Sleeping beauty

The time has come for Rosie to start sleeping in her crib.

We made the decision to have her in our room in the beginning.  She's our first baby.  We didn't know what to expect.  Not to mention we were the typical parents who wanted our baby close to be sure she was still breathing.

We had great plans to have her use the cradle my grandpa Sears made for me when I was born, but that didn't last long.  And by long, I mean it lasted about a week.  We had a lot of problems with the cradle, most of all, the fact that it rocked.  I know that's what it's supposed to do, but it really seemed very sensitive to movement.  Any time she would even turn her head it would tilt and she would kind of roll. Todd rigged it so it wouldn't, but we were always messing with it.  Also, the cradle was cold.  Rosie was pretty tiny when she was born and got cold really easily, and we could never get her warm enough in the cradle.

One day, unrelated to any conversation about the crib, my friend Jonna told me we could borrow their Snug-a-bunny Rock and Play basket.  To be honest, I took it half out of courtesy half to have it on hand just in case.  She said their daughter slept in it for a while before moving to her crib, but it was not at all something I would have considered buying ourselves.

Come to find out - it was a lifesaver!  It was warm and made her feel tucked in.  Rosie has napped and slept each night in it ever since.  The problem is, she's starting to get a little too big for it and it's time to move her out.  Not to mention she simply needs to learn to sleep in her crib and putting it off won't make the transition any easier.

Looking back, I'm happy we did what we did, but I also kind of wish we would have just started her in the crib in the first place.  The crib isn't new for Rosie.  She has spent some time napping in there, but she never sleeps very long or well in it.

We thought we'd start her on full-fledged crib training a couple nights ago, but it was a bust.  She barely napped that day and was overly tired, which meant trying something new was not such a hot idea.

I regrouped and decided that instead of going cold turkey on the Snug-a-Bunny we'd use it at first for nights and all naps would be in the crib.  Once she is more used to sleeping in the crib for any length of time we will begin to introduce it at night.

I feel pretty good about the plan.  What's harder, though, is letting her fuss and deciding when to go comfort her.  I have found so far that given a few minutes she will calm down.  If it begins to escalate then I walk in and try to comfort her.

One of my sisters, Stacey, assures me after a week of training she will be a happy crib sleeper.  Our plan might take a little longer, but I'm also hoping it will be a little smoother.

Kim of Green Gables?

I wanted so badly to be Anne of Green Gables when I was younger.

I lamented the fact my name wasn't Anne and told my family I would only answer to that.  I held a tea party with my sisters and aunts and made everything Anne and Diana would have had at tea.  My mom made me a "pioneer girl" dress that I would wear in our backyard pretending I lived during that time.  I was sad we had to use a car and not a horse and buggy...the list goes on, but you probably get the idea.  

I have easily read "Anne of Green Gables" a minimum of 15 times.  I lost count somewhere along the line.  To this day, I can recite entire scenes from the movies, which I must have watched 100+ times.  

I have been so excited for Rosie to love her too (and I'll throw Laura Ingalls Wilder in this mix as well).  I've imagined her curled up reading Anne's story for hours at a time.  With Rosie's hair becoming really red how can she not relate to Anne's plight?

My friend Linds recently gave Rosie a gift that will hopefully lay a good foundation for some future Anne-love: TWO Anne books for little girls.  

I've already started reading one to Rosie.

This is just the beginning...  

Diaper duty

For a long while now, Todd and I have been considering going the cloth diaper route.  Some friends in Cheyenne used cloth diapers for their little girl and we were impressed.

I know what you're imagining: a rag, some diaper pins and a plastic bloomer to prevent leaks.

Not so!

That option does still exist, but it's not the only one.  In fact, the number of brands and diaper styles is a little overwhelming.  Cloth diapers today are soooo much more advanced.  They're basically shaped like a disposable - only you throw them in the washer, not the trash.

This was one of the appealing factors to us when considering going cloth.  We're not crazy granola folks or anything, but we do believe in being responsible and we felt good about not contributing to the clogging of our landfills.

Also, the amount of money you can save with cloth diapers is amazing - upwards of $1,500 before your child is potty trained!

