Photo: 1′Up

Hello everyone. Long time… I JUST NOW got DSL hooked up at my parents’ house in TN. Yea! So I should be posting with a bit more frequency now.

I returned from the Babywearing Conference in Chicago on Sunday. The conference was amazing! I learned so much and met SO MANY wonderful people! It is amazing to see so many like-minded people in one place. And it was very refreshing to be in an environment where I can wear and nurse my baby at any time, and still be part of the goings-on! Twilli responded REALLY well to everyone there too! She got to play with a lot of little babies and toddlers.

The TWILLI PIE PODEGIs were well received! I will be requesting testers soon, so please contact me if you are interested.

I met SOOOOO many influential people in the babywearing and attachment parenting realm! I probably don’t know the HALF of it! I plan to continue seeking wisdom from these people who have “walked the walk” and continue to share with us relative newbies!

It was awesome to traverse the city via public transit. (Gas was $4.47 – $4.89 per gallon there. Eeek!) And I did a LOT of walking! Babywearing makes a HUGE difference in that regard. And I was very pleasantly surprised at how much people helped me with my luggage on the train or in the train station/transfers! I guess I was quite a spectacle with a baby strapped to me, a backpack, a diaper bag/purse, and my suitcase pulled behind it all! lol

I will write more about the conference in the next few days. But I wanted to touch base and let everyone know that we are still alive and kickin’!

TWILLI PIE PODEGI – Out and About & Testing

I’ve been meaning to go to Ikea for a while. So today hubby and I decided to have lunch there and pick up a few things. We got a lot of smiles and looks from people. There were loads of babies there today! And we got a compliment on the podegi from a lovely mama with beautiful month old twin girls!

I decided to wear Twilli in the first TWILLI PIE PODEGI that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I have been testing the heck out of it. Here are my thoughts so far:

I am pretty pleased overall with this design. I LOVE being able to combine fabrics to create something truly unique. I will probably continue to make all of my carriers reversible. I am very happy with the padding in the straps. (It is double layer polar fleece.) I LOVE the long blanket! It is very easy to adjust how high or low baby rides in a front carry. Twilli can “hide” inside or sleep by tucking her arms in and “sinking” down a bit. And it is MUCH easier to nurse in this podegi than any of my mei tais. I was worried that the traditional straight straps would not work with shoulder carries. But the straight straps are much more comfortable than I had expected. My only regret is that I placed the nice white print fabric too low on the reverse. This print ends up hiding under babys bum. So I really only show the Tatsu print side for that reason

Introducing TWILLI PIE PODEGI 2 – for the progressive babywearing daddy

Now for some good news… I just finished with my first TWILLI PIE PODEGI that is designed with the babywearing daddy in mind! It is also the first podegi I have made with angled straps. It is quite a bit more involved to place the straps at an angle. But it seems to be more popular than the straight ones. (Any podegi devotees: What do YOU think?) And it is GREEN! No. Not the color green… but eco green because it uses some reclaimed fabric!

Check out photos of TWILLI PIE PODEGI 2!

I will post action shots soon! The supermodel baby, Twilli, is sleeping.

Hey dads, would YOU wear your baby or toddler in something like this if it were available? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know what you think!

Today Twilli is 9 MONTHS OLD! It has been lightning fast. But yet it feels like she was a newborn last week!

There used to be a national babywearing organization called NINO: Nine In Nine Out. It supported the theory that the first 9 months of a baby’s life is an extension of the womb.

I DEFINITELY agree with the theory. Wearing your baby helps them feel safe and secure.

If I had not been able to WEAR THE BABY, there is no way I would have been able to work from home, or get ANYTHING done, for that matter! And breastfeeding has been a Godsend!! Literally. Not only is is the perfect food, mama milk is SAFE anxiety and pain meds for Twilli.

Babies crave SOOOOO much attention, guidance, and closeness. I am so thankful for the bond between us that has been facilitated by babywearing!

I also am so grateful that I can channel my creative talent, by making slings, to help others bond with their baby in STYLE!

