SuperBum!

One of my favorite diapers I've ever made

For more awesome cloth diapers, visit the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team page.

Run on over to 5MinutesforMom or the new Wordless Wednesday HQ and check out some more wordless wednesdays!

(And while you're here, would you please respond to the epidural survey there on the right sidebar? I'm doing some research and I'd like to hear what real mothers say, not just what the official studies say! Thanks!)

WFMW--Wool Longies at Night

My little Bear is a heavy night wetter. Some kids just are. I tried disposable diapers, cloth diapers, doublers...I was putting huge fat diapers on him at night (diapers that I would have thought could hold anything) and yet the bed was still wet in the morning. I really hate changing sheets, so this was especially a drag for me.
And then I learned about wool. You can read a more detailed post about the properties of wool here, but the short version is that it doesn't leak. It absorbs whatever leaks into it, so it keeps the kiddo dry, but at the same time it keeps the wetness from leaking out into the bed! (Seriously, somebody should patent this stuff...oh wait, it grows on sheep...how did I not know about this?!) So I bought some cute wool longies (ie, wool pants) for Bear and he wears them to bed at night. I actually have several pairs now because I love them so much that he often wears them during the day as well. Wool has the added benefit of being very breathable, so it's comfortable. For those who live in warmer climates, there are also wool shorties.
For those who struggle with bedwetting, a little pair of wool shorts (over some absorbent underpants) is a discreet and effective way to keep the bed dry at any age.
If you're interested in trying out wool for yourself, I recommend checking out these guys. They're awesome.

Works For Me Wednesday is brought to you by Rocks in my Dryer. Come share your tips, or browse through the brilliance of others!

Equinox

People often ask me what is my favorite season, and I usually say 'summer' because I have a summer birthday and I really do prefer the non-rainy season (yes I live in a rainforest and yes we're planning to stay, shutup!) On the other hand, I'd rather be cold than hot, which would point toward my being a wintery woman...
My mother always said "a change is as good as a rest" and I have repeatedly found that to be true. So I love the changing of seasons more than any particular season itself. In spite of the fact that many of us fear change, the truth is that change is one of the few constants in life. I think my mother was right, a change IS as good as a rest, because I always find rejuvination in the newness of each season. I have always wanted to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices, but I am at a loss for ideas of just how to do that. Do you celebrate them? What do you do?Just as the Earth goes through seasons, so do we. Just as people fixate on this season or that as their 'favorite,' I think we often fixate on this or that season of life is being the best or the most fun, and we forget to just enjoy where we are--no matter where that is. I remember when I was in college my mother (brilliant woman that she is) told me that I was in the season for me: the time to do what I wanted to do, to learn and experience and grow and fill my own cup...because the next season (motherhood) was going to be one of giving. I think I did a pretty good job of taking care of me for those 5 years, and it has left me able to now focus on this new season with joy and without regret.
I think it's important to recognize and celebrate the changes and seasons of life as well as the changes and seasons of the year. Some life changes are well-recognized, such as birthdays, weddings and graduations, but others are fairly overlooked... Baptisms, priesthood ordinations, menarche, pregnancy, menopause...all these things are worth celebrating. I am glad I was able to have a blessingway prior to Bear's birth: a celebration to 'bless the way' through the change into a new phase of motherhood. This last summer we celebrated Wolf's baptism as he left the season of innocent childhood and entered the season of accountability.

What do you do to celebrate the seasons of the year? of life?

Women of God

Women of God can never be like women of the world.
The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.
We have enough greed; we need more goodness.
We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.
We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Margaret D Nadauld
2000
"The Joy of Womanhood"

It's a good thing I like him...

...cuz for the last three days the little Bear has been dragging a pillow and blanket out to the living room to lay down and snuggle with...his blanket, MY pillow.
Just now he brought it out (yes, dragging it down the hall) and laid it exactly on top of the dog...then he sat down next to her and, with a winning smile at me, laid on the pillow (on the dog).
It's a good thing she's a patient dog.
It's also a good thing she's had a bath recently.
And you thought peeing on my bobby pins was good! HA!
(I think I will go change my pillowcase now.)

