When a soldier says he's coming home

When a husband calls his wife and tells him he's coming home after a year long deployment, she does one of two things:

1. Freak

2. Plan!

I opt for numero dos!

1. The house? Oh my the house...oh my... ::looks left, right:: well.. I'm going to be busy.

2. The car? To avoid the car maintenance talk when he gets home, I will get the car detailed all spiffy clean.

3. Me? Time to get some cute...stuff ;)

4. Alone time with my husband for 15 days before he has to go back to work? You plan that, too :)

So. Things may be a little more quiet on the blog until he's home at the end of next month! Now, off to Ikea to acquire the rest of our furniture I've been neglecting to get! :)

Oh, Baby!

As I mentioned, I began training to be a Doula! This really is one of my most favorite things...EVER. I am training through DONA International and I am seeing the end! First, you have a reading list and a position paper to read, which for me, was total fun and very informative. While doing this you can become a member of DONA and order your certification packet. Then you have to take a Doula workshop, Childbirth class and a breastfeeding class that satisfies the time requirements! You have to attend three births, take notes and write a paper on each. After that, you can send in your packet and get approved!! Sounds pretty easy, right?

I am doing my Doula workshop this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I can NOT wait! I signed up for my childbirth class that starts on Thursday the 10th. I am taking the Bradley method, which I wanted to take when I became pregnant, but I get it free as an observer!! :) I started my Breastfeeding Basics class which is online and I have finished most of my reading! I also have three births in the next six months!! I can totally do this.

The books I have read are beyond helpful. I have attended and studied the birth process for years, but I love that I learn something new EVERY TIME! My books I have been reading are:

The Doula Book

The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions

Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth

Gentle Birth Choices

The Nursing Mother's Companion

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers

I can not wait to go even further with my education! First is a birth doula, then postpartum doula, then lactation consultant! I want to get certified as a Childbirth Educator, Breastfeeding Educator, Herbs for Birth Care Professionals, Nutrition for Doula Practice, Aromatherapy Certification for Doulas and Advanced Women's Health Herbal and Aromatherapy through Birth Arts International. I would be totally into placenta encapsulation as well, but one step at a time!

Lately.

October has completely flown by!! If every day left of this deployment goes like this, he will be home tomorrow it seems! It may have been that I was so busy...but not really. So what has been up with us?

Well for one, I've FINALLY started my doula training! I'm training through DONA and I have my training conference this weekend! Excited doesn't even begin to start covering the way I feel! Birth has ALWAYS been such a fascinating and amazing event to me and now? It will be my job to help mom and dads through this life changing event! HOW COOL!

Jon is still deployed, as to be expected :) We're going on 11 months! :O Almost at the end, though :) I have taken to the deployment surprisingly well. At first, the x number of months (more than a year) seemed extremely daunting. I've done weeks and a few months, but over a year?! I guess I took it a little better since I have expected this. When I agreed to marry Jon, I agreed to marry the Army as well. Most military wives would agree. His job HAS to come first. And I'm okay with that.

We're still preparing for our little baby. We figured it won't be long (Lord willing) until we have a little one ourselves, so we want to get prepared while he is away and we have the money!! Cloth diapers, breast pumps...the works ;) ACTUALLY we got our breast pump from my friend who is moving and only used it twice! $100 for over $300 worth of products?! YES! And as for cloth diapers- I am so passionate about NOT using disposables. You can look up all the nasty things in disposables on your own, but I will never, ever put that on my babies skin. Nasty. Also, I am going to start watching a little girl during the week starting in January (and a little boy at night twice a week!) so we are getting a pack and play and a swing for them, as long with toys. That way we'll have that marked off as well! AND YES, there are items people can still get us when I do become pregnant ;)

Speaking of getting pregnant, my doctor and I have begun "prepping" my body for a baby! I have started my prescription of prenatal vitamins, started taking B6 so shorten my luteal phase, I have started eating right with high omega's and I have begun exercising. We are trying to do our part with no medical intervention. There are quite a few fertility problems that are in my family so we want to get everything "right". The Lord is in control though, so we are just praying and "having fun" as we like to say :)

Halloween was a ton of fun! My aunt does her house up big and her yard all scary like. Not really my style- but everyone LOVES it! My cousin, who is my other half, and I were fifties housewives! It was quite the scene ;) Next year, Jon and I want to have a fun get together as well. I love making goodie bags and baking up a storm so that will be NO problem!

