Last year the Sunday before July 4th found us visiting a mid-sized church in Ellsworth, Maine, just outside of Acadia National Park. Finding churches to attend along the route of our roadtrip was a fun challenge and an interesting experience in exploring American Christian culture. Let's just say that some weeks were better than others.

This week we unsuspectingly found ourselves in the midst of a very passionate worship service, but the object of that worship left a little to be desired. We sang God Bless America and My Country, Tis of Thee, and then rose for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. The power point screen flashed images of waving flags, National landmarks, and American soldiers in the midst of battle. I don't know what the sermon was on, as I was only too happy to have to remove Noelle from the service by then, but I can make a decent guess. We walked out and looked at each other and said "Did we just go to church or a big pro-American rally?"

This article summed up my thoughts on the matter quite nicely. Thanks, Toni, for sharing.

I realized yesterday that I've arrived at That Point in this whole lovely first trimester experience. It's the point where I've felt badly for so long that I kind of forget what feeling good is like, and wonder if really my problem is that I've just gotten lazy. I start wondering if it's all just imagined and if I get up off my bum and return to life as usual, it will all go away. The trouble is, that never really works. I got to That Point after each of my ectopics, during my first tri with Noelle, and after giving birth. The good news is that shortly after reaching That Point each of those other times, I started feeling better. And I'm nearly 10 weeks along, so it's got to be getting better soon.

In Other News, we have just discovered that Noelle is a technological genius. All by herself she figured out how to forward my cell phone to another number. And we didn't even know that was possible. Perhaps next time she will think to put in a number that's actually routed to our home, rather than 556###444227. Either way, I forsee a glorious future in Verizon tech support for her.

 I've been happy to see more press attention turned to Zimbabwe again this week, but very, very sad at the cause of it. Eighty-six dead, thousands tortured, beaten, and wounded in the anti-opposition violence, and tens of thousands displaced from their homes. As many as half a million of Zim's children are now going without food, basic healthcare, and life-saving HIV/AIDS medications, thanks to Mugabe's eviction of all international aid organizations. And to all of this suffering Mugabe says "We are not going to give up our country because of a mere X [on a ballot]. How can a ballpoint fight with a gun?" I think Tsvangirai did the right thing by stepping down, because it seems to be a completely impossible situation. I'm not completely sure what the rest of the world's obligation to Zimbabwe's people, but it certainly seems that something needs to be done.

 And what blessed years they have been.

 2004

2005

2006

2007

And naturally, in 2008, all of our pictures are of our daughter.

Since Noelle was born almost 17 months ago, I've answered dozen and dozens of questions from people interested in cloth diapering. I've spent hours e-mailing people I don't even know who've asked how we do it. I was thinking about it the other day and realized it might make sense to just put up one big, long blog post with everything I know about CDing and then when people ask, I can just point them here. So here we go.

Why Cloth? Cloth diapering is a growing trend in the US that has really been picking up steam in the last 5 years or so. People are choosing cloth for many reasons. These include:

• Environmental. Chemical- and feces-laden diapers make up about 4% of all solid waste in landfills, and they require massive quantities of water, wood pulp, crude oil, and chlorine to produce. When it rains, all of that human waste goes right down into the ground. Not exactly pleasant to think about. Many people claim that the water required to wash cloth diapers offsets their environmental benefit, but these claims do not take into account the amount used in the production of disposable diapers. In reality, studies show that 2.3 times as much water is wasted with disposable diapers vs. cloth.
• Financial. Go on any cloth diapering website and you will find claims that cloth diapering saves thousands upon thousands of dollars per year. The problem is that I don't know anyone who spends thousands and thousands of dollars on diapers to begin with, so I'm not exactly sure that these numbers are helpful. That aside, I DO know that we save a lot of money. When I buy disposable for travel, they cost around 17 cents each (cheapo White Cloud brand at Wal-Mart). Noelle goes through about 6 diapers a day. According to my calculations, if Noelle is potty trained around 2.5, we would have spent $930 on diapers. We have about $200 invested in our cloth stash, and they cost about $5 a month to launder, for a total cost of about $350 to get her through the diaper years. This equals a savings of $580. Then those diapers will be used on the rest of our children and the only expense will be washing. Cloth diapers also have excellent resale value.
• Health. No chemicals or plastics next to baby's skin means fewer rashes. Noelle has had two diaper rashes her entire life, and both were the result of a messy diaper in the night that wasn't discovered until morning. Many people think that cloth diapers mean more rashes, but this generally isn't true. Often it can be traced to improper washing routines.  
•  Comfort. Would you consider wearing disposable plastic underwear? I think not. My husband has already requested cloth diapers for his nursing home years. I make no promises.
• Simplicity. More and more people are moving towards a simpler way of living with less consumerism. Buy less, use less, etc. And just imagine no more midnight runs to the store because you're out of diapers!

