Random Addictions/Obsessions and a New Year

So in my Christmas post I posted this pic of this baby from the gdiapers website:

Baby in a gjoy diaper.  Too cute.  Should have bought one before they sold out!!!

Well....a girl I know from my childhood recently posted this pic of her baby, and I must say....HE WINS!!!

Thatcher in his gjoy.  Totally stole this from Facebook, because I love it!!

Anyways....that is not what my post is about.  Not fully, anyway.

So for those of you who read my blog (which apparently is several, though I technically only have 3 followers. I bet that's because the website asks for your info and threatens to email you stuff.  BOO.  But then again....this is a free blog site.  So as long as people are READING, who cares if they're following?), you know that I use cloth diapers.

SURPRISE!!!

Just kidding.  See, I know that some of you ENJOY reading about my cloth diaper experiences, while others would rather stab their eye repeatedly with a fork.  But that's exactly why I pre-warn you readers about cloth diaper info coming up.....so you can skip it.  FYI, if you hate getting your learn on about cloth diapers, SKIP this next section.  Don't exit out of my blog completely, I still have other stuff to say, though it will still likely be baby-related because that's how I roll.....just skip this next section and move on to the next bold print.  It's that simple.  The cloth diaper info is for the moms (or just friends) out there who are interested in reading about it!

FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW MY CLOTH DIAPER SAGA:
I haven't checked my backlog of the cloth diaper saga, but where I THINK I left off, I was having some trouble with leaking issues, usually while Delano was breastfeeding and therefore lying on his side.  At first I thought it was because he was outgrowing his small gdiapers (leaking is a potential sign of the need to upsize), but when it was happening in almost ALL his diapers, I figured I was doing something wrong.

As a refresher, Delano owns several brands of diapers for different reasons and/or times of the day.  His gdiapers have been designated for daytime use only.  We have been using double cloth inserts in his gdiapers from pretty much the start (the "hemp sandwich" method) because he is a heavy wetter, and therefore we quickly discovered that he needed more than a gdiaper at night.  (FYI - if your child isn't an obscene wetter like mine, gdiapers may be all you need.....a single cloth insert for daytime and an extra or even two extras at night.  I tried this with our chitlin....no bueno.  He pees too much both during the day and definitely in his sleep for using strictly gdiapers and nothing else.)  So I bought some one-size Happy Heineys pocket diapers for nighttime use, and even with those we have to use two inserts because Delano pees like a racehorse (granted he also eats ALL THE TIME to fill his bladder with pee).  I also own some GroVias, both the hybrids and all-in-ones (both which are great for daytime but Delano will out-pee at night), some all-in-one Swaddlebees (same as the GroVias) and a few other random brands of diapers, covers and inserts.  And I just bought two new all-in-ones via Ebay that were handmade by some lady that I can't wait to try out because they are adorable yet also seem pretty absorbent.  I love ALL my diapers, and they all have their pros and cons.

The one on the left is an old-school Swaddlebees diaper that was included.  The two printed ones are the homemade ones I bought. 

So back to my leaking issues.....it was out of control.  Delano would pee on me at LEAST once a day while he was eating, sometimes multiple times, and I was at a loss for what to do.  So I hit up Google (as always).  Well, several suggestions in blogs and what not, besides the "he may be too big for his britches" comments, were that it may be time to strip the diapers.  I had no idea what it meant to strip cloth diapers, so of course I Googled THAT.

Turns out (who knew?), cloth diapers and inserts need to occasionally be "stripped" of detergent build-up. I knew that standard commercial detergents could decrease the absorbancy of cloth diapers due to their chemicals (as well as irritate your baby's booty), and I knew that diaper rash creams could do the same.  But I've always used a "green" detergent and I've never used a diaper rash cream with my cloth diapers, so I never thought this would be an issue.  Well.....if you're having leaking issues, try stripping your diapers!  Stripping literally involves just running your diapers (and inserts) through the hottest wash your washer will allow, water only, until the point where when you open the lid of the washer mid-churn, your water is clear and no soap bubbles are present (not to be mistaken for agitation bubbles).  Some people even said that if your washer water doesn't get super hot to either add boiling water to it or turn up the temp on your hot water heater.  These people are serious about stripping.  For gdiapers, this doesn't include the cute covers, just the cloth inserts.  Just whatever your baby is pooping/peeing on.

I broke out the disposable inserts (used usually only for when we travel) and stuck every cloth diaper and insert that I had into the washer to be stripped.  Most advice said 3-4 rinses would do the trick.....8 washes in and mine STILL had a little residue on top of the water mid-wash!!  But by that point I was over it and ready to see if there was any improvement. 

Three words:  NIGHT AND DAY.  I am SO glad that I took the advice (though not technically for me) to strip my diapers!!  Turns out Delano hadn't outgrown the smalls like I thought (and still hasn't)...they just needed a good stripping!  We are back to normal on the diaper front.  As long as I change him every two hours or so (the normal capacity for a cloth diaper), we typically have ZERO leaks.  And his Happy Heineys are working GREAT for his current 8-11 hour nights.  They are definitely FULL when he wakes up (aka no feeding him on his side until I change his diaper first) but I don't even remember the last time he woke up with wet PJs.  SUCCESS!!!

FOR THOSE SKIPPING THE CLOTH DIAPER SAGA/UPDATE:
Welcome back!! 

So the REAL topic of my blog tonight (before I got off on the cloth diaper update) is/was addictions/obsessions.  I currently have a few addictions and/or obsessions that I either need to address or just have fun talking about!

