Dawn's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 7/28/01 -------------------- 7/17/01 7/8/01 7/2/01 6/25/01 6/20/01 6/18/01 -------------------- Dawn's Introduction

July 2, 2001

Good evening!

Jacob is exactly 15 months today! I can hardly believe it. His 15 month check up is Friday. I always look forward to these check ups because it's reassuring to hear from an "expert" that Jake is doing great and is marvelously healthy. I also like seeing how much he's grown since the last appointment. Jacob is a very tall toddler.

My cloth diapers arrived on Friday. We started using them Saturday, and so far so good. I only ordered a few to try them out, so I'll have to wash them frequently during our trial week. Fortunately, we still have some disposables to use when we run out of cloth. One of the diaper covers I ordered was backordered so it hasn't arrived yet. Once we get that and see how we like it, we'll decide if we're sticking with cloth or not.

So far, Jacob has only had one dirty diaper in the cloth, and it was a particularly nasty one. I was a little apprehensive about it, but it turned out to be much easier than I thought it would. I guess I've really gotten used to dealing with his crap (literally!)

I have tried using pins, and I'm still unsure about them. In some ways, they're easier than I expected... I don't worry at all about pricking Jacob except when he reaches down to grab my hands while I'm pinning him on. I think using pins would probably be easier if we'd started on a newborn who didn't wiggle quite as much as Jacob. Many diaper covers don't require the use of pins, but for some reason, I feel like I should be proficient with them even if I don't use them...

I'm also planning to try using cloth wipes. I haven't tried them yet though. I made my own wipe solution using distilled water and tea tree oil (which is a natural antibacterial). I figure if we're using cloth diapers, why not go all the way?

If any of you use cloth diapers, I'd be really curious to know what diapers and covers you use and why. I've been trying to gather as much information as I can.

For anyone who is curious, I bought Chinese prefold DSQ diapers; they seem to be the "gold standard" in diapering. In addition, I have a Weebees snap on cover (which requires the use of snaps) (the Weebees cover is a lot like an Alexis cover). I also have an expensive cover at Target. (I can't remember the brand of that one.) Finally, I ordered two Bummi whisper wrap covers (one size medium and one large because Jake is kind of on the edge of the size difference so I wasn't sure what to buy). Those covers are backordered so we haven't tried them yet.

I get excited whenever I try anything new so right now I'm more fired up about diapers than I ever thought possible. :) Oh well... Enough about diapers.

The Jakester's vocabulary is budding!! His latest word is "buh" which depending on context could mean book, bug, bow, bubble, or boat! Sometimes for bubble, he does say "buhbuh" but most of the time he keeps us on our toes by simply saying "buh". And anything which is small or round is a bug, even the heads of nails or dirt on my walls... If you ask Jacob where the bugs are, he'll point outside.

One of the neat things about his emerging communication is that it gives small insights into the way his brain works. For instance, he apparently thinks a great many things are bugs when in fact they're not.

Jacob is also finally starting to really imitate us. It seems like he's a little behind in this category. I'm not sure if he just didn't care or if he just didn't realize he could do it... He's a pretty laid back kid, so it's likely he was simply content doing his own thing.

Yesterday I was washing Max the bulldog's slobber off a wall. Jacob came over and squatted next to me and started wiping the wall with me! It cracks me up because he doesn't know why he's doing it, but rather is just imitating me.

In church yesterday, I tried to tell Jacob "shh." That backfired on me... The next thing I knew, Jacob was rather loudly saying, "SHHHH!" Church is difficult because Mark rarely comes with us and it's the only time during the week when I expect Jacob to sit still. All the rest of the time, he's free to run as he'd like, so he can't figure out why he can't run in church. Fortunately, I go to a wonderful church where they love children. They don't have a nursery because they want the kids to be in church with their parents. Even on days when I think Jake has been particularly obnoxious, people always take the time to tell me how great he was or how much they enjoy seeing him. Though one gentleman did tell me that Jacob kind of looks like Dennis the Menace...

Jacob absolutely loves vacuums and brooms. I swear he has some sort of vacuum sonor because he can locate even small vacuums hidden behind other objects. If he's unhappy about something, I just say, "Do you want to vacuum?" And he runs to the closet where we keep the vacuum. Then he races about the house, purely delighted, as I vacuum. Sometimes he helps me by holding the cord for me. (I use the word "help" very loosely... Usually Jacob holds onto the cord and I can't move without ripping it out of his hands.)

I took out the middle two sections of my Swiffer and Jacob uses that as a mop. It's pretty cute. I had to take it away though because he was beginning to swing it around like a baton...

I bought the Shrek soundtrack on Sunday. Now we turn it up and dance around the house to some of the more lively songs. Some people let their children listen to Bach and Mozart; mine listens to Shrek. (Though we don't let Jacob watch television or movies...) I chase him around the house to this music. Or I carry him and we dance that way. Or sometimes I dance alone which amuses Jacob to no end. (Apparently my wild flailing (but oh so elegant!) dance moves are funny more than anything else...

One of our favorite things is to run around the dining room table playing "I'm going to get you." It's a good thing we do that too because otherwise my formal dining room would never get used. :) Jacob loves to be scared and he greatly enjoys the thrill of being chased.

No matter how tired I am, Jacob seems to give me more energy. It is so much fun chasing him around and playing with him.

Jacob has a slight cold. His sitter watches a 3 year old and she had this cold last week so I'm assuming that's where Jacob got it. Mark caught the cold from Jacob but Mark's already doing better. So far, I've avoided it, and I think if I were going to get it, I'd have it by now. After all, I'm the one who wipes his nose and lets him feed me with his grubby fingers. It seems pretty mild, but it gives me another reason to look forward to Friday's appointment. If Jacob isn't completely better by Friday, then I can ask about it without making a separate appointment. (I'll probably annoy the doctors and other patients though by bringing my sick child into the well baby section... What an irresponsible Mommy I am!)

It's 9:12 PM as I write this... Jacob should have been asleep an hour ago, but we can still hear him talking in his crib. I hope he hasn't pooped... He refuses to sleep with a dirty diaper. (And right now Jacob will only poop if he's alone, like in his crib.) Sigh. I hope he goes to sleep soon...

Well, it's time for me to head to bed myself. I have to get up for work at 5:15 AM...

Enjoy the 4th! Travel safely if you're going anywhere.

Dawn