As far as Stampin Up is concerned, my business is kind of at a stand still until I can get more paper! :\ everyone keeps telling me to "jump in!" but I can't work like that. I have to have everything in a row and organized, then it's full game! Hopefully by the beginning of the year!!

Our "Child Plan" ;)

Again, same concept as the "Birth Plan", but how we plan to implement childhood!

We plan to do child led weaning in the breastfeeding department. I view it more as a connection and special time, than strictly nutritional. Every child weans and every child loses their latching ability, so it WILL end. However, at this time, I can't really see me doing it any further than three. But you never know what may happen! I want to nurse on demand for the first two years, then after only at sleep times or when necessary. I want to pump as well on a schedule of 10, 12, 2, and 4. I've known a few people who say that this is a great schedule and you get at least two bottles worth a day! Of course, this won't always be workable, but that's why this is a FUTURE plan ;) Whatever excess we don't use within that month or don't plan to use, I will donate to Mother's Milk Bank. I'd love to help an adoptive mother out for her new baby!

We also plan to cosleep. We will have an Arms Reach Cosleeper attached to the side of the bed on my side, but I can guarantee (s)he will end up in the bed with us at some point! We would like to pacify while sleeping to sooth any urge to suck while sleeping. Hopefully the space between us in the cosleeper will help out when they are older so they can sleep more soundly, if not, they're only little once! :) I also want a nap nanny for the first four months to prevent colic!

As far as education, this is where my expertise comes in from my degree. I would be really interested to start Your Baby Can Read with them once (s)he is four months old! I know it seems kind of extreme, I agree, but on of my close friends has used it on her son and he is now two, can read books and LOVES it! She even made a reward chart and he walked over, read the reward chart and then yelled because it didn't say "no yelling" on there!! ;) I guess it has it's advantages and disadvantages! I do not plan to make it like a chore, however. I want to make it fun and in no way a fight. We will also begin sign language around this age. Once they turn two we will start sensory projects and then three and four will be "preschool". We plan to homeschool so our preschool will be a far cry from traditional preschool, and that's how we like it :)

Once solid foods come into play we want to make our food. Why? Well, one, it's far cheaper than store bought food! Two, YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING IN IT! And you can make your own adjustments for what you want! We will start cereal very seldom at five just to test out her reflexes, then vegetables, then fruit, then mix, then meat :) We also would like to implement child lead weaning in this area and allow them to use a mesh feeder and steamed veggies! This can also be a huge time saver when you need to get the kitchen cleaned or eat dinner yourself!

Other than that? I have no clue. As I said, this is just a plan and will be very funny to see how everything pans out once we actually have one! :) But in no means do I think this is unattainable! I have known many to follow a similar plan or even more extreme, so I'm pretty confident. Never say never, right?! :)

Our "Birth Plan" ;)

So. I had this thought that sometime in the (near?) future we will have a little baby :) And that idea makes me all kinds of happy. So then I start fantasizing my "ideal baby" or I guess our ideal plan, since our baby will be perfect whichever kinda way it is! I thought it would be funny to look back on what my plan would be while I was still baby...less?

First the pregnancy:

I am terrified of having problems with my pregnancies. My mom never had miscarriages, nor has anyone in my family (knowingly), so that sort of calms my anxiety. I plan on taking the natural route in my pregnancy and child's life so that takes some planning. I have a list of techniques to use for nausea and queasiness so I feel good about that aspect! I will drink 64oz of water a day, filling my Nagalene up twice. I will keep my protien count for the day between 75 and 100 to ward out pre-eclampsia and other problems that would arrise! I plan to continue exercising throughout my pregnancy with prenatal yoga and pilates as well :) Around 34 weeks we will have our maternity pictures done by the wonderful Jessica Smith and they will be gorgeous, fitting in perfectly with all of her other stunning pictures. I plan to take herbal supplements and flower essences to get through the long ten months of pregnancy and travel an hour to Bettie Sheets' office in the Northern Neck for my care! I will go to Fun Fetal Photos at 18 weeks and again at 32 weeks for a sneak peak at our little one since our midwife doesn't do ultrasounds!

