Mothers On The Move: The Best Soft Structured Carrier

So with my little guy growing so fast, I had been looking into more practical baby wearing options for times when I needed to wear him a little longer!  Soft structured carriers seemed to be the way to go if I wanted a front carry and a back carry option.  With my limited baby carrier budget (sorry $200+ Tula or $150 Lillibaby, maybe I’ll get one with baby #2), I was looking into quality carriers that would grow with us, were ergonomically correct in their styling, and were COMFORTABLE for mama (and daddy, and grandparents, and aunts, and etc! Have I mentioned the number of adjustments this carrier has to accommodate many different sized wearers).

In a market saturated with the Beco, Chicco, and Ergobaby carriers of the world, one kept popping up that caught my eye (due, initially, to the price point! $39.95? You can’t beat it!) Mothers on the Move (MO+M).  They were marketed as a three position (front, back, and hip carry), ergonomic, and easy carrier!  Their product description left me feeling confident in my decision to give them a go since they discussed the dangers of “crotch dangler” carriers and their avoidance of any design features that may not be 100% ergonomically correct for the little one (pardon my mommy obsession, but I knew my baby was going to spend a considerable amount of time in a carrier and I wanted to be sure he was not going to suffer any negative consequences due to improper positioning). 

When our MO+M carrier arrived, I knew I had made the right choice.  It was comparable in styling and quality to the Beco I was gifted at my baby shower, however it seemed less bulky.  It the spirit of full disclosure, I did have a Beco Gemini, however I felt the carrier itself was too bulky and did not fit me well.  The MO+M has smoother and thinner padded shoulder straps that remain comfortable even after long wear.  The buckles are safety enhanced so that they can’t easily unlatch and cause the carrier to fall off (however they are not too difficult to latch and unlatch).  There is a front pocket on the carrier that is such a great idea.  It’s a feature I never knew I always needed on a baby carrier.  The pocket also doubles as a sun shade storage pocket.  The material sun shade can be pulled up and over your little one’s head for sun/weather protection, additional head support, or privacy for a sleeping or nursing baby. 

The MO+M carrier is comfortable for both front and back carry.  I would say, at this point, we use the MO+M as a back carrier more than we do front.  My little guy loves snuggling up to mama while she shops, cleans, walks, etc. all hands free! I suggest this great buy for any mama looking for an affordable, comfortable, quality soft structured carrier!

XO 

Easter Basket Ideas for a One Year Old

To me, Easter was always one of those less than exciting holidays. Yes it was always nice spending time with the family, eating delicious Easter dinner, and welcoming the first signs of spring, however it always felt like just another day.  With a baby, Easter is far more exciting and magical! 

This year, Easter happened to fall in March.  Since our little guy decided to make his entrance into the world three weeks early, his first birthday was not Easter Sunday this year (my due date with him was March 27).  We did just celebrate his birthday a little over two weeks ago, however, so we had trouble deciding what to do for his Easter Basket!  Here is what made the cut!

1: Fubbles: No spill bubbles?  Perfect for a toddler!  Now if only we could master the actual blowing of the bubbles part!

2: Sidewalk Chalk:  The sidewalk chalk that our little man got came with two plastic chalk holders.  These are easier for little hands to grip and manipulate, plus it saves mommy the chalky hands mess!

3: Tub Crayon:  We got the little man a many sided tub crayon by Alex, Jr. It is a star shape and easy to hold!  The colors are bright and vibrant and can’t break easily due to the shape of the crayon!

4: Toddlers First Crayons:  First time mommy here; we don’t have art supplies in the house!  Insert: Toddler crayons!  Star shape is easy to hold and minimizes breaking!

5: No Spill Paint Cups:  Perfect for those first masterpieces!

6: Outfit and Shoes:  This little baby is off and walking!  Time for a big boy outfit and some styling new shoes (thanks Kohls clearance)!

7: Minion Eggs:  In lieu of a traditional egg hunt, this Easter bunny thought putting eggs in the basket would be better for this year (save the “hunt” for next year)! James is a huge fan of minions!  We found Minion eggs at Target with Minion stickers inside!  Perfect for our little guy! He loved them!

