Wordless Wednesday – November 6, 2013

Two Months of Breast Milk for Baby Tessa!

Baby Tessa is two months old today! She weighed in at 10.5 pounds and is 22 inches long. (She was 7.3 and 20 inches at birth!) Where is the time going?! She is growing up so fast!! Tell me time will slow down… it will slow down again right? Right?!

I am so so SO happy to report that in the past two months, Tessa has been 100% exclusively on breast milk. She has not had a drop of formula. At the moment our deep freezer is filled to the brim with donor milk, and amazing mommies keep reaching out to us offering more, so it looks like my “unrealistic” goal of having Tessa breast fed till she is weaned may not be so unrealistic after all! God is so good!

As I’ve mentioned before, I cannot produce ANY breast milk (I had all of my breast tissue removed as a teenager from a condition called tuberous breast hypoplasia) and I grew up knowing that I would one day turn to the kindness of strangers to provide the healthy milk that my daughter needed. Breast truly is best, and I never, ever wanted my shortcomings to impact my daughter in any way. For over a decade before becoming a mommy I planned on turning to donors for milk, but I doubted that I would find someone (let alone many someones) that would meet this need.

Boy was I wrong! Through every step of my journey into motherhood, I have not walked alone when it comes to providing food for my daughter. From my first regular donor, to the many moms that came to my rescue when the freezer storing my milk blew out, to all of the amazing donors that are currently blessing my little girl with nutritious food, good health, and motherly love!

And this milk is undeniably making a difference! Tessa started to get the beginnings of a cold last week. She was getting slightly congested at night, and two mornings in a row I suctioned out huge bright to dark green boogers from her tiny little nostrils. (In infants I’m told, green usually means infection. How such big boogers can come from such a tiny nose, I’ll never know.) Right when I started to worry over her impending cold, it just went away on it’s own. Before it reached a stage of interfering with her sleep, or dehydrating her, or causing fever, it just vanished. At her two month check-up, my pediatrician commented, “It’s most likely because she’s breast fed. Breast fed babies usually resolve colds on their own.”

Just one drop of breast milk contains around one million white blood cells. And these cells, (called macrophages) kill harmful germs and bacteria that cause illness in infants. Breast milk is also power packed with immunoglobulin A (IgA), which coats the lining of babies immature intestines, preventing germs from leaking through. This results in less illness overall, and mild, short-lived colds when they do strike. And that’s not even touching on the protections against allergens and asthma, the perfectly balanced nutrition and so on and so on and so on.

So when I say I am grateful for EVERY SINGLE DROP of milk gifted to my daughter – I mean that literally!

I am really, truly, completely and thoroughly thankful to everyone who has given of themselves… often pumping in the wee hours of the night. Every single bag I pull out of my deep freezer, I note the date and the time, and my heart swells with joy for the mother that had the strength and the forethought to not only feed her little one, but to prepare a bag for a mommy that can’t make her own.

I know I’m only two months into motherhood, but in this short time I’ve come to realize – Being a mother is THE HIGHEST CALLING. There is no greater single thing a woman can do in her lifetime than provide for, love and protect the little lives entrusted to her care. So to the mothers who have provided for their own, and then reached out to extend love to other children in need…. You are truly amazing. And you are making a difference in the life of my little girl.

I cannot thank you enough. God bless!

A five day old Tessa drinking donor colostrum through the Lact-Aid Nurser.

Emerald Coast Coalition for Life Fundraiser

This past weekend Jonathan and I attended a fundraising event for the Emerald Coast Coalition for Life. This group is a non-profit organization that is highly active in the pro-life community here in Pensacola, Florida – organizing outreach events, educating the public on abortion and offering abortion alternatives.

The theme for the fundraiser was a starfish, inspired by Loren Eisley’s “Starfish Story”:

One day a young man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.

Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?”

The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

The man laughed and said, “Don’t you realize, there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man he said, “I made a difference to that one.”

And the Emerald Coast Coalition for Life (ECCL) is making a difference… one life at a time.

After Dr. Ernie Cyr, the Executive Director for ECCL (and a spitting image of Greg Gutfeld from Fox News), gave the ministry update and offered the pledge challenge, we all had the privilege of listening to the touching story of the nights keynote speaker, Mr. Chad Judice.

