2012 Book 5: The Postmistress

Another war story for the year. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is about a wife who is waiting at home for her husband to come back from war and the letter that is never delivered to her.

The start of this book felt a bit erratic to me, but I am glad I finished it. I think I need a break from war stories.

Excerpts from the book:

All there was was the story she had told, not what happened around the edges.

Life seemed to her like a city hotel with many floors. She did not like to think of all the hallways she'd never seen, nor all the hallways that she might have walked along if she had gotten off at a different floor. She didn't like to think that there was more than one hallway than the one she was in...

When we know there are people in need, right now, in the same breath as what we are breathing, we cannot look away. It is no abstract. We have to go. That is humanity. The whole thing relies on it. Human beings do not look away.

One day someone you saw ever day was there and the next he was not. This was the only way Frankie had to report the Blitz.

...The Jews were being interned because they were Jews, and were being denied refuge on the basis of being Jews.

...he'd come to understand that each one of us was alive, intensely alive, right until the instant of death. And then each of us was gone. There could be no substitutions.

When the Germans come they will simply come, and there won't be an announcement.

We can't change what is coming. Something is always coming.

2012 Book 4: Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See is a historical novel about two sisters who end up immigrating from China to America in the 1930's. It is a glimpse into what it would have been like to be an immigrant of Asiatic descent during a difficult period. 

Ultimately it is the story of two sisters who love each other and support one another through some very difficult times in their lives. They deal with jealousy and betrayal as well as an undying loyalty to one another. It is a good read, though difficult at times.

Excerpts from the book:

"An educated woman is a worthless woman." – Confucius

We may look and act modern in many ways, but we can't escape what we are: obedient Chinese daughters.

I thought I was modern. I thought I had a choice. I thought I was nothing like my mother. But my father's gamblings has swept all that away. I am to be sold – traded like so many girls before me – to help my family. I feel so trapped and so helpless that I can hardly breathe.

In Shanghai, life flows like an endlessly serene river for the wealthy, the lucky, the fortunate. For those with bad fates, the smell of desperation is as strong as a rotting corpse.

Maybe we are all like that with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they are extraordinary.

"There is no catastrophe except death; one cannot be poorer than a beggar."

So often we're told that women's stories are unimportant. After all, what does it matter what happens in the main room, in the kitchen, or in the bedroom? Who cares about the relationships between mother, daughter, and sister? ...We're told that men are strong and brave, but I think women know how to endure, accept defeat, and bear physical, and mental agony much better than men.

Pin It: Crayon Monogram

This week I had to bail on craft day since Jack wasn't feeling great, but I did manage to squeeze in a Pinterest craft earlier that I thought I would share.

 {via}

I came across this Crayon Monogram Artwork a while back and thought it would be cute for a nursery. My sister's baby shower was this past Sunday and I decided to make her an "L" to hang in her little one's room. Her baby, Levi, is due in about a week. 

She loved the gift and laughed that I had made sure to get her some artwork for the nursery {when I was preparing for Jack to arrive, I had my nursery art done before we did anything else in that room!}.

The best tip I can share for this project is to use an exacto knife to score around the entire crayon and then snap it in half. First I tried cutting the crayons with scissors. Then I tried a chef's knife and then wire cutters. All failed. Daniel thought I should try softening the crayons in the toaster oven first, but I had visions of melted crayons that I would have to clean! Scoring the crayon is definitely the way to go!

Jack's First Shots

Jack's 2 month PED visit went well. He is in the 55th percentile for length at 23.5in, 60th percentile for weight at 12lbs14oz and 90th percentile for size of head at 16.75in! Our PED says that just means he has a big brain. We think this explains why he still sometimes has the bobble head effect – the poor little guy's body is half the size of his head – in terms of percentiles anyways!

This visit also encompassed the dreaded first round of immunization shots. Now I don't want to get into the debate of should you or shouldn't you {obviously we chose to proceed} but I did want to write about our post-shot experience.

