We Should Talk First Birth Before Second

As I sit here getting ready to write the birth story of baby #2 I realize that I never actually shared the birth story of baby #1. I did a blog post about Hannah's arrival but I decided to "spare the gory details". Oh man how times have changed. It's interesting to see how our mindsets have changed since having Hannah and being surrounded by amazing birthing mamas. It reminds me to not feel as frustrated when first time parents make comments that are ignorant because they really just don't know. Birth is beautiful and we should feel like it's safe to share our stories regardless of how they go. Everyone has insecurities about sharing their birth stories because it's a very scary place of vulnerability and I'm guessing that is why I never went into details about Hannah's birth in the vast space of the internet because you just don't know how people are going to react. But, I'm in a different place now and I love talking and sharing about birth so let's talk about Hannah's birth story before I get to telling you about Charlie's birth story because they are so incredibly different stories!

On Monday, August 6th, I went into a routine doctors appointment. The doctor checked my cervix and reported that I was about 4 cm dilated and that if I didn't go into labor naturally in the next week that we would need to start talking induction. I had been told since about the beginning of July that I had a high chance of delivering early and to be prepared. Needless to say I was skeptical at this point. Our doctor encouraged us to do whatever we wanted to prompt labor to get started. Keep in mind that my due date for Hannah was August 13 so I was not even considered late at this point. We listened like good patients and did all the things they tell you to do to help labor get started. It was also suggested that I try to take an anti anxiety herbal supplement because our doula felt like I was probably nervous and anxious about impending labor which was causing my body to hold back from beginning the process. Friday night I took two doses of the supplements, drank my red raspberry leaf tea, did the miles circuit and headed out to be social. We celebrated one of my best friends graduating from the fire academy and ended the night with a house warming party for another good friend. I also have a great story about a snake and Wal-Mart from that day. Ask me about it sometime but let's stay on topic.


Saturday early morning I woke up feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. Many ladies will tell you, the beginning of labor mimics the feeling of diarrhea. I didn't know that yet. That was 2:30am. I woke up again at 3:30am with the same feeling and went back to bed. From here on out things got real. This was labor. People tell you that you will know when you go into labor and at this point I finally realized they were telling the truth! I started waking up about every 10 minutes with contractions. I woke up will and told him I that I thought I was in labor and that I was going to hop in the tub and try to relax. I will never forget his drowsy excitement when I told him and he responded "that's so awesome", and then promptly fell back asleep as if on cue since we had been told to get as much rest as possible in the early stages of labor. At this point contractions were lasting 30-60 seconds and were about 8-10 minutes apart. Thank goodness for technology because all we had to do was push a start and stop button on my phone and it recorded everything for us. Around 5:30/6am I was having a hard time laying down so we migrated downstairs together to the living room where I sat on the birthing ball and Will took care of the animals and packed the car so we could load and go when we were ready to head out. I was starting to have to focus on my breathing through contractions. I had kept Julie, our doula updated since the first signs of labor and she arrive around 8:30am with breakfast for Will and energy to help me focus. She kept on me about drinking, eating and going to the bathroom. Anytime I walked at all contractions would get strong and sitting on the toilet to pee was ridiculously hard. Contractions just came back to back the minute I would sit down and I literally hated the toilet, hated it. We headed out for a walk around the block at 10am and ended up not making it very far because I had to stop every few steps and lean on Will as a contraction built and passed. We came back in the house and I layer on the couch to try and rest and labor through contractions as they got much stronger and closer together. At 10:30am we collectively decided it was time to head out since contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. We had already called the doctor and they agreed we should head in to the hospital. 


With at least a 30 minute ride ahead of us the car ride was terribly long and painful. I held a pillow while I saw in the back focusing on breathing with my eyes closed tight because I didn't want to see where we were in relation to the hospital. Will talked me through contractions and rubbed my foot, squeezing his hand between the seats so he could reach it. That was our connection through transition because that is the stage I hit the minute I got in the car. Julie had to pass us on the highway because Will couldn't remember how to get to the hospital. As we pulled in, Will dropped me off at the door and Julie was going to sit with me while Will parked. I panicked because no way did I want to sit there and wait for both of them to park so Julie pulled ahead and parked quickly so she could come and help me with the long journey up to labor and delivery while Will parked our car. We had actually joked about giving birth on 35 and I didn't know I could be so relieved to actually be at the hospital and not giving birth on the side of the road. 

