From Our Family to Yours

Merry Christmas from the Boomsmas!

cloth diapers

while i’m on the topic of being a little crazy and a little “crunchy,” i thought i’d throw up a post about the cloth diapers we are using.  if anyone is interested or has been thinking about using cloth diapers, maybe you’ll find our experience helpful?  ::shrug::

once the fog of the first 6-8weeks post partum had cleared and i needed to start buying larger quantities of diapers for Jack (gifted packages had run out), i flinched deeply when i realized that we would be dropping close to $50/month for diapers.  for us, the more expensive name brand diapers really did work the best – far fewer leaks and issues, and even buying in bulk from sam’s club proved to cost a pretty penny.  now, i care about the environment as much as the next person, i guess, but the biggest draw for me toward cloth diapering was the monetary savings.  the savings of cloth diapers over disposables simply cannot be disputed.  it’s crazy, actually (in the $thousands)!  however, i realize that “paying” in money is only one side of the issue.  yes, cloth diapering means paying more in time and also a certain level of dealing with the dirty diapers a bit more…directly.  but personally, i was willing to “pay” in both those areas more than i was willing to fork out the dollars.  but that’s me. 

i had been toying with the idea of cloth diapers before Jack was born and now decided to look into it more closely.  ooohhhh my.  all the different types and styles was overwhelming!  this video series on YouTube was extremely helpful in getting a grasp on the various types and pros/cons of each.  i also posted a status and a note on facebook asking for friends’ opinions and experiences – love hearing from people i know!  lastly, i ordered a customizable trial package from a cloth diapering company that allowed me to try 6 different types of diapers (for only $10 plus shipping) – all after i had established a general idea of what i wanted to try.  the trial was exactly what i needed and i knew what kind would be best for us within 2 days.

we opted to go with the Best Bottom diapering system and here’s why:
1. both zach and i disliked the idea of having to wash an ENTIRE diaper every time there was even just a little bit of pee (which is the case with pocket diapers and “All in Ones” (AiOs). best bottoms (BBs) is an “All in 2” (Ai2) system with outer shells ($17ish) + inserts ($3-$5ish depending on what type of cloth/fiber you get) that snap into the shell. so for pee-only diapers, you just snap out the insert, snap in a new one and diaper back up. you can often do the same for poopy diapers and just wipe the shell of any poo that got on it. or, if the shell is too soiled, you drop that in the wash pail and grab a new one. but you end up needing only a handful of shells and a decent supply of inserts total.

2. BB seemed to have excellent “gussets” – the elastic enclosure around the leg openings – which held in pee and poopy blowouts very well.  several of the other diapers i tried leaked badly from even just a light pee.

3. BB is a pretty slim fit, which fits my lean little man much better. a few clothing items will need to be “sized up” to fit over the bulk of a cloth diaper, but not a lot and not by much. plus, these diapers were adjustable both in waist width AND length, making them a “one size fits all” option that aren’t particularly bulky and will theoretically last until we potty train!

4. have to admit, the BB shell color/pattern options were darn cute! i ended up getting colors that leaned more toward “boy,” but were also fairly gender neutral should we have a girl next. that way i’ll only have to purchase a couple extra shells if we have a girl.

5. BBs are slightly closer to the “cheaper” side of the pricing scale. total cost so far has been: $10 trial package + $10 s/h trial package + $10 to ship BACK the trial package* + $200 order** (6 shells, 18 inserts, 3 “doublers” to thicken reg inserts for overnight, etc, 1 small wet bag for the diaper bag and 1 medium wet bag for the nursery or laundry room (i’ll graduate to the large wet bag when we have more kids)) = $230. depending on how old jack is when we have a 2nd kid and how many inserts/diapers he’s going through per day, i anticipate spending maybe an additional $100 for a few more shells and inserts plus a larger wet bag. but still! less than $350 for pretty much ALL the diapers i should need potentially for ALL our kids (i’m planning for jack to be out of diapers by the time a possible 3rd and 4th child come along, Lord willing)!  a GREAT deal in my mind!