And by touching story, I mean a frikkin’ TEAR JERKER. A “I-can’t-see-to-take-pictures-because-my-lens-is-somehow-all-blurry” story. Chad Judice is the author of Waiting For Eli: A Father’s Journey from Fear to Faith and Eli’s Reach. Both books outline the story of his son Eli, born with spina bifida, a condition that moves over 80% of mothers to abort their babies that suffer from it. Choosing to ignore the advice and the social pressure of a world without morals urging them to kill their baby, they walked in faith and prayerfully welcomed their son into this world, where he is a source of joy and inspiration to many.

It never ceases to amaze me that we live in a world that supports, protects and draws hope from children with special needs – cheering for the Special Olympics, recoiling in horror at those who would pick on or harm a kid with special needs – yet if those same children were to be brutally dismembered in the womb, many would see it as a “responsible” or “acceptable” thing to do. The same child that brings joy and hope to the world, would be left floating in a bloody abortionists bowl if many pro-choicers had their way.

This is why groups like ECCL are so vital to the health of our community. When the pro-death crowd is pushing for the relentless slaughter of babies – healthy or handicapped – those children in danger of “choice” need an advocate. Whether that means standing outside of an abortion mill to counsel confused young women, or lending financial support to those who have the time to reach out. While there will always be people in this world that seek to harm children, if you can say, “I made a difference to that one”, you have truly left this world different than when you came in. What higher calling?

30 Skills I Would Like To Teach My Daughter

I plan on homeschooling my baby girl, and part of that, of course, includes teaching her the basic ABC’s and 123’s. But it also goes waaaaay beyond book learning. Homeschooling will also be a home ministry – leading our baby girl to Jesus and equipping her to lead a Godly life. I want her to grow up learning to serve in her community and be a positive difference in this world. I want to do my part to shape her into the woman that she was created to be.

I know she is but a wee thing now, but before we know it it’s going to be time to outline daily curriculum, think about homeschool goals and mission statements, put together lesson plans and so on and so forth. Before I have to get super serious about the Freeman Family Homeschool’s day to day syllabus, I’ve compiled a list of unconventional  old fashioned “finishing school” type skills and talents that I’d like my baby girl to learn as part of her home education.

Some are things she will learn over the course of her upbringing. Some are common sense and almost don’t bear listing. And still some are obscure things that I’d like to make room for and include in her school curriculum at some point in her life. All are things that I think will positively impact her life, and help to make her a well-rounded, graceful, cultured, creative little creature.

Without further ado, here is my list of things I would like to teach my daughter, in no particular order:

1. How to play at least one musical instrument and read music.

2. How to work fluently in at least one art medium (photography, sketching, painting, pottery, whatever.)

3. To keep a regular journal and record her thoughts, dreams, imaginings and favorite quotes.

4. Learn the language of flowers and colors.

5. How to properly set formal dinner table.

6. To memorize Scriptures, poems, and inspirational quotes.

7. How to cook and bake basic meals and the science behind ingredient mixtures and flavor interplay.

8. How to do laundry and clean the house – from fixing carpet stains to cleaning bathtub rings.

9. To regularly moisturize and take care of her body, inside and out.

10. To always give back to the community by always being involved in volunteer work.

11. How to use a sewing machine and how to sew by hand.

12. To wash her hands often and practice good hygiene.

13. How to write a thank you note.

14. How to style her hair and how to use / apply make-up.

15. How to camp and backpack, start a campfire, along with other basic wilderness survival skills.

16. How to grow and tend a garden.

17. Phone etiquette and basic conversational skills.

18. How to read a map.

19. Learn the properties of basic essential oils.

20. How to handle, shoot and clean a gun.

21. Have an elementary knowledge of at least one classic dance form.

22. How to use basic first aid, CPR and tend wounds.

23. How to speak another language.

24. How to break down the etymology of a word.

25. How to change the oil, spark plugs, and basic automotive upkeep skills.

26. How to navigate the Dewy Decimal System.

27. How to identify birds by its features and calls.

28. How to identify plants in nature.

29. How to play chess and utilize basic strategies and defenses in a game.

30. How to identify constellations in the night sky.

What skills would YOU like to impart to your children as part of a homeschool curriculum? ^_^

Tessa’s First Halloween!

