Cloth Diaper Thoughts

     My brain hurts. Who knew there were so many cloth diaper options? I mean, seriously. I just need someone to tell me what to do, I'm all ears! So far I've come to the conclusion that you just have to find what works best for you. The only issue with that advice is how do you go about finding what works best when you've never done it before? I mean where does a newbie start?
     I'm definitely looking to do cloth diapers for a couple of reasons. One, they are budget friendly. Two, they seem to be healthier for baby's bum, breathable, un-chemical, and helpful when potty training. Three, they are budget friendly. Can I say that again? They are cheaper! Too much? :) But with that being said (multiple times) I still want cloth diapers that are durable and low maintenance which includes being relatively easy to wash.
     With all those criteria in mind, I think I've settled on prefolds. Yes they take a little more time when actually diapering baby, but the washing seems more manageable to me, and besides being the cheapest cloth diaper option, the laundry process is a key factor! I'm bad at laundry on a good day, I don't need something that requires tons of extra steps and that takes forever to dry. I need a two wash cycle, dry in the dryer diaper and it seems like prefolds fit that bill.
     Now the question is, which prefold? Gosh, I think my eyes are permanently crossed from reading 20 or so blogs and articles on this topic for the past three hours. And reading reviews really screws up your thinking. No one diaper is 100% recommended. China or India? Bleached or unbleached? 100% cotton or some with polyester? One size or multiple sizes? Hmm on a normal pregnancy night this dilemma would call for a huge milkshake. Unfortunately that can't happen (due to my horrible decision to forgo sugar) so I'll sip my water instead and vigorously pin all of these articles to my growing "Cloth Diaper" board. On a more positive note, my mom has a friend whose daughter uses prefolds, I have acquired her number in the hopes of getting some of my questions answered!
     Even though this night seems frustrating, I have to say it has been enlightening. I haven't reached a decision yet, but I feel myself getting closer. Closer is good, closer is progress, and progress means that my inner nesting self that tends to get freaked out can tone down for the time being. 33 weeks, I still have time to make a decision and purchase what I need. Not tons of time, but enough.
     Writing all of this is definitely making me think I need to reign in the overwhelmed portion of myself before it gets out of hand. Having a baby isn't going to limit the amount of decisions I will need to make. If anything, it will add more to my plate! So learning to manage these decisions in a one step at a time fashion is a must. In my opinion, this means the research part of this decision is pretty much covered, time to move on to another phase! So with that in mind, I think I will hangup the cloth diaper topic for tonight and lift my glass of water in the air and make a toast. Here's to tomorrow, hopefully some sleep and a conversation with a knowledgable cloth diapering mom will provide some clarity.

Trusting God: What do you do when your head says one thing and your heart screams another?

     I've been seriously pondering this question and I'm pleading with God to provide more clarity. It's true that our head is there to make the smart, unemotional and calculated decisions at times, but what is it about the heart and its passions that makes it so hard not to make decisions from gut feelings? And how do you know which is right? How do you know that choosing one is best over choosing the other? Its a predicament filled with angst I tell you!
     Gray and I want to be exactly where God would have us. We so want to be doing the things God is calling us to. We so want our lives and our passions to be informed by God and his gospel. And we so wish his speaking would be loud and clear! It's in these moments that I think, maybe His answer is clear, we just aren't listening.
     As of now, here is my conclusion, there are circumstances and choices surrounding each decision. It is worth taking a look at these things as well as your prayer life and what you were asking God to do to see how this answer fits into the grand scheme of things. I love these words from a dear friend. "Remember, YOU can't screw this up, God is in control." Whether choosing to go against your head or your heart is an act of trust. So Gray and I find ourselves trusting that God knows what decision we will make and that living for him means always being in His will. He directs our path. And even though it seems like this decision is "all on us," it isn't.
     Have you ever made a hard decision, one that inevitably meant going against either your head or your heart? I'd love to hear your stories.

Five on Friday

Five things I'm loving this week!

This remodel | These grits | This blog | This creative project | This artist