Labor with this guy was a SNAP(PI)!

 CLOSED

Stinky wasn't due for 3 more weeks, but when I woke up that Thursday morning, a year ago today, I knew I was in the early stages of labor!  I had a busy busy day ahead of me, with meeting I COULDN'T miss!  I had an Early Intervention meeting for Bugsy in the morning, a full day of work, and then "Getting ready for Kindergarten" with Little Lou in the evening.  I was booked tight!  The contractions were constant and consistent all day long...never more than 8 minutes from the time I woke up in the morning, through the meeting, 8 hours with a dozen 4-year-olds, and the pre-k program at the library.  I even called my hubby on the way to the library to tell him that AFTER the program I'd be going to the hospital, so I'd give him a call and he could meet me there.  (I'm a planner.)  But labor was a snap!  Once we were at the hospital, things got a little willy-nilly.  An overnight stay, stopped labor, manually broken water, and pitocin drip later, Stinky came quietly into the world the next afternoon.

Did I say it was a snap?  I meant SNAPPI!  That's right.  Babies are tiny when they are first born, so we'll start with something small.

When I found out I'd be receiving a Snappi to review (and one to give away) I couldn't wait!   I was using nothing but covers and pre-folds at the time and though I'd heard of Snappis and contemplated buying one (or more) I hadn't yet.  My pre-folds were working just fine folded into thirds and laid in the covers.

When my Snappi came, I wasn't sure what to do with it.  Thankfully, they come with instructions, or I would have been at a loss!  Do you know what I discovered the very first time I used the little thing?  I like the way it helps to fan out the backside of the diaper!  I had never thought to do that before.  I found that I like the way that works! 

The Snappi works well and does exactly what it's supposed to do...hold the diaper as a pin would.  Unfortunately, most of my pre-folds are older ones with a tight weave, so it's harder to use the Snappi than it would be with a loose weave diaper.  I can still get them to go on most of my diapers, though!  I love the way it holds "stuff" in!

What don't I like about the Snappi?  I'm not good at it, so I'm a little slow.  My one year old is impatient.  He screams at me and crawls away when I try to fasten him into a diaper!  Not a design flaw, not a product issue...this mommy just needs more practice!

All in all, I'd recommend you get at least one Snappi if you're using ANY sort of diapers that don't have either velcro or snaps!

You can buy a Snappi at just about any cloth diaper retailer for about $4, or you can win one right here! 

(Contest will end and winner will be drawn March 8, 2011 at 11:59am EST)

Mandatory Entry:

(This counts as 1 entry)

Tell Stinky Happy Birthday

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God's divine plan

Do your kids have big career goals? 

Mine do.  Until this morning, Little Lou and Bugsy wanted to be a Firefighter-Mom and an ice cream man, respectively.  As you can see, I've raised them to know what's important!  I mean, seriously.  We DO need firefighters AND moms.  Both are super heroes in their own rights.  Both help people.  There are a million similarities.  But an ice cream man?  I would suggest that he, too, is a super hero...the super hero of summer, saving kids (and grown-ups!) everywhere from summer's heat!

As you can imagine, those were career choices I was more than proud of!  ;)

But today...well, today the tables turned.  You see, it's a snow day today.  Or rather, it's an ICE day.  What better is there to do on a snow day than cuddle up and watch our favorite movies?  Little Lou picked first.  Willy Wonka!

We LOVE Willy Wonka!  The kids have a new-found love for their little orange friends, the Oompa Loompas.

And this morning, ALL morning, my livingroom became a training camp, of sorts, for Oompa Loompas.  Bugsy's been doing forward rolls (or trying to, anyway!),

 they've been flipping each other off their backs,

 and Little Lou's been showing off her cartwheel skills!

You see, that's what my children now aspire to be.  Oompa Loompas.  And as their mommy, I suppose I will be proud of them even if they decide to dye their hair green and paint their skin orange and do acrobatics in a chocolate factory.  (Even moreso, of course, if they bring me a bit of chocolate now and then!)  And who am I to judge?  I don't know what God made them to be!

Shoot, I have trouble figuring out what God made ME to be!  (Although I'm pretty sure I'm not made to be an Oompa Loompa...but then, I've been wrong before!)

I'm not convinced they're made to be Oompa Loompas, though.  I'm going to continue to pray that God's divine plan would be clearly obvious in their lives.  Even if it IS to be Oompa Loompas!