Now the birth:

I want a homebirth. Sooo bad. I will use Bettie Sheets as my midwife and Amara as my doula. Kimberlin Gray will be my birth photographer because money won't be an issue ;) I will use aromatherapy and the Bradley Method to get through the surges of labor. The birth pool will be in the living room with candles lit all around the room. It will just be me, my husband and our labor team. It will be a deeply personal, very life changing moment. I would labor in the pool, standing up and squatting, allowing gravity to do it's work! We will welcome a gorgeous baby into this world and it will be every bit of paradise. We will then find out the gender of our first born! We will wait for the cord to stop pulsing and (s)he will latch on immediately. (S)he will nurse while I naturally deliver the placenta, which we will later encapsulate. We will have a wonderful birth bonding experience and then we will go into an herbal sitz bath together and I will clean him up. I will then put a kissaluvs fitted diaper on with a pair of wool longies and a cute shirt. He will get weighed and get the specs done, then come back to nurse, while this is going on, my husband will call family to come and visit with the new baby! After the ooh and ahh's are done, we will fall asleep as a family.

The Fourth Trimester:

Between family, an amazing husband and a postpartum doula, I will sleep when the baby sleeps. I will make sure I get my 9-10 hours of sleep a night/day to maintain my mood. I will nurse on demand and we will cosleep with the Arms Reach Mini Cosleeper and Nap Nanny. I will wear our little one around the house and on our walks in either our Sakura Bloom, Moby, or Boba Wrap (formerly Sleepy Wrap) and I will love it so. I will not shut myself in the house, but I will remain cautious and keep germy hands off my baby. I will again use aromatherapy and exercise to ward off any signs of baby blues, as well as keep my herbal supplements and omega-3's high! I will pump on a schedule 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm for a reserve in the freezer for date night/weekends. We will also cloth diaper using a mix of prefolds and fitteds with wool covers at home and Grovia and gDiapers while out. I also would love to get the baby adjusted at the chiropractor (along with me) about two months postpartum! You have to think of everything that baby goes through during pregnancy THEN during labor! As well as all the stuff YOU get kicked and punched! :)

I have a very active imagination, can you tell? ;) I think it would be funny to look back on this next year (maybe?) when we are beginning to welcome our little one into a new life!

and yes. I do have a list and plan on how we implement all of these things (aromatherapy, supplements, exercise). I like being prepared ;)

Living a life of Biblical finances.

Lord knows my husband and I are...irresponsible with our finances.

And there is NO excuse for it. Jon is deployed. We have more money than we ever have. We should have a hefty savings account. We should have money left in our checking account. We should have our debt paid off. We should be being responsible and preparing our future, especially with how unpredictable our futures all are. But we aren't.

We have debt out of our ears from when Jon lost his job for a little over 8 months when we first got married. Many things we had financed ended up on our credit report fast. We always make bills now, but then the extra money is our fun money. Fun money that is spent immediately. A lot of this falls on my hands because Jon has a set amount he uses each month (sometimes more, sometimes less). An excuse I could use is that we had so little for so long. We never got to have that cute little decorated house I had dreamed of when we got married. Sure Jon had the Reserves, but often times that paycheck would be taken to pay off something or another and we would get nothing. We lived off my minimum wage job where I was lucky to get 20+ hours, random side jobs and a $300 payment from our roommate to cover everything: rent, power and water. That was our life. You would think that would scare us straight.

We both have problems with wanting what our parents have, I guess. We want to have "the good life". That is one of our faults. We look at having left over money as a way to upgrade our lives. We want, want, want instead of save, save, save. We want the new fishing or scrapbooking thing we saw the other week that we didn't think we'd ever have money for. We want a new computer. We want a new bedset. We want. And that needs to stop.

I think we have a problem with being content. We have a comfortable 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. We don't need more. It's just us. We have a nice TV that we got as a wedding gift, we dont need a new one or a stupid 3D one. We have everything we need. We have so much that most don't. We really need to realize that.

So I have decided to get in control of our finances. And thus, start a finance series as I learn! I am taking a Crown Financial class and reading Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton. The Bible has over 2, 350 verses on money and possessions so it is obviously important. So it is long time that we take it over.

I have made some personal goals!