Jack was a little trooper during the shot process. He held tightly to my finger while he screamed, but within a couple of minutes he was back to being completely calm {before our nurse even left the room}. We gave him a few minutes to cuddle before dressing him again.

After the series of shots he seemed a bit subdued. I felt bad that we couldn't treat him to something like an ice cream cone...

The rest of the day Jack didn't quite seem like himself... a little withdrawn, kind of like his feelings were hurt. I held him for most of the afternoon and when Daniel came home from work, he cuddled with Jack while I made dinner.

It is amazing that at 2+months old Jack is already coming out of the cuddling stage. He still enjoys it but is more interested in observing the world than snuggling on our chests. It makes me sad that this stage is already passing. At least when he doesn't feel good he still likes to snuggle.

After dinner we realized that he was starting to feel warm. We took his temperature and discovered that he had a low-grade fever – which we knew was a possibility. We gave him some baby Tylenol {per our doctor's orders} and continued to hold and cuddle with him the rest of the evening.

Thankfully he was able to sleep most of the night, though quite fitfully at times, and I continued to monitor his fever.

Jack and I spent yesterday on the couch together. Me holding him while he slept or cuddled with me. He was still not himself. I hate when he doesn't feel well. I think I would be a basketcase if he was actually sick {it kills me when Sophie doesn't feel well and she is just our dog!}.

Today Jack appears to be back to his usual self though we are going to stay inside again just to make sure he doesn't pick up anything. Plus there is no point in getting out in the rain.

Next time we are considering breaking the shots up over a week or two just so it isn't such a jolt to his system. 

My Sister's Baby Shower

Sunday morning Jack and I made the two-hour drive over to Nashville to attend my sister's baby shower. Her due date is in two weeks, so not very long until Jack has a little boy cousin. I think it will be so much fun to see these two little boys grow up together. Of course, Izzy will be a great big sister/older cousin – she is already smitten by Jack.

The shower was lovely. Our Aunt Becky and cousin Moriah drove over for the event. They enjoyed holding Jack while I attempted to take photos during the shower.

I surprised Izzy with a jealousy gift – a cooking outfit complete with chef's hat. I think it is safe to say she loved it.

After the shower my brother met up with us and we went to Chili's for dinner. Our waitress did a fantastic job and didn't seemed phased at all when Izzy knocked over a bowl of salsa – life with a two-year-old.

It was nice catching up with my siblings. I am definitely enjoying living closer to them.

Jack and I drove home that night in the rain. Rain and dark and mountains are my least favorite combination of driving conditions, but we made it home safely. Thankfully Sunday night's storms didn't hit our area too badly, though there is a mangled trampoline that was unceremoniously dumped in the field across the street by the wind...

Wildcat Grill

{image via}

Last Friday night we ventured out with Jack to meet up with friends at the Wildcat Grill. It is a fairly new eating establishment in the Scottsboro community and it did not disappoint. Cheap burgers, fast service AND they removed an item from our friend's bill just because she wasn't a huge fan of her chicken fries.

I would say the burgers are on par with Five Guys {aka cooked to order} and there isn't barbeque on the menu {a rarity in this area}. Also, our friends ordered fried pickles {to share} and it was a huge basket, more than enough for four of us. Wildcat reminded me a lot of the Burger Barn {back in the day} in Searcy, AR – basically a smalltown place with lots of high school students, but oh-so-good. Especially for ~$5 for a good burger and fries.

We will be back.

Jack slept through the whole meal.

The Best Gift

When Daniel and I were visiting family in Arkansas last week, my parents gave us a couple of Christmas gifts for Jack. One was My First Read and Learn Bible. It is a board book and tells Bible stories in really simplified terms with beautiful pictures. Perfect for a little one.

The other gift, though for Jack, was a great surprise to me. It was The Christian Mother Goose Treasury book that my dad had given to me on my first Christmas. This is one of the best gifts I have ever received. I remember reading this book as a child and had forgotten about it. I love that we get to pass it on to Jack now.

My parents also gave me my baby book. It was such fun to read through it and reminisce with my parents. Much of what my mom had written about me could apply directly to Jack...

