12 things you may not know about me and my preemie...

1. Just because Alex was a decent weight at birth (5 lbs 8 oz) does not mean he didn't miss out on 6 weeks of development in the womb.

2. Size really isn't the most important part in thinking about preemies.....though weight checks and percentile grids are something I see quite a bit of...especially the first several months. Three different percentile grids to be exact: one for preemies at their real age compared to other term babies, one for preemies at their adjusted age compared to term babies, and one for preemies compared to other preemies.

3. Nursing a premature baby is extremely challenging. They are not born being able to eat and it's a tough learning curve. It almost always requires a lot of pumping for Mom. I wouldn't say that nursing has been enjoyable for me (so much pumping, latching issues, clogged ducts, etc.)but it's important to me that Alex get breast milk so I do it anyways and I'm grateful it's worked out thus far.

4. I've donated the equivalent of 11 gallons of breast milk so far to 5 different babies/moms that needed it for a variety of reasons. Read more about milk sharing here. I guess I'm a 21st century wet nurse and I like being able to help other babies that need the liquid gold.

5. I am not supposed to leave Alex in a day care/nursery setting until RSV and flu season are over. So yes, I'm probably an over-protective mom but I'm also following doctors orders. RSV could be very dangerous for Alex to get and would likely require hospitalization.

6. Alex gets a monthly RSV vaccine called synagis. I was hesitant, for some reason, to let him have this....but kiddos born before 35 weeks, in the right season, and with older siblings (3 for 3 here) are at higher risk. After Mateo's respiratory infection I'm really glad Alex was vaccinated.

7. Alex will be behind on developmental milestones. Six weeks in utero cannot be made up with 6 weeks in the real world. A home nurse comes out through a free program every other month to do a weight and developmental check so I really try not to worry about his development because any concerns would be noted by the checks. I still do worry occasionally, though...

8. Even though I never particularly wanted more than 2 kids and even though I really don't enjoy the baby stage too much, I still mourn that I will not be able to have more kids....


9. I'm not completely anti social but bringing Alex around lots of people when he was brand new was just not something I was willing to do- even for a baby shower. It's just not worth it.

10. I wash my hands about 60 times a day.

11. Alex is perfectly and wonderfully made by a God who loves him and has great plans for his life (Psalm 139) and (Jeremiah 29:11).

12. Alex has the best smile....and the cutest mohawk.

I unaplogetically love cloth diaprs.

It's true. I use cloth diapers. And I like it. Not only does it save us a ton of money but I love creating less trash, too. Yes, it takes more effort to wash and prepare the diapers but I've found I don't mind the prep too much and it's well worth it. Especially since I am a stay at home mom, my "salary" comes in the form of how I save money and utilize our resources.
Mateo usually loves helping me fold diapers. I think he learned his colors that way and also how to fold in half and stack things lol. I am not going to teach you about cloth diapers in this post. But a favorite is BumGenius one size diapers because they have never leaked for us and will fit from newborn through potty training (7-35 pounds supposedly). So you are only buying one size of diaper. We didn't have too many of these with Mateo- the are a bit more expensive, but have a lot more with Alex and they are nice. With Mateo we did a different version- "Thirsites" covers and good old cloths.
Bum Genius Diapers...
These are the BumGenius one size diapers and there are three adjustment sizes. The blue is on the biggest and the yellow on the smallest. My 2 year old is potty trained but we still put him in a diaper at night so this is an easy way to do it. We also never bought any pull ups. Those are priced ridiculously! I had considered buying some washable pull ups but ended up just using cloth until underwear.

There are all sorts of estimates on how much the average per child costs to diaper. This of course ranges from how much you pay for your diapers (Are you a crazy couponer or a Pampers at full price customer?) and of course how long you use diapers...probably 2-3+ years to some extent. For three years it could be $3,000 one source said. I found that hard to believe...but either way you are going to spend a lot.

Another nice thing about cloth is that you can reuse them for a second or third child. Even if you bought 20 Bum Genius diapers at FULL PRICE (Which I wouldn't do)...you will still only spend $360. Total. If you go with Thirsties that's cheaper but maybe not as convenient.

For Alex I have Bum Genius diapers and some Econobum (cheaper brand similar in style to Thirsties) diapers that were only $5 each!

And there is something satisfying about a clean stack of cloth diapers ready for the changing table....

So to sum up...cloth diapers are cute, have less chemicals, are cheaper, and help me create less waste. Win win. I wash them 2-3 times per week, have not noticed any rise in water bills, and spend about $6 a year on detergent.


Sorry if this post makes no sense. I'm holding a fussy sick 6 month old who won't sleep. Will probably edit later haha.

Design on a Dime...puzzles

So it's no secret that I'm not a decorator. With limited free time and money it is just not on the top of my to-do list. Aaron and I like a clean and organized home that's functional and welcoming but having everything look like a Martha Stuart magazine just isn't on our priority list or in my talents. Maybe someday. That said, if Mark Brunetz from Clean House offered to come decorate our house for free I would NOT turn him down!

Anyways- we moved Mateo to his new room last June around his birthday and I really hadn't put much on the walls. Since my 2 1/2 year old is obsessed with putting together jigsaw puzzles at the moment, I decided to glue together some of his 24 piece puzzles and hang them up like posters.

Mateo's little work table that has become his "puzzle table".

I found some modge podge in the basement and glued the puzzles together over some wax paper on a cookie sheet. I did need to crack the window!


The modge podge glue gives it a nice glossy finish and I used used a small paintbrush that I had in my teaching supplies....though a bigger one would have been easier. My bottle of modge podge had a price tag of $5 and I barely made a dent in it. Once the front dried I also did the back. Not for looks but just for stability. "Puzzle glue" is the same thing.

My mom gave me the idea of gluing thin wood on the back so one Saturday morning Aaron and Mateo took a "man field trip" to the hard wood store and found some perforated board that would be suitable. It cost $6 for a large sheet and he only used about a third of the board for four puzzles.
This is what the back looked like. The board will keep it from warping. I have glued large puzzles together before and it's always hard to find a frame the right size- so this was a good alternative. Aaron used gorilla glue to attach the board to the puzzle and some tiny nails to attach the "self leveling picture hanger" (that metal thing with the ridges ;)

Clifford!

Mickey Mouse!

Cars!

Winnie the Pooh

So now Mateo has 4 "Puzzle Posters" on his wall that he put together himself and have some of his favorite characters. And it cost just a few dollars plus the puzzles themselves.