*i did the trail package through Jillian’s Drawers. they advertise that it’s a $10 trial, but it really works out to be $30 because they charge you an additional $10 for shipping and you also have to pay to ship the trial package back. however, they give you free shipping on your next order… (not a “break even” deal necessarily though unless you order $75+ worth of items)

** i ended up placing my BIG order from Nicki’s Diapers because they were slightly cheaper (discount if you buy quantities), offered FREE shipping on orders of $75+, and had WAY more color/pattern options for both the diaper shells and the wet bags. unfortunately right now, Jillian’s inventory is a very limited, at least as far as the BB stuff goes. however, i would like to at least remark that i had a WONDERFUL experience with Jillian’s customer service.  reasonably prompt email responses, personal and very helpful. no complaints about the company AT ALL.  simply chose Nicki’s because of the better inventory and pricing.

a word on the maintenance/work of dealing with cloth diapers:
yes, it IS faster and cleaner to simply fold up a disposable and drop it in the trash.  no arguing that.  but honestly, the amount of “extra” time i have put into the handling and washing of the cloth diapers we got comes to a grand total of about 1.5 hours… per WEEK.  i’m not even kidding.  pee diapers? drop in the wet bag until laundry time.  soiled diapers?  i drop them in the bathtub and spray ’em down with our combo/hose shower head that we already had, then drop them in the wet bag until laundry time.  (breastmilk poo is very runny and essentially water soluble so it rinses right out and down the drain easily.  since jack has been on the goat milk formula, however, his stools are now thicker.  i started using flushable liners and rinsing any spill-over.  still quick, easy and cheap!)

i “use up” the cloth inserts about every 48hours.  so every other day i put everything – shells, inserts, wet bag – into the washing machine, run a cold rinse/pre-soak, and then a hot wash using a scant 1/8cup detergent.  after that i have the option of putting it all in the dryer on medium or low heat, but i usually opt to put them all up on the clothesline outside.  the sun is a natural bleaching agent and kills any remaining bacteria and/or smell.  they smell all clean and fresh when i bring them back inside!  the whole process literally takes me less than 10 minutes, not including the time they’re actually IN the washer. 

here’s a few tips/opinions of mine, if you’re thinking about / looking into cloth diapers:
– wait until your baby is 6-8 weeks old.  not for the baby’s sake but for yours!  let the post partum fog clear a little.  let your body adjust to the sleep deprivation a little.  get past the thick and tarry meconium poop.  get past the “changing their diaper every freaking hour” stage. 
– do your research and do the trial package!  talk to friends!  that was the most helpful part. 
– still keep disposables on hand!  i use disposables when we travel or when Jack is with a babysitter or in the church nursery, etc.  this is a personal choice we have made and i don’t want to inconvenience others or gross others out by making them use the cloth diapers if they don’t want to, or asking to wash my cloth diapers in their washing machine.  and actually, since Jack has been on the goat milk formula, he is SOAKING his diapers like CRAZY.  it’s a good thing and a good sign of hydration, etc. but the cloth diapers aren’t cutting it during the long stretch at night.  so i’ve started using disposables at night too.  i can handle buying 1 bulk size box of disposable diapers every couple of months.  it’s worth it to not have to change his clothes and the sheets and his blanket at 2am every night because he’s soaked through it all! 
– do cloth diapers because you WANT to, not because you feel guilted into doing it because your friends are, or it’s the big thing in the “all natural” community, etc.  not that there may not be future seasons where you use disposables for awhile, but if you’re not all in and up for the extra work, you’ll fizzle out fast and the feel even worse about the money you invested. 

