Babywearing

I am an avid babywearer.  Without question, my favorite carrier is the Ergo Performance.  I've tried out a bunch of different carriers, though, and thought that I would review them here.

Ergo Performance:

I've already stated that this is my favorite.  I love that you can wear on the front or back easily.  Phil loves it too.  It has a great pocket to store my phone and keys when I am just taking the dog for a quick walk.  It is SO comfortable!  It's easy to use, can adjust so anyone can wear it.  I can't go shopping without the Ergo.  Noelle does not do very well in the carts in the store and I far prefer to wear her on my back instead.  Perhaps one downside to back wearing: you can tell in the second picture that Noelle is considering pulling on some hair.....

Moby Wrap:

This was my favorite carrier in the newborn days.  I haven't used it in quite some time though.  However, it was absolutely worth the money.  I loved it in the newborn days because it was so snuggly!  She also loved it.  It's awesome for a winter baby.  Before I left the house, I would wrap it around me, then put my coat on.  Since it was already wrapped, all I had to do was take her out of the carseat, pop her in and wrap my coat around her without having to take my coat off at all.  Very handy.  I also managed to successfully nurse in this carrier a time or two, thanks to the help of various YouTube videos which demonstrated that task.

Maya Wrap (Ring Sling):

In my research of babywearing, I discovered that a lot of people really love ring slings.  The idea seemed attractive.  It was reported that they were easy to use, easy to nurse in, and fit compactly in the diaper bag.  Only the last of those was true for me.  I had a terrible time getting a good fit.  Surprisingly, I found the Moby much, much easier and quicker to put on because of all the fumbling I had to do with the ring sling to get a good fit.  It also was not as comfortable since there is only support on one shoulder.  This was not the carrier for us.

Infantino EcoSash Mei Tei:

This style of carrier is a blend between a wrap and a soft structured carrier (like the Ergo).  There is one piece of rectangular fabric, with waist and shoulder straps that you tie in order to secure the child in the carrier. You can see a picture of this carrier here:

https://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=les;&gs_nf=1&tok=uncuH9XUtgcyKWHxwxabGg&cp=12&gs_id=1nj&xhr=t&q=infantino+ecosash&pf=p&biw=1920&bih=883&sclient=psy-ab&oq=infantino+ec&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=d4867127953e69ad&tch=1&ech=12&psi=OsBhUIe9BMjj0QHSiYCICA.1348583482385.1&cid=17218644164282900714&sa=X&ei=UMBhUJ29AenH0AGIyoEg&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QrQQ

As a carrier, I like this okay.  I got it on super sale off the zulily site.  I like keeping it inside in case the ergo is in the car and Noelle is very fussy and needs to be held.  Thankfully, that does not happen too often.  The straps are too cumbersome to use on the go since they will fall to the floor when tying it.  It is not the most customizable style of mei tei out there.  It's also does not come from the most reputable brand as far as babywearing goes.  I think I would probably like the BabyHawk Mei Tei better, but chose this one due to the significant cost savings.  This was a good choice for us, since the Ergo really is our go-to carrier.  It did come in handy when Noelle was much smaller to do a high back carry (before she could go on the back in the Ergo).  If you are wondering how on earth you strap a child to your back in the first place, you can see BOTH Phil and I accomplish this (EASY) task in my vlog post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_tl1ya9iII&feature=plcp

I hope this post was helpful if you are looking to wear your baby!

Recommitting to Blogging. Happy 9 months Noelle!

I've decided I really need to make blogging more of a priority and decided what better day than today, Noelle's 9 month birthday!

So, what is Noelle up to these days?  Well, she is a whirlwind.  She crawls.  A lot.  Just shy of 6 months, she was up on all fours rocking.  She practiced that for a good month, and then just before she turned 7 months she started full on crawling.  She had kind of a funny scoot before that.  Not exactly army crawling, more like doing the worm.  She would get in all fours, then go on her belly, and repeat.  That was how she propelled herself forward.  We are also in a Movers and Shakers class at the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center.  Each class starts out with a circle of parents and babies, singing songs and bouncing, then it's off to explore "stations."  Noelle loves the center and I feel so blessed to have this resource in Cincinnati.  It's truly an empowering place for parents, with a vibe that screams attachment parenting.  Suits us very well.

We are in our second session of signing class at the enrichment center as well.  At signing class there's lots of reading stories and singing songs that incorporate signs.  Each class has a different theme.  Last Saturday, we learned the signs for different foods.  Noelle seems to recognize a lot of signs, but has not started signing back yet.  Sometimes, it looks like she is signing "all done", but other times, I think she might just be playing with her hands and waving.  Speaking of waving, she does do that, and it's the cutest thing ever.

We had a couple really exciting one time outbursts of words also.  One day, Phil was playing with Noelle, lifting her up in the air and she said Daddy plain as day.  I really think it was the real deal.  She hasn't done it that clear since, but she does sometimes say "dada."  The other exciting word was her saying "doggy" perfectly clear, while petting the dog.  Again, we've only heard it once that clearly, but she says "doe, doe" a lot when the dog is around.  It's so fun to witness her learning and growing each and every day.

Breastfeeding continues to go well.  She nurses like a champ.  My pump output is not great, but I usually am able to pump just enough to meet her needs.  Except for those random times when I don't, which result in a comical display of me driving all over the city to drop off more pumped milk for her.  Luckily that's only happened twice.

At 9 months, Noelle is 18 pounds, 7 ounces and 26 inches long.  She is in the 43rd percentile for weight, and only the 7th percentile for height!  She dropped off her height curve a little bit, but the doctor thinks that was due to the subjectivity of how they measure.  She is usually in the 25th percentile for height.