I am knee deep in diapers and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t even mind the boxes are stacked so tall they block a lot of our big window. People have been SO generous in listening to why I am passionate about this situation and then in giving. I’ve gotten diapers or cash from people I literally met 2 weeks ago and people I’ve known my whole life and haven’t spoken to in years. And they keep coming!
As you might have guessed, I’ve surpassed my goal before the month of March even started. It’s time for new goal! I am shooting for 6,000 diapers by 3/31. I currently have a whopping 3,248 with sizes ranging from premie to 6. If you are keeping track, that’s 354 days of diapers. My new goal is 6,000 diapers.If you are looking to make a donation, we need sizes 4 and up, but anything is very much appreciated.
I also used some of the cash donations to purchase wipes (80 packs) and diaper rash cream (30 tubes). I am so excited to have been able to make these purchases for Caroline County Social Services.
I can’t begin to thank you enough, but we still have some more to go, so please pass this on to your friends and family. You’ve truly rendered me speechless and humbled.
I’ve updated the donor list – a thousand thank yous!
Not only is this a really unique fundraiser, but it’s for a good cause. I don’t know Matt or Shannon, but they are friends of a friend of a friend. I hope you will check out their site and give as you’re willing and able.
It’s Saturday right? Good grief what a week! Here’s all the details:
So I started my new job at Main Street Genome on Wednesday and it was a great day! I managed the commute in, but on the way home it took FOREVER. I had a bit of a meltdown, probably from being tired, overwhelmed and lost in DC (thank GPS. Thanks.). I pretty much had convinced myself that Mike would never know me because he would be asleep by the time I got home. And I didn’t want to be one of those mommas who work 12 hours a day and are content putting the baby to bed before catch the train back to the office. As always, that is fine for other mommas, but not me. S. talked me off the ledge (of course) and my commute times were much better the rest of the week. Plus, there is the idea that in a few weeks or so it won’t be every day. That, I can handle.
The team is great, and from what I gather no one discussed my wardrobe. Or if they did I didn’t hear about it. It’s very much a start up culture – jump in and get sh*t done. There’s a learning curve, but that’s to be expected. S. and I are figuring out the best organizational skills for us to be on top of things at home and he has been AH-MAZING this week picking up Mike from daycare, managing Charlie and getting as much done before I get home as possible. And doing it with a smile, which I always appreciate. We make a good team.
So … the diaper drive!
Guys, I am so humbled and touched by the outpouring of diapers, cash and notes. This idea sorta came out of nowhere, but the longer I look at the diapers stacked in my living room,the madder I get about the situation and the more fired up I get to do something. Especially every time I change Mike’s diaper. I can’t imagine ‘letting it dry out’ and putting it back on. I digress ….
As of today, I have 1252 diapers – almost half way to my goal! And if you count the $281 in donations I have, it might be safe to say I am more than half way there!! S. has been helping get the word out and Bruce Leshan from WUSA9 tweeted out the blog link and I got a few more hits. There is still more than a month to help me reach my goal of 3100 diapers by the end of March! (more…)
Phew! What a busy few weeks. You might have picked up on the fact that I have a new job I am starting on Wednesday. I am really excited, but also scared crapless for a lot of reasons. Lemme back up.
So the job is at the start-up Main Street Genome. I am still figuring out the ‘elevator pitch’, but they use data to help keep Main Street businesses open and thriving. I am really passionate and interested in entrepreneurship and start-ups, so this job is right up my alley. AND I am working (and creating) the Client Success processes now that they are launching. It’s almost like the job was made for me. It’s in the heart of DC, but it sounds like in a couple months I can telework, which would be awesome because I am more productive at home and it would save me an hour commute.
That said, it is going to be a HUGE adjustment. I’ve never started a job as a ‘mom’ and I am not sure what that looks like for me. Especially since Mike isn’t sleeping totally through the night and I will have to be functional during the day. I am so glad we have a great daycare provider who is happy to see Mike every day, but it just feels uncomfortable to me that I won’t get as much time with him. I am clearly the only one in this duo who will have a problem. It will just be difficult trying to figure it all out for a few weeks. Then I am confident it will all come together and we will have our schedule. For now I am enjoying the next 2 days at home with him.
The other challenge is how to dress for an office. The dress code is business casual and the times I have been in the office I’ve seen nice jeans and sweaters, maxi dresses and black pants and button down. It seems to be a young office, and I am having those high school flashbacks and irrational fears. In my head I imagine my new coworkers laughing at my skinny jeans when I turn my back. Dressing for 30 is hard! It’s a thin line between shopping at Talbots and Forever 21. Add in that I am plus size, losing weight and on a budget and it’s double frustrating.
Sometimes I read something interesting and it sticks with me, nagging me to act. This article from Kveller (Mayim Bialik’s blog) has been doing just that. The author discusses how she overheard women at the store discussing how WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) covers the cost of SOME formula, but not enough to keep their babies full, so they were going to start supplementing cereal to make up the difference. This quote really stuck with me:
And then I began to feel angry: with myself, for living complacently in a place where a working mother with government assistance is still unable to adequately feed her child; with the state, for sustaining this impossible scenario; and, frankly, with other mothers, for wasting time (so much time!) judging rather than helping, with challenges rather than solutions.