We got to the hospital at 11:00am. Once the nurse checked me in and I was dressed they checked me and I was already 7 cm dilated. With the chaos and high energy they were not able to get an iv in to administer antibiotics which made them grouchy because I was strep B positive. What my doctor did not tell me was that I needed to get to the hospital early so they could administer the antibiotic before I was at the point of pushing given that I am allergic to penicillin. Too late. While the nurse was getting paperwork together I had this urge to push that just completely took over my body. My water broke. It was just me, Will, Julie and the nurse in the room. They had a rush of moms come in to labor and delivery and our doctor wasn't there yet. The nurse told me not to push. Try going through active labor, with contractions ripping through your body, tell you to push your baby out of your body and fighting that urge. Thankfully, Will got up in my face and kept telling me to just breathe as hard as I could in his face. I never thought I would be super vocal during labor. I was wrong. I moaned and I breathed. I thought about yoga breathing and just focused on taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Will stayed calm and coached me until the doctor came in the room.

As soon as the doctor came in, she told me I could push before she was even dressed and ready. I was ready. Julie reminded me to push into my bottom and to not use my energy to vocalize loudly. Once baby started to crown the doctor told me to take a pause because she needed to help baby a little because her shoulders were stuck. Olive oil and steady sure hands helped stretch everything and allowed me to push my little 9lb 2oz baby out all naturally at 11:44am. She was 21 inches of pure perfection despite severe bruising and swelling. They waited as long as they could to clamp the cord and Will cut it. The put her immediately to my chest but then had to take her away pretty quickly because I was bleeding and they didn't know where it was coming from. Will stood in the corner holding this brand new baby all by himself. They were really low staffed so the doctor and the nurse in the room were both focused on me.

I remember this part probably better than labor because it was more painful than labor. There was prodding and pushing everywhere. Will wasn't in the room because we agreed he would go with the baby and the pediatric nurse had finally came in to take her and check her over. Julie held my hand while they tried over and over the find the source of the bleeding. They ruled out it being my uterus but continued to talk about getting an operating room ready and blood transfusions. They actually told Will that he should go back in and be with his wife and scared the ever living crap out of him. He said he broke down in the hallway because they had him thinking that he was loosing me and he didn't want to face that. Luckily, they were being a tad bit dramatic and found the tear soon after. My vaginal wall had torn during delivery. They gave me piton to help with the bleeding. Was it because I had a large baby that shot out like a canon? We won't ever know but thank goodness for persistent doctors who aren't immediately cut happy. Once they got me stitched up I'll never forget the doctor looking at me and saying "Well, we got it done but I hope you aren't planning on any career in the adult industry because it ain't pretty". In the moment, it was kind of the perfect ending to the craziness and I totally appreciate my doctors humor. Later she told me that I gave her a few more grey hairs so I know despite her calm demeanor, she was sweating it a little.

Once things calmed down and we were still in the delivery room I realized the baby wasn't there. We asked for her to be brought back from the nursery several times. When they brought her in we found out they had given her formula because her blood sugar was 23 when she was delivered and it was deemed medically necessary. She had nursed fine immediately following birth so I took this information in but wasn't super excited to hear it. They had me nurse her for 15 minutes and give her more formula. They rechecked her blood sugar while she was skin to skin and it was up to 50. She was in the safe zone and they moved us to the recovery room to start our parenting journey!

Will remembered to hand over our birth plan and because of how quick it was we didn't even have a chance to deviate from a natural delivery. The complications all came after birth and the team did only what they needed to do and avoided doing anything more. hannahndid not get a bath while in the hospital and they were very supportive of her rooming in the whole time and breast feeding. We even asked for them to take her to the nursery so I could walk a little once my catheter was removed and they urged us to just take her with us instead and we could drop her off if we changed our minds. We didn't end up dropping her off :-) Before we were discharged we asked the lactation consultant to come watch us nurse before we left. We got lots of nursing guidance but did end up using a nipple shield the whole time and are working on transitioning away from the breast shield now that we are home.

