Favorite Baby Products: Beco

I've loved the idea of babywearing ever since, well, I was a baby. Apparently, I spent a lot of time in one of those frame backpacks - I actually remember hiking on my dad's back in one of those.

We started with a Bjorn my wonderful co-worker gave us. It was so useful in the early days when he was a teeny tiny thing. I could actually make dinner!

Plus, he was pretty cute and just the right distance for a kiss.

When he got heavier, the Bjorn wasn't so comfy. I did some research, then stopped doing research because babywearers online can be kinda...passionate...about the best way to wear your baby. Suddenly I felt guilty for Bjorning! I settled on a BecoButterfly 2, since I wanted a soft structured carrier like the Bjorn that was comfy for me and good for M. I love it - and so does M. I used it for months instead of a stroller. It was so easy and would fit in the diaper bag - great for grocery shopping.

I have no decent full body shots of M in the Beco. So, enjoy the cuteness...

M's Fall Wardrobe

Inspired by Walt, I've been planning M's fall wardrobe on Polyvore. It's pretty dorky how much fun I'm having with it. Now that he's walking, he needs clothes he can move in, and shoes. (Ok, it's a little freaky that my tiny baby needs shoes!) I'm really over onesies and he's so adorable in big boy clothes, but I want to make sure he's always comfy. They try to take the kids outside as much as possible, so he'll need lots of layers.

I want to keep his wardrobe as simple as possible - everything should match - and keep to a reasonable budget. Gotta love a sale rack. In addition to shoes, this year he'll need things he's never needed before, like a rain jacket and a belt. He has a winter coat, which should fit by the time he needs it, but he'll need a lighter jacket as well as mittens and a winter hat. I love the Hanna Andersson pilot caps, and since the poor boy is too small to argue I get at least one more winter of them.

It's just a start, but it's been fun!

M's Fall Wardrobe by linseyclair on Polyvore.com

Blankie Love

M never used a pacifier and hasn't developed a particular attachment to a stuffed animal, but he does love his Blankie. It's a Carters Super Cozy blanket my mom brought with her when she came to help us when M was first born. She arrived the day we came home from the hospital and was so wonderful. She knew just how to comfort me when I started started sobbing after M's first sponge bath (I was SO overwhelmed by that tiny, screaming little human person!) She brought me yummy snacks to help me keep my energy up during middle of the night breastfeeding marathons. And, she conquered the poor neglected jungle of our garden!

When he's teething he likes to chew on Blankie. Thankfully, Blankie doesn't seem to mind.

At first it was just an ordinary blanket. We used it a bit, but it was a little too warm for walks last September, so Blankie spent the first few months folded up on the blanket chest in his room. When M started napping regularly in his swing in mid-winter I started tucking it around him. When he was about five months old I realized that he would get excited whenever he saw his Blankie and want to snuggle with it. Then, miracle of miracles he started letting me put him down for a nap awake as long as he had Blankie. That's when the beautiful, long and best of all - consistent - naps started.

Blankie + swing = sane parents.

Once we realized the secret to daytime sleep J had a brilliant idea and bought not one, but four more Blankies (they were on sale) and thankfully, so far, M loves each and every one. I love that M has a blankie. Apparently, J had one when he was little. Pretty cute. So, thank you Gramsie, and thank you Carters, for M's beloved Blankie!

M nuzzling with Blankie.

Ode to a Swing...

No, not more poetry. Promise. This is about one of my favorite baby products - our Graco Lovin Hug swing. We got it when he was about five weeks old and he naps so well in it. At daycare, they are lucky if he naps for an hour. Total. All day. But, in his swing with his blankie, he will nap at least two hours in the morning and an hour or two in the afternoon. I plop him in the swing when he gets drowsy and tuck in his blankie and he puts himself to sleep. So nice!

It was a real turning point in my disordered, sleep-deprived new-mamahood life when I realized I could actually count him sleeping for a long stretch of time twice a day. I felt human again.

We didn't purchase a swing before he was born. My brother and sister-in-law gave us theirs, but we managed to break it the first week we used it. Then we visited my inlaws in VA when M was just over a month old and they bought one for him to nap in. It was love at first swing for M.

Every weekend I have grand plans to start putting him in his crib for his naps, but the thought of giving up those lovely naps is a bit tough. Thank goodness the swing is safe up to 35 lbs!

M at five weeks, the first time in his swing.