Adventures In Babywearing: Our First Tandem Attempt

As soon as I found out I was pregnant with twins I was SO EXCITED at the idea of tandem babywearing my twins and maybe even Elijah at the beginning!  Finally getting Patrick home gave me the opportunity to start trying! I have a friend coming over next week that is an expert in babywearing who is going to help me learn the different newborn tandem carries that will work with my woven wraps, moby and my ring slings. But I had to give it a shot myself and I don’t think I did too bad for a first attempt! The boys seemed to enjoy to closeness and I LOVED the feeling of having them both so near me again at the same time. I am looking forward to many months and years of wearing these sweet boys!

13 Weeks Pregnant........A Really Cool Weekend!

THIRTEEN WEEKS!!!!  This pregnancy has seemed to fly by lately as my belly continues to expand a lot! I continue to feel great and am loving my round tummy as it continues to come in. I have started talking to Elijah about "the babies in Mama's tummy". Every time I do this, he tries to lift up my shirt and look. So I have to be careful to only talk about it to him in the comfort of our home. Heehee.

I had my 13 week ultrasound on Friday which is a pretty thorough one. Everything looks spectacular and both babies are measuring about 4-6 days ahead. Yikes. I told the ultrasound tech that I would love for her to guess gender and she said she was able to do so with Baby B however Baby A had cord covering the pertinent areas so she was unable to see any telltale signs of gender. There is also a new test on the market that detects gender in the mother's blood. This is not something I had heard about when I was pregnant with Elijah so I think it is pretty new. The test will detect some sort of hormone in your blood that is only there when you are carrying a boy so with twins, if there is no hormone, we will know it is two girls but if there is hormone detected, it could either be two boys or a boy and a girl. The test was surprisingly covered by insurance and they were taking my blood anyway that day so we went ahead and did it (results come back in a week or so) but we will still be doing our gender ultrasound in three weeks if a boy is detected to find out exactly who is in there! Everything else in the ultrasound looked great! All the measurements were exactly as they should be and both Petite Parishes were moving and grooving all over the place. In fact, Petite A was doing somersaults!

Here's a nice side by side of our sweet babies!

Petite Parish B all comfy and cozy

Baby A rocking and rolling

I love taking belly shots and am really excited about the addition of the fruit and belly shots for this pregnancy. This week the babies are peaches. The only peaches I could find at the store were huge! I picked the most average looking ones in size but they still seemed a little big. Of course, according to the ultrasound, the babies are pretty big as of right now so this fruit is probably pretty accurate! Now I have to admit that this first trimester due to extreme exhaustion, I have not eaten as I know I should.  Not bad but I was told by my doctor I need to be extremely careful about my weight, especially since our goal is VBAC, then there was vacation. Now that we are back (and not going anywhere for a while), I am getting more sleep (more on that below), and the first trimester is over, it is time to get serious about diet and exercise. I have stocked up on lots of protein and calcium (calcium is something I struggle with so I am back on dairy for this pregnancy) and I am going to try to start walking again. It is really tough to commit to that in the Houston heat. Really it must be done before 8am to be bearable otherwise you miss your window of opportunity. I plan to begin doing some yoga as well but I was really hoping to start the working out with morning walks with Elijah. That is my goal for this week. To walk at least 5 mornings!

My sweet little peaches.

13 Weeks!

A bump is my favorite accessory!

A belly full of babies and a heart full of love!

A lot of belly

Extreme close up!

Getting silly

Because of my struggle with OHSS and the additional bed rest at the beginning of my pregnancy, followed by lots of traveling on my part, Chip and I did not get a chance to really celebrate our pregnancy and how awesome it is to be carrying TWINS! Because 13 weeks (+3 days) marks the end of the first trimester, we decided that we would go out for a Mexican dinner (my craving this pregnancy) and celebrate the life within, Elijah becoming a big brother, us having a family of five and completing our first trimester! Once we were out, we realized how rare it is that we go out to dinner as a family of three. It was really a nice treat! I enjoyed some beef fajitas (sans tortillas!) and Elijah chowed down on some beans and rice, pretty much ignoring his tamale. That baby is a bean kid! It was really a fun night and I look forward to all the second trimester brings including lots of kicks (I can't wait until Elijah can feel the babies kick for the first time!), finding out gender, choosing names (though that is pretty much narrowed down), planning a nursery and celebration the completion of the second trimester in early/mid November!