When did feeding your baby become a privilege? Mikey going hungry has never crossed my mind because 1) S. and I would go hungry first, 2) we have the resources to find a solution, 3) we have family who can help us whenever and however. We realize (especially after 2 layoffs since I was pregnant with Mike) that not everyone is as lucky as we are and while we worry about finances like everyone else, we don’t have to worry about anything regarding Mike. Nor will we ever have to.
I’ve been looking at a half used box of diapers that didn’t work for Mike and I finally got around to trying to find a place to donate them. I have found something else that is unacceptable to me.
Food stamps can’t be used to buy diapers.
I’ll say it again.
Food stamps can’t be used to buy diapers.
It’s 9AM and Mike has already gone through 2 diapers. I just packed up his required daycare bin with a large stock of diapers. If we were taking advantage of free or subsidized childcare and couldn’t afford disposable diapers, Mike couldn’t go. Imagine waiting for a paycheck to buy diapers, but not being able to send your kid to daycare until you do. You would miss MORE work resulting in a smaller paycheck. All because of a pack of diapers.
I did some research on an infant’s diaper habits and found an average infant goes through 12 diapers a day and a toddler uses about 8. Let’s say Mike uses 12 a day. We order our diapers from Amazon because we have access to a credit card and the internet. I shopped around just now and found Pampers Swaddlers (his usual) in a size 4 for $44.00 with free 2 day shipping because we are Prime members. It’s a 144 pack, which means that’s enough diapers for about 12 days assuming he doesn’t have any blow outs. 31 days in March, so to be safe we would need to order 3 boxes. Do the math – $132 for enough diapers for 1 month. This obviously doesn’t include the cost of wipes or diaper rash cream.
Now imagine not having the resources to ‘shop around’. I looked at our local Walgreens circular because it is walking distance from our apartment. The same pack of diapers are a few dollars more ($50), but without a car I am bundling Mike up, putting him in the stroller and walking across 3 busy roads. And I doubt I would have $150 a month handy, so I would be making this trip 3 times a month.
So what are these low income families doing? Making those diapers last as long as possible by ‘scooping out the waste’ and reusing the diaper or leaving a diaper on as long as possible. Any parent knows what leaving a wet diaper on a baby does – diaper rash and discomfort. This is totally and completely unacceptable.
I found that there is a thriving diaper bank in the DC Metro area where I live. They have lots of drop off points and volunteers. I grew up in rural Maryland (Delmarva Peninsula) and asked my Facebook friends if there was a resources like a diaper bank and there were a few options, but nothing specifically for diapers.
So what’s up with this long rambling post? I have a nagging feeling to do something about this diaper situation. I turn 31 next month and want to collect 3,100 diapers (get it?) for low income families by March 31st and I need your help. Click the tab at the top of the page titled 12 4 1 to find out how you can help me reach my goal.
Guys? Clean diapers are not a privilege and a parent shouldn’t worry about how to make a pack of diapers last until payday.
Oh Mike Mike – What can I say? Your 7th month might have been the most challenging yet. But how does that saying go? The worst day fishing is better than a good day at work? Well, this challenging month beats any month before the thought of you existed. I was looking at pictures of you this morning and you are looking more and more like a boy and not a baby anymore. Your hair is thicker and darker, your face is opening up more and I catch glimpses of the boy, pre-teen, teen and man you are going to become. You are bursting even more with personality and I have a million future careers for you based on your current interests – drummer, comedian, basketball player, drill Sargent … but the world is your’s Mike. You can become whatever you damn darn well please.
{Sleeping} We had a rough start to the month because you suddenly decided you didn’t like footie pjs. You would be fast asleep and quickly wake up hysterical. Then would only sleep for about an hour before another bout of hysteria. All of that changed one night when we put you in footless jammies – I was so glad we figured it out. We went from the doctor telling us it was night terrors to you just being uncomfortable. Now you go to bed around 8PM and are up once around 4AM, then up for good at 7:30AM. Napping is not as easy to predict, but it seems to be once a day, midday and for a few hours.
{Swimming} We signed you up for swimming lessons at the rec center and your first ‘lesson’ was on your 7 month birthday. You and Daddy have SUCH a good time floating around and going down the ‘slide’. You have taken to the water like, well, a fish to water. While the other kids are looking very uncertain, you are chewing on a toy taking it all in as if you’ve been doing it for months.
You’ve also gotten very adventurous in the bathtub! Now we just fill it up to your hips, toss some toys in and let you go. We often watch you roll over to your tummy to crawl to get a squirt toy. Or your favorite, drinking soapy water from a stacking cup.
{Playing} Watching you play is something I can do for hours. You are so intense and curious about everything. You can entertain yourself for a good half hour before remembering other people are around you. You take each toy out of your basket one by one, examine it closely, chew on it a bit, see if it makes noise, put it down and move on to the next one. You really love anything that makes noise and you still like to jump in your bouncer.
