Dear Old Duke

So far, we don't have much Duke paraphernalia for Desmond - only a Duke mobile and a Duke bib. However, I think his blood must already run true blue.

It's been a rough two weeks with his napping schedule. I don't know if he's teething, going through a growth spurt or what, but all of a sudden it's very difficult to get him to nap for a respectable length of time.

One of the few tricks I've discovered that helps him to sleep is humming the Duke fight song (the same tune that his mobile plays). He will calm down and coo along with me as I hum. He doesn't do this for any other song.

We're pretty proud to have given birth to a Dukie. :-)

Cloth Diapers

Some people think of me as a "tree hugger" or "granola-ish." To me it's a compliment, even though I don't think I'm nearly hard-core or cool enough to live up to either title. This has come up recently because Desmond's cute little bum is covered with cloth diapers.

I'd like to say that we decided to try cloth primarily because it's "eco-friendly." The truth is my biggest reason for using cloth diapers is to save money. Also, we want to fight a "single serving" mentality.

I'm carrying dozens of freshly washed diapers to Desmond's room.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't think disposable diapers are evil or that using them makes anyone better or worse for it. We occasionally use disposables. Doing cloth as our primary diaper just seemed right for us.

If you're thinking about going the cloth route, there are a ton of options. A lot of sites go into helpful detail (like here or here or here); I won't rehash what others have already said. Here are a few of my scattered thoughts about diapers thus far:

• Don't believe cloth-evangelists who say cloth is not more work than disposables. It is. However, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I do a few more loads of laundry each week and it does take a little longer to put the diaper on. But folding diaper laundry is actually kind of fun. It reminds me that my little boy is growing. Plus, it gives you an excuse to watch TV guilt-free while you fold. :-)

• We're using a combination of pre-folds and pocket diapers. I've been surprised that pre-folds aren't as difficult as I expected. The creation of Snappis, which replace diaper pins, makes pre-folds very do-able.
  
  
• I love using pocket diapers in the middle of the night. They are quicker to put on, which is nice when it's especially cold at night.
  
  
• I'm not totally sold on the idea that cloth diapers are unequivocally and significantly more eco-friendly than disposable diapers. I've read articles which make the case that all the water used to wash the diapers negates the re-usable factor of cloth diapers. I'm not sure what I believe, but it's enough for me to realize that eco-friendliness is not sufficient by itself to be a motivator for me to use cloth diapers.
  

Grandma to the Rescue

I'm not sure if Grandma (my mom) was rescuing me or Desmond this week.

Recently I decided Desmond needed a snowsuit. Since I'm loathe to pay full price for baby clothes, I went to my favorite local thrift shop to look for one. Indeed, I found a perfectly respectable snowsuit for $10. With a 25% off sale that day, it was all the better for buying.

Unfortunately, it was pink. Desmond doesn't care, so I don't care. However, my mom sprang into action and found a nice, manly snowsuit on Black Friday and mailed it immediately.

Peter still gives his mom grief for dressing him in pink sweatpants once as a kid. Perhaps my mom was rescuing me from future grief instead of Desmond. Thanks Mom!

Bits of This and That

The past weeks have been full. Full of family, eating, growing, working.

- Peter's parents returned to England. We were so grateful to have them in the States for a few months at the start of Desmond's life. Their furlough was planned before we were pregnant. Somehow that divine coordination made their presence here all the sweeter.

- Watching Katie K. joyfully love Desmond without abandon has been a highlight of my week. Desmond is lucky to have such lively, intelligent, spunky aunts who are so full of life and love.


- Somehow Peter has found time to make small steps of progress on the basement. I'm amazed at how he's balancing so many demands in his life right now.

- I decided that I won't be returning to my job in January. It was simultaneously extremely difficult and extremely easy. I'll write more on this later.

- Desmond is smiling now! His smiles melt my heart in ways i never imagined. He even smiles in his sleep.

This is for Pete P. He loves it when I dress Desmond up as anything other than a little boy. ;-)

Life is good.