Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy: IBB Turns One

One year ago today Itsy Bitsy Bums opened its proverbial doors. It has been an amazing year, filled with so many fantastic, interesting and different experiences I cannot even begin to adequately describe them. But I can say it has been an absolute joy to meet so many amazing people, and I cannot imagine doing anything else. 

Please join me for a look back - 

September 2009

My wee baby is only three months old, but my love affair with researching all things cloth diapering is reaching new heights, culminating in a wondering whether I could turn this unending obsession into a realistic profession. 

December 2009

The name 'Itsy Bitsy Bums' is born during the drive northwards to visit my family for Christmas. The store's mission is outlined - Make cloth diapering easy for anyone and everyone interested, and a preliminary business model is planned. 

January - March 2010

Many, many, many versions of the spider are reviewed and edited. I think the poor guy might have had a bit of an identity crisis for a while. But in the end we found just the right diaper-wearing spider. (Yes, at one point a baby's face was also considered, and quickly abandoned.)

I continue to order samples, attempting to whittle down my initial inventory offerings (ie. AppleCheeks, pictured at the left; not to mention I still order diapers because I think they are super-cute, like the WAHM fitted on the right). Because I'm still a serious addict, I also photograph all incoming fluffy mail. 

April 2010

The small but growing website is up and running, although this fact unknown to anyone outside of a few close friends who act as advisors (you guys know who you are, and to you I say - THANK YOU! THANK YOU!). I spend most nap times writing tutorial content and planning inventory counts. 

Settle on one of my favorite photos of my newborn daughter's fluffy bum for the Newborn Rental icon. 

May - June 2010
Inventory is rolling in. Counted, inspected and stacked, hundreds of diapers begin to take over our home. 

July 22, 2010
Afternoon spent at the splashpark

Late that afternoon the graphic designer confirms she's installed the final graphic content (inside tidbit - the graphic designer and I spent three months developing the logo and aesthetic of the website; but every word, comma and misspelling is entirely my doing - almost 400 pages of content!). 


The website is ready to go live!


Itsy Bitsy Bums (shorthand - 'IBB') opens for business later that evening, offering the following brands:
AppleCheeks, BacOut, Cow Patties, Kissaluvs, Fuzzibunz, Grandma El's, OsoCozy, RLR, Rockin' Green, Rocky Mountain Diapers, Snappi, Thirsties, Tiny Tush and Wahmies. 
The Newborn Diaper Rental, Bitsy Boost and two Trial Packages (Total Economy and Economy+Convenience) are up and available to ship!

 July 24, 2010
Bitsy Buzz is up and running with the first Bitsy Buzz post! Granted, there are 'construction' messes everywhere, and it won't be another six weeks until BB looks the way you know it today. 

July 25, 2010

First Newborn Diaper Rental order is placed!
(Fun fact - to date IBB has shipped over 160 Newborn diaper rentals.)

August 2010
First WAHMlight is published
(wonder where WAHMlight has gone? Why, its on summer vacation!)


Fishnoodles joins the IBB line-up.

August 12, 2010
Publish first IBB-giveaway - free Fishnoodle when we reached 200 Facebook fans 
(took four days)




September - October 2010
The focus turns to mamas - mama cloth and deodorant now-stocked. 

November - December 2010
GroVia, Bestbottoms, Softbums and Sustainablebabyish are added. 

All-in-Two Trial Package introduced. 


IBB survives its first Black Friday, shipping out almost sixty orders in two days (inside fact - I spent twenty-four hours of Black Friday weekend in bed with the stomach flu - I didn't want to pack any orders while I was sick so everything went out a day later than intended.)

^^the aftermath of Black Friday order packing -
the tornado stands still long enough for a quite photo op


Twelve Days of Christmas relieves the post-holiday blues


January - February 2011
Amber Teething Necklaces, Fishnoodle's younger sibling - Bright Star Baby - is unveiled (IBB has the inside scoop with one of the first reviews)

Ten-day vacation proves to be a feasible undertaking (with just a few sharp and observant folks finding the golden egg)

March - April 2011
Planet Wise, Econobum, Hemp Babies, Flip and bumGenius now stocked

Rock Chalk Freebies celebrate Jayhawk wins


Abby's Favorites - Four Weeks of Product Spotlights


IBB Ships its 50th Trial Package


April 3rd, 2011
Publish 'Much Ado about Making Do,' challenging readers (and myself) to look around their lives, and minimize excess. This reflection forces me to realize we've outgrown the space our home can offer the business. Within two weeks we've scouted the new home of IBB. Three weeks after that we move all inventory into the new space, which I affectionately call 'the Showroom.'

(and this isn't even all of it - there was inventory stashed in the nursery, in the living room - essentially anything that didn't move, or didn't move fast enough to get out of the way, became a home for a box of inventory)

May 2011
itti*bitti tutto and all things wool (Woollybottoms and Tiny Tush wool and wool care items) now stocked

June 2011
Teething Bling, Babykicks and CJ's join IBB


1,000 Facebook Fan Celebration

Avalee's Birthday Celebration sale


July 2011
Milkies Milk Savers and Party In My Pants now available.
AND, introducing Chewbeads - so fashionable, so functional!

