Good morning! We are headed to church this morning, but I thought I’d post an addition to your typical Sunday morning comics, courtesy of paxbaby …
❤ Tara
Sunday Funnies: All Are Not The Same
categories: Babywearing
Category: Everyday Life
Saturday Summary
So far so good – even though we are in the middle of our move to Denver, I have been able to keep up with the posting! Click on each picture to jump to the post!
 |
Tuesday was the latest installment of “Tried & True” where I discussed my very first babywearing experience – our beautiful orange Moby wrap! |
|
Wednesday was the beginning of our “Why We Wear” series with the number one reason we began wearing. |
 |
 |
Thursday was my first fact filled post answering the question of when when it is ok to let baby be worn “legs out”. |
|
Friday was our latest “Fam’s 5 Faves” and a peek into our “stash’ with our 5 favorite carriers (in order of preference/most used). |
 |
Remember, all the posts are being listed on this post as well. We’ll begin again tomorrow!
❤ Tara
[The] Fam’s 5 Faves: Babywearing
categories: Babywearing
![[The] Fam's 5 Faves: Babywearing | oliverandtara.com](http://embed.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/cid/99353035/id/ONvsuvcr4xGgrJu76xSULw/size/e.jpg "[The] Fam's 5 Faves: Babywearing")
4. Balboa Sling
5. Boba Air
❤ Tara
Babywearing: Knee-to-knee
categories: Babywearing
When babywearing, position is REALLY important. Many Soft Structured Carriers (SSCs) come with “infant inserts” that you use until your new bundle of joy is “big enough”. But what exactly is “big enough”? For a legs out position, “big enough” is when the carrier goes “knee-to-knee”.
Knee-to-knee is when their legs not only poke out of the carrier, but that the edge of the carrier actually hits the inside crease of their knee. You want their legs to be able to bend downward. Liam’s legs are able to do this (though his bunched up jeans keep them from bending over at times) – so he is only ever “legs out” now.
Some carriers have a narrower base than others, allowing you to go “legs out” sooner. If you want to go “legs out” sooner, look at the Infantino Sash™ Wrap or the Becco Gemini. The Infantino (or any Mei Tai style carrier for that matter) can have the base of the seat cinched. Some come with a strap to do that, but you can use something as simple as a ribbon or shoelace to tie it smaller. The Gemini actually has a snap option to make the seat smaller and wider.
What do you do if your little one isn’t big enough for “legs out” quite yet? As I mentioned above, there are “infant inserts” available. I prefer the Tula insert, over the Ergo insert, because of the position it holds the baby’s legs in. What’s really nice is that the infant inserts can be used interchangeably with any SSC. For example, you can use the Tula insert in a Becco, Ergo, etc. Now, you may not want to spring for an infant insert, with how short of a time they will need it. Your other option is to roll up a receiving blanket, place it under their bum, and put them in the carrier “froggy leg position”. The picture below, from the Didymos site, shows you how their legs should be situated, inside the carrier, for “froggy position”.
As always, whenever you are babywearing, be sure that:
- You can see their face – they should be close enough for you to kiss
- You can feel them breathing
- Their chin is off their chest
❤ Tara
Tried and True: Moby Wrap
categories: Babywearing, Tried & True: Product Reviews
The very first wrap I received (as well as used) was my Moby Wrap. Made from a cotton jersey material, it is soft and stretchy. It really cuddles baby and keeps them feeling secure. However, when you first open it, many are overwhlemed by the 5.5 meters (over 18 feet) of cloth. Here is the inside scoop on the Moby:
Facts:
- For babies 8-35 lbs
- Made from natural cotton material
- Able to be worn on the front and the hip, but not the back
- Great instructions available on their site.
Pros:
- Extremely soft for wrapping up that little one
- Comfy enough to wear when baby isn’t in it
- Keeps people’s hands off baby and their little head supported
- Gentle against a sore mommy – important after my c-section!
- A “gateway” into wrapping with woven wraps
Cons:
- I found it was only good until about 20 lbs – then we needed more support!
- No structural support, and you can only wrap it so tight due to it’s stretchy-ness
- Complicated (at first) to figure out – resulting in a lot of people “giving up”
- Can feel too warm for people who run “hot” or during warm months.
Tips:
- Practice on your own BEFORE trying it with baby – se a stuffed animal!
- Give it more than one try – it takes practice and is a new experience. Your baby may cry, may fall asleep, may not sit right. Cut yourself some slack and try again later!
- Don’t EVER use a stretchy wrap on your back – it is VERY dangerous! It won’t hold the baby tight, which means they could lean back and flip out!
- When wearing a baby, always make sure their chin isn’t on their chest, you can feel/see them breathing, nothing is obstructing their face and that they have a good seat!