Our weekend kicked off with some egg coloring, the Easter bunny paid a visit to our sweet little boy, we went to church and had an egg hunt there after the service, we went to Nini and Papa’s house after that and had a separate egg hunt there, got an Easter basket from them and from great-grandmother Mammie, then enjoyed a delicious Easter feast!  It could not have been a more perfect Easter! 

XO

The Five Things I Wish I Knew About Friendship After Baby

So, this is something I have wanted to write about for a while now, but I wasn’t sure how to organize my thoughts in a way that would make sense.  When thinking back on my life leading up to the arrival of my baby boy, I realize a lot has changed in a number of ways, but specifically when it comes to friendship.  I think I thought that life would stay the same after my sweet boy arrived.  In some ways, it has.  When it comes to friends, that’s a whole different story. 

First I will start by saying I love my husband dearly and he is my best friend.  He is my greatest supporter and my biggest fan.  That being said, he is still a man and there are times when having female best friends are necessary.  I remember days spent with my girlfriends talking about anything and everything under the sun.  I remember trying to talk each other through issues that were so important to us at the time. Crying on each other’s shoulders and leaning on each other for support during trying times. I remember time spent soaking up the rays on the beach, working out, shopping, gossiping, and living in the moment together.  I remember the memories we made and treasure every one of them.

I never remember reading anything in all of the books, websites, and magazines I read before my little guy arrived about friendships after baby. I never remember thinking to myself, “all of this may change”.  I never remember being worried that they may not be there one day, or that I would be facing some of the most challenging times of my life without my girlfriends by my side.  Sometimes life throws you a curve ball (in the form of the most amazing little human) and everything you were so confident in is no longer there.  It is a reality that I am sure others have faced/are facing after the birth of their baby, and it is one I want you to know you are not facing alone.  This is the stuff you don’t read in any magazine or book about having a baby.  This is the stuff people don’t mention to you when you are 9 months pregnant and preparing for life after the arrival of your little one.  This is the stuff that can happen, though, and it would be nice if we could mentally prepare for it.

Here are the five things I wish I knew about friendship after having a baby.

1: Friends you thought you were “best friends” may not be part of your life anymore

Many friendships change after the arrival of a baby. Your priorities have probably changed, as well as your daily routine, your sleep schedule, and your energy levels. What you and your best friend(s) may have had in common before has probably changed in some way.  The “happy hour” dates spent discussing life, love, work, etc. over delicious drinks at your favorite hangout may not be as easy to schedule.  The Saturday morning brunches become more difficult when one of you is toting a sleeping infant that may or may not wake up midway through that omelet. The 1 am phone call from your best friend after her date on a Friday night might go unanswered because you have been awake for three days straight with a colicky baby and just finally managed to fall asleep.  This is the reality of life after baby. Some friends may understand and try to work with you through this time of adjustment.  Some may pull away right then and there.  Others still may try initially, only to pull back a few days, weeks, or months later.  Ultimately, even if both of you have tried as hard as you could to hold on to the friendship, you may begin to drift apart anyway since your lives are so dramatically different now.

2: No matter how hard you try, you can’t force friendship upon someone

One thing I did want to mention is effort.  It is important for a new mom to make an effort with her friends too.  It doesn’t have to be anything more than a quick text, or an answered phone call once in a while, but there has to be something.  It is unfair to expect any friend to continue to be the only one putting in effort after the first month with a new little one.  Yes motherhood is a huge change and it is exhausting, but a little effort will go a long way.  That being said, no matter how quick you are to respond to a text, no matter how many times you tell someone they are welcome to stop by to visit your new bundle of joy, no matter how long you listen to what is troubling them and try to make it better, it might not be good enough.  We all have the friends that like to have your undivided attention or else they feel like you are not listening to them or taking them seriously enough.  Newflash: this is real hard to do with a baby that needs to eat every 2 seconds or cries just to hear the noise it makes.  If you are trying your hardest to be a good friend and it is still not good enough for someone, know that sometimes there is only so much you can do.  A stressed out mama isn’t a healthy mama and when said mama is running on little sleep, a granola bar, and 6 gallons of water a day, sometimes she needs to draw the line.  When a friendship is taking more out of you than your newborn baby, it is time to reconsider the friendship. 