There you have it folks! I still cannot believe it only has been a year! In some ways it feels like just yesterday I published the first web page. And in other ways it feels like I've been doing this my entire life. I take both as a good sign.



Like a Peak Into a Typical Day in IBB-land (aka The Life of a WAHM)?


9:30ish breakfast (all times are -ish these days)
Avalee sings along to Yo Gabba Gabba (she's obsessed with their CD; thank goodness she doesn't know it is a TV-show!) while I skim all emails that have come in since I went to bed 6-8 hours earlier. Essential emails are answered or acted upon immediately. This could mean anything from 'I'm delivering my baby tomorrow, three weeks early, can you send the rental now?' to 'Monkey-print diapers now stocked' (which translates to - act fast, or another retailer will snag them while you are doing dishes).

10:30-12:30 Play
Dishes, read books, dance around like crazy ladies. At some point during this time she breaks away and colors, paints or covers the dog with stickers. When this happens I return to my email, answering any inquires that just take a few minutes or are easily stopped and started through the day.

12:30 lunch
Repeat of breakfast scene. Typically she'll color in her highchair while I attempt some of the longer emails. Most of these messages end up saved to my drafts folder for later.

1:30-4:00 errands and/or more play
This time used to be spent packing orders. However, now that the store is out-of-the-house typically the early afternoon is spent attempting to do day-to-day house stuff, or plotting new freebies and marketing ideas (while simultaneously reading Moo, Baa, La La La - I have mad skills and the majority of Sandra Boynton's collection memorized - anyone want to hear an impromptu Barnyard Dance?)

4pm time for the workday to begin
My husband arrives home from work, and I rush to the Showroom. The next two hours or so are quite hands-on - orders are pulled, double-checked, packaged, weighed and labeled. Newly-arrived inventory is inspected then put away. Mark and Avalee arrive at the store around 6 to grab the orders and swing them by the late-drop-off post office (it just opened a couple of months ago - I'm already deeply in love with them!). Packages make the 7pm truck.

6:30 arrive at the coffee shop and begin my 'office work'
With somewhere between 40-50 new emails received during the day, it is now time to establish the evening's game-plan - which emails are essential, which emails are important, and which emails are ones to mull-over for later? Or, did a new brand, colorway or item arrive in the mail that afternoon? The evening is then split between emails and updating the website and inventory counts.

10pm my office kicks me out
Fully caffeinated, I arrive home and set-up shop on the couch. I then resume emails, and any last website updates required for the evening. If email is caught up, I then research potential brands to grow the store and plan inventory and replenishment orders for the following weeks.

1am
Check email one last time, say 'sweet dreams' to my laptop, and head to bed.

And Repeat!

Thank You! + Email Updates

A few bits of info for those who might not frequent the IBB Facebook page

1. A big thank you to everyone who helped celebrate my darling girl's birthday last week! And with her birthday came a real live birthday party and a lovely day spent with friends and family. Such a nice time! 

2. Thank you to everyone who has been patient with the sometimes-delayed email replies. Between a non-napping toddler and my own chronic fatigue issues, I don't always get to answer emails with the speediness I would like. But rest assured (haha, at least someone is resting) that I always strive to reply super-speedily.

3. Happy pre-4th-of-July-weekend-week! Stay tuned, IBB folks, as there are a ton of sales coming your way later this week! A newsletter will go out shortly with all the details. Don't get the newsletter? Sign-up at the right >> 'Get the Itsy Bitsy Bums Newsletter' - 'Join Our Mailing List'

Multi-Tasking Mama Cloth

My lovely daughter likes to help fold laundry. This is a task she's enjoyed for several months now, and proves to always so darn helpful (at least, in her mind). Most times I find her actions entertaining, not to mention I constantly marvel at her growing skill set and desire to emulate us. 

One day I left the room to put away towels, and came back to find she'd helped me fold my mama cloth. 

gives new meaning to the phrase 'sanitary napkin' 

I'm sure Emily Post is so proud right now. I know Ava is. 

picking her own clothes and accessories proves interesting

ps. This especially made me marvel, since a) we rarely drink coffee or tea, so her decision to put a spoon in the cup was gleaned from somewhere else, or likely just her own imagination and b) we are not too prim with our coffee the few times we do drink it, and certainly have never put napkins under our cups. Although, we are diligent with our glass coasters, so I wonder if that is what she was aiming for?

Friday in January = what better time for another giveaway!

If you are a Facebook fan, you probably have noticed the giveaways the last two weekends. Why stop there? Another weekend is here, so time for another giveaway!

Winner's Choice

GroVia All-in-One

or

Fuzzibunz Hemp Pocket Diaper

For every $10 you spend between now and Sunday night, your name goes in the hat once. Spend $100, your name goes in 10x. Spend $15, your name goes in the hat once. Etc. Etc. (Whenever I string together more than one 'et cetera,' you know what I think of? This!)

