I remember this one time back in college, my friends and I were waiting for an exam to start and were using the time to discuss our preparedness. One of my friends made the statement “I only studied for five hours,” and I was struck by the dramatic difference between college and high school. In high school, the phrase “I studied for five hours” would not be qualified by the word “only.” In high school that comment would sound more like, “Oh my God! I studied for, like, five hours!” And so it is for relative amounts of sleep before and after having a baby. Where the childless complain, “I only got six hours of sleep last night,” a new parent will cry out with joy, “I got six hours of sleep last night! In a row!”
Ah, yes. Last night, I got six hours of blessed, blessed sleep. In a row. I think I may have even entered REM cycle. And without leaks! We have been having issues with our diapers of late. We use cloth, and they all of a sudden started leaking like anything overnight. We figured out that they had some detergent residue which made them less absorbent, but last night we doubled up the regular pocket insert with a Trader Joe’s bar towel (credit: Moxie). He wore a single diaper from 7pm to 6am with no leaks. It was very very exciting.
Speaking of cloth diapers, let me take this opportunity to say that, although I am very happy with the cloth diapering system The Husband and I have developed, I am not very happy with the effect the cloth diapers have on my getting myself to work. You see, cloth diapers are much, much bulkier than disposables, and I can’t possibly fit all 8 diapers and the requisite changes of clothes into one diaper bag. So on the days I take Jack with me in the morning, I have to bring the following items:
1. my work bag
2. breast pump
3. diaper bag containing clothes, wipes, vitamins, bottles, etc.
4. diaper bag containing diapers
5. plastic bag containing the enormous amount of food I have to bring for my own lunch (my word, but I get hungry these days)
6. usually another plastic bag containing the clean Tupperware my mother-in-law sent home the previous week full of food
7. Jack
When all of these items are piled up for transport to my car, it looks like a family of four is going away for the weekend. And it’s even worse on the way home because the items somehow get spread out among more plastic bags that my father-in-law hustles to the car before I get a chance to consolidate them, and then there are additional items because The Husband and I find it difficult to leave my in-laws’ house without food and gifts. I realize this is not a terrible problem to have, but Lord a’mighty, I’m schlepping a lot of stuff around.
So now you can understand why I don’t bring a change of clothes for myself. I’ll just stick to black pants.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Not likely. My MIL is a fantabulous cook, and we eat it all. I just don't like carrying it. 'Cause I'm a whiner.
Yay for sleep! Yay for you! Yay for Jack!
IT STILL SUCKS TO BE ME. BOOOOOOO.
Someone elses poop on your pants! I hear you. It isn't as bothersome as I would have thought!!
Just curious what kind of diapers you use. I use FuzziBunz. They are bulkier than disposable, however not really that bad (or that is my opinion).
It is hard carting a baby and all that extra baggage they bring with them! Whooda thunk they'd need all that stuff??!!
When Jack was first born, I used FuzziBunz and BumGenius one size, but when he outgrew the size small FuzziBunz I replaced them with BumGenius. I have 5 medium and 5 large BumGenius all-in-ones and, I think, 12 one sizes. I like the BumGenius better because first of all, they are one size so I have to buy fewer of them. More importantly, I prefer the Velcro to the snaps because the tabs are easier to fasten on a wiggly baby and because they are infinitely adjustable instead of having discrete sizes. I have mostly BumGenius 1.0, but the new version 2.0s are even better.
Post a Comment