Solly baby wrap | made from sustainable Lenzing Modal in the US
Hatch linen circle tee
Han Starnes cotton pants (a few years old)
also…Hawk was one month old yesterday 🙂
Guys. This baby wearing thing may be life-changing. I have this Solly Baby wrap and a linen ring sling from Wild Bird but I haven’t quite been able to get the hang of the ring sling; there’s a pretty steep learning curve for that one IMO. This wrap is very easy to put on, easy to get Hawk into, and feels more secure than the other generally. The modal is HOT though (which is why I wanted the linen), mostly for Hawk, so even though he passed out immediately when I got him settled in, I wonder how long he’ll last in there.
For now though, he is happy, I am happy (I can type with both hands! yay!), and all is well with the world. Yesterday, not so much LOL. I had a minor breakdown mid-afternoon, but recovered quickly after a good sob. He just wasn’t happy much when he was awake yesterday and he was awake A LOT. I fed him as often as I could, swaddled him, shushed him, rocked him, and not much seemed to work. Then he passed out after eating and I was afraid to put him down for fear he would start screaming again. So even though I needed to pee, eat, and do laundry, I sat with him attached to my chest for as long as he was asleep.
Then when he woke up and started screaming, I lost it. Leo took him for a ride in the car until it was time for him to eat again and I settled down, and then everything was fine.
I could have asked for help earlier. I could have tried to put him down so I could pee. But if you know me at all, you know that I don’t ask for help. And I will abide a great deal of personal discomfort to provide comfort to a dog or baby LOL. Dagny used to steal my spot on the bed when I’d get up in the middle of the night and NOT move, so I’d try to squeeze myself into position anywhere on the bed that I could instead of disturb her at all. Of course now I do the same times a million with Hawk.
Motherhood is an exercise in balance, and I see that I could easily slide over too far and lose myself in the process if I’m not careful. Being able to use both my hands is a step in the right direction. Now, how do I ask for help ?? 😉
Happy Monday!!
Hawk is utterly adorable firstly. I was an older mom and my baby was tiny as well . People assured me that once she hit 10 pounds things would be easier. My tiny baby took quite a while to hit that benchmark . A few more pounds will help you guys get on a more manageable schedule regarding naps and feedings. i wont bore you with my experience but a lifesaver for me was a sitter who watched our daughter so i could have two hours to myself twice a week . Something to ponder down the road.
Yes, baby-wearing is LIFECHANGING. Stick with the ring sling, though – Hawk will grow out of the Solly wrap much sooner than he will grow out of a ring sling. I recall my daughter still riding in a ring sling occasionally (e.g. when we were travelling and I needed both hands and good maneuverability) when she was two, on my hip. It’s worth figuring out.
You are doing great. I remember when I first had my daughter, a friend told me that the first two days are the hardest, and after that the first two weeks are the hardest, and after that the first two months are the hardest. I found that to be true. So hang in there – it only gets easier.
Hawk is so lovely. You are doing fantastic! Those first months are so wonderful and so hard at the same time. I forgot all about how hard it is to go to the bathroom with a baby, never any privacy and peace unless you manage it while they are asleep! Baby-wearing is amazing, with my first I carried her around in a wrap all the time, and nursed her in the wrap. Being able to type and sew, even a little, really helped me keep my sanity!
Christine Chin´s last blog post ..Magenta Cielo Dress: A Pattern Review
I think he’s smiling at you! So SWEET!
How to ask for help? As one that had to humble myself greatly when my husband was in seminary for 3 years, making $800 per month serving a church in the countryside of Kentucky (Yes. Per month. And this was the 90’s), and I was making minimum wage in a full-time job with no benefits, we HAD to accept help. Our 2 kids qualified for free lunch, we had no health insurance, and my husband was still paying child support for his daughter from a previous relationship. We had friends from church that dropped off food, a one-armed man from our church (no kidding!) planted a huge vegetable garden for us, money would come in anonymously in envelopes…and I’d be in tears, so grateful that we were going to be ok. That was a long time ago, but there are similarities in all situations where one has to ask for assistance.
Realize that people really WANT to help because they love you and want to do something to make a difference. They sometimes make general offers, but I say, take them up on it! Let people love, care for, and take care of you in tangible ways. It’s humbling to be loved.
This is for you, and every new parent…from The New Yorker: “Love Poems for People with Children”
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/02/love-poems-for-people-with-children
Was wondering when you’d bring up wrapping! Oddly enough, the babywearing community was my gateway into sustainable/ethical fashion. There’s quite a lot of overlap, and so many drool-worthy textiles. 🙂 I was given a stretchy bamboo wrap as a baby shower gift, but it ended up being too hot for the desert southwest, so I dove into wovens pretty quickly, along with slings and mei-tais. Was amazed at how much more support you get with a woven wrap vs a knit. Added in buckle carriers around 16-18 months and switched to those exclusively sometime between age 2 and 3 (mostly for when he got tired on long hikes). He’s 5 years old now and I still have one custom-made buckle carrier on hand that we use when we travel (went to Europe in August and was soooo glad I had somewhere to put him when he got exhausted and finky). Anyway, just to give you an idea of what you’re in for if you go down this rabbit hole! Definitely hang onto the ring-sling; slinging is not easy with a newborn, but he’ll get bigger and wrigglier, and may eventually decide he prefers the sling because he’ll be able to look around and see so much more than when he’s front-wrapped. And I do still have a couple of nice European wovens and a gorgeous wrap-fabric mei tai from a small company in Malaysia that should probably go to new homes, just in case you want to take a look at them!
I love your baby pictures – They remind me of my tiny baby girl, who was every similar to Hawk. She remained thoughtful and wise growing up!