It Ain't Easy Being Green.

I muttered these words like a manic mantra under my breath today during the two hours and change that I wasted trying to find a store that sold cloth diapers in the "great" metropolis of Los Angeles. And, guess what? I came up bare bottomed.

It ain't easy being green . . . in L.A., anyway. That's right, a city of almost 10 million people hasn't managed to muster up a few square feet of floor space devoted to moms who are making a concerted effort at ridding the world's landfills of chemical coated and synthetic gel filled poo pants. Yet, there are more farmer's markets and biodiesel peace bugs than I can shake my diaper pail at.

This past weekend, we lazed away our Sunday afternoon in a snugly lush valley just an hour northeast of here . . . among burning sage, drum circles and barefooted dred daddies bouncing vegan tots on their naked knees. So why, in a west coast city of this size and "perceived" embracement of everything natural and eco, is finding cloth diapers sans the internet so hard to do?

We had been ordering all of our cloth diapering supplies from a mom and pop venture out of Portland, Oregon called Babyworks, since Noah was born. The Owner, Pauline, walked me through the daunting dance of being a new parent and cloth diaper doer with gentle skill. Just the mere thought of venturing out into the world to discern one colorful all-in-one from a waterproof pocket diaper was simply too much to bear during those early months. We had many a long telechat. But now those supplies of early are growing much too tight for the buns and tummy of our sprouting little greenie and we yearn for fresh dooty duty gear.

I, too, am finally ready to physically branch out into the wide expansive universe of reusables and want to peruse the many varieties there are for the pickins'--with my hands, my fingers, my eyes--with all of my five senses, I want to shop. One of the many reasons we chose cloth diapering was to circumvent the wasted energy and resources used for the production, packaging, shipping, etc. of disposables. We longed to buy local. After all, we figured, how hard would it be to find cloth diaper supplies in a city where plenty is it's middle name? But, discovering only one diaper cleaning service in the suburb of Pasadena that was so sub par we decided to scrub our own hemp prefolds should have been more than a subtle clue.

As my search dismally dead ended today at a few wrong numbers of bygone baby stores, I once again had to turn to my trusty mouse and keyboard to quell my cloth diaper yearning. So, Heather and Shannon at the Cloth Diaper Outlet in Springfield Oregon, thank you for making cloth diapering supplies readily available to us lowly residents here in the city of Angels. Apparently, this city's little angels poop in plastic.

39 And Pregnancy Is Divine.

Today marks the first day of our 39th week. I feel wonderful with no gripes or groans, calm, peaceful and ready to birth. Being pregnant truly has been so much fun--the planning, the shopping, the bonding with other parents and parents-to-be, the prepping, the anticipation, the closeness you gain with your partner and the daily kicks and taps from within that remind you that a little life is growing inside. Dean and I just can't wait to be parents together. Dean's nightly story time, occasional music lessons, and frequent "exit strategy" overviews with little Noah Finn have already confirmed his post as the best dad-to-be this side of the Mississippi.

Since my belly doesn't look too differently this week than it did last, we thought we'd forgo a weekly oven shot and post some pics of nesting tasks as of late--we have been washing, washing, washing clothes, blankets, sheets, our cloth diapering supplies, you name it, we've washed it. From bath supplies to bedding to bouncer seats to his diaper bag, we are ready for little Noah Finn's arrival.

Let's start with our cloth diapering supplies. Exciting? We know, we think so too! Technological advances have touched every aspect of our lives--usually by making things quicker, easier, more convenient. Even the dreaded and unpleasant task of diapering has not been unaffected. The old methods of cloth diapering are far gone--today cloth diapering choices are vast (and pinless!). Velcro one-piece versions, with all of the conveniences of disposable but none of the environmental consequences, are available. They are on the more expensive end of the cloth diapering choices (costing about $17.95 a piece), but perhaps worth it when we're in a rush, traveling, or having someone help us care for little Noah Finn. Other than the few of these that we purchased, the majority of our cloth diapering supplies are comprised of snugly organic hemp prefolds, nifty velcro waterproof covers called "Nikkys" and organic unbleached cotton terry wipes. If he's a heavy wetter, we've also purchased organic hemp diaper doublers to avoid nighttime accidents.

We've had to move Noah's organic veggie toys from "Auntie" Sara up to the shelves above his changing table because Miles insists on unburying and taking them from Noah's toy basket--strangely the carrot and pea pod ONLY, while the tomato and mushroom remain untouched?! He meows to us that he is "breaking them in" for Noah Finn, but the little teeth holes becoming apparent on the heads of Mr. Carrot and Mrs. Pea Pod have forced us to remove what was clearly too much of a temptation for Miles. We have also made room in my closet for Noah Finn's little clothes organizer. But, he is quickly "outgrowing" it already as all of the shelves and drawers are full. We may have to expand his wardrobe into a closet of his own very soon! Also a recent purchase is his little Svan Bouncer seat. It is made from 100% sustainable wood, organic material and is ergonomically sound.

Both his diaper bag and mine and Dean's bags are packed and ready to go on the floor of my closet--waiting for the 3 mile journey to the hospital for delivery. Dean and I plan to spend as much of the labor at home as possible, so hopefully if we've forgotten anything, we'll have time to shove it in at the last minute! Dean installed the carseat in the Volkswagen today and multiple copies of our birthplan are printed and ready to hand out to all of the Doctors and Nurses at the hospital. So, stay tuned . . . we'll keep you updated!