What a Bum(mer)

Our crib came in this week and I was super psyched about getting it set up. It's Charles' first big daddy-to-be task and I was armed with my camera to document the whole thing. We opened the gigantic box, started unloading all of the parts, and that's when we came across this:

That lovely beauty mark is not only on one of the main, large side pieces...it's also on the top. I could totally deal if it was on the bottom of the crib and it would never be seen again. But it's pretty much front and center and not only does it look bad, but it creates a jagged, unfinished edge that our little boy would inevitably be in contact with at some point. No can doosville, babydoll. 5 super cool points to you if you watch that show.

So I'll be calling customer support today to see what can be done about the damaged goods and in the meantime waiting impatiently to get the thing put together.

In other news, look what else came in the mail this week:

Diapers! Yep, we crazy kids are going the cloth route. My insane idea entirely, of course, but my husband being the wonderful man he is didn't even blink when I told him "so I was thinking..."

But these aren't your grandmother's cloth diapers. Gone are the days of the plain white cloth rag that you tediously pinned and sent off to a diaper service. These days cloth diapers are offered by a huge number of different companies, come in a crazy assortment of colors and patterns, and - most importantly - are much more intuitive. These diapers, for instance, have a series of snaps that allow the diaper to "graduate" with the growth of the baby, essentially lasting until they move onto big-boy/girl underwear. Here's a diagram on the package:

I love their "How To Use" method!
1. Adjust Size
2. Put on Baby

Those cheeky buggers... hey I'm allowed one butt joke in this post.

I did a lot of research before buying these diapers and heard really good things about the Bum Genius brand. They offer a bunch of different types and in the end we opted for the Elemental One-Size All-in-Ones made with organic cotton. I like these because they have the graduated snaps instead of velcro (which should last longer after so many washes), I <3 organic, and mostly because they're all-in-ones, which means no stuffing inserts separately...it's all one unit.

The cleanest they'll ever be....

So why cloth? I'll admit, the thought never crossed my mind before I got married/pregnant. I'm not exactly someone who's "one with nature" in the hygiene department. I need running water, a clean toilet, and a good amount of soap. (Yeah, and I'm having a boy...) So while the thought of getting more up close and personal to my little man's business doesn't exactly excite me, these three main things are what sold me.

1. Cost - this is a biggie. Diapers may not seem expensive when you're buying them one box at a time, but they certainly do add up. BabyCenter.com estimates that disposable diapers cost about $72/month, or $864/year. Assuming three years of diaper use, the total cost for one child comes out to $2592 (obviously this is just an estimate). Our set of 12 cloth diapers cost $265 (there are cheaper options). We'll probably be buying another 6 so we don't end up running out and having to run to the store to supplement with disposable, which at $135 brings our total cost to $400. Steep upfront cost? You bet. But even with the cost of doing an extra load of laundry every other day, we still come out ahead. The same website estimates roughly $19/month for washing cloth diapers (I think that's a little steep but we'll go with it), which is $228/year. Again, assuming three years of diaper use & wash, the total cost is $684 + the $400 upfront for a grand total of  $1084. That's a savings of $1500...just for the first kid! Since cloth diapers can be reused, each child after the first will only have the maintenance cost associated with washing the diapers since we'll already own the hardware. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
2. Convenience - Boxes of diapers are big and bulky. And I'm lazy. We don't even buy soda during our weekly grocery trips mainly because I don't want to haul them up to our apartment. Also because part of me is convinced Charles is going to get diabetes/lose all of his teeth if he keeps downing Coke the way he does. But mostly the lazy thing. I'd much rather do an extra load of laundry every other day than buy a huge box to lug home every month. We also live in an apartment with a dumpster down the road, so any time we can lessen the amount of trash we generate means the longer we can put off taking out the trash.
3. The Environment - I don't usually make a habit of hugging trees, but I am conscious about the waste and energy I generate. It probably comes from my education in architecture. Either way, I try to recycle as much as possible, turn off lights when we're not using them, and limit our water use. So far our bills have been nicely reflective of this (as well as our bank accounts!). The thought of throwing out 8-12 diapers a day gives me great pause. 8-12 diapers a day becomes 56-84 diapers a week, 224-336 per month, and 2688-4032 per year. It will make me feel better knowing that we're keeping them out of the landfill. 

