August's due date was exactly a year ago today. I can't believe his birthday is quickly approaching! I remember this time last year like it was just yesterday. This has been the fastest year of my life. I thought I'd take you back to this time in my life one year ago. Click the link below if you would like to reminisce with me.... :)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
You're Gonna....Cloth Diaper???
Never say never. It couldn't be more true. "I will NEVER cloth diaper." I have said it a million times. I have never had an interest in cloth diapering at all. Never even wanted to try. I already struggle with trying to keep up with the laundry demand, so I have always known that I am not the best candidate for cloth diapering.
However.
It kills me every time I have to buy a package of diapers or wipes. They are so expensive, just to be used for a couple hours and then thrown away. Then when I go to throw away a diaper genie liner full of diapers, I am thinking about how much I paid for those diapers, how much I paid for those diaper genie liners, and how much space all these diapers are going to take up in our city trash can (which reminds me that these diapers have to go somewhere, so I can only picture a landfill filled with diapers from all the babies in the county...let alone the world). So I have been contemplating cloth diapering for a few months now. I'll read a blog or two about it or look up how other mothers cloth diaper on youtube.
I only know of two other people in "real life" who cloth diaper, but there are tons of mommies on the internet that have done it with success. People choose cloth diapering for many reasons, but for me, it all came down to the money.
I decided to break it down. Here is what it is costing us (approximately) to diaper August in disposables.
3.) Diaper Genie Pail Liners: We got a diaper genie as baby shower gift. It's great, and we enjoy it, however, the disposable pail liners for those things are quite expensive. If we were to buy a roll in the store (they are blue and sold in rolls), it would last us about a month and costs $10. So, if you buy in stores, it $120/year just for the liners. However, I have been buying them off of Amazon since there is a better deal for them on there. They come in a 3 pack off of Amazon, which lasts us about 3 months. They cost about $20 for a 3 pack. So I need to purchase these about 4 times a year, so (20 x 4) would come out to be about $80/year on disposable diaper genie liners off of Amazon.
So, in total, for disposable diapering, I spend about $45 a month or $532/year. This total is not including the additional diapers (more than 6 a day) that are used for newborns. It also does not include the cost of a diaper genie (add $30). From birth to potty training, (about 3 years) this would be end up costing about $1,600 to diaper with disposables.
4.) Reusable Pail liners: In cloth diapering, it is easiest to use reusable pail liners. They work just like a garbage bag except that they are reusable. You just throw it in the wash along with the cloth diapers and wipes. I purchased 2 reusable pail liners on Amazon for (Kissa's pail liners) for $14.95 each, or about $30. ***UPDATE: Unfortunately, I do not recommend this product. One of my Kissa's pail liners ripped at the seams in the wash after about 2 washes. The other one is not leaving my pail dry. It is "sweating" and not holding in moisture. I have since purchased a liner from Planet Wise, and it is working out great! The Planet Wise liners are a lot more substantial. They seem to be made with a thicker fabric, and there aren't any exposed seams that could rip in the wash. The Planet Wise liners run just a couple dollars more than the Kissa's liners.
However.
It kills me every time I have to buy a package of diapers or wipes. They are so expensive, just to be used for a couple hours and then thrown away. Then when I go to throw away a diaper genie liner full of diapers, I am thinking about how much I paid for those diapers, how much I paid for those diaper genie liners, and how much space all these diapers are going to take up in our city trash can (which reminds me that these diapers have to go somewhere, so I can only picture a landfill filled with diapers from all the babies in the county...let alone the world). So I have been contemplating cloth diapering for a few months now. I'll read a blog or two about it or look up how other mothers cloth diaper on youtube.
I only know of two other people in "real life" who cloth diaper, but there are tons of mommies on the internet that have done it with success. People choose cloth diapering for many reasons, but for me, it all came down to the money.
I decided to break it down. Here is what it is costing us (approximately) to diaper August in disposables.
