have all the pieces to get started if you are uncertain. These diapers can also be used without the insert as a regular cover. I would suggest getting extra inserts or using your prefolds as extra inserts.
  • Prorap covers run about $8.00/cover and come in 5 sizes (newborn, small, medium, large, XLarge). Medium, Large and XLarge start to get more difficult reviews in terms of leaking (kids start to thin out in the legs so it gets more varied to make a cover that will get the job done for everyone). Newborn has the umbilical cord cut-out which is VERY good for keeping irritation away from baby til they lose their cord. Newborn and Small get best reviews for being a cheap in price, but good in fit diaper cover. Inner shell is more plastic than some covers, making it easily handwashed, quick-drying, and washer-safe. Not suggested to dry these in the dryer due to how quickly they dry and the risk of melting them. GREAT pick for newbie to 3 month old size, especially cost effective. Reviews say they last through multiple kids, but I have no personal experience with this.
  • LOVE Wonder Wraps, but they’re less cost-friendly unless you get them second-hand. They usually range about $18-$20 a wrap (if you can find them in stock), but are a one-sized cover. The shape of these is slightly different than other covers (more pear shaped) and therefore covers VERY well with 0 leaks. Lasts through multiple kids. May need to replace velcro after 2 kids.
  • Wash at least 3x if new before first use to remove factory chemicals. 

    • Inserts

    • Wash (water for every cycle but the last) 4-5 times when bought new to maximize absorbency. OR my preference: boil for 15 minutes in water alone and then wash. Cuts down on water use and gets the job done faster than 5 times through the wash. 
    • Materials:
    • Microfiber (MF)= cheapest in cost, absorbs instantly unless repelling (detergent build-up due to not washing with cloth diaper safe detergent), holds up same as other materials. Quick absorbing. Debate of whether can go directly against child’s skin. I’ve put it against Abi’s sensitive skin and had no issues, but these have been washed MANY times before. There are some reviews that say MF should never be put against baby’s skin and results in hive-like spots of diaper rash. Your call. You can use a fleece barrier if you are using an insert alone in a cover. Can bleach if needed to keep white (though some argue against the sheer “harshness” of the bleach product in general, it is infrequently in reference to it being harsh to fabrics, but to sensitive skins – these people also tend to be the “all organics” people).
    • Hemp = very absorbent, absorbs slow. Preference for many cloth diaperers for a night diaper. More pricey cost – up to $5 per insert. Retains smell with repetitive use so you’ll need to treat extra for smell. Can be put directly on skin contact. Longest time to dry in dryer.
    • Bamboo = supposably more absorbent than Hemp and MF, but my personal results with bamboo have been much less absorbent (apparently I’m in good company too) than hemp. Retains smell like hemp. Dries quicker than hemp. Less expensive than hemp, but more expensive than MF.
    • Zorb = very absorbent, can be cost effective (especially if second-hand), no blue zorb material can touch baby’s skin so be sure to have it covered in fleece or another material if not already. Absorbs better than MF, better than bamboo, and less bulky than hemp. Material made specifically for heavy-wetters in the cloth diaper world. $5 an insert piece at this site for the non-sewers. $11 for a yard here if you make your own insert. I got them for $0.50 an “insert” off craigslist. 
    • Terry (towel) = now more than 2 layers at a time to avoid retained smell and allow for extensive washing. HIGHLY absorbent and cost-effective, especially if you use old towels and make your own. BEST night diaper material I’ve found for the cost. 4 layers of towel wrapped in material in the form of 2 inserts suffices our heavy wetter at nights/naps when all other materials have failed. Funny how the cheapest wins. 😉 
    • Comparisons of all the kinds of inserts here. and here. and here. Or there’s this method of testing. Or this one by brand and it’s part 2 [Gotta take a second to give a shout-out to the Sunbaby insert that beat out many high priced brand name inserts when you can buy them for up to a quarter of the price. 😉 ].

    Pockets/All-in-Twos (AI2)

    • Designs for 12lbs to potty training crowd, and not little babies. 
    • One-size = most economical verses buying and rebuying specific sizes. (That’s why one-size are less frequently available in resale markets due to their versatility). 
    • One-size is especially helpful if diapering more than 1 child at one time since the sizes can be altered by snapping down to fit the child on the spot. 
    • Sunbaby and Alvababy (in China) make most cost-effective and quality diapers. Soft fleece inner-lining and durable, can be used for multiple kids, outer PUL. Cute patterns/colors or solids available. Plan ahead: takes 3-4 weeks to arrive. About $5 a diaper with some combination deals.
    • Most like disposable diapers, excluding use of inserts to customize for child. 
    • Stuff insert into pocket post wash and shake holding opposite end of pocket to dump insert out before wash.
    • MF insert = good til about 9 months then need additional insert. Suggest less bulky material as second material to avoid leaking through legs. 
    • Snaps survive far better than velcro on these diapers.
    • Wash at least 4x if new before first use to remove factory chemicals.  

    Diaper Rash Creme

    • Cannot use regular diaper rash creme on cloth diapers due to most cremes being made with Zinc Oxide or Fish oil. Both stick to your cloth diapers and do not wash out well, if they ever wash out. These ingredients repel water – not a good feature when you want your diapers absorbing urine. 
    • Pure, Organic Coconut Oil is the best and cheapest cloth diaper safe creme. It costs $17 for a 32 ounce jar. You only need a fingertip’s worth for a diaper change so this stuff goes a long way. (Also great for eczema.) Washes out easily and safely from cloth diapers in one wash. [Sure beats a 3.75 ounce jar for $15 of “cloth diaper creme”.]

    Okay, that’s all the wisdom I can think to share for now. Hope that’s helpful.

    Have a great day!

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