Cloth Diaper Basics

A year ago, I posted on Facebook that I had cloth diapers to give away. An older friend suggested, "They make great cleaning rags."

I told her, "Though I do have a few of the diapers you're picturing, you'd be surprised to see how different most cloth diapers are now!"

"Really? How different can they be?"

"Have you heard of pocket diapers? Those are the kind we use most often. The ones we use are one-size; the covers are polyurethane laminate lined with a soft, fleece-like fabric with a slit near the front. We stuff absorbent inserts (picture long rectangles of thick cotton terry cloth) into the "pocket" between the PUL layer and the fleece-like layer of the cover, using the slit I mentioned as the entry point. We use two inserts per cover. Once they're inside the pocket, the diaper is the same shape as a disposable, and goes on in much the same way. There are snaps to secure the wings in the back to the panel in the front, and there are adjustable elastic straps (just like you would find on a bra) sewn into the leg gussets so that the diapers will fit one child from start to finish. 

We didn't start with them, though. In fact, his first diapers were thrift-store t-shirts folded inside velcro-closure PUL covers called Thirsties. These covers did not last well in the washer and dryer, so we will be ordering more because we were too lazy to hand-wash/hang-dry them. That's okay, it's like 30 bucks.

Another type of diaper we use is an "All-In-Two," which is like a cross between the pocket diaper and the unlined PUL covers. There is a strip of material at the front and the back, sewn into the inside of the PUL cover in such a way that specially designed inserts can be tucked underneath and anchored down. This way, the insert is the thing against the baby's skin. Some inserts are made of organic unbleached cotton, some are made of a synthetic material designed to wick moisture away from the skin, and some are disposable - but they're made without the plastic, perfume and dyes that lead to respiratory problems in children who wear conventional disposable diapers. 

We own some of each of these inserts, but more often than not end up using square flannel receiving blankets origami-folded in the way that "flats" were in the days before "prefold" diapers, which I assume are the ones you have in mind. We fold the flannel over the baby - often with an extra absorbent insert thrown in - and snap the cover on over. No need for pins or other fasteners.

Another type we have, yet rarely use, is "All-In-One." As the name suggests, all the elements are sewn into the diaper, so it goes on and comes off exactly the way a disposable is, and then is washed and dried and reused. The drawback is that if you hang dry them they take forever and end up feeling stiff; if you machine dry them, the elastic and velcro-closures wear out.

There are several other kinds of diapers as well, like a cross between the pocket and All-In-Twos, which have a long strip of fabric sewn into one end, which can be folded and stuffed into the pocket the way an insert would. Or the same design, with no pocket. Or a PUL cover with mesh inside, into which double-layered inserts are then snapped at each end to be held in place until washing. And so on!"

Year In Review

2014 brought with it introductions to new friends and visits from faroff loved ones.

We celebrated Cado's first birthday twice - once at the park in Dana Point and once at the zoo in Merced! Mother's Day was another highlight, as Uncle Isaac and Grammy joined us for soccer with our Korean church and a little tree-climbing by the lake.

We don't often travel without each other, but a few times this year that was the case: Dan at WonderCon with Alt Mode Games, Heidi and Cado at the annual Hemophilia Family Education Day, Heidi and Cado at Creekside's Fall Retreat, and Heidi and Cado with Grammy at Gigi and BOBE's house in preparation for Comic Con.

For Heidi's birthday, we took a day trip to Monterey. We explored the aquarium, romped all over Dennis the Menace Park, and even got to greet the Sea Lions at the wharf!

When the weather was good, we enjoyed the outdoors together. Cado and Bella loved to play together while Heidi tended the garden.

Taking every opportunity to spend our time together, we enjoyed family "dates" to Target, Barnes & Noble - even the pet store! We also attended language classes at Korean church and delighted in supervising Cado as he explored the world of grown-up "toys" like pianos and phones and so on.

A source of joy for both Heidi and Cadence has been the #dailynugshot on Facebook.

"Okay, who wants to make a blog called 'Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Mostly Meat-Free One-Bowl Meals For Busy Stay-At-Home Moms Who Also Intend to Feed This To Their Toddlers' for me?"

"Why don't you make one yourself, Heidi?"

For Daniel, a radio-controlled car became a more accessible hobby after his mountain biking buddy got too busy. (Cadence and Bella got a lot out of watching the thing race around, too!) Heidi spent a few weeks immersed in genealogical research, inspired in part by several books on the subject published by her late uncle, as well as her own curiosity on how Hemophilia entered the family blood line. Having uncovered lots of fascinating info, she hopes to pick up this hobby again in the future! In recent months, Dan has found great joy in building computers for loved ones as a hobby - Cado loves it, too!

