baby on a budget

The Savvy household is expecting another baby!!! We are super excited, a little unsure of how everything that needs to get done will get done, but really happy.

I've been going through Baby Savvy's newborn things, trying to determine what we need to replace, upgrade, or supplement with, and the good news is there is very little that we will need to buy. Using cloth diapers for the first baby will definitely pay off now because we need to purchase almost no diapers for the new baby, and most of the clothes and baby gear will be reusable because we will have another winter baby.... although if our new baby is a girl we might have to buy a few things (nothing wrong with girls in boyish or gender-neutral clothing, but we might want a few cute girly things).

One thing that I really wish I had had for Baby Savvy was a ring sling. I had a Hotsling, but found it a little uncomfortable and difficult to get the baby in an out, or keep baby secure, depending on what I was wearing. I really want to make a ring sling, and I found some great resources for those of you that would like to too.

Sling Rings are rings made especially for ring slings, sold by a family-owned business.

Free patterns offered by Sling Rings

Free illustrated pattern for making a lined ring sling from On Pins and Needles

We have wanted a Flip video camera ever since we used my mom's at Christmas. They are so convenient and easy to use, but we have been trying really hard to not spend any money on frivolous things. Well... Amazon has the Flip Ultra in white on sale for $79.99 with free super saver shipping. I think I might have to splurge a little and buy one.... after all Baby Savvy is only a baby once, and that price is hard to beat.

Labels: amazon

One of Baby Savvy's favorite toys is an empty plastic Maxwell House coffee jug (taken from the coffee room at work) with a couple of plastic measuring spoons in it. It makes a great big rattle, a drum, something to roll around, and just a good toy in general. It isn't breakable, it isn't loud (it has a fairly unobtrusive sound when banged around) and it was free.

Other toys he likes are playing with the plastic spice containers in the kitchen, Mason jars of beans (these require closer supervision), and plastic measuring cups.

I came across this website awhile back that has ideas for free, safe baby toys. Great ideas for your baby (especially when the weather keeps you camped out at home), when you are traveling and forgot a toy, or if you have visiting kids and no idea what to do with them.

Babies also love looking at pictures of them, their family, or other kids and babies. Make a collage with pictures from a magazine, or a scrap book of family pictures. It will keep babies, kids, and even some adults entertained.

Baby Savvy loves active toys; trikes, balls, cars, anything that involves jumping, bouncing, riding. I have found several toys on Amazon that I think Baby Savvy would love, and they appear to be good quality, durable toys that will be played with for years.

We have both the Rock and Bounce Pony and the Scoot About and they both get used almost daily. The Rock and Bounce Pony is great for smaller kids, we started Baby Savvy in his at about 8 1/2 months. The Scoot About is also great for young kids as it doesn't have pedals.

After spending the majority of my last pregnancy looking for pants that looked good, fit good, and didn't cost a fortune (and realizing that said pants don't exist), I just had to share this DIY tutorial for modifying your own non-maternity pants (or pants from a thrift store) to accommodate a growing belly.

I'm definitely bookmarking that site for the next time around.

Labels: DIY

Buying a ready-made costume for Baby Savvy's first trick-or-treating doesn't fit well with our financial or environmental goals. Spending $20-$40 on a polyester costume that is only used once per year just doesn't rank high on our list of priorities, so I've been trying to come up with a good costume for our little one's first trick or treating that will be both cute and reusable.

I'm not a crafty/creative type, so I've been searching online for ideas that I can make or put together myself. I've decided that a garden gnome would be really cute. We have all the necessary components, including some little toy yard tools, and I can knit Baby Savvy a little red wool gnome had that he can use all winter as well.

Labels: halloween

Amazon has a really fabulous price on the best little manual breast pump. They have the Avent Isis for just $26.91, almost half off it's normal $49 price. I have this pump and keep it at home, while my double electric pump stays at the office... it saves me from lugging the big pump home every night for those "just in case" type situations.