Disposable Diapering
*Prices will vary. I did this based on the lowest regular brand price I can find (which is typically Luv's) in whatever grocery store I'm in, which is how I usually buy diapers. No sales or coupons. I'm a last minute diaper purchaser kind of person.
1. ) Luv's size 3 diapers at Walmart: 124 count. $20.00. Since we do about 6 diaper changes a day, this pack would last us about 20 days. So if there are 365 days in a year, if you divide that by the number of days it takes me to use a pack (20), that would mean I would need 18.25 packs a year. However, since I can't buy 1/4 of a pack, I would need to buy 19 packs of diapers a year. So at 20 dollars a pack, I would end up spending $380/year on diapers.
2.) Parent's Choice wipes at Walmart: 700 count for $12.00. This is TMI, but most days, August poops 1-2 times a day. We'll call it 2. Obviously the rest of the time, it is just pee. So, if I use about 4 wipes on poopy diapers (14 wipes if you are my husband....just sayin!), and 1 wipe for pee pee diapers, that would total about 12 wipes a day if I change 6 diapers a day. So that means that we would go through this pack of wipes in about 58 days, or 2 months. So this would calculate (6 purchases a year times $12 per purchase) to about $72/year on disposable wipes.
2.) Parent's Choice wipes at Walmart: 700 count for $12.00. This is TMI, but most days, August poops 1-2 times a day. We'll call it 2. Obviously the rest of the time, it is just pee. So, if I use about 4 wipes on poopy diapers (14 wipes if you are my husband....just sayin!), and 1 wipe for pee pee diapers, that would total about 12 wipes a day if I change 6 diapers a day. So that means that we would go through this pack of wipes in about 58 days, or 2 months. So this would calculate (6 purchases a year times $12 per purchase) to about $72/year on disposable wipes.
Cloth Diapering
*Prices will vary. There are many different brands in cloth diapering, as well as many different methods of cloth diapering. These prices are based on the brands I have chosen and the lifestyle I prefer.
1.) Sunbaby cloth diapers: $144 for a set of 24. I have chosen the brand Sunbaby for our cloth diapers. They are comparable to popular cloth diaper brands such as Fuzzibunz and BumGenius. However, a brand new Fuzzibunz or BumGenius diaper will cost anywhere from $25-$35 per diaper, where as Sunbaby diapers end up being $6.50 per diaper. Sunbaby diapers are adjustable and are made to fit from birth to potty training. They do this by having stretchy elastic and adjustable snaps. There are snaps around the waist to loosen or tighten, snaps to adjust the rise (how long the diaper is), and snaps to adjust the leg hole size (for skinny newborns or chunky toddlers). Since the diapers are made to last for as long as your baby is in diapers, $144 is all that is needed to diaper the baby from birth to potty training (about 3 years). You can choose whether or not you want 1 or 2 inserts with the diaper (you stuff the inserts into a pocket in the diaper), and you can also choose the material you want the insert to be made of. Different materials have different benefits. I chose 2 microfiber inserts per diaper. August is always double stuffed since he's a heavy wetter.
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| A few of the prints |
2.) Cloth wipes: The cost for me on cloth wipes is $0. I simply cut up August's receiving blankets (we got a TON from baby showers....don't worry I saved the special ones that I remember using in the hospital) into squares and then with the help of cousin Sarah, sewed the squares to make a 2-ply wipe. I ended up making about 50 wipes. The wipes will be thrown into the wash with the cloth diapers.
3.) Wipe "wetter": The cost for me is $0. I will be using my peri-bottle that I got from the hospital when I had August. You just need something to wet the wipe. Some people use a spray bottle or even a wipe warmer with water in it. You can ever wet a wipe under the sink on your way to the changing table. Whatever works! Some people add in baby wash or baby wash and tea tree oil into their water, but I have heard water works just fine.
