Liam Samuel Duenke
May 9, 2012
1:10 p.m.
6 lbs. 14 oz.
19.5 inches long
We're absolutely in love and learning about parenting two under two more each day.
Life is precious and I am so thankful for my second son.
More to come soon...when I get more than 2-3 hours of sleep in 24 hours! ;)
6 days.
Just 6, short days to go until sweet Baby Boy #2 arrives.
Let me take a breath. ;)
I simply cannot believe where the Lord has led us these last couple of years and what He has done for us.
I am so very blessed (overwhelmed, but blessed! ;)).
To think that it was just 2 short years ago that I wrote about my longing to be a mama and how I didn't know if I could take one more internal or blood draw or pill or procedure. I longed to be a mom so much and my heart would ache at the thought of Nate never getting to experience fatherhood.
But, with a LOT of faith and prayers...look where we are today!
Nate and I are growing in our marriage every day(we still drive each other insane at times-that's healthy in my opinion! Haha) and have a sweet and handsome precious one year old running (yes, he RUNS everywhere nowadays!) around who is just going to be SUCH a great big brother, I just know it! And another (surprise!)baby boy about to make his debut in less than a week!
Praise the Lord!
Eeep! God is so, so good.
It's funny how He works too. Because in Nate and I's "plans" we were just thrilled to be blessed with one child. I remember saying even if Grayson was our only one what a HUGE blessing he is and I would be okay with just him. Afterall, it did take us nearly 3.5 years to get pregnant the first time, how in the world could it possibly take no effort the second time around, right? ;) Ha!
But, we would also say that we'd love to have another "2 or 3 years down the road." Sheesh. Just goes to show that we are NOT in control here!
If someone would have told me years ago that we would have 2 kiddos 13.5 months apart I would have laughed in their face. 2 kids? And THAT close? Not us! No way! I would have said it would be too much. Too much chaos, too much work, too much money.
But, here we are. We're about to embark on this crazy new adventure in another new chapter of our crazy Duenke family life! :)
And while I am completely nervous and anxious and yes, already overwhelmed at just the thought of being a mama to two under two and how I'm ever going to love TWO as much as I love the ONE, and raising them to be the best possible little men they can be, my heart is so full.
This is all I've ever truly wanted in life.
To be a mama.
Even though most days are already chaotic and stressful, I simply wouldn't trade it for the world. The Lord has blessed me with WAY more than I deserve. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Even on the hard days when I just wanna pull my hair out and run away! ;) Ha.
6 days. and in less than 3 hours from now, it will be 5 days.
Hold on to your hats, it's about to get even crazier, but much more awesome! ;)
I must say, that title surprises me just a bit.
Cloth Diapering?
You see, I have never been 'against' the cloth diapering craze, but with Grayson, just one short year ago I simply had to be honest with my new mama self and just had to pass on the whole cloth thing. It was so overwhelming to me. As a new mom I had enough new things to learn, ya know? ;)
Then, I got pregnant when Grayson was just 3ish months old. SURPRISE!
Two babies in dipes. Fun! And expensive.
Around the new year my friend Reyanna posted that she was selling a very nice lot of bumGenius cloth diapers for her friend. Something inside of me jumped at the chance to finally take the time to learn more.
So, I messaged her and we chatted cloth for a bit. Still overwhelmed, I remember telling her I'd like to buy them. So, I did.
They arrived and I admit, they just sat in Grayson's closet for months. My cousin, Stephanie who has been cloth diapering for over a year offered up lots of great info and advice as well, which I appreciated SO much!
I even took a trip down to Columbus to visit with her so she could show me in person the ins and outs of cloth diapering and to answer ally my questions. -Thanks, again, Steph! :)
I came home happy about it, but still not fully "ready" to try.
I mean, what were AIO's and Aplix? What does TPU backed mean? What in the fudge are soakers? And which is better: snap or velcro? Oy. SO many things! Not to mention, the washing part-how do you do it, how long? How safe? What detergent? etc, etc.
LOTS of info!!
A few more weeks went by and then I finally decided to buck up and give these bad boys a whirl. So, I tried them out on Grayson.
One bumGenius Elemental comin' up! ;)
My. This was kinda neat! And they were easy to get on and adjust (I use the snap kind) and he looked oh, so cute in it! That was the easy part. Next, I feared what in the fruit I would do when it came to his first change and then washing those bad boys...the changes were easy-peasy (thank goodness), but I dreaded wash day (3 days later).
Now, I just feel plain silly for being so hesitant and stressed about the whole washing thing. Because ya know what? It was easy too!
Our washer and dryer are in the basement, so I just trek down, toss those guys in and give em a good rinse on cold. The hardest part is making a few trips up and down the stairs to change them out-being 9 months preggo and all! ;) Haha!
We've been using cloth for 3 weeks now and I have to admit, I think I'm addicted. :) In 3 weeks time I can count on one hand how many times we've put Grayson in a disposable (aside from bedtime).
I am amazed at how much I am loving cloth diapering! I have saved our family money already and am so grateful for ALL the advice and info I've received. I am learning something new every, single day!
Like many, many things cloth diapering isn't for everyone and to be honest, if we just had Grayson in dipes and not another new little babe arriving next week (!!!) I probably would still be using disposables. I don't mind disposables, except for the dreadful amount of money spent on them, only to be thrown right in the trash-ack!
I won't be starting Liam out in cloth. That's just TOO much, too soon for ME. For our family. Plus, I was gifted lots and lots of bitty disposable dipes and Size 1's. But, after he reaches a certain size the boys will be sharing their one-size, AIO's (all in ones).
I've been researching lots of types and brands. So far my very favorites are bumGenius and GroVia. Ahhhmazing!
Never thought I'd say it, but I am one HAPPY cloth diapering mama! :)