1. Get out of debt. We will be saving $1,000 at a time. Each time we meet this goal, we will pay off a large debt! Each month also, we will pay $100 toward a debt payment starting with the lowest debt. Making a snowball effect that will keep us going!

2. TITHE. This is really number one, but not necessarily where the most of our money will be going to. We need to trust God with His money. Everything we get and own comes from him and instead of being selfish with it, we need to be thankful and give back. That's the rule he has laid down in the Bible. We will tithe at least the 10% that is in the Bible, but if we are called to give more there will be no second doubt.

3. Save. I would like to have three savings accounts. One for debt, one for "fun" and one for the future. I'm not entirely sure how much we should be saving for the last two, I think that will be decided on when we see how much we have left after tithing and paying off debt. I know for our future savings account will be used as our emergency fund- which I would like to have at least $10,000 cash in the bank. My idea is to save for our car, save for our house and save for our futures.

4. Both have 675 credit scores. I don't have a credit score. My husband's isn't brag worthy at all. Our debt is holding us into this place. This is where I am border line with credit cards. I feel that if you use credit cards the wrong way, that is detrimental in life. If you are just charging because you don't have the money- that is bad. But when your engine breaks and you have no other way to get home or get a new engine, it can be a blessing. Granted when you have your emergency fund in place, that will be easy peasy to pay back. And that's the idea. Charging what you already have the money for, paying it back, and building credit.

That is our initial plan. Once we have these done we will re-evaluate and make a new plan that includes building more savings, investing, and starting our kids accounts. We would love to have their college paid for of course, but at least a "dowry" for when they get married :)

I also plan to take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace seminar after this and continue on. For now though, we are incorporating his Baby Steps in our plan as well :)

This is a great video explaining Dave Ramsey's study. It's worth the watch!

When the unthinkable happens.

What happens when you don't understand anything that is happening and why?

What happens when the unthinkable happens?

That was exactly where I was a little over a month ago.

When we lost our little Alexis Rae.

Only the Lord knows what happened to her. All we know is that she got very sick, very sudden and it all happened very fast. That is not supposed to happen. This was a joyous occasion for my cousin and her family. This was a joyous occasion for everyone. She was and still IS perfect. In every way imaginable. Those 24 days were the biggest blessing to our family than we could ever fathom.

Her small hands, her tiny feet, her sweet cuddly personality- they were all here for a purpose. There were here to make us realize there will always be more love to go around. She was here to make us realize how precious life really is. She was here to make us realize God's true love.

Those 24 days were all here with a purpose- like all of us are. This purpose has shown brighter than anyone could expect. She has brought SO many people to the Lord, when they have had nothing else to depend on. Her own father has been to church for the past FOUR Sundays when in their eleven year marriage, he has only been twice. And today? He bought a Bible. That alone brings the biggest tears to my eyes. That he knows the Lord loves him and he will do anything to see his baby girl again one day.

The Lord has always been near through this experience. With a family with just enough money to make bills and an occasional fun day, they were able to raise money for all funeral expenses and current medical bills. They recieved checks and cash from people they didn't even know, just from people hearing their heartbreaking story from friends and family who were hurting right along with them. It was remarkable.

While Alexis was in CHKD prayers were nationwide. A text chain that went around the world held her name. Churches in over five states had prayer circles. Women's ministries raised money and prayed over it. Never did the Lord leave our side. Never. He was always there.

Sometimes life doesn't make sense. Sometimes things happen that seem to hurt so bad- there can't be any good. It's those situations that the Lord created for you to lean on Him. For you to let Him show you His goodness and love. I have a whole new idea of the phrase "If He brought you to it, He will bring you through it". That is exactly what happened in this situation. He is good. All the time.

A birth announcement.

Alexis Rae

7/6/11

5lbs 6oz

20" long

and perfect.

She was 6 weeks early and had to be delivered via c-section due to placenta previa. If anyone knows me, they know this girl and her sister are my WORLD (cousins babies whose like my sister). They are my children while I do not have any. I would give my soul to these girls and let me just say, she's doing great.

I love her so much.

And this girl?

Couldn't be happier.

And no, it's not the popsicle that makes her this happy! It's her "bebe didder".

A series of events!

Hey! Guess what??? I got a computer!

