Baby of the Cloth (Diapers, that is)

Now that Mina's cord has fallen off and we have made it through the remaining disposables, it is time to start using cloth diapers!!! I am a little over-excited about this. Now, before you all say I'm crazy, I just want to make a few disclaimers:
1) You no longer have to use diaper pins - no poking baby or me
2) You don't wash them with all the poop still on the diapers, floating around your washing machine
3) I am already washing off clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. she manages to poop on twice a week so I may as well throw diapers into the mix.

This al started when Ben said we should do cloth diapers 8 or so months ago. I gave him a look and said he could change all the diapers and do the laundry. But since I try to sometimes listen to my husband and his opinions, I did some research. I came across this series of posts from the Simple Mom blog: http://simplemom.net/tools/cloth-diapering/ and I realized maybe cloth diapering wasn't so crazy after all. Also, there are some pretty darn cute cloth diapers out there.
Cuteness aside, there are many practical reasons to use cloth. The obvious one is environmental impact. I read some articles that claimed washing cloth is just as damaging as throwing out disposables but I think those people are like diapers, full of... you know. Throwing diapers full of waste that will never break down into a landfill has to be worse than a few extra small loads of laundry a week, especially since we have a good water supply here in DC.
To be completely honest, helping the environment, while nice, wasn't really my main concern. A huge draw to cloth was the cost. We got a lot of diapering supplies as gifts so we ended up spending only $30 of our own money. I got mostly one-size diapers so they will grow with her. I expect to spend more on diapers in the next several months but it will likely be less than $100 of our money total. In just 2 weeks, we had already spent over $40 on disposables. Buying in bulk and coupons can help save money, but not that much. Mina goes through a lot of diapers. With Ben's fairly small paychecks, every dollar saved on diapers buys me more time at home with Mina before having to go back to work.

So why am I so excited about using cloth? I get to be environmentally responsible, save money and make Wilhelmina look even more adorable than she already is. It's a win-win-win scenario. We'll see if I am still this excited after wash day, but if I absolutely hate it, we can always go with disposables.

Mina loves her new cloth diapers - this is a Thirsties duo wrap 

Mina had her first Dangerously Delicious Pie experience today. I got so excited about the pie, I forgot to get the picture until it was almost gone. Oops :)

At Home with Mina

I am typing this post with one hand as my left arm is wrapped around my sleeping daughter. Sometimes  I just can't seem to put her down. This is to blame for the cookies I burnt last night and the laundry I waited three days to fold. There are other times when I'd like nothing more than to put her down and have a normal life back (those 4am feedings, for example), but I'm usually happy to have Wilhelmina in my arms.
In some ways, life hasn't changed much since my last month of pregnancy. I was home from work, getting up several times a night to use the bathroom, and the house was a mess since it was too much of a struggle to bend over and pick things up. Now I'm still at home, I get up in the wee hours of the morning to feed Mina, and things I can't pickup with a baby in my arms stay where they are dropped. Despite these similarities, my life is miles apart from where it was just a few short weeks ago.
I have a purpose. January was rough not just because I was 8 months pregnant, but because I had nothing to do. I'd already been out of work for a month and I was starting to get restless. Ben was working and making money to support us while I was at home doing nothing. I felt completely useless. Now, I am still not making any money (I might be soon - more on that later), but I have a full-time job. Feeding, changing, bathing and loving a newborn is a lot of work even if she is calm and laid-back like Mina. This job has no vacation time and I'm working nights and weekends. Did I mention I only get payed in poop and spit-up? But I could not think of a job I'd rather be doing.
On a slightly unrelated note, today was Mina's first Sunday at church. We sang a song called "Beautiful Things." It has been one of my favorites these past 9 months because we sang it the first Sunday after I found out I was pregnant, when it was still just a secret between me and God. I hadn't even told Ben yet since he was in Florida. As I sang it today, while holding my newborn baby, I saw how all the struggles of the past nine months had been worth it. I know there are many more hardships to come, but we are so blessed to have Wilhelmina. My life has changed forever, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Beautiful Things
by Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

