Charlotte at 5 months!

I can't believe Charlotte is already 5 months! She is definately getting bigger every day. Right now, she is fitting in 9 month size clothes! The biggest event this week for her has been the attempt at starting some rice cereal. She is always grabbing at our food, drinks, and utensils so I thought she wanted to try some REAL food (well if you call that stuff real haha). I haven't felt terribly successful in our 3 attempts at the rice cereal. More seems to end up on her face, her clothes, and spit back in my face! She loves doing raspberries now with her tongue and so she gets a bite and then blows it back out! It didn't seem to me like she swallowed much, but she has been having more tummy trouble so maybe she got more than I thought. As you can see we made quite a mess!


Charlotte is constantly chewing on anything she can get her hands on. She also likes to grab at anything within reach- including Luke's hair or clothes which he does NOT appreciate! She gets up on her hands and knees and does a few rocking movements. She loves to be carried. She loves it when you pretend to sneeze or do peek-a-boo. She loves getting a bath Most of all she loves watching her big brother Luke. Her eyes are on him all the time! He got some good giggles out of her the other day when zoobering her belly.

Don't Tell Me Summer is Over

I can't believe summer vacation is ending this week (well at least for me!). Work starts again on Wednesday, but I will be meeting with other SLPs on Tuesday to go over some things so REALLY my last day is tomorrow. :( I've packed in a hair appointment and hoping to get the oil changed on my car as last minute t0-do's. Time this summer has flown by! I am not sure if it is because of JW's knee injury, adding a new baby, or just time going by faster as I get older. I feel like there were so many projects I wanted to get done but procrastinated on. I still have between 10-15 lbs to lose before I feel better about myself and can fit in my Fall pants for work. Didn't exercise enough, didn't get my pictures in albums, didn't go on any vacations, didn't get my clothes sorted and organized... lots of didn'ts.

BUT we did have 5 months at home as a family. We did spend countless time swinging, playing soccer, and fishing with Luke. We did spend hours and hours (more like days!) holding Charlotte and cuddling her. We did eat wayyyy too many bowls of ice cream. We did get to catch up with some great friends. We did share fun cookouts and zoo trips with family & friends.

JW will be staying at home with the kids for now while he is laid off. Please pray for him... haha... no seriously... we may need to start praying now! ;) He doesn't think he is cut out for the stay-at-home-dad thing but he has gotten a lot of good practice this summer! I start to feel choked up and get teary eyed when I think about being gone every day for hours and hours... but I know it will be okay. I will adjust to the new routine and schedule and so will the kids. I'm going to try to have fun and enjoy these next few days and not get too stressed about going back to work!

Oh, did I mention we bought a pool at Aldi's for $24.99?? It cost our guests more than that to feed their family of 5 at Subway before heading to our house. It definately lived up to the money spent today! We had 2 adults and 4 children in it at the same time, playing and having a blast. It was so humid and hot today, it was a lifesaver!

ERGObaby Carrier Review!!!!

I am soooo excited to have the opportunity to review an ERGObaby Carrier on my blog! The very nice people at Ergobaby sent me their "HandsFree System" which includes the ERGObaby Carrier, Front Pouch, and Backpack. This carrier was invented by a Mom who wanted to keep her baby close, but also wanted to be comfortable! I have been dying to try this carrier since I have been learning more about babywearing and hearing about different products through other moms on Twitter. I heard ONLY the best about the Ergobaby and at first wondered why it was so great! Initially, I thought it looked similar to a Snugli or Bjorn style carrier with snaps and buckles...and FYI those kill your shoulders and back! However, I learned that the design of the ERGObaby allows your baby's weight to be distributed between your hips and shoulders. It also allows for a natural, more ergonomic seating position for the baby and helps prevent compression of their spine. Here is what you need to know about the ERGObaby carrier:
*Can be used for newborn up to 40 pounds. For newborn to about 4 months you would also need to purchase the "newborn insert" which is a special pad to cradle the baby in the carrier.
*Can be worn 3 ways: front (facing parent), back, or hip carry.
*The shoulder and waist straps are padded thick to be extra comfy.
*VERY easy and quick to put on.
*Folds up fairly small for easy portability
*Has attached hood to provide sun shade, privacy while nursing, and/or to support head of child if sleeping.
*Also comes in Organic fabrics
*Chosen as 1 of the 20 best products in the last 20 years by Parenting magazine


I've mainly been testing out the ERGObaby Carrier around the house, playing in the yard, at the park, grocery shopping, and the ultimate test- a zoo trip! It has been very comfortable and I love how the majority of the weight is hanging from my hips instead of my shoulders. It's really neat how Charlotte is in a seated position- almost as if being held. If she is tired, she falls asleep very quickly in the front carry position. I love that her little arms go around my waist and we are very close together.
At the zoo, I was able to take Charlotte in the ERGObaby carrier and then just take a single stroller (instead of the giant double!) for Luke. I like to have options as far as where to put the kids if they get fussy. Charlotte was happy being worn, but Luke was acting "scared" of the animals! I think he was putting on an act for us, but anyways...I suggested he ride in the ERGObaby so he could get a good view of the animals and be safe and secure with Mommy. He liked that idea so I popped Charlotte out and put her in the stroller. I turned the carrier into the back position and had Luke climb on and away we went! So easy!





Things I LOVE about the ERGObaby Carrier:
*I love that Charlotte is held belly to belly with me in the front position (No fabric from the carrier in between)
*I love how fast and easy it is to put on and get her inside. Definately user-friendly.
*Fabric seems strong and durable. Buckles are heavy-duty and there is reinforced stitching at the seams.
*No complicated tying involved.
*It is even comfortable with Luke carried and he is over 31 pounds.
*Hands are FREE to tend to Luke, do housework (I know you're thinking that never happens!), push shopping carts, make dinner... whatever you need to get done!
*Handy zippered pouch in front that is big enough to hold my wallet and cellphone. I used the detachable Front Pouch to carry my camara at the zoo. The Backpack can be worn seperately or attached when child is in back carry position- this would be awesome for hiking!
*It's machine washable!
*Numerous benefits to babywearing.


If you know me in real life and want to test out the ERGObaby carrier just let me know and you can borrow it for a little while! For more information visit: http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/