Arlo: 21 months old

The past three months have brought more changes with Arlo than I could have anticipated.  He has had quite the development in the speech and communications department, among other things.  Here is what he is up to at 1 3/4 years old!

Sleeping:  No big changes here.  Bedtime routine starts between 7:00-7:15pm, and he is down for the count by 7:30ish.  He is usually up between 6:30 and 7:00am, but just in the last week or so started sleeping in until 7:30 or later.  I am hoping that this is our new normal, ha.  Naps are still around 1.5 hours in length and typically happen from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.

Arlo is still sleeping in his crib, and we plan to keep him there for as long as it is safe for him to be in it.  I have caught him trying to climb out of it a couple of times in recent weeks, so I think by his second birthday we will probably have to upgrade to a real bed.  On our recent trip to NY, we wanted to avoid taking any unnecessary baby equipment as we traveled by plane and didn't want excess stuff to haul around.  So we opted not to take the pack-n-play, where Arlo has traditionally slept when we have traveled.  Surprisingly, Arlo did great sleeping on his own in a queen sized bed at the hotel.  I surrounded the edge of the bed with pillows so he couldn't roll off, and he pretty much stayed right in the middle anyway.  So, I am hopeful it will be a pretty easy transition when we do upgrade his bed.

Eating:  Not too many changes in this area either.  Arlo still eats pretty much the same foods as he did at 18 months old, which pretty much include everything that Erik and I eat.  I recently started giving him cereal with milk some mornings for breakfast, which he eats on his own with a spoon.  He does pretty well but he is definitely much more skilled with a fork.  That being said, I really haven't let him have much practice with a spoon up until very recently, because it was always more important to me for him to eat more food than learn to use a spoon.  He always ate a lot more when we would spoon feed him the foods that required it (oatmeal, lentils, soup, etc.) but now he is very determined to use it on his own.  He still drinks his plant-based milk mixture, and gets two servings daily unless he asks for more.  He averages around 18 oz of milk per day.

Favorite foods at 21 months:  clementines (we call them oranges because it's easier to say), nuts, hummus on crackers, raisins, and raw bell pepper strips.

One change we have seen in the eating department, is what I think is the start of the toddler food pickiness.  He used to eat pretty much anything we gave him, but is now becoming a bit more selective of what he wants to eat.  He will immediately remove things from his plate that he doesn't want to eat ("don't you know I am not eating cucumbers this week, mom!?")   It's kind of cute until he starts launching the unwanted items on the floor for Lucy to eat.  Still, he eats a well rounded diet and a good amount of food throughout the day. 

Weight and Length:  not sure, as the next pediatrician appointment is not until he turns two.  But I know he has grown, see below...

Wearing:   With cooler weather quickly approaching, I recently pulled out all of Arlo's 18-24 month pants, shirts, and jackets I had picked up here and there when I found a good deal.  And guess what?  Not a single pair of pants fit him!!  They are all way too big in the waist, even though the length fits just right.  I had to make a trip to the local consignment store last weekend to pick up a few pairs of smaller waisted pants.  The solution I have found, is the pants which have the adjustable elastic tabs inside the waist.  I can cinch them as small as they go, and then they fit.   So, current pant and shirt size is 18 month or 18-24 month size.  Pajama size is 18 month (although those are very snug fitting), 24 month, or 2T.  Shoe size is a 6, although his 5.5 sandals still fit as well. 

Likes and dislikes:  

Likes:  Balls (huge obsession here.)  We go for evening walks around the neighborhood and the nearby cul-de-sacs all have basketball hoops and random balls hanging around.  Erik helps Arlo "dunk" the ball which Arlo thinks is amazing.  Arlo is also really into cars, trucks, planes, and all things that go.  One of my very favorite things that he started doing is making truck noises when he plays with his toys.  He knows the firetruck makes a "wee-oooh-wee-oooh" sound,  the car says "beep beep," and other trucks make another sounds as well.  His very favorite thing is books, and he wakes up asking to read, and goes to bed asking to read.  Favorite books include: Bing Bedtime (I wish I could say I love this book but after reading it 1,000 times I am quite annoyed with it!), A Lighthouse Saves the Day, Tip Tip Dig Dig, Where is Little Mole, The ABCers, First Words picture books, his Highlights Hello magazines, and anything to do with the Pixar "Cars" Movie (he hasn't ever seen the movie but loves the books.)  He also still loves music and dances whenever a song he likes comes on.
 
