Priorities

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

David at 2 Months

WHOA!!

Guess who is two months old? David, that's who. He turned two months old on Monday, and cooperated by giving me several great expressions when I had the camera primed & ready. I'm glad I finally got good pictures of his sweet gummy baby grin. It makes me smile every time, even when I'm grumbly & exhausted at 2 a.m.

David went to the doctor for his 2-month check-up yesterday and got a clean bill of health - and some shots. He was NOT a fan of the shots - he turned positively burgundy, and pulled out his pitiful enraged-chipmunk chattering cry.

After getting a slow start due to our nursing problems, his growth has really taken off. (Thank you, Similac!) He's 23 1/2 inches long, and weighs 12 lbs, 14 oz. That puts him in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Not bad, especially considering that the last time he was weighed, he was at the 25th percentile.

And no wonder my back hurts.

Things I Love Thursday - Magnetic Letters

Since Wendy is approaching 3 years old (a fact I have a hard time believing), I've been working with her more on her basic preschool-type skills. Numbers, letters, colors, shapes, etc. On a recent trip to Toys R Us, I found these big magnetic letters by Melissa & Doug:

The letters are wooden with a magnetic backing on the whole letter, which makes them much sturdier than those cheap little plastic fridge letters. There is a full set of upper- & lower-case letters, and it comes packaged in a nice wooden storage box with a sliding lid.

Instead of using these letters on the fridge, I got a magnetic dry-erase board at Target. It's about 12 inches by 16 inches, and was less than $5. It isn't quite big enough for the whole set, upper- and lower-case, but it's plenty big enough for one or the other. We've also been spelling out simple sight-words, like Wendy's name - as long as it only uses one of each letter, we can spell it out.

This morning, I put the upper-case alphabet on the board & sang the ABCs for her while pointing to the letters. Then she took away letters & I sang again, skipping the letters she had removed. (Think "B-I-N-G-O" without the clapping.) We did this until we were down to four letters, and then we put them all back. She likes playing this kind of game, and it gives me a chance to reinforce letter recognition & the alphabet for her.

For more recommendations, visit "Things I Love Thursday" at The Diaper Diaries.

Babywearing: A Beginner's Summary

I first heard about the concept of "babywearing" when I was pregnant with David. I had known all along that there were different styles of wearable carriers for infants; when Wendy was a baby, we had a (very uncomfortable) Evenflo Snugli that we used a time or two. Because the Snugli was uncomfortable for Wendy and for whoever was wearing her, we only used that carrier when the stroller wasn't practical.

When I heard about babywearing, it piqued my interest - I knew that having my hands free would help a lot in taking care of a newborn and a toddler at the same time. I researched different products and talked to friends who had different styles of carriers. From all of that information, I chose two products to try - the Moby Wrap and the Maya Wrap. I was also given a gently-used BabyBjorn from someone whose baby had outgrown it.

Here are my thoughts on the different carriers, after using them for about six weeks:

1. Moby Wrap

The Moby Wrap is an 18-ft long piece of slightly-stretchy cotton knit. It feels a lot like a comfy old T-shirt. It comes with an instructional booklet that is easy to understand, illustrating how to wrap it and different positions for carrying your baby. It takes a little practice, and it takes a few minutes to put on, but it is by far the most comfortable of my three carriers. When David rides in it, I don't feel any pressure points; his weight is evenly supported along the wrap. There are many different ways to carry a baby with the Moby Wrap. Right now we use the Newborn Hug Hold and the Cradle Hold; I look forward to trying the other holds as soon as David is developmentally ready!

• Advantages: very comfortable, very versatile, easily washable
  
• Disadvantages: need practice to wear baby confidently, can be hot due to all the fabric

2. Maya Wrap

The Maya Wrap is a lightweight woven ring sling. It comes in different sizes for different body types; mine is actually too big, but that just means the tail is too long - and we can work with that. There is a nice zipper pocket in the tail for storing the Binky or Mama's cell phone or whatever. It comes with an instructional DVD that clearly demonstrates how to wear the sling & how to position baby comfortably - it even shows you how to wear more than one sling if you have multiples. I haven't used the Maya Wrap as much as the other two, because I've had a hard time getting David comfortable in it. The material isn't stretchy at all, so it takes a little time to adjust it. The woven material is nice and breathable, and it's definitely the coolest of my three carriers. There are a few different positions for carrying baby; we've only tried the tummy-to-tummy and the cradle. I think with more practice, I'll prefer the ring sling for certain situations.