We expected that, as Cadence grew in mobility, the number of hospital visits and Hemophilia treatments would increase. We were surprised when the process began with a spontaneous goose-egg. It didn't bother him at all! Soon, however, the bumps and bruises of toddlerhood had also become a daily reality. We tried taking him to the local hospital once, factor in hand; frankly, we were astounded at all the extra protocols our nurses were forced to follow. ("Wait, why are they taking his blood right now?"... A week later: "The results are in. Your son has Hemophilia.") From then on, we decided it was worth the drive to the federal Hemophilia Treatment Center at the Children's Hospital an hour away.

As Cado became more active, ER visits became more frequent, and our doctor soon prescribed weekly prophylactic treatment. But the more treatment he received, the harder it was to access his veins (not to mention how often he managed to fight himself free of the few needles that did find their mark), so it wasn't long before we realized he needed surgery for a mediport.

Midway into June, we packed our bags and headed to Valley Children's for a nearly week-long stay. Cado's surgery went swimmingly, and we were quite comfortable all together in our little room. The staff and volunteers were very friendly, and one even lent him a toy truck that he just had to introduce to the rest of his new friends!

For several weeks after the surgery, we received twice-weekly visits from home care nurses who trained us how to access Cado's port and administer his factor. In very short order we were qualified to factor him on our own, every Monday and Thursday and anytime emergency treatment was required. (In the six months since his port was installed, we've only had two emergencies - one of which we were able to treat from home with our doctor's blessing! The prophy has clearly done its job!)

We have continued to find cloth diapering so convenient that we are in no rush to get Cadence potty-trained. (We figure we'll wait for better weather, when we'll have less clothing to grapple with.) Till recently, our go-to diapers have been Charlie Bananas, a one-size "pocket diaper" of exceptionally brilliant design, but because we have started letting Cadence use the potty whenever he shows interest, we've begun experimenting with Flip covers and pad-folded "flats" (really just repurposed receiving blankets). The world of cloth diapering fascinates us, and we love to educate our friends - but we understand those who are intimidated by the vast array. Only one nursery attendant at church has proven unafraid to change our son, but we don't mind volunteering to handle it ourselves!

Many of our cloth diapers were given to us by a friend, who also supplied us with several years' worth of clothing hand-me-downs from her son. We ended up with so much clothing that we were able to give out of our abundance to several friends in need!

Honestly? We kind of hate reading to Cadence. He values books and asks us to open them for him, but soon thereafter he gets bored and tries to prematurely turn (and wrinkle) the page, close the book, throw it or feed it to the dog. It's actually pretty stressful, so we're extra grateful his grandparents enjoy the process! (One way we've found to keep him focused when he comes to us with books is to ask him to tell us what he sees in them while we work on a task, like sorting the laundry.)

Ever since he outgrew his Amby Baby Hammock, we have chosen to co-sleep with Cadence, eschewing cribs and playards in favor of the freedom that he prefers. We also haven't made him use a high-chair much; he fights constraint so hard, we've been afraid he'd hurt himself!

One of our favorite [alternative] parenting decisions has been to bathe our baby in a bucket: it's safe, easy, comfortable, and efficient, so we look forward to using this method for quite a while!

As our Merced summer cranked the heat up, Heidi finally broke down and went out to buy clothes that "really fit" - and subsequently found out they wouldn't fit for long! This pregnancy began with a lot of morning sickness (enough in the beginning for an ER visit to treat dehydration) and sensitivity to all that brand new, form-fitting clothing. No real cravings, per se, but an insane amount of delicious pomegranates!

Morning sickness eventually gave way to a condition called "SPD" - Heidi was put on bed rest, issued a wheelchair and a disability placard, and forced to rely on the help of friends, family (and Disney-Pixar movies) to perform the day-to-day functions of an active toddler's guardian. Couldn't have done it without 'em!

In October, we announced the details: our second son, Lyric, would be born by C-section on Feb 4th, 2015!

As Heidi's pregnancy complications increased Daniel was forced to scale back his involvement with Alt Mode Games, but there was a blissful window of time wherein we got to go to Comic Con together. (One of the highlights for us was meeting - and discussing the game With - John Baez, of Castle Crashers fame!) Meanwhile, he has continued in his full-time position at Best Buy, besides taking on many of Heidi's homemaking duties.

Heidi has not returned to opticianry, but has found much joy in using her skills to help loved ones buy new eyewear online. She has also taken up crochet again, in the hopes of selling handmade items here and there on Etsy in order to pay for much-needed massage therapy and chiropractic care.

