Our Family
Image Credits: Brittany Richmond, Martha Howell, & Shane Read
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Thankful day 29
Thankful day 29: my sister-in-love!! & fun times today getting supplies & starting our ornaments for next week's Pinterest swap
Thankful Day 28
I'm thankful for The Light Network. www.thelightnetwork.tv
Please check it out if you haven't already! Lots of great Christian podcasts to encourage you as you drive to work, do chores around the house, or just sit & listen! I'm thankful that Micaiah likes to yell "light ne-wor, Mommy!" when he hears the intro to a podcast & that Hannah Kate tells us often that she's going to have a podcast when she gets bigger. Thankful for the families who work so hard on this blessing to so many!
Prematurity awareness month day 29
Going home
After 61 days in the NICU, it was finally time to take Hannah Kate home--of course, that was an adventure too!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Cloth Diapering a Newborn
I am mainly posting this so I will remember what worked next time :) & I'm posting from my phone, so I apologize now because it's not going to look pretty.
I had a variety of diapers to try for Sarah Grace. I don't have exact numbers, but this is what I had:
25-30 Blueberry Simplex
5 THX Double Gusset
4 BumGenius (all-in-one)
12 prefolds
5ish workhorse fitteds (1 no flap, 1 no snaps)
Covers: 1 wool, 1 fleece, 2 Blueberry Capri, 3-4 Thirsties
~I knew I loved Blueberry Simplex, so I bought a ton of them. I paid anywhere from $14-16 each including shipping. A couple I got off of the newborn diaper swap pages & snatched them up for around $7-12 & was thrilled. They hold their value SO well & are supposed to last from 6-16 lbs or something like that. They have a snap down for the umbilical cord, but she was short bodied enough that the diaper still rubbed on her cord & made it bleed. Her cord stump stayed on 4 weeks, so I could not use them at all then. Every diaper I bought was supposed to be EUC. I didn't realize until I tried them on her that the elastic had huge variations in how springy it was. Most of them did not work on her until around 9 lbs. I had three that were brand new-the Velcro ones worked faster on her skinny legs, then the new one with snaps & now the used ones are finally working. I was so frustrated that after about seven weeks, I posted on one of the Facebook groups & someone told me to twist the tabs before I snapped them. That worked great & I was able to use the other sooner. I also used them with a blueberry cover over them some too so I didn't have to keep buying disposables. The only leak we've had was when I tried to use one of the Simplex before it was tight enough on her legs.
~THX double gussets were a cheaper option at around $5 each. They fit her the fastest, although they were still too big around her legs at 6 1/2 lbs. Since they worked when nothing else would, I ended up borrowing 5 from a friend. Around 9 lbs, she started soaking through them, so we are not using them anymore. One thing I recently noticed is that they were not coming clean in the wash-even with a rinse, full cycle with extra rinse & rinse again! They are an AIO & are so small that they don't naturally open at the way. I guess that is why? It's quite irritating & I had to start rinsing them off if they were dirty before putting in the wet bag.
*The first two pictures are from a little over a week old & a little over 6 1/2 lbs. The THX are the only things that came close to fitting her & they were still a tad big around the legs.*
Blueberry Simplex - has the fold down for the cord, but this still rubbed on it & made it bleed :(
Even after her cord stump fell off the Simplex were still big around her legs--but look how cute the print is :)
This was this week-they're finally fitting at a little over 9 pounds.
~Everyone says prefolds & covers are the way to go with newborns since they use 8-12 diapers a day. They're definitely the most economical but not for me! I had about 12 prefolds, but I was intimidated on how to fold them. When we had Sarah Grace's newborn pictures, the photographer (a cloth diapering mom) showed me how to fold them & brought a Planet Wise cover to show me as well. I tried the prefolds a few times out of desperation-when nothing else fit. I didn't like trying to get it to stay put as I put the snappy on & it was SO bulky on Sarah Grace.
~The workhorse fitteds are a nicer option to prefolds in my opinion. I definitely recommend the ones with snaps & the inside flap. The main thing I don't like is that when changing these or flat prefolds, you HAVE to touch pee pee. Then, you have to have somewhere to immediately put it since it's completely soaked.
It's a cheaper way to go for sure because you can use one cover multiple times as long as it doesn't get dirty.