Happy Halloween!! The Freeman Family will be spending Tessa’s first Halloween sitting on the couch, watching scary movies by the fire, eating home made split pea soup and homemade cookies and handing out candy to visiting trick or treaters. Good, fattening, name brand candy that would make this woman’s blood boil. (No, I don’t harbor any resentment to the houses with cheap tootsie roll and temporary tattoo Halloween handouts… why do you ask??)

For baby Tessa’s first Halloween, she will be wearing her Sheriff onesie (first Halloween costume – she’s going as her Grandpa! haha). In the following years she will be doomed to wear the most fabulous, elaborate costumes that her cosplay parents can craft for Halloween. I seriously cannot wait!

Happy Halloween everyone! Oh, and check out these cute holiday photos we took yesterday…. One of the perks of motherhood is being able to stick your pumpkin sized baby into a baby sized pumpkin. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Infant Male Circumcision: Unnecessary Child Abuse

I would never even consider circumcision for my daughter Tessa. Why would I consider circumcision if I have a boy next?

The topic of infant male circumcision came up in conversation with a good friend a couple of days back. This is another one of the many issues that I am passionate about. Just call me an old-fashioned wahoo, but it pisses me the f*ck off when people needlessly hurt children – whether it’s savage dismemberment in the womb or barbaric genital mutilation shortly after birth.

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people just go along with the cultural norms of the day unquestioningly, to the extent of binding little girl’s feet,  mutilating a girl’s clitoris and labia, or chopping off the most pleasurable part of a little boys penis. Unquestioningly. Unthinkingly. And all because society says it’s okay.

Once confronted with the facts of male circumcision, most women who ignorantly subjected their sons to this vile act get defensive and aggressive, born out of guilt. And a lot of guys, confronted with the injustice dealt them, get defensive and protective of their manhood and ferociously assert that they are “just fine”. (Despite the fact that 70% of their erogenous nerve endings on their sex organ is gone.)

The good news is, more and more men and women are waking up to the facts and choosing to NOT mutilate theirs son’s genitals for social conformity. To date, only about 30% of baby boys leave the hospital with butchered winkles. And the number is daily dwindling. By the time I have a boy, his generation will be overwhelmingly intact and the archaic parents who insist on perpetuating a sick tradition will have boys with partial penises wondering why THEY are different.

Since there’s tons of info that can and has been relayed, discussed and hammered out (there’s was a mini firestorm on my blog for posting the above meme, haha)) here are some circumcision memes I’ve found to enlighten and entertain. Enjoy. ^_^

And this is just for giggles:

Emergency Car Kit Checklist – Baby Edition!

So one of the major changes I’ve noticed in myself ever since becoming a mother, is that I now feel the need to be freakishly organized and prepared for any and every worst case scenario. My new nightmares consist of finding out that we’ve run out of toilet paper or lightbulbs or that we need a screwdriver that we just don’t own. EGADS!

Anyway, a couple of months ago I made a “Things To Keep In Your Car” checklist. Prior to having Tessa as a resident in my uterus, I just wasn’t all that prepared – ever. And I was (and still am) chronically forgetful. So now that Tessa is here, I thought it would be wise to add another tubful of goodies to my car kit checklist and stay on top of this whole being prepared and taking care of my family thing.

I’d like to mention that the brands that I have stashed in my baby car tub is NOT indicative of brands that I support or regularly use or endorse in any way. These are all quite literally baby shower gift leftovers and gift registry freebies. Since I don’t anticipate actually having to use this bucket – it’s meant for the direst of emergencies – I figured I’d use them in the car stash rather than just toss them. That said:

Emergency Car Kit Checklist – Baby Edition:

DIAPERS – My little poop factory is only 7 weeks old, and I’ve already come to realize that you can never have too many of these stashed away. While we’ve never been completely diaper-less when I’ve needed one, I have forgotten my diaper bag on some quick 30 minute outings (like going to pick up my husband from work). And had the poop machine decided to blow, I’d have been screwed.

BABY WIPES – Again, I don’t like using store bought wipes on my baby. I use all natural DIY baby wipes for her little tooshie. But in the off chance we’re in a situation that requires wipes, and there are none on hand (for instance, just last week she decided to poop all over her car seat and her diaper decided to have major leakage issues), we have some hypoallergenic baby wipes stashed away for cleaning things and / or baby.

