A day full of fun!

And hopefully a nice, long, full night of sleep!

Chester and Abigail playing at the park/splash pad!

  Today Chester and I had a day full of fun planned out. I assumed Chester would be waking up no later than 10:30 because he's usually up by then. I was wrong, he decided not to get up until almost noon! So I took advantage of the time that I was awake and he was asleep and put together our picnic "basket" for the day. It was nothing special, just some peanut butter and jelly, Cheetos, water and tea. After I put the picnic together Chester decided he was going to wake up. So I changed him out of his super adorable cow print cloth diaper into an orange one. I did my usual morning routine, let Chester play with his toys, check my email and since giveaways were recently posted, I took a look at a couple of those as well. So of course when you put a clean diaper on the baby, that's when they decide they want to dirty it up really fast. Lucky me, I got to change him again! That's alright, he was ready for the day, I got his diaper bag packed and ready to go, then got myself ready. Slowly, I might add. Chester has been super clingy lately, so anytime I try to change, do dishes or cook, he always crawls up to my legs, stands up and wants me to hold him. So it takes a while to get things done. Finally we were out the door and headed to pick Cristina and Abigail up. As soon as I got to Cristina's house, Abigail ran out the door screaming, "AUNT KATIE!!!" She gets extremely excited to see me. She was ready for the splash pad. First we had our fun little picnic, but the whole time Abigail had only one thing on her mind. She was extremely anxious to get to the water and play, so I tried to eat quickly. After cleaning up from the picnic, we went over and Abigail ran straight for the water. I stood out in the sun a bit talking to Cristina, then decided to take Chester on in. I had him in a GroVia shell without the insert and it works perfectly for a swim diaper. Chester LOVES the water so much! Anytime we have a cup of water, he always wants to put his hands in it. He loves splashing in the bathtub and I've caught him a couple of times playing in the toiled. Disgusting, I know! He also loves to play in the dogs' water bowl as well. So we played in the water for a while until I felt it got a bit cool for Chester. After that we headed over to the park for Abigail to run some of her energy off. We took a few photos, chatted a while, sun bathed then called it a day. With two kids, this process takes a lot longer than it sounds! So we decided to come back to my place and watch Lion King 2. I think Cristina was the most excited about this movie because she had never watched the entire thing. So we lounged around a while and let the kids play until it was time for them to go home. It's pretty amazing how much Abigail and Chester love to play together and how much fun they have considering their age difference. Abigail is four years and Chester is not quite a year and they still love the company of each other. Abigail loves her "baby Chester" and always enjoys seeing him. I think they'll grow up to be great friends and a great duo. We really just better watch out because I can see all the mischief they will be getting into.

Chester and Craig at the drive-in!

Chester taking a boob snack break!

  After taking Abigail and Cristina home, Chester had to lay down and nap, even though it wasn't a very long nap. Poor Chester was so exhausted and tired from the day he already had. Our day wasn't quite over with though, because we were headed off to the drive-in with Craig to have a fun family night. I packed some water, (we always have to have our water with us) tea and brownies that I made specifically for our evening. Once we got there, we sat around just relaxing, let Chester play in the grass a bit and of course he had to take a break to have a boob snack. Around nine or so, the first movie, Paranorman came on. It was a funny little claymation movie that had zombies and ghosts in it. I won't go into detail about the movie, just in case anyone wants to see it. In between movies Chester got pretty fussy, which was understandable, he had already had a really long day. So I nursed him and he fell asleep and stayed asleep pretty much through the entire second movie, which was The Borne Legacy. I was surprised I stayed awake through that entire movie, because I was pretty tired myself and Chester was making sleeping look really dang good! The night was perfect for the drive-in, it wasn't too hot or cold, the sky was pretty much clear and it was just beautiful. We ended our really long, fun filled day out perfectly- under the stars as a family.

Chester at the drive-in!