A house computer. Which means the chances of the charger cable coming undone is... non-existent! YAY for stability! And yay for internet. And for my blog.

I'm done.

Wanna know how I got internet back up?

HE'S HOME!!!!! For two weeks, but those two weeks are going to COUNT!!

He came home on July 8th at 3:48pm.

I take pride in knowing exactly what time!

Also something exciting?

Baby Lexi came out just in time to say HIII!

All in a weeks time!

I'm alive!

Okay so I have been MIA. But I have a good excuse.

well. kind of.

Since Jon has been gone, I have been letting a lot of stuff slide. The house being the MAIN one. The laundry is unbearable, the unorganized nature is giving me unnecessary panic attacks and my head just hurts when I walk in the door.

I know that sounds kind of extreme, and it probably is, but I'm a hypocrite. The kind of person who thrives and preaches on organization and cleanliness, but just can't find the energy (aka lazy) or just the motivation to get stuff done. Until it hits me like a ton of bricks.

I started with the office. Guys, it was seriously ridiculous. We have a two bedroom apartment and the "office"/spare bedroom, was just being used as storage, "quick, throw it in there and shut the door, people are coming" room. And it shows. Boy does it show.

I had boxes and bags of items that I either bought for the future needs or had attempted organizing one point and gave up, bags of stuff still unopened from our move back in SEPTEMBER and just utter and complete disarray. It was making.me.crazy.

So I began going through the boxes and the bags and everything in the main room and separating and throwing away. This took down the mass a.lot. It was like a breath of fresh air! Which got me even more motivated!! It was on from there.

I then separated everything into groups as in crafts, cleaning, kitchen (embarrassing), computer...etc. At this point my second bedroom was pretty open and I actually had a floor. I looked around and thought of potential space for things we want to incorporate (ie. craft tables, desk, cubbies...) and obsessed over my floor needing to be deep cleaned. Bad.

My dogs kennel is in there and is his own apartment. I'm not kidding. This room is about 11'x11' and his kennel takes up at least 1/4 of the ENTIRE room. We are the process of un-crating and praying by Fall, he will be completely out of that God awful building. Although, it has been very sweet to us and saved our furniture on numerous occasions ;)

But like I was saying, I have been BUSY. After the office was pretty much as far as it could go, I moved to the master bedroom. Again, I had a little designated area of craziness. I sorted, organized, cleaned and was able to breathe. Yet again.

Its really nice to be able to do that, let me tell you.

Still to do: closets in both rooms, both bathrooms (I need nearly everything in both!), getting my full bed set (only have the shams and comforter now- still need: 2 Euro shams and the quilt!), and setting up my living room/dining room/kitchen area just the way I like it.

I know I've lived here since September and we only want to live here for another year, but I want it to feel like home. Plus, I want it comfortable for Jon when he's home for R&R!

(Pictures to come next.)

My Cover Stash

white 3-drawer hamper/storage- sage/polka dots at Target!

Again on my quest for an "all natural" diapering routine, I came across wool covers. At first I was anxious! Itchy, rough wool on my baby's smooth skin?? However I read sooo much information about how amazing wool is and how its able to BREATHE. As I began to warm up to the idea I read these facts:

-Wool is breatheable which cuts down on diaper rash EVEN more than just using cloth.

-Wool absorbs 30% of its weight which m

eans SUPER dry!

-It is in fact, NOT itchy, its actually super soft!

-Wool has antibacterial properties allowing it to resist odor and clean itself!!!

When using wool covers, you can use only one a day essentially! You only need to wash it if it gets a smell to it (after a couple of wears/days) or if it gets poop on it. When urine hits the wool, the lanolin acts as a soap neutralizing the urine. It is now clean, smells fine and completely dry! They come as longies (pants), shorts, skirties, soakers, and even plain diaper covers. This allows wool to be a clothing item, not just a diaper cover! Wool is seriously amazing. Once I read all of these facts, I knew wool was something I wanted to try. So I placed my order.

Brianna in a WCW Fairy Stacked Tangerine outfit! Shes wearing a Goodmama underneath!

This is an adorable example of an outfit of wool. The top is just a plain embroidered (cute!) cotton top and the bottoms are wool longies. It's wool interlock so it's stretchy, forgiving and can take some rough and tumble!! I got them at Wild Child Woolies who has a Hyena Cart and an Etsy!

