Blooming, Waiting, Wearing
I think I might be able to take the snow brush out of the minivan.
As I'm waiting for new squishy baby snuggles with varying degrees of patience, I've been keeping busy with the expected things. The deep freezer has a nice little stash of meals for when we come home from the hospital, our bags are ready, I have a great start on homeschool paperwork and curriculum choices for next year, and the laundry and dishes and general cleaning are under control. It remains to be seen whether the change is permanent, but at the moment I'm feeling like this pregnancy has really helped me be more disciplined about housework. Not that I've arrived exactly, but improvement is encouraging, and it's nice to finally be at a place where I'm mainly doing proactive maintenance rather than reactively "putting out fires." I keep telling myself, and daily life provides plenty of reminders--it's so much easier to form good habits than break bad ones.
I am working with my kids so they learn good habits early, though sometimes I feel it's a little bit of "the blind leading the blind." :) My 6 year old is increasingly helpful with housework; she's able to fold and put away her own laundry, empty the dishwasher of silverware and put it away neatly, run the vacuum for me, and dust. What's more, she's delighted with the responsibility and is eager to help with these things. My son just turned three and needs a lot more supervision with clean up tasks, but I'm hopeful that someday he'll be able to put away more than 2 Duplos before he starts building again. :) He does love to carry things for me, so if it's simply a matter of "put this box over there" or "take your socks to the hamper," he's all over it. I've also hung a little morning checklist in the kids' room to help get the day started smoothly, without a million repetitive verbal reminders from me:
If you've been reading this blog a while, you may remember a previous post about updating the kids' rooms. Well, the little blue nursery has received a pink makeover and is ready for its new occupant. I step in just to look at it several times a day. Waiting. And trying to rest in the fact that God has picked a birth date for this little one and is faithfully preparing her, and us, for that day.
One of the things I'm most looking forward to is babywearing again. I've so loved wearing both my children and am learning more all the time. The most widely available options for babywearing--Snugli and Bjorn harness carriers that allow baby to face forward, are not the best. Images from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute and this article from Boba help to explain why. I also didn't find them very comfortable with my first child, which is how I ended up with a Moby and a Boba 2G SSC with my second. VAST improvement, and I've recommended both. But with a summer baby on the way and the knowledge that I'll likely be doing more wearing than ever to keep up with my older kiddos, I started wondering whether there was another option that would be a little cooler than the Moby for both of us, while still providing good support for a newborn. Woven wraps fit that bill, and since I'm familiar with wrapping, the learning curve isn't too bad.
Woven wraps breathe better and are supportive from birth through toddlerhood, don't stretch out so they don't require retying during extended periods of wear, and are safe for back carries. After reading and researching and price checking for months, I've picked up a few to try (a Dolcino, a Didymos, and a Wrapsody Bali Breeze). I bought them all significantly under retail; the swap market for used wraps is ample. Now, women around the world have been wearing their babies for centuries with basic fabrics and ties or whatever they could get their hands on, so I recognize that what I have is more than I need. But I do hope that I'm accumulating some useful knowledge along with pretty fabric--I think babywearing can be such a help and a relief to mothers, and I've loved being able to recommend the Moby to friends and watch it be a blessing. So, expect more on babywearing in the future--I have a whole lot of info and links to share for mamas interested in this topic, including some for those that are handy with a sewing machine and would like to go the DIY route. But right now, my stash is waiting for a baby. Just like me. Thankfully 2 out of 2 kids have been worth the wait so far. :)
 |
| Some little lettuces and their protectors |
 |
| Raspberry patch |
 |
| A sure sign it's been nice enough for outdoor play |
 |
| Rhubarb torte (garden rhubarb) |
As I'm waiting for new squishy baby snuggles with varying degrees of patience, I've been keeping busy with the expected things. The deep freezer has a nice little stash of meals for when we come home from the hospital, our bags are ready, I have a great start on homeschool paperwork and curriculum choices for next year, and the laundry and dishes and general cleaning are under control. It remains to be seen whether the change is permanent, but at the moment I'm feeling like this pregnancy has really helped me be more disciplined about housework. Not that I've arrived exactly, but improvement is encouraging, and it's nice to finally be at a place where I'm mainly doing proactive maintenance rather than reactively "putting out fires." I keep telling myself, and daily life provides plenty of reminders--it's so much easier to form good habits than break bad ones.
I am working with my kids so they learn good habits early, though sometimes I feel it's a little bit of "the blind leading the blind." :) My 6 year old is increasingly helpful with housework; she's able to fold and put away her own laundry, empty the dishwasher of silverware and put it away neatly, run the vacuum for me, and dust. What's more, she's delighted with the responsibility and is eager to help with these things. My son just turned three and needs a lot more supervision with clean up tasks, but I'm hopeful that someday he'll be able to put away more than 2 Duplos before he starts building again. :) He does love to carry things for me, so if it's simply a matter of "put this box over there" or "take your socks to the hamper," he's all over it. I've also hung a little morning checklist in the kids' room to help get the day started smoothly, without a million repetitive verbal reminders from me:
If you've been reading this blog a while, you may remember a previous post about updating the kids' rooms. Well, the little blue nursery has received a pink makeover and is ready for its new occupant. I step in just to look at it several times a day. Waiting. And trying to rest in the fact that God has picked a birth date for this little one and is faithfully preparing her, and us, for that day.
One of the things I'm most looking forward to is babywearing again. I've so loved wearing both my children and am learning more all the time. The most widely available options for babywearing--Snugli and Bjorn harness carriers that allow baby to face forward, are not the best. Images from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute and this article from Boba help to explain why. I also didn't find them very comfortable with my first child, which is how I ended up with a Moby and a Boba 2G SSC with my second. VAST improvement, and I've recommended both. But with a summer baby on the way and the knowledge that I'll likely be doing more wearing than ever to keep up with my older kiddos, I started wondering whether there was another option that would be a little cooler than the Moby for both of us, while still providing good support for a newborn. Woven wraps fit that bill, and since I'm familiar with wrapping, the learning curve isn't too bad.
Woven wraps breathe better and are supportive from birth through toddlerhood, don't stretch out so they don't require retying during extended periods of wear, and are safe for back carries. After reading and researching and price checking for months, I've picked up a few to try (a Dolcino, a Didymos, and a Wrapsody Bali Breeze). I bought them all significantly under retail; the swap market for used wraps is ample. Now, women around the world have been wearing their babies for centuries with basic fabrics and ties or whatever they could get their hands on, so I recognize that what I have is more than I need. But I do hope that I'm accumulating some useful knowledge along with pretty fabric--I think babywearing can be such a help and a relief to mothers, and I've loved being able to recommend the Moby to friends and watch it be a blessing. So, expect more on babywearing in the future--I have a whole lot of info and links to share for mamas interested in this topic, including some for those that are handy with a sewing machine and would like to go the DIY route. But right now, my stash is waiting for a baby. Just like me. Thankfully 2 out of 2 kids have been worth the wait so far. :)
Comments