The Big Day: Part 2

Wilhelmina Taylor Schwanda
7lb 7 oz and 20 inches long
Born 1:08 am Feb. 9, 2013

"PUSH!"
   I felt like I was in that scene towards the end of Juno where she has her baby, everyone there, cheering her on in slow motion. I mostly remember my socks. I had to concentrate on something while pushing and my bright purple, polka-dotted, fuzzy socks made a great focal point. Sadly, I haven't been able to wear them since. I was pushing as hard as I could but not quite getting her out so the doctor had me look so I could see the top of her head. I thought "her head is small... this won't be so hard." little did I know that what I saw wasn't even close to her whole head. Eventually she came out, and I was shocked. She was so big. How did she fit inside me?
  Those questions soon disappeared as my baby girl, still gross and a little bloody was placed in my arms. I didn't care about the mess, she was such a beautiful miracle. It didn't even occur to me until my sister said something the next day that I never checked to see she had all her fingers and toes. I was entranced, looking at the beautiful life Ben and I created. It's an impossible moment to describe. I looked up at Ben and smiled... no words necessary. We were both in awe. No one can tell me miracles don't happen. The proof of miracles, of God, of good in the world is wrapped up in that moment.

  Suddenly, we came back to reality. Ben asked what her name was. Even though I'd liked our other choice a little better, I knew she was Wilhelmina - Wilhelmina Taylor Schwanda. She was measured and wiped off and returned to my arms. Ben told the good news to the family. The nurses got everything cleaned up and after a flurry of text messages, we were finally alone as a family.

The Big Day: Preface and Part 1

Thursday, February 7, 2013, 1:13 PM
   It is Ben's day off and, tired of being cooped up in the house all week, I convince him to go to Good Stuff for burgers and shakes (didn't take much convincing). During the 40 minutes we're out, UPS comes to deliver Ben's birthday present and leaves a notice that they will try again on Friday. No problem, we'll be home then.
  Later, we walk to the store to pick up a couple things and come back home with a movie from Redbox. Dinner, phone call with Ben's parents, a movie and then bedtime. I go to bed disappointed. Tired as I am of being pregnant, our daughter shows no sign of coming soon.
Friday, February 8, 2013, 10:20 AM
  After a late breakfast of knock-off Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I ask Ben to let me use the bathroom before he takes a shower... wait a minute... that is NOT pee.
   "Ben. I think you should get ready to go to the hospital... my water broke."
   I've been waiting for this moment for nine months and now that it's here, I panic. I expected to have more time, to feel it coming. But that morning brought no back pain, no contractions, no cramps - nothing. So I'm running around, trying to put clothes on and pack last minute essentials like phones and wallets, describing what happened to the nurse from Kaiser, and Ben asks if he can take a shower. I give him 2 minutes. Impressively enough, he accomplishes a 2-minute shower and is ready to walk out the door before me. We see my doctor at Kaiser first. She confirms my bag of waters ruptured and we are sent to Washington hospital center.
12:10 PM
  I'm checked into my labor and delivery suite at the hospital... still no contractions. I'm told we will wait a couple hours and see what happens.
2:30 PM
  Two hours later and nothing happened. Four hours into this saga and I am no further than where I started. Needless to say, I am quite frustrated. The process of inducing labor begins.
8:24 PM
  As the hours go slowly and somewhat painfully by, the nurses and doctors change for the night shift. They tell me the contractions are increasing but we still have awhile. At this point, things are getting quite painful and they check how I'm progressing. In the 10 hours since my water broke, I've barely gotten anywhere but the pain has increased to almost unbearable. Enter epidural - not originally in the plans, but this was taking forever. The pain subsides almost instantly and I prepare to wait into the morning.
10:33 PM
  The pain is returning. The nurse tells me I'm contracting fine on my own now (I can feel it - not pleasant) but there is a small blip in my baby's heartbeat so I'm on oxygen and laying on my left side to try to help baby.
11:52 PM
   Something needs to be done. The baby's heartbeat hasn't gotten better. They want to put something next to baby so they can continue inducing without disturbing her (or something like that, I'm kind of out of it by this time). They check the baby's position and how far dilated I am. I guess I jumped really far, very quickly. The doctor says it is time to prep for delivery. An announcement is made to the nurse station and the preparations begin.