In honor of this, I have added a new tag to my blog: Kids do the darndest things. Enjoy!

Oh gee

This morning my sweet little Bear dumped out my box of bobby pins...and then peed on them.

Mommy is sad. The bobby pins will get boiled before going back to mommy's hair.

Also Bear has his diaper back on now. No more nakey bum for you kid!

Hey look, they got something right!

“Exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months after birth. Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk feedings but should receive iron-fortified infant formula. Gradual introduction of iron-enriched solid foods in the second half of the first year should complement the breast milk diet. It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics--statement issued in 1997.

My happy little nurn-monkey is still goin' strong at 20 months old. Except last week Hubby tried to get him to start calling it 'nanu' instead of 'nurn.' Now sometimes he comes up to me and says 'nanu nanu...'

For the Love of a Cup

No, don't you dare laugh at the title of this post. I really do love my diva cup. It has changed the way I feel about menstruation. At one point, far too long ago, I promised to tell you about menstrual cups. Well, recent events have reminded me about that, so here we go. (yes, you interpreted that correctly, I finally have good ol' AF back!)

Answers to the Frequently Asked Questions:

• Yes, I know it looks like a funnel. I promise, it's not a funnel--there's no hole in the bottom. That 'stem' is a handle that facilitates getting it back out...
• Yes, it looks pretty wide, but yes, it will fit in you, even if you're a tiny little thing. I promise. Just think about what else can fit in there...this is not any bigger. I promise.
• No, it's not hard. Geesh, do you think I'm a masochist?! It's soft and bendy...like surgical tubing or, um, I dunno. Something soft.
• No, it won't give you a massive hickey when you pull it out. Just give it a little squeeze on the bottom and it breaks the seal and slips out quite easily.
• No, it doesn't invite infection--you wash it off in warm water between uses, and many women boil it for a few minutes after each period.
  

And, in case you ever tried "Instead" no, it's not like those. Those never worked for me. this works like a charm.

So here are some real reasons to make the switch:

• Most women experience shorter periods (mine went from 8 days to 3-4).
• It's eco-friendly
• It's economical ($30 will last you 10 years)
• It requires less attention than disposable options (it only needs to be changed once every 12 or so hours)
• I can't feel it--I could always feel tampons
• It will never slide down when full...it might leak after 14 hours on the heavy day of your period because you totally forgot it was in there because you couldn't feel it (not that I would know of course), but it will not slip down and become painful.
  

I have only one caveat about menstrual cups: if you are uncomfortable with sticking your fingers in yourself, well, this is probably not a good choice for you.

The official menstrual cup reviews page includs reviews of, and links to the diva cup, keeper, moon cup, luna cup, lunette, femmecup, and lady cup. They are all very similar, with the diva, moon cup, and keeper being the most common. (The former two are made with medical grade silicone, and the last of laytex rubber.)

Here is another useful review of the diva cup. (The author is highly amusing, she just favors the use of certain euphemisms for her girly regions, that I, um, don't...)

