Busy bees

So much has been going on the last few weeks.  We have enjoyed some down time in the midst of all the busy moments.  But one thing has stayed true this past month, Friday's are meant for fun.  While I have had some scheduled things that may not be so fun our time as a family has been amazing.

I try not to plan too much but I always make a point that while I have time out of the office we are sure to spend plenty of time enjoying each other.  That means, in between the appointments and errands we are making time to laugh, play, learn and eat.  Because, food is just as important.

Some things Conor has been up to:

*Met and played with/petted 3 pups. 

*Swim lessons, this kid loves water and has made such great progress.

*Raked leaves with daddy and helped bag.

*Taken off with his bubble mower, making several trips to the park by foot. BEST money spent!

*Chores, Conor helps every week with trash night duties on top of a few other things.
*Making new friends and learning to share.
*Celebrated Grandma D's big birthday with family and friends.
*Decorated cookies with friends and shared with another friend.
*Lots of shopping trips and Conor picking up some familiar items.
*Advent calendar fun, which included meeting Santa and having frozen yogurt to celebrate the cry free trip.
*Enjoyed the amazing December weather we have had this year.

Figuring out what we wanted to buy.

Walk and talk, errands have to get done and calls have to be made.

Our little artist.

Trash night chores, thankfully he enjoys it every week.

Conor was not too sure about Santa but he also was okay with seeing him for a few minutes.

Peppermint frozen yogurt was a hit.

Taking time with Great Grandpa W.

And of course 18 month old Christmas Photos:

There are quite a few characters that Conor enjoys and finds everywhere we shop.

Thinking he was up for helping dad clean gutters.

Vacay

We recently returned from family vacation and it was so great.  Very stressful, for me, to get ready and go but once we actually landed I was able to relax.  Packing was a lot, considering that I was not only packing for myself but also for Conor.  It was easier once we got to the week of, warm weather clothes had been in use up until we left.  We had a lot of fun, staying on the beach with a toddler was the best.  We did not have to worry about loading and unloading every day or dealing with the carseat, such a relief and allowed me to enjoy the days much more.

One of my goals during this trip was to cloth diaper, we would be gone for 5 days and we had never used cloth on vacation before with prior trips ranging from 2 days to 8 days.  But we pack cloth when out and about, day trips and to visit family or running errands.  I refused to spend more money on disposables considering how much money we have invested into our cloth.  And I knew we could do this, we do it everyday all day and night so why not while we are traveling.  From plane to beachside then back home.  We did it!

I change diapers about every 2 hours but can vary if we get surprise poops.  I used hybrid diapers as our travel option as they allowed me to use a shell which I could then reuse by simply changing the insert.  Inserts can vary from prefolds, to snap ins and disposable bio-liner.  I choose the biodegradable option for our big trip just to avoid paying to do laundry.  

The biggest challenge was changing a moving toddler on the plane, we were seated closer to the back restroom so I went there but there was no changing table.  Having done this before I just assumed there was a table to use.  But instead had to put my changing pad over the toilet once the lid was down and I somehow was able to change Conor.  Believe me, I wish I had my phone to document.  On our way back I asked the airline attendant which restroom had a changing table, come to find out on this particular airline if the exit sign is in the aisle its in the front but if its over to the side its locate in the back restroom of the plane.  

I have to say, being able to cloth over vacation ended up being very empowering.  I found out that taking the risk had the best reward, a clean happy baby that just happened to save us money in the diaper department.

From home, plane and then back on the ground for some shopping.  We started our vacation with some minor shopping at a favorite cloth store.  

From hook and loop, similar to disposable diaper tape,  Citrus to a snap Adventure GroVia Hybrid. This video will show you how the hook and loop and snaps work, Watch here. At 1:35 you will see the biosoaker option that we used during vacation.  

While I could have kept the same diaper on and just changed my liner I decided that the 4th diaper change called for a fresh diaper.  I believe we could have gone the rest of the day as long as everything stayed dry and no wicking occurred.

Snack time while Conor had Funfair Hybrid with snaps on the bottom.

Conor tends to be a heavy wetter, we have our last milk cup within an hour, at most, before the eyes get heavy so that was a concern for me but we just adjusted and thankfully it worked each night.  We did add an extra diaper change at bedtime to avoid any leakage.  

Some beach playground fun.

I was afraid to use the laundry machines, even just to wash, I decided to wash in the sink with laundry detergent sample we picked up our first day and then hung our shells out to dry.  It is suggested to air dry the shells to get the most life out of them, but other all cotton or stay dry materials can go in the dryer.  The hybrids in the warm sun and wind dried very fast compared to what an all cotton diaper takes to dry.  We lived in our swimsuits during the day but a diaper was always dry and ready to go during lunch, naps and nighttime wear.  