#1:  Baby leg warmers
I think this one qualifies as an obsession.  I am OBSESSED with baby leg warmers!  I never even knew they existed (or just never thought about it) until I saw them on the gdiapers website.  Well I bought a pair from there, saw how ADORABLE Delano was in them plus how EASY they made diaper changes that I decided I needed more.  That's when I made the mistake of typing in "baby leg warmers" into Ebay.

Baby D in his leg warmers about 6 weeks ago (6 WEEKS AGO!!! OMG!!!)

Go ahead and type "baby leg warmers" into Ebay's search engine.  On the "50 results per page" option, you'll come up with about 60 PAGES.  It's insane.  Needless to say, I went on a shopping spree and Delano has nine pairs of leggings on the way....NINE.  They were all so cheap, plus I was able to combine most of the shipping.......and he won't need pants for a LONG time.  That's my excuse, anyway.

#2:  Cloth diapers
I haven't decided if this one qualifies as an obsession or an addiction.  Am I obsessed with buying them or addicted to buying them?  I don't know.  Regardless, I have a LOT of cloth diapers.  As in, I am not a poster child for saving money on cloth diapers (which is the NORM) because I have WAY more than I need, because I can't turn down a bargain or an absolutely adorable diaper.  I sound like a hoarder.  When it comes to gdiapers, they're ALL cute, but the limited edition patterns are SUPER cute and I just can't resist.  And when it comes to other brands I like (such as GroVia), when I see some cute like-new AIOs floating around on Ebay for pennies, I can't help but buy them.  Because I know what an AWESOME deal they are.  Even if to resell them for closer to their worth.  Which I (cough cough) haven't done yet.  So like I've said in the past.....the normal cloth diapering mom needs NOWHERE NEAR my stash.  I'm just addicted.  Or obsessed.

Imagine that this is my laundry room every 3 days.

When I found that photo above, it was attached to this Motherhood Naked blog, which I read (it's pretty short).  She can't stop buying cloth diapers, either!  She says, "It’s true that they are more economical- if you don’t continue buying them at the same rate you would buy disposables."  Partner in crime right there.  She also says that she started using cloth diapers when she accidentally washed a disposable diaper and it BURNED HER HANDS while she was cleaning up the diaper mess in the washing machine.  Kinda scary.

#3  Ebay
I am obsessed with Ebay.  No, I take that back....I am obsessed with the Ebay app on my phone!!  This has made my life SO EASY TO SPEND MONEY!!  And I kind of have a love/hate relationship with this app.  On the plus side, I can search for what I want super easy, the app alerts me when an item I'm watching has 15 minutes left, and I can bid easy-peasy from my phone.  On the con side....ALL OF THE ABOVE!!  Because due to the ease of it all, all I do is spend money!  But I AM obsessed.  Ebay even knows my likes....it knows to search gdiapers, swaddlebees, grovias, happy heineys and baby leg warmers before I even fully type them out.  Ebay loves me.  I don't EVER want to add up what I've spent over the last 6-8 months or so.  As the guy from The Princess Bride would say...PREPOSTEROUS!!  I'd much rather stay NOT in the know.  It's easier that way, for all of us.

In the back is Ebay....I'm the piles of money in the front.

#4  My weight
I guess you could say I'm obsessed with my weight.  I'm definitely not addicted to it.  That would insinuate something totally different and maybe even a little weird.

Before I started running two years ago, my weight was at the highest it had ever been.  Which for me was 146 pounds.  And I'm a pretty small person and NOT tall.  So while 146 pounds may sound like heaven to some of you, it was chunky on me.  My heaven is somewhere between 115 and 120 pounds, which I believe has been lost forever within the sea of my college days.

After I started running and eating a little better I started dropping weight.  By September of last year, 10 months after I had started running, I reached my lowest weight of the last who-knows-how-many years: 123 pounds.  I maintained this for a while, though I was back up to 129 pounds by the end of the year, which I consider to be my pre-baby weight.

While pregnant I gained right at 25 pounds.  After having the baby I eventually settled back down to about 133 pounds.  Well......over the past month or two I've started adding weight back on.  This is totally my fault...I haven't been exercising or eating like I should.  I've been a total slacker.  Which means that this total slacker is now at 137 pounds.  Only nine pounds shy of my highest weight ever!!

So I'm obsessed with getting my weight back down!  My first goal is my post-baby weight (133).  My next goal will be my pre-baby weight (129).  Then my final goal will be my in-shape weight (123), which will be a tough one to get to since my body is different and squishier in the belly area than it was back then!  But if I can get into the 120s, I'll be happy.  For a girl who started college at 104 pounds, I'm ok with being 25 pounds heavier in my 30s.

Because this is real....way to go, editing department, for a stellar job.  I'm sure that lady looks like EITHER of those.

#5  Running

Another obsession, addiction or a little of both?  Probably more an addiction.  Addicted to running farther than I did the last time.  Addicted to signing up for races.  Addicted to half marathon race medals.  Addicted to setting a new PR.  Addicted to being engulfed in a sea of people all there to run.  Addicted to running clothes and gear.  Addicted to getting into shape without working out.  Addicted to BEING ABLE TO DO IT.

Granted, I haven't been nearly as dedicated to running lately as I envision myself in my head.  But I DO have a half marathon coming up and I DO have some weight loss goals to pursue, so I need to get back on the wagon and back to training.

Ugh......as I sit here on the couch wrapping this up, I realize that I should probably practice what I preach and go run this afternoon!  I think I'll do just that.  That way I can say: