Thriving is Elegant: Wraps, Slings, and Carriers... What Would We Do Without You? (Week 5)

The best way to sum up this week would be fussy-butt! Yep, our pleasant, content, quiet baby has turned into a demanding, unhappy tyrant! Well, not all the time but we experienced more screaming episodes this week then any before. It's really been a challenge to keep our sanity in tact.

One night we spent a couple of hours passing her back and forth as she screamed and screamed and screamed. We fed her, changed her, dressed her, undressed her, swaddled her, sang to her, walked her, bathed her, bounced her, every.single.thing.we.could.think.of!! Finally she cried herself to sleep but not before Mommy and Daddy added a few gray hairs to their heads. It's been a challenging and stressful week, but we've learned a lot about Little Bit. I have to say thank goodness for swaddle blankets and the Sleepy Sheep which plays different sounds like rain, the ocean and a heart beat. It helps calm her down so much!

The other thing we've learned is that when all else fails, put her in a carrier of some kind and walk her around. One day after walking around the house for an hour I decided that if walking was what I had to do I'd go to the mall. Thankfully, walking and having her in the wrap works wonders so I haven't had to worry about her screaming when we are out. My poor mom got a frantic call from me on Wednesday saying that I was at my wits end and had to get out of the house. I was getting in the car right that minute and going to the outlet mall did she want to come. Her tutor student for the evening had just called and canceled so she was free as a bird which was awesome! By the time I'd driven the mile or so to her house Lily was already asleep and we hardly heard a peep from her the rest of the trip. We walked around the mall for a couple of hours while she slept and then had a snack at Chili's.

Don't let that innocent face fool you folks!!! She'd been a tyrant that afternoon! We ended up having a great time and I was so glad to be able to turn a stressful, difficult afternoon into a beautiful one. We looked at pretty dresses for Lily's Welcoming Ceremony but decided that it would be better to wait a couple more weeks before buying one since we don't know how much she might grow by then.

I also got to try out a different carrier. One of my shower hostesses had gotten us a sling.

Although it's not as comfortable for long trips as my Bekaboo it is much quicker and easier to put on and worked great for this and a couple other short trips I've taken since. It's also a lot more compact and can be stored in my diaper bag in case we ever get out and need a carrier. My Bekaboo is just way too bulky to carry with me, that's why I put it on before I leave the house if I'm going to use it. This works perfect for that unexpected trip into the grocery store!

To round out our repertoire of carriers, I purchased an Infantino Balance baby carrier.

This is a structured carrier and I really got it more for Jay than anyone else. If we are going to survive this fussy stage, he's going to have to have a carrier he's comfortable using and my girlie ones are just not cutting it. Unlike a Baby Bjorn this one has a wide base so the baby sits on their bum instead of dangling by their crotch which is supposed to be more comfortable for both of us and better for her spinal positioning. We are still getting used to this one, but I think it's going to become more and more useful. I will start using this one too once she starts getting too heavy for my Bekaboo.

Even with a fussy baby, I was able to get one major accomplishment done this week. Lily's Birth Announcements went out, and I'm proud to say that other than postage they cost us nothing! I was able to design them using stuff I already had in my crafting room. Jay was very happy about that! I'm actually really proud of them since I not only designed and assembled them but I also took the picture too. Since everyone has probably already gotten theirs, here it is.

Friday night we were able to go out and have dinner with friends. It was so nice since we haven't been able to do that much since Lily joined us. We passed Little Bit around while we waited for our food and drinks and then I strapped her in when the food got there. It was so nice to have some sake and some sushi.

That night both Daddy and baby crashed hard though! I thought I wasn't going to be able to get them up stairs since they were both so sound asleep, but finally they roused and we all went to bed. Is there anything more precious than a daughter asleep on her daddy?!?! Especially when she's wearing an outfit with ruffles on her butt?!?! I don't think there is.