One of the perks of working on an island

After work yesterday, I picked up Isaac and Steve, and we were about to drive home, when we decided to stop by the beach. It was a gorgeous warm sunny day. So, we swung by the beach to let Isaac dip his toes into the water and bury them in the sand for the very first time. He seemed to really like it. He loves being outside and he loves water, so this was right up his alley. Then, afterwards, we stopped by a restaurant and had fresh fish and calamari on a patio over looking the ocean. It seriously felt like we had stepped out of our real lives and were on vacation for a moment.

By the way, his shirt says "Lock up your Daughters"

The last pic is of me nursing him on the seawall - I seriously have no qualms about breastfeeding him anywhere at anytime, modesty has gone out the window for me (I do wear discreet nursing tops or use a cover most times of course).

I'm published!!!

My first published article - http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/full/180/5/3038, not that anyone will find this remotely interesting unless you are researching immune responses following burn injury...

Ok, the honest truth, Tracy, my mentor wrote most of this and did most of the research behind it, but having a student (me) be first author would be beneficial to her credentials, so we both got to benefit from stamping my name on this one. We are submitting another one next month that I am currently writing on as you read this that better warrants my name first.

It's funny, I was just doing some background research online for this current paper and came across an article whose title peaked my interest, as it sounded very similar to what I am writing. I click on the link, and lo and behold, there is my name!! It was my paper! I had completely forgotten that it came out last month.

Now I'm a real scientist!! Woohoo!!

* I am aware that you have to subscribe in order to read the paper, but I absolutely do not expect anyone to read it anyway, as it puts even me to sleep and you'd have to be in the field to be at all interested.

My Newest Obsession

I have just been introduced to the wonderful world of Cloth Diapers (aka, CDs). Now, I know what most of you are thinking, probably the same thing I would have thought a couple weeks ago when hearing reference to cloth diapers. You're picturing those rectangular thin pieces of cloth that your grandmother still uses as dish cloths that you have to pin to your baby using sharp pointy pins that become dangerous instruments when mixed with a squiggly little baby with paper thin skin; also the thought of endless laundry of stinky poopy diapers and leaky thin cloth leading to wet clothes and unhappy baby. Well, cloth diapers have come a looooooong way since then, and are actually as convenient as disposables (aka, sposies) these days. Just check out this site - Cotton Babies. What first led me on my newest quest for cloth? Well, as many of you know, I am a member of an online community of women, all of whom had babies due the same month Isaac was due. We have been friends for about a year now and have shared many great tips, advice, and experiences with each other from pregnancy, to breastfeeding, to raising our little ones. Well, one of my friends on this board recently noticed when she changed her baby's disposable diaper, there were chunks of gel all over her his skin, so she asked if any of the rest of us girls had seen this and knew what it was. Well, many other girls had noticed this too. After some research, we discovered that this gel is actually a high absorbency gel that all sposies have in them that can hold 100 times it's weight in liquid. This is what makes sposies so incredibly absorbent. However, this gel is made from a combination of toxins, one of which, dioxin, is one of the most cancer causing toxins there is. This toxin is actually banned in many countries, but not the US. Here is one of many links listing some of it's dangers - http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question207.htm&url=http://www.thediaperhyena.com/diaper_drama_scene3_health.htm. I don't want this on my baby, he's already exposed to plenty of things everyday that are harmful (a recent study was published showing that many of the baby bath and lotion products such as Johnson and Johnson contain extremely high levels of carcinogenic toxins, but that's a whole other story), and I know I can't protect him from everything, but this is something he is constantly in contact with. Then, there is the fact that sposies cost us $22 for a 2 week supply, which is outrageous, and that cost will go up a few $'s with each size up he goes until he is potty trained. So, I began my research on CDs, with the help of several friends who only use cloth. I was amazed at what I found. CDs are so much more convenient than they used to be, and almost just as important, they are very fashionable, and are just as cute as can be!! They are many different kinds, and so, of course, I wanted to start out by trying out several different kinds. There are All in Ones (AIOs), which are just like a disposable, they have a thick absorbent layer built right into a cute waterproof cover. There are pockets, which have an absorbent insert (think giant maxi pad) that stuffs into a pocket built into a cute waterproof cover. Many pocket diapers also come in One Size with adjustable snaps so that you won't have to buy different sizes as your baby grows, saving you tons of money. There are fitteds, which are basically a clothe diaper in the shape of a disposable, with snaps or velcro, that you cover with your choice of many adorable waterproof covers. And finally, the cheapest option are prefolds, which are similar to the old fashioned rectangular cloths that have a thick middle layer, and you fold them and hold them together with a snappi (which is a plastic little clip that replaces the old fashioned sharp pins), and then you fashion it with an adorable cover. And you can also use woolies as covers, which are, you guessed it, knitted wool covers! Another whole new window of knitting opportunities!!! Now, many of these diapers are extremely pricey, we're talking as cheap as $1 a piece for prefolds and $12 for their covers up to $35 for a single custom made diaper that can have your babies name embroidered on it along with your favorite team's logo. People have gotten incredibly creative with these things. Many work-at-home moms make and sell customizable diapers from their homes. While the initial investment may be high, these diapers never have to be replaced, can be used over and over, sometimes will fit your baby from infant through potty training (if they are one sized), can be used on future children, and then there are thousands of diaper swapper communities online where you can sell your clean, gently used diapers and cover. I have begun my journey by trying out some of these gently used diapers as well as some brand spankin’ new ones. As for the extra laundry, I find I spend maybe 15 minutes extra a week on diaper laundry - you just have to toss them in, turn on the washer, add in a tiny bit of dish soap, and dry them. You never even have to touch them if you put them in a washable laundry bag - just dump them and bag all into wash. And with breastfed poop (sorry if this sounds gross), it is completely water soluble and the washing machine will just wash it away (once he starts eating solids, it may be more beneficial to dump in the toilet first, but we aren't there yet). Also, many of the new CDs out there have fleece linings which wicks away the moisture from babies skin and significantly reduces the incidence of diaper rashes when compared to sposies. But to top it all off, oh my goodness, these things are so much fun to buy!! There are soooo many cute ones out there (just google bum genius, fuzzy bunz, kissaluvs, to see a few). I have begun dipping into my yarn budget for these, they are seriously as much fun as yarn!

Here are some pics of Mr. Isaac's fluffy butt sporting his new CDs (some of the covers are a bit big and bulky, but are still perfectly functional and he will grow into them, and they should fit him up to potty training). I've found the pocket diapers to be the most convenient, once you stuff the insert in the pocket (takes a couple seconds), it goes on just like a disposable in one step. We have some of the bum genius one size pocket diapers, pictured above, coming in today or tomorrow - I'm soooo excited!! I never in a million years thought I'd be a clothe diapering mommy.

Here he is wearing a fitted with clouds before the cover was put on

Here he is wearing a prefold held with a snappi before the cover was put on

Here is is wearing a cute cover with jungle animals over a fitted or prefold

Here is wearing my fave, a cover with froggies over prefold

Here he's wearing a Swaddlebees pocket diaper, looking very pleased

Here, he's wearing another Swaddlebees pocket