Will was a really awesome coach through everything and although we both agree that we were so glad Julie was there and wouldn't have changed a thing, Will was present and informed the whole time and was able to guide me through labor and delivery without any issues between the two of us. After all the joking, I don't know that I ever hit the bitchy stage and I definitely didn't ask for any kind of pain meds at any time.

It's Time

I've been away from blogging for a while now. Pregnancy took over then we had the baby and life just got crazy! I've kept 512 Cherry Lane open through it all miraculously and although I don't promote it a lot I have at least one custom order a month to keep me busy. I have so much on my mind I have been avoiding starting writing again because I just don't know where to start. Here are things in a nutshell.

We had little miss Charlotte. We call her Charlie and actually named her Charlotte just so we could call her Charlie because we both love the name for a girl. Goofy I know but it works for us and amazingly enough we haven't had issues picking names yet.

Right after Charlie, we celebrated Hannah's second birthday. Man, two whole years has went by so fast and I don't think you understand how fast life goes until you have kids. Then you want time to stop sometimes so you can enjoy those precious moments and other times fast forward so you can get past the hard ones.

Two months into Charlie's life I went into the emergency room and didn't come home for 17 days. September is a little bit of a blur to me. A few weeks after I came home I went back to work for CASA.

The holiday's quickly came upon us and here we are in 2015! Charlie started crawling already and has one tooth poking through. I just passed my test to become an Advanced Babywearing Educator which doesn't mean a whole lot but it's a fun title to have.

So, what do I have on my mind and what do I want to talk about? Man! Everything! I want to talk about my awesome home birth experience. I want to talk about my breastfeeding journey with Charlie. I want to talk about my hospital stay, what got me there and how things are going now. I want to talk about raising a high energy toddler while I also have a fairly needy baby. I want to keep talking about baby wearing. I want to talk about my business. I want to talk about life.

I know there are lots of mom bloggers out there but the reason that enough of them are successful is because we connect with each other. We like knowing that we aren't the only ones going through something, thinking the crazy thoughts, feeling like terrible parents or rocking our day. So here I go. I'm back on the blogging train so hopefully you keep up and we can get to know each other more.

Behind That Confidence Lies a Story

I know, I've taken a good chunk of time away from blogging however, I'm ready to be back with a vengeance (not that too many people care but it makes me happy so here I go). With my new little punkin settled in nicely there have been so many things rushing through my head that I would love to share with other moms. The issue has been where to start. With International Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month kicking off this week the natural thing to do for me is to start at breastfeeding. Now, I'm no where close to an expert in this area. In fact, I'm a relative newb and I wanted to share my journey with you if for no other reason than to bring awareness the the trials and joys of a breastfeeding journey.

My first time nursing Hannah (left) and Charlie (right)

Breastfeeding for most moms is not something that just comes naturally. Almost every mom I have talked to have had some bump in the road. For me, I have had a lot of bumps. With Hannah I went into breastfeeding wtih thoughts of unicorns and rainbows. I knew that there was a decent chance of stress and hurt that would come along with a tiny little mouth nursing on me nearly 24/7 but I wasn't prepared for what our journey would look like. Prior to birth we took bradley classes, focused on a natural birth for optimum breastfeeding success, read books and tracked where and when the local La Leche League meetings were. When Hannah was born she was a large and bruised baby with the biggest cheeks I had ever seen. We called her Big Bertha. Our birth plan asked that no bottle, formula or nipple make it's way to our babies mouth. Birth's never go according to a plan. Hannah came out with a bang in a short 8 hour labor and roughly 2-3 pushes. She was 9lbs 2oz, big by some standards and because of that and how fast she was delivered it was decided it was medically necessary to feed her formula regardless of the fact that she latched immediately after delivery just fine.  That is one of the few pictures I have of Hannah breastfeeding and although it shows more than I would prefer to show, it's all I have and I continue to cherish and share that picture because of it. After they brought her back from a brief stint away from our room the lactation consultants handed me a nipple shield. Everyone asks the same questions, did she have issues latching, were your nipples inverted, etc and the answer to all of them are no. Why did they give me the nipple shield, I have no idea. It was not necessary in our case and it was one of the pieces that let to a shorter than preferred breastfeeding relationship.