{Crawling} You’ve done it! You started crawling and haven’t stopped yet – you can even go from crawling to laying to sitting to pulling up on your knees and back again. I love watching you do all these things and check out your surroundings in a new way. Of course Daddy has had to really do some childproofing around the house and yet, you still find fun stuff to get into. It is such an amazing joy when you see Daddy or me and you light up and start crawling over as quickly as possible to us.
Also, Mr. Determined, when you see something you want you crawl over super quick and pant the whole way as if it is the most exciting thing ever. This is how we know you are after something you might not need to be getting into. Poor Charlie’s life has changed since you’ve become mobile. We are teaching you ‘gentle’!
{Face} You are finding faces fascinating. If I’m not watching close enough I will get a tiny finger to eye or up the nose. At night when we are rocking to sleep you use this opportunity to procrastinate sleeping by giving kisses. You put both hands on the side of my face and shove my nose in your mouth or bang your face into my teeth. I can’t resist those kisses and know hat in a few weeks you will be giving kisses even more often. I love those quiet times together.
Well kiddo – it’s taken me a few days to write this note for you. Mainly because I am trying to soak up as much time together as possible before I start my new full time job and you start daycare. It will be a big change, but I know you will do just fine and are in good hands. It’s me that I’m worried about! As your favorite song says, ‘every little thing is gunna be alright’.
And by Friday, I mean Sunday. And by Sunday, I clearly meant Monday. Afternoon.
This past week has thrown me for a loop with everyone in the house having a cold and other stuff going on I am too tired to get into today. But I am feeling like it’s time for a post and instead of coming up with fresh, new content – I am going to link up with Joy for Friday Five.
My IPad 2 was running really slow recently so I did a factory reset and spent some time downloading my favorite apps again. It’s amazing how I rely on so much technology and I have a few apps I couldn’t imagine living without. Here’s 5 that made the list (today of course, it could all change tomorrow).
{JellySplash} Is the Candy Crush craze over yet? I got stuck on a pretty high level and got bored, so I found Jelly Splash. Basically, you create a chain of same color jellies in a certain amount of moves to clear grey spaces, squash mushrooms and some other unrelated tasks. It’s the same idea of CCS, once you are out of lives you have to wait a few hours. This works well for me since I can get addicted pretty quickly. It’s a good mindless game to play at the end of the evening or while waiting for a phone call.
{Wordpress} I downloaded the WordPress app so I can approve comments on the go (side-note: comments and new followers make me VERY happy). I am surprised at how seamless the app is and how it basically does everything the site does. One time my Momma alerted me to a misspelling and I was able to log on, edit the post, and re-post before the world realized I can’t function without spell-check.
{Bloglovin} Every night when we get into bed, I take some time to flip through the hundreds of blogs I follow. First I used Google Reader, then I went to Feedly and since I signed up with Bloglovin I’ve been using the app. It’s pretty basic which appeals to me and it doesn’t hurt that it’s a pretty user interface.
{Etsy} I have realized pretty quick that I am a fan of ‘screen shopping’. Think window shopping, but on your computer, phone, tablet, etc. I was thrilled to find out Etsy has a fabulous app that makes it stupid easy to add items to my favorites list. I’ve also ordered a few things through the app with zero problems.
{Overdrive} This app has come a long way, especially with speed. Overdrive connects you to your libraries e-books and audio books to download to either the Overdrive app, or Kindle. I am not sure the last time I set foot in a library and I am pretty sure it’s because I owe late fees at every library between Fairfax County and Sussex County Delaware. Plus, if you have moved a bunch, you can still hit up any library with any card you have.
And one app for good measure. For any mommas – download anything by Fisher Price. Mike loves playing the shape game and watching the puppy dance. They are free!
TWO posts from me in a day? I hope that makes up for the radio silence. It’s Friday, I am SO over this week, so I am linking up with Joy for Friday Five. Instead of a theme, I’m going to go rogue.
{Snow} Ugh. I am not a fan of extremes and snow is on one end of the spectrum. I don’t mind it when I can snuggle up under a blanket and watch movies all day. BUT – when you work from home as long as you have electricity, you have to work. I was surprised at how out of sorts it felt working and having S. home and my coworker’s kids home and everyone just all off schedule. I hope next week is somewhat normal.
{Blacklist} I am usually late to the TV show party but my parent’s suggested the Blacklist. S. just finished binge watching Breaking Bad so we needed something to watch. So far, I am hooked! I am more interested in how everyone is connected – they are doing a great job dropping small hints that send me to Google to see what everyone else is thinking and theorizing.
{Atkins} Meeeeeeat. So S. and I are 3 weeks into the Atkins Diet and he looks amazing after losing about 15 pounds. I, on the other hand, a, dropping weight much slower, but I’m okay with that. I’m down about 8 pounds as of a few days ago. Maybe next week I will share my inspiration picture. I am literally making a pizza right now where the crust is sausage. SAUSAGE.
{Boba Video} I am sure all my momma friends have seen this video from Boba. Grab a tissue. It’s a good one!
{Crawling} Almost 8 months old and military crawling for weeks (painful, frustrating weeks for Momma and Daddy), Mike FINALLY crawled. And is pulling up. Why take milestones slow?