  Chester really loves being outdoors, I can tell this already. Anytime he is fussy and I can't seem to get him to take a nap or calm down, I put him in the Ergo and take a walk. There's so much to see outside and it's always something new to look at. He seems to laugh and carry on when he's outside too. He's just so interested in everything around him and wants to soak it all up. I'm so glad he loves the outdoors and I hope he always does. It'll be a lot more fun for him once he can walk around and be a little more independent. I think we'll do a lot more outdoor activities then. We already take plenty of walks and I love taking him to the park. He's a boy, so I'm sure he's going to always love being outside and exploring. I'm so excited to see the person he's going to grow into. He's already just this amazing little guy and I'm so lucky to be his Mommy. I can't believe he is going to be one in just a couple of months. Thinking about how fast he's growing up just makes me want to go snuggle him and enjoy this time, so on that note, I think it's time to step away from the computer and go cuddle with him in bed. Hopefully he won't be a bed hog tonight. I love bed sharing, but gosh, Chester just takes up so much of the bed space!

The Ergo vs The Moby, and why I love baby wearing!

  Just like anything else that has to do with your baby, you should definitely research baby wearing. If you don't know what it is, or don't do it, I highly suggest you look into it. I love to baby wear because it keeps Chester close to me. I love having him right against me, knowing he's safe in my arms. I love how I can easily get things done on days he just wants to be held. It's very convenient having the carrier so I can have my hands free when I need them. Baby wearing can also help extremely cranky babies. Chester will happily fall asleep in his Ergo when he's cranky and I can't get him to sleep any other way. Usually he will fall asleep nursing, but sometimes all he wants is to be snuggled up on my chest. It's comforting to them because it reminds them of being in your belly. I still use my stroller sometimes, but I like the option of having him right there against my chest so strangers have no way of touching him or getting in his face. That's one major problem I have with using my stroller, people love getting all up in your baby's face where they don't belong!

So what exactly is baby wearing? Basically, you have a carrier or a wrap and you carry the baby on you. It keeps baby close so they feel safe, they can feel your heartbeat and love the closeness. Of course there are carriers that aren't safe for babies, these are usually called crotch danglers. Here is an example from International Hip Dysplasia Institute showing the recommended way to carry your baby.

 So here it shows you the ones on the left are not recommended. The carriers should always support the baby's knee joint and allow the legs to spread, keeping the hips in a stable position.

  When I first started baby wearing I had no idea about the images above. I had a crotch dangler and though I only used it a few times, I wish I would have researched baby wearing more! So after realizing I had a crotch dangler I went with a Moby wrap. I thought the Moby was the best way to go and admittedly I did little to no looking into wraps and carriers. I wish I would have looked into all my options because I ended up unsatisfied with the Moby wrap. Let's start with the things I liked about the Moby wrap, don't worry, this list will be extremely short. I liked that I could baby wear safely, the Moby wrap supports the baby properly. Honestly, I can't think of anything else I liked about it, seriously, that's all. The only thing I liked about that wrap was that I could safely baby wear. Let's get on to what I didn't like about it, shall we? I didn't like that the thing took so long to put on. The Moby is so complicated that I would rather put Chester in his stroller and go, even if that meant getting the huge stroller out and shoving it in my tiny car where I really had no room! The Moby is also not good for hot days. On a warm day I couldn't wear Chester very long or we'd both be sweating and so uncomfortably hot. With that said, how the heck would I even try nursing him in that thing? He gets extremely sweaty and hot as it is while nursing, add in the heat from wearing him in the Moby, it would be a disaster. Also, I feel like the Moby really restricted us. He couldn't move around very much. He could look left or right and that was about it. He couldn't move his legs or arms very well. Craig refused to even try to put the Moby on because of how difficult and time consuming it is to put it on. He would rather carry our chunky baby around the mall than fiddle with the wrap. Now, if you're a Moby lover, don't start screaming at the screen saying how amazing the Moby is and how stupid I am for not liking it. For my family, the Moby was the worst idea and is just terrible. I don't feel bad for saying that either, it's kind of just a ridiculous wrap. Those things cost almost $50 for a huge piece of fabric. I could make a wrap way cheaper than that! Luckily I didn't spend THAT much on it, I bought a slightly used one for a little cheaper. The only problem is now I'm stuck with the dang thing! I really need to sell it, it makes no sense to have that stupid wrap laying around not getting any use.

