Slingin’

Filed Under Baby Gear, Daddy, Four Months, Slinging | 6 Comments

Before I had Bailey, I was really skeptical about baby slings in general. I thought they looked really crunchy. Now, I don’t know what I would do without my sling. Bailey absolutely loves being in it, and it’s so easy to use. I think one of the best things about my sling is that it doesn’t have to be adjusted for height depending on whether it’s me or Jonathon using it. Oh wait, except he doesn’t use it.

I have had a ring sling since before she was born. My mom insisted on buying it. I will admit there is kind of a learning curve to using it, but now I am very comfortable with it. I think the best thing about slings is that the baby can be bunched up how they are comfortable instead of just dangling. Also, there is the flexibility to use it facing forwards, backwards, on my hip, cradle position… and if I was really good I could use it to breastfeed and carry her on my back. I’m not that good.

Anyway I ventured out and got ANOTHER sling. Different than my first one. This one is from slinglings.com and it’s awesome! It’s not a ring sling- it’s actually fitted to your size. I had to give them some measurements (I just measured myself using a measuring tape) and then they selected the correct size and sent it to me. At first when I got it, I thought it looked way too small. But once I tried it I realized it was the perfect size. These people really know what they are doing!

The nice thing is that this sling requires no adjusting, and the ring doesn’t have to be tightened occasionally, and the cloth doesn’t ever get twisted around. At first it seemed to loose around the top but then I figured out to flip over the top of the fabric (like in the pic with Jonathon holding her) and it fits much more snugly. Also there is a padded part on the edge of the cloth that makes it pretty comfy.

Here are some pics of me trying out my new toy.

(I know I am wearing it too low on my shoulder, but at that point I was trying to get it tight enough around Bailey so that she didn’t lean back, and I hadn’t discovered flipping the material yet)

I was amazed that Jonathon was so willing to try this. He is terrified of the ring sling. He had one difficult experience trying to use it and he is scared of it now, I think. He was willing to try this sling on right away, and I think he kind of liked it. This is also when we figured out to fold over the top layer of fabric to make it fit around Bailey better.

Also I know this sling is fitted to my size- but keep in mind that my size includes milk boobs and a pudgy tummy- so it fits Jonathon fairly well

I am trying to decide whether to bring my new sling out with us tomorrow. I really want to… but I am wondering if I should use it around the house a little more to get more comfortable with it first. Although I will have the stroller too… (We are going to a childrens zoo type place with my mom and grandma). I always bring the sling even if we have the stroller, because she likes to be up where she can see everything sometimes

Anyway, just curious who else uses slings, and if so, what kind? I am torn between my familiar but more difficult ring sling, and this new and potentially much easier fitted sling.

I Would Buy You a Big House

Filed Under Blogging, Sponsored | 1 Comment

Way up in the west hills…

My in-laws just spent the summer in Naples, Florida. Funny, because initially, that makes them sound like they have a decent amount of money. But they were there working with a Haitian church. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that Jonathon grew up in Haiti. Anyway, these people kill me because sometimes they are so broke that they have to buy Bailey garage sale stuff, yet they have a timeshare and eat all organic food.

They used to own some houses in some small towns in Illinois, and they would rent them out. They only made a few hundred dollars each month, per house. Well, and that was before repairs and upkeep. I wonder if they made a serious investment in some Tampa real estate, if they would have better luck. Then, people could probably use them for vacation homes. You know, for people who really “summer” in Florida.

Baby Weight

Filed Under Sponsored, Weight | 1 Comment

Losing the baby weight is really frustrating to me. Jonathon commented tonight that he thinks my stomach is firmer than before. Which makes me feel good… but I haven’t been getting to the gym like I should. I just can’t make myself go when it’s this hot out. It’s like the last thing I want to do is get even hotter and, God forbid, break a sweat.

Sometimes I am jealous of people who use stuff like hydroxycut. It makes it seem so easy, but I know there are risks associated with it and I’m not willing to take those risks. For one, I am breastfeeding and Bailey definitely doesn’t need that stuff. And two, I had corrective heart surgery as a child and even though I don’t have any restrictions, I try to be more careful with my metabolism and heartrate than probably the average person would be.

Wordless Wednesday- Capturing Great Facial Expressions

Filed Under Daddy, Four Months, Wordless Wednesday | 7 Comments

What Really Annoys Me

Filed Under Complaining, Ear piercing | 2 Comments

Is when people touch Bailey’s little ears/earrings with their nasty fingers.

Do I walk up to you and grope your earlobes?

Didn’t think so. Please refrain from doing it to my daughter. Yuck.