He also loves to help me do things around the house.  He is a great laundry helper.  Earlier this week, he put an entire load of towels into the washer, carried the basket back to the hallway where I had it earlier, closed the washer door, then randomly started pushing buttons on the machine.  He knows which doors we typically keep closed in the house (closets, laundry room, etc.) and will close them immediately if he sees them open.  Oh, and he loves to knock on doors.  Sometimes he will leave the room we are in, close the door, stand on the other side and knock until I open it.  When I do he will smile and laugh so hard.  Sometimes I do it to him (close a door and knock) and he thinks its hilarious.

Dislikes:  When things don't go his way.  The cereal keeps falling off his spoon??  Well, THAT IS JUST AWFUL.  He gets somewhat easily frustrated and is not afraid to vocalize it.  He also dislikes coming inside if he is not yet finished playing in the yard.  He also dislikes it when he picks up one of Lucy's toys and she tries to grab it and play with him.  I think he knows that they belong to her, but he doesn't always like to share.  He is also starting to protest riding in his stroller during our morning walks with Lucy.  He will squirm and cry yelling "walk! walk!" when I put him in the stroller if he doesn't want to ride that day.  If we are not in any particular hurry, I will let him walk alongside the stroller, but it's a slow process.  He has to point out every truck, pick up leaves and sticks along the way, and smell all the flowers (which is actually adorable and a much needed reminder for me to slow down and do the same sometimes.)

New milestones and developments: 

So many things...  At my last update, Arlo still wasn't saying a whole lot.  He had a handful of words, but didn't seem to be in any hurry to expand upon his vocabulary.  However, at 19.5 months, we had something of a language explosion.  He started saying a whole bunch of new words, and then would say 1-3 new words every single day.  At this point, he has a pretty well-rounded vocabulary for his age.  There are many words that he can say spot on.  Mommy, Daddy, house, bubbles, ball, truck, boots, and boat to name just a few.  Others are his version of the actual word.  Those are my favorite!  Here are some "Arlo words:"

Cars are "daa-ee" which kind of sounds like "daddy" (we have no idea where this came from)
Says his name "Ar-o"
Play dough is "me-mo"
Remote is "mote"
Beetle is "bee-ble"
Teepee is "pee-pee"
More is "mo"
Spider is "pie"
Potty is "pa-ee"
Smoothie is "moo-ie"
Pumpkin is "mum-ee" haha!
Scott (as in Uncle Scott) is "cot"
Lighthouse is "house"
Sock is "dock"

I love his sweet voice and the words he comes up with on his own.  There are times as well, where he is clearly trying to have a conversation with you, but the words are certainly not English.  Those are the times when we say "oh yea?" or "ok!" and try not to laugh out loud at the cuteness.  Two words he has learned that have made our lives easier, are "more" and "help."  It's so much better than the whining and pointing he used to do (not to say he never does that, but it just happens a lot less frequently now.)  He is now always asking if things are "hot" before he eats them, and if something is so much as lukewarm he will tell me it's hot.  Sometimes cold things are "hot" too.  Silly kid.  We just started working on learning colors, and he will say white and yellow with some accuracy.   Other times he will call black things white, blue things yellow, and so on. 

In the teething department... They have ALL come in and I feel like in some ways, we have made it.  Teething was an absolute nightmare at times, and I am quite relieved we are done with it.  His bottom two-year molars came in when we were up in Michigan, Arlo was 18.5 months old.  The top molars came through in the following weeks, and they had all come in by 20 months.  While I wouldn't call it a walk in the park, these molars certainly didn't seem to bother him as much as the first set did.  We didn't need to use medicine of any kind, just distraction to help him through the worst of it.