A peaceful nursing moment with Hannah

 At the hospital and for a while after I left I tried over and over to get Hannah off the nipple shield. She would fight and scream. Sometimes she would latch but then immediately let go. We went to LLL meetings, we saw lactation consultants, and I talked to my small network about options. Then I got mastitis. I went to the local urgent care at 9pm with infant and husband in tow and was prescribed an antibiotic by a doctor who didn't take effects into mind when prescribing. I checked in with my OB the next day only to find out the antibiotic was not a great option for breastfeeding moms and quickly switched to a new one. My supply dropped a little but we kept on. Then at about 6 weeks I found myself with an incredibly unhappy child who was now losing weight according to the doctors. I will never forget that moment in the pediatricians office. A tired a defeated new mom with a baby who seemed to cry at the sight of her breast feeling like the ultimate failure. As I cried in my husbands arms I watched the pediatrician feed my child her first taste of formula. I was heartbroken. Even as I type, I find myself tearing up because the emotions of the moment continue to be so raw. After gulping down the whole bottle she slept and slept and slept. And then she had a GIANT poop. We at least giggle about that still. Our supplementing had started. 

With supplementing came pumping and herbs and tears. After discovering the bottle, Hannah wanted nothing to do with my nipple. I still continued to fight because it was so emotional and I was not ready to let go. Every LLL meeting I attended I felt guilty when I pulled that bottle out after trying to nurse my screaming baby. Everyone made it look so easy! Why wasn't it easy for me. As a new mother I was filled with anxiety. I had a friend who would meet me at the mall and we would nurse in public together. I will never forget that support. But I also remember being terrified that my child was going to start crying for milk the minute we were around people. I was terrified to pull out that nipple shield because there is no graceful way to put a nipple shield on in public. There were just so many layers of anxiety around breastfeeding but then add the terror of doing it in public and you had one stressed out mom.

My beautiful formula fed baby

 I went back to work when Hannah was 4 months. I remember leaking through several nursing pads a day and pumping regularly. It didn't matter. The damage had already been done with all of our issues from day one. The only time I could find a happy nursing moment was when she was sleepy and in bed with us. So I continued to nurse her until she was about 7 months old mostly at night where we could be at peace. I remember asking one of the LLL leaders if they ever thought there was a time that nursing had become so mutually emotional and exhausting that it was ok to quit. They told me no....I never went back to that meeting. One night my husband and I sat down after several repeated days of crying on both mine and Hannah's part and discussed stopping our breastfeeding relationship because it was just too much stress for all involved. I still have to try hard to look back and recognize how great it was that I was able to provide her with breast milk for the amount of time that I did. I continued to fight for breastfeeding moms rights watching my list of friends grow who actually had a dog in the fight. I found a village to help me raise my child who was a mixture of parenting styles and beliefs and it helped me find my foothold as a parent who was confident in my decisions and continued to stay informed. If you haven't guessed this already this is my local babywearing group. It's no wonder I have stayed involved for so long. It took a while for me to not feel incredibly akward seeing other moms breastfeed in public but eventually it happened, that day that I didn't bat an eye at seeing a breast right next to me nourish a child.

When we discovered we were pregnant with baby Eaton #2 we had a lot of decisions to be made. The first was where to give birth. Breastfeeding played into our decision to have a home birth. I wanted to have the highest possibility I could of having a successful breastfeeding relationship this round. Hospitals and doctors are great, especially when there is an emergency and you need them. However, hospitals also have a much higher probability of interventions because, well they are there as an option. At a home birth many interventions are removed because they just aren't necessary like nipple shields and bottles with formula. After giving birth to Charlie I was able to sit on the bed for a whole hour and just let her latch. For me, it was healing. I let her latch as much as she wanted for the next few days for as long as she wanted. I practiced all the techniques I had used with Hannah in hopes for success. I did get sore but not like with Hannah. I used cream and let my breast hang out for everyone around to see because that was what I was told to do so that I could heal. At five days post partum we took a short trip to target to get necessities and the dreaded public crying happened and I decided to give it a go. Here I was, breastfeeding my newborn in public for the first time and you know what was missing for me....the anxiety. It wasn't there and I didn't care who had issues with me feeding my child. Go ahead and challenge me, I dare you my mind said. Well, no one has dared me yet and I have nursed in public several times since then both in a carrier and out of a carrier, exposed and covered. 