One of the turn offs of wool for some people are the price. $50 a pair seems pretty steep to most. But in the actual use (you only really need 3 pairs so that's $150) it's not that bad. Some people wash every week, some people wait for two weeks. Its personal preference :)

Washing is a process, but thats the great thing of only needing to be done once a week/two weeks! One of my favorite sites Woolybottoms explains the washing process great! :

Fill your sink with enough lukewarm water to sufficiently cover your wool. Add a bit of woolwash (do not use Woolite, only use a lanolin rich wash specifically designed for diaper covers) to your running sink water. Wool wash bars can be used to help remove tough stains as well. Most wool washes are formulated so there is no need to rinse. A bit of baby shampoo can be used if wool wash is not readily available. With liquid wool wash, let your wool sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain water and gently squeeze wool. Lay in between 2 bath towels and roll to remove excess water. Or if you are doing several covers, put them in your washing machine and run the spin cycled (no water) to quickly and efficiently spin out the excess water. Reshape, and lay flat to dry away from direct heat or sun. Liquid wool wash is good if your cover needs a gentle cleaning. If your child is like mine though, they like to abuse their wool with food, dirt, and grime. A good wool wash bar is good for these times. Fill up a sink full of warm water, wet your wool, and then lather the bar right into the wool to get out those tough stains. Always check in a hidden spot to ensure colorfastness. Then rinse immediately and remove right away and dry as listed above. For interlock wool, we recommend soak times of a maximum of 15 minutes. Interlock can also be safely washed in the washing machine on a gentle wash/rinse cool cycle for a really deep clean. Machine drying is not

recommended.

And then you need to lanolize once a month (what makes it waterproof). Again Woolybottoms is on top of it! :

Prepare your sink just like you are about to wash your cover. I have found the creamy style lanolin to work the best in getting an effective coat of lanolin on my wool. It contains all the original fats that are removed from the liquid forms. Take a pea sized amount and place in a baby food jar along with a drop of baby shampoo. Fill jar with super hot water and shake to dissolve the lanolin (or an alternative to completely melt your lanolin is place the jar lanolin without the lid in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Then add the hot water & shampoo. (This will ensure the lanolin is completely dispersed). I prefer to microwave to really make sure that the lanolin is liquifed and will not form pool and form spots on my covers. Fill your sink as I stated just above with warm water and wool wash. Add your lanolin mixture and swish. I prefer to turn my covers inside out so the majority of the lanolin is on the inside right where you need it. Add the wool cover and let sit anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Make sure water remains relatively warm to keep the lanolin suspended pr

operly and from forming lanolin spots. Drain and dry like normal.

It really isn't as much of work as it seems! From my experience when I put the longies on Bri, I forgot about the diaper (oops, bad cousin). Anyway a whopping 4 hours later while getting ready for bath, I remembered. Her cloth diaper (this time a Kiwi Pie- she wore the outfit all day long!) was drenched. Soaking wet. And the longies? Dry as can be. They are great!

My favorite wool sites:
Woolybottoms

Llamajamas

Wild Child Woolies here or here

Crankypants

Loveybums

Sustainablebabyish

The cutest thing ever is hanging around the house in a cute shirt, wool soaker and some baby legs. Instant outfit! :)

photo credit

*UPDATE*

A great video of another mama's wool stash so you can see them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigrHfTXQGg&feature=fl_lolz&playnext=1&list=FLnJ5Plmc4h0o

My Dream Stash

As I confessed earlier, cloth diapers are my guilty obsession. I have no idea where this idea has come from since no one in my family has cloth diapered their children other than my grandparents, and even they were surprised when I told them about this idea! I have researched, researched and researched!! After much fret (seriously) I have decided on my diapering regime. I plan to use: fitted for everyday with wool covers, prefolds (I know, right?!), gDiapers for travel, and daddy friendly Very Baby AIOs. I wanted a natural option that

allowed my baby to BREATHE down there and besides my AIOs (all-in-ones), I will be able to achieve that! I also plan on organizing in such a

manner to look like this:

This is the Tot Tutors Pastel Toy Organizer at Target. Organization is so much fun for me. I just love the way everything looks when it's where it's supposed to be. I may or may not have control issues (; So on with the show and the fluff!!