Fine Print

• All purchases must be made by 11:59pm 1/23/11 
• Winner will be announced via Facebook and contacted via his/her Paypal email address to pick giveaway diaper. **Please ensure you add my email address to your address book. Nothing worse than trying to give you a diaper and instead be filed away as spam.**
• If winner does not reply by 1/24/11 11:59pm s/he forfeits the prize. And the prize(s) will then go up for next weekend's giveaway. 
• All Friday - Sunday orders will ship Monday, 11/25/11. 

ps. did you know the 'hat' your name goes in is actually the bucket to my package scale? I used to use random.org to generate the winner after compiling a spreadsheet in excel. But you know what? After 'random' picked the number 'one' three time in a row, I decided my mitts could do a much better job at being objective. 

pps. uncanny

image source

I. O. U.

Where do you do your best thinking? For me it is the shower. I can run through to-do lists, upcoming events, life. In other words, I can think. Uninterrupted thinking - a beautiful thing when you have an almost-18-month-old running laps around you most days. 

Well, tonight I was thinking. Dear readers, I owe you not one, but TWO things. I'm so sorry!

1. The blog has reached 100 followers, which means it is time to giveaway a Fishnoodles Solo Flyer All in One diaper (my favorite, as you may have read). 
2. November has ended (shocking, isn't it?!). It is time to give away November's WAHMlight goodies. 

Therefore, I put forth this IOU that I will be back tomorrow, December 14th, to post both winners. Stay tuned!

She Wears Many Hats (and you can too!)

My sister-in-law is an amazing jill of all trades. I am always amazed at what she sends our way, and become quite giddy whenever I see a package from her in the mailbox. What I would call her specialty as of late - hats! Amazing knit hats! Even before Avalee was born, she was set in the millinery department!

But I don't post merely to tease you..... 

want to win one of these fabulous creations?

AND

$20 to spend at IBB? 

Two Hats to Give Away = Two ways To Win!

• Love your way: Once we reach 350 Facebook fans I will choose one fan at random
• Buy your way: Every order over $100 received between now and October 10th is automatically entered to win (please note your order must be $100 in merchandise, and deposits on rentals/trials do not count towards this $ amount)

ps. want to meet this amazing lady? 

pps. there may or may not be a beach ball stuffed inside that oh-so-photogenic giveaway pumpkin hat......

Baby Steps

After a two week hiatus, I'd like to welcome back Marky Baby to the land of IBB. 

Have I told you (nope, I'm positive I haven't, but the phrase makes a nice transition don't you think?)... every Monday Mark emails me his post, typically jotted down on his lunch break. Today's post arrived pre-lunch, as he likes to see the whites of his deadline's eyes the early email caught me by surprise. As I read his thoughts, it just struck me as so meaningful, and all around quite sweet. For those who don't know me well, or even at all, I've had several health issues over the years. Nothing that I left ever keep me down for long, but some days can be very, very challenging. Today was one of those days. 

Anyways, what I mean to say, his message rings so true and I thank him for the lovely post. I hope you all enjoy it. 

From the Desk of Marky Baby...

As my little baby starts to walk run, climb stairs, climb on things like the dog, her walker and pretty much anything else that sits still for too long, I have realized something.... it all starts with baby steps. 

Abby, Avalee and I strolled the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City on Friday night after a refreshing dinner at Blanc (Editor's Note - if you are local, you *must* try this place! especially the truffle fries!) and a quick trip to the Gap. We happened to have two ways to get back to the car - a. take the slow creepy elevator back to the parking lot, or b. walk up the three flights of steps. With the sun setting at our backs and the dinner sitting heavy in my stomach, I wanted to go for the elevator. Avalee seemed to have other ideas. Her eyes lit up when she came upon the steps and, her little fist in mine, she pulled me towards them. 

My thoughts were as follows, in no particular order: 

• Fight or flight, I'm going with flight
• Whose daughter is this really? Three flights of steps in the KC heat. What? 
• She'll definitely be pooping out, or should I say, get tired in the middle and stop.
• Who's going to help Abby up the steps? 
• Who's going to help me up the steps? 
• Why aren't there hand rails? 
• What genius decided to put so many steps outside? 
• Oh look, a bird, Kaw-k-Kaw

Anyways, step by step Avalee climbed with minimal assistance. Then she stood still long enough that I thought she was done, so I picked her up and started to climb. Avalee seemed to have other ideas. She quickly wiggled to get back down, and her trek resumed. 

With people looking on, cheering from the McCormick and Schmidt's patio, shrimp cocktail in one hand and a cocktail in the other, Avalee kept going (Editor's note - I spy a wee bit of fiction Marky Baby). It wasn't until close to the top when an older gentleman passed us by, saying 'someone's going to sleep well tonight.' He obviously doesn't know Avalee (Editor's note - while I may have chronic fatigue, my apple fell very far from the tree). Anywhoos.

She finally made it! She climbed her Everest! When I turned around and looked to where we started I was shocked! She really did it! It just goes to show you slow and steady wins the race. My little girl showed a lot of heart and determination. So, next time I am faced with a momentous task, my own Everest, I shall attack it with one baby step at a time!