• Advantages: simple to put on, much cooler than the other carriers
• Disadvantages: no stretch - not quite as comfortable as the other carriers

3. BabyBjorn

The BabyBjorn is a structured carrier for wearing baby in a tummy-to-tummy hold. It is very easy to put on, and is easily adjusted for different wearers. The seat and back are padded for baby's comfort, but the padding does restrict airflow. The top edge can be folded down once baby has good head control, so that he or she can look around while being carried. My BabyBjorn lives in the car, because it is the easiest to put on and use when I'm on the go. It's also a good carrier for James to use, because it is so simple, there's just no learning curve to it. It's fairly comfortable but can get hot since it isn't breathable. It's also not quite as secure for babies without good head control; David's little noggin can get to bobbing around quite a bit if he's trying to look around.

• Advantages: Very easy to use, fairly comfortable
• Disadvantages: Not breathable, only one carrying position

Babywearing is often tied to attachment parenting. We aren't into attachment parenting per se, but wearing David definitely has benefits. He is more calm and content when he is in one of the carriers, especially during times when his tummy is upset or he is fussy. He generally settles right down & goes to sleep. David is a natural snuggler, and would happily spend all day being held & carried around. That makes it difficult to take care of Wendy & get other things done, so wearing him has definitely helped. (I don't wear David 24/7 - some days I don't wear him at all, it just depends on what we're doing.)

I've also noticed that wearing David helps him to stay asleep in situations where he might otherwise be disturbed & wake up. I've worn him in the grocery store many times, in the backyard playing with Wendy, and even during Bible class last Wednesday night. If babywearing helps him to sleep when he needs to sleep & helps us keep to a more normal schedule, I'm all for it!

I hope this has been helpful for anyone interested in babywearing. This information is all based on opinion and my limited experience, since I've only been trying it for about six weeks, and only with a newborn. As David gets bigger, I definitely want to try a mei tai carrier and an Ergo carrier, because I've heard such good things about both of them.

Do you have any experience with baby carriers? What's your favorite?

WFMW: Hymns as Lullabies

Because I have a newborn at home - he's 7 weeks old today! - I do a lot of rocking & singing. It's a great time to bond with David, and it helps to calm us both down if we've had a stressful day. Instead of relying on traditional lullabies, I sing hymns & devotional songs to him. There are many that are perfectly suited for use as a lullaby.

I know that he is too young right now to understand the words of whatever lullaby I choose to sing, but that won't always be the case. Before I know it, he will be old enough to really listen and start understanding the words & maybe even ask questions. In the meantime, the songs minister to me and serve as a special time of private praise, a bonding and rededicating of my life & my son to my God.

Here are some hymns or devotional songs that I've found work particularly well as lullabies:

• Trust and Obey
• Seek Ye First
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
• Jesus Loves Me (of course)
• What a Friend We Have in Jesus
• Here We Are But Straying Pilgrims
• Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
• Day By Day
• Peace, Perfect Peace
• Holy, Holy, Holy

What songs do you use as lullabies?

For more tips and ideas, head over to Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!

Growing Fast!

After having a bit of a slow start, David is really growing quickly now! He will be seven weeks old tomorrow, which is a little hard to believe. I don't know how much he weighs, but he's suddenly outgrown his newborn diapers, his smallest onesies, and his newborn sleepers. He's getting nice pudgy creases in his thighs & upper arms. He's turning into a handsome little chub-chub!

As you can see, he really enjoyed our 4th of July celebrations! He was dressed for the occasion, in a red romper that says, "Future Home Run Slugger," and red, white & blue socks that have "Mommy's Cutie" printed on the ankle.

He is more alert at times now, and coos and babbles and smiles at us. I was finally able to capture one of his smiles with the camera; he was having a conversation with Grandma and thought it was funny.


I am so thankful to have the opportunity to stay home with the kids. If I worked outside the home, I'd be heading back to work this week & putting David in day care. It's a nearly-constant financial struggle to live on one income & pay back our student loans, but I wouldn't trade this time at home with the kids for anything!