5.) Diaper Pail: Most people may already have a trash can on hand, but I didn't since I use a diaper genie for disposables. So I had to go to Walmart and purchase one. I paid $0 for mine since I used a giftcard. I'm not going to include this in my costs, since that's basically a gift, just like the diaper genie. If you get a step one, it will cost you about $13.
6.) Wet bags: You need a wet bag to put your dirty cloth diapers in while you are out and about. You probably technically need 2 so that you can have one to take out if one is in the dirty laundry, but I only have 1 for now. The cost for the one I purchased is about $17.00 (Planetwise brand off of Amazon in size medium), so if I buy 2, the cost will be $34.00.
7.) Cloth diaper safe detergent: There are many cloth diaper detergents out there, however, I have heard great things about Tide detergent (powdered). I know that there are perfumes and dyes in it, and I personally am allergic to those things in detergent. We will see how August reacts to it. However, with cloth diapering, you give your diapers at least one, preferably 2, extra rinses in the wash cycle to make sure there isn't any build up (which will cause repelling). So there shouldn't be any detergent left on them. If I have issues, I will try the free and clear version before moving to cloth diaper specific detergents that I would have to order online. Tide is $7.99 at BI-LO this week. It's hard for me to say how much we will buy over the course of a year. I make my own laundry detergent for our clothes, so the Tide will be for diapers only. I will use about 1/2 of the smallest load size on the scoop since cloth diapers actually need very little detergent. Maybe I'll repurchase it 3 times a year? I'll estimate it to be $24.00/year.
8.) Dryer balls (optional): You don't really need these, but I found that my microfiber inserts that came with my cloth diapers tended to stick together in the wash since you can't use dryer sheets with the inserts (they cause repelling since the non static stuff will build up in the diapers). I paid about $5 for a pack of 2 from Walmart.
9.) Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Cream: Cloth diapers require a diaper rash cream that is cloth diaper safe. Typical diaper rash creams will build up in the lining of the diapers which will cause the diapers to repel liquid instead of soak it up. I have chosen CJ's butter diaper rash cream. There are different options out there, but I chose CJ's because I have friends who use it, and I also read that it is basically a do-everything ointment. Many people use it in place of Vaseline and Neosporin. It is also well known for clearing up diaper rash in one application. The cost for the CJ's Butter is about $14/8oz. off of Amazon. This tub is pretty large, and since August very rarely gets diaper rash (he has had maybe 3 his whole life), I bet we won't need to repurchase this.
10.) Water Bill: Of course you have to pay for the water to wash all these diapers. I haven't been cloth diapering for a full month yet, but I have heard from many mommy bloggers that their water bill was increased by about $5/month or an increase of $60/year.
So, in total for cloth diapering, I will spend about $309 in the first year, and $84 (for detergent and water) each year after that. So from birth to potty training (about 3 years) I will spend a total of about $477 to diaper with cloth.
So, if you do the math, I will save (1,600-477) $1,123 by cloth diapering.....our first child!
Here is where it gets really crazy, we are pregnant! Ok, that's kind of old news and not that crazy. BUT.....to diaper our 2nd child, I can buy 12 diapers with 2 inserts per diaper for....$78. I wouldn't need to buy 24 diapers because I don't actually go through 24 diapers without washing them. 36 diapers (18 diapers per child) would be a perfect number for doing laundry every 2-3 days. So here are the cloth diapering comparisons for diapering 2 kids from birth potty training. Note: The water cost will not change because I have plenty of room in the wash for another set of cloth diapers.
Birth to Potty Training with 2 Kids Cloth Diapering Cost Comparison
Disposables: $3,200
Cloth: $555
Savings of (3,200 - 555) = $2,645!
As you can see, the money saved continues to increase with each child. However, you don't have to buy new diapers with each child. Usually, you will have one leaving diapers as one enters. However, our kids will be 15-16 months apart, so they will be in diapers at the same time, hence the need for a second set of diapers.