A quiet nursing moment with Charlie

Don't get me wrong, it's been almost 5 weeks of breastfeeding Charlie and we have had a few hitches along the way. I had a plugged duct which we quickly took care of with lots of rest thanks to my dedicated husband. I have had soreness off and on. I have been touched out a few times where I just needed a little space. I have had a back that was uncooperative and was crying in pain while I nursed my little Charlie. I cry thinking about going back to work and having to pump. And every now and then when Charlie is crying for no reason like babies do, I offer her my breast and she refuses, I panic a little thinking back to all those times with Hannah. But you know what, we are doing it and we continue to work on it so we can keep our breastfeeding relationship going as long as it's beneficial for both of us. I try to not make issues when there aren't any and just keep a smile on my face and enjoy that little hand hugging my boob as she is cuddled close.

Having a moment with my girls

So next time you see a mother nursing whether it's in her home, in public, discreet or not just remember that although we may look tough as nails and confident in that moment, nursing is an emotional, loving and connected journey that every mother has a different experience with. The one thing we all have in common during this journey is the need for support and community.

Some Fun Fluff

I can't believe it's been a whole month! What happened? I seriously have no idea. Somewhere in there my child past the 1.5 year mark which blows my mind. Also in that time period I was able to chop up some woven wraps for a friend and make some ridiculous accessories. So, today instead of talking about babywearing, lets talk about that side business I have called 512 Cherry Lane.

This is my really lame drawing of what I wanted for a logo

How Did you come Up with the Name?

This is my really awesome final logo created by a
friend with much more knowledge than me

No one ever tells you when you decide to open a business that one of the hardest things you will do it pick a name. You want it to be meaningful and also reflect your business. When I decided to work on baby goods I didn't want it to reflect my current products too much in case I decided to move away from  these particular products. After lots of random notes and keeping a list of ongoing possible names for at least a month we decided on 512 Cherry Lane. It's the perfect mixture of where I came from and where I am. It also doesn't pin me into one particular category so my business can morph as I do in life! But let me break it down for you. 512 is the area code in Austin where we currently live and Cherry represents where I grew up, in Michigan. If you didn't know that Michigan is known for it's cherries you do now. They are amazing and I miss being able to buy them at crazy low prices during the season. We rarely pay less than $4 a pound here but sometimes I just need a cherry. We added the lane piece because it just needed something to round it off and it sounded cute. No additional story there.

What Did Starting a Business Look Like?

For me it was deciding what kind of product I wanted to sell and then figuring out if it was obtainable on a

My very first necklace

very low investment since we just don't have money to really put into a business. I think a lot of work at home mom's start out this way. I mean, we are work at home moms! It's not like we have investors running around pushing money on us. I love fabric and sewing has been a hobby of mine for a long time so naturally I gravitated toward something where I could put my passions behind it. There were two baby items that I ended up making myself because I just couldn't find what I wanted at the price I was willing to pay. Those ended up being my first two for sale projects of the teething necklace and the quilted diaper bag. Since starting I have gravitated even more toward custom items as requested only because it keeps things fun and interesting in an area that can become boring and monotonous.

So What Products Do you Make Now?

Currently I take all sorts of custom orders. I do have a very busy toddler and a baby on the way so I'm slowing down and can only take a certain amount of requests at a time. I'm also being picky about projects because some just require longer periods of focused time than I can dedicate right now given the circumstances. In the past I have made custom quilted bags with various shoulder and backpack straps, teething necklaces of all shapes and sizes, wrap straps for various sized carriers, lots and lots of unpaper towels and oven door towels, and my most recently accomplishments include custom wrap conversion items pictured below. My expertise lays within mixing patterns and colors so I'm not afraid of getting all crazy with combinations because although it might seem overwhelming to some, mixing patterns is usually pretty awesome as long as you do it the right way. I also have two quilts for friends on my cutting table that must be finished before my little squish gets here because I will be taking a few months off to enjoy the cuddle time :-)

Strap Wraps - fully reversible and customizable

A backpack bag completed as a custom

Tula accessories for a local customer

Unpaper towels with snaps!

Reversible pillow cases made from Natibaby Kraken

Bugaboo stroller canopy made from Natibaby Bikes Karamel

Where Can I Find Your Stuff?