Overall, I think it is a great first wrap for new mommies! It’s even better if they have someone to show them how to use it while being their cheerleader. It gave me a lot more confidence to have it demo’d and when I was provided guided practice!
Overall Rating: ✰✰✰✰ 4/5 Stars
You’ll see some action shots of my Moby tomorrow!
❤ Tara
Click here for a full list of posts in my October Babywearing Series.
October = Babywearing!
categories: Babywearing, Tried & True: Product Reviews
October 7th-13th is “International Babywearing Week”. This is a time for babywear-ers everywhere to celebrate their babywearing ways while also spreading awareness about babywearing.
If anyone knows anything about me – I’m all about babywearing! And I get a lot of questions about carriers, styles and ways of babywearing. So, this month I’ll be writing all about babywearing. I’ll keep a running list of posts here, so you can check back and have a quick reference! Let me know if you want to know anything specific and I’ll try to address it this month.
October: Babywearing Series
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
Tried & True: Moby
|
Why We Wear #1 | Babywear: Knee to knee | Fams 5 Faves: Babywear | Week One Summary | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Sunday Funnies | My Stash | Tried & True: SSCs | Why We Wear #2 | Babywear: The “M” | Fams 5 Faves: In The Heat! | |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
[click any image to jump to that post!]
❤ Tara
[the] Fam’s 5 Faves: Breastfeeding
This episode of the “Fam’s 5 Faves” is focusing on breastfeeding. I figured it was a great segue off of last month’s series focusing on Milking It.
Here is a break down of our favorites…
Nursing Covers
My two “go to” covers right now are the Motherhood Nursing Scarf and my Simple by Bebe Au Lait. I use the scarf when it is cool enough to sport a scarf – it’s super handy and cute too! The Bebe Au Lati is extremely breathable for warmer days (read more about it here).
Nursing Pillow
My back SCREAMS at me when we’ve been away from home and away from my pillow. It’s important to not hunch over baby when nursing, and bringing them up higher helps you save your back. I love this pillow so much that I’m taking it on our trip to Hawaii. Nine days is just TOO long to be away from it! I know there are quite a few brands out there, like the Boppy and My Breast Friend, but I’m a Boppy gal myself! It has a lot of uses other than just a nursing pillow. When your little one is on “tummy time”, you can prop them up on it. It also helps stabilize them when they start sitting up! I even prop Liam up a bit on it when he is sleeping on the ground.
Booby Tubes
Lets just be frank here ladies – engorgement and sore nipples are no fun. These guys were either in my freezer or in my bra those first few weeks. I highly suggest two sets – keep rotating them out! I love that I could use them directly on the nipples, or set it up so they went around them. They were soft, organic … I really did love them! They still do come out of the freezer – like when I am upping my supply for storage, and thus pumping A LOT.
Nipple Butter
Organic, smells good … I love this little nipple saving jar. And the small jar goes a LONG way. I still have the same jar I brought to the hospital with me! I dab a little on, let it melt and soak in, then “cover up” again. I also put it on before I pump to keep from getting sore. At first I was worried that Liam didn’t like the taste, so I switched to coconut butter. But I soon switched back. Now, the simple smell of it makes me remember those first few days of Liam’s life. And it is ALWAYS in my pumping bag!
Nursing Pads
I cheated on the “two for one” deal again on this, but my preferred nipple pads have changed over time. In the beginning I leaked… a LOT. So I loved the washable organic cotton nursing pads. I cycled through them quickly, sometimes two sets a day. But they were super soft against my “skin”, and offered protection from things that might accidentally brush against “sensitive areas”. After my milk situation evened out, I switched to the LilyPadz. I love them! They still offer protection against friction, cover up your “headlights” and keep enough pressure on to stop minor leaks. More on them in the future…
What are some of your top favorites for breastfeeding?
❤ Tara
Follow this series on twitter and facebook #fams5faves
The Next Two Months…
Wow – I had a lot of fun writing about breastfeeding last month. And I still didn’t have time to hit everything! You’ll still see the topic popping up time and time again. It’s a major part of my life as breastfeeding mommy. But here will be the upcoming focus…
September
This month I want to hit My Favorite Things. A lot of you have asked “what are your top 5 things for…” – here are some answers for you! There is no way I will hit EVERYTHING in one month, so this will actually be kicking off a regular series. These posts will be more “summaries” than in depth Tried and True (T&T) posts. But, have no fear, a lot of these items will show up again in upcoming T&Ts!
