Wednesday, August 18, 2010

baby transport: reviews

Here are all the different ways we've transported the baby boy around.

1: Peanut Shell sling 2: Moby wrap 3: Snugli carrier 4: Graco Alano stroller

1. The sling was the first carrier I bought, thinking it seemed easiest, being one piece with no buckles or tying involved. And at first, it was. Until he got to be more than like 10 pounds, then it was OUCH. My shoulder and back hurt within like 15 minutes. Now that he's almost 20 pounds, I can actually stick him in sideways sitting up and it's not so bad. I get a good hour before it starts to hurt. I throw this one in the diaper bag just to have on hand for situations where the stroller is not practical.

2. The Moby. Ahhh, the Moby. The internets are all abuzz with adoring fans of this wrap. I've read a couple blogs where the moms actually said it saved their sanity! A must have! So I got one.

Moby: Comfy, but also a PITA
For me, eh. Not so much. I mean, it's great when you get him in there, but it's a giant Pain In The Ass to tie. I thought I just needed practice, I mean, once I tied this thing up a few times it would get easier, right? Eh, I guess so. But it's just so MUCH fabric... like, you wrap it around your middle, cross in the back, and cross in the front and tie a knot. It makes this pouch for him to sit in, eventually. I do like it, it's really comfortable, but it's just not practical for my life. We used it to walk around the yard, but I can't imagine trying to do this in the grocery store parking lot, and when we're out and it's hot it seems like all the fabric makes us both sweatier than if I were to just carry him.

3. The Snugli carrier I got as a hand-me-down gift from my cousin. It's kind of intimidating with all the straps and buckles, but once you figure out what goes where (like, if you had the box or instructions or something) it's a cinch. This is the only one Nick will wear. We both like it, it's pretty easy to adjust from him to me, and it's pretty comfortable.

I think Ollie likes it, too.

In Case You Missed It or Didn't Click To Enlarge:
(lol)

OUTSIDE VOICE

4. Last but not least, the stroller. Pros: It handles easy, use with carseat, has diaperbag storage underneath, cupholders, reclines for when he's sleepy, sunshade with peek-a-boo window, baby snack tray (great for feeding on the go, cuz mall highchairs = ick). Cons: heavy, must have SUV because getting this thing out of a car trunk would be stupid, takes more than one hand to open & put kid in, I don't care what they say, not always practical (crowded areas, rough roads).

Really nice for when it's too hot out for "babywearing" or if you're going to be somewhere for a long time, or if you/your kid aren't into being all up in each other's grill. Or if you have to eat. Because seriously, Grabby McGrabberson will make you share your french fries if he's 5 inches from your face.

The NinjaPanza Verdict/Smackdown:

For summer: Stroller FTW

Other seasons: I'll use the Snugli & stroller for walks this fall, and probably buy a wagon for Halloween.
(Unless I win the lottery and can somehow afford an Ergo because those are dope.)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I miss you, Papa (cancer sucks)

Cancer more than sucks. It is an evil thief that robs entire families.

It is SO hard for me to write about my Papa, so this won't be a long post. But hopefully, it will be meaningful. When I wrote about where I'm from, this is the young country couple I mentioned:

I could stare at this for hours. (My dad is the baby.)

He was the rock of our family. The man everyone gathered around. When he spoke, everyone listened.

I have so many favorite memories of this man. When I was little, my grandparents watched me & my brother all the time. We couldn't get enough of each other.

He made me feel so special to share our birthday month. We went to the fair. He bought me a real gold necklace for my 10th birthday. We went to the mall and ate at Arby's and people-watched. He took me back to school shopping and let me buy all the trendy stuff. (a denim shirt & a vest! hello 90s!) I spent all our holidays together sitting by his chair at his feet.

Christmas, 2004
He accepted Nick into the family and made him feel welcome. He made us laugh. We gathered to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary.

60 years together. Amazing, right? Not if you knew them.

The weekend before my wedding in Las Vegas, he found out his cancer had moved into his bones. My grandparents couldn't fly out to be there that day, couldn't be that far away from his doctors. We did dance at the reception back home, though.

I am so grateful to have this picture.

He got very sick not long after that day. I can't believe it's been 2 and a half years that he's been gone. I held his hand as he took his last breath. I can see in my mind the pain on my Grandma's face when we realized he was gone, and how she bent to hold him one last time.

The hurt is still so fresh.

Papa's 80th birthday - November 30, 2007

It breaks my heart that he never got to meet my son, his great-grandson, because cancer took him too soon. It's hard, but I try to remember that they got to know each other for a whole year before Oliver was conceived. There was a time when they were both angels.

Monday, August 2, 2010

on the fence

in more ways than one.

#1
  • pumping at work may be coming to an end. I'm not getting very much any more... and it's hard to justify the time commitment. (just for me, not anything to do with other people at work)
  • also, pumping sucks. It's weird and not fun and I will be glad when I don't have to do it anymore. I'm pretty much just down to once a day now, at lunch.
  • that said, I'm not giving up nursing in the morning and at night. Don't have to, don't want to.
  • so, Oliver's 8 1/2 months old and I guess this is the start of weaning. I'm on the fence between ok with that and sad that my baby is growing up, which I am very much would be at any age.
  • looks like there's less of this in my near future


  • and more of this - which is OK because I love seeing my two best guys hanging out

#2
  • we've been talking a lot lately about finding a way for me to quit my job
  • I know lots of working moms think about this - but it's gotten to the point where, for me, there's almost no other option. You'd think that after 6+ months it would get a little easier to drop him off at daycare, but it hasn't for me. It just feels wrong.
  • I still tear up every single Monday morning.
  • so we're working on scaling back monthly payments as much as possible. We've cancelled the cable, consolidated some bills, and traded in the truck for a pretty Trailblazer with a lower payment
  • just a few more steps and we'll be there...
  • this is the (second) most exciting and scary thing I've ever planned on doing
  • I'm on the fence about whether to fully throw myself into being excited and planning for this - or being extremely cautious, not getting my hopes up because what if it doesn't work out?
  • what if we plan and plot and scrimp and save and we still can't afford it? what if I quit for a few years and then can't find a job when I need one again? what if I feel like I've missed out on something - am I giving up too much? I don't really consider my job a career, but at least it's a work history with no gaps...
  • what if I'm not as good at being home full time as I think I'll be? I don't have delusions of being able to keep a perfect house with zero dust and all that... but what if I still feel like something's missing
  • I can't imagine that, really... anything would be better than missing him all day long while coming to a workplace that I have to try so hard to get any enjoyment from
  • more like: what if I feel like I'm not living up to expectations (whose? mine?) what if I feel inadequate?
  • I need to get all of this doubt out of my head and just focus
  • who wouldn't want to spend all day with this guy?

#3
  • So. Now that I've unleashed the crazy (and my boob) on all of you
  • I bit the bullet and joined one of those blog ranking sites!
  • the more times you vote for me, the higher my link gets in the list.
  • which would (in theory) lead to my little corner of the internet being viewed by more people.
  • I used to have some regular readers from the Philippines, I wonder what happened to them?
  • anyway, Team NinjaPanza!
  • the site allows you to vote once per day - the button is to the right there, underneath my "followers"
  • click, please?