i have yet to feel any regret or remorse about our cloth diaper choice – in fact, i LOVE it!  🙂

a hungry boy and homemade formula

a week before thanksgiving i took jack to the doctor for an eye infection.  i thought it would be a quick visit, they would confirm if his eye was truly infected (no improvement after keeping it clean and treating it with breastmilk for 48hrs), we would determine a course of action and that would be that.  well, that visit turned into a whole lot more…

the routine weight check revealed that jack had lost 9oz over the 6 weeks since his last appointment (at which point he had been trending upward).  yikes!  losing weight in any amount isn’t a good thing for babies and especially when you’re a string bean like my little boy.  clearly, he was not getting enough to eat.  i was honestly shocked.  jack had never really given any clear indication that he was still hungry.  he would nurse fully on both sides and when he was done, he was done.  no whining or crying or complaining.  he was still happy and smiley.  i assumed that if he wasn’t getting enough and was still hungry, he would “tell me”!  nope.  apparently he takes after his daddy and eats what’s put before him but otherwise doesn’t think about it.  (i have no idea what that’s like!)  jack’s sleeping had seemed to “regress” over the prior 4-6 weeks. where he had been sleeping a good long stretch, waking up to nurse once between 2-4am and then going right back down till 7/7:30, he had begun to wake up every 3ish hours or so during the night.  i would just nurse him and then he always went right back to sleep.  this also had pretty much started around our trip to Michigan, so i assumed it was a result of traveling/jet lag/being off schedule, etc.   again, because he never acted hungry after a feeding, i never assumed the sleeping troubles were connected to eating.  another thing had had happened on our trip – my cycle had returned.  the more i thought about it, the less shocked i became.  it was actually all starting to make sense.  my supply must have started dwindling with the return of my cycle and jack, being the happy, pretty laid-back kid that he thus far has seemed to be, never complained – so i had no idea.

the doctor handed me a can of formula and instructed me to give him 2oz 3x/day in addition to nursing.  i went out to my car and cried as i stared at the can of formula.  i wasn’t upset that my body couldn’t provide enough for my child.  i was upset because he had not been getting enough to eat and i had no idea!  i felt awful!! the thought just broke my heart!  and i also cried because as i stared at the list of ingredients on the can, i kept thinking, “i can’t do it.  i just can’t give this to my son.  but i have to give him something!”  i have my own personal convictions and opinions about commercial formula that make me very uncomfortable with giving it to my son.  but what other option did i have??

**(let me just stop right here and share word of explanation as well as my heart: to any and all of my friends who have used/do use commercial formula – i sincerely hope you can read this without hearing any judgment from me, for i certainly mean none toward you whatsoever!  i promise, i have not been silently judging you in my head while you give your kid a formula bottle.  with every passing day that i’m a mom, i grow more and more aware of how personal and individual the decisions are that you make for each of your children.  heck, they start before you even HAVE children!  from the birth control you choose – or don’t, the type of delivery you choose – or don’t (some women don’t have a choice!), when to vaccinate your baby – or don’t, how and what you feed your baby, sleep scheduling or not, when to start solids and which ones to start with – those decisions have to be made by you and your spouse based on what you feel is best for your child, your family and your season of life.  and the list of decisions above are just within the first 6-12months of your child’s life!  and as i watch my other friends and family members with older kids, i realize that the decisions only increase in volume and complexity as you throw in discipleship and parenting and morals and values – and more kids!  so for ALL of you who may be reading this, please know: i am NOT writing this post to say “this is THE right choice.”  i AM writing this post to share what has become the best option FOR US.  it’s something that i’m in the midst of and currently really excited about and want to share!  one other thing:  i am well aware from my own experiences that many struggles that people encounter in the throes of conception, pregnancy, delivery and infancy are not commonly/openly discussed and therefore can become very lonely trials.  it can feel like things are working smoothly and perfectly for everyone around you… but not for you.  and when faced with a struggle/challenge  you never expected to face, especially the first time around, you can often feel a little (or a lot!) lost, confused, helpless and unaware of options.  so another reason i am sharing what happened is for the sake of any of my friends who may find themselves facing something similar and looking for an alternative solution like i was. and to any of you who think i am crazy and extreme – well… isn’t that part of being a parent?  oh the crazy things we do for our kids… 😉 )**