To help us in our decision we turned to a store in Denver called The Giggling Green Bean.  It's where our friends learned about cloth diapers and where they ultimately got theirs.


Before Rosie arrived, the weekend before in fact, Todd and I took a cloth diaper class at the store to learn about the different options.  The Bean has this great program where you give them a $50 deposit and they give you $100 in merchandise to try for two weeks.  At the end of that time, you send back what you don't like, keep what you love and they figure out the difference.

What a great opportunity to try out the different styles to see what works for you!

Let me help you visualize some of the options.  After some research and several questions for the girls at the Bean, here is what I finally decided on for our trial.  The red and orange diapers are called pocket diapers; the purple is an all-in-one; and the green is a hybrid...

This diaper is Rumparooz brand and is what our friends used.  The snaps along the bottom are used to adjust the rise.  So, when your baby is smaller you use that bottom row and as they grow you move up to the next row.  The snaps along the top hold the sides together in the same fashion as a disposable...

Why did we want to try this brand?  Well, first of all we've seen it in action.  Secondly, it has a patent-pending double gusset that is supposed to really fight leaks.  Those pads to the right are what you stuff down the center to provide extra absorbency...

This Baby Kicks brand diaper is also a pocket style.  The girls at the store agreed they thought this brand has a more trim profile than the Rumparooz.  Since bulk can be an issue when you're dealing with cloth diapers I thought a slimmer fit was appealing...

This is what's called an all-in-one.  This is the Tots Bots brand from Scotland.  Basically, it's the same idea as the pocket, but the soaker pads are sewn in.  I knew immediately I didn't like them.  You have very little control over the soaker pad which means it will always be bulky.  But, I gave it a try just to verify my first impression.  Yep.  Not happening.  I do like, however, how the Scots describe this product and how to use it.  "Wee in their nappy," is used many times on their website...

And the hybrid...

This is a GroVia brand diaper.  Hybrids come with a shell you snap liners into...

The idea with these is that you buy about 10 shells and 24 liners.  When it's time to change baby, you don't have to dump the whole diaper in the wash, just the shells; unless, of course, there is a mess on the shell.  The other diapers require you to wash the whole thing every time.

Ok, let's take a test drive!

Here is the Rumparooz.  Rosie looks pretty happy, right?  Really, I was too, but I did find them to be a bit bulky...  

And the Baby Kicks...

Again, I liked it overall.  It did have a more trim fit, which I really liked, but I was a little disappointed it didn't have very many snap options like the Rumparooz.  I worried about running out of room as she grows.

Are you noticing how her legs are ALWAYS kicking?  Baby Kicks, indeed...!

I didn't even take a picture of the Tots Bots.  I found the sewn in soaker annoying and bulky, just as I assumed, and they just didn't fit as nicely.

Here's the hybrid at work.  With this particular brand you can choose between Velcro or snaps for the side closures.  I wanted to go the Velcro route during our trial period because everything else we chose had snaps.  For purchasing, I would go the snap route.  That Velcro was crazy adhesive and stuck to everything...

I loved the hybrid!  It's super easy to use.  Snapping the liner in and out is a breeze.  The shell can be used more than once if not messed on.  They weren't super bulky.

It was the winner!

A cute picture of Rosie's bum sporting the GroVia...

We're pretty sure we'll be moving forward on cloth diapers!

This week I will be calling The Bean to talk to them about the hybrid.  There's a brand we are interested in that is made mostly in the USA, but the store doesn't carry them.  Currently, anyway.  That may change.  The GroVia brand is made in China (as are the Rumparooz and Baby Kicks) which makes us unhappy.  It kind of defeats the purpose of trying to reduce our "carbon footprint."

We'll see how this goes!

Long time, no write...but for good reason!

My last post was Nov. 6, the day after mine and Todd's first anniversary.

Three days later Rosemary Loraine Kittel was born.  She was exactly one month early to her due date!

Since then, we have been a little preoccupied with figuring out life with baby!  My goal, however, is to get back on the blogging bandwagon so family and friends can keep up with the Kittel household!

At this point, back tracking on old blog post ideas just seems a little too late in the game. I doubt I'll cover much that's happened over the last two months and instead will try to be a little more up to date.