When I first found out I was expecting Baby Savvy, I immediately started researching baby products and attempted to determine what we needed and didn't need (let me tell you, it feels like I still learn new stuff in this area every day). Likewise, I wanted to make sure we spent money on quality products when necessary, and purchased used or inexpensive products when those products would suffice. One thing we decided was very important, and worth the extra expenditure, was a good car seat. I wanted something safe, comfortable, easy to use, and that would serve us for a long period of time. We decided on a Marathon Convertible Car Seat for Baby Savvy to use after he outgrew his infant seat.

At his six month pediatrician appointment, we discovered Baby Savvy was too long for his infant seat. So we installed the Marathon. We've loved it from the minute it was installed. It is so easy to use and well designed. Baby Savvy is comfortable, we know he is safe, and I don't feel like I'm battling his car seat every time I put him in or take him out. We are debating buying its smaller cousin, the Roundabout Convertible Car Seat, for use in our Civic. We are trying to get into a car seat rental program through the county we live in... if they have a seat that fits in the Civic we will try that first. (Note to new or expecting parents - check with your local hospitals to see if they have a car seat rental program. We found out ours does and it is an amazingly cheap $5 for six months - yes, less than $1 per month! Their seat selection is small, and stocked with very utilitarian models, but if they have one that fits our little coupe we will definitely go that route.)

I really like that both the Marathon and Roundabout will work until Baby S is ready for a booster, to me that helps justify the extra cost of these seats. Though May 31, Amazon is offering 20% off on the purchase of two Britax products (this includes accessories like covers and bases), plus their usual free Super Saver Shipping. That is an incredible deal, you will rarely find these seats on sale. I waited for three months to get 10% off at Target.com, and I believe I still paid shipping. The coupon code is BRITAX20.

An extra added bonus of the Britax seats is that additional covers in many colors and prints are available... buy a new car with different color interior? Buy a new cover to match. Permanent grape juice stain combined with ground-in goldfish? Buy a new cover. Having another baby and just want your old seat to look fresh and new? Buy a new cover. Passing your seat on to a friend or relative? Add a new cover and make it an extra nice gift!

Labels: amazon, car seats

Abby's Lane has offered Baby on a Budget readers 5% off everything* and free shipping on orders over $50! Just follow the link and you will automatically get 5% off. This offer is good until May 4th, 2008.

Abby's Lane stocks everything from a wide variety of cloth diapers (fitteds, pockets, covers, wool, swim diapers), to soft soled shoes, Babylegs, Ergo baby carriers, diaper sprayers, training pants, gifts for moms and moms-to-be, and more.

If you've been thinking about trying cloth diapers, or maybe just adding a few more to your stash, now is the time to do it.

I'm considering buying an Ergo baby carrier. Baby Savvy is getting big enough that the extra back support would be nice.

edit: *Ergo's are now excluded from the 5% off offer. Sorry.

We've been having great luck diapering Baby Savvy with prefolds and wool covers... but that doesn't stop me from trying new things! Baby Savvy is going to be going to daycare in a month and a half, so he will be switching from wool covers to PUL or nylon during the day. I was shopping around for some covers to try, and I came across a deal at Mother-ease Diapers that was almost too good to pass up, so I decided to pass it along...

Try one of their one-size fitted diapers, a snap-in liner, and a breathable Air Flow cover (size of your choice) for just $18.95. No shipping charges either. This normally runs $27.70 + shipping. I ordered a set yesterday.

Labels: diapering

Here's a link to a great story about the founder of the firm LANACare (the makers of one of my favorite wool soakers as well as the best breast pads ever IMO). It points out the many benefits of the cotton/wool diapering combo, including earlier potty training, reduction in ear infections, comfort of baby, lack of diaper rashes, breathability, no urine odor, and total baby bum cuteness (okay, I added that last part).

