If you can diaper a pug...

This is my essay I'm submitting for a contest here: http://bumessentials.blogspot.com/2010/07/saving-planet-1-diaper-at-time-contest.html
I'm sure they want a true environmentalist (which I admittedly am not) to win, describing the horrors of disposable diapers. However, I am not that person. So I'm just being honest. I, of course, am rewarding YOU with many pictures. For instance, here are my current cloth diapers (unfortunately, my BumGenius 4.0's won't be here for a few weeks)
And just so you know what they look like opened up, this is a BumGenius One-Size opened up. Note how it looks just like a disposable diaper--no safety pins and origami folds!
And here is the essay:

New to Cloth—What lead me to cloth diapers

I am a first-time mommy-to-be. When I got pregnant, I was blissfully ignorant on the raising of babies. I’d never thought about breast milk versus formula or diapers or even baby cribs. I’ve had a rude awakening to the choices a first-time parent has to make. I’ve always maintained that the decisions I make should be what fits best for the family, but also ultimately must be the best fit for the baby. The easiest of these decisions has come with the choice of cloth diapers.

My friend at work, Emily, is five weeks ahead of me in the pregnancy department. Luckily, this means I get to learn from her what scary decisions and purchases I need to make, with a five-week window to catch up. One day she started in on the cloth diapering lecture, and I felt painfully uninformed. Now, I was aware you COULD cloth diaper, heck, I think all our parents tried to use safety-pins and covers for our first few weeks. But ultimately for ease and convenience, they all switched to disposable. Honestly, I didn’t even know cloth diapering could be an option—I do a lot of sewing with pins and needles, and I stab myself quite a bit. I figured that was not the best fit for the family or the pin-cushion baby-to-be. Then I started my own research. I didn’t realize how usable cloth had become. Diapers that looked like diapers—diapers that worked like regular diapers—diapers that didn’t pass for dust cloths! So, when I realized it could actually be an option, I decided to weigh the pros and cons.

Now, being women, I think a lot of mommies have a unique experience that we can all relate with when it comes to diapers: Those wretched pads we wore in middle school. That’s exactly what I think of when I think of diapers. Sure they wick away the moisture. Some even zap the smell. It’s all wrapped up in a tidy little disposable package. I never once thought about the environment when I was in maxi-pad mode. What I DID think about was the discomfort. My skin stuck to the lining. Sometimes I’d get a really fancy perfumed product and end up with a lovely skin irritation. As I got older I tried a lot of methods to just rid myself of that discomfort—discomfort that I was doing to myself. Now as women we even get lectured on the importance of cotton panties to avoid infections and irritations. As a mommy, I’d be forcing that same discomfort on my newborn who couldn’t exactly speak up for herself and say she didn’t like that so much, either.

So I did more research. I wish someone did “Truth” advertising on how disposable diapers are made. Disposable diapers tote they can retain up to 15 times their weight in water. They do this not by using absorbent natural materials, but using polymer made of sodium acrylate, potassium acrylate, or alkyl acrylate and wood pulp (well, wood pulp is natural, but when I need to wipe up a spill in the kitchen, I don’t think about using wood pulp). Then they don’t leak by using polypropylene to keep baby dry and polyethylene to keep liquids in. I didn’t even realize it, but some of these products can also be used to make plastic chairs and the lids to Tic-Tac boxes. And that’s what I’d be putting up against my baby’s very sensitive new bottom upon entering the world. Basically I’d just be wrapping my baby in plastic bags from Wal-mart and a plastic chair. Sure, disposables have come a long way to make them more breathable, more comfortable, and of course, cute and leak free and you can even spend extra to get it with no dyes to feel extra organic. I spent a lot of time in high school avoiding my chemistry class, but when I look at the chemical compounds of these ingredients, I have terrible flashbacks. That many chemical componds is not organic. Hearing that basically in the right proportions I can use those same ingredients to also make dishwasher safe tupperware or parts for my car doesn’t help. That’s what I want my baby to wear for up to three years of her life? And to think I’m having fits about having to use maxi-pads after the baby is born. It just doesn’t add up.

So what goes into a cloth diaper, then, would be my next, skeptical question. I’m not a die-hard environmentalist. I leave the water on when I brush my teeth. I keep the television on when I’m cleaning and not even in the same room. Sometimes I even, gasp, litter. I don’t recycle. My carbon footprint is probably huge. So I’m not lecturing that we’re killing the environment with diapers, and my own diapers from baby-hood are probably STILL in a landfill undecomposed so I can’t really point fingers. I can look the other way. But when I look at the alternative, that my baby’s bottom can either be pressed up against chemical-based plastics or ingredients like micro-fleece—made from cotton—I start to see this as a pretty easy decision. Even just to the touch, the difference is huge. Put a disposable diaper up to sweaty skin and put a cloth diaper up to sweaty skin and feel the difference. I don’t stick to the cloth diaper. Sure, cloth diapers aren’t perfect. I mean, those water-proof covers and plastic snaps came from somewhere other than a plant. But I’m also going to be able to wash and reuse those products, instead of throwing 3000 of them away in one year.

