GADGET OBSESSION #4,508: The Perfect Carrier

My mom gets on my case whenever she's here about our gadgets. "Why can't you have a regular can opener? (or cork screw, or toaster, or blender...)" We like our gadgets. I am also now totally obsessed with baby gadgets. The wipe warmer is one of the greatest inventions ever. Seriously.

My newest obsession is the baby carrier. We have two slings and a Baby Bjorn but they're just not cutting it. She has hated the slings from day one. SCREAMS in there. The Bjorn she loves, but it hurts my back. Sooo...I am on a quest for the perfect carrier. And it wouldn't kill me if it looked cool, too.

The picture here is of the Babyhawk Mei Tai. They look super-sweet and get rave reviews - you can even pick out your own fabrics. This one is high on my list of possibilities.

If you're interested, which you are probably not - here are the sites I've been addicted to:
The Babywearer
Attached to Baby

From where we're standing...

Zoe had a great night last night! She slept, in her baby-burrito straightjacket in her swing from 8.30-1.30. 5 hours! Yes, she's probably going to have a swing-shaped back when she grows up but I'm trying not to think about it.

The rest of the night she spent going back and forth between our bed, the cosleeper and the swing. I'm thinking about adding in a few more beds just to make our situation that much more ridiculous. Maybe I could put an inner tube on the floor and try that out. Or maybe a sled.

I was thinking about signing us up for a baby class like Gymboree or My Gym where we can see other babies and do some baby-exercises. Problem is, however, I think I'm too judgmental. Sort of like that Groucho Marx quote, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." All the people in Gymboree are going to be lame, eager moms. I am not into lame, eager moms.
I would spend the whole class being annoyed and that would be a huge waste of money. I can be annoyed for free at any of Jack and Josie's school functions - why pay?!
Maybe I should join La Leche League. Maybe those women would be more up my alley. But who wants to sit around talking about breastfeeding?

happy baby

happy baby
Originally uploaded by thechelseahilton

Zoe and Daddy

Zoe and Daddy
Originally uploaded by thechelseahilton

Here's Zoe and her smitten Dad. There are no words to describe how much he loves this baby!

I love Dr. Sears

Dr. William Sears is my hero. My "you're doing it right by not succumbing to these crazy parenting books' advice and following your instincts" guru.

Zoe, for some reason, has stopped her long stretches of nighttime sleep and is waking up every couple of hours. I have been reading up on sleep solutions and I have to say that most of them make me feel sort of sick. My blood pressure starts to elevate just thinking about letting my baby cry it out. I can't and won't do it.

Dr. Sears told me it's ok to just meet my baby's needs and seek out the causes of the night waking. Hell, it could even be the milk. (I'm going back off milk - I just have a gut feeling about it - call me crazy.)

I wonder if there's a fan club I can join. Ha.

Happy as a clam but still her mother worries...

Being a parent is the most satisfying, rewarding, meaningful, emotional, and all-consuming thing I've ever done. I also find it enormously frustrating because there are so many things to screw up.

Am I doing this right?

Sure, part of it is instinctual. Nature did throw us a bone there - I don't worry that I'll roll over on my baby at night - I am very aware of her, even in my sleep. But what about sleep schedules? How much spit-up is too much? What about rosy cheeks? Is she getting TOO chubby?

The dairy and soy issues are still a mystery to me. I decided to eliminate soy from my diet (HARD AS HELL - it's in EVERYTHING - much worse than dairy) and her poop seemed to clear up a bit. So I decided to go back on the dairy and see what happened. Maybe it was soy all along and NOT dairy. Who knows. So, I reintroduced dairy and things seem fine. So I reintroduced soy (not obvious ones like tofu, just the minimal stuff like soy lecithin and stuff cooked in soybean oil), too, and things still seem fine. EXCEPT - she seems to be spitting up a lot more and she's got these rosy cheeks. But those two things could be related to about a million other things, too. Maybe just BEING A BABY. Hmm...

People tell you how hard it will be - never getting a full night's sleep and all that. And sure, that can get draining. But it's hard because I WANT SO DESPERATELY TO GET THIS RIGHT and it's impossible to really know how you're doing. There's no report card or performance review. She's a happy girl, though, so I guess I can't be screwing it all up.

I am so happy that I'm not working so I can stress out about this stuff full-time. No, that's not true. I'm happy I'm not working so I can spend hours every day smelling her neck and tickling her toes and drinking her in. She's growing so fast and before I know it she'll be up and running around and I won't be able to spend hours on the bed singing her songs and pretending to eat her feet.

This is by far the best job I have ever had.

French Zoe and too-hot-to-be-a-Grandma Patty

French Zoe and Grandma Patty
Originally uploaded by thechelseahilton

I miss my mom SO FREAKING MUCH. Having her here just reaffirms that fact. I haven't lived in the same city as my mother in a very long time, but since Zoe was born I wish for it every day. There's just something about having a baby that makes you want your family around so they don't miss a single thing.

Not to mention that my mom is a nurse practitioner and is like my own private doctor. Good thing she's on call at all times.

little and round

little and round, originally uploaded by thechelseahilton.

this bumbo chair is providing us with endless photo opportunities.

There are ten pigs on that bicycle?

listening to bedtime stories with jack, originally uploaded by thechelseahilton.

Here's Zoe listening to bedtime stories with her big brother, Jack.

In Daddy's ball cap...