HAND SANITIZER – I have SO MANY of these stashed away… at her changing pad, at our nursing station, in the stroller, in the car, in the diaper bag, and now in the car kit. You can usually find little three packs at a dollar store.

FORMULA AND BOTTLE – This is for the “oh crap, I forgot the diaper bag and we are nowhere near civilization oh god oh god oh god” emergencies. To date, I have not given my daughter a drop of formula. She has been exclusively fed with donor breast milk, and Lord willing, she’ll continue to be so till she is weaned. But in the extremely unlikely event I somehow fumble in her feeding duties on a road trip, I have a random freebie formula sample I was given from Babies R Us stashed away so my darling doesn’t starve.

BURP CLOTHS – Like diapers, I am loving having tons of these scattered around everywhere. You will always need them around with babies, and since plopping this emergency car kit in the car, we’ve already dipped into our burp cloth stash once.

RECEIVING BLANKET – In case she soils the one in her car seat, or if for some unforeseen reason it gets too cold and one blanket just won’t cut it.

EXTRA ONESIE – I don’t know if it’s normal to go through these frequently on outings, but about every other trip out of the house since she’s been born, she’s decided to poop on, massively spit up on and just general wreck her outfit. There’s been a couple days where she has soiled the outfit she left the house in, AND the two extra onesies I had stashed in the diaper bag. So I’ve got a few more hiding the car tub as well.

EXTRA SHIRTS FOR THE PARENTS – I haven’t had a massive wardrobe disaster yet (knock on wood), but I have arrived to functions with spit up stains or huge wet spots on my blouse. So I’ve got one of mine and one of my husband’s spare shirts hiding in the trunk for that inevitable emergency.

BUCKET TO HOLD ALL OF THE JUNK – Slap some Velcro on the bottom so it doesn’t slide around the car when you’re driving.

Other things you might want in your tub, that I have covered in my regular car kit:

FIRST AID KIT – With baby Tylenol and kid specific items

BOTTLED WATER – For mixing formula, cleaning up messes, etc.

ANY IMPORTANT MEDICATIONS FOR BABY

Baby Tessa With Daddy In New Orleans

My favorite part of our New Orleans trip? I loved watching Tessa’s face as she took in sights and smells and sounds. She was always looking UP. As we sat in Pirates Alley for a short break, between the Cabildo and St. Louis Cathedral, Tessa couldn’t stop staring at crows landing on the wrought iron crosses along the tiled roof. Her eyes kept flitting to and fro, trying to keep up with the movement, with her little brow wrinkled and mouth pursed into an “O” in her concentration. Then she’d look around, at the water trickling along the cobblestone water gutters, at the artwork hung along the Vieux Carre, at the sidewalk performers tap dancing, performing solo jazz… it was making my heart so happy to see my daughter soaking in the beautiful swirl of life all around us, snug and safe in her daddy’s arms.

International Babywearing Week – October 7-13

It’s International Babywearing Week, so I figured I’d write a little blurb about this fad that’s sweeping the nation.

First off, I have a natural aversion to following fads. Even if they seem perfectly logical and strike my fancy, I have this internal stubborn Statler and Waldorf that opposes falling into line. Gluten free diets? BAH! Detox baths? Humbug! And my internal critic really goes apeshit when the fads are truly nothing more than hype and hogwash. (Eating your own placenta, home and water births, back sleeping babies, etc.) But don’t get me started.

Occasionally, after doing research whilst fighting the tide, I eventually give in and then kick myself for not doing said fad from the very start. Like using coconut oil as a regular home and health remedy, and making natural products for my baby.

Babywearing, however, is a fad that I was lucky enough to convert to from Day 1. And yes, yes, I know that it’s been around for ages and isn’t new and blah blah blah. When I call it a fad, I’m not passing judgment on its history or past use, I’m just commenting on the resurgence in our present society today. Because until recently, wearing your baby was NOT the norm in apple pie America. But even before delving into the world of crunchy mommy-hood, I have always intended to babywear.