My most up to date information is found on my facebook page. Here is the link:https://www.facebook.com/512cherrylane. I also have an etsy store that is sometimes updated but I find that I have much less traffic on there than facebook so right now I'm not spending too much time on keeping it maintained as I focus on custom projects. You can find my etsy story at: etsy.com/shop/512cherrylane. And then lastly I also have both ready made necklaces and strap wraps for sale locally at the Natural Baby Company located at 515 South Congress, Ste 200, Austin TX 78704. The store owner Whitney is super nice and will help you with any questions you have plus they have some pretty amazing things in the store so it's always worth it to stop and see what they have new in stock.

Are you a work at home mom? I would love to hear what you do and why you started the journey. Just comment below or share you information on my facebook page! Do you have an idea and would like to put it into action? Let me know and I'm happy to work with you to create your one of a kind item!

Pregnancy Makes Everything....

Truth, pregnancy makes everything kind of foggy! I can't believe I haven't posted in over two weeks. Since I can blame it on pregnancy I suppose now would be a good time to talk about babywearing while pregnant!

You Shouldn't Lift That

This is one of the most common lines that I hear right now. I'm only 21 weeks pregnant but once you start growing a little person everyone assumes that you are basically useless. I keep reminding everyone that I have a toddler. That means I have to pick up at least one little cutie who is over 25 pounds on a regular basis and I don't really get a choice about it. Sometimes I would prefer not to have to hold her but she is a toddler and demanding at time. I prefer my sanity. So, a few tips for babywearing while pregnant. 

Choose Comfort

Seems simple right? Well, if you don't have a lot of choices in terms of carrier options this may not be as easy as it sounds for you but there are some modifications that you can do with carriers to help out a little. My first trimester I preferred to carry with a wrap because I HATED anything around my belly. With a wrap, I would tie off around my chest and avoid most pressure on my belly. With a wrap I can also use multiple layer carriers so there is more support for my shoulders and chest since all the weight is resting on that area. My preferred wrap at this stage was actually a double hammock with a candy cane chest belt. Just so comfortable. Now that I'm well into my second trimester I can switch it up a little more. I have always preferred to do a high back carry in buckle or mei tais. This works on my favor with pregnancy because you either have to wear really low or really high. I'm used to wearing high so this is the route I go and it works wonderfully. Curious about how I do this? You are in luck because I just made a video in conjunction with my local babywearing group showing 5 ways to get your baby on your back in a buckle carrier and it's all using a high back carry while 20 weeks pregnant! You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFFYzwrTdtY. 

Know Your Limits

Now, I like to push things to the edge as much as the next person. However, you also need to listen to your body when it's telling you enough is enough. Pretty quickly in my pregnancy I learned that front carries were a no go anymore. I can do a hip carry for a short time but when I have a large toddler on my front even without the belly showing yet I could really feel it on my back. It was very uncomfortable and so I just don't do front carries right now. I did go for a really long walk the other day with Hannah on my back. I'm not going to lie, I know it was good exercise for me and I took it slow but I was dead by the time I got back. So, another note to self, don't go for 1.5 long walks by yourself in case you can't make it back. I did but I took a nap right after and wasn't sore at all so I know it was fine but I wouldn't push myself any more at this point. Just know when to call it quits is all I'm saying. You may be taking care of the baby on the outside but you also have to take care of the baby on the inside as well.

Let Others Help

Probably one of the hardest things to do at any time is let other people help you. However, I try really hard to rely more on my husband and let him wear Hannah when we are out and about or use the stroller when we are walking vs wearing her during a walk. I LOVE the closeness of babywearing but I also love feeling ok and not being in pain. So, I try to limit my babywearing more than I would like at this point. Do I still babywear on a regular basis, yes. Do I do a lot of physical activity while babywearing, no. Since we are at the stage of wanting to go all the time as well, I take the opportunity to have as many outings and play dates with friends as I possibly can so that Hannah isn't as needy at home and is super tired out when we are home. This has helped as well and although it may not be the traditional help you are thinking of these friends are still saving my sanity because I don't have to sit and watch or play with Hannah all day and I get to spend a little time having some adult conversation while the kids are playing.

What Have We Been Up To?

