Babywearing week

I have been posting a LOT about my love of wearing Bubs. I am so excited about Babywearing week. I hope the word can really spread about this wonderful thing that is really not all that new.

My mom used to live in Indonesia back in 1977. They were military and had local ladies that were what we call nannies. These nannies would wear her little brother everywhere - to the market, around the house as they cleaned. They tied him to their back in a sarong. I showed her my Glory Baby Mei Tai and she smiled so big as the memories came back to her. She asked if she could try it on and fell in love. I am going to let her borrow my MT anytime she wants now. She said she felt like she was getting a workout while loving and cuddling with her grandson - what is better than that? No, it wasn't hurting her back - she said she felt the muscles in her stomach working more than anything.

Who else has loved my Mei Tai? My husband of course! The Glory Baby Mei Tai is a whole lot easier to put on than a soft structured carrier like the Ergo or Beco Butterfly. Josh just LOVES how it fits him better than my Beco - no buckle adjustments. He wore David around while he cleaned house.....and THAT is why I married him! What a man!!

I wear David everywhere! The other day at the mall I was so glad I didn't have a bulky stroller because it would have been one more way for Lizzie to embarrass me (her wanting to drive it - only to drive it into every single passerby in the place!) and there is no way to fit these strollers in between clothes racks!

I don't really get funny looks, stares or bad comments from people. Mostly people love to see the baby and ask me where I got such a pretty carrier - I gladly share of course!

Where I Babywear

A great babywearing pic! Taken at my friend Sammy's wedding. David slept the whole time in the ring sling - and I was able to carry him and the gift with ease the 4 blocks to the wedding.

I HEART babywearing!

Body After Baby Challenge - Babywearing & toning up!

Samantha at MamaNotes posted a really great post today that really energized me to keep on going with this Body After Baby Challenge!

I have definitely slacked when it came to writing down what I ate. This led to me eating things that really hindered my progress. But I kept going. I kept telling myself everyday that today I was going to treat myself better, stay more active and choose wisely what I ate.

So here I am, so close to the end and super excited!

My clothes are fitting better!

I am feeling better about my house (talk about staying active - tidying a house burns calories)

I feel better about my body

I am choosing better foods for Lizzie and I - and this is increasing our good moods too.

Participating in this challenge didn't give me an entirely new body, but it gave me the boost and encouragement I needed to keep going every day, even when I wanted to give up. It has really changed my lifestyle.

The best change has been Babywearing. I am a nut about it now! When David fusses I just pop him in my Mei Tai and keep doing what I was doing.

I load the dishwasher with him strapped to me and wow, I burn way more calories this way!

I also wear him every time I go to the grocery store. He sits in my Beco Butterfly 2 for this and by the time I get home I am feeling energized! Exercise truly does release endorphins and I feel great after wearing him around.

The best part - I tone up too. Maybe that is why my clothes fit better even though the scale only reads 8 pounds lighter. I'm not complaining about 8 pounds, that is about a 1 pound a week loss - a healthy rate :)

So I am going to keep wearing him, keep walking with Lizzie outside and continue eating right. Just cause the challenge is ending doesn't mean I will go back to lounging around!

Glory Baby Mei Tai

After giving birth to David and wearing him in my Moby, I became obsessed with the idea of wearing him. I wanted to try a whole bunch of different carriers, including a Mei Tai. Thankfully, a really nice WAHM named Minda was doing her 2nd round of testing for her Mei Tai's and I totally signed up!

And I am totally in love with Glory Baby Mei Tai now!

I love that they are reversible - I have a girl and a boy and I don't need to purchase 2 MT's for each gender!

It has an attached hood that when rolled up really does a fantastic job of head support for my sleeping baby.

The padded straps were super comfy. This was my first MT and it is almost as comfy as my Beco Butterfly 2 - talk about impressed!

It has a contoured body which fits my 4 month old and 2 year old really well.

I picked out the fabric - I am a totally nut about customization and this MT screams "annie!"

Lizzie loves to be worn around the house, it is almost like a game to her. When are are out and about though, it is David I wear. But this MT fits her so well, and can you see how happy she is?