i called zach and told him what had happened and poured all my tears and fears and concerns and opinions.  he helped calm me down and assured me that everything was going to be just fine and we would do the best we could and find a good solution for jack.  he also reminded me that jack’s health and growth and gaining weight were the most important things here and if we needed to set aside a few of our ideals for a short time in order to make sure he got what he needed, then that was ok too.  this was not going to be the last time we would face a decision like this.  🙂  after hanging up the phone i took a deep breath and began driving home from the Dr’s office.  on the drive i suddenly remembered (translate: the holy spirit brought to mind!) a blog post i had read just a few days earlier from a mom who had to stop breastfeeding and instead made her own formula using goat’s milk.  i jumped on the computer as soon as i got home.  as soon as i re-read the post i KNEW that this was the solution for us.  i already have a fairly strong leaning toward doing things “naturally” and zach has grown accustomed to my thinking and has even started to get on board with a lot more of it – so it didn’t take a lot of convincing to get him to “let” me give this a try.  🙂

(btw – increasing my supply of breastmilk wasn’t much of an option – i had been getting plenty of calories and tons of water already… and a pump had stopped having any effect on me over a month prior.  plus, even if i was able to get my supply up, that would take time i didn’t have.  my son needed something NOW.)

from what i’ve researched and understand, goat’s milk is actually the one type of milk that most closely resembles a human mother’s breastmilk, making it the ideal choice for a formula base.  all the other ingredients on the list help provide the additional nutrients, vitamins, minerals and immunity boosters found in breastmilk in a more naturally-occuring state.  i actually recognized pretty much everything on the list of ingredients and was able to obtain them easily from Sprouts or amazon.  we know a family who raises goats for their milk and has very kindly agreed to give me some of it since they aren’t able to consume it all themselves – what a blessing! any additional goat milk that i need i buy from whole foods or trader joe’s.

i spent about $200 in up front ingredients and supplies, which should last me for several months. (i’m hoping to only need 1 round of supplies as we’re planning to start jack on solid foods in january)  i eagerly made up a batch of the formula, filled up a bottle and gave it to jack.  aaaaand he wanted NOTHING to do with it.  he grimaced and turned away and spit it out.  and i started to cry all over again.  what was i going to do?!  well duh.  he had never had anything other than breastmilk up until this point – of course it was going to taste weird to him!  we needed to transition him onto it slowly, mixed with breastmilk.  more tears on my part because i didn’t have any breastmilk left in the freezer to use!  my sister-in-law came to the rescue and gave me 2 bags of frozen breastmilk that i used to transition jack over.  and boy did he guzzle!  after the first few bottles it became obvious that my supply had dwindled MUCH more than we realized.  instead of giving him 2 extra ounces 3x/day, i would nurse him on both sides and then he would drain a 5oz bottle!  i was simultaneously sad and thrilled.  sad that he had wanted/needed so much more to eat for over a month and i hadn’t known, but thrilled that he was now going to get all the food he needed – AND it was a solution that i felt comfortable, excited even, giving to him.  the sad feelings abated quickly and my heart soared with each bottle he drained.

after 12 days of nursing + formula, we went back to the Dr for his 6month check up.  he had not only re-gained the weight he had lost, but gained almost an additional full pound MORE!  YEAH!  and within 2-3 weeks his sleeping went back to what it had been before – and is continuing to get even better.  we might, just might, be on the brink of him sleeping through the night!

i’ve made several more batches of the goat milk formula.  like the mom in the recipe post, i actually make 6-8 batches at once, freezing what i don’t need right away and keeping the rest in the fridge.

the ingredients:

i put each batch’s added ingredients in a small dish first – especially helpful when you’re making 6 batches at once!

