Saturday 29 December 2007

33 Weeks

We finally got around to getting a photo during daylight hours - the days are so short here in winter that by the time we remember to take the weekly photo, we're stuck with poor indoor lighting. It's not warm here, despite my wearing a short-sleeved shirt - it's cold and it's windy!

Christmas has already come and gone! We spent a quiet Christmas at home - just Pedro, me, the dogs, and the little baby in my belly - and it was very nice. I cooked all kinds of Puerto Rican holiday food along with some apple pie for dessert. Now we have a New Year's Eve party to go to in only two days and I'm a little worried about finding a fancy dress that I can actually fit into.

My neighbors are down in Cornwall (southern England) and they've left me to take care of their four Bantam chickens while they're gone. Walking out to the chicken coop every morning to take care of their chickens amidst sprawling English farmland is so wonderful that it reminds me of how much I can't wait to show little Isabella the beauty of the outdoors (and so much more).

Saturday 22 December 2007

Saturday 15 December 2007

31 Weeks

Here is a photo of Pedro setting up the new nursery furniture. He and his friend Ben hauled everything over from Kiddicare, then Pedro put everything back together. I was so proud! It looks really nice. As soon as I get things more organized in there, I'll post a photo of the completed project.


And here is your weekly belly shot.

Tuesday 11 December 2007

Jazz Concert




I mentioned in an earlier post that I would get around to putting up a few pictures from Thanksgiving and the jazz show we went to the following week. Here they are - these were taken by my friend Kat. As you can see in the last photo - the belly button is barely hangin' on, despite Pedro's daily pleading with Isabella to hold onto it!

Friday 7 December 2007

30 weeks

Cloth Diapers




Cloth diapers these days are nothing like the old terry cloth towels you had to fold and pin. These days they have all-in-one diapers that work just like a disposable, that, once soiled, you dump a flushable liner into the toilet, and put the diaper into a lidded bucket. Once the bucket is full, you just dump the diapers into the washing machine. Since we don't have a clothes dryer, we'll have to remove the liner for it to dry. I've done a test run of the ones I bought and they dried easily overnight, despite it being fall/winter in England. It's a few more steps than a disposable, but we'll see how it goes. I'm very realistic about it, and plan to use disposables when necessary and possibly also in the first few weeks until we get used to the routine of taking care of the baby.

When some people first hear that Pedro and I have decided to try cloth diapering, I tend to get some raised eyebrows. I've talked with a few women here in England who have successfully used cloth diapers from birth to potty and our local council will even reimburse us $100 of what it costs to pay for the diapers themselves. After talking a lot about it, our reasons for wanting to try it out are baby health, economy, and the environment. I could paraphrase all the research I've done here, but I'm not out to preach to anyone since I have yet to try it out myself. While I'm not yet 100% certain that it will work for us, we're committed to give it a good try - a bit more than that, I think. If you're interested I will leave you with some good links at the end of the post. I also have a lot more information if anyone is more curious.

The Nappy [Diaper] Lady website: http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/

“Pocket” diapers (the kind that is probably best for us since we don't have a dryer): http://www.weecarediapercompany.com/weecart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7

Green parenting / diapers http://www.grizzlybird.net/labels/diapers.html

Cloth diaper care, step by step: http://www.grizzlybird.net/2006/03/how-to-wash-cloth-diapers-at-home.html#links

Natural baby wipes http://www.naturodoc.com/library/children/newborn_skin.htm

More general info: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/12/ecotip_nappies.php



Saturday 1 December 2007

29 weeks - Third Trimester!!!


We didn't get a chance to get a photo for my 28th week and my official entrance into the third trimester. If I go to full term, I still have another 11 weeks - but technically, the baby is ready to go after 37 weeks!

We went to a jazz concert (Koop) at the Jazz Cafe in London yesterday and the baby got another taste of great music (since hearing the opera Aida in Verona this summer). I'll try to write more and post a couple more pics later in the week.