October
October 7-13 is International Babywearing Week! If you know me, you know I *love* babywearing! So October will be dedicated to everything babywearing. I’ll be starting a regular series discussing why we wear, as well as giving you the in and outs of babywearing. What carriers get thumbs up, what get thumbs DOWN? What to look for, what to try, where to start – we’ll be talking about it here! I’ll be giving you a peek into my own stash, as well as others I have tried/borrowed/drooled heavily over. All the T&Ts will be focused on wearing as well. There may even be a few tutorials about some customizing I’ve done for my own carriers. I’m excited!
The New Year …
Oliver and I are really praying about where God is leading us. We believe we went through infertility for a purpose. We believe we’re beginning to figure that out. And this blog will play a part. But we are still really praying about the how, when, and what of this venture we are exploring. Please pray with us, and keep an eye out here for new about our new adventure!
On a more personal note …
I’ve been a bit MIA from blogging because this weekend was a BIG deal. We travelled to Cincinnati, Ohio to celebrate my great grandmother’s birthday.
Let that sink in for a minute. *My* great grandmother. That makes her Liam’s great great grandmother. TWO greats in there folks, not a typo. And before you begin asking if we all sat around her bed in the nursing home, watching her being spoon fed pudding – you’ve got the WRONG idea. My great grandma is a spit fire lady with her mind still about her and her body only just beginning to fail her. It is only in the last year that she has begun needing a cane to steady herself. This lady has lived through the depression, the deaths of two husbands, 2 children, a daughter-in-law and one grandchild. She’s seen her legacy grow through 3 children, 5 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and now 2 great great grandchildren. And she still carries her head high, has a smile on her face, and doesn’t let anyone boss her around. Can you tell I love this lady?
So, for her 97th birthday, all she really wanted from Oliver and me was to meet Liam. We were getting regular calls, asking when we’d bring her great great grandson out. We began planning a trip, and my mom jumped into the planning as well. Soon we had it arranged so my sister would meet us there with my niece, and my brother would meet us there from LA.
I’m not going to lie. When we rounded the corner to see her walking towards Liam, smiling, I cried. I lost my grandparents (her son and daughter-in-law) when I was a freshman in college. I was VERY close to them, they lived with us for many years leading up to their passings. It was so very important to me that she meet my first child. But, as we spent years battling infertility, I was really worried that she wouldn’t be here. To see her walk up to Liam, pat his face, talk sweetly to him – and to see him smile back at her. I’m crying again typing this. I could do nothing less that praise the Lord.
Some pictures from our whirlwind weekend…
❤ Tara
2 years ago
categories: Daily News, Everyday Life
A little over 2 years ago, I was offered the opportunity to visit our friends Faith and Roger. In Africa. For 3 weeks. Oliver and I were already over 2 years into trying for a baby. I didn’t want to commit and then back out, but I also didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. Oliver and I decided to leave it at God’s feet. A baby meant “no”, no baby meant “go”. We would cut off trying one month before the trip, just to be safe (with immunizations, malaria meds, etc). The one month mark came, and there was no baby. So, I went. And God also brought along my best friend (much to her surprise as well!).
What God did in me, while there, was AMAZING. My journal has many tear stained pages, as I asked for a baby again and again. The pictures show the pure joy I felt while working and living there. The biggest moment was when He used someone I didn’t even know to tell me the BIG news. He was promising a baby…. a baby boy. I was able to stand on that promise – and just 8 months later God said “yes”. And Liam’s life began!
The trip not only promised me Liam – but brought me closer than ever with my friend Kelly. We lived, worked, ate and played together for three weeks – and still liked each other afterwards!
Here is our blog from that trip….
I strongly suggest this post and this post to get a good picture of our time there…
❤ Tara
Milking It: Cookies!
categories: Breastfeeding, Parenting
Yes, you read that right! You can actually JUSTIFY cookies! Well, like an nursing mother CAN’T justify them. But seriously, these can help with milk production – and my friends say they are quite yummy to boot! (Remember: me = overproduction … me + a dozen of these would probably = engorgement)
Why cookies? Well, just any cookie isn’t going to work. Sorry ladies, that box of Thin Mints in the freezer cannot be applied to this excuse. The kind of cookies I am talking about are “Lactation Cookies”. Creative title, no? But there is actually a science behind them.
As you look through the collection of cookies below, you’ll see a common set of ingredients between them. Brewers yeast, wheat germ, whole oats, and flax seed are just a few. These ingredients are believed to help increase your milk supply! Reading through the blogs and websites of each pin, a lot of the moms believe it helped them. And guess what, you can even mix some fenugreek in for good measure!
There are plenty of variations, even muffins! Browse through the board and see what looks yummy. Butterscotch? Pumpkin Seed? Chocolate chip? What are you waiting for?! Get baking!
❤ Tara