3: Sometimes it will feel lonely

You are surrounded by your new little love bug, husband/significant other, and fur babies relaxing after a really hard day of being a mom and you see a friend tagged out on facebook.  You have every reason in the world to be high on life because of all of the love surrounding you at that very moment, however you may feel a pang of jealousy? Hurt? Loneliness? Chalk it up to new mommy hormones (which could very well be intensifying the feelings), but you are feeling lonely without the friendship you used to share.  This is totally normal.  Hormones after giving birth are wild and crazy.  They make you over the moon happy one moment and down in the dumps the very next.  It is important to realize that friendships are like relationships and it will take time to get over the loss of a real good friend.  They were such an important part of your life for such a long time that it is only natural to feel sad.  When you are feeling sad, remember the reasons why the friendship ended or changed in the first place.  Sure it might feel a little lonely for a little while, but just think of your newest best friend you just gave birth to! Life is good mama!

4: You will make new friends during this new phase of your life

Sometimes some of the greatest blessings when you have a child are the new mama friends that step in to take the place of broken or changed friendships. I remember reading a quote once about friendship.  Though I can’t recall the exact quote or who wrote it, it basically stated: you are given the friends you need for each stage of your life.  I am a firm believer in this concept.  I know that my high school and college girlfriends were in my life for a reason and the ones that are no longer, are no longer for a reason.  My friends from my early to mid-twenties came into my life for a reason and the ones that left, left for a reason.  I know that the mommies I am friends with now, are here for a reason.  We are learning from each other, growing with each other, and going through the same experiences at the same point in our lives.  I get them, they get me.  It is a beautiful and wonderful thing to realize there are other women out there who are feeling the same as you and who know exactly what you are going through.  It makes the transition into motherhood that much smoother and more enjoyable. 

5: True friends will stick by you, no matter what your friendship looks like.

Most important to remember is that a true friend will stick by you no matter what. Just because there is a new little one in your life, that doesn’t mean that all of your friendships will change or end.  There are the few true that will remain by your side through it all and your friendship may remain or become stronger than ever.  Though your friendship may look different for a while, though it may take a bit to get used to your new lifestyle, there are friends that can and will stick it out with you.  This doesn’t mean that your friendship will be the same as it always was (no more late nights on the reg for this mama), however you will still be able to count on your friend and they will still be able to count on you.  This is the mark of a truly remarkable and lasting friendship. Cherish it!

You are not alone in this world, new mama.  There are many people who love, respect, and admire you.  It is important to remember.  We all need to hear it sometimes!

XO 

A Vintage Race Car Theme First Birthday Party

It happened.  The day I was dreading.  My little baby boy turned one. 

There are no words to describe the conflicting feelings of absolute elation that your little one is growing up and learning so many new things every day, and absolute devastation that your little one is no longer so little.  I half laughed, half cried through the day.  I was overwhelmed by all of the different emotions I was feeling.  I could not be happier or more proud of the little man my baby is becoming!

My husband is a race car driver.  He comes from a racing family; it is in his blood. Though he only races locally, it is still a huge part of his life.  Naturally, as soon as James was born, his whole family was convinced he was the next to carry on the racing tradition.  Of course, when trying to decide on a great first birthday theme, racing was the first thing that came to mind.  I was so excited to start planning the party, but I was less than impressed with most of the decorations, games, and paper goods that were out there for racing birthday parties.  After much frustration I headed on over to trusty pinterest to see what I could find.  Within minutes I had settled on a theme!  Vintage Race Cars!

A big shout out and thank you to the Etsy shop littlebirdieprints!  Without her vintage race car theme party pack, this day would not have been possible.  I ordered all of the race car theme decorations from her to be delivered in pdf form.  The designs were beautiful and arrived by email in under 24 hours! I had everything printed out in no time and all that was left to do was decorate! 

Thankfully we were blessed with an absolutely beautiful, early spring in New England, day!  So beautiful, in fact, that the cake smash could happen outside (my hardwood floors thank you, mother nature).  The party went even better than I could have ever imagined! James had a wonderful time surrounded by those he loves!  Here are a few pictures of the big day. 

XO

P.S:  Among my family and friends it is tradition to save the top tier of the baby shower cake to use as the “smash cake” at the one year party.  As soon as my shower was over, I popped that cake in the deep freezer and took it out the day of the party.  James had a blast demolishing his cake!  When talking to some of my other girlfriends, however, I realized I was the only one that had done this for my little one (fed him year old cake, ha)!  Tell me I am not crazy and others have done the same thing!

