Baby Preparations

We are now five and a half weeks from this little one's due date. I know that is still quite a bit of time, but I still feel better getting things done and ready. I figure I'll do it while it's something fun to do instead of something I have to do.

So I set up the crib last week. I had told Emmy that we would have to wait until Daddy could help so I wouldn't hurt my back, so when I announced one day that I wanted to set it up, she was quite concerned over my back. (This is the same back that can't carry her and hold her as much as it once could, so I understand her concern.) As I carried the pieces up from the basement, she asked, "You hurtin' your back, Mommy?" I assured her that the pieces weren't that heavy by themselves and I was being really careful. So we set up the crib together. She was in charge of finding the right screws and helping me twist them in as well as hiding the Allen wrench and telling me when I was getting closer or farther away from it.

And of course she wanted to climb right it and try it out. She took 2 "naps" in it in the space of about 4 minutes, so apparently it's a good bed.

I bought these butterfly and flower vinyl wall decals in March, and I just haven't had the guts to put them up myself. And I'm so glad I didn't! Cami, my sister-in-law came over and helped last week, and they turned out way cuter than I could have made them. I just love to look in the room as I walk past!
And here's her changing table/dresser that we got from a neighbor who was giving it away. Thank you so much, neighbor! And thanks to Brett who saw it and knew we could use it.

And our most recent baby prep has been in the form of diapers. I have decided to use cloth diapers, but not just any cloth diapers - BumGenius cloth diapers. Julie uses them for Henry, and she loves them. Everyone I've talked to or read about loves them. So I am going to try them out and see if I don't love them too! They are pricey (regular price of 17.95 per diaper!) but they pay for themselves pretty quickly. They have snaps that allow the diaper to grow with the child, so you use the same diapers from newborn until potty trained.

I had found a great deal online back in February and was going to order them then, but Julie reminded me that the year-long guarantee starts from when you purchase them, not when you start using them. So I decided to wait. Well, that deal went away. So I continued to search. And I was very excited to find them for an even better deal at Thanksmama.com. Then as I was checking out, I noticed the little coupon code box. I decided it was worth a little Google search to see if I could find a coupon code, and I did! So then I got 5% off my order! I was so proud of myself! I ended up getting 24 diapers for just under $350. And, yes, Brett agrees that that sounds like an awful lot for diapers, but I figure that even with laundry soap and such they should be paid for within the first 9-10 months. And chances are I'll be able to use them with subsequent children as well. So there's my cloth diaper soapbox. I'll let you know how I feel after a few weeks of washing them! :)

I have been eagerly tracking the package since ordering the diapers a week and a half ago. (I love to track packages. The anticipation is so much fun!) Emmy and I watched them go from Missouri to Kansas to Colorado to Utah. And today they came to our house! We opened up the box, and checked them out. I think Emmy was just as excited as I was! It is so great to have someone to be excited with; I just love it.

So tonight after dinner, Emmy wanted to demonstrate how the diapers work for Daddy. She "stuffed" in the insert and quite expertly wrapped the diaper around her tiny dog Frodo.
I think it should catch everything...seeing as only the head is sticking out! I am hoping they fit our baby a little better than that. But I'm happy to see that Emmy can diaper a baby so proficiently. I might be setting her to work sooner than I thought! :)