I hope this cost comparison was helpful for you if you are considering cloth diapering! So far, I have been cloth diapering for about two months now. I will give an update on that in another post. Thanks for reading!
I hope this cost comparison was helpful for you if you are considering cloth diapering! So far, I have been cloth diapering for about two months now. I will give an update on that in another post. Thanks for reading!
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| Pictured: White Sunbaby Cloth Diaper |
Friday, April 26, 2013
Nesting/Planning Has Begun!
I have been going through MAJOR purge and organize mode in this house lately. Nesting has hit full strength for sure! I am realizing that our little house (not so little compared to some...I think it's just under 1100 square feet.) is about to get even cozier. With 3 people (soon to be 4!! Ahhh!), 2 LARGE dogs, a tank of fish, tons of baby gear, and more clothes than any of us need, breathing room is tight. We also have furniture that is way too big for this house, but most of it was found at yard sales or are hand-me-downs, and for that we are thankful.
A couple nights ago, Adam and I went through all of our clothes. (I cornered him, bless his heart.) Everything. I won't say we have a small closet. It's not a walk in, but it is fairly spacious. We also have our own dressers. He has a tall chest of drawers set (anyone else call this "chester drawers" for years and not know it was wrong?).
Both provide a lot of storage. In addition to that storage, I also have tubs of clothes I keep in the garage. I have a storage tub for fall/winter clothing, spring/summer clothing, and maternity clothing. I have waaaay more clothes than I actually wear. I realize I wear the same things over and over again, and none of the other clothing even gets used. So I decided to get rid of everything that is not a favorite. And let me tell you, it feels GREAT! We were able to fit all of our "not nice enough to bother hanging it up clothing" into my dresser. We will be getting rid of his "chester" drawers! Woo hoo! I loooooove getting rid of things! It's kind of weird. I will still need tubs in the garage for my non-maternity clothing. But I am so glad to have gotten rid of so much! We have a large bookcase in our living room, and we will be moving it to the bedroom where his "chester drawers" used to be. I am happy with that because the bookshelf looks really awkward where it is in our living room. (We have a weird layout in here.) I also don't like it being in the living room because it isn't bolted to the wall, and it could topple on a little one. So yay! Having the bookcase out of the living room will give us a spot to put the pack n play (or baby swing in a few months) since right it kind of floats awkwardly in the room, and we are always pushing it out of the way.
Speaking of purge mode, we are also purging a ton of furniture we have been holding onto. It was furniture we had in our guest room/office/elliptical room/craft room/it turned into a junk room. Since most of our family lives just a few minutes away, we haven't had a guest in the almost 3 years we have been here. So it really wasn't necessary. So we are getting rid of everything in there except for the elliptical. My brother and his fiancé are getting married at the beginning of August, so we are giving them our extra furniture: couch with a pull out bed, coffee table, filing cabinet, desk, a pair of chairs, and our chest of drawers. We will be turning that room into a play room since Baby #2 is a boy! I will also keep the elliptical in there so I can exercise while they play. We aren't going to go crazy and make this a Pinterest-worthy play room by any means. I plan to keep things very simple, no to very low budget (I already have about everything I need), child friendly, easy to clean up (aka not a ton of toys), and good for August and the new baby. I am excited to give them a place to play together.
Now, the reason for the playroom and not a nursery is because August and his brother will be sharing a room. Ahhhhh! I know, it is kind of scary just saying it. However, this is the way that things have been done forever, right? I think this is a recent (past 60 years or so), American, thing where everyone has to have their own room. I want the boys (I LOVE saying "the boys") to be close, and I think sharing a room will bring them closer together. I'm sure it will be an adjustment, and things might get thick for a while, but they can do it! I also like this option because since they are so close in age, they will both still be in diapers, so I don't see the point in having 2 changing tables, 2 nurseries with the same things in them, etc. I think I have already decided where the crib will go.