Something else that is new - we are slowly, in a very laid back fashion, working on potty training!  Right about the time Arlo turned 19 months, I got out his potty chairs and the seat I bought that sits on top of the toilet in his bathroom.  I started by just having him sit on it before his bath, because he always pees right when his feet hit the bath water.  It took him a few times of sitting there for him to realize what I wanted him to do, but he eventually realized that he could make himself pee.  Then I put one of his potties in the downstairs bathroom, and he started sitting on it randomly.  Every time he does, I take off his diaper tell him to go "pee pee," and most of the time he will.  Sometimes it's a lot but most of the time he just tinkles.  If he is sitting on the toilet with toilet paper nearby, he wants to wipe.  I think it's because he has seen me do it?  (And no, there is no such thing as going to the bathroom by yourself when you have a toddler...)  He hasn't yet done a #2 on the potty.  I didn't have any expectations that we would work on potty training anytime before the age of 2, as I was under the impression that most boys don't toilet train until closer to 3.  But Arlo has surprised me with his willingness to go on his potty chair.  Oh, and he also requests a book every time he sits down to go, ha!  Like I said, right now we are taking a very laid back approach and letting him go randomly, but probably in a few months we will get a little more serious about it.  The good part is that he is getting used to going on the potty, and loves to do it.  So that's a pretty good start.

I can't believe that my next update will be when Arlo is two years old.  Two!  It wasn't long ago that I was all excited to be coming up on his first birthday.  It really seems that older he gets, the more fun we have together.  Arlo is my little sidekick, partner in crime, and best bud.  I wouldn't trade this kid for the world.

 

 The photos for this post were taken on the green-way near our house that we walk on everyday.  And yes, he insisted on wearing his boots!

the EPIC cloth diapering post!

Ok, for real, I started this post something like a year ago.  Now that we are approaching potty training age, it's about time I actually post about our experience with cloth diapers before I forget it all!

You know those women in your circle of mom friends.  They might talk about their "stash, doublers, pockets, or pre-folds."  They can talk at great length about the best detergent for their dipes, a new pattern that just came out, or the best methods for "stripping."  They use words like "aplix, snappis, hybrid, and all-in-ones."  People might refer to them as a little "granola" or "crunchy."  I, of course, am talking about your cloth-diapering friends.  And I myself, have become one of them - although I'm not sure that I have ever referred to them "diapes" and certainly don't mind being called crunchy!

After being at this whole CDing thing for several months now, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on it, maybe even enough to offer some advice to newbies.  To say that I just like cloth diapering is an understatement, I seriously love it.  To me, the benefits are huge - the environmental impact, the financial savings, and did I mention how much I love the cute colors and patterns on my son's tiny tushie??  I am so glad we went this route and plan to keep on it until the last of our little ones is no longer in diapers.

My intent of this post is to review the diapers and accessories we have tried - which worked, which didn't, and which are our absolute favorites.  I also want it to be somewhat of an informative "how to" if you are thinking of trying cloth diapering for yourself, or if you are struggling through it like we did in the beginning.  I feel like I did everything wrong before we started to do things the right way, so this is an opportunity to learn from my mistakes!  Before Arlo was born, I did a ton of diaper research, and even went to a cloth diapering class taught at the birthing center.  Erik and I decided upon using prefolds and diaper covers, and purchased enough to get us started.  Well, long story short - they just didn't work for us.  Arlo has super sensitive skin and had an almost constant rash from the prefolds holding all the moisture next to the skin.  I was beginning to think that CDing wouldn't work for us, but then a friend gave us some pocket diapers which we ended up loving, and they worked much better for Arlo's sensitive skin.  So, even though there are a plethora of cloth diaper options available, my review of the diapers are almost entirely of the pocket style.  I should also mention that while we did use CD at night for a while, we dealt with more leaking and diaper rashes because of it than we wanted to, so we switched to disposables at night only, and since then have had almost no issues with leaking or rashes. 

The diapers: 

Since we have acquired so many different types and brands of diapers, I am going to condense this section as much as possible and just list the pro's and con's of each one.  Each diaper will get an overall rating between 1-5 hearts (♥) based on the performance, durability, and quality of the item.  Ok, let's get to it!

Fuzzibunz - One Size

 ♥♥♥

Price:  $20 each        Made in:  Turkey
Pros: trim fitting (much less bulky than other pocket diapers), does not leak often, fits smaller babies better than any other pocket diaper we have tried.
Cons:  Size adjustments are done by elastic and buttons around the legs which is difficult and time-consuming to do.  Also, this elastic tends to pop out of the holes during washing and needs to be tucked away again before use.  Pocket is narrow and can be difficult to stuff, especially if using more than one insert.  Finally, these diapers are on the small side and I am skeptical whether or not they will last all the way up through potty training. (update at time of posting, I stopped using these when Arlo was around 12 months old, and purchased more of my favorite brand, Coqui Hero's.  However, I did save our fuzzibunz for future kiddos because they fit so well on tiny babes.)
Overall impression:  I wouldn't choose these to make up my entire stash, but I like them as a trim fitting option to go under Arlo's clothing. Wouldn't recommend using during long naps or at night.

