Cloth Diapering 101

eh-ehm... ummm... I have a confession to make...

I've been researching cloth diapers.

There are so many reasons for me to consider them - from health to environment to economy. After reading Cloth Diapering 101 on the SimpleMom.net blog, scouring many other websites, talking with Ben's mom and mine, and emailing with a couple of friends, I think Ben & I have decided to take the plunge.

Certainly I am not suggesting that cloth diapering is for everyone. But for us, it seems to make the most sense.

We will likely be going with organic cotton prefolds, wool covers and rice paper liners (at least in the beginning, to make changing the dirty diapers easier on Daddy!). One friend did a ton of research and concluded that this option will cost her less than $600. When it's all said & done, she will have spent around $1000 to diaper her baby for two years (including laundry costs). When she has more children, she will have even fewer costs, since she will already own her diapers. Wow!

If you're interested in this option for your family, I'd love the share what I've learned. And if you think I'm crazy, I totally understand!

Oh Magnify The Lord With Me...

"...and let us exalt His name together!" (Psalm 34:3)

Many of our friends and family will remember that several years ago, infertility specialists gave us a clear diagnosis and stated that we would never be able to conceive children apart from very specific assistance of physicians.

Then God worked a miracle.

About three years ago, we rejoiced as we declared God's great power in allowing us to conceive. We have delighted in the gift of our James. And although we have prayed for more children, we recently began to turn our thoughts toward the possibility of adoption for growing our family.

Then we discovered that God has worked His mighty power on our behalf again.

We don't know why we have been so blessed. But James has the privilege of seeing our prayers answered when he becomes a big brother to the baby growing in his mommy's belly sometime around November 22!

We are humbled by God's kindness in granting us this precious gift. And we love that we get to declare His greatness yet again.

Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for rejoicing with us!

Paybacks

Two weeks ago, when I called to tell my mom about James having to go under anesthesia to remove something from his nose, I told her she was allowed to laugh. I knew full well this was paybacks.

When I was around 4 years old, my older brother and I were playing, and we decided I needed a hearing aid. So we did what 4 & 5 year old children do - we found a dried bean and put it in my ear. I still clearly recall doing it!

What I remember even more clearly is the doctor visit a few weeks later when the doctor looked in my ears and discovered a foreign body lodged in there. I kicked and screamed and thrashed around, and after going to more than one office that morning as different docs tried different means to get at the bean, the verdict came down: she'll need general anesthesia if we're going to get at this piece of whatever-it-is!

I also clearly remember a few days later, lying on the table in the OR, and the doctor's hand coming toward me with the mask. "Smell your mommy's perfume," he said. About the time I started to say, "That is not perfume," I was out.

So today, when we learned that James' procedure required not just mild sedation but full general anesthesia, complete with breathing tube and IV, my heart didn't skip a beat. Having been just a couple years older than James (and having survived!), I was able to entrust him to our merciful Savior.

But that's not to say that as I watched our small boy, red hair highlighted by his light green gown, heading out of pre-op in his daddy's arms, I didn't whisper a prayer, "God please let him come through safely." Then I went out to the waiting room, where Ben's mom and our dear family friend, Elizabeth, were waiting.

Daddy's heart, on the other hand, had a bit more trauma in store. He bravely took our son into the OR where it was his job to hold James while they put the mask on our boy until he fell asleep. James struggled more than Ben expected. And then when James went limp, it tore at poor Daddy's heart. The nurses didn't let Ben leave the OR right away so that he could compose himself.

But when he joined us in the waiting room, it was clear that it had been very difficult. Ben's mom joined his tears. Elizabeth graciously helped to distract Ben, and Ben's mom and I were then able to carry on our conversation.

In less than 30 minutes, the doctor arrived with a smile. Oh how that smile served my soul. He brought a print of several pictures they had taken. On the left side of James' nose, he'd found a cottony/gauzy mass that measured a full 1 cm in diameter. From the right side, he'd removed a small piece of apple. Lovely! (He also took pictures of James' adnoids as they are rather enlarged. So he wants us to keep our eyes/ears on them.)

Very soon after, a hospital hostess escorted us back to see our James. We could hear him whimpering as we came through the door. But as soon as he was in my arms, he cried in earnest. Thankfully, someone at Care Group last night had given us a heads up. And the anesthesiologist also told us that is totally normal. He said a good cry "is Nature's way of clearing out all the gas and quickly filling their lungs with oxygen."

It took James probably 20 minutes or so to settle down. He definitely seemed disoriented. He also was not happy about the IV. But he didn't want to drink anything. He took the tiniest sip of water, and the nurse said that was good enough for her. Out came the IV. On went his clothes. And back came our little boy. In no time at all, he was talking, drinking juice (something he might have had one other time in his life!) and being generally agreeable.