Well, it's been a while since we updated so here is what has been happening. We got the first and only ultrasound of the baby. It's so different the second time around because it doesn't feel as alien. We almost

caved this time and found out the gender but luckily we held strong and are now proud parents of who knows what! I think it makes the process even that more fun with a huge surprise to look for at the end. I have had to draw some clear boundaries at work so I'm not super stressed out. That also includes drawing boundaries on my sewing business. I have stopped taking large custom orders and am just sewing as I can which is a lot less than before but again, I have been trying to be good at focusing on taking care of myself and my family first. 

I have been pretty involved in the babywearing community as well lately and am taking the opportunity while I can go to events and play with all the pretty carriers. I have had the luxury of playing with some crazy epic high end wraps as well as help new moms out on the fly. Yesterday we took pictures of most of the library carriers for our chapter which was fun, crazy and exhausting. 

Our house is back to being a complete disaster because we have been spending so much time being gone. As a mom, I have worked really hard at letting this expectation go that I can be perfect in all areas of my life. I do become super guilty a lot but I still try to not let it get me down or stress me out that the dishes aren't done or that I can't see the floor because of all the toys and unfolded clean clothes there. 

We also got back my brothers wedding pictures! So awesome. Although I do love my brother and his wedding was fun, I cherish the pictures that we get as a family, especially when it involves babywearing. So I wanted to share a few of those as well since I can't get enough of them. 

Oh and one more update, you should not be able to leave comments below as I changed the privacy settings so leave me some love! Hope your weekend is starting off well!!!

NO Fun to be Sick!

Everyone knows that being sick stinks. A lot. And when you have a baby it stinks in more than one aspect usually. However, babywearing can help you get through these tough times. When my child is sick she wants nothing more than to be held. She wants to be held all the time, all day long. I don't blame her because I want that too but we all know I'm too big to be held by my momma all day when I'm sick. Not to mention, my mom is a go-er and I'm positive that having to sit around all day would drive her bonkers. And even if you aren't one of those personalities, the world doesn't stop even though your child is sick and food still needs to be made, animals still need to be taken care of and on and on and on.

Sick baby

So the great thing about babywearing while you have a sick baby is that you can actually get those things done and give your child the attention they desperately want and deserve when they aren't feeling their best.
It means for the parent or caregiver that you don't have to feel guilty about not being there for your child because you have other things to get done. You can do both! The other thing that happens when my child is sick is that they want to nap on me. And guess what, that's ok because she can nap and I can still get things done. If I need to go to the store I don't feel horrible that she is touching everything and making everyone else sick because she isn't touching anything but me and my carrier. So I'm saving everyone else too!

Sick mommy

But what if you are sick?!? Well, babywearing can help with that too and in fact I am currently dealing with being sick with allergies and 18 weeks pregnant with a toddler who appears to have allergy issues but is still on the go AND being needy at the same time. So here I am, congested like no other, short of breath and just want to lay down. However, I don't get the option to lay down because I have a toddler and that is just how life is. Last night she was whiney and tired because she refused her nap during the day with daddy and I was left to fend for myself as my husband headed off to work. So instead of losing my cool and breaking down crying like I would have liked to do we bundled up and walked to the park. She settled in on my back, I let her down to play when we were there, she didn't want to play at all so she went back up and I socialized with other moms at the park while she hung out on my back. Was it my first choice of how I wanted to spend my evening? Of course not but it was sure better than the alternative and it was a babywearing win for me because I also go to talk to other moms about babywearing AND about CASA which is a program close to my heart.

What Have we Been up to?

Speaking of being sick, that's why you haven't seen me posting as much. These allergies have been a slow burn in our life and are finally taking a toll on me. I'm currently working through my craft/business closet to get some things sewn and out of the door so I can destash and have been busy taking care of myself and my toddler both of whom are not feeling up to par. We did have a play date about a week ago that I have to tell you about though. 

Teaching babywearing comes with the perk of cuddling
babies and showing off sleepy dust!

