I MUST dedicate this post to my friend, Dana Taylor, because I am certain that I actually said that I would NEVER do the following three things (things that my friend does).  I also possibly, maybe, might have said other things that were negative regarding these choices, but I like to pretend that I didn't.

1.  I will NEVER homeschool my children.

2.  I will NEVER drink raw milk.  My milk lady delivers my milk straight from her cow every morning.  (But Dana, I do pasteurize my own milk, so technically it's not completely 'raw')

3.  I will NEVER use cloth diapers.  

That's what this post is about - cloth diapers.  When we found out we were expecting, that was one of my first thoughts.  Gracious, what will I do about diapers?  We can buy disposable diapers here, but they are pretty pricey AND we don't have reliable garbage service.  I WISH I had a photo of our garbage man.  In an ideal world, he would come by on Fridays and pick up the trash.  In reality, he comes by about once a month.  He rides by on his bicycle that has a little trailer on the back and gets our garbage.  In our case, he stands at the gate and screams 'garbage' until we bring it out to him because he is afraid of our dog.  During the times that he is on 'vacation', we have to burn the trash that can be burned and save up the rest in our trash can out back.  Burning disposable diapers does not rank high on my list of things I want to do. 

Therefore, I am SO THANKFUL that I had the opportunity to have folks from America fill a suitcase with cloth diapers and bring them to me.  It is a journey that I was hesitant to take, but honestly I love it (seriously - I really do).  I know that I am never going to run out of diapers at an inconvenient time, and I know that my girl's bum is encased in natural, sun-dried goodness.  Even the Dad is on board with it.  

I'm so sure you want to know every detail of our diapering adventure, so I'm gonna tell you.  We split our diapering time between Bum Genius pocket diapers and prefolds or birdseye flats with covers.  We have in our stash Bummmis covers, Thirsties Duo Wraps and wool diaper covers.   The Dad prefers the Bum Genius and I prefer different diapers at different times - Bum Genius when we are out and prefolds with covers when we are in.

 Here's the little one's diapers and wipes drying on the rack after washing.  Usually I put them out in the sun to dry, but it's monsoon - sun is a little scarce.  But did you know that the sun has magical properties?  Seriously.  If there are stains on my cloth diapers, I put them out in the sun for an hour and VOILA - the stain is gone.  I know what you are thinking. . . a poop stain in the sun disappears, no possible way.  IT'S THE TRUTH.  No stains on the dipes whatsoever. 

 Here's how we keep the little stash organized in her room.  Although this photo doesn't show the rack all full after the diapers are fresh and put away.  In the back of the second shelf, you see a little roll of stuff.  This is the salvation of cloth diapering for the Dad.  It's a biodegradable liner.  It catches the poo and makes for easier removal and clean up.  Lucky for us, there are sprayers in all of our bathrooms, so we just toss the liner in the potty, spray off the rest and roll right along.

And here is the little sweetie (sorry, she was a bit modest and didn't want her undies photographed) wearing her wool cover for nighttime.  I will spare you all the joys of diapering with wool covers, but you should know that they are the bomb (after you read and re-read several blogs to learn how to use them correctly).

Anyway, my hat is off to you, Dana, for the good example you set for me and for still being my friend after I loudly proclaimed that I would never cloth diaper my kids after seeing your 20 Mule Team Borax in your laundry room.