Today we rejoice the second birth of Twilli! She IS a new person. She is mobile now (army crawl). She feeds herself. She drinks from the sippy cup. She has 4 teeth. Her fine motor skills are increasing daily. She poops in the toilet. (Can you tell I’m proud?)

A friend of mine is taking us to the beach today to celebrate. I have my fabulous water sling, so I can safely take her in the ocean! And its UV protective! I will try to take some photos, and maybe some video to post later. [Note: We didn't end up getting to go to the beach. But we will go soon. I promise!]

Please leave a comment and tell us how babywearing has saved YOUR sanity/marriage/business .

Yea! They WON!

We had enthusiastically voted for this business idea. I am thrilled to discover that they won the challenge.

New England Milk Bank voted best small business idea in national ideablob.com contest

Now what are the chances that a milk bank could be established in South Florida?

[Read the original post from January 25, 2008 in the archives.]

…by voting for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England

I just heard about a great site, IdeaBlob.com, that allows people to vote for business ideas to win a monthly prize of $10,000 to start or expand a business.

So for ZERO DOLLARS (and a click) you can possibly help make this milk bank a reality. (It’s among the top contenders for the January prize!)

Vote for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England now!

Find out who WON!

It’s a new year. Everyone is making resolutions, hitting the gym, and regretting their holiday decadence.

The weight loss propaganda is rampant on the television. So much so that I stopped watching TV for a couple of weeks. But that’s not because I was sweatin’ to the 80′s at the gym, or swimming in the ocean, like I WISH I was doing. I’ve actually been indoors–at home– more in the last 5 months than ever!

I will be the first to admit that my weight loss has been anything but strategic. I have NOT been doing crunches 3 times a day, as recommended by Dr. Fruithandler, our chiropractor. I have not been doing stroller aerobics or even laps around the complex like I imagined. (I wonder how much better the results would be if I actually made those commitments!)

I must also admit that I only gained 15 pounds during the pregnancy. However, the pre-pregnancy weight was the highest in my life. I was NOT practicing balance. I was working too much. (Running a new business is similar to having a baby.) I was eating poorly and not using physical activity to disperse stress buildup. I knew that I had to be mindful about my weight throughout the pregnancy or risk pre eclampsia, diabetes, or other complications. To date, I’ve lost that 15 pounds, plus 7-10 more, depending on the day.

But what is my secret? It is quite simple. By living LIFE.

• Wearing the baby in a sling or carrier while doing housework, which includes going up and down the stairs multiple times. [Shameless plug: I LOVE my Ergo Baby Carrier! It has saved my sanity.]
• Breastfeeding. Even though my husband told me it is responsible for burning approximately 500 calories per day, I was still skeptical, especially after reading many counts of women being disappointed that it did NOTHING for the number on the scales.
• Working less. Means sitting on my bum less. This means I am more ACTIVE.
• Stress management. I am learning to better cope with stressful circumstances and not become so easily overwhelmed. I imagine this would account for lower cortisol levels which make shedding abdominal fat quite difficult.

How about other moms out there? Dads? (My husband gained some weight right along with me, and was also losing gradually… Until he got the flu and dropped 10 pounds overnight!)

Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear your story.

If you found this article helpful, enlightening, or simply good reading, please consider making a donation. That way we can continue to provide articles from the trenches. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

We’re pleased to announce a new regular feature on the site: The Stealthy Nursling: Sightings.

It will document the times when moms (or dad) are seen babywearing around town. It’s a glorious thing to nurse in public, with privacy AND mobility. I love to watch people either try to figure out how to see baby, or see them TRYto ignore us completely. It’s about pushing boundries. It’s about rewriting the CODE to our lives, renewing the pursuit of HAPPINESS.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I just got back from a Walmart excursion. And I decided there’s no time like the present!

11/27/2007: Tuesday afternoon
Margate, FL – CiCi’s Pizza – Twilli was sleeping in her stroller for most of my meal. She woke up confused. I scooped her up, loaded her into the Ergo Baby Carrier (so far the Ergo is my fave carrier for outings), and went into the bathroom to fix my shirt, with a blanket cover, so she could nurse in peace.