Huggaloops: my baby carrier obsession

Hello!

It has been a long time since I have published a post.  I am enjoying every single moment of mommyhood with my 10 month old (almost one, ahhh!)!

My reason for posting today is due to the fact that I have a new baby gear obsession!  My Huggaloops carrier!

Let me start by saying, my dear husband believes I have a problem.  He may be right.  I am addicted to baby carriers.  My son is a cuddle bug and has always enjoyed time spent in his various carriers.  It is much easier running errands when I can pop him in the carrier and go, plus it saves this germ-conscious mama the hassle of disinfecting every surface my curious baby may touch when we are out, HA!

When my little guy was a newborn and infant, I was an exclusive Baby K’Tan user (find my review on this carrier here).  It was like a wrap carrier, without needing to wrap anything.  Wherever this busy mama can save a few precious seconds, she does! I liked the concept of the K’Tan and it really met most of my needs, however, it wasn’t my “dream carrier”.

This Christmas I was researching carriers that would have the same qualities as my trusted K’Tan (it was getting a little tight for my 18lb-er and me), but that would grow with us and provide the comfort and security we needed to continue babywearing for a few more months at least.  Insert the Huggaloops facebook page!  I stumbled across the page randomly and let me tell you, I am so glad I did.  The carrier (the company really) is owned by a Canadian mama who really “gets it”.  It is like she saw the need for combining the best qualities of a few different wrap style carriers and did just that to create the most comfortable, intuitive, and versatile carrier there ever was. 

The carrier is basically three conjoined loops.  There is a loop that goes around the waist and two that go around your arms (forming an “X” shape on your front and back).  You then place your baby in the “X”, creating a “seat” and back support out of the two arm loops.  The loop that is around mama’s waist is then stretched across the baby’s back for added support and security (confusing I know... please see the picture for a clearer understanding of how the carrier looks, or check out the Huggaloops instructions here!).  Don’t worry, there are detailed instructions and photos explaining step-by-step how to put your carrier on and how to properly and ergonomically place baby.  

I have the Huggaloops Bamboo Carrier in Shadow Grey.  The color is classy and easily matches most of the outfits I wear regularly (this is not a selling point for some, it’s a huge selling points for others). If I could have one in every color I would!  The color options are beautiful!  The material is soft and stretchy and comfortable.  It feels like a favorite stretchy tshirt, however it is thick enough to provide support for mama and baby.  Though it is winter here in the northeast so I have not field tested it in the summer months, I feel that the material and weight of the carrier will not be too hot and uncomfortable for mama or baby in the warmer months.  The carrier is snug when you first put it on, but it conforms perfectly to the body once it is in position and provides adequate back and shoulder support.  My little is over 18lbs now and I comfortably wore him around the house last week for over three hours (thank you random fever that caused my baby to cry and not sleep unless he was snuggled up with mama).  The comfort for mama and baby is unparalleled with this carrier. 

I have found that, putting this carrier on before I leave the house to run errands, etc. is the easiest way to use the Huggaloops.  It saves you the hassle of needing to put it on in the car when you arrive at your destination.  With the carrier already in place, taking baby out of the car and popping him/her into the carrier hardly takes longer than putting them in a cart! I also love the way the carrier is totally smooth when wearing.  What do I mean by this?  I mean, when the carrier is on, with baby tucked safely inside, the carrier is smooth across mamas back.  Other wrap style carriers I have tried leave bulky areas of gathered material across the back or have an awkward tie across mamas back or front that does not promote a sleek profile.  For some, they may not mind, for me: comfort and wear ability and fashion are key! The Huggaloops has everything. 

Whether this mama is working around the house, spending time outside, running errands, or going on outings, the Huggaloops is my new go to.  If I had won the powerball the other night (1.5 Billion, my goodness!), I would have purchased a Huggaloops “The Everywhere Carrier” (HA, probably one in every color… why not).  It is a new carrier that has the same genius design, however it is made out of a sport performance fabric that is supposed to be lighter weight, anti-microbial, and provide UV protection.  I think this will be my next purchase (perhaps when we start thinking about and planning for baby #2).  Until then, I highly recommend the Huggaloops carrier and I would encourage you to try it out! It is babywearing like never before!  You will love it!

XO