The minute Cheree was born, she was very alert and looking all around.

Cheree nurses very eagerly and seems to enjoy it a lot. For the first 2 months she slept quite well and didn't usually wake up crying... She doesn't cry much at all – only if she's hungry or tired. Cheree is the best little girl – am I prejudiced?

Cheree smiled regularly at about 2 months old, at just about anyone who smiled at her. She tried very hard, right from birth, to look all around her She banged her head against my shoulder, trying to hold her head up.

Naps are from 5 mins to 6 hrs! Just whenever. She plays quietly by herself when she's awake. 

Cheree usually would only nurse about 10 min at a time... Cheree has no schedule but generally every 3 hrs.

At about 2 months she began "talking" away by herself. She responds well when we talk to her. She lifts her chin and tries to talk back. She's very curious and tries to see what's going on...

Tries to sing also at 2 months... Responds well to music.

Pin It, Part II

Our second Pinterest craft day was a success.

Laura finished her Paper Book Wreath 

and started working on this daily calendar 
{seen on DesignSponge via one of my favorite bloggers: AshleyAnn}.

While I worked on the baby blanket I have been knitting for Jack. 

My inspiration for the blanket was this blanket from PurlBee.

My Nana actually made us this gray baby blanket after the PurlBee pattern

and I used this easier pattern for my first knitted blanket.

First Date as New Parents

{via}

Last Friday, Daniel and I drove all the way to Searcy, Arkansas to go on our first date without Jack. My parents were thrilled to watch our little man. As we went out the door we gave last minute instructions and then had faith that they had raised three kids well and Jack was in good hands.

We made our way into town to Midnight Oil for coffee and dessert. Our very first date, almost 10 years ago ended at MO. It was an epoch first date that lasted over 8 hours. It was sweet to go and reminisce about that date so long ago. 

On that first date I was nervous and made sure that I looked my best. On this date I was tired and had spit up on my shirt, but I know that Daniel loves me more now than he could have imagined back in 2001 – spit up and all.

We talked a little bit about Jack but mostly we reminisced about the past and dreamed about the future. We also felt really old because a lot of the people at MO looked like they were 12. We felt better when we saw some actual college students.

I don't know if my memory has elevated MO in my mind, but I was a bit disappointed with my Mr. Blond. It wasn't as sweet as I remembered. And we had to request ceramic mugs – why are they using paper cups??? Also the chocolate cake we shared, while good, didn't taste like it had been made fresh that day... more like it had been purchased from somewhere else the day before. Also it was kind of weird that there are no couches any more... they have been replaced by church pews. While church pews can hold more people and are interesting as pieces of furniture, the old white and brown pews from DTCoC don't lend the same comfortableness as an old, ratty couch.

I still love Midnight Oil, but it didn't seem like the same coffee house of my college days. I will hang on to my memories and my special moments there with Daniel.

2012 Book 3: Heaven is for Real

I on a roll – three books in two weeks. Awesome. I know that as Jack gets bigger it is probably going to be more of a challenge to squeeze in my reading.

The third book I read this year was Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, Lynn Vincent, Sonja Burpo and Colton Burpo. It is a fascinating glimpse of heaven through the eyes of a little boy who almost died due to a ruptured appendix. 

I am a believer in heaven and it was very interesting to see heaven through the eyes of four-year-old boy. Sadly there is a cynical part of me that has doubts about the truth of the story. But I really want to believe in Colton's experience... it really did seem for real.

As a new parent, the first part of the book about how Todd and Sonja Burpo almost lost Colton was extremely difficult to read. I am a fairly stoic person and I have to admit to crying while I read. It made me want to hold my little boy a little tighter.

2012 Book 2: Catching Fire

My second book for the year was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, part II of The Hunger Games trilogy. In Catching Fire we learn that Katniss and Peeta have become symbols of rebellion against The Capitol and President Snow is bound and determined to make them pay for this rebellion.