Perhaps the majority of our waking time in 2014 was spent at (or around) Best Buy, for one reason or another. Often, Cado and Heidi would take Dan in to work and then just sort of stick around till lunch time - or even closing! We would take long, Cado-led walks to Barnes & Noble or other nearby establishments, or just wander around Best Buy making friends with all the employees. Our favorite part, of course, was seeing Daniel on his lunch break. We all really love being together as a family; we know 2015 holds many changes for us, but that one thing is bound to stay the same!

A Shocking Confession, a Reasonable Request

"If a thriving relationship with God is true wealth, I'm a 'temporarily embarrassed millionaire,'" I said to my husband as we talked late into this night. 

With SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) comes the risk of depression, and though I don't feel the way I did a decade ago when I struggled with clinical depression (and even suicidal ideation), I do have a front-row seat to the parade of evidence as a month of bed rest takes its toll.

I suffer feelings of guilt that my husband has to pour so much of himself into nurturing me, my toddler and our unborn son. I feel useless when I realize there's not a whole lot I can do in return without risking a lifetime of debilitation in the process. I feel listless, unable to drum up any interest in human interaction, self-improvement, or even entertainment. I lack the attention span right now to make it through one movie or even TV show, and it's impossible for me to read anything longer than three paragraphs without producing physical pain - it turns out the exertion of daily life played a key role in keeping my ADHD symptoms at bay in recent years. I've never known boredom until now; there was always so much to do, I couldn't even touch it all. Now, I can't bring myself to touch any of it. 

Smiling and laughing with my baby wears me out, because I don't even want to do that. I feel that much more a hero for every minute I don't spend distracting him with the Chromecast in the other room.

I don't know about anyone else, but I was clearly made for corporate worship. When I am connected to a group of believers who share the same goal - to thrive in right relationship with God - I see great growth toward that end. My enthusiasm is sustained through regular confession of sin, mutual intercession, edifying conversation, the asking and answering of hard-hitting questions, sincere consideration of unfamiliar precepts, reiteration of familiar doctrine, rejoicing and grieving and everything in between - together. 

As the interactions fade, so too does my zeal. 

I once had a mentor and a disciple - input and output - a healthy cycle. I once was a part of a Bible study for young women like myself. I once was physically able to walk into church whenever I wanted. I once was a member of the worship team. I once was a missionary in a foreign land, for that matter. 

Now I'm alone, and I hate it, but I'm scared of trying to fix it. 

I don't want to know anyone as well as I knew my disciple, and I don't want anyone to know me as well as my mentor did. I don't want to be in a room full of women chattering about work life or home life or hobbies, or saying "Hmmmmm, yes, Lord," every time the curriculum takes a turn toward the warm fuzzies. I don't want to shower and crawl to the car and sit in a wobbly wheelchair while my toddler spends an hour trying to convince the nursery staff to let him out so he can find me. I don't want to lead in singing the unimpactful "worship" songs that somehow made their way into our weekly service from the most boring Christian radio station in town, and I don't want anyone to find out I'm in this valley of shadow after they financially contributed to the enlightening work that God called me to do that one time in that far off land.

I don't like that nobody from church reaches out to me when I don't show up, and I wouldn't like it if they did - but I know there's no such thing as spiritual limbo. It's uphill or downhill for me, and I know I want out of this rut.

Pray for me, will you?

Hiatus

It's been almost a month since we posted, partly because we wanted to finish the year-end update all in one fell swoop and move on to posts about Korea. However, we've hit a snag. Just when Heidi found the photos she needed to illustrate the posts, she found out that the Word document containing the actual text was one of the few things that did not get transferred from our PC to our portable hard drive, and is therefore waiting for us in Dana Point with our beloved family.  Therefore, we will continue on with Korea news and finish the year-end updates when we get back. Thank you all for your eagerness to hear what God is doing in our lives!

Our lovely SoCal family. Taken by Aunt Mary (windswept.smugmug.com) at the going-away potluck.