This was my first attempt at using the headrest when he fell asleep. As you can see I didn't get it as snug as he probably needed, but it worked very well! And I am just loving this fabric (I bought it, but I had no idea how fantastic it would look on a MT)

The hood has a brown fabric panel that can hide the other fabric. I love that my fabric is on the hood too.

I was getting a little better at the hood tying here, but he was awake and looking all around, thus loosening my knot :)

Tonight Josh wanted to wear David while he swept and mopped the floor (Ladies, he is ALL MINE!!) As you can see David was more interested in eating the MT and Daddy's shirt than anything else, but he was happy the whole time! The MT fit Josh pretty well...I trimmed the straps to fit me thinking Josh would only use the Beco Butterfly 2...I didn't know he would actually want to try this one! Well, the straps DO fit Josh, but there is only like 2 inches left after wrapping and tying! (That is what my 6'2 hubbie gets for marrying a 5'4 gal!)

I am actually grabbing for this more than my Ring Sling. It is my go to carrier around the house. I still like the Beco for grocery shopping since I am just not good enough at "on the go" back wraps yet. But as David gets older I'll get better!

Beco Butterfly 2 Bliss

Look what I got for my birthday!

Ok, this isn't the most flattering photo of me, but David loves being carried in it and so does Lizzie. In fact, one day she was really crabby while I needed to get a few things done around the house. I kneeled in front of her and asked "do you want to ride on my back while I do laundry?" She laughed and said "mama back!" After the laundry was done she sat on the couch, hugged the butterfly to her chest and said "mine!"

My mother in law bought me the Organic Sky BB2 from PaxBaby.com I totally suggest anyone to go this site if you are shopping for carriers. Jillian is the owner, and the mother of 5 kids! She is wonderfully sweet and will answer any questions you have regarding baby wearing.

So far I have taken the butterfly to the mall and grocery store. I just got this last week, so I am still learning how to make it perfectly comfy and faster to put on. I am getting better every time!

Babywearing at the grocery store is a must for me because I don't have room in my cart for my toddler and a carseat. Not to mention, David isn't a fan of being in his carseat to the store, in the store and on the way home - this gives him some mama time!

I didn't miss the stroller one bit at the mall. Lizzie usually wants to "help" push it - translated her swerving all over almost hitting every single pedestrian, me apologizing and looking silly. Another bonus - I don't have an excuse to buy things without a stroller to put the bags in!

Any other babywearers out there? What is your fav thing about BWing out and about?

Babywearing - oh what joy!

When I first discovered Dr. Sears Lizzie was 5 months old. I went to our local baby boutique and bought the only sling or wrap in the store - a Moby. Lizzie loved being worn. She was the kind of baby that cried incessently if she wasn't being held. "You need to teach her to self soothe," I was told repeatedly. She does self soothe, I thought, she calms herself down as soon as I pick her up! I couldn't afford any other baby carriers, but Josh made do when it got colder!

BTW she is just inside his coat - no carrier needed!

I became pregnant with David soon after this pic. I knew my Moby would be perfect for a newborn and was so excited to carry an itty bitty so close. I didn't anticipate the 2nd c-section so I couldn't carry David till he was 2 months old. He is now 3.5 months old and 17 pounds. He still fits snuggly in my Moby and almost always falls asleep on our walks up and down the driveway. I love feeling him relax against me and still being able to help Lizzie without almost dropping him!

I saw some pics of little girls carrying their baby dolls and thought I'd try to sew up a Mei Tai for Lizzie. She loves it! I have never seen a Mei Tai in real life, but I tried to copy the shape offline. I am so glad you can't see the close ups of it LOL




My mother in law is giving me a soft structured carrier for my birthday! Josh has tried to wear the Moby and it isn't the best fit for him. I know he'll like a Beco Butterfly or something better. And my close friend is selling me her Wallababy reversible ring sling! I am so excited to be able to do some back carries with the SSC and wear a comfy & pretty sling to church!

For now, I am still in love with my Moby. Sure, it is really hot in the summer, but the closeness and comfort are priceless.