 

Alva 

♥♥♥

Price:    $4-6 average each    Made in:  China
Pros:  Inexpensive as they come.  Work pretty well, and higher quality than I expected for the price.  Large pocket for stuffing inserts.
Cons:  Tend to be a bit bulky.  Didn't fit Arlo until he was around 6 months old even on the smallest size, but would probably fit an older toddler quite well, which could actually be a pro of these diapers.  Not the highest quality of diaper out there.  Take forever to receive if you order them from the Alva website and they are shipped from China.  I have had these leak from time to time, sometimes through the snap areas on the outside cover.
Overall impression:  These are a good diaper to have on hand for back-ups or extras in the diaper bag or car.  They are definitely not the first diaper I reach for but I do use them from time to time.

Rumparooz

♥♥

 

Price:   $16-18     Made in:  China

Pros:  Cute patterns, snaps make for easy sizing.  Decent size pocket for stuffing inserts.  Double leg gussets mean less chance of a blow-out.  We have two of these diapers, one with velcro closure and one with snaps.  The velcro has held up surprisingly well through months of washings and I suspect it has a lot of life left.

Cons:  So bulky.  Never seemed to fit Arlo just right.  Much more expensive than other diapers.  The velcro closure diaper seems to fit small, even on the largest rise.

Overall impression:  I really wanted to love this brand, and with the high price tag I thought that I would.  But unfortunately they failed to impress me, and once I found cheaper ones that I liked better, I pretty much stopped using these altogether.

Thirsties:

♥♥

Price:   $20 each    Made in:  USA

Pros:  Made in USA!  Very cute patterns.  Slimmer fitting than other pocket diapers. 

Cons:  Stuffing these diapers sucks.  The elastic is so bunchy around the legs that it's annoying to slide the insert in the pocket.  Also the double gussets, while great for keeping blow-outs in check, are also poop magnets which make them hard to clean when a BM happens.  As well, the inside liner hasn't held up all that great.  And because the elastic around the legs is so "bunchy," I have actually had these come out of the wash with poo still on them.  Yuck!  The sizing of these diapers aren't all that great either.  They run kind of small and I am skeptical about them fitting up until potty training. 

Overall impression:  These diapers get such great reviews, I really thought I would love them.  However the cons far outweighed the pros here and I keep these on the very bottom of the pile.  That being said - thirsties makes the very best inserts, so keep reading to learn more about that!

Best Bottom

♥♥♥

Price:    $17 for shell only, additional $18 for inserts (3 pack)       Made in:  USA

Pros:  Outer shells can be reused over and over without washing until they become soiled, simply swap out the inner insert.  Adorable patterns.  Made in USA!

Cons:  Not all of the inserts are "stay dry" meaning they won't wick the moisture away from your little one's bum, increasing the likelihood of a rash.  The inside of the diaper has a snap-in insert which is soft against baby's skin, but the rest of the inside of the diaper is a waterproof fabric material which never seemed very comfortable against Arlo's delicate skin.  The fleece lining of pocket diapers always seemed way more comfortable for him.

Overall impression:  These are not actually pocket diapers, but I wanted to review them because we have a few in our stash and did use them a bit in the beginning.  They are another "ok" diaper, but once I found my favorites, these ended up on the bottom of the pile along with the others...

Coqui Hero:

♥♥♥♥♥

Price:     $15 each      Made in:  China

Pros:  Super soft fleece lining that has held up wonderfully.  Easy to stuff.  Rarely leaks, even with just the single leg gusset.  Great fit (update at 21 months old - still fits well with room to grow!) and comfortable for Arlo to wear.  Reasonably priced.  Bright, vibrant colors that I absolutely love.  Adorable frog on back!

Cons:  The only con I can think of, is that the microfiber inserts that they come with are not the most absorbent out there, and I purchased another brand to use instead.  That being said, very few diapers are sold with something other than a simple microfiber insert, so you would probably want to purchase separate inserts with whichever brand of pocket diaper you choose anyway.  (update at time of posting:  I see that this company now sells a new diaper that comes with a double layer bamboo & organic cotton insert for only a few dollars more.  I haven't tried their new insert yet but I would be curious to see how it does in comparison to the hemp & cotton insert mentioned below.)

