Granola momma

I am a babywearing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering momma, effectively earning me the title of being a 'granola momma.' In case you're not familiar with that term, wikipedia says granola is used as slang "describing a person who is hippie-like."

The babywearing is mostly out of necessity. When she gets bored or is fighting sleep I can put her in one of the carriers (usually the wrap because it's more stretchy & comfortable for us both) and do some housework, which usually lulls her to sleep.

The breastfeeding is because...

1. It's the best thing for her nutritionally
2. It's cheaper than formula
3. It's more convenient (mostly) than formula - I say mostly because while I don't have to worry about bottles for now, when I go back to work I will be pumping & sending bottles with her to daycare - wish I didn't have to go back.
4. I enjoy being able to do it - it means I get an 'excuse' to stop, sit down & cuddle her multiple times a day
5. And, I almost forgot...makes it really easy to lose that pregnancy weight (at least for me it has both times)
   

The cloth diapering is because...

1. It's better for the environment
2. It's better for my wallet (besides how much I'll save with just Ella, if I have another child I can diaper him/her for free {except for the cost of washing them}. If I don't have another one, I can re-sell the diapers I have and probably recover at least half what I have spent on them)
   
3. They're almost as easy as disposables - the laundering, figuring out how they work, etc. wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be
4. My friend Sunny was instrumental in bringing me over to the dark side of CDing (short for cloth diapering). If you are at all interested in what 'modern' cloth diapers look like, how they work, etc., I encourage you to click here & take a look at her online store.
5. And, if those aren't reason enough, they are way cuter than disposables - I can match her diaper to her outfit :)

And, what's a blog post without pictures...

Ella in her first cloth diaper (a Bum genius 3.0 pocket diaper in Blossom - these are one size, meaning they adjust from newborn size up to toddler)

Ella in a prefold & Thirsties cover in Celery

And, Ella in a Swaddlebees - which she has already outgrown (her little buddha belly won't squeeze into it anymore) (don't have a link to these in Sunny's store), sporting an expression that makes her look very much like her Daddy :)

Edited to add: I don't believe parenting is a 'one-size-fits-all' type of thing & I hope this post didn't come off that way. I think all parents should make the choices they believe are the best ones for their family.