Here is Chester in the Moby wrap.

  Well, now that I got that out of my system, I want to talk about the Ergo! First, the Ergo is a bit expensive. However, if you're looking for a great carrier that you'll use for a long time and often, this is definitely your carrier! The Ergo can carry up to 45lbs vs the 35lbs the Moby reaches. The Ergo can be used for your newborn too! There are several different prices for the Ergo. The one I purchased was the Original Galaxy Grey. I didn't purchase the bundle, because Chester is way over the weight for the insert, but there is an option if you're buying right from baby's birth. When we have our second child, we can purchase the insert separately. The price of the carrier without the newborn insert is $115 and the "Bundle of Joy" that comes with the newborn insert and the carrier is $135. The newborn insert by itself runs about $25. So you're saving about $5 getting the "Bundle of Joy" if you have a newborn. Luckily, I came across a sale at our local green/cloth diaper store so I saved some money on my carrier. You should definitely always keep an eye out for sales. 

Alright, so let's talk about my experience with the Ergo and what I love about it! First, I love how simple it is to put on. You put it around your waist, buckle it, put your arms through the straps and buckle that. I can easily hold Chester while putting the Ergo on and taking it off. It seriously only takes a few seconds. I love that the Ergo distributes the weight in all the right places. The Moby really put a ton of weight on my shoulders and I would be sore after wearing Chester. The Ergo is much better, I don't get as tired wearing him. Sometimes if I'm wearing him for hours, it takes it's toll on my hips. I'm pretty tiny though and Chester weighs a ton, so it's not a surprise that I would get a bit tired after wearing him for hours. The Ergo also has a little "hood" you can put on the baby, It snaps right over his head.  This way if he's sleeping and I don't want anyone disturbing him, I can put the hood on him. It also comes in hand when it's really windy or really rainy. Chester really likes the Ergo because it's comfortable and he keeps cool. He can stick his arms out if he wants or tuck them back in. It's great when he falls asleep in it too, he lays his head on my chest and still won't get too hot. I feel like it holds him in better too. I guess I would compare it to a bra- the Moby is like a bra without under wire, your boobs have NO support and kind of just dangle there. I feel like Chester was just dangling there in the wrap. The Ergo is like a bra with under wire, it pushes your boobs up and holds them there. I feel like it keeps Chester in place where he should be without the fear of him possibly sliding down. I really can't say enough how EASY it is to put him in the Ergo. Seriously, today we were walking into the store and I had Chester in my arms, putting him in the Ergo, snapping it together AND walking into the building all at the same time. Now if you know me, you know I can't walk and do ANYTHING. Seriously, I have to stop to take a drink or I'll have it all over me. The Ergo is pretty much like a backpack, you can wear baby on your back (facing you of course), you can wear him on your chest (again, facing you) or you can wear him on your hip (again, he should be facing you). They really don't recommend letting babies face outwards while baby wearing. 

Here's Chester in the Ergo.
(Yes, Dads can baby wear as well!)

   So the verdict is obvious. I prefer the Ergo carrier much more than the Moby wrap. However, I would definitely suggest research your options. Don't pick one just to get it over with. If I had researched from the beginning I would have picked the Ergo over the others and saved some money. I appreciate having good friends who suggest great products to me. A fellow intactivist told me I would love the Ergo and she was absolutely right! Even Craig will tell you how much he enjoys baby wearing now that we have the Ergo. He loves using the Ergo and will finally wear Chester because of how easy and great the product is! It's definitely worth the money you will spend on it. The Ergo also has great accessories to add to your carrier. Craig pointed out how Chester is always chewing on the straps. The Ergo has a great solution to that. They have teething pads to put on the straps, they help teething babies while keeping your carrier in top form. They're easy to wash and only cost an extra $17. Ergo really thinks of everything, they have so many cool accessories.