We had promised James that we would go to lunch at California Tortilla after going to the hospital. James and I had been there two weeks ago, after his initial visit with the ENT. And since we almost never go out to eat, this was a major excitement in his little world. Since he'd had nothing to eat or drink since before 7 p.m. last night, our boy was especially hungry. Poor guy. He'd awakened at his usual time this morning (6:30-ish) and started asking for "gefast." When we told him he couldn't have anything to eat, he played for a bit and then started telling me he was "hungy." Of course, his low blood sugar contributed to a bit of irritability as we finished preps to leave this morning. And then, on the way to the hospital, James began insisting that we stop at California Tortilla first.

But what a happy thing, after putting him all back together in the post-op area, to have him realize that it was now time for California Tortilla! This hungry boy practically dove into the chips, dipping them right into the guacamole. Then he attacked the salsa. And finally he took a bite of his beef taco. He just kept right on eating, one thing and then another. And then, he settled back, obviously satisfied. Ahhh. He carried the last four chips in their box out to the car. It hadn't been such a bad morning after all!

We have rehearsed with him all day, "James, where did we go today?" (the hospital) "And what did the doctors do at the hospital?" (took out the gunk from your/my nose) "Are you going to put anything up your nose anymore? (NO!)

How grateful we are for everyone's prayers. Thank you for carrying us on your hearts and being with us in spirit. What a blessing to have our son returned to us in better shape than we left him, even smelling better immediately!

Growing Up

Saturday, James came to yet another milestone in his little life.

Mommy & Daddy removed the last vestiges of James' babyhood from his room. Our growing son has loved the changes. No more climbing into a crib after rocking. James now gets up on his "bih boy bed" (the real deal with a good, solid mattress) where he stays until Mommy or Daddy come to get him after he awakens each morning or from his nap each afternoon.

(Amazingly, the training we did once he could get out of his crib has paid off and he just plays for awhile, and then starts calling for us, but he always stays on the bed. Wow!)

Oh how quickly the past 2 1/2 years have flown. How grown up our little boy has become!

The funny thing is, I don't miss the past, as sweet as those days have been. We are so busy enjoying who this precious person is becoming.

James loves to dance and "pay gui-TAR" with one of the biggest blocks in his set. And then he brings it up to his chin, transforming it into a "BIO-lin" while bringing a long, slender block across it as a bow. Moments later, that same big block is sitting on the coffee table where James is "paying pi-nano."

One of his favorite things is to rock with me before naps while I sing worship songs or Christmas carols declaring the praises of our gracious Savior. "Fa-dter, Mommy," he declares and I translate, "Louder, Son?" "Yes." And so I belt out the next verse while my voice falters as I contemplate the glorious truths my boy delights to hear and my heart loves to sing.

Some days, as James plays with his blocks, building trains or school buses or horse trailers, I hear him singing, "Ama-sing yuv, --can i' be, --thou m' God shouldst die for me?" And other times as we tuck him in at night, after we've sung the verse, "What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me pure within? Nothing but the blood of Jesus," James joins us, singing out, "So pesh-us (precious) is da fow (flow) dat makes me white as know (snow). OH! no uder (other) fount I know. Nufin but da bud (blood) of Cheesus (Jesus)."

Such grace. May it only deepen as our boy continues to grow up!

A Small Scare

Wednesday is our doctor's day off.

Although James' appetite had returned to a degree on Tuesday, on Wednesday, he had almost no appetite and became rather lethargic throughout the day. He would lie around on the couch or the floor, sit up for brief periods and then go back to reclining. He wasn't willing to hold his drinking cup, and well before time, he began asking for a nap.

Obviously if you know James - or any other 2 1/2 year old - you can imagine that this was a little concerning. But without a fever or any other symptoms, we didn't know what to think.

So around dinnertime, we called Ben's mom who knows a ton about medical things. She insisted that we call Ben's sister to see what she thought. They agreed that if we didn't want to call our doctor, we should get an appt with a nighttime care center, rather than going to an ER where James, Ben and I would all be exposed to who-knows-what.

We called our doctor, and he graciously called us back. He couldn't think of anything it might be, but encouraged us to have James seen just to rule out anything he had missed by not observing him. The earliest appt available was 9:30 p.m.

We decided to put James down for the night, and get him up when it was time to go. When I was rocking him at bedtime, he was begging me to put him in his crib so he could lie down (usually he doesn't want the rocking to end, and when it does, he wants to climb into his crib on his own). As you can imagine, this shot fear through Ben and my hearts.

We left his room, me in tears, and prayed for wisdom. Ben decided we would just get him up and go to our community ER.

God was so kind. Not only did James perk up when we put him in the car. But when we arrived at the ER, we were seen immediately. We checked in, sat down, and they called us. In addition, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that at this hospital, they have a totally separate Pediatric Emergency Department, with at least 7 rooms with glass sliding doors. Any exposure to the "who-knows-what" that had concerned us seemed minimized right away.

Inerestingly, James returned to his usual upbeat self, even throwing a fit when the blood pressure cuff started to expand on his arm, eating tortilla chips I'd brought along, and being generally agreeable.

The doc ordered an x-ray of his belly (which was a bit more distended than usual, so she wanted to make sure there wasn't something really going on in there), and there James did a fabulous job. Nothing showed up.

