Ergo Love

Babywearing is something that I wholeheartedly believe in. I think that your baby loves to be close, not set in a chair, crib, swing, etc. to watch a mobile. Granted, all of those things are incredibly useful at times, I still think that being in arms and right with you is best for you and your baby. I may sound crazy, but I can't help it. If my little man is awake, I want to be doing stuff with him, and have this inner sense of being a bad mom if I just let him sit and stare at stuff. I know he needs to do this at times, but still.
ANYways. Babywearing. That's what I was really wanting to write about. We have tried a variety of ways to do it, not all of them easy or cheap. We tried the basic sling, the slings with the metal rings, Snuggli's, Moby wrap, and I finally found the one we love - the Ergo baby carrier. To put it simply - it rocks. It was created so you can ergonomically carry your baby around without killing your body. It reminds me of a Moby wrap, just a whole lot easier to use. It helps spread the weight around your whole body like the Moby, but has a way sturdier build and feels just all around better! Its great! I can have both of my arms free, and not feel that I need to support his head. I got the infant insert with it, which is great because it boosts them up, and supports their spine and posture in all the right places. It also has an extra high back that supports Rowan's neck so I don't have to worry about it! It comes in a fun variety of colors, plus has organic options - which I opted for, and am glad already - Rowan loves to suck/chew on anything that is in range, so it makes me feel a bit better about that! All in all it is great, well worth the higher price tag, and I wish I would have known this before I got the other few items that I had. They say a picture is worth a thousand words..  and its true in this case!

Saying Goodbye

This past weekend my big sissy Renee came out all the way from Boston to meet her new nephew. I was super excited to have her come; I hadn't seen her since last June, and was only a few weeks into my pregnancy. It is amazing how much a life can change in less than one year. A year ago today, I wasn't pregnant, or married for that matter. Mom had just finished her chemo, and life was looking pretty good. I found out that I was pregnant a few weeks before Renee and her boyfriend Ryan came to visit for two weeks. It was a fun visit, but its always hard to say goodbye. Especially when you know how much things will be changing. She never got to see me big and pregnant, I wasn't really showing by the time she had come and gone. Less than a year goes by before she is back, and I am no longer pregnant but have an almost 2 month old little boy here with us! And now Robin is largely pregnant, due in less than a month, so at least she got to see that!
They plan on coming out for a good 2 week visit later this summer, which in our time doesn't seem like really too far away, but in baby time, it's light years. As she was getting ready to jump on her jet plane back to her big city of Boston and her man, tears filled both our eyes to think of how much change will happen in the mere months that will go by between now and then. Rowan will be anywhere from 5-6 months old when she returns next, probably crawling, and who knows what else he will be doing. Gwen (Robins little girl) will be almost 3 months old, and on the fast track of change like Rowan is already.
It is amazing, as our families grow older, and move on in life and the big world, how time can pass so freely when people are close without seeing them. But once someone takes the jump, and moves across the country, how much longer those periods of not seeing one another feel - maybe because of the lack of the option of just jumping in the car and seeing them shortly. It makes the time spent with family who live close more precious, because you never know who might be moving away next. And it is amazing, how hard it is to say good bye, even when the next trip is already being planned; even if they lived closer and you might not see them for as long a period of time; it's interesting how as we get older, saying good bye gets harder every time.

Rollin Rowan

It is amazing watching a baby grow - and change! And how they do it so fast! My little man is 8 weeks old as of yesterday, and has been changing on a weekly daily basis. He has been holding himself up at a 90 degree angle and looking around. He rolled over for his first time when he was 7 weeks, and it seems to be one of his new favorite things to do. Before, whenever placed on his tummy he would immediately want to start scooting. Now it is rolling, and nothing feels safe! His grandpa was over visiting, and we were hanging out with Rowan while he was on his tummy. My dad showed him how to do the tuck and roll. He flopped him over a couple of times, but didn't seem like it was catching on. The next day, as soon as I placed him on his tummy, he started trying to roll, and within 30 seconds to a minute he was there! It was amazing! It was like he had been thinking about it all night and was waiting for his opportunity, and once he had it he was gone.  Before I know it Rowan will gain his independence and start crawling. Which will really be a lot of fun and wonderful, but I feel nothing is safe now - I can't quite imagine how it will feel once he is on the road.