Growing Every Day!

First of all, happy Fourth of July to all!  This time last year Leo and I watched this with my brother:

The little one is growing each day - and last week, he finally started eating his first "solids" (my brother wondered if mashed foods count as "solids" and I told him, "yeah, I think so - since breast milk isn't a solid." - I'm as much in the dark as he is, but I guess it's one of those things I should know, right?).  Lil Sunshine is now almost 6 months and although my next door neighbor has been feeding her granddaughter just about anything (this week it was spaghetti sauce, some fish soup, dried fish, in addition to the usual gerber baby foods) since she was about 3 months old, I've decided to wait till Lil Sunshine expressed some interest.

Well, he's been watching us eat with interest for the past few weeks and doesn't have the tongue thrust reflex anymore. And boy, does he put just about anything in his mouth.  Last Monday night was THE day - or rather, night.  He was fussy at the breast and kept crying even when I was holding him.  Then at around 10 or so, I decided to make myself a bowl of cereal and while I was eating it, he grabbed the spoon and brought it to his mouth!  Eureka!  Mommy finally got a clue!

His first meal?  When technically, some bland rice cereal that I had bought that day, but after two mini-spoonfuls, we mashed some avocado with breast milk and Lucas could not get enough of it!

Which brings me to my next topic - poop.

Feeding him solids also means that I can no longer just toss his diapers into the washing machine since breast feed poop - well, you can do that.  Now that he's eating, I now have to rinse the diapers some way and get them clean of that poop before it makes it into the washer.  But at least I had 2 days to think about it because the poor guy was constipated for 2 days and when he did go - well, it looked different.  More like peanut or almond butter, the organic kind.

So I do my best to rinse it in the toilet using the peri bottle I got from the hospital, and then finally finished rinsing it off in the shower using the shower spray.  Then this morning, I took a gadget called Wonderwash from storage (it's been hidden away for at least 3 years, since we moved out of the apartment and into this little cottage - thank goodness it was spared the craigslist fate!) and proceeded to wash the diapers in the machine.

What exactly is a Wonderwash? Well, it's a bucket looking thingymajiggy that does not require electricity to wash clothes using less water and less detergent - just some patience and arm power (hey, if it helps me loose some arm fat, I'm all for it!) to turn the handle, what, like 60 to 90 times (about 60 to 90 seconds).  According to their website, here are some reasons to use the Wonderwash:

• Washes a 5-lb. load super clean in just a couple of minutes.
• Has a patented pressure system that forces detergent into the fabric at high speed for a fast, efficient, economic and very easy wash
• Is ideal for campers, single persons and even for the housewife with small frequent loads like hand washables and diapers.
• Is ideal for delicates such as woolens, silks, knitted dresses and cashmere garments.
• Uses far less water than even hand washing.

 I've had the Wonderwash for years when we lived in an apartment and I hated having to go down to the laundry room to do just a few delicates.  I remember Leo laughing at me as I cranked that handle to wash some undies and after that I ended up just putting it away but always thinking that one day, I'd get to use it.  I love that fact that you don't use as much water, especially since we live in California which has its own water troubles and we are on some kind of limited yard watering schedule right now.

So the verdict?  Well, the diapers came out clean!  I threw them in the washing machine for a rinse/spin cycle and then laid them out to dry on the drying rack outside.  I have only washed the Bumgenius OS and AIOs but I told Leo that from now on, diapers and the wipes will be washed in the Wonderwash.  Oh, did I mention that it's fast, too?  I can get it all done in less than 15 minutes!

Okay, I'm done with my infomercial.  Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July, everyone!