Update on Kawaii Baby Diapers.

So, it seems that the number one search that has been leading people to my site has been Kawaii Baby.  Well, if I’m going to be drawing people in with that, it seems kinda a dick move to leave you all hanging.  So here is my review of the Kawaii Baby diapers.  We bought the newborn velcro diapers, as seen in this link.   Ebay Link. Note that since this is an ebay link, it will be invalid eventually, but they are white pocket diapers with NO snaps.  If you are looking at Kawaii baby with snaps, different diapers than what I am reviewing.  They seemed to work great, the glass of water test had them soaking up water quickly right off the bat, the fleece did its job leaving the pad soaked and the inside of the diaper dry as a bone.  BUT, the leg elastic seems a bit sloppy, and since my son has chicken legs, there was a bit of a gap.  so, out of 12 test diaperings, he leaked all over mommy and daddy 9 times.  most of the fluid still went into the pad, but enough leaked out.  If your kid has larger legs, or is up around 11-12 pounds when you start using them, you should be fine.  As for us?  I’m buying some prefolds, and using the Kawaii baby as spill pads and diaper covers.

We have some wonderful toys for you 007

Now that he’s here, we’ve had to buy a few things we honestly just hadn’t thought of. A few nifty toys that I wish we had when my sister was born. Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer , which is pretty nice, although unless you are stuffing it full, bottles tend to fall over. Also, the wide swinging lid is a bit unwieldy.  Having looked at others, I kinda wish I’d have bought this one, The First Years Soothie Microwave Sterilizer. It has a straight up and down lid, a flatter internal base, and some internal racks. But, the concept of a microwave steam sterilizer is awesome in its own right, no matter which one you get. No more boiling for forever and fishing out with tongs! Plus, when I get back into doing some home-brewing, I can use it to sterilize some of my brewing supplies.

While we did keep the old crib, we got these bumpers that strap to the sides and are breathable. so he isn’t getting past the bars, and he can shove his face against it until the cows come home, it won’t stop his breathing.
Also, we have this strapped to the crib. Munchkin Diaper Change Organizer ,  everything right there!  Some flat drawer space, a diaper holder, the whole nine yards.  I’ve knocked it off once or twice changing the sheets, but I take the whole mattress out when I do that, and that sometimes hits the velcro straps and rips free.  otherwise, its rock solid, and with a changing pad, beats having a separate changing table taking up room.

Art of Manliness

The art of Manliness

A very interesting site. I’m a fervent supporter of the thought that any guy can make a kid, but it takes a man to be a FATHER. This website is dedicated to the things that separate the boys from the men. I don’t mean machismo crap like not crying or being an alpha male jackass, you know, the kind of thing that a lot of little boys seem to think makes them men. I mean things like having a sense of style, a high level of commitment in your life, treating the people around you properly, treating the love of your life like the love of your life, and putting her on the pedestal she deserves. You know, being a MAN.

I seriously heart this site, thought I’d share.

As an example, they have a regular email newsletter, the latest of which is “7 Lessons in Manliness From the Greatest Generation”
Lessons in being a man from the generation of World War 2.

Lesson 1 gives you a big idea of the main thrust of the entire website.

Lesson # 1: Take Personal Responsibility for Your Life

While today’s generation often shirks responsibility as too much work, the Greatest Generation relished the chance to step up to the plate and test their mettle. One son of a WWII Medal of Honor winner remembers of his dad and his peers, “For them, responsibility was their juice. They loved responsibility. They took it head-on, and anytime they could get a task and be responsible, that was what really got em’ going.”

And when the Greatest Generation accepted responsibility for something, they also accepted all the consequences of that decision, whether good or bad. They were not a generation of whiners or excuse makers. They took pride in personal accountability. In a time where individuals and businesses reach for a bailout or the easy fix of bankruptcy to make things right, stories like that of Wesley Ko inspire. Soon after the war, Ko started a printing business. After 35 years of working hard to transform it into a successful company, he decided to relocate his business from Philadelphia to upstate New York. Ko personally guaranteed the 1.3 million dollar loan needed to make the move. The transition did not go as expected, and Ko’s company faced several setbacks; after only a year, he was forced to go out of business. Ko said, “It was a big decision making time. I couldn’t retire. I hadn’t taken out Social Security. So at the age of seventy I had to go get a job and start paying back that million-dollar loan. I just didn’t feel comfortable with declaring bankruptcy. I just didn’t think it was the honorable thing to do, even though it would have been easier.”

Read the rest of the 7 rules at This Link.

The Bump!

www.thebump.com. How to describe this place? Imagine every pregnant, hormonal, raving, angry, sweaty woman you’ve ever known. Put them in a larg ring filled with mud, discarded silicon implants, and lime jello, handed large blunt objects to them, and told them last woman standing got a foot rub, chocolate, and a lifetime supply of diapers. Congrats, you have The Bump forums. Psychotic hormone fueled bile spills like water from a pool that just got cannon-balled into by Oprah, John Pinnette, and the entire DeLouise clan, in unison. Questions from naive scared women that are on the more stupid side, rather than being dismissed and ignored, are treated to responses like, “Do the world a favor, and make love to a coathanger!” STAY AWAY! And keep the mother of your child FAR FAR AWAY!

That said, there are actually some good people and good advice given there. I just don’t think its worth the drama. Lynn loves the place though. Lots of drama, some trainwrecks, but also some decent women. But especially early on, she got REALLY discouraged as 2 to 3 times a day, PG (pregnant, to use their internal jargon) women would post that they were no longer pg, and to remove them from the list. She would flip out every time, positive she would be next to lose a kid. NOT WORTH IT! Sigh.
But feel free to lurk it. Now and then there are some REALLY good insights to women’s thought patterns while pregnant. A lot of good info for the confused guy.