*This is a workhorse fitted with a Planet Wise cover (I ended up buying two of those). These covers are very trim & are soft on the outside (not made of PUL on the outside).
~Covers: I didn't have any & couldn't find any with a snap down for the cord, but I was able to fold the Blueberry Capris down enough to use early.
-I never tried the wool cover because I was so overwhelmed with three kids that I didn't take time to research how & wash correctly. I bought it at a consignment sale for $5 & sold it for that to a friend.
-The fleece cover still looks huge even thought it's supposed to be newborn size.
-I used the Thirsties a handful of times & they worked fine, but I didn't love them.
-The Blueberry Capris are my favorite. Blueberry has another cover but I didn't try them-it doesn't have a flap on it to tuck an insert or prefolds into, but since I mainly used fitteds that would have worked great too. I used these over the Simplex a few times so I could use them when they were still too big on her legs & over the THX when she started soaking through them.
~The BumGenius are nice because they are Velcro, but they aren't super absorbent. They also did not have a snap down for the cord. I'm not in love with them & am about to sell them.
-Velcro vs Snaps: I would love to have more Velcro for night time & Daddy changes. The Blueberry Velcro is super sticky. I just wish they had more print options in Velcro.
I *think* that is all--let me know if I left something out & I hope it's helpful to someone & to me later!!
-I am SO glad we are using cloth diapers! It was killing me to buy disposables when the ones we had weren't fitting her well. I can sell all of these for what I paid for them when we are done!
And just for fun--did you know they made cloth diapers for dogs?! No kidding! Here is Maisie Fey Clevenger when she came to visit :)
Thankful day 25
Thankful day 25: a beautiful day to play outside & a little boy who found his hoodie pockets :) 
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
Thankful Day 23
Thankful Day 23 (because I missed yesterday & had 2 for today!) SOOOOO thankful for date night! Except for still being exhausted, I feel refreshed! :) 
Thankful Day 22
Thankful Day 22: incredibly thankful for this godly husband of mine. (Thankful also to Rebecca Marr for the photo!) 
NICU Bags-Thankful Day 24
HUGE thanks to those who gave money, wrote cards, & donated items for the Thanksgiving Care Bags for the NICU. We delivered 25 bags for families (many extra so they were excited to be able to share with some families who will be leaving before Thursday!), 7 food gift cards, extra blankets, & treats for the medical staff as well. Thank you for helping us celebrate Micaiah in this way. Praying these will bless these families & show them the love of Christ.
Thanksgiving NICU Care Bags
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Prematurity awareness month day 22
Prematurity awareness month day 22: getting big!
3.19.11--double chin!!
6 weeks, 3 days old (34 weeks, 3 days gestation) 
Friday, November 21, 2014
Thankful Day 21 & Micaiah's 2nd Birthday
Thankful Day 21: I'm thankful that our first grocery trip with 3 kids was a success. Yay for buggies that hold 2 kids, balloons, good boy/girl cookies, & NICE people! We received lots of comments from shoppers & employees & they were all positive & nice! Please say a nice thing to a mom with little ones. You have no idea what things some people say that aren't nice!
Birthday minute!!!
Chicken Hair?
Me: how am I fixing your hair today?
Hk: chicken
Me: what???
Hk: chicken hair. Chicken. Has a wittle comb....
Prematurity awareness month day 21: look! no tubes!
3.8.11 (in between feeding tube movement-thanks to Nurse Jenna!)
4 weeks, 6 days old (32 weeks, 6 days gestation)
A couple of days before we went home (4-2-11)
Thankful Day 20
Thankful Day 20: thankful this big boy kept wanting to rock & rock ... He never wants to do that! 
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Micaiah's 2nd Birthday
Our precious boy turns two today (it's technically his birthday now)! I can't believe it! He's gone from being a mama's boy to being all Daddy & Papa's boy in the past year. I'm not sure how I feel about that! He is full of life & spunk, but still reserved & quiet around people. He is a sweet, sweet big brother & the epitome of a pestering, little brother (maybe it has something to do with who his daddy is?!)! (Though we did hear him saying in bed tonight, "Good night, love you Kate!") He LOVES to sing Bible songs, go to Bible class, & say his memory verses. I can't wait to see what God has in store for our little guy.
Thanks to Brittany for these pictures from his birthday party a couple of weeks ago.
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