Wearing a toddler on your back

Here, I decided a video would be the most helpful. Trying to figure out just what pictures would convey the most important information didn't seem productive. And I'll add text instructions to clarify. I'm using "him" since that's what I've got! :)

Starting with the center of the wrap, place this on the baby's shoulders. I like to wrap it over his arms a bit to make sure it stays in place. Grab the shoulders and swing him up over your back. If you like higher up, just make sure to start him out there. Then, leaning forward, pull the wrap tightly to the front. My Hoppediz wrap has color highlighted selvages which is very helpful! Keeping these sides tight in your hands, wad up the wrap and tie once in front. For higher up babies, tie above your breasts, for lower, below. Women how have a bit "more" than me seem to like to tie above the breasts too.
Holding one end between your knees, pull the other end up over your shoulder and behind baby. Make sure not to twist as you do this. Before E decided he always had to have his arms free no matter what, I always wrapped his arms in too. Much more secure. Cross the wrap over the bum and under the opposite leg. Hold that end between your knees and repeat with the other end.
Now bring both ends together and tie in a secure knot. I used to tie at my belly, but now I tie over my belly.
A slight variation of this is to make sure the wrap begins off center. That way, when you get to the final knot, you will be able to tie it off to the side. This is helpful for doing household chores--like dishes, cleaning bathrooms, that kind of thing. Or anytime you are worried about the knot in front.
As long as you make sure you are keeping the wrap taut as you tie, this is a very secure way to carry your baby. I think E lived in this wrap for several months! I was able to get chores done, go on hikes, take walks with the kids (without worrying about whether or not a stroller could go there!) go shopping, and go to cultural events. Wrapping keeps the baby close, warm and secure. I never have to worry about dealing with strollers, baby getting fussy, or darting away. It also means that he doesn't change my center of gravity much. We decided that this beat the Kelty backpack hands down! Baby just feels so much lighter in the wrap.
There are also lots of instructions on the web for front carries for younger babies. I did use the rucksack carry some when E was little. If I get a chance (and can remember how!) I'll try to get a video up of that one.
This tie looks complicated, I agree. I always get tons of looks, and nervous offers of help when I tie it in public. But after a few practice runs, I felt comfortable enough to do it on my own, and I never looked back. This is hands down the most comfortable way to carry a baby. I encourage you to try it. If you don't own a wrap (and why don't you??!!), a purchased one is indeed very nice. But you can also make one by purchasing 5-6 yards of fabric, cutting down the middle, and finishing the edges. Cheap, simple lifesaver.

Babywearing

2 kids, 1 wrap and a momma with her hands free.

G always wants to cuddle in the afternoons-typically about the time I need to start dinner. He hasn't been worn in a very long time (he's 36# for crying-in-a-bucket! Look at the proportions in the pic above) so he wasn't sure about the wrap last night. But he had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from Village Home and kept wanting to go back to sleep. I had to make dinner for C's birthday. What to do? Plop him in the wrap. He loved it and it was just enough to transition him to wakefulness. And we had a lovely dinner with my own variation of Turkish chicken and rice.

Babywearing is one of those "crunchy" things, but I can't understand why. Who wouldn't want to have free hands and a happy baby? And who really wants to haul around one of those baby buckets (whose handles are always being recalled anyway?).
I asked for a sling for M and always wanted one, but never got one. Boy do I wish I would have!! He was the ideal candidate for babywearing. By the time G came along, I knew more, and had a pattern for a ring sling. I made 2 and used them constantly. Then I discovered wrapping. I made a couple of woven wraps and wore those quite a bit too. When G was suffering from his wheat allergy that was still unknown to his parents, he screamed constantly. I couldn't put him down for anything. Ever. That's when I made my first Mei Tai. Beautiful thing to have. He lived in that for quite some time. Even after I stopped feeding him wheat. For quite a long time, it's where he went down for a nap. Or should I say UP. Babywearing is how I survived Village Home with a busy toddler.
This time around, I made a jersey wrap like a Moby Wrap. E spends a lot of time in that. I think he has only been transported in his carseat 2, maybe 3, times. If we are out, he's in the wrap. The pictures above are of my very first purchased babycarrier. It is a Hoppediz and I'm in love!
So why babywear? Other than being able to get things done with a baby/toddler around? Studies have shown that babies who are worn cry an astounding amount less. Like hardly ever. They breastfeed better, and mom is much more attuned to the baby's cues. Spending time together just increases familiarity.
Because baby is facing towards mom in all situations (or should be--don't use the outward carries unless you are just at home in a calm setting), baby can see mom's-or dad's- face and therefore learn how to respond to various situations. Babies read expressions on their caregivers faces to learn what situations are safe/happy/worrisome/stressful.
Even though a baby looks pretty squashed in a carrier, it's very comfortable for them and helps them feel safe. Just like swaddling. But, there is more "give" than one might expect. This has an interesting side effect. Because the wearer is in constant motion, baby has to learn to adjust to the movement. This has a dramatic effect on balance coordination. And it may be life-long. You just don't learn much balance sitting in a carseat.
There has been a lot written lately about the flat heads babies are getting. Between sleeping on their backs, sitting in carseats, laying on playmats, sitting in swings and bouncy seats, it's no wonder they are getting flat heads. Not in a baby carrier. Baby is cradled in fabric or sitting upright. No pressure on the back of the skull=no flat head.
Babywrapping is also ideal for skin-to-skin time or "kangaroo care." The wrap goes all around mom's torso and cuddles baby right against her chest. Then mom can still move around or just stand and sway in the living room. This is especially beneficial to preemies and adopted babies.
I love babywearing in public because it provides private space for my babes. In a carseat perched in the shopping cart, it seems like they are up on display for anyone to come and admire. Yes, my kids are amazingly beautiful, but they get tired of hearing it from strangers--or being petted by strangers. People are not likely to touch or sometimes even see a baby snuggled in a pouch of fabric on your chest. It just isn't considered very polite to reach out and touch a woman's chest. That way, baby can sleep or cuddle in peace and safety.
For more information on babywearing, my favorite site is The BabyWearer.