Catching Fire was very fascinating though it didn't quite hold the same intrigue for me as The Hunger Games did. I think this is because I found the storyline in The Hunger Games to be very unexpected and I found myself anticipating much of what happened in Catching Fire. That being said, Catching Fire is still a great book and I am looking forward to reading Mockingjay and finding out how the series ends.

Jack is Two Months Old

Can I please hit the pause button? My baby boy is growing way too fast.

I never thought I would be the type of person who would be over the moon about a baby, but I am. And so is Daniel. It makes us wonder why we waited so long! Just kidding, the timing for baby Jack was perfect and we adore everything about him.

Shortly after he turned one month old, we had a pediatrician visit where we discovered he was gaining 2 oz a day {average is 1 oz}. Now at 2 months old he is already 13 lbs. No wonder my back hurts at the end of everyday!

Besides growing, in the last month Jack has continued to develop in all areas. He holds his head up fairly well {though he still has the bobble head at times}. He now coos and tries to talk back to us when we talk or sing to him. He loves bath time and I think he has learned bladder control {no more peeing the second we set him in the water during bath time and rarely peeing on us during diaper changes}.

Jack has improved in his eating habits – he no longer acts like a little pig who believes that each feeding time will be his last. This has tremendously helped with his volume of spit up.

Jack is such a happy baby. He rarely cries for the sake of crying and is easily calmed... especially when we implement the " cuddle cure." He wakes up at 3am and 5am like clockwork to be fed. He is a speedy eater so I can feed him and do a diaper change in 15 minutes flat. It is awesome.

This month Jack experienced his first Christmas, his first New Years and his first ride on a four wheeler.

We love doing new things with him. We have also traveled quite a bit and had plenty of visitors. Our son is truly loved.

We have made an effort to get out with him as much as possible. We eat out at least once a week and he is a doll. Early on he would just sleep. Now he is sometimes awake and he loves for us to hold him while we eat – he wants to watch and be involved in the meal. I also started taking him to yoga and kickboxing. He is a big hit and is content to watch me workout. Jack also made his debut at the grocery store – I carry him strapped to my chest in a Moby or Bjorn.

Jack smiles intentionally and laughs. Sometimes he does it in his sleep and it melts my heart. He watches me intently and will follow me with his eyes. He is still not a fan of tummy time, but loves to watch his mobile and hit the rattle that hangs over his play mat.

We are now almost exclusively using cloth diapers and they have been great.

We still don't use Jack's nursery – mostly because we have been busy traveling or entertaining visitors. We are planning to make the transition to the nursery in the coming weeks.

We can't wait to see how Jack grows and changes next month. For now we try to spend lots of time cuddling and loving on him.

*I will be writing monthly updates of Jack with pictures of Jack and the Tonka truck on the 11th of each month. One Month Old.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup 

Recipe adapted from from SkinnyTaste {the SkinnyTaste version is probably a little healthier}
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped and sauteed in 2 tsp olive oil {I skipped this step}
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chipotle salsa
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz V8 tomato juice {the recipe actually calls for 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, for some reason I was out of tomatoes, so I substituted V8 juice and it was great... in the future I might add tomatoes in addition to the V8}.
• 8 oz can whole kernel corn
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp ranch dressing {I used this as a thickener, I think sour cream, cream or milk would also work}
• shredded cheddar cheese {optional as topping}
• sour cream {optional as topping}

Directions:

• Put everything {except ranch dressing, cheese and sour cream} into a crock pot.
• Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
• Remove chicken and shred with two forks. 
• Add chicken back into the soup.
• Stir in ranch dressing and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes to thicken your soup.
• Serve in bowls and top with sour cream, cheese and Baked Corn Tortilla Chips.

Baked Corn Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

• Small Corn Tortillas
• Salt

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400º F.
• Cut tortillas into fourths and place on cookie sheets so that none are touching.
• Salt to taste.
• Bake for 10 minutes {turning chips over halfway through} or until golden brown and crispy on edges.
• Let chips set for 5 minutes to harden once you remove from oven.