Maybe this makes me an environmentalist. Maybe this makes me one of those tree-hugging hippies, and I’m on the slippery slope to an electric car and solar panels to run my sewing machine, but I don’t think so. I’m a realist. If I checked all the tags on all my clothes right now, they’d all have one thing in common—cotton. If I rummaged through my underwear drawer, I’d be hard-pressed to find anything BUT cotton. I didn’t buy those things because I was feeling particularly organic or earth friendly. I bought them and use them because they’re comfortable. Maybe babies don’t have good memories so they can block out all the terribly embarassing parts of being an infant—your parents have to wipe your poo and pee multiple times a day, everyone looks at you naked, and you’re inevitably dressed in mortifying outfits that we adults find insanely cute. But I’d hate for my daughter to also have three years under her belt of discomfort soley because it’s just easier to throw her diapers away. So when faced with the choice of diapers, I’m making this decision just as I make my own underwear decisions—cloth is comfortable. She isn’t wearing it based on it’s melting point, or ability to be microwave and dishwasher safe. She’s wearing a diaper for comfort, and I can’t think of anything more comfortable than cloth.

So... that's about all I could come up with. Like I said, I had visions of making this more heart-bleeding environmentalist, but that just ain't me! But, to prove to all the naysayers that these aren't any harder to use than disposables... (and don't panic, all of these have to be washed first anyway)... if you can diaper a pug...
He looks so sour in the picture. He was running around quite happy in the diaper until I grabbed him for a picture. He even was doing tricks in them. You know... I'm sure there'd be a market for puppy-training reusables... ;)

The Happy Hooker

So, coming full circle, I have taught myself how to crochet. I remember as a little girl my grandmother crocheted a ton, and even had me making chains and crocheting as well, but I of course saw no point in mastering the skill, and I never kept with it. Funny how now I'd kill for a few of those lessons now!
One of my new maternal "cravings" is to make homemade things for my baby. A blanket to come home in, a few hats, booties, sweaters, who knows. Easier said than done! Last Christmas I tried to teach myself to knit. It was a disaster. My sudden drive to learn crochet, I figured, was destined to meet the same fate of giant messes of yarn that wouldn't pass for crochet, let alone something wearable. I decided to get some "fine" literature (instead of a "learn it quick" guide, which probably, in retrospect, aided the knitting fiasco). These are the two books I tried:
The Happy Hooker was the first book I picked up, and I learned quite a bit, but I was still having difficulty mastering all the random stitches. So then I picked up the Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting book, which has great explanations and pictures. In retrospect, I was probably more drawn to the former because of the cute baby item patterns in the back--not really considering I couldn't do THOSE until I actually learned HOW to crochet. After a lot of "teaching squares" I decided to try my hand at a few hats, but the patterns all still looked too daunting. I scoured the internet and found a really simple pattern from this website: http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern5.html
I made the hat in the regular size, and although it was large, it definitely passed for a hat. She might not be able to wear it right out of the hospital (and honestly, I'm going for a natural birth, so let's all say a quick prayer that in fact, this hat is WAY too big for her hopefully VERY little head). However, they also have a "take me home" adjustment to make a smaller infant cap. These are the two hats I made from that pattern; the green hat is the very first thing I made:
Then I got bold and broke out The Happy Hooker and tried the cute hat patterns that had first drawn me to the book. They had two versions--one very girly with a frill, one more of a cap. Of course, at this point I knew I was having a girl (or had a good idea which was soon confirmed) so I tried the frill first. Turned out so cute, I made three--including the purple and white cap, which is my favorite.
And I decided to make the regular cap (in pink) but I plan on doing something ELSE to it, to make it even more girly. It's very small, so I think it'll be the cap she comes home in. I'm thinking of either making a flower to go on it, or breaking out my ribbon for a bow. I've got to see if I can crochet a flower before I make my final decision.
Knowing me I'll probably also buy more white yarn (I ran out of what I'd had, amazing, for how long I've been holding on to it) and make a few pink and white frilly hats too--I'm not much of a pink person, but it's killing me how cute it is.
So, then it was suggested to me I should try making something else. I'm afraid to make clothes with crochet because of the really long patterns. I know if I actually sat down and tried, I'd probably be fine. However, right now it seems like a big undertaking. So, I decided to try baby booties. I don't have any patterns for them, so I hit up the same website from the hats and found these: http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern6.html
The booties looked hard, but I figured I should just try. What's the worst that could happen? So, today I tackled booties. And I ended up mastering them! I'm impressed what I've learned, even though the pattern now seems really simple. It just SEEMED complicated in the beginning. I mean, have you ever looked at socks? There is a lot going on there. And these are small feet!
They turned out pretty cute! This pattern also has a "take me home" size, so I plan on trying those as well. Probably in a different color first, then I might remake another pink pair. The only thing that is annoying with booties is you have to make two. So, when you finish the first, unlike the hat where you can marvel at your amazingness, you actually have to make another one before people are impressed--no one would think it was so amazing with only ONE booty for the baby!
So, I guess now I can say with affirmation that I officially know how to crochet. I'm pretty excited about it. I feel a great connection to my late grandmother, because I'm sure she'd be super happy that I'd taken on one of her hobbies. Of course, I'm sure if she were here, she'd also point out all the mistakes I'm making on these (and there are many). But hey, Baby Claire won't notice--and if people are nice to a new mommy, they won't notice either. For those of you who see me trying to make my child wear my hand-crafted goods, that was a subtle warning. :)