Maybe it’s because some of my very earliest memories involve me being worn by my dad. Back in the 80’s, when babywearing was relatively obscure, my dad would wear us kids on hiking trips and on nature trails. Those are memories (and photos) that I still treasure 25 years later. And it’s beyond touching to see my dad wearing my daughter like he once wore me.

But aside from the inherited tradition,babywearing just makes sense to me. Hell, if I could hang out in a sling and let a giant woman bounce around with me on her chest, I’d do that in a freaking heartbeat. (Kinky.) I mean, that’s got to be so warm and cozy and relaxing. And I noticed that I’ve never really seen any babies fussing or being colicky in a baby wrap. They don’t have time to be fussy, they’re too busy indulging in a drunken sleeping stupor.

The added benefit of having your hands free, while baby hangs out and gets to feel safe and warm and secure sold me on babywearing. I am personally partial to the ring slings because they are just SO EASY to put on and off. The only ring sling I own at the moment is a Maya Wrap and I love love love it! It feels like I have Tessa curled up in a little cloth womb on my chest.

I’ve also discovered that the wrap makes a perfect nursing cover. I can whip out the ol’ funbags and let Tessa suckle (I call it her mommy pacifier since I can’t produce milk) and no one is the wiser while shopping, walking along the beach, or hanging out at the dog park or wherever.

And! The ring sling is adjustable for others to use as well. My dad used to babywear me on hikes when I was a baby, and he was super excited to wear Tessa on a little day hike along the Trench Trail at Fort Barrancas when he came to visit earlier this month. While my husband prefers a harness style carrier (we don’t own one yet), he’ll still don the ring sling and carry baby Tessa when I give her up. Which I don’t do often because I love holding her sooo much. But DAMN are babywearing daddy’s hot. Observe:

So yeah. My advice to new mommies is: babywear all the way. To date, we have gotten more use out of our wrap than we have our stroller. No joke.

Why our society isn’t embracing this method of child transportation as the norm, I have no clue. It just makes sense. Tessa loves her sling as much as we do. So yay babywearing! And happy International Babywearing Week!

All Natural DIY Baby Wipes

I said I was on an all-natural kick, and I wasn’t joking. After learning about the Johnson and Johnson scandals, where toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde were being used WITHOUT disclosure on the bottles in their baby bath products, I’ve taken to seriously reconsidering what goes in, on, or around my daughter.

A week or two after her birth, I got to thinking. You can’t put sunscreen on an infant because newborns have what is called a high body surface to volume ratio. What this means is that proportionately babies have more skin for the size of their bodies as compared to that of an adult. Sunscreens are made of chemicals. On an adult, the chemical exposure is relatively minimal because the body surface ratio is smaller than a baby. Therefore, babies get a higher “dose” of sunscreen than adults, and babies can literally overdose on the chemicals and have serious adverse reactions.

The thing is, the same is true of every product you put on your child’s skin. The FDA regulate chemicals based on their safety levels for ADULTS. So for instance, while parabens are considered “safe” up to a volume of 25%, putting that “safe” amount on an infant will literally poison a newborn.

So when you think about it, conventional baby wipes contain a variety of ingredients that are being absorbed into baby skin in far greater quantities than you’d expect – and in quantities that these huge companies legally are not required to disclose. And when you consider that the average baby wipe contains parabens, phthalates (artificial fragrance), PEG’s, propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol and a variety of other chemicals, it’s worth seriously reconsidering slathering this junk all over your babies bottom 14+ times a day.

According to the U.S. Health and Human Services and FDA Guidelines, here are some of the known risk factors of the various chemicals that are found in conventional baby wipes:

Parabens – Weakened estrogen production and breast tumors.

Phthalates – Early puberty in girls, reduced testosterone production in boys, genital defects and testicular cancer.

PEG’s – Uterine and breast cancers, leukemia and brain cancer.

Propylene Glycol – Cancer and reproductive dysfunction. Propylene glycol is also a known allergen and eye irritant and can also be toxic to your immune system.

Phenoxyethanol – Shut down of the central nervous system, vomiting and contact dermatitis. It has also been shown to cause reproductive problems, and the FDA has even issued warnings that use of products with this chemical could cause “respiratory distress or vomiting and diarrhea in infants”.

And so on and so on and so on.