No Words

Originally, I envisioned me writing this post while still in recovery at the hospital, so excited to share the good news of Wilhelmina's birth with the world. I was excited and I did want to share, but when I went to post or say anything, it was never quite enough. All the text messages were too boring and straightforward. Status updates and tweets, too commonplace. No picture could quite capture the miracle and blessing that I held in my arms. Nothing was big enough. The same person who was so excited about her bathtub that she told you all about it within an hour of taking a bath, was silent upon the birth of her daughter - the reason for this blog.
I couldn't write because there were no words in the English language to describe the roller coaster of thoughts and feelings I had just been through. Mary Poppins tried to make one up but I was more than supercalifragilisticexpialadocious (I think I spelled that right). I was _____. I do want to tell you all about the exciting day/day before Mina's birth. I know I will want a record of it for myself in the future. I will try to get to that in the next week but I'm pretty sure I have a poopy diaper to change. So for now, I will just say I am completely overwhelmed in the best possible way. Our daughter is a tiny miracle and we couldn't be happier. Well... I might be happier if every piece of fabric in the house didn't end up as a burp cloth, but more on that later. It's changing time.

4th Grade Math

Today, my mom sent me a picture of two plastic cups. One had "weight?" written on it. The other said "day?" Yes, my always creative mom found yet another way to make math for her fourth graders more engaging. I guess hamburger fractions weren't enough this year. My baby and I get to be a part of her estimation unit. Each student got to guess the birth date and weight of the baby (within reasonable limits). The winner in each category gets a prize. I thought we could all use a refresher in fourth grade mathematics, so I am conducting a poll of my own. On the right side, you will notice two polls. Vote on what you think is the most likely answer. Those of you who know my exact due date may have an advantage :) There may or may not be prizes involved since I'm not sure I will be able to see who voted or not. But I think it will be fun. And my mom and I can compare notes and see whether, as a group, my readers or her students were closer. Enjoy!

Boredom... or how to get Whitney to clean the house

Many of you may know I've never been the best at keeping my room/house clean. I wash my dishes and don't let the bathtub get too filmy, but I will never have any desire to keep a perfectly clean home all the time (though I have improved since high school). Usually, I let stuff just build up and then once or twice every six months, I have a major cleaning spree where I freak out about the mess and try to clean everything at once. Then I tire myself out for the next several months. Lately, however, I have found myself at home, by myself, with nothing to do. Something crazy happened... I started cleaning. Some people claim there is a "nesting" instinct that increases as pregnancy progresses that prompts cleaning. I don't buy it. It's cabin fever. Women who are no longer working have to do something to keep their minds off how pregnant they are and when this watermelon is going to pop out.
Anyway, today I tackled the mound of utensils we have piled up in our kitchen that we have no space for. Somehow several useless/redundant pieces have made it through 3+ moves. Now, I will share with you my steps for tackling the utensil drawer. Each utensil should go through a series of tests:

Test 1) Do I really need 5 ladles?
There are a few things I like to have more than one of - wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, pancake flippers* and bottle openers (those things have a way of ending up all over the house). Other than that, multiples are just taking up space. Throw them out.**
*technically called turners I believe but I think everyone understands me better this way
**Please try to donate or freecycle lightly used utensils first. 

Test 2) I use this all the time, like...
If you can count the number of times you've used something in the last year on one hand, it is not worth the space. I find this test also works great on clothes. Specialty items like icing spatulas and pie servers may be worth keeping, but try to find a place other than your main utensil drawer or crock.

Test 3) The one-trick pony
This test is best to employ before buying something, but if you already have a banana slicer, it's best to cut your losses and say goodbye. Almost all kitchen tasks can be accomplished with a good knife.
At work, we did purchase a cherry pitter for the cherry pies but I was pitting a flat of cherries at a time (I think thats 8 of the normal-size bags). So unless, you are pitting a flat of cherries, find another way. And a word of advice to anyone who is pitting a ridiculous amount of cherries - wear gloves. I found that one out the hard way.

Test 4) It's just one morning's cup of coffee
Don't horde utensils. We have a tendency to hang onto ladles with melted handles, cracked and splintered wooden spoons, and rubber spatulas with the ends broken off. Don't be wasteful and just get rid of everything that isn't new and shiny, but if it really needs to go, toss it. Melted and cracked utensils have a lot of crevices for bacteria to thrive in and contaminate your food. Wouldn't you be much happier running to Target and spending $5?

So those are the tests I employed to clear out some of my utensils. I feel like they are so obvious but it is easy to become irrational when it comes to kitchen gadgets and tools. Do you have any other tricks for deciding which ones make the cut?