On Sunday for the 100th time I took out all the things I bought for Izzy. I just love looking through her clothes, bath towels, socks, bibs and just hold them in front of my belly. It makes it all so real for me and I do feel like this is actually happening and that we are going to have a baby in October who will wear all of these beautiful outfits. D looks on from his armchair and plays along with my “game” by looking at some of the outfits I point out to him and saying how incredible it is that Izzy will fit into them.
Anyway, as I was saying on Sunday I separated whites, pales, brights, sheets/blankets and bath towels. I put them all in 4 separate bags ready for my big washing spree. Of course a process that could have taken me 10 minutes lasted about an hour as I stopped and was almost in tears whilst looking at all the different outfits we bought so far (D looked on thinking I have gone and lost my mind completely). Now you would think that washing clothes is not something that requires a lot of thought, you just put the clothes in, add the detergent, select your program turn the machine on and voila, your clothes are washing. Well it can be that simple but it’s not when it come to baby clothes. I started researching this a while back and after reading both American and British ways of doing things I decided I would sit somewhere in the middle and do things my way. I decided to use Ultra Purex Baby as the main detergent and then add ¼ of the normal tiny cup of Downy Free & Sensitive as the fabric softener. As all the clothes /sheets are brand new I wash them all on 30/40 degrees and after adding the softener I let the machine stop then run the washing cycle again just to make sure all the extra soap is gone out of the clothes. I suffer from allergies and always had sensitive skin so I fear Izzy might have the same reaction to harsher detergents. I read a lot about the use of fabric softener but the controversy is mainly about using it on those clothes that are flame retardant and most of the clothes I buy are not treated for this purpose, the only item I saw as being fire proof is her moses basket and its mattress and I don’t intend to wash that. I did however wash the lining of the basket as it smelled of wicker but I didn’t use fabric softener on this just to be sure even if there was no mention of this on the item.
So far I washed all the sheets, blankets and bath towels and last night I started ironing them. I did a lot of them and still have another wash load to do tonight. I have figured out a way whereby I can sit on the sofa and iron at the same time which does not hurt my feet and my back either. It was a bit of challenge ironing the moses basket’s fitted sheet… it was so tiny but I managed. I wonder if I will keep this up after she is born…I guess we shall wait and see. I normally don’t iron our sheets I just put them on and that’s it, they are going to get messy anyway so what’s the point but for Izzy it’s better that they are flat and pressed.
It’s a good thing I love washing and ironing and making everything neat and tidy or this would be such a chore.. I actually love putting in the items and then putting them on the line and when they are ready ironing them, it’s a really calming and peaceful process for me. D on the other hand hates washing and even dislikes touching wet clothes just out of the washing machine. He used to help me putting the clothes up to dry but after being told that he was not doing it the “right” way too many times he now just watches… I only have myself to blame for that one…LOL!
In other news, Izzy is moving like crazy these days. I started counting kicks and I think I am going to stop. There is no point as she moves so fast so quickly that she does 10 kicks in less than a minute now! My whole belly shakes and moves as well which is pretty amazing to watch and I can feel what I am guessing is her spine and her tushy against my belly. She moves equally as much during the day and the night, the main moves come mainly after food or if I drink cold water or orange juice. When I told D how much she is moving his reply was : “we are never going to sleep again!” We shall see…
Anyway, as I was saying on Sunday I separated whites, pales, brights, sheets/blankets and bath towels. I put them all in 4 separate bags ready for my big washing spree. Of course a process that could have taken me 10 minutes lasted about an hour as I stopped and was almost in tears whilst looking at all the different outfits we bought so far (D looked on thinking I have gone and lost my mind completely). Now you would think that washing clothes is not something that requires a lot of thought, you just put the clothes in, add the detergent, select your program turn the machine on and voila, your clothes are washing. Well it can be that simple but it’s not when it come to baby clothes. I started researching this a while back and after reading both American and British ways of doing things I decided I would sit somewhere in the middle and do things my way. I decided to use Ultra Purex Baby as the main detergent and then add ¼ of the normal tiny cup of Downy Free & Sensitive as the fabric softener. As all the clothes /sheets are brand new I wash them all on 30/40 degrees and after adding the softener I let the machine stop then run the washing cycle again just to make sure all the extra soap is gone out of the clothes. I suffer from allergies and always had sensitive skin so I fear Izzy might have the same reaction to harsher detergents. I read a lot about the use of fabric softener but the controversy is mainly about using it on those clothes that are flame retardant and most of the clothes I buy are not treated for this purpose, the only item I saw as being fire proof is her moses basket and its mattress and I don’t intend to wash that. I did however wash the lining of the basket as it smelled of wicker but I didn’t use fabric softener on this just to be sure even if there was no mention of this on the item.
So far I washed all the sheets, blankets and bath towels and last night I started ironing them. I did a lot of them and still have another wash load to do tonight. I have figured out a way whereby I can sit on the sofa and iron at the same time which does not hurt my feet and my back either. It was a bit of challenge ironing the moses basket’s fitted sheet… it was so tiny but I managed. I wonder if I will keep this up after she is born…I guess we shall wait and see. I normally don’t iron our sheets I just put them on and that’s it, they are going to get messy anyway so what’s the point but for Izzy it’s better that they are flat and pressed.
It’s a good thing I love washing and ironing and making everything neat and tidy or this would be such a chore.. I actually love putting in the items and then putting them on the line and when they are ready ironing them, it’s a really calming and peaceful process for me. D on the other hand hates washing and even dislikes touching wet clothes just out of the washing machine. He used to help me putting the clothes up to dry but after being told that he was not doing it the “right” way too many times he now just watches… I only have myself to blame for that one…LOL!
In other news, Izzy is moving like crazy these days. I started counting kicks and I think I am going to stop. There is no point as she moves so fast so quickly that she does 10 kicks in less than a minute now! My whole belly shakes and moves as well which is pretty amazing to watch and I can feel what I am guessing is her spine and her tushy against my belly. She moves equally as much during the day and the night, the main moves come mainly after food or if I drink cold water or orange juice. When I told D how much she is moving his reply was : “we are never going to sleep again!” We shall see…
I am way impressed that you're ironing and taking care of everything so early! Can you say nesting??? And if you keep this all up, especially ironing her sheets, after she's born, I might call you a little crazy... :)
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree that you're nesting!! So glad you're doing well w/ this pregnancy! Happy ICLW! (#45 & 46)
ReplyDeleteI admire your organization and being so on top of things!! Thank you for sharing your process on washing! It is very helpful to read!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your laundry day! The separating, washing, ironing, and folding are so full of love, it made me tear up (clomid to blame?).
ReplyDelete