Snow Suit

Noah woke me up much too early this morning telling me I had to Come Look At The Snow!

I went to bed very late last night and it hadn't been snowing then, so I thought he was just looking at frost on the neighbor's roof.

Uh, no.

There was snow. Lots of it. Enough for a two-hour school delay.


I quickly woke Jeff up so he could get the driveway cleared in time for work and garbage day!

Then I bundled all the kids up and took a picture, of course.

You're A Winner

Today International Babywearing week comes to a close. I am making my way through all the fabulous babywearing photos & posts. You can still link up if you'd like! But the contest has now ended.

Ashlee is offering 22% off at the nonny & boo etsy shop - just use coupon code nb22 at checkout!

And now the winners...

The winner of the Nest Pop Sling is Hyperactive Lu! See her babywearing post: Babywearing Week 08.

The winner of the Nest Hatchling sling is Mom Most Traveled! Read her babywearing post: A Devout Babywearer.


Happy Babywearing!

Find me at the Chicago Moms Blog today talking about some Spare Change.

It's also the last day to enter my contest here at Close To Home.


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Next Time I'll At Least Shower...

When I posted my video response to the whole Motrin vs. Babywearers controversy the other morning, I was mainly excited to turn it into something positive regarding how to wear your baby properly.

I had no idea that the Today Show would be tuning in, as well as pretty much everyone else. The Chicago Tribune called me yesterday- you can see what we talked about in today's paper here.

This is definitely a great example of how important a Mom's voice is. But with this great power comes great responsibility. I hope we continue to use it only for good!


Stay tuned- later today I'll reveal the winner of the Nest & Hatchling slings!


Pictured- the last time I wore Gray.

Try It On

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!


I often hear from readers wishing there was a way to try out all the baby carriers before committing to buy- especially when you're spending $50-$100 or more. I wouldn't buy a pair of jeans online unless I'd tried them on before, and a good baby carrier is worth just as much as a good pair of jeans. You also have to consider if your baby will even like it, too!

Here's some suggestions:

1. Seek out babywearers near you- check online at places like TheBabywearer.com and Mothering.com- they have forums for finding local babywearers. You might have to register to view the forums, but it's worth it! Most babywearers own more than one (sometimes several!) slings. Meet up somewhere and try 'em on!

2. Find your local La Leche League and/or Natural Parenting group in your area- most often they will at least sell ring slings and are more likely to have babywearing Mamas with slings you can ask to try out.

3. Call around to local baby and maternity boutiques to see if they sell baby carriers you can try on. You might be surprised where slings are sold (ahem, I think even Target is selling some good ones now!)- and if you don't find any close to you, maybe you can suggest they start selling them!

4. Check out helpful resources like the Tummy 2 Tummy DVD, a babywearing instructional video, or the awesome Sling Comparison Chart at Mom4Life.

5. Know the return policies for the online sites you are interested in purchasing from. Many sites are flexible with returns if it's not what you had expected.

Have a sling just collecting dust? I wanted to tell you about SlingCycle, an awesome program that recycles and repairs used slings and distributes them to orphanages, NICU’s and adoptive parents.


Get in on the big Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

Pictured- one of my very favorite mei tai moments with Gray taken summer '07.

Portions of this post originally published October 19, 2007.

Bright Eyed And Bed Headed

I've certainly not been in want for things to write about this week. Check me out and all my beauty first thing in the morning in the video below, talking about some babywearing hot topics.

And I'm discussing a general rule of thumb for babywearing here at Chicago Moms Blog today, too.

Soon the excitement will simmer and we'll think it wasn't worth much of the fuss... but I'm a writer and a babywearer and I feel like I'm just reportin' the news here, folks.

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

Get in on the big Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

Don't Mess With The Babywearers!

You know it's International Babywearing Week, right?

I was out last night and missed the hullabaloo. But Amy from Crunchy Domestic Goddess has a great recap if you haven't already heard about Motrin vs. Babywearers of 2008...

(As of this morning the little commercial about babywearing was still up at Motrin.com or you can see it here if not.)

And Katja has even put together a video of it all going down!

The only thing I'll say about the ad that is a very good tip for everyone- if wearing your baby hurts your back, you are probably not wearing them correctly! You should not have to "put up with the pain" and need to take any medication when babywearing.

I've also posted a video response at NewBaby.com here.

Thoughts?

Fight back and share your babywearing photos or posts- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!


Get in on the big Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

Pictured here- one of my favorite babywearing photos of Gray & me.

Wearever

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

The other day I was recalling one of my "most embarassing" breastfeeding experiences. When Gray was just a newborn, hubby and I were at a wedding in a very large, old Catholic church. During the ceremony I needed to feed the baby, and since you could hear every little rustle or shoe click in that place, I thought I should take him in the back just in case he made too much noise. I walked into the first open room I found with a chair, sat down, and began nursing right away. I looked up, and to my horror- I was in the confessional! Now, I am not Catholic and have only seen these things in the movies, but I knew what it was and was afraid I would get thrown out of there if someone found out! I hopped up so quickly and searched for a less sacrilegious nursing area. When I got back to my seat I tried to whisper to hubby what had happened, but I got the church giggles and was laughing too hard! (This story originally published June 29, 2006)

Since having Ivy some of the wildest places I've nursed her is in the sling in the dentist's chair, sitting in the Star Wars aisle at Target, and while getting my hair colored, cut, and styled. I nursed Gray in the sling everywhere- even once while trying on jeans at the Gap!