We had a change of location for our last night to be close to the airport and I decided to try the windshield drying method, just saw other parents do it and work for them.  On this trip we took one swim diaper and 3 cloth diapers, one of those was picked up at the cloth store the first day. We started our investment with the Hybrid trial kit which already worked at home for us and empowered me during our vacation.  We had zero blow outs, compared to our previous experience when Conor was smaller and we were traveling with disposables.  

Conor was happy and so were we, vacation was amazing and we accomplished one of my fun goals while away, ice cream every day heck I even had cones one day.  Again we saved a little money by investing in cloth because it works for us and our home.  I am still amazed at how much we have learned since starting our journey as parents and as cloth advocates.

Sunrise on our way to the airport, this photo does not do any justice to the moment with the windows down and the sun coming up.

Arrived back home just in time for lunch and a nap.  This is my favorite moment, little Conor snuggled up to his mama.

Once upon a cloth

Not too long ago our little Conor was growing in my belly and during that time we thought about a lot of things.  If Junior would be a boy or girl, how awesome our little one would be and most of all what we would do about all that poop.  

I saw a friend that was using cloth and it made me do some research.  I found out another friend was planning on doing cloth and again I asked questions.  Luckily I have amazing friends and I began my cloth shopping.  We started very slowly, purchased our first 20 and had them ready to use before Junior arrived but with all the disposables we received we did not start using until Conor was just over 2 months old.  We had not told too many people our plan for cloth and were taking it a day at a time.

Some diapers are one size, meaning that they can be snapped to different sizes to see you trough to potty learning.  We were able to start on the middle rise and have stayed there since his arrival at 8 lbs and 10oz and he is now 25 lbs and 10 oz at 16 months old.

We choose cloth for a lot of reasons, to save money, lessen what we put in landfills and mostly because it was something we believed would work for us.  We did use disposables, long trips, vacations and sometimes overnight as we tried to figure out the best option for our heavy wetter.  I understand that cloth is not for everyone and at times wanted to quit, throw in the towel but I reminded myself that we do not quit on things that we want.  

And once we found a brand that worked for us we invested more into it.  We now have a go to brand, our stash consists of 5 different brands at this time.  My big thing about cloth was to make it easy for others to understand and to not be afraid of using.  We went with All In One's, or AIO, which means there is one piece and you have all the absorbency that you need without needing to lay in a flat or stuff anything into a pocket unless you want to add extra absorbency.  I wanted to encourage my husband and others to use and make it natural to reach for the cloth.  

I also despise this, a sagging booty as opposed to a fluffy bottom that can come in a variety of patterns.

We have been using cloth swim diapers, very easy to clean and keep up, we purchased 3 pairs to rotate during our summer fun.

Conor  enjoys helping unload the diapers and stack them in piles or simply unfold my "hard" work.

Can't tell but this adventurous little man is hiding fluff under those pants.  Some of our diapers are a little rounder on the bottom and others are trim.

This is a better photo of Conor wearing cloth under his pants, an all in one that is trim compared to other brands.

Patchwork print was my way to stay neutral as we decide on what will happen to the diapers after Conor has decided to move onto potty learning.

I finally caught our big helper "spraying" his dirty diaper.  To assist with the poop and overnight diapers we use our Spray Pal.  It has helped us deal with all the mess while keeping my restroom clean and free of debris from our walls and toilet.  This nifty American designed product has made starting cloth easier, we did not need to use until he started solids as an EBF (exclusively Breastfed Baby) diapers can just be thrown in the wash.

There is so much more about cloth diapers but this just shows a sneak of our journey.  I do understand its not for everyone but most people do not think about how easy modern cloth diapering is and the amazing resources that are available.  If you have questions, just ask. 

Running

Having a toddler means lots of running, running to get out the door for the office, running from one place to another, running in moments of fun, running at the playground and eventually we crash.  And when we do, it is oh so sweet.  Conor has been on the constant move since he started walking before his first birthday but once he lets me rock him to sleep it is the sweetest moment that I do not want to let go.  To think he will one day learn to say no.  But for now I enjoy all the kisses, sign language, and tight hugs.   

Water and sun fun brings this guy to nap time.

 This little guy enjoyed his second wedding of the summer.  It was one hot day.

I do not know why he thinks he is so funny but there was a smile hiding under those towel.

We enjoyed some time downtown and Conor got to have his first hard ice cream.  

Conor also enjoys cuddling his teddies these days, often piling them on top of himself or us.

Crazy hair day.

Conor enjoyed his second zoo trip but this time he was walking all over the place.

But his favorite place had to be the splash pad and the carousel.  I think he remembered his first ride in San Francisco at Pier 49.

We opened college football season in our Irish gear, teaching him our team to root for. 

This is one of my favorites, Conor does not have a preference on stuffed animals but this puppy just happens to be one from my childhood.  Not as soft as others but he gets a lot of cuddles.