What I've Been Up To

Mmmm, fluffy bum! The first picture is of some prefolds made out of bamboo velour and bamboo terry, with a pocket to stuff with doublers. I had a ball dying them all different colors, and they will be making their debut on my hyenacart store next week. Super excited only comes close to describing it.

The next pictures are of my unhappy and uncooperative model in the first fitted I made. Somehow it turned out perfect, and as soon as I get my gigantic order of fabric, I'll be pumping these suckers out like crazy, replacing my $20 ones that fit exactly the same. I had a huge "Yay! Yay! Yay!" moment today when I tried it on her, because I, as usual, ordered before I knew I could definitely use the fabric.

That sewing machine was the best thing to ever come from the in-laws. Besides the husband, of course.

Magic and randomness

"Oh, looky! A remote!"

"Ohmmmm. Ohmmmm."

"Yeah. I rock. I'm the next great magician. Now watch me make it disappear!"

On with the randomness!

~ The diaper E is wearing is the newest addition to the diaper collection. We have entered the world of prefolds. Quite fun, and a ton cheaper than the other obsessions. However, they are the biggest pain in the ass to fasten when Lil' Miss Buttercup refuses to sit still or stand still or at least not put up such a huge struggle. I'm still searching for something to hold her attention for longer than .4 seconds.

~ I had an idea for two matching somethings to sew, and am obsessing over the fabric that is on it's way here. I'm going to make up a prototype this weekend. So, so excited about this one!

~ I'm not leaving my apartment for the rest of the holiday season. In one venture merely 5 minutes up the road, I . . .
. . . was nearly hit by someone running a red light.
. . . was flipped of for taking a parking spot that was rightfully mine - blinker on and everything.
. . . was bashed into while walking through the store, caused to drop everything, and no one offered to help pick it back up - despite the juggling act I was already doing with the kid.
. . . was not given a bag for my purchases. Yes. At Best Buy, I actually had to ask the cashier to put my stuff in a bag.
. . . was told to "hurry up and move" while standing next to my car and buckling the kid in. Apparently, me getting to my car first and spending the 30 seconds to buckle her in was going to ruin this person's day. Despite the fact they told me to move BEFORE they had even gotten into their car.
. . . was cut-off by a semi truck, who was dead stopped in one lane and decided he wanted to be in mine as I was approaching. The speed limit is 55. And he turned just about when I was at his bumper. And yeah, my brakes really stink when they get locked up.
And that, folks, is why I'm not leaving the apartment until next year.

Yeah, I did that.

I did it, I did it!! Wahoo!

I just successfully replaced the elastic in one of E's BumGenius diapers. I am so thrilled with myself, it's not even funny.

See, these things are insanely expensive, and I have 9 of them. All of which had the elastic completely wear out within 6 months of me using them. They're supposed to last a lot longer than that. The company claimed it was a bad batch of elastic, but I learn more towards cheap elastic, cause they weren't all purchased from the same place or at the same time. No reason for all of them to go bad.

So anyways, I've just saved myself a ton of money by being able to fix them and not have to replace them. It's not the prettiest thing, but it's functional. And that makes me very, very happy!

This whole sewing machine thing just keeps proving to be more and more useful.

Dishwashing the diapers

Seriously. The baby's diapers are currently running through their third rinse cycle in the dishwasher. If M was here, I don't doubt he'd be having a fit about it being disgusting. I'm still on the fence as to how disgusting it really is.

The whole purpose of this odd experiment is to "strip" the diapers. When washing in the washing machine, soap sometimes builds up on them and causes this horrible, knock you over, hold your breath smell. I experienced this smell last night when I walked into the bedroom and could smell E's diaper immediately. Another reason to "strip" diapers is to combat repelling, where the soap build up causes liquid to just roll of the fleece, rather than be absorbed.

Just so you know, I washed them all first in the washing machine. :-)

So, hopefully this strange effort will end all stinkies and leaks. And I'll be a happy mama.

In other day to day, boring issues . . . I picked up our old hitch hauler box thingie from the in-laws house today. They've had it since I moved to Texas two years ago and here I though they had used it once and then it was stored in their attic space since then. I'm thinking that's clearly not the case though. Not only was it completely covered in mud (caked on mud, off-roading type of mud), but two of the tail-lights are cracked and one has all of the plastic missing, the entire lock is gone and is just a gaping hole now, the pin for the hitch part is long gone, and the connector for the tail-lights is nowhere to be found. Oh, and all of the metal is completely rusted and crumbly.

This is why you don't let other people have your things. Even if they are relatives. Yes, I'm selfish, but being selfish keeps me from having all of my stuff ruined. I knew it might have a few scratches and dents and be pretty dirty, but no way was I expecting this hunk of junk I was left with.

Pissed. Slightly.

Cloth rocks!

I am officially addicted. Cloth diapers are the bomb. Turns out, they're no more disgusting than disposables, look absolutely adorable, and will end up costing a heck of a lot less - providing I squash this addiction and stick with just what we need. Heh, sure, that'll be an easy task.

Here, E is wearing the brightest lime green diaper I've ever seen, and a smile to match!


Yes, she's now smiling all the time. I had her sitting next to me and was reading aloud. I looked over, and there she was, grinning her giant, gummy smile. It's enough to make ya melt. And on the topic of reading material - she seems to prefer my Russian fairy tales to anything I've read in English. A girl after my own heart. However, the Russian folk songs I've been singing haven't had much effect. Maybe it's my singing though . . .