Drying out

We figured out the rucksack carry, although the wraps I have aren't really ideal--not as comfortable. E seems to enjoy it for a little while, but then wants the security of being on my front. Fair enough.

E has arrived at the time that is my favorite thing about nursing--the nursing giggle. It's where they look up into your eyes and are so happy to be eating their favorite food that they risk havin to re-latch and giggle. I LOVE baby nursing giggles. It's absolutely the best. It seems to say, "Yay! We made it through the tough beginings and now we can just relax and totally enjoy each other."

This is turning into a total E post--anyway, he learned a new trick! If we help him figure out how to open, then close his fingers on his rattle, he can get it to his mouth. Victory!

And, finally, the finished longies. I'm really happy with how they turned out. And they work great. I made them way too long, but I'm sure E will take care of that in no time!

The "Storm of the Century" as one news station called it. Whatever--here's our teeny bit of snow that then turned to gushes of rain.

The storm has finally passed on! Well, I guess that should be the plural, storms. We got hit with a triple whammy this weekend. 3 storms in 1. Yuck. I'm still not sure exactly how much rain was recorded here, but I heard that Bremerton, WA recorded upwards of 10" in 24 hrs. We didn't get anywhere near that, but both local rivers are flooded, and many more in the area are as well. Our street was partially submerged for a few hours--you could drive on the other side and the water-logged side was passable still.
Growing up in Idaho, we sometimes had flash floods from sudden downpours, but living in Oregon has taught me lots about rain. For example, I used to read stories where the author would refer to "lashing rain." Now I know what lashing rain sounds like--it's rain being blown at your window at over 50 mph. It sounds like it's going to come right on in for dinner.
The kids are happy to be able to play outside again. Not that I'm against them playing in the rain by any means--I'm all for it. This weekend was just a bit too much for my tastes.
That reminds me--I forgot to tell the last G rain story.
I sent them out in their muck-muck boots, rain coats, hats and gloves to play in the rain a few weeks ago. It was pretty cold, but not freezing. Well, G, my child who is usually the last to ever come inside, comes up to the door and is just shivering too much to talk. I ask if he wants to come in and he nods. "Fffffeeezing mommmy" he manages to get out. I start stripping clothes off him. His boots have a few cups of water each I pour out, his pants look like they've been dunked, even his shirt and lining of his water-proof coat are literally running waterways. I ask him what happened. "Go fimming mommy!" he says proudly. Seems he decided that the gutter, having roughly the water level of a kiddie pool, was a great place for a swim on a blustery day, so he tried it out. Yeah, um, not so good. I don't think he'll do it again. It took awhile to get him warmed back up. At least he had the sense to come inside!
My kids....

Miscellaneous pictures

I have not been keeping up on the blog very well. Sorry. So here's some pictures to make up for it;)

I had a woven wrap for G and we really liked it. I was looking for wraps for E when we found out he would be born, and really liked the Moby. I just can't convince myself to pay oodles of money for a length of fabric, however. So I looked up the measurements and figured some cotton jersey would work well enough. It does. Oh, how it does. I use this wrap every single day. Several times a day, for hours at a time. He loves it, I love it, it's heaven. He hates the ring sling. That's okay, as he gets bigger, the ring sling gets to be hard on my back after awhile, and he feels so secure in the wrap. I can tuck him in just where I want him. It is also versatile since it can be tied in many different ways. I could even wear G and E at the same time if I had any suspicion that G would want to be held for long enough to make it worth tying him in. It wouldn't, trust me. Anyway, here's E in his preferred environment.

M went out yesterday to see if his friends were available to play. He found them staring up at the roof of one of the neighbors houses. Seems a heron decided to check out our (very dry?) neighborhood. It stayed for quite awhile and so we got some pictures and a chance to see a very cool bird.

And, of course, Halloween pics! M wanted to be a knight. Easy enough--if you have a grandma who volunteers to sew you the coolest knight costume ever! Grandma J made all the sewn stuff, while GramRe picked up the awesome accessories in Scotland.

G was a little more challenging. I expected him to want to be Lightning McQueen or Mumble or something similar. Maybe even a tiger or lion. But no, he wanted to be a "fimmer die." Fortunately I knew that that translates to "swimmer guy." Still, I was quite surprised. I asked what would make a swimmer guy costume. "Gloves. Mask. Air tank." Ooookay. Good thing Grandma J is very creative! Didn't she do an awesome job?

The 4 of us with our pumpkins fresh from the garden. We carved 2, made one into soup-in-a-pumpkin and gave one to G's good friend--well, we plan to if I can remember to take it over to his house... You'll notice that Kid3 can't really stop eating just for a picture. And the sun was very bright. We have no open-eye pictures. But we just love having sun so much right now that we don't care.