2012 Book 1: The Secret Garden

To kick off the new year I read on of my all-time favorite books, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is probably the only book that I have read multiple times. When I was about 11 I had a copy and it was dog-eared. I read that book so many times I had entire passages memorized. I absolutely adored it. I still love it.

Excerpts from the book:

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.

One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun--which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with the millions of stars waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in someone's eyes.

Much more surprising things can happen to anyone who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time and push it out by putting in an agreeable, determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place.

At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done--then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.

Two things cannot be in one place. Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.

Our Chunky Monkey

This morning Daniel and I were a bit late for church so we ended up in the "training room" – a special room for parents with infants and toddlers. It was nice to not have to worry if Jack got noisy {which he really didn't}.

Anyways, there was a couple sitting in front of us with a little girl. Both Daniel and I noticed how well this little munchkin was holding up her head. She was smaller than Jack so Daniel began to worry that Jack must be behind developmentally {Jack is 8 weeks and two days old}.

After church someone asked the couple how old their daughter was and they said, "Four months."

Well that made us feel better since Jack can still sometimes be a bit of a bobble head... but it also made us realize how huge our little guy is. Granted I think the little girl was probably small for her age, but Jack continues to grow like crazy. At his one month pediatrician's appointment he was already 10 lbs 11 oz. Today I weighed him and he is 12 lbs 6 oz! Crazy how big he is getting... no wonder by back hurts at the end of most days!

My Yearly Challenge

Long ago I gave up making yearly resolutions. They always seemed to be things like "quit biting my fingernails" or "lose weight" and I never managed to achieve whatever it was that I was resolving to do {I still bite my fingernails}.

In recent years I have taken to thinking about a word to be a theme for the coming year and this has proven to work well. It helps me to be more purposeful in how I look at the year.

In addition to this, last year I took the time to make a list of things I would like to accomplish in my life time. This list helped me to really pinpoint my dreams and was great in motivating me to cross things off my list.

Last year I managed to mark six things off my list:

10. Become a mother

45. Run a half marathon

46. Read 52 books in one year (my third year to do this)

58. Design a line of greeting cards
98. Visit an aquarium

100. See a bear in the wild 

and I made headway on another two:

5. Climb/hike to the highest points in all 50 states {added #6 Mt Washington, New Hampshire}

14. Stay married until “death do us part”  (9 years down, the rest of our lives to go)

I have found that challenges do more to motivate me than anything else. Recently I was asked to participate in a challenge to run 500 miles {via Facebook}...

You remember the old song, "I would walk 500 miles..." by the pretenders...

So would you run/walk 500 miles in 2012?

I am challenging myself and anyone who would join me to record 500 miles this calendar year.  

That's 1.3 miles per day
9.6 miles per week
41.7 miles per month

No matter your current physical shape or condition, get out there and burn up the road! Post your miles on the group wall. Encourage others.

Who will be the first to 500?
Who will perserve to the end to join the 500 mile club?

This is the kind of challenge that really gets me excited. I don't know that I will run all of the miles, but I am sure that I can walk, run, bike, canoe or hike a total of 500 miles this year. That is the goal anyway.

In addition, I plan to read 52 books again this year. 

I would also like to make headway on the following things on my life list:

5. Climb/hike to the highest points in all 50 states

14. Stay married until “death do us part” 

19. Bike a century
20. Participate in a triathlon

22. Make Christmas stockings

51. Participate in a Muddy Buddy

53. Get to and maintain a healthy weight

59. Make my own bread {without a bread machine}. *This year I would like to make fresh bread at least once a month.

77. Make a quilt

What are your personal goals or challenges that you are working towards this year?

Cloth Diapers

When Daniel and I first learned that we were expecting, one of our primary concerns was how much this kid was going to cost us and how we could combat any of these costs. Since I am currently a SAHM {who sometimes freelances from home} I thought that using cloth diapers would be a great way that I could help save us money.

About the time we started to consider CD, I had a friend write a great post about how she decided to use CD. I also came across in-depth posts about CD on Bower Power and Young House Love. All of these first-person accounts got me excited.

