Saturday, September 26, 2009

International Babywearing Week

Okay I know I am a little late on this but Sept. 21st-28th is International Babywearing Week! There are numerous benefits to wearing your baby.
It has been said that carried babies-

*get a better view of the world- babies pushed in strollers or in car seats only get to see the adult world at knee-level
*learn more- not overstimulated, but calm and alert, which is the optimum state for nervous system development
*become independent faster- when your baby feels loved and cared for then they are confident and trust that you will be there to meet their needs
*regulate their own physical responses -better motor skills, coordination, and sense of balance from observing you and listening to you
*are calmer - when you are close to your baby you can quickly respond to all of her needs
*cry less -less stress hormones from crying means your baby is happier and more peaceful

In honor of International Babywearing Week, I am sharing our on-going journey through babywearing:

The Snugli... (Didn't use too long since it killed my shoulders & back after Luke got over 15 pounds)



A metal-frame backpack carrier that I hoped would be more comfy (not so much...) But did use for hiking a little bit.

The SleepyWrap... (Loved this for newborn months...I honestly need to learn more ways to tie it now that Charlotte is bigger!)

The Hotslings (Loved front carry position before she could hold her head up well..perfect around 4 months. Also loved the pretty fabric! Now when we do the hip carry Charlotte seems to want to arch her back away from me...not sure why that is!)

And Finally the Ergobaby Carrier (This is my go-to carrier right now and I think it will be useful for quite some time now that Charlotte is getting bigger and even Luke can still ride in it. I didn't have the infant insert so 4+ months is when we started using it. Ergobaby also has a new Heart2Heart infant insert that looks more secure for younger babies to ride in this carrier.)

My Little Superhero




We are ready for Halloween!!! My sister tells me that I should just dress Luke in a cutesy costume of my choice since this is the last year he may have less of a say in what he is wearing... well the kid already has a say and he got so excited to dress up like Spiderman that I couldn't deny him! I should have also waited until closer to Halloween when these costumes are on sale BUT mommy couldn't resist! I think he still looks awfully cute with his Spiderman padded muscles! Unfortunately, he thinks he ought to be able to climb the walls just like Spiderman... or fly. Sorry bud, it doesn't work that way! I intend to make Charlotte a bee costume but I haven't started on that yet. The Batman hat is a winter fleece hat that we found at Wal-Mart. It says "one size fits most" toddlers but it's already a little tight! I think Lukie's got a big noggin like his dad. haha
In good news, JW was told he can start back at work the middle of this week. He is very happy about that. He will also have to work all next weekend so its a little strange to go from no work since March to working into the weekend. Hopefully he will be able to get close to 40 hours a week and stay employed. Some of the other guys have only been getting 20 some hours a week so that would probably make him less than being on unemployment! So we will see how that goes. Maybe his attitude will be better now that he is going back to work. We can always hope! haha
Charlotte is crawling all around on her belly still. She gets where she wants to go very quickly. She gets up on her knees sometimes but does not really take off that way. She is eating lots of veggies and rice cereal but then we determined she wasn't pooping so now we have backed off of the food and giving her juice to try to help move things along... She still doesn't have any teeth- seems like she ought to soon! She loves her Mommy and Daddy. She always gives us smiles and is generally a happy baby. Her eyes are still blue, but have brown and green mixed in the center so I wonder if they will change to brown eventually. Still not much hair so it is also hard to tell what color that will end up being! But we think Lottie's a cutie and a sweetie.
As far as work goes for me, let's just say I think I am ready for Fall Break! Unfortunately, that's not until the end of October.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Doctor Visit


Charlotte had her 6 month check up this week. She weighed 17 pounds 10 ounces and was 26 inches long. She is in the 73rd percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height. In comparison, at 6 months Luke was 19 pounds 2 ounces and 27.5 inches long. So she is a little bit smaller but still good sized for her age. She had to get some vaccinations at her appointment so that was not fun. She slept really good that evening but then had a really fussy following day at the babysitter's house so I felt bad for her! Last night she woke up crying like she was in pain and she never seems to get upset like that so I was really freaking out at 11pm. I tried getting J.W. to help me figure out what was wrong but he barely opened his eyes and obviously thought it was my problem to deal with and worry about! I tried various things to help her calm down and then decided MAYBE she was teething and dug out some homeopathic teething tablets. Has anyone else used these before? It seems odd but after giving her a few of those she did calm down and go back to sleep! I was so relieved!!! I can't see or feel any teeth emerging but she has been chewing like crazy and she is 6 months so maybe the teeth are coming in finally. I guess time will tell!
Charlotte is crawling alllllllll over the place now with her belly crawl. She can spot any tiny speck of dirt (*GASP* yes I said dirt) or paper or whatever is on the floor and can get to it within seconds. Maybe this will motivate us to vacuum more often! ha! It's mostly little bits of leaves that Cooper brings inside or shreds of paper/toys that Cooper has managed to rip up! Don't we have a wonderful pet? Charlotte also likes to go for Luke's toys including his matchbox cars and transformers. Big brother does not really appreciate this!
Charlotte has had rice cereal off and on for the last few weeks and then two nights ago we started sweet potatoes. She gave me the cutest look when I gave her the veggie for the first time and she looked like she liked it! However, after a few bites she refused to open her mouth. We tried it again tonight and she ate a little more but still ended up just refusing to open her mouth after awhile. Maybe she isn't that hungry!?! I guess we will try carrots and see if she likes those!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

She Likes to Move It! Move It!



(Anyone else have that annoying lemur toy from McDonalds that sings that phrase repeatedly?? We sing that around here a lot since it gets stuck in your head!)
Well Charlotte is officially on to a new era in her babyhood... she is mobile! Last weekend she really started pulling herself along by her arms and pushing with her feet so that she scoots in a belly crawl/army crawl/creeping mode. Point of the matter is, the girl gets where she wants to go! No more laying her down and walking away for a moment or having her lay happily on a towel in the bathroom while I shower.... she gets into everything! Luke has some toys with small parts that we have to make sure are picked up and of course there is always a stray piece of cereal on the floor from having a toddler around so we will have to keep more of an eye on her. She also is starting to go straight for Luke, Cooper, or any non-toy item she spots. She kind of "chased" Luke today while he was standing and playing his guitar while "Mighty King" was playing on THe Lion King dvd... we had to rewind several times mind you. So this was serious business of him playing his guitar-tar along with the song and he didn't appreciate his sister coming after him no matter where he moved! He ended up tapping (kind of a test hit I think) her on the head with the guitar and then harder so he got a time-out. He did say sorry right away and she didn't even cry so it wasn't that bad BUT here come the times of siblings fighting over toys I think!
 

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