Overall impression:  I saved the best for last, as these are by far our favorite cloth diaper.  Not only do they fit Arlo better than any other diaper we have tried, but they have held up the best as well - and that is with using them more than any others that we own!  Once I discovered these, I slowly started buying a few every time that I placed an Amazon order (that is the only place I have found them) and soon we had a stash made up primarily of Coqui's.  Love these diapers!

So how many diapers do you need?  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 is a good number, I think.  You will need more if you want to wash every three days instead of every other day, and will also need more for a newborn.  However, I would not recommend you buying everything all at once.  Buy one or two of several different brands because you will find that certain brands will work better than others for your baby.  When you find what works best for you, stock up on those.  I think we ended up with close to 30 diapers, but I will say that we never run out!  Cloth diapers actually have a great resale value as well, so if you end up with a few you are not using, you can always resell them and get most of your money back. 

The inserts:

Most cloth diapers will come with a standard microfiber insert, which work fine when your baby is small and only wetting small amounts at a time.  However, once your kid gets older, those simple microfiber inserts simply won't cut it, and you will end up with leaks out the sides.  I tried several types of inserts including bamboo, hemp, charcoal, and cotton velour.  The two I liked the best because they fit the trimmest and seemed to hold the most are:

 

Thirsties Fab Doublers Soft Cotton Velour (seen above):  I pair these with the standard microfiber insert that comes with each diaper.  The combination of the two together is awesome, and they are very affordable at around $8 for a three pack.

Thirsties Stay-dry Duo Inserts (seen above):  These are where it's at for heavy wetters or older babies.  This insert comes with a microfiber insert snapped to a hemp insert.  The hemp holds more moisture than any other insert I have tried.  They are also very trim fitting for how absorbent they are.  The downside is that these are around $9 each!  Still worth it when you factor in how much you are saving over using disposables.

The wipes:

When we started out cloth diapering, I figured that since we were going to be washing the diapers anyway, why not wash wipes as well?  I enlisted my mom to sew us some wipes, and she made us a ton (I mean literally over 100) two-layer flannel wipes using her serger sewing machine.  These have been amazing and have held up remarkably well through dozens and dozens of washes.  That being said, somewhere along the way I discovered cloth wipes made by Thirsties, which do an even better job at poo removal than the flannel wipes do.  They are called Thirsties Fab Wipes and cost around $12 for six.  Not terribly expensive and work wonders on those unavoidable blow-outs!  If you are going to cloth diaper, you might as well use cloth wipes as well.  It's no more work in the laundry department, saves you money, and saves the environment at the same time.

The accessories:

wet bag:  When we started with cloth diapers, I bought two diaper pail liners by Planet Wise and haven't had to buy anything additional since.  Two have been plenty because there is always one for the pail and one being washed (or dry and ready for use.)  They have held up great, come in cute colors, and clean up well in the washing machine.  They run about $17 each.

I did end up purchasing an additional wet bag for traveling, as I wanted something with a zipper on top that still held a few days worth of diapers.  I bought a Kanga Care wet bag and it's exactly what I needed. Pick up something like this for cloth diapering on the go!

diaper pail:  I actually didn't buy anything fancy here, a simple plastic kitchen garbage can with a flip-up top has worked great.  It holds in the smell surprisingly well, and since you are washing the diapers every few days it never has very long to sit full of dirty diapers anyway.

creams/ointments:  It is important not to use conventional zinc oxide diaper creams with cloth diapers as they will never wash out and it will completely ruin the diaper, so make sure you pick something CD safe should your little one develop any rash or redness.  I have tried many, our favorites are:  CJ's BUTTer stick, CJ's BUTTer jar ointment, and Grovia Magic Stick.  They usually cost around $10 each but last a very long time!