Year-End Recap 2010: May - part 2

So far most of the photos in my Year-End Recap series have come from the same folder, entitled "Phone Pictures till May 2010." From here on out, it's going to be quite a bit more difficult to find photos to illustrate my posts. This may mean quite a delay (not to mention the fact that we're currently burning the candle at both ends trying to balance work and purging our possessions before we vacate our apartment and move to Korea!)... but before I go, I'd like to share one of the very last photos in this album:

This was taken in the hidden area behind my apartment complex, right across the dirt path from the railroad Daniel walks across to get to work every day. I just love the spiritual application this photo presents; mankind can realize great potential (building the wall) but usually makes a stupid choice here and there (tagging the wall). God (represented here by nature, His creation) was there when they built the wall and messed it up. Right now He's making it better, and He will continue to do so as long as we accept His grace. He doesn't remove the blemish, but in His kindness, He is faithful to cover it - in essence, to make it new. We still have the choice to tear down these vines, to refuse His offer of redemption, and if we do, the consequences of the stupid choice will still be there. We could try to paint over it, but the wall will never truly be the same, no matter how close a shade we find to paint it with!



Well, I'm waxing talkative, and all I really wanted was to say: God is good.



And with this, I bid you adieu. (Or as we say in Korean: An-nyeong!)

Year-End Recap 2010: May

Mother's Day card I paited for my MIL (Mother-In-Love)

My apartment after a "Marathon Cleaning," as FlyLady puts it

The first "real" crochet project I ever finished

We celebrated Naomi's birthday with a visit from her fiance, David

In May I took another step forward toward responsible living by actually subscribing to emails from the FlyLady. She’s really good at encouraging her FlyBabies to take the leap and do the things they want or need to do… so when I heard that Glee (a musical TV show) was holding open auditions, I went for it! The videos may still be posted on MySpace, for those who want to see them.   

I wanted to sign up for a voiceover class offered at the community college, but ended up missing the opportunity. Another anticipated-but-missed event this month was Open Cockpit Day at the Castle Air Force Base Air Museum. They have one every year, and we’d love to go! 

A couple of events I did get to attend were the Creekside Ladies’ Spring Luncheon (“Spring Forth into Hope!”) and a local fashion show put together by my boss’ daughter and modeled by my the little sister of my high school best friend, Ashley McComb – the best part is that Ashley and I got to sit together, and afterwards I got to dine with the whole family. It felt just like old times! Plus I really like supporting local artistic endeavors like that fashion show.   

An art show featuring the work of local high school students

And while we’re on the subject of art and support, I’d like to say I’m extremely grateful for my artistic and supportive husband! Daniel and I got to work together on a personalized melamine plate for his family. It featured a hand-drawn comic-book-style image of the two of us as super heroes, complete with masks, and a city skyline at sunset.  Later, Daniel acted as my real-life hero by taking care of a fix-it ticket I got when a patrolman noticed my windshield was cracked. May was very busy for me, so it was nice to have him handle the details. 

May was graduation month, so Downtown Merced hosted an event called Cap & Town to celebrate. Daniel was the on-site photographer at our friend’s shop, which was also celebrating its first anniversary.

Everything was great until a thirty-person-fight broke out a block away, and somebody got shot! No one died, but it helped remind us we need to keep in prayer those in our town whose lives are held in the vise-grip of the gang activity so prevalent in this area. 

On a brighter note, this was the month we got to host members of the Azusa Pacific chorale during their post-semester tour. It was only overnight, but we all had a blast! Now we’re friends on facebook. I love that we get to keep in touch!

Year-End Recap 2010: April

In April, I grew as a homemaker when I remembered my high school exposure to The FlyLady and started exploring her website for advice (small victories, eh? Or as The FlyLady says, Baby Steps!). Dan was able to land some odd jobs at our friend’s shop in exchange for his [delicious] wares, and I actually finished and sent a letter to my grandma!

(If you only knew how many letters and thank-you notes I’ve started! I’ve still got ones I haven’t sent which date back to high school. To those of you for whom these letters were intended: I’m so sorry!)   

One disappointment was missing out on the annual missions trip to Mexico to work side by side with our beloved sister church and its pastor, Trino Ortiz. He’s such a kindred spirit! 

However, all was not lost: we got to have a visit from our Orange County kindred spirits, Josh Mayo and Quentin Ortega! Great fun, food, fellowship and photography was had by all.   

More great fellowship was had when Janelle York (our youth pastor’s wife and my most kindred spirit of all) and I finally made time to see each other one afternoon; we laid bare our hearts and prayed and cried (or at least, I did), and made a pact to turn our church into one that’s comfortable (and eager!) go pray together on the spot whenever a need is made known. 

 I was encouraged to spend more time in the Word, and subsequently spent a lot of time in 1 Samuel. One thing that stood out to me was the story of Dagon versus the Ark of the Covenant:

“When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the temple of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.”

Taken 4/26/10: my 21st spiritual birthday

Upon reading this, I was challenged to ask myself, “What’s my Dagon… and do I keep setting it in its place again?”