Yay for a complete first trimester!

Elijah really enjoys our little photo shoots

Ready for some grub!

Love this little boy. Now let's go eat!

Good water!

Our little boy loves to share!

Love having dinner with my boys. 

Soon to be BIG BROTHER!

One more cool thing that happened this week was with choir. For the past several years, the choir at SBC has gotten to sing the National Anthem before an Astros game. Ever since I joined choir and saw this on the schedule,  I have been super excited about this opportunity. It was neat to have Elijah and Chip there to see us sing and it is really cool that this is a memory that will go in my pregnancy journal for the twins to see how they were there too! While we were at the stadium, I got to wear Elijah for the first time since I've been pregnant! I knew I missed it but how much he really missed it showed as soon as I strapped him on. I was given the okay to wear him by my RE but then we had the spotting scare so I have been nervous about it. I don't think I would be able to wear him for long periods of time but I am thrilled that I feel comfortable doing it here and there.  I used my Ergo because that is what Chip had (he was wearing him at the game) but I think I will do better to wrap him while pregnant because I can tie the wrap up by my chest where the Ergo or Becco goes around the waist. I really wish I had my Mei Tai but I am selling my Babyhawk because it is not comfortable and am going to have one made from a wrap but am still in the process of procuring the materials. ANYWAY, it was a really cool experience followed by such an awesome attachment parenting treat!

SBC Choir about to sing!

Love that my little boy gets to see Mama sing with choir

Wearing my baby for the first time since late May!

Adventures in Babywearing: The K'tan

I have had my K'tan since before Elijah was born but didn't start using it until he was about a month old, pretty much because I didn't know how. Once I went YouTube and learned, I couldn't believe I hadn't used it from the very beginning. It is so easy and so cozy! It quickly became and continues to be one of our most loved and most used carriers.  Sizing is very important with the K'tan. A small worked very well right after I had him but as I lost the baby weight and then some, he started to sag a bit and I realized I needed to go down a size.  Since it is a stretchy carrier, it will have a tendency to stretch out anyway but I find that a trip in the washing machine and dryer will spring it right back into shape, just like new! We just got our new K'tan in the mail the other day and I am thrilled with the sizing.  It is the perfect carrier for when Elijah is sleeping. I can tuck his little head a way and he is not disturbed by what is going on around us. It is also one that I use when we go out to eat or when I will be sitting for an extended period of time. This has been my "go to" carrier for air travel. It is perfect for an airplane! It is very much like a wrap but so much easier for when you need to get him in and out...and in an out....etc. You get the idea. I love my woven wraps very much but they aren't the easiest thing to manage when you are in a hurry or dealing with TSA and flights.  I highly recommend the K'tan!

Elijah is comfortably sleeping in the K'tan at a nice family dinner out.  Normally I tuck his head away in the panels but I popped it out for the photo op!

Making our way through the Houston Intercontinental Airport this summer on our way to San Francisco! It was a breeze to take him in and out of his K'tan!

Elijah spent most of the plane ride wrapped in his K'tan and very content. Not a peep from him the whole trip!

This is a size small, like my original and you can see he sags in it a bit and that it was time for a better fit. 

My new perfectly sized K'tan! I love it! 

Happy Baby Happy Mama! 

Adventures in Babywearing: The Beco Gemini

The Beco Gemini is a soft structured carrier and IT IS AWESOME! It is more heavily padded than my Ergo...there fore a little hotter but very comfortable. I keep it in my car and use it when I will be doing a lot of walking, especially indoors like shopping, etc. It doesn't work as well for sitting down like in restaurants so I reserve that for my K'tan and Ring Slings.  But the Beco is great for everything else. It is super easy to get Elijah in and out of and it is the only SSC that you can face the baby out which Elijah loves.  It is also very Daddy friendly.