So that's the happenings around here as far as planning/preparations go. I am so excited to start planning for this baby. This is one of my favorite parts about being pregnant! I loooove to change things around, and I love anticipating the baby's arrival. I am over the moon excited!!! :)
A couple nights ago, Adam and I went through all of our clothes. (I cornered him, bless his heart.) Everything. I won't say we have a small closet. It's not a walk in, but it is fairly spacious. We also have our own dressers. He has a tall chest of drawers set (anyone else call this "chester drawers" for years and not know it was wrong?).
I have a regular dresser with the mirror attached.
Both provide a lot of storage. In addition to that storage, I also have tubs of clothes I keep in the garage. I have a storage tub for fall/winter clothing, spring/summer clothing, and maternity clothing. I have waaaay more clothes than I actually wear. I realize I wear the same things over and over again, and none of the other clothing even gets used. So I decided to get rid of everything that is not a favorite. And let me tell you, it feels GREAT! We were able to fit all of our "not nice enough to bother hanging it up clothing" into my dresser. We will be getting rid of his "chester" drawers! Woo hoo! I loooooove getting rid of things! It's kind of weird. I will still need tubs in the garage for my non-maternity clothing. But I am so glad to have gotten rid of so much! We have a large bookcase in our living room, and we will be moving it to the bedroom where his "chester drawers" used to be. I am happy with that because the bookshelf looks really awkward where it is in our living room. (We have a weird layout in here.) I also don't like it being in the living room because it isn't bolted to the wall, and it could topple on a little one. So yay! Having the bookcase out of the living room will give us a spot to put the pack n play (or baby swing in a few months) since right it kind of floats awkwardly in the room, and we are always pushing it out of the way.
Speaking of purge mode, we are also purging a ton of furniture we have been holding onto. It was furniture we had in our guest room/office/elliptical room/craft room/it turned into a junk room. Since most of our family lives just a few minutes away, we haven't had a guest in the almost 3 years we have been here. So it really wasn't necessary. So we are getting rid of everything in there except for the elliptical. My brother and his fiancé are getting married at the beginning of August, so we are giving them our extra furniture: couch with a pull out bed, coffee table, filing cabinet, desk, a pair of chairs, and our chest of drawers. We will be turning that room into a play room since Baby #2 is a boy! I will also keep the elliptical in there so I can exercise while they play. We aren't going to go crazy and make this a Pinterest-worthy play room by any means. I plan to keep things very simple, no to very low budget (I already have about everything I need), child friendly, easy to clean up (aka not a ton of toys), and good for August and the new baby. I am excited to give them a place to play together.
Now, the reason for the playroom and not a nursery is because August and his brother will be sharing a room. Ahhhhh! I know, it is kind of scary just saying it. However, this is the way that things have been done forever, right? I think this is a recent (past 60 years or so), American, thing where everyone has to have their own room. I want the boys (I LOVE saying "the boys") to be close, and I think sharing a room will bring them closer together. I'm sure it will be an adjustment, and things might get thick for a while, but they can do it! I also like this option because since they are so close in age, they will both still be in diapers, so I don't see the point in having 2 changing tables, 2 nurseries with the same things in them, etc. I think I have already decided where the crib will go.
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| This is what you see when you walk in the nursery. |
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| I believe we will put the new baby's crib here. It is directly across from August's crib. We will either have to get shorter curtains or do something because I know the curtains can be a hazard. The glider rocker will either go in our room for the first few weeks or it will go in the corner next to the boys' closet. |
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| This is August's crib. |
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| This is the view if you were standing in front of the dresser/changing table. That door goes to the closet. Don't mind the diaper genie and tubs in the floor. Since we switched to cloth diapers (post on that soon, I promise!!), we haven't been using the diaper genie. The tubs are out because I am bringing out the 18 month/24 month clothing.....say what?! |
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| This is the "junk room." All of the furniture will be going to my bro, and then the room will be ready for me to get my hands on! |
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| Another view from the doorway. |
So that's the happenings around here as far as planning/preparations go. I am so excited to start planning for this baby. This is one of my favorite parts about being pregnant! I loooove to change things around, and I love anticipating the baby's arrival. I am over the moon excited!!! :)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Gender Reveal Video of Baby #2!