We've been having great success with Baby Savvy's cloth diapering. We use prefolds (and a few fitted diapers that were too cute to pass up) with wool covers almost exclusively. I'm selling the pocket diapers I purchased because we don't ever use them; although it was nice to have the option available when we brought him home since we weren't sure what was going to work best for us. We have never once had to change either our bedding or his for a diaper leak, and he makes it through the entire night without a diaper change.

I haven't updated here in awhile, but our little boy was born almost a month ago! He's healthy and adorable, and growing so fast!

I am breastfeeding, but I will have to switch to pumping and bottles in January when I go back to work, which means we need to start giving him a bottle now. Naively, I purchased a few bottles at Target, getting different types just in case he didn't like one or two of them.

Then I read about the BPA (bisphenol-A) problems with baby bottles in the latest issue of Mothering Magazine. I knew BPA was found in many plastic products (including Nalgene, many plastic water bottles, cups and plastic food storage, and even as a lining in some cans), and can be very bad for us, but I didn't realize that baby bottle manufactures were STILL producing bottles with plastics containing BPA. I switching from plastic water bottles to a SIGG bottle earlier this year to avoid BPA-containing bottles.

I quickly did some search online and found a website that contains a list of safe and unsafe baby bottles. The good news is that all glass, and a small number of plastic bottles ARE safe. Born Free and Medela are two manufacturers of safe plastic bottles. The bad news is that most widely-available bottles are not safe.

I enjoy buying things used. It makes me feel good to save a little money, help a neighbor out by getting something they no longer need off their hands, and recycle an item that still has some life left in it. Many of the items purchased for our baby are used, from clothes and diapers, to the crib and dresser, the co-sleeper, bedding, baby carriers, and now a pack 'n play.

I'll admit, the used pack 'n play was difficult to find. Most of them had seen just a bit too much love for me, or they were missing key components, or they were sold before I could get to them. I eventually found someone on Craigslist who was trying to sell an entire John Lennon nursery collection and convinced them to part with just the pack 'n play. $40 for a pack 'n play that is clean and in nice condition, has a bassinet and changing table option, and (bonus!) all the parts and instructions.

In this case, it took a little more time and energy to find what I was looking for, but in the end I think it paid off.

For those of you that plan to use cloth wipes, or to make your own disposable wipes, I'd like to pass on a website that contains almost 20 recipes for wipe solutions. Everything from anti-fungal solutions, aromatic solutions, those that use essential oils, solutions with soap, solutions without soap, and many in between.

We plan to use mostly just water with our cloth wipes, but I do plan to make some wipe solution for those times when something a little stronger is needed. I think I'm going to adapt the recipe for the Castile Solution to something like what's below...

Castile Solution (Savvy Style)
1 tablespoon Burt's Bees apricot oil
1/2 tablespoon Dr Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap (baby unscented)
2 drops lavender oil
1 cup water

Labels: cloth wipes, diapering

...for just $10!!

Jillian's Drawers has an incredible deal for those that wish to try out a variety of cloth diapers. For a $100 deposit, you will receive

• 1 Kissaluvs
• 2 Chinese Prefolds
• 1 FuzziBunz with insert
• 1 Happy Heiney's with insert
• 1 BumGenius one-size pocket diaper with insert
• 1 snappi
• 1 organic Bumpy cover
• 1 BumGenius All-in-one
• Free FuzziBunz insert
• Free Happy Heiney's insert

If you like the package, just let them know and you will receive a $10 refund on your deposit. Or you can send it back within 21 days and receive $90 back. Either way, you get free shipping on your next order!

Just when I was ready to give up, I came across a used Arm's Reach Original Co-Sleeper, plus three sheets and the leg extenders, for $130. I saved about $100 over the cost of new!

Labels: co-sleeping

Mr. Savvy and I just decided that we are going to try to co-sleep. At first we were undecided, but after talking with other parents and the staff at the Birth Center, we think it is the right thing to do. The only catch - we have a double bed. There is definitely not enough room for us to sleep safely with a baby in our bed.

This leaves us with a few options...