This is the exact Ergo we have.
They have a great selection!

All opinions are my own. I personally love my Ergo carrier, but it may not be for everyone. Research your options and choose what best for you and those little baby hips!

It's been far too long.

  It's been way too long since I've last blogged. It's such a great outlet and lets me relieve some stress. I do have a few on draft, but I'm being a perfectionist and can't quite seem to finish them. I had quite a few days to think about what to blog about this time around. I was horribly sick with a kidney infection so I was in bed for days feeling like I was going to die! Craig- my wonderful husband, helped out so much! I'm so lucky to have him as my husband. I don't think either him or Chester minded that I was resting up those few days because they had a great chance to bond.

  So while I was in bed I realized that so many people just want to put Chester in front of the television to keep him quiet. He's recently learned how to crawl and stand up so he's quite mobile. Could you imagine being strapped in a chair and watch the same thing three times over? That's almost four hours of the same movie back to back to back. I would rather shove a fork in my eye. Now I don't mind Chester having a little television time because he does enjoy some Yo Gabba Gabba and Lion King. However, I don't want him sitting in front of the television for hours upon hours when he could be crawling around learning. We like to take walks and that lets him see the outside world and soak it in.

  Now I understand that not everyone can calm Chester the way we (his parents) can. Sometimes he just wants a hug from Mommy or Daddy or snuggles. Once a week we go out on a date night and he goes to see his grandmother, I send Lion King with him because I know if he gets extremely fussy and refuses to eat, it will calm him down. I have no issues there, I make sure he doesn't get any other television time on those days so he's not overloaded. It just amazes me at how many people use television to calm children down like pacifiers are used. I don't want Chester to be one of those children who depend on something to calm him down like that. I like that he can find other ways to calm down, even if it is to nurse, snuggle or just be held by whomever. It also bothers me when people try to force him to have something he obviously doesn't want. For instance, he hasn't had a pacifier since I stopped working back in January. For a short time he would use one when I went back to work because he would not eat or sleep while I was away. Turns out he just didn't want anything except Mommy to nurse him back to sleep, which is how it is now.

  I guess what I'm getting at is that people need to respect the wishes of the parents. If we say Chester doesn't get a certain amount of television time, don't stick him in front of the Lion King three straight times. If we say Chester doesn't get a pacifier, certain foods or drinks by certain ages, just don't do it. Respect the boundaries we have set up for our son because we are his parents and that's how we want things done.

  Now to move to something lighter. Chester will be ONE in November. I couldn't be more terrified and more excited at the same time. I'm terrified because that means he's getting bigger and older and will be exploring more and becoming more independent. I do welcome that independence though, because I want him to learn as much as possible so he can be as bright as possible. I still can't believe almost one year ago, I was blessed with the most amazing gift. I can't express the great feelings we had when we found out we were having a boy. It brings so many thoughts to my mind, but that's for another post entirely.

  So a few minor updates before ending the night. Recently we got a new carrier, because I love baby wearing! We went with an Ergo, as recommended by a friend of mine. She was right, once you go Ergo, you never go back. We absolutely adore our Ergo carrier. We've tried a couple carriers out already, including the Moby. I can tell you by far, the Ergo wins hands down. Be watching for a post about that, I'll be reviewing and comparing the two. We've been getting a few new cloth diapers here and there, so be prepared for a review on the ones we currently have and any I will be looking forward to trying. We are currently bed-sharing and love it. Mom, Dad, Chester and two chihuahuas, we have a full bed. Chester has teeth! He has four, and counting. When Chester does something, he goes for gold. He started crawling and in the matter of just a few days he started standing and pulling himself up on furniture. The other day he stood alone for just a few seconds. I'm going to be so busy with my little man, but I'm going to make sure I stay on top of my blog. I've missed blogging terribly and I'm excited to be back at it.