The process:

I think a reason that a lot of people shy away from cloth diapering, is that they are intimidated by the whole process of washing the soiled diapers.  It's really a lot easier than it sounds!  Let me start by talking about how I have things set up in Arlo's room.  On his dresser, I have a changing pad with a small basket nearby.  In the basket I keep cloth wipes, a squirt bottle of water (it's really a 99 cent condiment bottle from the grocery store!) and a diaper rash stick.  On a cart nearby, I keep baskets stocked with clean, already stuffed and folded diapers.  Next to the cart is the diaper pail.  Everything is in easy reach.  When Arlo was a newborn, I kept the wipes pre-moistened in a wipe warmer.  This worked great in the beginning, but as he got older and we were using fewer wipes, I found it easier to wet the wipes only as I needed them.

changing station (old house)

diaper accessories basket on dresser/changing table

the wipes and "diaper pail"

When I take off a soiled diaper, I pull the insert out, and throw everything in the pail.  That way I don't have to sort through the diapers to remove inserts before washing.  If you have a newborn, go ahead and throw the poo covered diapers right in the pail.  It's not really until your baby starts solids that you need to worry about removing the poo.  Now that Arlo is older, I either dump off the solids right into the toilet (most of the time they come right off easily) but if things are "soft" I use the nearby shower head to spray off the poo right into the toilet.  If you don't have a shower head nearby, you can purchase a diaper sprayer to attach to the toilet to spray them off.  I have also started occasionally using the "dunk and swish" option now that Arlo has his own toilet that no one else is using.  In my opinion, the poo removal is probably my least favorite part of CDing.  But still not a big enough deal to make me not want to do it!

I wash the diapers every 2-3 days.  It's important to wash diapers by themselves (wipes and the wet bags are okay to go in too) and to only use CD safe detergent.  We have tried a lot of detergents and found Nellies to be the most economical and effective.  Also never use fabric softner of any kind as it will cause your diapers will lose their absorbancy.  If you remove the inserts and poo before placing in the pail, all you need to do come washing day, is dump the whole bag in the washer.  No dirty diaper touching required!  Next, set your washing machine to the "diapers" cycle:

Wait, you don't have a diapers cycle on your machine?!  Ha.  Wouldn't it be nice if we did?  (Special thanks to my sister Megan for her photoshop sills on this one.)  The cycle you want to use for washing is "heavy duty" or if you don't have that I believe "comforters" would work as well.  You want the cycle that will wash the longest and use the most water.  And another tip for cloth diaper washing is rinse, rinse, rinse!  On our new machine I have the option to have the washer "memorize" a certain cycle which has been awesome for CD washing (it's LG brand if you are wondering.)  So I set it to: prewash (no soap), wash on a hot heavy duty cycle (or pick heavily soiled) with soap, spin speed maximum, and an extra two rinse cycles.  It sounds like it uses a lot of water but the newer HE machines use so little water to begin with, I feel like you really need the extra rinses to help them get as clean as possible.  If you have an older washer that is not HE, you can skip the extra rinses as your washer will use enough water in a heavy duty cycle to get them clean.  I used a non-HE washer a few times when traveling and the diapers never came out cleaner!!

Once the wash cycle is finished, I always hang the diapers and wet bag to dry as this will help them last much longer and help prevent delaminating - when the waterproof layer peels away from the diaper fabric.  I typically wash them at night after we put Arlo to bed, and the hanging diapers are dry by morning.  I throw the inserts and wipes right into the dryer.  When everything is dry, I stuff the inserts into the diaper, fold and snap them, and put them in the baskets in Arlo's room so they are ready to go.  It's a very easy process that really doesn't take long.  Even more time is saved if you can school your hubby on how to help with the diaper process.

Sometimes, even when you seem to be doing everything correctly, diapers can get a funky smell that won't go away even after washing.  There are all kinds of methods out there for what is called "stripping" the diapers to remove the funk, but what I found works well is to use the blue Dawn dish soap.  I throw all the diapers in the washer with around 1 TBSP Dawn, and wash as usual.  I then run another cycle, with as many rinses as my machine will do.  Make sure there are no suds at the end of the cycle.  If there are, rinse again!  I actually haven't had to strip mine in probably 6 months or so, but I do periodically put in just 3-4 drops of Dawn in the prewash cycle of a load.  I kind of made that up on my own but it seems to have kept the stinkies at bay!


