We're Crazy!...For Two Reasons

So, most people think we're already crazy for not finding out the gender of our baby. Why did we decide to do this? Well, it was Ryan's idea at first and I wasn't sure that I bought into it, but I figured that it was fair to let him be involved and make a decision since all the rest of this pregnancy thing is kind of my deal. So we decided to try it. We made it through all the ultrasounds without finding out, and our doctor doesn't even know what we're having.

It's our first baby, we figured it doesn't matter, we'll start with a boy or a girl and go from there. "But it's a surprise at 20 weeks or a surprise at birth, what's the difference?" Here's my explanation. Waiting until the end for the surprise is much like not knowing what you are getting for Christmas as a child. Sure, if you peak and see your presents before Christmas, you're still surprised even if it's not Christmas yet, and you are still excited to get the gifts later, but the real anticipation is gone from the moment and it's just not quite the same. That's how I feel if I already knew the sex of the baby. I would still be very very excited to meet this baby, but there is something extra special added to the anticipation of the birth day when you don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl.

So, we're actually really enjoying the last couple weeks of suspense and our excitement continues to grow. Now for the second reason we are crazy...

Hardly anyone knows this yet, but Ryan and I have decided to do cloth diapers instead of disposables! Yeah, I know most of you that have kids are thinking "you really are crazy" and that we are totally naive to the challenges that newborns and diapers bring. Well before you pass your own judgment, here is just a tiny bit of information that won us over.

The environment - Some of the facts: 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking as many as 500 years to decompose. Disposable diapers make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers--a significant fact, considering they are a single product, used by a limited portion of the population.1 It takes upwards of 82,000 tons of plastic and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp, or a quarter-million trees, to manufacture the disposable diapers that cover the bottoms of 90 percent of the babies born in the US.2 And it's not wasting water, washing cloth diapers at home uses 50 to 70 gallons of water every three days--about the same as a toilet-trained child or adult flushing the toilet five to six times a day. It's also better for babies bottoms. Much less diaper rashes, no exposure to dioxin chemicals found in disposables, and easier to potty-train later.

The convenience - No pins or folding!
Check out the latest in cloth diapers.





So we have ordered samples of some different types to try, and we'll let you know how this adventure goes.