Wrapping Up & Moving On

I did turn all my jack-o-lanterns around already, but I was not quite ready to leave October until I caught up on the last few weeks. They went by really fast & I wanted to document a few things before I forgot them!

On October 19 we visited Dad at the fire station. He showed them all the tools on the truck and they enjoyed playing with all the exercise equipment.

We are entering week 12 of kindergarten! Here's David making observations during a recent science experiment. One egg sank, one egg floated! (salt in the second water)

Now that Rebekah is supporting herself well, I finally tried a back carry, using the Ergo. She was happy back there and it was very comfortable. I even got some grass mowed with the reel mower with her back there!

One day last week, I harvested 46 jalapenos & 3 small bell peppers. I had no idea I would still be harvesting in October! Several of these made their way to stuffed & bacon-wrapped, but the rest were chopped for the freezer. And there's still more out there...

We sliced our pie pumpkin for a learning experience, too. David had to guess how many seeds would be inside. His first guess was billions! Then he decided upon 10. We counted... and counted. It became an exercise in counting by 10's! The final number? 403! We toasted some of them and saved some for planting.

Later, I went back to the store to get another pumpkin to carve for a jack-o-lantern. None to be found. Quite depressing. We didn't get to carve one this year.

Also made caramel popcorn balls! From scratch! Not even using "caramels"! Nope, the whole thing from scratch! And it was easy! And they tasted wonderful!

Next time, I'll make extra sauce, because that would have totally rocked on an apple...

And finally, we celebrated Aunt Erin's milestone birthday

with a game night at Grana's. Mexican Train. And Rebekah was given her first formula bottle by (great) Aunt Marlene. I think people were starting to worry that she hadn't had a bottle yet, since I'll be leaving in 21 days!!!

OK. Now October is officially over.

Let the thanks giving begin!

Babywearing Roundup & Friday Coffee

Wow, what an incredibly busy week this has been! We've had something going on every single day, plus work at home. I would like to take time to participate in the babywearing roundup that Adventures in Babywearing is hosting today, though! And I miss my Company Girls' comments when I don't do Friday Coffee!

So, first: Babywearing!

This is my Ergo on vacation with us! First is fishing off a jetty in Palacios. She was asleep at that point.


Next we're at McKinney Falls State Park. She was out like a light when we got there. I got her into the Ergo, walked around for a while, and used the bathroom without waking her! In both photos, I'm using the infant insert and in this one, I've got the hood up, blocking the sun from her.

The Ergo is so comfortable for out being active! The weight is distributed well across my back & hips. I loved having the shade to cover her from the bright sun, too.


Next is an Ellaroo wrap! I'm still learning how to do this one. I took these photos a few days ago to send to my best friend, who I've been discussing babywearing with since we both had babies this year with 2 other preschoolers. I don't even know what to call the wrap I've done here, but it was amazingly comfortable! I've worn her like this around the house to do dishes, laundry, and outside to check on the garden & animals. The fabric is a light woven fabric from Guatemala and I did not even get hot wearing her outside! The weight is distributed so well across all the fabric that it was nothing to wear her this way. And she promptly falls asleep in the wrap.

Here's my best friend borrowing my sling. This is a pouch sling by Jellybean. My mother-in-law gave me this at our baby shower. It came from Target. I used the sling just yesterday when Rebekah wanted to be up, looking around more. I sat her forward facing like a kangaroo pouch and she watched me make peanut butter sandwiches.

And here she is in a tummy-to-tummy carry in the sling.

I also have an old Baby Bjorn City Carrier. I think it is my favorite for shopping days because I can put the straps on before we leave the house. Then in the car, I snap the front on and I can just hold the baby while I close all the fasteners. I can then wear Rebekah, lift Elizabeth into the seat in the basket and David can walk beside the basket. When we get back to the car, it's easy to unfasten and put R back into her car seat. This way, I was even able to do a recent trip to Half Price Books - a feat I never thought possible with 3 little kids!

I've got some other photos of babywearing when Elizabeth was little here. All of my carriers, except the one I got at the baby shower, were purchased used on eBay or Craigslist at a mere fraction of the retail cost! And I have not been disappointed in any of them. When asked what my favorite carrier is, I have to honestly say... it depends on the situation! : )

So far, my favorite babywearing photo has to be this one of me with my best friend! I'm wearing my Ergo & she's wearing my pouch sling.