Update September 2015:
Somewhere around the time that Arlo turned 18 months old, he started soaking through his cloth diapers quite often.  He drinks up to 11 oz of milk at a time now, and clearly that is more than even the very best insert can absorb.  I realized the leaks most often occurred when we were out and about when I wasn't changing his diaper as often as I was when we were at home.  So we still continue to cloth diaper while at home, but when we are going out for more than a quick trip, I put him in a disposable.  We also still use disposables at night.  The disposables we love the most are Naty by Nature Babycare.  They are environmentally friendly and have never caused any problems for Arlo's very sensitive skin.  I also recently discovered that Krogers sells an eco-friendly diaper called "Touch of Nature" and really like those as well.  They are extremely affordable and also gentle on skin.  Our favorite disposable wipes are "Water Wipes" (now being sold at Target!) and contain nothing but water and a tiny percentage of grapefruit extract.

So even though it feels like we are now using cloth diapers half the time and disposables the other half, I still love cloth diapering and plan to do so with future kiddos.  If you have any questions about cloth diapering, please feel free to ask.  Again, I feel like we did everything wrong before we started doing things right, so if you have a question chances are I can probably answer it.

Happy diapering!

beach weekend

It's so easy to get caught up in the daily grind.  The early morning wake-ups, cereal spilled on the floor, rushing to get out the door to work on time, to what the heck do I make for dinner, toddler melt downs, bedtime baths, and then tiding the house before you crash on the couch, exhausted from the day.  Once in a while it's nice, and necessary really, to spent some child-free time with your spouse, and soft of hit the reset button on life. 

A couple of weekends ago, Erik and I went away for a little beach vacation, just the two of us.  Neither of us have any relatives that live close by, so the chance for Erik and I to do anything alone together (even something as simple as a trip to the grocery store) is pretty rare.  So, when given the opportunity, we happily take it.  My parents drove over from Tennessee, and my sister Megan even flew down from Chicago, so there were plenty of hands on deck to care for Arlo while Erik and I were away.  Erik has been talking about taking a trip to Myrtle Beach for years now, as this is where he vacationed with his family every summer during his childhood.  We decided to stay there one night, then head north to one of our favorite beaches a little closer to home, Kure beach.

Basically, we left our kiddo at home so we could go off and act like kids ourselves.  We sat lazily on the beach, splashed in the ocean, played putt-putt, visited the arcade more than once, shopped for tchotchkes, rode on a ferry (with our car, sweet!), and walked around the beach and boardwalk in the evenings.  I was the putt-putt game champion, but no match for Erik's ski-ball skills at the arcade.  We came home happy, well-rested, and super excited to see our little guy. 

Reset button, consider yourself pressed.

North Myrtle Beach

putt-putt at Hawaiian Rumble, the #1 rated course in the world (so they say!)

Fort Fisher on the drive to Kure Beach

And the reason we chose that weekend in particular to head away just the two of us?  Well, a few days prior we had celebrated our four year wedding anniversary!  It's crazy to think of all the changes we have been through in just four short years.  Looking forward to so many more with my pretty awesome hubby  :)

wedding weekend in upstate NY

Save for the faint woosh woosh of the washing machine upstairs, I sit here in complete silence.  A rare moment for me in recent weeks, as they have been filled mostly with traveling and having company at our house.  Arlo is currently upstairs napping, and according to my estimations I should have at least 30 more minutes before the silence breaks and I hear his little voice come through the baby monitor next to me.  So let's see if I can knock out a quick post about our recent adventures.

Three weekends ago we traveled up to upstate New York for Erik's brothers wedding.  Erik's parents generously offered to help us out with plane tickets to New York, so we were able to fly and avoid what I imagine would have been an extremely long, 20+ hour round trip drive with a toddler who is not a fan of sitting still for longer than a few minutes at a time.  We left on a Thursday evening, and for the first leg of the trip (we had a short layover, made even shorter by the delay in our first flight) Arlo was a super star on the airplane.  Which, had been the opposite of his behavior all day before we left for the airport.  Somehow our whining and cranky little guy was able to rally for the flight, peacefully sitting on our laps playing peek-a-boo with the lady sitting next to us and thoroughly familiarizing himself with the emergency procedures pamphlet from the seat pocket in front of us.  Small miracles!  During the second leg of the flight we were lucky enough to score an extra seat on the plane, brought the car seat right on with us, and Arlo slept like a champ until we arrived in New York.  Since we arrived so late at night, we stayed at a hotel in Albany, and drove up to Cooperstown the next morning.

