1700

A momentous day.  Today I washed my 1700th cloth diaper. 

I'm in shock!  Who knew one could go through 1,700 diapers in less than a year?  And that's with a child who was potty training for half that time!

I can't even FATHOM what 1,700 disposable diapers look like all balled up and waiting for the trash.

1700.

I'm so thankful I tried cloth diapers.  It was because of the encouragement of many of you!  And because of that, there are 1,700 FEWER diapers buried in our earth.  Wow. 

1700.

And how do I know that I washed 1700?  Because I'm nerdy and I made a spreadsheet and I kept track every.single.time I did the wash.  And I may have made a graph as well that calculated our total investment and how much money we saved with each washed diaper and when the two were equal (February 13).

Yes, I really did.  And it was really fun to geek out about it!  :)

1700.

Join me in geeking out today!

Going Back in Time

Recently I was mourning to a friend how children's "lasts" often come unannounced.  One day you're feeding them each spoonful; the next day they learn to use a spoon and only want to do it themselves.  One day you're holding their hands to help them walk around the house; the next day they've found their strength and courage and can do it on their own. 

The biggest "last" that I've mourned is our naptime routine.  We've had various naptime routines over the last year, but the sweetest ones have been when I would rock Feven to sleep.  There was a stretch of a few months this winter where all she would need in order to fall asleep was to be in my arms.  It was beautiful.  I treasured those days holding her, both of us nodding off as we rocked back and forth in her dimly-lit room.  I remember gazing down at her after she fell asleep.  In my opinion, her sleeping face rivals any great work of art.  The peace and beauty there simply floor me. 

So we rocked together.  And then one day it was done. 

I wish I had known when the last day would be.  I would have treasured it.  I would have held that sleeping little girl longer and stared into that beautiful face.  I would have stored up that memory for all time.  I long to have one more day to rock her to sleep.  Just one more chance so I could have a good "last."


Yesterday when I tried to get her to take a nap she was a mess!  She was hysterically crying and everything I offered her only made her more upset.  She was WAY overtired from a huge weekend and just needed to go to bed.  I gave her one last hug while she cried, closed the door and breathed. 

I walked into the kitchen and an unsettling feeling swept over me.  My daughter, no longer an orphan, was left to cry herself to sleep.  It seemed so foolish.  She has parents now!  Why in the world with all the love I have to give was I not in there loving her?!?

I followed the quiet prompting in my spirit, gently opened her door, and amidst her tears I said, "Oh, honey.  It's okay.  I'm going to pick you up.  I want to hold you." 

I wrapped her in the blanket I made for her and held her close in the rocking chair.  I wanted to help her calm down.  And you known what?  Within minutes her eyes were heavy and she was quiet.  Then she was asleep.

IN MY ARMS!

As soon as I realized what happened, my eyes went heavenward and I burst into tears.  God gave me another "last" to treasure.  I got my wish of going back for just a day to again hold her in my arms as she drifted off to sleep.  I tried to pull myself together so my crying wouldn't wake her, but I was incredibly overwhelmed by the love God had for me to allow me that special time.  I dabbed my eyes with a corner of her blanket and looked at that beautiful sleeping face.  I studied the almond eyes, brushed with long lashes.  I watched the long, slender fingers curl around my hand as I held hers.   I felt the weight of her sleeping body in my arms.  My heart was as close to bursting as it has ever been.

As much as I wanted to hold her for her entire nap, I also knew she needed some good sleep.  But you better believe that I took my sweet time in putting her back in her bed!  What an incredible gift to go back in time.  Thank you, Lord, that you saw fit to bless me this way.  I am deeply grateful. 

A Girl and Her Doll

Grocery Shopping Tip

Apparently it's not a good idea to take her grocery shopping with me right before supper.  I looked down at her holding the cheese in the cart to find this:

How to Reclaim Your Items from the Thrift Store

Before I go into the steps to help you get your stuff back, I want to make it clear that prevention is the best method here.  When you ask someone else to "drop that stuff off at the thrift store," for you, make sure they know which bags go to the thrift store and which bags are all those things you're going to return to your friends at church tomorrow.  Hypothetically speaking, of course...

To reclaim items dropped off at the thrift store in error:

1.) Get all the emotions out.  Cry over the thought of having to explain to your friends why you can't return their ________ because your husband accidentally dropped it off at the thrift store.

2.) Once your head is clear, get the phone number for the thrift store.

3.) If after hours, call and leave a message detailing the items dropped off in error and leave your name and phone number for them to reach you.

4.) Pray.

5.) Go into the store as soon as it opens the next day and ask to see the manager.

6.) Look desperate (because you ARE!) as you explain the situation to her.

7.) If possible, get into the back sorting room to look for your items yourself.  If you are unable to do this, you may be waiting over a week and perhaps indefinitely for someone else to spot your items when you could have easily recognized them yourself had you just gone into the back room.  

8.) Buy your friends gift cards to replace the lost items.  That way they'll at least have the freedom to get some other items if they didn't really like the items they loaned to you in the first place.  Who doesn't love a gift card?!?