Soo...Yeah, it's been awhile

I haven't blogged in awhile because my life was insanely busy this summer. Jaime was out of town all summer working, I have (had*) two kids under the age of 3, and was finishing my last semester at Iowa State. As of August 9, 2013 I am officially graduated!!! I am now enjoying being a stat at home mama :) WAY better than doing homework and sending the kids off to daycare (not to mention the $300/week we are saving)! Hopefully, I will be able to blog more, but honestly, I still have a lot on my plate. I REALLY want to catch up on my sewing to-do list, we are packing for the big move this December (a post on that tomorrow), and my two kids (obviously) need a lot of my attention, on top of daily chores.

Anywho, we went to Washington D.C. at the end of August to celebrate! So, here comes a large photo dump of my summer:

Time For a Photo Dump!

I've been very busy with classes and learning to juggle two kiddos lately, so not much blogging going on. The funny thing is, I started this blog as a way to chronicle my experiences as a mom in college, but I rarely have the time because I'm busy...or too tired! Anywho, here are some pics of those two kiddos that keep me so busy :)

Confession

Are y'all ready for a big confession? I no longer LOVE pocket diapers. Huh GASP! I know...It's not to say I don't like them; it's just that they aren't my favorite anymore. After just over 2 years of experience cloth diapering and with 2 kids now, I have tried almost everything. What I've come to realize is that pockets are perfect for beginning your cloth diaper journey as they are easy to use and daycare/grandma friendly.

My stash from awhile ago (when Gabe was maybe 18 months?) Look at all those pockets!

Now that I've tried flats and covers and fitteds with covers, these are by far my favorite. After long usage I've noticed that the fleece in pockets and all-in-ones don't hold up so well. They don't necessarily get holes, but they stop being so clean. The synthetic fibers hold on to poop particles and detergent build-up more than natural fibers like cotton and bamboo. So I guess it's not the style of pocket diapers that bothers me, but the fact that nearly 100% of them use fleece, suedecloth or some other synthetic stay-dry material. For some, this can lead to more yeast infections as it's difficult to kill the bacteria so once the child gets an infection, the diapers keep reinfecting them.

Unfortunately, I didn't come to this realization until after purchasing a lot of BumGenius Freetimes to complete our stash. I absolutely LOVE the design of the Freetime, I just wish it was made of cotton like the Elemental, then I'd be a very happy mama! If it weren't for the kids being in daycare (and my husband's angry response when he realizes I want to sell all the diapers we just bought) I would completely redo my stash to include:

• at least 6 more covers
• exchange the prefolds for more flats (I prefer flats because they dry quicker and are more customizable than prefolds). 
• fitteds for night time use
• a few more upcycled wool covers

When I first started cloth diapering the "old school" diapers were very intimidating. In reality they can be just as easy as pockets, especially if you simply "padfold" a flat or "trifold" a prefold into a cover before hand, then it's ready to go at the next change. What I do is fold all the flats as I'm putting the diapers away. We have a bin for prefolds and flats and a bin for covers in our changing table. At a diaper change I simply wipe down the used cover and set it to air dry, grab a clean cover, set the flat in it and snap/velcro it on to baby! For daycare I would love to exchange all my pockets for the Best Bottoms diaper system, which you can see for yourself here.

3 months

Prairie turned 3 months on March 4th. I wasn't going to do the traditional 3 month pictures because we are really tight for money, but she is so stinkin' precious I just had to get her pictures taken! I decided to take the pictures myself at home. She's always smiling at me anyway, so I figured I'd just dress her up when she is in a good mood and shoot some photos! Here are the results:

I took A LOT more pictures, but those were the "best." Here are some of my favs that didn't make the cut:

 This expression is priceless :)

Daddy wanted a picture with her but by this time she was done with the photo shoot and would give us no more smiles.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Time for Pictures!!

So nothing really to post about, just wanted to show off my adorable children :)

 Prairie smiles A LOT now, and I love it!

 Saturday morning family time.

 Daddy snuck Gabriel some chocolate and thought I wouldn't notice....

Gabriel playing with his "Choo-choos"

Prairie Update (*warning- there is boobage in this post)

I know I am WAY behind in posting this! By like 2 weeks...sorry. Prairie is now 6 weeks old as of January 15th. At her 1 month check-up she was 22 1/4 inches long and weighed 10lbs 1oz! Which is VERY, VERY exciting for us! I have been exclusively breastfeeding Prairie, which is a miracle since I have had the breast reduction surgery and nearly 4lbs of my breast tissue was removed. Most BFAR (breastfeeding after reduction) moms are not able to exclusively breastfeed and have to supplement with formula. So the fact that I have not had to supplement and Prairie is gaining exactly what she needs to is amazing. I feel so blessed!

 Baby girl at 1 month

 She is so big already!

 Happy milk drunk baby :)

You know those breast feeding pictures you always see in books, posters, and pamphlets talking about the benefits of breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, etc.? The ones with the adorable baby latched perfectly onto an average-sized, perky boob? They make breastfeeding look like the most natural, easy, and satisfying thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, breastfeeding is satisfying, but it is definitely NOT easy and nor does it come naturally for many women. With Gabriel he had a tied tongue, I have flat nipples and large breast, and this led to many breastfeeding problems (along with the fact the the hospital LC advised me to give him a bottle after feeding instead of helping me address his latch issues, which at the time I didn't realize was the problem). I never had that peaceful feeding experience, he never did manage to perfect his latch, and by 6 weeks he was done at the breast. 

Luckily, Prairie does not have the tongue tie, my boobs are smaller now, and I have a lot more patience, support, and knowledge this time around. The first 2 weeks sucked, by the 3rd week she latched properly and ate well most of the time, but it wasn't until the end of 5 weeks that we really got good at breastfeeding. I'd say she latches properly 94% of the time and no longer takes 1 1/2hrs to feed. 

This is my "poster" picture....and I'm proud of it because it's real. Not everybody has convenient-sized boobs that don't have to be propped up during feedings, not every baby learns as quickly, and not all moms can 100% breastfeed. I am 100% for breastfeeding, but all of that positive pro-breastfeeding propaganda can be misleading to first-time moms or those attempting breastfeeding for the first time. It takes work, determination, and support from loved ones to maintain a successful breastfeeding relationship with your child.