NOTE: This CiCi’s does NOT have a changing table. Shame on them for promoting a “family environment” and omitting such a critical facility. *Please leave a comment about other chains w/o baby accommodations. We should start a petition.*

11/27/2007: Tuesday afternoon
Margate, FL – Walmart

After leaving CiCi’s, we walked to the other end of the mammoth shopping center, to Walmart. (Walking is not only exercize that I desperately need, it’s just so much easier than putting her in the carseat, latching her in, putting away the stroller, only to drive 1/4 mile and repeat the process in reverse!)

We went straight to the restroom to change her diaper. (Those restrooms are pretty gross! And the loud toilet flush echoes startled her each time.) As usual, Twilli wanted to SEE EVERYTHING. So she was alert most of the time in the store. Toward the end, she started to fuss again. So I went to the bathroom in the back (it was a lot cleaner!), changed her diaper, and setup the private, mobile nursing session, ala babywearing, once more.

Twilli (our new pet name for Ariana) is 16 weeks old. She just started teething, after a growth spurt. It started on Thanksgiving. We had guests for an informal dinner. And Twilli went from her normal, all-smiles disposition, to screaming in pain. (Read original post about it here.)

After a couple of days, I started to see the pattern.

• If she starts to get fussy, picking her up soon might do the trick.
• When that gets old, see if she wants to nurse (This is the magic bullet for Twilli. Thus it ranks high on the list.)
• Try cold teething toy
• Take care of other basics like diaper, burping, etc.
• Step and repeat

If, at any point, the conditions degrade to the point of her totally losing it, the effectiveness of all methods reduces drastically. We’ve gained new empathy for families who have colicky babies! It breaks my heart (and my sanity) to be so helpless while this innocent little thing screams and writhes in pain.

But today we tried something new. I went back to newborn/growth spurt mode of cluster feeding. So we’ve started nursing as soon as she showed any signs of discomfort at all.

So far, it has been quite effective. DH makes comments about the “magic boobies” more than ever now! lol

Unfortunately, the timing is awful. Our a/c is broken. (Yes, in South Florida you still need a/c in November.) And downtairs, where we have the office, dining room, kitchen, etc., is poorly ventilated. Incidentally, my saving grace method of babywearing in order to continue working while we nurse, is not ideal because DD gets TOO HOT in the carrier. I tried it the first day or two, since she usually drifts right off to sleep in the carrier, but she got all sweaty.
Furthermore, we’re having to watch every penny right now. So getting out and about is limited. I’m starting to go stir crazy!

Despite the potholes, I have found a way to be relatively productive through it all. I’ve visited many parenting blogs and message boards, via my Treo phone. This is teaching me patience. The speed — or lack thereof — makes dial-up seem zippy. And the 2×2″ screen doesn’t always allow the pages to be readable. And many websites are NOT optimized for PDA or cell phone browsing! (Amazingly, I composed this article on my Treo! Props to WordPress for being PDA friendly!)

Lest I sound like a spoiled snot, please be aware that I continue to count my blessings.

• I am grateful for a wonderful and healthy family
• I am grateful for the roof over our heads and food in our bellies
• I am grateful to have the opportunity to work at home, to be with my baby girl and teenage boy more
• I am grateful for fast computers (MacBook Pro) and broadband internet
• I am grateful for a PDA, on which I can surf the internet while DD nurses
• I am grateful to be able to be a resource for other parents
• I am grateful for everything that I have been blessed with!

Even though things always seem worse in the midst of challenge, I believe we’ll look back to this time and smile thinking of her still toothless smile!

Here we will discuss a wide range of topics that affect modern parents today. Some of the topics we’ll start with are attachment parenting (including breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping and general mindfulness), career issues for parents, family dynamics, economics, product reviews and education.

This blog is run by Renee and Elliott (find out about us at reneeandelliott.com), parents to a 13 year old son and a 2 month old daughter. We will also feature guest writers. That way we are able to address issues of all the stages of your child’s development.

We hope you enjoy!