We were on our way home before 9:30 (we'd cancelled our appt with the outpatient center). James was in bed by 10. And he slept peacefully until after 7 this morning! And he's been my regular boy ever since (with still a diminished appetite, but better than yesterday).

Today, I feel a bit weak. So I'm wondering if maybe there's something to the bug we had that kinda kicks you again after a few days.

But whatever the case, our precious boy is back to his life-loving self, playing with play-dough, putting together jigsaw puzzles, helping me read This Is the Farmer (by Nancy Tafuri), holding his own cup and climbing into his crib. Thank you, Lord!

Stomach Bug

Last Friday, James and I played outside in the beautiful spring weather. Then the recycle truck pulled around the corner - one of the highlights in James' week. The guys are so kind to him. They usually honk the horn, wave and greet him cheerfully. This day, one of the guys put out his hand, and James (after a quick look for approval from me) shook it. I think it made the man's day.

Unfortunately, it also made our week a little different than originally expected.

Before James & I came in and washed his hands, those pudgy little paws made their way to either his nose, mouth or eyes. And about 30 hours later, poor James lost his dinner. God kindly allowed James to be outside, making clean up easier(!). And our boy continued his merry way. So I didn't know what to think - did his dinner just disagree with him or had he picked up something somewhere?

I knew that we'd know soon enough if he continued vomitting, so we played outside past his bedtime. Sure enough, the water he'd drunk came back up. After a bath, we rocked for a short bit... and everything else in James' belly evacuated onto me and into the towel I'd mercifully brought with me.

Saturday night he continued to dry heave. Since Ben was out of town, I brought our sick little guy into bed with me to make it easier on both of us. I don't know if he slept, but for sure I didn't! Finally at 3:30, God gave us both rest... until 5:30 when James woke up and desperately pleaded for water. Poor thing!

Ben's mom brought over some Pedialyte, some of which I froze into ice cubes. I gave James an 8 oz bottle. I don't know what I was thinking because this parched boy proceeded to drink 6 oz all at once... and the vomitting began again.

Thankfully, I was able to slow down his fluid intake, and he stopped throwing up. Meanwhile, we played outside with the hose for as long as possbile. At lunchtime when he started asking for food, I offered him a waffle. He nibbled a bit and then announced, "Too much."

After a good nap, our friend Taluli (who lives with us) got him up. Unfortunately, when James had been saying he didn't want to eat dinner on Saturday night (prior to getting sick), I'd offered to have a bite in between his. And then I'd cleaned his plate. So after I realized that he had a bug, I fully expected to be sick within 24 hours. Sure enough, by late Sunday afternoon I was not feeling so hot, and went to bed.

Unfortunately for Taluli, James decided to throw up one last time on her watch. I could hear her ushering him into the bathroom and getting him over the toilet. Bravo, girl! And so far, she has managed to avoid it.

Poor Ben, though. Just as he arrived home, I got sick. Talk about timing! After just two more episodes, my stomach settled down, and we all slept through the night.

Despite the fact that I was no longer vomitting, Ben took Monday off to allow me to rest and to keep James occupied. Sweet servant!

Life returned to normal on Tuesday (except James & I skipped the preschool field trip to the Zoo). But that night, Ben joined the family in our "experience." And he took a sick day on Wednesday to recover.

I wish I could say that was the end of that... but James decided to give our hearts a bit of a gulp on Wednesday night. More on that to come.

Halitosis?

Our good-natured and adorable son has -- how shall I put it? -- a minor flaw. Let's just say that his daddy & I aren't crazy about kissing him these days.

In addition to odorous breath, he's had a perpetual runny nose for months. We started to wonder if the two were related. I mean, we brush his teeth twice a day. He eats well but not a lot of garlic & onions (he would eat them if I served them, for sure!). So what could be the cause of this fetid breath?

I finally broke down and took him to the doctor about two weeks ago. Doc noted "Most likely the discharge and odor are coming from foreign organic matter in his nose which has become infected." (Uh-oh. Anyone remember a little incident with a raisin... ummm... how long ago, now?!)

After a glance, he confirmed "white gunk." The remedy: flush it out using a syringe at home.

So we tried that. Emphasize tried. Someone was a little less than crazy about having water squirted up his nose. Ben came up with a great idea: "Okay, James, Daddy will have a turn then it will be James' turn again."

Now we know why James hated it so much. Ben about flew through the roof!

So much for flushing at home.

Then Ben thought we should see an ENT. They scheduled us for the next day. Very nice doctor. Very uncooperative patient.

Result? In order to avoid damage to sensitive nasal tissue, James has to go under general anesthesia. The doctor will insert a camera up his nose, find the ultimate cause of the infection, remove that and all the accompanying "gunk," and release James to us - a happy and odor-free boy!

We would love for you to join us in praying that God would clear up this infection miraculously so that James doesn't have to go under general anesthesia. But should that be God's will, James is scheduled for minor surgery on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m.