I've also heard that using cloth reduces the frequency of diaper rash and other irritations and that it's just overall less harsh on that sweet baby skin. With all this having been said, I don't think less of anyone who uses disposable diapers - I think it's purely a personal choice and this just happens to be my jam. Maybe I'll post a (much shorter) update in 6 months and we'll see if I'm still singing their praises!

What are your thoughts on cloth vs disposable? Also have you ever been excited to get a new piece of furniture only to find out it was damaged?

Nursery Idea Board

So I thought I'd end my month+ long sabbatical with something fun! We finally moved and got settled in and then my nesting instincts took over and I'm itching to get started on decorating the nursery (we're actually going to have a nursery!). Being in a two bedroom apartment? Super awesome, by the way.

I've been Pinning nursery ideas over on Pinterest like a madwoman for the past few months and I finally got around to making an idea board. Before we found out what we were having I was being drawn to more feminine touches, so when we found out we were having a boy, I was a little worried that I wouldn't know what direction to take. But one afternoon on Pinterest and suddenly I had a completely different vision. I love old maps and globes, and I decided that with a traveler theme I could incorporate a bunch of different topics (trains, hot air balloons, etc) without getting too match-y. If there's one thing I knew I wanted to stay away from, it was a room that looked like a catalog. I also didn't want to go with something that screamed "baby", so that we could adapt it as he grows a little older.

The wall color is bold, but it's my favorite aspect. I first saw it over on Pinterest, but then it turned out to link to one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love. The color is called Plumage, by Martha Stewart, and I plan on having the color matched to a no VOC paint called Mythic Paint. This means it will be safer for me to use while pregnant (while taking frequent breaks, wearing a mask and keeping the windows open), but it will also be safer for our little guy, since it doesn't produce the fumes that normal paint can off-gas up to 30 days after painting. It's a little pricier than standard paint, but well worth the cost.

I can't wait to get started and share the progress!

So What'll It Be?

After waiting for what seems like an eternity, we finally got to go to the doctor this morning to find out what we we're going to have! It was like Christmas morning; I could barely sleep (though that might have to do more with my expanding waistband) and we couldn't wait to get to the doctor - thankfully my appointment was at 9:00 am!

So the verdict?

Yep! We're having ourselves a little baby boy. Which is funny, because almost everyone said they thought it was going to be a girl, including us. But it was very apparent that a boy is coming our way! Most of my nursery ideas have been on the feminine side until now, so it's time to start brainstorming a more masculine room. Inspiration photos to come, I'm sure!


Photo credit: 1 2

Forshizz Up the Spout. Honest to blog.

I was doing so well with posting on this thing until about two months ago when I was suddenly EXHAUSTED all of the time. All I wanted to do when I came home was collapse on the couch, so that's pretty much what I did. Of course, it made a lot more sense when I found out this little bean was amongst us!

I'm already in love with its nose <3

So while the thought of posting on here has crossed my mind many many times since we found out the big news, I've simply been too drop dead tired to do anything other than work and come home. I'm just now entering the second trimester (14th week), which I've heard is the golden age of pregnancy - no more nausea (though that only really hit me for about two weeks early on), a lot more energy and of course that "glow" :) I'm looking forward to this next stage, where I can get things done and hopefully have a little more motivation to do anything other than lie pitifully like a sack of potatoes.

Via

Now that I've gotten the ball rolling, hopefully I'll make a point to post on here more often and pick back up where I left off. On a side note, am I the only one who loves Juno? Hi-lar-ious.