At the beginning of summer I began to contemplate buying a new baby carrier. I had a framed backpack carrier that I used with a few of our children, especially at the races. That worked okay but my shoulders would be so sore from wearing it. I saw a few posts where my blog friend was wearing her baby Hope in a Moby wrap and it looked so comfortable and convenient and so I began to research my options. Little did I know the vast amount of baby carriers out there, from slings, to backpack carriers to asian-styled mei tais.
After a few weeks of research it seemed as if a Mei Tai (pronounced may-tie) would best suite my needs, in addition to the fact that they have fun fabric choices! While the majority of Mei Tais have two tie straps I did find a custom made one that had a buckle waist that I thought would make it easier for me. Needless to say, I really love my new carrier and cannot believe it took me 6 babies to realize how much easier it is to strap a baby to my back or front rather than lugging around a stroller (or car seat carrier as I did early on). Now when we go to the store, I strap Baby Boy on, have Missy Blue in the cart and we are set.
Another advantage is that Baby Boy will fall asleep during naptime if I am wearing him. Typically my babies have all been trained to fall asleep in their crib without intervention which works wonderfully, except for those times when we are out and about and a nap is needed but no bed is in sight. I have never had success in getting any of my babies to fall asleep in my arms, but this baby carrier has solved that problem as baby is nice and cozy and can't really squirm about. The only problem I have found is that when he is on my back and falls asleep his head flops back but is okay in front. I am working on figuring that one out. It also takes practice to get him on my back but the comfort level of this is much better than what I had.
My back will hurt after wearing Baby for long periods of time (and that is typically when working on the farm) but then my husband said that no matter what type of carrier I wear, wearing 22lbs. on my back for two or more hours is going to make my back sore.
If you are interested in this carrier you can view it at My Blessed Baby
I love the fun fabric! You can't see this but the straps cross in back and come forward and are tied under baby's bottom.
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Update: Tank took this picture of me this morning carrying Baby on my back. Baby loves to pull my hair though so I always have to have it up and even then, he grabs a fistful and yanks. Ouch!
We took Missy Blue with us when we were looking at refrigerators (see previous post) . I find it amusing shopping with her as she stops to look at anything PINK. That is her favorite color and she only refers to it as "____'s color" and does not say "pink". It is kind of funny because her brothers each have a favorite color and Missy will only refer to the color by that boy's name also. For instance red is "George's (his real name obviously) color".
So, we were looking at TV's and low and behold there is a princess TV that is bright pink with a crown and has a matching remote. Missy was so excited and of course immediately she said, "that's mine!". She also picked out clothes only in pink, a pink backpack that was, "mine", stopped to sit in a pink little chair and found other numerous pink items. I am so enjoying my little girly-girl who adores the color PINK! (And also seems to enjoy shopping!)
For the past few years we have talked about purchasing a new refrigerator. Ours came with the house and while it still works decently we do have occasional problems. Every couple of months it will suddenly freeze everything on the top shelf, despite the settings. The bar on the door to hold the condiments has been glued on more than I can recall. Last week after I opened the door to have the condiments fall to the ground and another day found the corn on the cob frozen, I said, "maybe we should look into a new fridge". The reason we haven't before is that I have yet to find one that has a large enough produce drawer to hold all that we go through and keep it fresh.
So, we began doing a little research and found one to meet our needs. Sears had them on sale this past week and then I became "friends" with the salesman so we could attend the "Friends and Family" sale and receive an additional 10% off. We ended up with a side-by-side whirlpool with features that we like such an ice-bucket in the freezer door to leave more shelf space. It also has a "fresh-n-ready" bin to keep fresh washed fruits and veggies ready for a quick snack. We picked it up yesterday and at the moment our kitchen has two refrigerators until I get the chance to empty the old one out. That will then go to our garage for further storage space. As soon as everything is setup I will post a picture. Today everyone is quite excited to have cold water and crushed ice at the touch of a button.
Last week Friday John took a day of vacation and we surprised the kids with a day trip.The drive there (a little over an hour) got a bit long as there were never-ending comments of "Where are we going?" "Why can't you tell us?" "How long yet?" We started to think maybe a surprise wasn't the best choice.
Our excursion began with a visit to a small zoo in the area which was nice, although they didn't have any zebras or elephants which were the most requested animals for our crew. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch and then headed to an amusement park where rides are only 25 cents a piece! That is a deal!!!
We had a great time and the children were all excited about this surprise. After a short train ride around the grounds I looked at storm clouds rolling in and kept my eye on them. John decided to take George and Tank on the Scrambler while I had the others headed on a little helicopter ride. As I stood in line and watched the Scrambler startup a big gust of wind picked up and it began to drizzle. We headed for cover and just in time as a downpour began. From our dry spot we watched as the Scrambler kept on spinning and ended up being the only ride in the park still moving. There was John trying to shield the boys from the pelting rain and as they finally got off ran for cover. They were soaked! John has now renamed the Scrambler the "Washing Machine - Rinse Cycle". Thankfully the rain didn't last too long and it caused the park to empty out, although we needed to wait while they dried off the rides. We were able to enjoy a little more time and hope to go back again before the season is over.
My husband raced two weeks ago a little over an hour away from here which was nice as friends and family were able to come and cheer him on. He had two great races again and had another amazing finish in the second race as he came in second after having a flat tire for at least four laps. He is having a great season and is in first for points in his class! He has been on the podium 8 times which is more than anyone (even the trucks) in the series this year! Looking forward to seeing what the end of the season will bring. For those of you who are interested in my husband's racing you can always check for updates on his website which is linked on my sidebar - Mason Motorsports.
Those of you who have read my blog for awhile know that every summer the boys and I work 3 hours a week at the organic farm down the road in exchange for a box of produce. This summer has been no different except for the fact that I decided to bring the whole crew with me. The older boys are the experienced ones now. Tank is thrilled to be working this year as in the past he has had to stay home with Grandma, or a babysitter. Even Missy Blue has tried her hand at helping, although she mainly plays in the sand pile or on the trampoline. Baby Boy hangs out on my back and typically takes a nap.
I am so thankful for this opportunity and also for the eagerness my children have in working, for the most part. Our jobs have included making bunches of green onions, bagging and weighing salad mix or green beans and of course boxing, which is where all of the produce is packed to ready boxes for delivery. Boxing is the favorite job to do and lately I have allowed the children to play first while I work and then they help with the boxing, which can take at least two hours. It is too much for me to stay until the end and the little ones need naps so I head home. The four boys stay and help out and from what I am always told, they are really a help. They are also an extremely messy lot when they are finished!
Missy Blue helping to bag lettuce. She only did a couple of bags and then she would take our completed bags and put them in a crate, until she decided it might be more fun to go outside and play.
I love the fun fabric! You can't see this but the straps cross in back and come forward and are tied under baby's bottom.
Missy Blue helping to bag lettuce. She only did a couple of bags and then she would take our completed bags and put them in a crate, until she decided it might be more fun to go outside and play.