26 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 26, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Doctor Appointment:
Calvin was not having it at the doctor appointment this week, so it wasn't a long, enjoyable ultrasound. Cervix measured 3.9 which is still super. :) Didn't get a weight measurement, which was disappointing.

Bump:

I was watching and reading my updates with Calvin and around this time he was already up in my rib cage. Every once in awhile I feel Eren up there like if I'm bent over and squishing the belly, but overall, I think he stays pretty low, so I'm grateful for that so far.

Energy:
Been trying to do more yoga and stretching for my hips and back, I can't decide if it is helping yet or not though.

Physical Symptoms:

Headaches seem to be returning. They're not super terrible, but just a little annoyance.
Feet swelling is beginning. They don't look super puffy just yet, but by the end of the day you can definitely tell there's some swelling going on.

Food:
Week of Christmas. Didn't eat the best.

Sleep & Dreams:

Restless nights, hard to get comfy, hard to fall asleep.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Christmas was this week. This year was much more exciting with Calvin than last year. He was just too little to understand last year so it was cool to see him get excited about opening gifts.

Random Thoughts:

Less than 100 days until Eren is due!!!

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

25 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

Week ending Dec. 19, 2017.
Due Date: April 3, 2018

Bump:

Calvin distinguishes between me and brother in my belly. He will pat my belly and say "bubber" then pat my leg or my chest and say "mom." He even came over to give brother some chips. He placed them on my belly, waited a moment, then ate them himself lol.

Energy:
Took an extra walk this week, so I felt a little productive exercise-wise. Even when I wear my support belt, walks can really bother my hip and low back. I know that movement helps, but perhaps walks aren't the answer. Maybe some stretching and yoga are the better way to get my exercise in.

Physical Symptoms:

Zits everywhere. Dude wtf?! Looking back at my 26 weeks update with Calvin, I had some bad zit face going on then too, so I guess we've just reached that point in pregnancy. Haha.
Hip and back ache, blah blah blah.
Restless legs.

Food:
Baked cookies.
Baked some poppy seed bread at home. The recipe makes two loaves...
Mom baked a big cinnamon roll and brought it in to work.
Went out to dinner and the movies with Justin.
Just all over, too much unhealthy food and snacking this week!

Sleep & Dreams:

Acid Reflux kept me up in the night once this week.
Keep getting what feels like the start of a calf cramp but it never fully turns into a cramp, especially in the the night.

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Went on a date night with Justin to see the new Star Wars in theaters. We saw the last one when I was pregnant with Calvin. Sitting in the theater was legit super uncomfortable, and it's one of those cool theaters with the recliners. I could not get comfy, it sucked. But the movie was good lol.

Random Thoughts:

I hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but I feel like I was way more emotional when I was pregnant with Calvin. Like little comments would set me off. But they don't seem to bother me much this time around. 

Also this week it totally feels like pregnancy is too long! It feels like I've been pregnant forever and why isn't Eren here yet?! I don't remember it feeling this long with Calvin and I spent five weeks in the hospital waiting on him! I just can't wait to meet him and I want to see him sooo bad! :)

Love,
Alaina & Baby Brother Eren

Green Mountain Diapers Review & Comparison : Muslin vs. Birdseye Flat Diapers

We have recently switched to using flats much more often. My husband still enjoys our snap-in inserts, but for the most part, flats are our go-to since Mr. Calvin has turned from an average wetter to some kind of super pee-er.

Birdseye (left) Muslin (right)

Flats are awesome for your wallet. They are affordable individually, plus they dry super fast so you don't need a large stash in order to get through laundry day. Plus they can hang dry overnight, saving you money not using the dryer. Flats are just super and I say it all the time, but I totally should have just started out with them in the very beginning!

Birdseye (left) are much more trim than the Muslin (right).

When I was first looking into flats, I would have loved to see a review and comparison between these two. I know everyone loves Green Mountain Diapers, they are THE go-to, so I knew they were the brand I wanted to try first. I originally purchased the Birdseye flats because they were cheaper and they were my first flat diaper purchase, so I didn't even know if I was going to enjoy using flats. Once I learned to love these versatile diapers, I had to go back and pick up the ever-praised Muslins.

Birdseye Diapers 6 pack Organic One Size $15.95, 29x29 inches
These are trim. I'd say they would totally work from birth to potty.

Muslin Diapers 6 pack Organic One Size $19.95, 28x30 inches
Because these are so fluffy and plush, I think they would be pretty bulky on a newborn. They're pretty thick for pad-folding on my 29 pound toddler.

They stay square!
Muslin underneath, Birdseye on top. (Muslin may be ever so slightly larger)

Both stay very square after washing and drying, which makes folding much easier.

I put them to the absorbency test by pad folding and laying them both on the counter. I then added water concentrated in one spot (like a real diaper being peed in) and poured until I saw water starting to leak or pool from the fabric onto the counter.
The muslin diaper held 1 cup of water.
The birdseye weave held 3/4 of a cup.

I would recommend them both. More specifically, if you're starting out with a newborn, I'd say go with the Birdseye. And if you have an older baby, try the Muslin. And if you have a heavy wetter, perhaps skip the birdseye.

Thanks so much for reading.
Love,
Alaina

Imagine vs. Nicki's Bamboo Flat Diapers Review & Comparison

Imagine
$25.95 6 pack
32x32 inches
55% bamboo, 45% cotton

Nicki's Diapers
$21.95 6 pack
32x32 inches
55% bamboo, 45% cotton

Imagine might be ever so slightly larger

Judging by the stats listed above, you may be saying, "holy crap these are the same thing but one costs more than the other." That's what I thought at first too. Having heard awesome things about bamboo flats, I started out with the Nicki's brand first because they were cheaper. I loved them so much that when the Black Friday sale came around and the Imagine were the same price as Nicki's, I figured I'd give them a go and see if they were really worth the extra $0.67/ea.

Why bamboo?

First of all, bamboo flats are soft. If you line dry and are always finding your cotton flats to be a little stiff, I would totally recommend checking out bamboo flats. They feel so good! Straight off the line, they are soft, but out of the dryer they feel luxurious.

And they hold so much pee. I don't think I have ever taken one off my son that was over halfway saturated. Most of the time they don't even feel 1/3 of the way saturated after our usual every two hour diaper changes.

How do they compare?

After testing them out for a few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that the Imagine could actually be worth the extra money. And honestly, I was very much anticipating finding no difference between the two.

The Imagine do feel softer than the Nicki's brand. I will have a pile of flats ready to fold, fresh from the dryer, picking them out one at a time, and I can always tell when I've just grabbed the Imagine brand, they just feel extra soft and dreamy.

Neither stay perfectly square, but I think that's just the nature of the bamboo.

As far as absorbency is concerned, I put them to the test by pad folding them, laying them on the counter, and pouring some water on them to see which could hold more. I concentrated the water pouring in one spot, trying to mimic an actual diaper in use and measured it once I saw the first sign of leaking or water spreading onto the counter from the fabric.
Results: the Imagine held ever so slightly more water than the Nicki's brand diaper!
1 1/4 cup for Imagine.
1 1/8 cup for Nicki's.

So overall, Imagine actually does have its perks. It's not simply an overpriced version of the same Nicki's Diaper bamboo flats, like I was honestly expecting. Perhaps one will last longer than the other in the long run. With baby brother Eren arriving this spring, I will keep an eye on it. :)

both birdseye weave

I hope you enjoyed and I really hope this helped someone trying to decide between the two!
Love,
Alaina