 You can also wear him on your back in this carrier but I prefer my woven wraps and Ergo for back carrys. I like to keep my Beco adjusted for comfortable front carrys. The Beco is a little larger than the Ergo so Elijah was a little bigger when he started riding in it but one of the great features is that the back of it folds up for head support if needed. This is great if you will be doing a lot of bending over (like if you are doing laundry).  We use the Beco almost every day (along with the Ergo and K'tan).

Ready to do some serious shopping with Mama!

Forward facing so he can see all the action!

Baby wearing Daddy!

Snoozing during our monthly Trader Joe's visit!

Not the best option for eating out

Adventures In Babywearing: Didymos Lilies Tussah Silk Woven Wrap

 I was so excited to purchase my first woven wrap! I had used the Moby which is stretchy but after trying on several wovens at North Houston Babywearers Meetings, I found that I liked the feel of the silk/cotton blend and was anxious to find one! I lucked out on The Babywearing Swap on Facebook and found a BARELY used Didymos Lillies Tussah Silk Wrap which I later learned is a more rare and sought after wrap. It is beautiful! And Elijah really seems to like it as well!  I only know a few different "carrys" right now but I am enjoying the Rucksack back carry the best, though it is really neat to be able to nurse in this as well. One of the seasoned babywearing veterans (Thanks Krystal!) showed me how to do that and I LOVE IT!  Wrapping is definitely not for everyone and when I need something quick and easy, like when I go grocery shopping, I rely on soft structured carriers and ring slings,  but wrapping definitely has a place in our lives. It is great for around the house. Today I threw Elijah on my back and got a lot more done! I am still learning and I know as I get more comfortable with wrapping, I will incorporate this carrier into more areas of our life and it will help my bond with Elijah while getting more done.   Next on the list is a Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze Wrap! Maybe for Christmas. :)

Elijah seems to like the new view! 

I am able to get him a lot higher than I can with my SSC's which he seems to enjoy

I like being cheek to cheek with him when I turn my head

Practicing a front carry!

Rear view....not exactly even but we are still learning

A way to nurse in the woven wrap. It was awesome! Elijah was so comfy, he fell asleep

Adventures in Babywearing: The Taylor Made Mesh Ring Sling

I have a few ring slings, but the one that came in most handy this summer was my Taylor Made Mesh sling! It was great for the beach and the pool! I actually wore it in the water several times and it dries super quickly! The one thing with this is that you want to make sure you have a good "pocket" under baby's butt because it is a bit slippery and I don't recommend wearing in the ocean very deep. But it was perfect for the pool and for the beach! It is very light weight as well.  I bought ours at Nurtured Family (see the link to the left of the blog post). It was a great investment and I believe I will still be able to use it next year!

Ready for fun in the sun with my man and my sling carried baby!

Elijah seemed very comfortable!

It was PERFECT in the heat!

Hands Free! 

Personal Triumph for Mama, Elijah and the Ergo

I have tried to breastfeed in several different carriers several times and have just found it easier to sit down, take Elijah out of his carrier and latch on. I have especially tried the feed in the Ergo on our walk several times because I end up having to stop at the park, find a bench and nurse which is not so much fun in the horrible Texas heat, even in the morning. WELL.....this morning, Elijah started getting a little fussy/hungry and we were not yet to the park so I decided to give it one more try and....SUCCESS!!!! Everything that needed to line up just right did and we didn't even have to loosen straps, unhook or anything! My little guy latched on like a champ, nursed while I continued to walk and fell asleep at the breast after about 20 minutes. I wish I had taken the time to learn to feed him as an infant in my ring slings. I tried a few times but, as I said, I took the "easy" way and just sat down and took him out. I do think it is probably easier to feed babies in the slings as they get older and have more control.  I am hoping that this will open up a whole new world of nursing convenience for us!  Elijah is still in the Ergo as I type this and just latched on again. YAY!