This about sums it up though...

Rosie three days old:

Rosie one month old...

Rosie two months old...

First year anniversary weekend

Yesterday was mine and Todd's first year anniversary!

I have to admit, sadly, with our first baby on the way neither of us had really thought too much about our anniversary.  We've been pretty consumed with baby prep and not so much how we would celebrate.  

In fact, the trip we took to Denver this weekend was initially set up to do some baby shopping.  Then we put two and two together and realized it was also our anniversary weekend, so we modified our trip to fit in some couple time.  Kinda sad, I know!

We had dinner at a fabulous restaurant in Cherry Creek, Denver called North.  It serves modern Italian cuisine that is just de-lish!  We both had the salmon filet with faro and it...was...perfect!  I'm salivating now just thinking about it.  

Afterwards, we went out for a drink.  Well, Todd had a drink.  I had a club soda and lime...

The next day we got down to bid-ness with baby shopping.  Denver was pretty much a bust.  We didn't find a single thing we needed there.  Ft. Collins, Colo., however, was a total win!  We found everything we were looking for there!

We also attended a "diapering class" for cloth diapers, which is something we're considering.  I'll chat more about this in the future, but to ease your minds - we are not doing it the old school way with folded material, pins and a plastic shell.  Those are still out there...but cloth diapering has come a long way since then and we're considering a different route.  But - more on that later!  Here's a pic of the instructor demonstrating some of the diapers...

The one big item we've had trouble figuring out is a nursery chair.  While Casper has many furniture stores to choose from, none of them have anything I would use for a nursery chair.  A big, fatty, Lazy-Boy recliner is not my ideal baby chair, though Todd would be thrilled with that!  

So, we've been looking for something that a) looks nice, b) is super comfortable, c) Todd fits in, and d) is that magical low price.   

Not surprisingly, this doesn't exist.

Several friends have chosen the Dutailier brand chair; one that, I have to say, doesn't meet my aesthetic or price point requirements.  But everyone has said these chairs are super comfortable and one girlfriend, whose husband is even taller than Todd, said it is perfect for them.  

The only place we could find that had them on the floor for trying out was BabiesRUs.  I have never been in this store before.  Honestly, I don't even remember shopping in a ToysRUs either.  I must have been pretty young if I did and it wasn't a place we ever went shopping as kids.  So, this was a new experience!  

I didn't take full advantage of my maternity status, but thought this was a nice touch for moms-to-be who can't or don't want to hike from the nether regions of a parking lot into the store...

We tried the various brands of chairs out and decided the Dutailier is indeed the most comfortable. And...we decided for the money we are probably getting a better, (hopefully) longer lasting product than the "knock-off" versions they had sitting nearby.  Todd fit in the chair, which glides and reclines - something I know he really wanted in a chair.  It's not exactly pretty or cute, but at this stage in the game, I don't care so much.  I just want it bought and in the room.  I want to be comfortable in it.  Check and check.

We didn't walk out with one, but instead decided to see if we could find it cheaper online.  Todd did!  By a couple hundred dollars, no less!  It's not the color combo we wanted (dark cloth to hide our black labs' hair and light wood to match the rest of the furniture in the nursery), but again - I've ceased to care.  Let's just get the darn chair at the better price and be done with it!

The chair and footstool will look basically like this, only with dark brown cushions...

So, that major purchase is off the list!

Next...we DESPERATELY needed extra storage for Little Kittel's room.  It is currently in such disarray you can't even walk through it.  That's because we have no place to put half the stuff we have for her!

I've been looking and looking for a cool vintage piece, but haven't had any luck finding something.  Leave it to Ft. Collins and their Antique Row to help us get the job done!

We saw several pieces for a decent price and finally narrowed it down to this...

It's a 1920s pie safe.  It's been refurbished some, but was in pretty darn good shape.  I'm very happy with it and can't wait to get it in the baby room!

We got home that night with just enough time to warm up our wedding pie and have our one-year anniversary bite.  We used the forks Linds C. got for us to eat with at our reception...

The rhubarb pie that served as our "wedding cake..."

Happy first anniversary!

A whirlwind anniversary to celebrate a whirlwind year!