Fitted Diapers

48 diapers. Now, I know that is WAYY enough.

But what I figure is that since I'm buying these in advance, the cost won't necessarily matter (: Having this amount of diapers will cover all grounds: sickness, travel, and allowing a space between each diapers use so we can further the life of each diaper. Which allows us to use it on ALL of our kids. Not just one and end up with shot elastic and wear and tear. My fitted diaper sites:

Orange Diaper Co.

Muttaqin Baby

Goodmama

Green Sprout Baby

Orange Diaper Co. is a local diaper maker-er in Virginia and she's so super sweet. She has a workshop in Chesapeake where locals can go and pick up their diaper orders, request custom diapers from her multitude of fabric or just pet, feel, love on the diapers before making a decision! She makes some adorable fitteds, cloth wipes, and bamboo terry flats and prefolds, just to name a few! Her shop is reopening with a stocking this Sunday, May 15 at 9pm EST so go and

grab you some!!

Goodmama diapers are known all around. They are even seen as "collectibles" by some people who buy them, keep in NIP (new in package) and only have them to sell later on when they can hike up the price to $40, $50, sometimes $200 for other collectors/fiending mamas. Must

be nice to be Suzanne ;) Who I must add is super sweet herself! Whenever I have a question (because lets face it, I only ever use cloth diapers when I test them out on my cousins little one, soon to be ones!) she is right there to help! She makes newborn and one-size fitteds, wetbags, some AIOS, and wipes. And she's really good at what she does obviously!! In order to get one of these suckers, I advise being on the prowl. There are many stalkers of the page that sit in front of the computer on Friday just

for her to stock her store. She usually announces when that will happen on her twitter and facebook fan page. They usually oversell the day of, I think in the year I've taken interest in the dipes, I have only twice seen some leftover diapers from a Friday stocking. Kind of ridiculous, but they really are good, durable diapers!

Muttaqin Baby diapers are ones that I have not personally tried, but have heard rave reviews about! They are made like most of the other fitteds I have used, so I don't see many problems. They are a company that patented the 3SR diaper, three step rise one-size diaper. This allows the diaper to be worn from 8lbs to 35lbs!

They also offer bundle packages where you can get their AI2s and fitteds at a discounted rate for buying in bulk!

Last in my list of fabulous fitteds is Green Sprout Baby. My first multi purchase cloth diaper company. They are awesome and the owner is so sweet. She's a single mom of two preschool boys trying to make a living for herself! And even with all that stress she still makes incredible diapers! She is the maker of my Brianna's coveted "Nunkey" (sock monkey) diaper that she crys when I take it off. Her fleece pants are great as well, but a whole other post.

All of my fitted diaper ladies are work at home moms whose desire to be at home with their children created their businesses. I feel that supporting these business is far more important than feeding into many of the industrial companies...and much cuter too (; With fitted diapers, they are 100% breathable unlike laminated plastic fabric such as PUL and TPU found in AIOs. Because of this, they are not waterproof like PUL or TPU is. They are also all made out of bamboo or cotton velour on the inside. All natural. No chemicals, no dyes, no perfumes, no plastic. Only natural substances (:

Prefolds

Yes, prefolds are what your grandmother used to diaper your parents (most of us), but no longer are we burdened with the diaper pin pokes! While not really the "easiest" diaper to have, they are certainly the workhorse diaper. Not only a proven good diaper, they can double as a burp cloth, back up diaper when you run out in public, or even a dusting cloth!! Like I said, there is no need for diaper pins anymore. Enter the snappi:

This is a plastic T-shaped rubber fastener with little grippies on each end that grab onto the diaper to hold it in place. No more bothering with trying not to poke the baby- these don't even TOUCH them!!

While yes I will admit, prefolds can be pretty boring compar

ed to the fitteds I listed, but they don't have to be! That's why I love Loveybums and Cottonspuds Boutique!

Loveybums are more luxurious prefolds. They are organic with one side of hand dyed cotton fleece on one side and organic cotton velour on the other. Making some COMFY, healthy, colorful

prefolds!! Another thing I like is that the dye does not come into contact with baby's private parts, a big issue I have. They wash up well and come sized so that you can make sure you have a perfect fit for your baby!