The Yuck Factor. I'm addressing this right off because it's been most of my friends' first concern. Don't they stink? Won't I be dealing with leaks all the time? Will I be swishing diapers in the toilet? Will I have baby poop all over my washer (and all of my clothes!?)? Yes, they stink. All diapers do. But the great thing about cloth is that they're washed before they get too stinky, and they're really not all that bad. Today's cloth diapers, generally speaking, do not leak. I can count on one had the number of cloth diaper leaks (of either variety) that we've had in Noelle's lifetime. But last summer on our roadtrip, when she was in disposable, we had blow-outs almost daily. It was gross, and we couldn't wait to get her back into cloth. You will not be swishing diapers in the toilet if you don't want to. There are other ways (see below!). You will not have baby poop on your washer. When your diapers come out (if you are washing them properly), they will be clean and smell fresh. That means your washer will be clean and smell fresh too.

Getting Started. First you have to decide what kind of diapers you want to use. There are lots out there. But first, let me say, do not, and I repeat DO NOT go to Wal-Mart or Target and pick up a few dozen Gerber or store-brand diapers. You will hate cloth diapering and want to kill me. Go online to a reputable diaper store (I like Nicki's) and get some quality diapers that you will be happy with.

Diapers:

• All-in-ones. These are just what they claim to be- cover and diaper in one. Most close with Aplix (velcro) or snaps. Many first-time cloth diaperers are drawn to AIOs because they seem easy to use, however they're very pricey and generally don't have the best reviews. I've never used them, so I can't comment personally, but from what I've heard, most people end up deciding they're not worth the money and don't work as well as other types.
• Pockets. These have a waterproof outer and microfleece inner, with an open "pocket" in between that may be filled with a microfiber or hemp insert. Nice because you can add several inserts if you need more absorbancy, or less so they are trimmer. We use these for overnights and like them a lot. I love that they are one-size so they won't be outgrown until she potty trains.
• Fitteds. These have elastic around the legs and waist and close with Aplix or Snaps. They are generally trimmer than prefolds and some do contain messes better. Fitteds require a sperate cover. I like them and would probably use more if prefolds weren't so cheap. We used Kissaluvs when she was a newborn and were happy with them.
• Prefolds. These are the normal rectangular cotton diapers with a more absorbent layer down the middle. They are made in China (CPFs) and India (IPFs) and come in bleached and unbleached. They can simply be folded up and laid inside a cover, or can be secured with a device called a Snappi. These are the majority of our stash. They are suprisingly easy to use and Ryan actually prefers them to some of the other types we've tried. We went with these because they are cheap, effective, and long-lasting.

Covers. If you decide to go with fitteds or prefolds, you will need a few covers to go with them. I've tried CottonWraps, Bummis Super Snaps, Bummis Original, Proraps, Dappi wraps, Bummis Super Brites, and Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. My favorites are the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, with the Bummis Super Brites as a close second. We get the best fit with these over her prefolds.

How many? Like I said, we go through about 6 dipers a day- one pocket for overnight, and 5 prefolds during the day. When she was younger we used a few more. Ryan is the diaper laundry man, and he washes about every three days. So if your family was like ours, you'd need about 18-20 daytime diapers and 3-4 overnight diapers for a toddler. We have 4 covers and that's plenty. When she was younger, we needed about 4-6.

Accessories. Some of this you may not need, but this is what we use (and love!)

• Snappi. These are pinless diaper fasteners. I think it's a good idea to have a few if you plan to use prefolds.
• Pail liner. We tried to get by without one for the first year or so, but finally broke down and bought one. I think it's a must-have. We wash it with our diapers every time and it keeps the pail smelling clean and fresh.
• Wetbag. This is a small washable waterproof bag to hold dirties in your diaper bag. This is the one thing I could probably do without, as I save and reuse my produce bags and always have a few stuffed in the diaper bag for the next trip to the grocery. It's not a bad thing to have, although not necessary. 
• Flushable liners. This is how you get away without swishing in the toilet. IMO, these are what make cloth diapering do-able. We put one in every diaper and if she poops, you just drop the whole thing in the toilet and flush it down. If she just wets, the liner can be washed and re-used several times before falling apart. Note- this is only necessary after your baby starts eating solids. Before that, everything goes right in the wash!
• Wipes. If you're using cloth diapers, it makes sense to use cloth wipes too. I have some 10" flannel squares that I zig-zagged the edges on, and some of those thin baby washcloths. I use something called Dixie Drops to make my solution, but there are many other wipes concentrates out there.

Washing. Most diaper manufacturers have recommendations on how to wash their diapers, so always check there first. Generally speaking, a routine like this one (what we do) will work: 1. Prewash (or rinse) on cold, 2. Wash with 1/2 recommended amount of detergent (for us about 2 T.) on hot, 3. Rinse on cold, 4. Extra cold rinse. 4. Line dry all diapers and covers (what we do, either outside or in front of a fan in bad weather), or machine dry diapers and line dry pockets, AIOs, and covers. If you have poop stains, lay your diapers in the sun and they will magically disappear.

The type of detergent you use is VERY important, and it's a good idea to do some research before just dumping in whatever you have. We use Sun Free and Clear and have been happy with it. There are a lot of "alternative washing" ideas floating around on the web. We used one for a year and ended up having some issues. We switched to Sun and have been really happy. This site has some good detergent recommendations.

I hope this has been helpful!! Cloth diapers have worked out wonderfully for us and at this point we can't imagine doing anything else. Please comment if I forgot anything, or if you have cloth diapering experience you'd like to share! I'm by no means an expert- this is just what has worked for us.