See this post I wrote a while back for tips on how to breastfeed while babywearing.

What's your most embarrassing nursing moment or the strangest place you've nursed or wore your baby in the sling?


Get in on the big Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

209,312 Calories

You burn an average of 211 calories per hour just carrying your baby around.

That's over 200,000 calories I've burned since Ivy was born. (I took off 8 hours per day when she's sleeping at night -she's an awesome night sleeper!) And yeah- I don't necessarily carry or hold her all day long... but close to it!

Would you want to put this sweet thing down? She's so irresistible!

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

Get in on the big Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

Brrrrrrr...abywearing

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

So, how do you wear your baby when it is cold outside?

Amber from Our Love Story wrote in: We are in WI and last winter I had a heck of a time figuring out how to get the sling or carrier and the baby in the store and then baby in the carrier w/o having to set her on the floor while taking off my snow gear! I felt bad un-bundle-ing (is that a word :-) her in the car in the freezing cold plus I really didn't like having my coat off either.... any tips would be great!


Check out this piece of outerwear that I am drooling over... the new M Coat that you can wear as a maternity coat or while wearing baby underneath, then transform it into a regular fitted coat when it's just you!

And I found out about the awesome Babywearing Down Coat thanks to Marvelous Kiddo.




Right now with the autumn chill, I can wear Ivy in the Peekaru and keep all warm & toasty. And this one works for a back carry, too!


It's been a while since I've had a newborn in the winter. What I usually do if I have to wear them out of the car is to climb in the backseat if I can and put baby in the sling before opening the car doors and letting the cold in. Then we bundle up. I'll usually put my coat back on (but can't button up) and then bundle with blankets and the tail of my sling if I'm wearing the ring sling. The Secure2Me blanket is also a great way to keep a blanket on without having to hold it in place.

Sometimes you might just have to do the stroller thing until you get inside wherever you are going- so you can bundle up the stroller as well. We have the JJ Cole Urban BundleMe for the infant car seat. Other options are the Secure2Me blanket, Stroller Suspenders to help keep blankets on, or the Winter Stroller Coat (I actually have this and can't wait to use it!) Just don't forget to take your sling with you!

I'd love to hear more tips on wearing your baby in the cold- so chilly weather Moms, let us know how you do it!

Join the Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph

Wish And Wear

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

In December of 2003 our oldest son Noah (2 yrs old at the time) was diagnosed with a rare seizure disorder called Doose Syndrome. It was probably the hardest time we've ever faced in our lives, but through much prayer and research and faith we were able to see Noah healed. He's been seizure-free over 4 years now.

During this time, Noah was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His wish was "to go to the zoo and pet a whale".

So, they sent us on a fabulous family vacation to San Diego, California where Noah could see his favorite animal - the polar bear - at the San Diego Zoo and pet a whale (or rather it would be a dolphin but anyway!) at Sea World.

Wish trips take about a year to be granted, so we had a lot of time to be excited about the vacation. We also found out we were pregnant with Gray! I'm wearing him in the mei tai in the photo above. I wore him pretty much the entire trip- everywhere we went.


Make-A-Wish is as amazing as you'd dream it to be. Their mission is to grant wishes to children with life-threatening diseases.

Although Noah wasn't terminally ill, his syndrome was definitely life-threatening as is any seizure disorder.




For two and a half years Noah was on the Ketogenic Diet to treat his seizures. We were provided all accommodations to assist us with preparing his meals at our hotel as well as while we were out and about. We just had to take this picture of Noah by some birds at Sea World that were also on a special diet like him!



We had backstage access at Sea World, and our own private dolphin show- complete with high jumping and splashing tricks! (I'm wearing Gray in the ring sling here.)






This holiday season, Macy’s is collecting letters from Santa in a special Santa letterbox at all Macy’s stores. For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

I believe in the magic and miracles of Christmas.

And I definitely have seen the power of a wish.

Anonymouse

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

Last night at the Adventures By Disney press event in Chicago- Amy & I show our signature pose.

The shiny purple hemp silk ring sling was a gift made for me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous. Email me privately and I might just whisper it if you must know!



Join the Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph


Photo by the one & only Dad on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, Bret Caldwell.

Hobnobbing & Babywearing

Join in the International Babywearing Week celebrations by sharing your babywearing photos- link up in the Mr. Linky here... and you could win!

Last night I was hanging out with Dawn Aulet of Cafe Aulet and Dawn Meehan from Because I Said So at an awesome Adventures By Disney press event in Chicago. We had a blast and...

little did I know that in a few short hours around, oh, 3 AM I'd also be chatting it up with the ER doctor in the hospital while Gray had a bout of croup.

Will return to your regular babywearing blogging after I get some sleep!

Join the Babywearing Bloggers blogroll and check out all the other awesome babywearing bloggers out there.

Subscribe to my blog here- I'll be posting more pics and chatting about babywearing all this week!

Twitter me- I'm babysteph