1. Buy a bigger bed. This might be an okay long-term option, but I like my heirloom bed frame, and our mattress and box springs are in great condition. Also, we have some budgetary constraints right now that make this option undesirable (although still do-able if necessary).

2. Buy a second bed. Many families have two beds in one bedroom, one for mom and child co-sleeping and one for mom and dad sleeping. It is a weird arrangement and I'm not sure I fully understand it yet, but our bedroom is small enough to to rule this one out for us anyway.

3. Buy a cosleeper, which is essentially a bassinet that puts the baby at bed-height, in a safe and secure play-yard type sleeper.

We are going with option 3, and have decided on the Arm's Reach Original Co-Sleeper. Ever a recycler and budget conscious consumer, I would love to find one used. If that doesn't work, I'd like to buy one on sale (they are 15% off at Target.com right now, but add in shipping and it isn't much of a deal), but I'm not having much luck with either of those options.

Any suggestions of where I can look for a co-sleeper used or new for a reasonable amount of money?

Even though our baby isn't here yet, Mr. Savvy and I have had to make a lot of decisions, some of which are somewhat controversial... are you going to breastfeed? cosleep? vaccinate? babywear? Where will you give birth? Will you have a doctor present? Are you going to circumcise if it's a boy?

To most of these, the answers were easy. For some it was more difficult. I think in many cases, Mr. Savvy and I have decided to go against the norm when we decided what was best for our baby. However, out of all of our decisions, including giving birth out of a hospital with a midwife, not circumcising, delaying vaccinations, breastfeeding, cosleeping, etc, NONE has caused us to get more flack than our decision to cloth diaper.

Why is this? I've had this issue come up over and over and over again, ever since we were going to cloth diaper during our first pregnancy, which unfortunately didn't last long enough for that baby to get to try out the soft luxury that is organic velour diapers. I was discussing this with friends online and one of them shared her theory, which I think might hold a little weight... people who use disposables get defensive because they know they made the easy decision. What I think she means is, rather than do research, weigh the pros and cons, and make a decision based on what's best for their baby, them, and the environment, they went ahead and just did what everyone else is doing.

Unfortunately, what the disposable-choosing parents missed is the awesomeness that is modern cloth diapers. The fabrics, the styles, the technology... it's all there. And when you think about it, washing two extra loads of laundry per week (often less, many women wash their diapers with the towels), cloth diapering isn't any more work. Less trips to the store (this is big for me, as our local Target is so over crowded that it easily takes 1 hour to get in and out, more on a weekend), less trash to take out, and less up-the-back poop blowouts that disposables are notorious for (ahh... less clothing laundry with cloth diapers!).

When I started researching diaper options, baby's health was my primary motivator. I had heard from friends and coworkers that disposable diapers contain some nasty chemicals, and I heard from my own mother and mother-in-law (both cloth diaper veterans) that cloth diapered babies almost never get diaper rash. My MIL would know, she was the oldest of nine (they used disposables in those days), cloth diapered four of her own children (including twins), and has done licensed childcare for 30 years. She's seen it all.

I came across some scary info about these chemicals I'd heard about. I was already an avid user of reusable menstrual products, both for comfort and environmental reasons, so I was familiar with some of these chemicals from previous research. Here's some info (backed with sources) from the Real Diaper Association...

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..¹

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.²

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.³

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.¹⁸

This stuff scares the crap out of me. Many of these chemicals are banned in European countries, where, incidentally, cloth diapering (as is breastfeeding, and midwifery) is the norm. Most European countries also have lower incidences of infant mortality; which is not related to cloth diapering, but I tend to think that that is a result of better health policies and better education in general. Also on that same page linked above is a great list of environmental reasons to choose cloth.

Another essay that really helped me make up my mind is this one, from Mothering Magazine. It's ten years old, but still very relevant. It touches on the convenience factors (the author was a working mother with three kids in cloth at the time of the writing), as well as environmental factors, baby's health and safety (less diaper rash, as well as the absence of chemicals), convenience, cost, and EARLIER POTTY TRAINING!