Now, I’ve been using conventional wipes on Tessa for the past 4 weeks, waiting on my shipment of all natural and organic ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. (Most of the ingredients are hard to find in their pure form, with no additives, at the local markets.) So I’m not saying that baby wipes are the devil. But I don’t intend to continue using them now that I have a better, safer and healthier alternative in my home. While she may not be absorbing enough of these chemicals to cause a noticeable reaction or long term harm, why put these chemicals on my baby AT ALL, when there is a better alternative? I firmly believe that my baby deserves the best.

Now, I trolled the interwebs for natural baby wipes recipes, and I finally decided to use a slightly tweaked version of these wipes from Wellness Mama. Here’s the skinny:

1 roll of heavy duty paper towels

Dispenser container

1 3/4 cups warm water

1 tablespoon of pure aloe vera gel

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap

2 vitamin E capsules

1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil

6 drops of lavender essential oil

6 drops of lemongrass essential oil

Cut a roll of heavy duty paper towels (like Bounty or some such) in half. You’ll be using one half of the roll for one batch of wipes. Pull out the center tube, and put your wipes in their container. Next, mix the ingredients together and gently swirl until slightly bubbly. (Note: If you don’t plan to use your wipes right away, use distilled water since tap water can potentially grow bacteria in your container after a couple months. But seriously. NOT using wipes right away? Hahahahahahaha….) Pour the mixture over your wipes and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. For REALLY absorbent towels you may need to mix up another half batch of the liquids. Anyhoo, after ten minutes, close your container to lock in moisture, and voila! Homemade, DIY, all natural baby wipes!

Why these ingredients:

Pure Aloe Vera Gel – This acts as a moisturizer for babies bottom. It is gentle and suited to sensitive skin. It is also a natural anti-bacterial agent.

Apple Cider Vinegar – The acidic properties of apple cider vinegar effectively soften and soothes dry skin, fighting diaper rash. It also works as an astringent and an antibacterial, killing harmful bacteria and fighting yeast infections.

Liquid Castile Soap – An all-natural, oil-based soap that’s extremely gentle on the skin, cleanses thoroughly, and does not require rinsing.

Sweet Almond Oil – While the aloe vera gel works as a moisturizer, the sweet almond oil works as an emollient – it softens skin rather than hydrates it. It also acts as a humectant to help prevent the loss of moisture, effectively fighting diaper rash.

Vitamin E Capsules – Acts as a preservative. Vitamin E contains natural antioxidants which extend the life of oil based products. Just a few drops do the trick.

Lavender Essential Oil – Not only does the lavender oil add a nice scent to the wipes,but lavender oil is known for its skin healing properties and its use as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antispasmodic and deodorant!

Lemongrass Essential Oil – Known for its analgesic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic, antiviral, astringent, bactericidal, deodorant and fungicidal properties.

In my opinion, these wipes work FAR BETTER than conventional wipes. After using them my hands feel SO SOFT. I seriously want to use these as hand and face wipes, they are that gentle and cleansing. I last changed Tessa’s diaper 2 hours ago, and my skin STILL feels clean, fresh and gently moisturized.

While making the baby wipes, I also made a small batch of “butt spray” to keep on my changing table for the really, uh, generous diapers of Tessa’s. (How is baby poo so.. sticky?!) It’s essentially:

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon castile soap

1 vitamin E capsule

2 drops sweet orange oil

Again, the castile soap is cleansing and does not require rinsing, the vitamin E serves as a preservative, and the sweet orange essential oil drops are mainly to add fragrance, though the oil is a natural antiseptic and bactericidal. Just mix well, put in a spray bottle, and then spray directly onto babies bum for really sticky messes.

Not even ten minutes after whipping up a batch Tessa was kind enough to supply me with a test diaper to try out the effectiveness of my concoction. And let me tell you, it works like a charm. It cuts through poo quickly, cutting down the number of wipes used, so there’s no pushing around and spreading the mess. It also made cleaning her little lady parts free of wayward butt goop much easier.

I thought that going the DIY route would be a form of sacrifice, using sub-par product with superior ingredients. But in all honesty, the wipes and spray work BETTER than the store bought variety, and they are roughly the same cost, if not cheaper. Happy me, realizing that giving your baby the best is so EASY! ^_^