For you Company Girls, I submitted that photo to the photo contest, too! : )

Now, I like to share my garden for Company Girl Coffee, so let's go outside now!





Last week we got some keets - guinea chicks!

They've now moved out into the barn, which is where I was headed in the above video when my memory card filled up!

My View of Baby Wearing

Rebekah was fussy today. Once I figured out how to do the tummy-to-tummy position in the pouch sling, she was content. Two hours she stayed like that, but then was awakened by hunger.

She's still so small!
And still very loved!!!

Our Babywearing Journey

I've been reading posts about International Babywearing Week all week and realized yesterday, when I used these photos in my letter to Motrin, that I hadn't put my baby wearing photos into the mix this week!

This is Elizabeth in her homemade pouch sling that I got from a fabulous Etsy mom, Drew Baby Designs. Click over to her Etsy shop where's she's got an amazing BOGO sale going on! And her prices were great to begin with! We loved using this sling - it was very portable, beautiful and very well made. Elizabeth attended her first Women of Faith conference in this beauty and we got tons of compliments on both baby and sling!

When I wanted to try out a Mei Tai, I had no idea where to get one. Since I was going all ladybug crazy on Elizabeth's nursery theme, I kept it going and found a pattern, and made this gem. The Mei Tai was very comfortable to wear, but I found the long straps to be a bit cumbersome for running errands with a lot of taking her on & off. I think it would have been great for longer outings, though. We enjoyed using it around the house and even though it was cut small for a newborn, it was strong enough to carry David! Unfortunately, Elizabeth never liked the back carry, so we were unsuccessful using it that way.

The carrier I used most for out & about was the older model Baby Bjorn carrier that I got for a steal on eBay. Since Elizabeth was born in January, I was able to put the straps on at home and put my coat or sweater on over it. Then when I got to the store, I just snapped the pouch on, slid her in, zipped my coat & got out of the car. We always did tummy to tummy, so the leg strain from the out facing position was never an issue.

In the above picture, Elizabeth was in her Baby Bjorn under my coat while I'm carrying David at Christmas lights in the park last year. Now that was a load!

When David was a baby, all I had was a drab gray ring sling that I'd found at Toys R Us. I never really figured out how to use it, and I never thought to take a picture of it. We also had a Snuggli that he didn't like & we soon quit trying. I do have a picture of that, but that was before I had a digital camera & the picture is safely in a scrapbook now. I think with Baby #3 I'd like to try a ring sling again. I know so much more about babywearing now that I think we could make it work.

I know I'm getting in just under the wire here, but I'm going to link up this post to Adventures In Babywearing's International Babywearing Week Contest. This gives me the chance to win an amazing ring sling to try out that would otherwise be out of my price range! Check out Nonny & Boo to see how gorgeous these Mama made slings are!

Motrin's Slam on Babywearing

What the heck were you thinking, Motrin? Obviously you knew nothing about babywearing when you set out to bad mouth babywearing and Moms who choose to do so.

If you experience pain from wearing baby then either the carrier is not adjusted correctly or it's not the correct style of carrier for your body type. There's nothing new or suddenly fashionable about wearing baby (although you can get or make some really cute ones), I mean look at old National Geographic photographs of women in underdeveloped countries with their babies tightly wrapped to their bodies as they go about their work. It's just that Americans are finally realizing how convenient, time-saving, and beneficial for mom & baby it is.

Babywearing was a lifesaver to me when I needed to go grocery shopping with a toddler and a newborn. I was able to belt David into the basket seat while wearing Elizabeth and still have the basket free for the groceries and my hands free to do the shopping & push the basket! I'm sure it will be even more convenient when #3 arrives and I've got 2 kids to keep up with.

So I don't know why Motrin decided to attack babywearing and Moms in general. It's disappointing, but it also shows how little research went into this ad campaign.

Unless they remove the ad, you can view it on their main page or you can view a transcript here. If you'd like to contact Motrin yourself, fill out the form here. We don't use Motrin. And we never will.

