Wooldn't It Be Loverly?

This morning I lanolized the soakers I have on hand, two were gifted to me and three I recently made myself. :) Honestly, lanolizing was a little daunting to me until I found a tutorial that showed me how simple it is. Truth be told, I had envisioned myself rubbing lanolin all over the soakers and all kinds of other difficult ideas. Go ahead and laugh--I am. ;) Anyway, it truly couldn't be easier. 

Here's the awesome thing about wool:

Pretty much everyone knows that wool is waterproof to an extent, but what I never realized is that lanolin--the oil that lies on the sheep's skin and at the base of its wool--is what really makes wool so special. When you lanolize wool and use it as a diaper soaker, the urine actually turns to a neutralized soap like substance. WHAT?! WHAT?! Yep. God truly gave us everything we need in nature. EVERYTHING. You don't have to wash wool soakers but once every three to six weeks, just depending on use, etc. You will know when they need to be washed and re-lanolized when they start to leak and/or smell of urine. How do you lanolize? Super simple. 

Fill your sink with cool to lukewarm water. Hot water will cause your wool to felt and shrink up. Get your lanolin--most people seem to recommend this!

You probably have that on hand for your tender breastfeeding nipples, huh? I used about 1/4 inch of lanolin per diaper. Squeeze that stuff right into a cup and add about 1/2 cup boiling water. Swish around until the lanolin is liquified. The lanolin is oil, so it won't mix with the water. Pour this mixture into your sinkful of water. Slowly submerge each soaker into the water and allow to sit. I set my timer for 30 minutes. If you are washing your soakers after use, add a small amount of gentle soap such as you would wash the rest of your cloth dipes in to the boiling water and lanolin mixture before mixing it with the rest of the water. :)

Look at how pretty! Who says gender neutral colors have to be boring?!

After your timer has gone off, gently squeeze--don't twist/wring! It will alter the shape!--the excess water out of each soaker and lay them flat on a towel, rolling them up tightly to encourage more water out of them. I did this twice, using a fresh towel each time. I've read that it can take 24 hours to dry. I think I will set them outside in the shade for a while, but be careful that they are not in direct sun! You don't want those gorgeous colors to fade! 

Look at how blue the water is from those orange and aqua soakers! Haha!

I'm so excited to put these beauties to use when baby gets here! Next on the list? Baby leg warmers and wool breast pads, although I think I will toy with felting the breast pads for extra softness. ;)

A Busy Life and Crochet Work!

Busy schedules and a crazy life make it hard to remember to blog sometimes! :) It seems like there is always something to be done and no time in which to do it. (Oh...I need to switch laundry while it's on my mind...) Anyway, Norah has been potty learning this week and is doing great! I'm really proud of her. I wasn't totally sure that she would want to give up her diapers, but she is loving her panties and having few accidents--yay! On the subject of diapers, we are going a slightly different route for this baby. We used covers and prefolds for Norah in the first few weeks, but went solely to pockets/AI2s after that. I really wanted to go the prefold route this time, so we are collecting covers and I am making wool soakers and longies, which are SOOOOO ADORABLE!!!! I cannot express to you how cute they are--really!! Look at how cute! Yes, the hat is a Breastfeeding support hat!

 I have more wool and will be making plenty in all sizes, but this is what I have made since last week. Crocheting is easy to do when you have a toddler attached to you. ;) 

I'm about halfway through my pregnancy now and our anatomy scan is scheduled for next Thursday. We are both excited for this chance to get a peek at "Bilbo". We still don't intend to find out the gender, by the way. I've always secretly wanted to keep it a surprise and my wonderful husband conceded to my request, even though he wants to know. Isn't that so sweet of him? It's something that people don't usually do anymore and one of the last sweet surprises that life holds in this world run by technology. I often find myself questioning God, not in a challenging way, but in wonder as to why He would plan this little life that we did not. I won't lie, I'm terrified. I didn't plan on being a mom of three, but I know that He knows best and that He knows our faith and trust in Him will see us through. God trusts us. Isn't that a crazy-wonderful thought? That God trusts us enough to give us a responsibility? Hmm...worth a good ponder, that is. 

If you have stuck with me through this mindless rambling, I applaud you! I am going to get to my laundry while I am still thinking about it and take Kirsten outside to play in the sun before it rains again. 

Happy Thursday!!