my parents have a vitamix machine – with TWO containers!  i find this method to be the quickest and easiest for mixing up the formula.  once we move into our house and i get all my stuff back from storage, i plan to just use my ninja blender.  in goes the milk and water, then 1 small dish of the extra nutrients.

my finished formula – i learned the hard way to leave plenty of extra room at the top AND to let them freeze for 24hrs WITHOUT the lids first.  yeah… let’s just say this is my second round of mason jars.  the other set is laying in pieces in the trash can (the formula was able to be salvaged and strained, thank goodness).

it takes me less than 1.5 hrs to make 2 weeks’ worth of formula!

he likes it!

i’m so excited and grateful that God led us to this particular solution.  not to over-spiritualize it, but i truly believe that this came about as clear leading and provision from God – an answer to the tearful, desperate prayers of a mom who didn’t know what else to do and really wanted to find an alternative.  but most importantly, i’m elated that my son is putting on weight again and growing, growing, growing!  (not to mention sleeping long stretches at night again.  i’m pretty excited about that too!)

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

I completely forgot to post this recipe earlier with all the other delicious baked goods I was sharing! It is actually kind of appropriate that this recipe get its own post because it has got to be one of my all-time favorite recipes. I don’t even know where or when we got it but it’s been taped up inside one of my mom’s kitchen cabinets for many years. It also is pretty fail-safe, in my experience. Always turns out and always tastes fabulous. We love to make several loaves and give them as gifts!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
——-
1 (16oz) can pumpkin
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
——-
1 (16oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce

Instructions:
Mix together dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Mix together pumpkin, oil and eggs in a larger bowl. Add in dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in cranberry sauce by hand until combined – but be gentle so the whole berries don’t get smooshed!

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350* for 65ish minutes or until toothpick tests done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

BAKE ALL THE THINGS!

i enjoy being in the kitchen to begin with, but there is something about when Fall and Christmas roll around that just make me want to BAKE ALL THE THINGS!
this year is no exception and i thought i’d share some recipes i’ve recently made and recommend.  🙂

(note: pictures are all from the websites where the recipes originated – they aren’t mine!)

this cinnamon sugar biscotti from annie’s eats is fantastic – my personal favorite! 
and before you balk at the stereotypical idea of biscotti (dry and crumbly), let me assure you, these biscottis may be on the crunchier side but they are still pretty moist and flavorful.  absolutely wonderful with a cup of coffee or tea.  annie’s eats also has a chocolate biscotti which is excellent as well!  i haven’t made it yet this year but i am planning to!

pears were on sale recently so i bought several and made a pear upside gingerbread cake that was VERY tasty.

being fresh back from visiting zach’s dutch grandparents in michigan and enjoying lots of almond flavored treats (very common flavoring in dutch pastries, etc), i tried my hand at a pear almond galette.  total hit.  it was delicious!

i’m a huge sucker for all the traditional “fall” flavorings – apple, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, etc.  one morning i had a hankering for waffles, so i made apple cider waffles!  the “apple cider” flavor and spices wasn’t as pronounced as i would have preferred, but they were still good.  even better the next day when i thawed the extra and ate them with the apple butter i had brought home with us from Crane’s Orchard in michigan!

speaking of breakfast… and michigan for that matter… bethany made a scrumptious baked oatmeal while i was visiting her.  i have made it 3 times already since coming home.  it’s especially good with lightly sweetened almond milk poured over.  and i’ve found it to be surprisingly filling – much more than regular oatmeal.  must be the egg?

on a savory note… i’m excited to try these rosemary crockpot rolls tomorrow to go with the soup i’m making for us to enjoy while we watch The Sound of Music Live!  and as a treat for later, i’m making cinnamon churro chex mix (a recipe i’ve had on my “food to make” pinterest board for over a year and JUST recently stumbled across cinnamon chips at the store – so excited to try it)!