After much research, Daniel and I agreed that we were definitely going to give cloth diapers a try. We loved the idea of saving money and the green factor was also nice. We weren't sold on buying the most expensive diapers but wanted to try a couple of options before we fully committed. 

To start out we tried the Kawaii, Just Simply Baby and Rumparooz brands {we have one-size-fits-all in all three brands}. Below is a recap of our experience with each.

Kawaii are by far the cheapest you can buy {$6-$12 per diaper} and they work well. However we found that the quality isn't quite as good as the other two brands and they seem to take longer to dry {especially the Minkys}.

The majority of our diapers we bought were from Just Simply Baby. They are fairly cheap {$10-$14 per diaper} and a good quality. We started out buying the Halfway In package – it is $80 for 8 diapers {you reference boy or girl but you don't get to pick your diaper patterns... we ended up with some crazy patterns}.

Just Simply Baby also sells the detergent we use (but we found it cheaper on Amazon) – Rockin Green Detergent. It seems to work great. More on washing below...

Also, Just Simply Baby's return policy is the best by far, which is why we started with them:

Returns - If you are not satisfied with your diaper purchase, you may return them at any time within 30 days of invoice date. Diapers returned in 30 days do not have to be new in package, and can be used, washed, etcetera. Any packages received after 30 days of order date will NOT be refunded, so please take shipping time into consideration.

And finally, some friends gave us a Rumparooz – they are about $24 per diaper. This is our only diaper that has velcro instead of snaps. It is fairly easy to adjust the size and it has a double gusset to prevent leaks. I am not a huge fan of the velcro because my baby likes to pull it open while I am changing him. Snaps have been better for us.

If you are curious as to how modern cloth diapers work {like we were}, here is a brief overview:

Each diaper has two liners {inserts} that you stuff into it. The inside of the diaper is soft and absorbent. The outside is also soft, but is backed by a waterproof layer that prevents leaking. Come wash day, you pull out  the inserts out and throw them, along with the diaper cover, into the washer. You soak the diapers for an hour in cold water, wash them in warm water, then do an extra rinse in cold water. You don't even have to touch the poopy part. It is all really easy.
 
When the poop gets more solid (once you introduce food), then you have to knock the poop off into the toilet or a trash can. *I will probably write an update on washing when we reach this stage with Jack.

We currently have about 30 diapers so we do about one load of diapers every other day {this way there is time for them to hang dry}.

The different kinds of inserts are microfiber {this comes with the diaper and works well, but is bulky}, hemp {this insert is very thin, but costs extra and takes longer to dry}, and bamboo {this insert is thin, costs extra and takes longer to dry}. We have a few of all of these inserts. We actually like the microfiber the best even though it is bulkier.

The covers come in Minky and Regular. We have some of each. The Minky's are very soft. We don't really have a preference between the Minky and Regular. We have a variety of patterns and solid color diapers. Daniel's favorite are the Just Simply Baby Spider Man pattern and I really like the Just Simply Baby Moo pattern.

 

Blow outs have been almost non-existent, and definitely less than disposables, and diaper rash has rarely happened with CD. When Jack has had a diaper rash from disposables, we temporarily left him in disposables and use Desitin until the rash clears up, then swap back to cloth. *Note that Desitin can not be used with cloth diapers as it ruins the absorbency.

We received a couple of diaper cakes from baby showers that kept us going on disposables for the first few weeks until Jack reached the minimum 8lb weight required for the CD to fit properly. We tried the diapers a couple times before he reached 8 lbs, but his legs were too small to fill out the holes so they leaked out the sides.

In terms of savings: we have spent $300 upfront on our cloth diapers. Our water bill is up ~$2 per month {no sewer charges since we are on septic, so that keeps it cheaper}. According to some friends who have a one year old, they spent $1000 in the first year on disposable diapers, or about $83/month on average. So unless Jack is potty trained at age 4 months or less, the cloth diapers will save us a lot of money.