In other news, my media drive thingy in my computer is not being recognized so I can’t post any new pics from my camera right now. This has happened before and Jonathon has fixed it, so I just have to wait till he has some time to do it Prepare yourself for a massive amount of pics when it gets fixed!

Also Jonathon always seems to have some computer project going on. He has been saying something about needing more IBM memory, and wanting new drives, and trying to do some new things. Hello! Fix my problem first!

*Side note- we are selling a bunch of computer stuff on a garage sale (not at our house) on Sept 15th. If you know me IRL, I’ll give you the details! We’ll also have some baby stuff and clothes and a tv or two there

My Etsy Store

Filed Under Crafts | 6 Comments

I did it! I finally set up a little shop to sell my handmade cards. Stop by and check it out

http://sunshinecards.etsy.com

It’s amazing the stuff you can find on this site. Jewelry, handmade clothes, RC Cars, scrapbooking pages…

M.I.A.

Filed Under Four Months | 3 Comments

I haven’t been blogging lately because Bailey has been very needy. She has had a fussy few days, which is so unlike her. Now I have a few things to catch up that I haven’t been able to get done- but she is back to herself today, so maybe she just wasn’t feeling great or something. more later!!

Also I have been weighing options about starting some sort of home based business. I have to honestly admit that home parties bug the crap out of me, and I hate getting invited to them… but if it was something like Avon where I could just sell online it might not be that bad. My mom sold Pampered Chef a long time ago (when it was new and not as widely sold) and she did really well… but she quit after she bought most of the stuff she wanted! I think she did it for like two years.

Anyway. Just some random thoughts.

Pimp My Truck

Filed Under Dreams, Friends, My Childhood | 5 Comments

Jonathon and I watched a hilarious show on CMT the other night… I forget the name of it but it was like a cross between Pimp My Ride and Extreme Home Makeover. It was about guys getting their semi trucks redone. Some of these people had entire families living in there, and kitchens, and stuff like that. They spend thousands of dollars on these truck accessories that I have never even heard of.

I have only ever known one person who drove a truck. Well, I didn’t really know him. When I was in third grade, I had a friend named Shannon. Her house apparently smelled really bad (like not just a little but like why wasn’t the health dept called). I was aware of it a little bit as a kid but I guess I didn’t know how bad it was. She lived with her mom and her sister in one room in the basement of her grandparents house. They kept their dirty laundry in the bathtub, so I doubt there was much bathing going on. I remember they had a dog named Rex. It was a big scary German Shephard. I don’t remember if I had a weird incident with that dog, but I know that to this day I am terrified of German Shephards (and other big scary dogs in general).

Also I have had a recurring dream recently about the grandpa and the wallpaper in the upstairs bathroom. Which is odd, because I don’t think I’ve ever been up there, and the dream isn’t anything nasty, so get your mind OUT OF THE GUTTER!

I also remember making snow cones once in Shannon’s Snoopy snow cone machine. I remember trying to eat mine, and thinking that it tasted like smoke and dirt. I have always hated cigarette smoke smell, except for when I was in high school and college and I thought smoking was cool and fun. Now I can’t stand it.

I remember being in the bathtub one evening after I got home from Shannon’s house. My mom came in and had “a talk” with me about how I couldn’t go play over there anymore. It was too dirty and stinky. Apparently she had to wash everything I wore over there and couldn’t get rid of the smell. It was that bad. I can almost remember the stench if I think back to it.

Also, one time Shannon’s dad came up in his big truck to surprise her at recess. He walked over to the playground and I noticed that he was missing a lot of teeth. So to make a long story short- that’s my only encounter EVER with a trucker, other than the ones I see at fast food restaurants along the highway. And we DON’T stop at the ones that are just “rest areas” for fear of getting snatched.

See, this is what happens when I post too late at night. I get very rambly and tell you even more things than usual that you care nothing about.

Update- Bailey is 18 weeks old already!

Filed Under Breastfeeding, Chloe, Four Months, Sleep | 3 Comments

Bailey holds her head up so well lately. She has also gotten quite proficient at rolling over in the past few days. She loves to sleep on her tummy now. I still put her down on her back, but as soon as I put her down, she rolls over. She snuggles up to the side of the crib (always the same side, by the wall) and goes right to sleep. Also she really has figured out what to do with her toys now. She can hold onto them and put them in her mouth. If she drops them, she fusses until Mommy picks them up.

I thought this one was cute because I was playing with Bailey on my bed and Chloe came in to see what we were doing. This used to be where we would play with her and snuggle with her. She probably wanted to know why Bailey was getting all the attention…poor kitty. Anyway if you look closely in the background you can see Chloe watching.