So after I read a ton of information online, I started asking people, both online and in real life, about their diapering experiences. I didn't find a single person who had been committed to cloth diapering who decided to switch back to disposables. And I asked a LOT of people. I heard about a lot of "friends" and "sisters" who tried it for a short while and stopped because it was too much work, but I didn't get to hear any negative first hand experiences. I did hear from a lot of parents that they used disposables for their first baby and subsequently switched to cloth and wished they had done it from the beginning. I also heard from a lot of professional, working women who cloth diaper (this surprised me at first). Most said that having a routine is key, and many said that they actually enjoy cloth diapering because they now know they are doing what's best for their baby... and isn't that what's most important to all of us?

Below are just a few links about cloth diapering. There are tons of resources on the web, and I encourage anyone who is interested to do their own research.

Different cloth diapering systems from the Diaper Pin.

An essay on Why Cloth? from a cloth diapering mom.

Diaper Dilemma - the Health of Your Baby

The Diaper Dollar

The Diaper Pins Diaper Cost Calculator

The Diaper Dilemma - the Environmental Cost of Diapers

Cloth Diapering -- are you serious?

The first diaper on this page is from Christenson Creations, home of Suzie's One Size (SOS) diapers, a diaper business owned an operated by a work-at-home mother.

The second diaper picture 3 step rise, 1 size diapers from Muttaqin Baby.

The third diaper picture is of Indian cotton prefolds. These will blow away your discount-store prefolds in durability and absorbency. Combine these with a wool, fleece, or PUL cover and you have a time-tested, realiable, cost-efficient, easy-to-use, diapering system.

The forth diaper is a BumGenius one-size diaper from CottonBabies.com, another mother owned diapering business.

The last diaper is a FuzziBunz, probably one of the most popular and widely available cloth diapering options (next to prefolds and covers). There are literally hundreds of online stores that sell them, and they are often available locally at natural baby and parenting stores.

Labels: diapering

I decided, after a little bit of prodding from former Baby on a Budget (and current Savvy Saver) readers, and of course the need for some things to be discussed, to bring back Baby on a Budget.

As some of you may know, I am due in October with our first baby (third pregnancy). Everything is going very well. If the level of fetal activity is any indicator, I'm going to give birth to a kick boxer with the gift of comedic timing.

I have almost the entire nursery ready to go, with just a few more thing on my to-buy (used, hopefully!) list, and most of our big newborn decisions have been made (more on this in future posts).

Baby On a Budget is on hiatus... hopefully to be back soon!

I was down in the basement doing laundry and some general basement clean-up when I come upstairs to Mr. Savvy yelling "honey, I think your dog is sick", and a dog that was currently depositing her third pile of puke on the dining room window seat. I asked him if he could help contain the mess (meaning move the dog off of any upholstered surface) while I cleaned. His response... "but I'm a sympathy puker." I hated to burst his bubble, but I had to inform him that being a "sympathy puker" was not an excuse for letting the dog puke everywhere while you yelled from the couch.

This article is a few years old, but it is from a reliable source and it links disposable diaper use to the increase in athsma in infants and children. I've read before that dioxins and polyacrylate are both used in disposable diapers (polyacrylate has been banned from use in tampons), as well as a few other chemicals that are of unknown safety. This is part of the reason we are going to use cloth diapers (the huge strides in cloth diaper features and convenience made that decision much easier), as well as the negative environmental impact of disposable diapers.

I just received my first order from Cottonbabies.com, and I thought I'd post some first impressions of the two types of diapers I ordered. Obviously, I have no baby to try these on yet, but I figured that I would like to see the diapers and get some feedback from experienced diaperers before ordering several hundred dollars worth.

I purchased 3 used Fuzzi Bunz in aqua, periwinkle, and sage green.

Fuzzi Bunz Pros:

• Available in many, many colors
• Available used ($10 per dipe - a bargain in the pocket diaper market)
• Very soft (possibly because they are used and have been washed numerous times)
• The quality of the used diapers is very high, these obviously haven't been abused and are stain-free.
• The snaps have three different size settings for around the baby's belly.
  

