Natalie at 2 Months

Yesterday, our sweet baby girl turned 2 months old. We went to the doctor for a check-up and she weighed 11 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile) and was 23.5 inches tall (close to the 90th percentile). We've opted not to immunize right now, so she didn't get any shots, but there was still plenty of fussing because she was sleepy.

Natalie is changing so quickly. We get lots of smiles out of her now, especially during diaper changes. I think she has the biggest most beautiful grin ever with her little dimples! Over the last few days she has become more vocal with cooing. I can't wait to hear her giggle! She has started chewing on her fists more in an attempt to find her fingers so she can suck on them, but she also uses a paci when she's trying to settle down to sleep. She has slept six hours straight at night three times, but usually only sleeps five hours, eats, sleeps three hours, eats and sleeps another hour or two before really waking up.

Another recent development is that since her doctor's appointment yesterday she has nursed without using a shield! She had problems latching on when she was born, so we ended up using a silicone shield to help her nurse, but it's so annoying and I regretted ever agreeing to use it! Once I got used to it, I hated fighting her to try and get her to nurse without it, so I gave up and let her have her way. After talking to the doctor, our doula and a friend who recently weaned her baby from the shield, I thought I'd try again and she did great! It's incredibly painful for me at this point, but I know my body will adjust and it's so worth it to be done with that dreadful invention!

We are so blessed to have Natalie in our lives. Even when I'm tired or in a bad mood, she can turn that around with a simple, sweet smile. She gets pretty fussy in the evenings and Alex and I can get frustrated with the crying, but after she has been in bed for a little while, I miss her like crazy! Life certainly hasn't been the same since she was born, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cloth Diapering: A Fluffy Love Affair

Before we started our family, I became interested in the idea of cloth diapering as a way to cut expenses so that I could make my life-long dream of being a stay-at-home mom come true. Once we found out that Natalie was on the way, I started building up a stash of pre-fold and all-in-one cloth diapers as I found them on sale online or in local consignment stores. About two weeks ago, our stash of newborn size disposable diapers from baby showers was dwindling and I knew that I'd either have to start using cloth or shell out a considerable amount of cash for more disposables. Who knows why I had cold feet about using cloth all of a sudden, but after having to change Natalie's clothes three times in a few hours because of leaks, I was more than ready to take the plunge (and no, I do not dunk the dirty diapers in the toilet. Ew!). I'm excited to report that I LOVE using cloth, don't mind the laundry a bit (honest!) and am even going to start using cloth wipes.

Alex still isn't 100% on board, but with time I hope he'll change his mind (for some reason, when he puts disposables on Natalie they almost never leak. What the heck?). We're still using disposables at night, but our stash of size 1 diapers is shrinking now and I'd like to try using cloth all the time and see how it goes. I really don't want to spend grocery money on diapers, so I hope it works out to go cloth all the time. I need to get a few more diapers so we have enough to still do laundry every third day like I am currently.

Our stash includes two dozen pre-folds that I have only used once because my mom put one on the baby and then when I tried I couldn't get it secure so I gave up, 3 Fuzzibunz, 9 Bumgenius and 12 Sunbaby diapers. My favorites are the Sunbaby diapers because they don't leak, they aren't as bulky as the Bumgenius and they're the only ones that I have with some girly patterns. I'd like to order a dozen more, but they've changed the sizing of the diapers or something and now the website is confusing.

Anyhow, I'm excited that cloth diapering is working so well for us and that I didn't let my initial hesitation get the best of me. There are so many great resources online with information about how to go about doing it that anybody can find a way that works for them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a basket of clean diapers that needs to be put away!