Bailey loves to play with my shirts lately. This one especially, because of the strings. Here she had just finished nursing. But while she’s eating, she clutches the front of my shirt with her hand. She’s such a lovey.

This was Sunday before church. Bailey was wearing her necklace from her Great Grandma for the first time. I was trying to get a good picture of it but she was being kind of goofy.

Anyway, that’s about all around here lately. Jonathon and I are going on a little ice cream date tonight. Kind of– we’re bringing Bailey with us. I like to give her little tastes of the ice cream and Jonathon yells at me every time. By little tastes, I mean like a speck Then tomorrow night we are hosting my mom’s b-day dinner at our house. Saturday, we are both working childcare at church for a big training thing on Saturday morning. That will be some nice extra income!

Wordless Wednesday

Filed Under Four Months, Wordless Wednesday | 13 Comments

Rollin With My Homies

Filed Under Four Months, Milestones, Sleep | 5 Comments

Bailey started rolling from back to front yesterday afternoon. She was on her Baby E mat on her back while I was on the computer. When I turned around, she was on her tummy. I ran to grab the camera, and when I came back she was on her back again already! She has been rolling both directions all day today and she seems to think she’s pretty cool. (I think so too).

Also she rolls over to sleep on her tummy or side now in bed. So, we took out her oh-so-pretty bumper pads I came in last night and she was snuggled up next to it and I moved her, and then when I checked a while later she was next to it again. All these anti-bumper-pad crusaders have been after me, and all along I’ve said that if she starts rolling over near them I will take them out. So I have.

She also blows raspberries/giant spit bubbles now and then laughs. She is such a big girl now, and nothing like the squirmy little newborn I brought home just four months ago…

Around the House

Filed Under Home Sweet Home | 1 Comment

We have been working trying to get more done to our house lately… we’ve been slacking for a while! Jonathon organized the garage yesterday (finally!) and it looks SO much better. I have been trying to praise him a lot for stuff like this in hopes that he keeps doing it. Hmmm kind of the same strategy we use with kids but it seems to work on my husband as well. Now if I can convince him to throw away this ugly round wooden end table he has and invest in some decent garage organization stuff! He needs to get a few shelves and a peg board to hang stuff on.

I feel like we are finally getting to the point of being able to take care of a baby AND maybe even get a few things done here and there. Nothing like we could do before, but it gives me hope that our house won’t completely fall apart around us.

Next step: recarpeting the downstairs!

Pretty Pretty Princess with Earrings

Filed Under Ear piercing, Four Months | 5 Comments

We got Bailey’s ears pierced today! We had it done at Claire’s at the mall- I scouted out places to get it done and found the one where the manager was really nice and had a lot of experience doing babies. So today we decided to go do it. We talked to the pediatrician last week and she said it would be fine- she had her daughter’s done at three months and she said it wasn’t a big deal as long as we kept them clean.

Bailey didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. She screamed when I held her arms down and held her head against me- but then when they actually punched her ears she barely cried. They did them one at a time and they are perfectly straight. I absolutely love them, and she was done crying within a minute and hasn’t fussed or anything since! Even easier than getting her shots at the doctors.

Anyway here are some pics. The first one is the “before” shot, and for some reason the lighting is making her a funny color. But she was still sitting in the ear piercing chair for the pictures afterwards too- proof for me that it didn’t hurt too much because she got over it so fast! Here’s my little princess looking so girly!!

Ears

Filed Under Ear piercing, Four Months | 2 Comments

On my way to get Bailey’s ears pierced. No negative comments, please.

Will post pics later when I get a chance. Wish us luck!

It’s a Small, Small World

Filed Under Friends, Random | 2 Comments

Last night Jonathon and I were at dinner. There was a couple at the table next to us with a cute little Chinese baby. This crazy guy started talking to them, and after he finally left the woman turned to me and said something to the affect of “Wow. Hmmm.” and smiled. I asked her how old her baby was, and she told me that she was 11 months, but they had just brought her home on July 4th.

What? July 4th? That’s why MY FRIENDS brought home THEIR baby from China!

Me: Um, did you by any chance travel with Matt and Jaden fillintheblankforthelastname?

Nice lady with Chinese baby: Oh my gosh, I know them! Wow, how are they doing? How’s Juna? (Proceeds to talk about their experiences from their trip).

Now not only are these people that traveled with them, they’re THE HOGANS. The family who had everything go wrong.

St. Louis just has some sort of weird phenomenon where everyone knows everyone who knows everyone who meets everyone who everyone knows.