originally bill and i had planned to take a long weekend to asheville, nc - cabin booked and everything.
and then i started getting strong nesting urges and really preferred new floors over a couple nights away. luckily the cabin stay was still 100% refundable and the money i had set aside for the trip went towards the floors and also momma gets to go shopping now!
and while i would love a short babymoon (maybe we can still swing a night or two away), i am actually quite relieved not to be going somewhere where my main plan was to do some sightseeing, walking, and light hiking. whyyyy? well as of last friday my ankles and feet have started swelling if i stand or walk too long. i am also getting a burning stretching feeling right above my rib cage if i stand for even a few minutes - the belly weight is starting to take it's toll.
i am now officially in my 3rd trimester (all my apps are different - one said 27 weeks, one said 27 week 3 days, and the other said 28 weeks marks the start). i used to think the worst of women who would enter this phase of pregnancy hoping for early delivery - because i felt it so inconsiderate for those who couldn't carry to term. but i get it now. i'm still hoping to make it to full term, but i totally understand now. i no longer feel pretty. i feel like a walking hot air balloon. the swelling, how slow i walk, restless legs at night, etc - all kind of annoyingly miserable. all completely 100% worth it. but the next 12 weeks are going to be really trying.
lucy is now the size of a head of iceberg lettuce - 14.8 inches long and weighing about 2.2 lbs. it's crazy to think she's going to more than triple that weight in 12 weeks.
some odds and ends - bill and i have been thinking more and more about life after maternity leave is up - whether my job will allow me a flexible work schedule for a few months is a possibility but not guaranteed. because we have a split work schedule, we will only need childcare for a few hours in the morning mon-friday, so neither of us is wanting to take lucy to daycare (or pay for fulltime daycare as many don't offer part time options) at least not for a year or two. so we've been thinking more and more about a part time nanny if my flexible work schedule doesn't work out - or even after i go back to work normal hours. ahem, if any family members would like to move or retire please let us know ;)
but anyways, the fact that we are pretty set on hiring a part time nanny has helped influence another decision i'm researching. cloth diapers. i had pretty much decided we would go the disposable route not wanting to mess with cloth and daycare - i'm sure many are open and willing, but i'm not a very pushy person, and frankly didn't want to add to my list of "things to look for in a daycare center."
so now i've gone down this rabbit hole of researching the many varieties, styles, solutions, brands - as well as trying to educate my husband on everything i read. he's of the mindset that they will leak and be messy. and they might possibly be. but i've read many solutions, fixes, and opinions contrary to that belief.
i've done some of the math, and cloth diapers work out to be close to a $300-400 upfront investment. yeah. a lot. and also add in laundry detergent, electricity, water - cloth diapers aren't exactly the cheap alternative.
to go the disposable route, feel free to google "cost of disposable diapers" - but from my searching i've come to the conclusion that the cost over the life my child will be in diapers will be anywhere from 2-3 THOUSAND dollars. obviously that's not an upfront investment (thank goodness) but it does become a weekly/monthly expense to add to my budget.
add in the fact that we are hoping to have another baby - that's another 2-3 THOUSAND dollars which will all eventually go in the trash, whereas with cloth we wouldn't have any of the startup expense that go around. i think disposables, if we choose to cloth diaper, will have their place once lucy can sleep through the night or when we travel - convenience can and will win out i'm sure.
which brings me to
1. scheduling a cloth diaper class for bill and i - more so for bill to see how it all works. i'm willing to read all day long about the process, but i'm sure bill would rather see it in action.
2. taking a trip to the diaper fairy. to see the different types of diapers in person - it's hard to gauge what i think will be best or how many of each variety i should plan on getting - as well as hearing their advice
3. because the diaper fairy is actually a service - with a small store- that i'm hoping to use for the first few weeks after lucy is born! they drop off cloth diapers and pick up your dirty ones to wash (which is probably more earth friendly as they will be able to do much larger loads than i can at home) at a cost of about $22 a week for 80 diapers. my rationalization being we can try and see how we like cloth diapering without putting up the initial cost only to discover it's not for us. it also saves us from having to buy the newborn cloth diapers - we would eventually buy the diapers that grow with baby from 8lbs-35 lbs.
still there? tl;dr? didn't mean to yap on and on about cloth diapering, i've just been researching it fervently for the past 2 days.
any momma's out there have any advice?
Just a few thoughts as a person considering cloth too. Jason is fully against it.....beyond fully. BUT......I thought about using both disposable and cloth. Considering Kyler was born a little early, I've read that cloth can be tricky unless they are a certain weight...hence us waiting a bit.
ReplyDeleteYou will get plenty of diapers at your showers. For instance, Kyler is almost 4 months and I still have not bought one diaper. I just purchased wipes last night, but only paid $2 with all my coupons....so investment wise, you can start with the disposable and see how long they last you. The good thing as well is that you can most certainly return diapers and switch them out for bigger sizes if needed.....OR you could always ask them if it can go towards the cost of cloth--depending on where you go and who you get.
I am a closeted hippie. I don't mean to be, nor choose to hide it, but it's the truth. I have considered bum genius as a reusable diaper solution, but I need some expertise to show me the tricks of trade. I am also going to do this at some point, buy cloth, just have not yet. I have a friend in town who is going to Mr. Miyagi with me.
Finally, I wanted to add that I saw a TON of people buying the bum genius and other reusable diaper solutions at consignment sales in town. So people do donate and that's something to considering looking at if you have any near where you live. They usually do a lot of spring and fall sales, but just google it and see if there are any near you.
I hope this helps and I am really excited to continue reading about your adventures with pregnancy. I love her name ( I would have named a little girl Lucy too), and I'm so extremely happy for you.
there's so much to consider - and it's overwhelming. i've read a few tips on getting unwilling spouses to switch by buying all-in-one cloth as opposed to inserts and wraps. check out Green Mountain Diapers for some good tips. i'm hoping after a bit of shopping this weekend i will have a greater understanding and will blog what i end up buying and how it works out.
ReplyDeleteAlso - good luck on the march of dimes! Bill's work sponsers the walk here in louisville every year - they also match any of our contributions and he gets a day off work :)