Don't Cry Mommy

I’m turning into my mother – and I don’t mind at all! I remember many a time when my mom would just start crying when she would read us books. We’d always be a bit confused and ask her why she was crying. She would just shake her head, smile and read on… Well now it is my turn. A little while back I was reading The Velveteen Rabbit. It hit me how fleeting childhood is... About two thirds of the way thru the book when the rabbit was discarded after seeing the boy thru Scarlet Fever on his journey of growing up, I started crying. Xander reached up and wiped the tear away and told me “no crying mommy.” I just gave him an all to familiar look, smiled and read on.

A Tale of Two Nativities!

It was the best of times...

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is setting up the Nativity. Each year when we pulled out the Christmas decorations, I usually had the privilege of setting this up. When my mom bought a beautiful new Nativity set several years ago, I asked for the old one. She graciously indulged me and I now get to relive all of those memories each Christmas.

As those close to me know, I have a VERY vivid imagination – which can be both good and bad… During times like this, it is wonderful. As I would set up the Nativity scene each year, my mind would wonder back and I would replay the events that took place leading up to the birth of Christ. And each time, I’m filled with gratefulness and wonder that God would send his Son down to this earth in order to face an excruciating death so that I might live and have relationship with Him. Now that I’m a parent, it has taken on an even deeper meaning. I don’t think I could give up one of my son’s – even to save someone who deserved it. And to think that God sent his son to save us even though we could never do anything to deserve such grace – it’s amazing.

As a mother now, I want to pass on that sense of wonder and excitement about God’s love to my sons. Last year, his Omama and Opapa (my Oma and Opa) bought him the Little People Nativity set. He played with it a bit last year, but his understanding was quite limited. This year however, he understands more. I will always treasure my first time getting to set this up with him. We talked about the birth of Christ as we set it up. He loves his little nativity set. Of course, he loves mine even more. It’s funny how that always works out. He eventually figured out that mine was for looking at and his was for playing with. The following morning he proceeded to take his cars on a trip, via airplane, from the coffee table over to the end table to visit Jesus!

Cloth babies!

Well, we took the plunge this last week and made the switch to cloth diapers.

I’ve always wanted to use cloth. I sort of half-heartedly gave it a try with Xander by lining one of his disposables with a prefold to try and contain his explosions (which didn’t work). I was so disgusted by the prospect of having to WASH it, that I just threw it away with the disposable diaper… But here I am, giving it an official and real try.

Why the switch:

• Saving money: I calculated out how much I’ll spend on Keegan’s diapers and using the one’s I bought, I’ll save about $400 on Keegan alone. Since I’ve factored in the bigger size diapers, Xander is free until he’s ready to potty train, which will hopefully be soon. I will not have to spend money on any future babies!
• Reusable product: I’ve always been one to try to reuse items. My friends always tease me because I even reuse my ziplock bags. I’ve always hated the fact that I go thru so many diapers that are just going to sit in a dump somewhere…
• Cool Colors: I’m also a sucker for having things match and now I can not only coordinate Xander’s cup to his outfit, I can also make sure that his diaper matches as well. Fuzzibunz is the brand of choice that we went with. They are pocket diapers that come in a variety of different colors.
• Easy to use: Gone are the days of pins and diaper covers. These babies just snap on! They are adjustable and will grow with them. Ease of use was a must since I don’t want to be the only one changing diapers here. Rich had no problem using them either…
• Not a Super Pooper: Keegan is no where near the super pooper that his brother was. I generally don’t have to worry about explosions and he only goes every couple of days (generally - whenever I say this, he usually steps up to the plate and proves me wrong ;) ). This makes it so much easier to make this switch.
• Liners: My friend Kristin, who changed to cloth this past summer, told me about using microfleece scraps for diaper liners. So even though it’s not very often, if I have an especially messy diaper (or a baby who hasn’t started solids yet- i.e. Keegan) the liner can be thrown away. I think this alone pushed me over the edge. I had plenty of microfleece around here from making a mistake on cutting out pouches…
• Excellent resale value: I chose Fuzzibunz (and a few Happy Heiny’s) because of their amazing resale value. If in a few weeks, I decide this really isn’t for me, I can just put them on ebay and get back what I paid for them…

Here are some pictures of my Christmas Cloth Cuties!!!!!