My babywearing photos: (top) Elizabeth in her pouch sling that was made by an Etsy Mom. This is how she went to her first Women of Faith Conference. (middle) Elizabeth in her Mei Tai made by me. (bottom) Elizabeth in her Baby Bjorn under my coat while I'm carrying David at Christmas lights in the park last year. Now that was a load! And do I look like I need to medicate myself in any of those photos?

Update: When I clicked on Motrin's site tonight, it was completely down. If you really want to see the ad, it's made it to YouTube and can be seen here.

Best Friend Visit

This weekend we had a wonderful, but all too short, visit from my best friend and her family.

Sunday night we took them to walk through the Christmas lights at the Whistle Stop Christmas. The wind had shifted shortly before evening, so it was very cold and windy to be walking around, but the lights were great & the kids had a ball!

Have you ever tried to pose 4 cold kids, age 3 & under, inside a giant Christmas wreath? It's not the easiest thing in the world to do!

I wore Elizabeth in a carrier, wrapped in a blanket, under my jacket and David wore both of his hoods up!

Monday morning the kids enjoyed playing together at the house.

The girls enjoyed Tort, chasing him around, screaming, "Kitty!"

We got a BFF & kids shot, which I think qualifies this short visit as SUKA '07!

Aren't her girls beautiful? I LOVE their little dog ears!

Next summer we'll go visit them on the coast. I can hardly wait...

Wear that baby!

This is the sling that we will be taking to the Women of Faith Conference next weekend! I love wearing Elizabeth because it's so much easier than dragging the stroller out with us, it takes up so much less room, and she loves it! We learned when David was a baby, that strollers are not allowed at the American Airlines Center where the Conference is held, anyway.

Renee at When 2 Became 3 is giving away a great wrap that she made! I haven't tried a wrap yet... but sure would love to! : )

David's Motivation & Elizabeth's Firsts

First of all, David will not be seen in today's post. He was sitting on the big potty for much of the day! And tempting as it was, I was a good Mom and did not take a picture of him sitting up there, backwards, reading his Beginner's Bible. (but it would have been an adorable photo!) It seems that bribery... I mean positive motivation... is the key to potty training. I remember using that method with my oldest nephew, but it just hadn't dawned on me to do it with David. He even cried once when it was obvious nothing was going to happen & I made him get off the potty so he could try again later! He really wanted that treat!

Anyway, on to Elizabeth. This was earlier this week - the first time Dad has worn any type of baby! Aren't they cute!



This week Elizabeth started fruits after the last veggie I had to try was a no-go. Green beans. She does not like green beans... at all! Bananas, however, were gone rather quickly. Prunes were next. She enjoyed them, though not quite as much as the 'nanners. And they did what God intended them to do to her system, but she needed that anyway.

It seems to me that I can never say enough now beautiful I think Elizabeth is! I can't wait to hear if Grandma thinks Ebees looks bigger after being apart for a week!

And now... just look at that pretty little diaper!

I MADE IT!!!

And it worked! Check out My Craft Blog to see more pictures of this diaper and another I made this week.

This is the first photo of Elizabeth sitting up! Can you believe it? She did tip over right after the photo, but she'll be sitting up totally by herself soon. Then she'll be crawling. Then walking. Then moving out to go to college. It goes by all too fast!

Sling Me Some Advise!

I'm really not sure if I'm wearing this pouch sling correctly. Click on the LITTLE photo for the original version & a couple of other views of the sling. Can anyone give me some tips?

She likes to lean forward & it kept feeling like she was going to fall out when I tried it at the store tonight. So then I turned her around like the hip carry pictures I'd seen & I just couldn't get that one at all.

I really want to get this figured out before I go to Women of Faith later this month! Once I get the hang of how to wear it, I know I'm going to love this sling. It's so much more compact than the Bjorn and the Mei Tai that I have - perfect for our trip bag & crowded hallways at the conference.

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If you'd like to see more beautiful slings like this one, or get one for yourself, visit Beth at Drew Baby Designs! She's got a great selection of gorgeous fabric and very reasonable prices. Tell her onemotherslove sent you! : )

Mama Kanga

Seriously, I don't know how Adventures in Babywearing gets all these awesome giveaways, but who am I to question?!?!?

This week she's drawing for a $75 gift certificate to Mama Kanga, so here's one thing I'd get with it - Hotslings Black Stretch Baby Pouch.

Go see the post at Adventures in Babywearing to see how you can register!