This is how we revealed the gender of Baby #2 to our family! It didn't quite go as planned. I thought August would be more into the whole present opening thing. He would rather put on a show for everyone else, I guess. :) This was at my parents' house. Let me know if you can't see the video. I won't make a comment about Windows 8....this time. :)
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Baby #2 is a......
BOY!!!!!!
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We couldn't be more excited! It will be so great having boys close in age. They will be 15-16 months apart! I can't wait for them to grow up together. As soon as I figure out Windows 8......(can you hear my irritation???), I will be uploading the reveal video. If you have any pointers on iCloud v.s. P.C. please help me out. My photo stream for iCloud is not showing any videos. Only pictures. The video clip is too long to e-mail or text to myself. Ok, I will NOT let this happy post turn into a Windows 8 rant.
We can't wait to meet you, baby boy! We love you so much!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Pink or Blue?!
Pink or Blue for Baby #2?!?!
We found out on Tuesday of this week (April 16th), the gender of our precious new baby! We will be having a gender reveal party for our family TONIGHT! I will let y'all know the results after the party! Go ahead and leave me a comment with your guess! Psssst....if you would like to find out sooner, follow us on Instagram!! We can't wait to tell y'all!
Instagram.com/amandahare87
Saturday, April 13, 2013
20 Weeks Pregnant: Baby #2!
Hey! I kind of dropped off the blog for a few weeks (months?), I know! So sorry about that. Several of you have asked me where I have been and why I haven't updated. There are a few reasons for that, and most are technological issues. Blah. Many long stories short, I am working with a replacement cell phone that is out of memory (no more pictures can be taken unless I delete another), and I am working with Windows 8 which apparently has a problem with letting you import pictures (and have access to them on your computer) from a camera. So yeah. Please...please...please....do not EVER get Windows 8. It is nothing like Windows 7. They have completely butchered it. You might disagree with me if you only use Windows for the internet and things like that, but if you have ever tried to import anything, it is a bear. Sure, you might be able to import stuff, but once you do, you can't open any of it or do anything with it. Nothing works- my pictures, my documents, my videos, it all says they can't be opened. So frustrating. I have been freaking out because my phone is full, the video camera is full, and the computer won't let me import anything. Meanwhile, August is doing all sorts of things (almost walking on his own!!!), and I am not able to capture any of it because of this stupid computer. Also, I have barely documented any of this pregnancy, so Baby #2 is already getting the second child treatment. Grrrrr. Ok, I'm all worked up now. You probably read this to see a pregnancy update, not my rant on Windows 8. So sorry! Let me calm down a second.
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Ok, I'm still not calm, but maybe I will be if I talk about something else.
Pregnancy lately has been bliss! Seriously, it really has been. My PUPPPS rash is completely GONE!!!! What?! Gone!!!! I'm so so so thankful. You have no idea how much that rash can literally drive you out of your mind. I am going to do a separate post on how I got rid of it, in case someone like me ever googles like crazy about what to do with this rash. I need to title the post with PUPPPS in the title so that my blog will come up when they are searching. Look for that soon!
In the past week, the baby's movement has REALLY picked up. I am so thankful. I was starting to get worried, because this baby moves so much less than August did. It could also be because I stay very busy, and I just don't notice the movement as much, but this baby really seems more calm than August. I can even sleep on my stomach sometimes. I obviously don't do that on purpose, but I have always been a stomach sleeper, so sometimes I end up on my stomach. August used to freak out when I would do that, but this baby doesn't seem to mind as much. I need to get a pregnancy pillow though. I think I would toss and turn a lot less. Right now I'm just using a regular pillow and a Boppy in between my knees, but it's not enough support for me. I need a full body pillow. Adam said I could get one as long as he can use it after the pregnancy. LOL. They are really comfortable. I borrowed the Boppy Prenatal Body Pillow from a friend last pregnancy, and it was wonderful. I will probably be getting one of those soon hopefully.