If you've got questions, post to the comments...you know I have no shame and I'll answer them all!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answers!
Q~Why the shorter periods?
I don't know of any hard science on this, but I suspect two things: one, the cup collects, rather than absorbing. A tampon can absorb only so much, and then it becomes a dam, holding back any additional flow. The cup allows everything to come down as fast as it wants to (the first day especially). I don't know that the total volume of blood is any different, but it seems to be released more efficiently.
The second thing is that I have heard the hypothesis that disposable menstrual products actually contain chemicals that increase bleeding. Whether this is intentional (to increase sales of the products) or unintentional (because the manufacturing process simply creates a toxic product to begin with) I don't know. I have not been able to find evidence to back this up, but I have heard it repeatedly, and everyone I know who has switched to a cup or to cloth pads has reported a shorter period afterward.
Q~Does it really last 10 years? The site says to replace it yearly.
Well, I've had mine for about 3 years...of course, I only used it for about 6 months before getting pregnant. I had heard 10 years from several sources...I've never heard 1. I suspect there is some potential for the cup to wear or crack or something, so they recommend replacing annually as a preventative measure...but I sincerely doubt that it's really necessary to replace that often. For myself at least, I fully expect mine to last 10 years or more...but that's partly because I won't be using it every month during that time due to babies. :)
Q~ What do you think of the diva wash they offer on the site?
I don't know, I've never tried it. I am pretty happy with warm water and a little mild soap + boiling it occasionally...
Q~what if you have a IUD to prevent pregnancy. Do these interfere with those at all (as in knocking them out of place)?
I'm not 100% certain where the IUD sits...but I believe the IUD is "intra-uterine" right? So no, it would not be a problem. The cup sits below the cervix, in the vagina--not up in the cervix and certainly not in the uterus. ☺

Something Scary

Last night I was sitting on the couch with Wolf, watching a movie. Hubby was in the kitchen getting stuff out to make some popcorn, and Bear was in there with him...dancing or something I guess. (Note that in our little apartment, this means he was two feet from Hubby, and 8 feet from me.) I don't know exactly what he was doing; nobody was looking at him. All of a sudden he fell down and started crying, so I ran over there. He was laying on his face on the floor (the chairs were pushed in to the table, so it's not like he had fallen off anything...) but when I rolled him over there was this big deep gash in his forehead. It was about 1cm wide, but I swear it looked almost that deep too...I could clearly see that it had gone well past the skin. Blood was starting to well up and I thought oh boy we're gonna have a gusher here. I mean, head wound, right? I hollered for Hubby to give me something to put pressure on Bear's head (yes, he was all of two feet away, but you try speaking quietly when your child has a gash in his head!).
Bear was crying but he wasn't shrieking like I would have expected for an injury that looked that bad, and he calmed down pretty fast. It didn't bleed as much as I expected...it actually didn't bleed very much at all. But it was deep, and at first look I was afraid he'd need stitches, so I told Hubby to call 911 (I would have just gone for urgent care if we lived anywhere else, but here there's nothing in the off-hours but 911--which gets the local EMT/health aid from home to come help out). Anyway, so we called her, and she said ok I'll meet you at the clinic in a minute...all the supplies are at the clinic, Bear was clearly fine to be moved, and it only took us a couple of minutes to walk there--we actually got there before her. Meanwhile Bear's head wasn't really bleeding anymore. We had realized by this point that he wasn't going to need stitches after all **sigh** but we didn't have anything fancier than bandaids at home, and we figured this needed some butterfly bandages/tape...
So she cleaned the blood off his forehead, and put tape on (which made him mad and he pulled the tape off). We tried again with the tape and again he was pulling at it...finally she just gave us the tape to bring home, and I brought him home and put him to bed and then put the tape on his head after he was asleep. In the middle of the night he woke up and was pulling at it again so I took it off for him...but his head does seem pretty well closed, it's not bleeding or anything...Really now it looks so small that part of me wonders why I was so worried last night, but i don't think I overreacted at the time. I mean, head wound--that's cause for worry, right?!
He looks ok now. He's acting totally normal and unbothered (he was acting that way last night too--the tape clearly bothered him a lot more than the actual gash!
I guess every little boy gets a scar on his head/face at some point, right? Hubby has one, Wolf has one, my dad does, my brothers all do...(heck, half my sisters do too)...
Still, I'm so relieved that it all turned out ok. It so didn't look like it was going to!

My first bit of handspun yarn...

Thanks to the massive "learn to spin" kit I just from Lamina's Closet on etsy.
Look, it's not even too uneven!