I had never been anywhere in New York outside of the big city, and I was amazed at how beautiful it all was.  Rolling hills, fields, so many trees, and lakes.  White picket fences around the small farms in Cooperstown.  I wanted so many times to stop and take photos of the scenery, but my little phone camera wouldn't have accurately captured the view.  How I would love to visit again sometime when the leaves change color in the fall, camera in hand for all the photo ops.

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner, held at a beautiful country club overlooking Lake Otsego.  Here is Arlo all dressed up in a shirt and tie, which instantly made him look at least twice his age:

And the three of us on the patio that overlooks the lake:

Saturday was the big day!  We spent the morning at a nearby school where Erik played basketball with his brother and a few other guys who were in the wedding.  The school had a large playground where Arlo was able to burn off a lot of energy which made for a nice long afternoon nap.  While Arlo and Erik napped that afternoon, I was able to sneak away with Jill, Erik and Scott's mom, for a little girl time with the bridal party.  Caitrin, Scott's wife, arranged for hairdressers from a local beauty salon to come and do our hair while we had a little pre-wedding luncheon together.  It was so much fun and I was so happy to be included in the festivities.  Here we are after we had our hair done, wearing our matching robes Caitrin gave to us:

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown.  It was a very unique space with a church, several smaller outbuildings housing farm animals, a carousal, and a large building that served as a space for the reception.  Again, I was longing for my camera (and someone to watch Arlo so I could run around and do nothing but take photos!)  I didn't take these photos but am borrowing them from the internets to give you an idea of the beauty that is this place:

Arlo was the ring bearer in the wedding, and did a fantastic job of carrying the "rings" down the isle.  The ceremony itself was lovely, but I have to admit that sitting in the front row of a small church, during a quiet Catholic ceremony with a very rambunctious toddler on your lap is not easy.  He started to get a little fussy at times, and even with the backpack of entertainment that I had hidden under the pew before the ceremony (tiny cars, flash cards, books, snacks, and eventually my phone) it was still hard to keep him silent.  Overall he did pretty well and we were able to avoid any major outbursts, but still I was sweating bullets and panicking internally every time he let out so much as a peep. 

After the ceremony we headed to the building where the reception took place.  Arlo was able to run around and snack on some appetizers at that point, and Erik and I immediately found ourselves with wine in hand, so I think we were all able to relax a bit once the reception started.  Since Erik was the best man, and Arlo was the ring bearer, we all sat together at the head table.  Arlo was at the very end of the table and kept us all entertained throughout the meal!  Here are a few pics taken at the wedding:

Arlo taking selfies

"come here often?"

showing off his dance moves

way past his bedtime!

Arlo showed off his mad dance skills a bit on the dance floor, and even shared in the dance between his Uncle Scott and Memere Jill which I couldn't help but get a little misty eyed over.  Eventually we put Arlo in his stroller, and Memere (or was it Papa?  I was a few glasses of wine in at this point!) walked him around the museum until he fell asleep.  We then parked the stroller in the corner, and Arlo slept until we left and had to put him in the car.  Meanwhile, Erik and I were having a blast together, eventually making our way onto the dance floor to show off our (very uncoordinated) moves, ha!  I can't remember the last time the two of us let loose and had such a great time.  Definitely a night we won't soon forget!

The next day Caitrin's parents had everyone over to their house for a brunch, complete with vegan french toast for us - yum!  We eventually had to say our goodbyes as we had to drive back to Albany to catch our flight home later that afternoon.  The flight home ended up very uneventful, as Arlo was able to have a seat to himself on both legs of the trip, and slept most of the time.  I know in a recent post I said I was not a fan of the word "perfect," and well, I still am not.  However, with no other word to accurately describe the wedding, and really the entire trip to New York, I think it's appropriate to use in this case, as I don't really think things could have gone any better.  Plus, it's pretty awesome to witness the marriage of two people who you know are meant to be together, and even cooler when you are welcoming one of them into your own family.  Many congrats to the happy new couple!

The weekend after our NY travels, Erik and I headed to the beach (just the two of us!) to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  More about that trip in my next post! 

Oh, and one more thing.  I learned on this trip that I have a real, live, legitimate writer who actually reads this little ol' blog of mine.  So Danny, if you are reading this, know that I am a little intimidated that you do but also think it's awesome.  So thanks!  And Arlo sends you a fist bump  ;)