Fuzzi Bunz Cons:

• Don't seem as durable as the bumGenius! dipes (may be because they have been used)
• Come in sizes (xs, small, med, large, xl), which means that I may have to buy 5x the diapers as the baby grows. Also don't know which size to buy pre-birth because the baby could be an extra-small or small (heaven help any woman who gives birth to a medium!).
• Has snaps, rather than velcro, which seems a bit more difficult, especially with a squirming baby.
• Inserts need to be purchased seperately (used diapers on CottonBabies don't come with inserts).
  

I also purchased 3 new bumGenius! dipes in white.

bumGenius! Pros:

• Love the velcro, seems very easy to use.
• One size, adjustable for different baby sizes. This can make these cheaper in the long-run because the same diapers will work throughout the diapering phase.
  
• Seem very durable and well-made. There appears, to my novice eyes, to be a lot of thought into the design of the diaper, like a flap in the back designed to keep the insert in place.
• Dipes came with a microfiber insert (all new diapers come with an insert from CottonBabies).
  

bumGenius! Cons:

• No colors yet, although there are rumors of three colors coming out in the next few weeks.
• Used dipes aren't available yet because these are so new.
• Expensive at $16.95 for white diapers, possibly as much as $20 for a color.

That's my summary for now. I plan to ask Mr. Savvy's mom what she thinks (she's in the child-care business, but hasn't been near a cloth diaper in years - let's just say that I had a difficult time convincing her that the bG! was a cloth diaper when I showed her a picture).

Oy! Can I blame a recent purchase on hormones? I bought this adorable quilt kit, for which I have neither the 1. time to complete, nor the 2. money to spend.

I've come to the conclusion that marketers realize pregnant women are a weak target and prey on us with soft and snuggly fabrics and an overabundance of cuteness. We also seem highly susceptible to gadget purchases, a fact which has not escaped the baby product manufacturers.

This past weekend we spent a LOT of money on baby... we bought our nursery furniture! We found a crib, changing table/dresser, and hutch made by Baby's Dream Furniture in their Generation Next style for sale USED!! We spent $710 on the set, which is almost exactly half of the cheapest quote we had to purchase it new. The drive to pick it up was a small pain, but well worth the $700 savings! The furniture is like new, it was perfectly cared for and well packaged for the trip and we couldn't be happier. We do need to buy a mattress and the changing pad, but we knew that would be the case when we decided to buy used.

Link to the furniture- We bought the convertible crib and the combo and hutch in Honey.

I also ordered a handful of all-in-one cloth diapers from CottonBabies.com, as well as a few inserts and wipes. I plan to wash them a few times and attempt to evaluate them to make sure we are making the best choice... total cost $123. Since we plan to spend about $1000 on cloth diapers, I figure this will help us make sure we are making a good decision... and these are all items we can still use, even if we decide to go primarily with other brands.

I just received the insurance statement for my first prenatal exam that took place a few weeks ago... $1733!! That is a helluva lot of money for a doctor's visit, most of which fell under lab costs (and I even declined a handful of tests). I was kind of in shock when I saw it, despite the fact that we don't have to pay any of it. If that's just the cost of the first visit, I can only imagine what the next few months have in store...

I just had to post this link if for no other reason than to be able to find it later. We are planning on using cloth diapers, but that is contingent on finding something durable, convenient, easy, convenient, leak-proof (at least as much as any diaper can be leak-proof), and convenient. I found this link to review of CottonBabies new bumGenius! one-size cloth diaper. It has been high on my list of contenders because of its single-size and trimness. It seems to be one of the most cost effective and least cumbersome. The reviews look promising!

link to reviews

Mr. Savvy's mom gave us a beautiful bassinet the other day, complete with all the little bassinet accessories. She bought it at a garage sale a couple years ago (yes, she has been waiting for grandchildren for awhile), and has been saving it in her basement. It is a really nice bassinet (not that I have ever even seen a bassinet in my life before this one), and I triple-checked that there were no recalls on it. It is very nice to have because it is something that we would have probably never purchased ourselves, but I'm pretty sure we will use a lot in the first month or two after the baby comes home.