Cottonspuds Boutique have the cutest idea for prefolds with their cotton center panel! I'm not so sure if her Hyena Cart shop is still open, but if you email her, I'm sure she'd be happy to help you out, she's so sweet! She does them in 3pks or singular! They are made of squishy bamboo velour and super duper cuddly! Can't wait to get mine in!!!

gDiapers

gDiapers are one of the most eco friendly diapering options available! Made as a cotton shell with a snap in nylon, BREATHABLE!, waterproof hammock looking fabric which hold either your gCloth, a cloth insert looking much like a prefold, or a gRefill, a flushable, compostable, garbage friendly disposable insert. gDiapers are great because they give an easy introduction to cloth diapering for parents who aren't so sure if this the the route for them! You only need to wash the outer if poop gets on it, so you really only need one a day ideally! Friends of mine with little ones using this diaper have had mixed opinions. Some absolutely LOVE it and it's all they use, while others have leaking issues. I have contacted gDiapers with my concerns and they are 100% willing to help me through fitting issues!! We will use this when traveling as the chemical, chlorine free gRefills are biodegradable and can simply be flushed down the toilet when traveling! No need to wear icky paper diapers!!

Very Baby

Very Baby diapers are my only AIOs I plan on using. And only when Jon or grandparents are watching the little one. In essence, disposable diapers are not breathable once the baby urinates and the gel activates for the "dry" feeling anyway, so I guess they'll be like most other babies! Jessica is amazing. As a mother, blogger, and provider of a business. Her grandmother LaVon is sweet enough to sew up these beauties and provide the softest, bright, loveable all-in-ones, IMO! With a simple velcro option they are super duper simple and JUST like a disposable!

Next up...covers!

My guilty obsession.

I have a confession to make.

I am seriously obsessed with baby products.

No lie, I loveee to dream and look and play with all things baby.

Probably why I have extreme baby fever since I was like...19.

I was married then at least.

But thats what I plan on blogging about amongst other more important things like deployment, day to day and my adventure to frugalness.

Really, wool diaper covers and snappis have changed my life.

This will start when I get home from work today.

My dream diaper stash. I have chills ;)

I'm back!

Hi! I have a computer right now (being lent by a great sister-in-law!) AND I should have one of my own coming this weekend!! :) Thats when the real blogging will finally start! To update on a few things:

Jon will be coming home for R&R sometime mid-July.

My 21st birthday is in 2 weeks!

The house is still in the process of being rennovated. Ahem.

and I am a very happy, blessed woman!

Cant wait to finally get this blog on a roll! :)

Introductions :)

Please ignore our horrible layout thus far and our large header that can not seem to fit no matter how much I play with it...that will be fixed momentarily.

I figure while all this goes on we will have introductions.

We are the Drommerhausens.

Try saying that three times fast.

Jonathan- He is in the Army Reserve and is currently deployed on our first deployment as a couple. He is a hardworking, very opinionated (I mean that in a good way!), highly intelligent, sweet, kind...gamer. Seriously. When he is not loving on me, our dog, our cat or our son, Alex, his world is is PS3 or Xbox 360. He definitely have our limits and rules on when we can partake in such events and how long, but when given the chance he is there. He dreams of becoming a video game "engineer" and making and designing video games. When he gets home from this fifteen month deployment, he plans on going active duty again and finishing up his degree in that area of expertise.

He is really great, guys.

Amanda- That's me! I'm a domestic engineer pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Womens Studies. The type of womens studies that deals with Godly ministering, not feminist activities. I am very traditional and aspire to be June Cleaver :) I adore my husband and come with a very heavy North Carolina accent. And that accent comes with gobs and gobs of sweet, sweet tea. I dream of attachment parenting, homeschooling, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, baby wearing and loving my children when the Lord blesses us with them. I can't wait to be a assistant den mom for Boy Scouts and a Girl Scout leader! Seriously. That is my dream. I am a fan or sustainable living and long for a farm house on three acres with my horses in my backyard, chickens running around, cows and pigs. I love hanging clothes on the line and I bake my own bread. I just can not wait to see what life holds for us, especially if Jon goes active duty!!

My dreams for this blog is to get me through this long deployment- only a year left!, documenting our life as married newlyweds, a growing family (Lord willing!), our childrens lives, and just seeing where the Lord will take us!