Major Mom Ups

Being a mom has its downs. No sleep. Forgetfulness. Poop and barf. These days I feel like I'm working with 2/3 of a brain (example: excerpt from last week's post -- "because it's because." Really? Ugh. I promise English is, in fact, my first language.). I'm going to excuse this behavior with the fact that I have not slept for more than four consecutive hours in the last six weeks. Excellent segue -- Annabel is now six weeks old. Six weeks ago right now, I was in labor and nauseated. For all these downs, the ups certainly win. Here are some of my favorite mom ups:

Really cute clothes are a major up. We love this onesie from Jenn and Jana. Also visible is an adorable pink cloth diaper from the Feases (more on these later) and some Mary Jane socks previously worn by Rachel's dear Lucy. Annabel is stoked to look so cute.

The Moby wrap is pretty boss (thanks, Lioons!). Ignore the unwashed hair and unmade bed in the background. I put Annabel in the Moby wrap today, and we walked around the park for a couple hours. Annabel went right to sleep, and I got a good workout with 8lbs. 11 ozs. of adorable strapped to me. It's like being externally pregnant.

"Mom, you aren't putting this on the internet, right?" We've been using cloth diapers for a week now. I was so excited about them during pregnancy -- I did tons of research on different kinds, the logistics of washing them, and other dos and don'ts (for example, you aren't supposed to use any diaper creams with them, as the zinc in those products will cause the diapers to repel water instead of absorb it [and by water, I mean pee]. Instead, if the little one gets a rash, you are supposed to put coconut oil on them).


I'm not going to lie -- once I took this baby home, I got really nervous about using the cloth diapers. I hated the trash they made and the weird absorby chemicals that were being strapped to my baby with each one, but they are just so dang convenient. I used up the disposable newborn diapers we were given (thanks, Steph -- they were a life-saver), and by then Annabel had a little diaper rash. Cloth is supposed to be easier on the skin than the disposables, so I held my breath, put the diapers on their smallest setting (they are all adjustable one-size diapers that will grow with her), and jumped in. It has been tons easier than I imagined and the diaper rash disappeared immediately. The cloth diapers successfully contain even the biggest poopsplosians and peepocolypses without leaks (which the disposables didn't always do), and they wash out clean. I have to wash a load every third day. Honestly, baby poop isn't that gross -- it is just a mild yellow semi-liquid that smells vaguely of yogurt (my apologies to anyone who may be eating yogurt while reading this). I've heard this changes once the baby starts eating solids, so I don't have to worry about it for four and half months. Thus, we will ignore the fact of impending stinkies for the time being.


We've been using BumGenius 4.0s, Flips, and Charlie Banana one size diapers, for anyone interested. I give a thumbs up to all three. The BumGenius and Charlie Banana diapers are pocket diapers, which means there is a pocket inside the diaper where a microfiber insert is stuffed to absorb and wick moisture away from the baby. The Flips are a cover in which an insert is laid with a soft side against the skin and microfiber on the other side of the insert. We are also doing some prefolds with a Thirsties Duo cover. These are good too, but the ease factor goes to the aforementioned diapers. The best feature of the Flips and the Thirsties is that the cover can be reused between washes with a fresh insert. Send me an email if you want to talk more about cloth diapers. I can nerd out about them pretty hard. Big thanks to my friend Sara Z. for answering my questions and encouraging me and to the Feases and Emily B. for their support in the form of diapers.


Finally, the biggest up of all. This face.

She's six weeks old and super!