I have a friend who actually gifted me my first babywearing item, a moby wrap, when I was pregnant with Hannah. She was my go to mom for everything because her baby was about 10 months older than mine so I could ask her about things she had been through and I had no clue about. We all need one of these friends. So as her babywearing journey was short lived mine was just starting. I went to the local babywearing group when Hannah was about 4 months old for the first time and I was off and running. Now over a year later she is on to baby number 2 with a toddler running around and I have been hounding her about babywearing and the amazing things that it can do for your crazy life. We have attempted a few babywearing focused play dates but this girl is busy and watches kids during the day too so it can be hard to have extended focus. Well, we finally accomplished it and I sent her away with three different carriers of mine to try out and see what she liked. The awesome part for me is that initially we talked about why I have so many different carriers and the fact that you don't NEED them all but that it's like buying shoes, you can have just one pair but who wants just one pair when they are both function and cute. She has been a quick convert after finding the right carrier for her and that has been the issue in the past, the carriers she has been using were uncomfortable and therefore I don't blame her for not sticking with it. I wouldn't have either. I may have watched her jump into the black hole of woven wraps after our play date but I'm honestly so excited that she has found something that works for her family and for her back so that she can have some hands free for her toddler and take care of her adorable little girl.
We also had a babywearing meeting to attend right after the play date and I rented a carrier for both of us to try out with our kiddos. My friend hasn't had a chance to try it out at all because we haven't been able to get together yet but I'm sold on the lillebaby! It's amazing and even as a plus size mom who is preggo, I love it with my toddler. It is comfy and it fits her great although this picture doesn't do the best at demonstrating that. I'm thinking about doing another plus size review on this carrier, what do you think?

We LOVE the lillebaby

Baby Slow Down!!!

Let's take a little hiatus from talking about babywearing. Ok, I'm still going to talk about babywearing some but this post has another topic as it's basis. Our babies growing up! I hear all the time in the babywearing community this idea that once your baby is off and running that you will no longer babywear. It's like your child is going to hit this major milestone and they are no longer going to want to be close to you and be held or snuggled. OR, that your child is going to turn into a toddler and automatically sleep amazingly. As if one night it's just going to click and they are going to decide they don't need your kisses in the middle of the night to calm them in the dark. Or how about a topic that is even closer to my heart than babywearing, feeding your baby! My child is formula fed so I kept hearing the expectation that as soon as my child turned one she would automatically switch from formula to cows milk. For what it's worth, I reject all of those ideas, especially the last one and let me talk a little more on the last one since it's pretty close to my heart.

Formula can be touted as an evil processed substitute to beautiful and creamy mother's milk. Well guess what, my child is formula fed and she is just fine. I didn't choose this route but it happened. When that 12 month mark loomed in my future and I heard other moms talk about the switch I panicked! I worked really hard emotionally to get to a place where I wasn't constantly feeling guilty or imagining a world where I had been able to continue breastfeeding well into toddlerhood. And now, I was going to have to face another emotionally charged change for both me and my child because taking her off formula meant she was getting big! And not only that, she loves her formula! So, it wasn't about to be an easy transition. However, here is what happened. I realized that my baby is still my baby. We choose to reject society's expectation that my child wasn't a baby anymore once she hit that magical mark of one year old. I started asking the question, if it can be normal for moms to continue to breastfeed, why can't it be normal for me to continue to let my child continue drinking formula from a bottle. And it can be. I don't feel guilty about it and I recognize this decision wasn't all about her but also about me. My child happily takes her organic cows milk as she is running around but before bedtime she wants her bottle with her formula. And I'm ok with that for now. She is able to slowly make that transition herself without me pushing her because someone out there has made it the normal thing to do.

This is how we function as parents in general. Our motto is "why make things hard when they don't have to be". It's been true for transitioning to food, to cows milk, from bed sharing to sleeping in her own room, from the crib to the toddler bed and for babywearing! It works for us. It also allows is to cherish those moments that won't be there forever. It makes transitions so much easier because we wait until she tells us it's time for a change and then, we change!

And all of these words to tell you, let your baby be a baby. Don't make them grow up too fast because you will never get that time with them back. Your baby will eventually not want to be rocked and cuddled and will at some point grow up and move out to have their own babies. Enjoy the time sitting on the floor playing silly games. Enjoy the sick baby snuggles. Enjoy the goofy pacifiers if it keeps them calm. Reject the "normal" if it doesn't work for you. Do what is best for your family and stop feeling so guilty about everything. Stop second guessing your parenting decisions and slow down and enjoy the moment. Stop wasting those precious moments defending your decisions to do what is best for your baby and just do what is best for your baby and live it! Embrace it! Embrace your child and your family and stop putting timelines on everything from the tiny to the huge. Make your own decisions for you and your child and it will all turn out ok!