Doggie Day Spa

So, for those who know me, they know I have a lot of dogs. Three in fact. Muriel was the first; she is a rescue dog from Columbia Second Chance. I've had her for 5-6 years, and she's 8 years old. She is a collie mix, so, lots of hair.
Second came Wally. He is my baby (not to discredit the other two, but he loves me the most, so he retains the status of "baby"). He is a pug and not a rescue, but he is spoiled all the same. He is two years old.
Then we have Mogwai. Mogwai came to us in February when I had a mental break down in the Jefferson City Animal Shelter when we went to see what a Pekingese looked like. He was really scared and shy and cowered in my lap when some creepy guy came to look at him, so I stood up and said he wasn't for available because we were adopting him, and I walked out with him. Oops
So. The hair situation increased. Among other things. But this post is about the hair. Muriel is always a disaster. Being a mix, she has weird hair. She has constant bed head. Even taking her to the groomer doesn't help, so long ago I just resigned that doing her hair myself was better than paying someone else to make her look just as crappy as I could. Wally has easy hair, and in fact just takes a shower with me when he needs a bath (we did that yesterday; he's so trained, after I shampoo him I tell him to rinse off, and he goes and stands in the spray from the shower). That left Mogwai. Now, I've been trying my hand at brushing him and washing at home. It takes forever which is surprising since he's so small. He has to be hair-dried too, to prevent further matting. Anyway, he was definitely in need of a bath today, and I wanted to get his hair trimmed up for summer because he's all hair and a little body underneath and always looks just miserable outside. So, I spent my morning calling around to groomers. The earliest I could get in was July 12th. Seriously, how many people get their dogs groomed around here? Well, he needed a bath today. I couldn't stand waiting two weeks or bathing him today and then taking him for another bath in two weeks. So, I did something drastic.
When I went to Wal-Mart to pick up more puppy shampoo, I noticed the clippers, which were conveniently right next to the shampoo. I decided that I only lacked two things compared to a groomer: clippers and training. And the clippers came with a training DVD, so I figured, why the heck not. I bought them, brought Mogwai upstairs, and got to work. I decided my shaving platform would be our giant kitchen counter, because that afforded the best space, the best height, and the best light (but not necessarily the best environment for tons of hair). I threw down a sheet and started shaving. In the beginning I realized I was over my head, once my dog looked slightly like a cancer patient. I panicked and imagined calling a groomer again just to cry and say I'd done something awful and beg them to get me in immediately to fix the damage. However, I just kept at it, and sooner or later, he started to look a little less frightening. I wanted to leave his head unshaved, like the pictures I'd seen online (a lion cut), and I trimmed his butt hair, but I was afraid to shave all of that off. His body, however, is now shaved clean. I can't say he looks professional, but he actually looks cute and not altogether terrible, meaning, we can probably take him out in public without the shame of walking the world's freakiest dog.
So, for my Domestique activity of the day, I became an amateur dog groomer. As you can see, he actually looks cute, so this was not the tragic experience that I feared after I ran the trimmer through a few times. I don't think I'll ever try this again, because I greatly fear making my dog look like an idiot, but Mogwai seems really comfortable and happy. And all the hair is cleaned up. Matt couldn't even tell I'd trimmed him in the kitchen. So. I did it. :)