Got milk?

Just to be absolutely clear: I do not put the cotton diapers óver the pampers...
I just added the pampers picture to show how small these diapers are these days.
We normally use cotton diapers with the wool- or other covers, but sometimes we use pampers or another throw-away-brand when we are going out. I just don't want to carry wet cotton diapers around a whole day. And yes, I know there are very nice waterproof bags for the purpose, but I decided to do it this way. A mixture of being environmentally (and skin-) friendly (which is most of the time) and convenience.
Yvonnep commented that it looks very hot, all those layers on Bram's butt. Actually, it is much cooler than the plastic covers we used before, and also cooler than the pamper. Trust me.
The first (and so far only) time that Bram developed diaper rash was when we used pampers for a day or two a couple of weeks ago. Wool breaths and it is proven that it keeps baby-butts cooler, even though people think of winter when they see wool.
Read more about cotton diapers and wool covers here (in Dutch).
Today I did try a very loosely fitted pair of pants over the diaper/wool cover combination, and it doesn't look half bad at all! Let me post a picture, you have to see his very cool first pair of jeans (NIJNTJE-jeans!) anyway:



(note the real fly and the 'yo dude' little finger...)










And look at his cute milk-moustache:

The biggest butt

Today Bram is wearing the woolen 'soakers' I made him for the first time.
Thanks to grandma Dineke, who had a whole bottle of lanoline in her closet, I was finally able to waterproof them.
I have to say: they work wonderfully. Even when the cotton diaper is soaking wet the soaker still feels completely dry on the outside.

But...
Or should I say: butt...
Or should I say: BUTT...

Let me make this point in pictures:


Pampers.









Cotton diaper.









Cotton diaper covered by woolen soaker.









Cotton diaper covered by woolen soaker covered by bodysuit.








I did not try to put normal pants over the bodysuit, I think Bram is warm enough now (-:

Just imagine regular clothes on top of all of this:











Anyone more experienced with cotton diapers reading my blog who can comment on this???

I am now planning on using these indoors only, and leaving out the regular pants. I will make some woolen soakers in a regular pants shape that I can use without extra clothes, so Bram won't look so silly.

So, another trip to the yarn shop, and back to the knitting needles it is...

All smiles

I present to you:
one very happy baby...











(who also likes to be carried around by daddy)

Monday knitting day

Not sure when I will go back to the Monday night Stitch 'n Bitch nights,
but I do miss them, so this post will be about knitting... and diapers...

I am working on my second 'soaker' at the moment.
This was the first one:











Bram wears cotton diapers. Of course they get soaking wet, so you need something waterproof to cover the diaper. At the moment we use plastic 'strikslips'. But they are plastic and make Bram's butt hot, and they leak at the sides. So I am knitting these so-called soakers from untreated, organic wool. After treatment with lanoline, these will be waterproof. And since wool breaths, Bram will have a cool and relatively dry butt. And the best thing is: you don't have to wash them (only once a month or so). Just let them air-dry and they are good to go again. Untreated wool is self-cleaning.
The soakers are a bit big, but I guess they will last longer now when Bram grows bigger.

The wool and pattern were obtained from Storm in the attic. Check out her website, she makes pretty cloth diapers, and tons of other beautiful baby-related stuff!

Who delivers baby-storks?

We went to Artis, the zoo, last Monday.
Spring is all around us, even the storks had babies...












I don't think Bram noticed, he was asleep most of the time.

Earlier in the week I woke up and noticed that both my husband and the baby were gone!
I found them sound asleep on the couch in the living room...
Martijn took Bram there for his night feeding, and since he was crying he decided to stay a little longer so he wouldn't wake me (-:












Last week I promised more pictures of hand-made gifts.
Here are the cardigan and hooded blanket that grandma Dineke made for Bram:












Not hand-made, but extremely cute is this outfit that Ingrid bought him.
Thanks to the humongous (sp?) cotton diapers we use it already fits.
No baby boy should grow up without a 'tuinbroek'.

Getting bigger

Even after skipping the extra bottles and going back to 6-7 feedings a day instead of at least 8, Bram gained 325 g this past week. According to the nurse, babies gain between 100 and 250 g per week, so he is doing really well. Probably making up for his slow start (-:
Mom is proud of her big boy.