There were a few parts of the fabric bedding that were slightly yellowed from storage, but I was able to easily get them fresh and white with a solution of boiling water and borax powder in the sink, with a tablespoon of dishsoap. A 1-hour soak and it was all good as new!

My Wednesday ultrasound determined my offical due date of Sept 13, 2006! Today I am 6w2d along, so the baby is about four weeks old and the size of a grain of rice. My weight yesterday was 136, and the doctor says to expect to gain 20-30 pounds over the course of the pregnancy, almost all of which will be in the last few months.

I have my first ultrasound today, and will finally know my due date! I think that will make this all seem more real. Ever since I first found out I was pregnant, I have hardly been able to believe it. If it wasn't for the sore boobs, I would probably forget.

About four weeks ago, I started feeling weird. Not myself. I kept having this voice in the back of my head telling me I was pregnant. After a week of this, I decided to banish the voice by taking a pregnancy test, one that i was sure would be negative. I went to the Dollar Store (ever the cheapskate), bought a $4 test and took it at home. I saw the positive results and thought for sure I'd messed up the test. I even remember thinking I should call the customer service number and get my $4 back.

I went back to the Dollar Store, bought another $4 test, and the clerk let me take it in the rest room. The men's rest room. The women's loo was out of commission. It too was positive. I bought one more test for the following morning. I'm sure the clerk thought I was insane.

I took my third test the next morning before work and even TOOK A PICTURE OF THE RESULTS. I still couldn't believe my eyes. It too was positive.

I called my doc, and they scheduled a blood test for two weeks out. TWO WEEKS! I said no way, and just drove over to the clinic after work. I waited about an hour for someone in the lab to have a few free minutes to draw my blood, and then went home and waited for my results. The next day I received a call that said the blood test was positive, and I was likely four-five weeks pregnant.

I just got my first two pregnancy books from the library. The first is the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. I am really enjoying this book as it goes into much more detail on nutrition, fitness, and weight (I've only read the first couple of chapters) than most websites. I feel like I know why I should do/avoid certain things and I'm better prepared to make healthy decisions. I will probably purchase a copy of this book for myself.

The second book is Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs. A fun and entertaining pregnancy book, and a very light read. This one I will probably be content with giving back to the library once I'm through.

Here's a link from NaturalFamilyOnline that talks about some of the many benefits of cloth diapers versus disposables. Some of them where things I knew (cloth diapers are more cost-effective and much better for the environment), but some of the things they point out are new to me (cloth diapers aid in breastfeeding and disposable diapers can be dangerous to babies).

I've been strongly considering reusable diapers, specifically some all-in-ones that look both convenient and comfy. The start-up costs are high, anywhere from $250 to $1,000, but NaturalFamilyOnline lists the costs of disposables as $2,694.54 for the diapering-life of a baby. I think that number is pretty accurate, as I've seen other figures that were quite a few years old that were close to that amount. The benefit of reusables is that I would have them to use for a second or third child as well, which would save us even more money. See the article for a break-down of the costs of disposables.

I am currently researching the different types of reusable diapers to see if there are one or two types that fit our needs and budgets. I plan to write about what I learn in the coming months.

I still have ten days left until my first doctor's appointment, but already I've made two boppies from Jan Andrea's nursing pillow pattern. I used some scrap fleece for one and baby corduroy for the other, and spent about $12 on stuffing for both of them. Jan's pattern is really easy to follow and the two pillows took less than an hour each to make. I also purchased a pattern for some nursery storage accessories, hopefully I can use up some of my scrap fabric and make something useful at the same time!

My mom called tonight and said she bought two brand-new, gender-neutral, all cotton sleepers at the thrift store. Exactly what and I want and cheap to boot!