I have also had a decent amount of energy lately. I'm not in the too big to move stage, and I'm not in the first trimester zombie stage either, so I'm in a really great place right now. I feel really good. Last Saturday, we had a family outing at the park. We walked 4 and 1/2 miles! I didn't even realize we had walked that far. It felt soooo good. I haven't walked again since, so I need to start again. It really felt great. I am only up 5 pounds so far, but I am afraid this slow weight gain won't last forever. I know the pounds can pack on fast toward the end (and I know I'm not close to the end yet!). At this point in pregnancy with August, I had gained 11 pounds. (If you would like to read my 20 weeks pregnant post with August, click HERE.) I am hoping if I can keep the weight gain slow enough, my pregnancy weight with August will pass my pregnancy weight with this baby, if that makes sense. I am starting 10 pounds heavier this pregnancy than I started with August, so I am trying to make up for that. I gained 50 pounds with August, so I am trying to keep this weight gain much lower. I think the 50 pounds may have been partially due to the Preeclampsia (lots of retained water and swelling), but I know most of it was due to my diet and lack of exercise.
Strangers have started to comment on my pregnancy which always surprises me. I know it's obvious that I am pregnant, but I guess if I were going to comment on someone being pregnant, I wouldn't do it unless I could tell they were for sure about to pop....with a baby. Haha. Adam keeps telling me that I need to mess with people and be like, "Pregnant? What are you talking about? You think I look pregnant?" LOL. I guess I'm not that mean though. I would feel so bad if I made someone embarrassed. Haha. Maybe I will do it one day, just to say I did. :)
Soooo.....we will find out on Tuesday of next week whether we are having a BOY or a GIRL! Ahhh, crazy! Several people have asked me if we are having a gender reveal. Well.....yes and no. Adam and I are going to find out at the appointment what we are having. So, we won't be finding out at the party like we did last time. I guess that doesn't sound as fun, but I have my reasons, and I will let you know about them next week. :) So, as for the gender party. Here is the dilemma. My appointment is on a Tuesday. Tuesday night Adam (and several family members) have a Bible class they attend at church. Wednesday night is church, so that leaves Thursday night. So we will have to keep the gender a secret for a couple days if we are going to have a gender reveal party for the rest of the family. I guess that's ok though. I just hope I don't slip and spill the beans! :) If you would like to read how I planned for our last gender reveal, click HERE. If you would like to read about our gender reveal party with August, click HERE for Part 1 and click HERE for Part 2.
Well, I think that's about all for now. I have several posts coming up, so don't forget about me! Haha. I'm going to try to get back into blogging, despite my technological issues. We will see if I can figure this Windows 8 thing out. I will be posting soon how to get rid of PUPPPS rash, our new cloth diapering adventure (yep, that's what I said!), a MUCH needed update on August (he will be 1 year old on May 3rd....what??! I'm gonna go cry now), and some other posts I have wanted to write for a long time. I appreciate y'all sticking with me! Thanks for following along! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! :)
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Ok, I'm still not calm, but maybe I will be if I talk about something else.
Pregnancy lately has been bliss! Seriously, it really has been. My PUPPPS rash is completely GONE!!!! What?! Gone!!!! I'm so so so thankful. You have no idea how much that rash can literally drive you out of your mind. I am going to do a separate post on how I got rid of it, in case someone like me ever googles like crazy about what to do with this rash. I need to title the post with PUPPPS in the title so that my blog will come up when they are searching. Look for that soon!
