3 Months

  I can't even believe I'm writing this but baby A is 3 months old! These months have gone by in a blur. I'm going to need him to slooow down with the growing up thing. He has changed so incredibly much these past 4 weeks. Here's Baby A's 3 month update:

   A turned 3 months on May 5th. He currently weighs 13 1/2 lbs and is about 25 inches long. He is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothing and a few 6 month items. The main thing is that he is super long (did not get that from my side) and when he stretches out fully it looks like he's wearing capri pants. haha That's the Italian side of him. He has found both hands and thoroughly enjoys them and has also found his feet. His feet have caused him such agony because he cannot reach them yet. He gets so frustrated that he cannot grab his feet, it's pretty stinking cute. He has, so far, only given me one giggle. I worked pretty hard to get that giggle out of him and now it's my project everyday to get him to giggle. It hasn't happened yet and the extremes I have gone to try to get him to do so could make a great video, I'm sure. We have mastered the art (because it is truly an art) of breastfeeding. That is a big game changer for us because where as we didn't have major (or really even minor) problems, it took us a good 8 weeks to get breastfeeding down perfectly. Up until the last 3 nights he was sleeping in 5 hour stretches but 3 nights ago he started sleeping "through the night." He sleeps from 9pm-5am, which works out perfectly. Overall he is doing really well and I fall more in love with him everyday. He is pretty amazing. Here are some photos of him:

   Dave and I are doing well also. We are getting ready to move in about 60 days. This is such a bittersweet time. We love Italy and have made so many memories here in Vicenza. We got engaged here, lived in our first home together here, and had our first born here. It holds a special place in our hearts forever. However, we are ready to be back in the States closer to family and friends. We are also ready to have our own home with carpet and central AC and heat. To get to watch football games at a normal time and to be able to run out to convenience stores. But we will miss Italy dearly and hope to someday make it back to Europe to live again.
  Being a parent has gone pretty well too. Baby A is such an easy baby. D has actually been gone the last 2 weeks so it has just been A and myself. I applaud any single parent, it is a hard (harder than normal) job taking care of a baby alone. Don't get me wrong, it is an extremely enjoyable job but nonetheless it is difficult when you don't have someone to split the tasks up with. Thankfully Baby A has been fantastic and we haven't had any issues. D comes home in a few days, thankfully! One task that A and I have been working on is cloth diapering. I started cloth diapering A when he was about 6 weeks old. I get a lot of questions about it and where as I am in no way, shape, or form an expert on the subject, here is what I have been doing and how it's been working for me.

 Cloth diapering: Our experience so far has been a good one. I only cloth diaper A during the day and when we are at home, currently. I plan to cloth diaper him exclusively during the day soon but I had to rework my stash. Currently what I use are Green Mountain workhorse fitted diapers with a waterproof (PUL) cover. I use the Thirstie brand PUL covers. I also use All in One (AIO) diapers in various brands. I currently have Bumgenius, Charlie Banana, and some random brands. And finally, I use pocket diapers in Kawaii baby and other various brands. As for inserts for the pocket diapers I have mainly been using microfiber but have a few bamboo and hemp. My routine for the diapers is that I put baby A into a workhorse fitted when he wakes from a nap, change him into a fitted after he eats (so about 30min between each change) and then right before his nap (which is about an hour-an hour and a half after he starts to eat). I change him into a pocket diaper or an AIO for his nap. Here are some common questions I get about cloth diapering:

Q: How much does cloth diapering add to your laundry pile
A: Not very much. I currently have enough diapers to last me 2 days without doing laundry. I usually dump my wet bag full of a days diapers into the wash every morning, wash them, and then dry them. My european washer takes about 3 hours to wash (I do a pre-rinse, hot rinse, and an added rinse). I imagine when we are in the States it will take me half that time. I do a really lazy cloth diaper washing routine because I am lazy and I think sometimes it can get too complicated. I found the wash routine on a blog called "The lazy cloth diapering mom" or something like that haha It sounded like my style.

Q: How much does cloth diapering cost you:
A: To date I have spent around $350 dollars on 2 days worth of cloth diapers. Two days worth is probably about 20 diapers, I need to count how many I actually have and use during a day. To date I have spent close to that same amount on disposables because we didn't start cloth until A was 6 weeks old and still use them at night.

Q: How long will the diapers you've purchased last you?
A: Most of them will last until he is potty trained. The fitted diapers I use will only last until he is around 15lbs but they are relatively cheap to buy, especially if you buy them used. All of his pocket diapers and AIO's are one size fits all.

Q: Isn't it gross to buy used diapers
A: Not at all, at least in my opinion. I only have 1 diaper that is brand new, all the others I have bought used. I "stripped" them (which means to wash very very well) and then washed them again. So they have been through 4 washes on very hot water before I used them. Plus I got them for 1/3 of the price I would have paid if bought brand new!

Q: What about the poop? Isn't it gross to have poop in the cloth diapers?
A: I guess it depends on how easily you get grossed out. I breastfeed exclusively so Baby A's poop is water soluble. When he poops I just put the diaper into the wet bag and then dump it into the washer when time to wash. The insides come out clean, although stained. The BM poop stains the inside but I just throw them outside in the sun and after an hour or so they are perfectly white again. I have been told that formula fed poop is worse because you actually have to scrape it off into the toilet and the same goes for when baby starts solids. Luckily we will be in the States when A starts solids and I plan to get a diaper sprayer that hooks up to the toilet.

 So that is my cloth diapering experience, which is still very little. As you can read, my days are filled with smiles, attempts at getting A to giggle, and poop. I love it though, there is not a day that goes by that I don't look forward to the next one. Baby A is such a blessing and watching him grow is too.