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| 20 weeks and 2 days pregnant with Baby #2. Excuse the poor quality. And if you have a recommendation for mirror cleaner, apparently I could use it. My homemade mirror cleaner is looking streaky. |
In the past week, the baby's movement has REALLY picked up. I am so thankful. I was starting to get worried, because this baby moves so much less than August did. It could also be because I stay very busy, and I just don't notice the movement as much, but this baby really seems more calm than August. I can even sleep on my stomach sometimes. I obviously don't do that on purpose, but I have always been a stomach sleeper, so sometimes I end up on my stomach. August used to freak out when I would do that, but this baby doesn't seem to mind as much. I need to get a pregnancy pillow though. I think I would toss and turn a lot less. Right now I'm just using a regular pillow and a Boppy in between my knees, but it's not enough support for me. I need a full body pillow. Adam said I could get one as long as he can use it after the pregnancy. LOL. They are really comfortable. I borrowed the Boppy Prenatal Body Pillow from a friend last pregnancy, and it was wonderful. I will probably be getting one of those soon hopefully.
I have also had a decent amount of energy lately. I'm not in the too big to move stage, and I'm not in the first trimester zombie stage either, so I'm in a really great place right now. I feel really good. Last Saturday, we had a family outing at the park. We walked 4 and 1/2 miles! I didn't even realize we had walked that far. It felt soooo good. I haven't walked again since, so I need to start again. It really felt great. I am only up 5 pounds so far, but I am afraid this slow weight gain won't last forever. I know the pounds can pack on fast toward the end (and I know I'm not close to the end yet!). At this point in pregnancy with August, I had gained 11 pounds. (If you would like to read my 20 weeks pregnant post with August, click HERE.) I am hoping if I can keep the weight gain slow enough, my pregnancy weight with August will pass my pregnancy weight with this baby, if that makes sense. I am starting 10 pounds heavier this pregnancy than I started with August, so I am trying to make up for that. I gained 50 pounds with August, so I am trying to keep this weight gain much lower. I think the 50 pounds may have been partially due to the Preeclampsia (lots of retained water and swelling), but I know most of it was due to my diet and lack of exercise.
Strangers have started to comment on my pregnancy which always surprises me. I know it's obvious that I am pregnant, but I guess if I were going to comment on someone being pregnant, I wouldn't do it unless I could tell they were for sure about to pop....with a baby. Haha. Adam keeps telling me that I need to mess with people and be like, "Pregnant? What are you talking about? You think I look pregnant?" LOL. I guess I'm not that mean though. I would feel so bad if I made someone embarrassed. Haha. Maybe I will do it one day, just to say I did. :)
Soooo.....we will find out on Tuesday of next week whether we are having a BOY or a GIRL! Ahhh, crazy! Several people have asked me if we are having a gender reveal. Well.....yes and no. Adam and I are going to find out at the appointment what we are having. So, we won't be finding out at the party like we did last time. I guess that doesn't sound as fun, but I have my reasons, and I will let you know about them next week. :) So, as for the gender party. Here is the dilemma. My appointment is on a Tuesday. Tuesday night Adam (and several family members) have a Bible class they attend at church. Wednesday night is church, so that leaves Thursday night. So we will have to keep the gender a secret for a couple days if we are going to have a gender reveal party for the rest of the family. I guess that's ok though. I just hope I don't slip and spill the beans! :) If you would like to read how I planned for our last gender reveal, click HERE. If you would like to read about our gender reveal party with August, click HERE for Part 1 and click HERE for Part 2.
Well, I think that's about all for now. I have several posts coming up, so don't forget about me! Haha. I'm going to try to get back into blogging, despite my technological issues. We will see if I can figure this Windows 8 thing out. I will be posting soon how to get rid of PUPPPS rash, our new cloth diapering adventure (yep, that's what I said!), a MUCH needed update on August (he will be 1 year old on May 3rd....what??! I'm gonna go cry now), and some other posts I have wanted to write for a long time. I appreciate y'all sticking with me! Thanks for following along! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! :)
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