Yesterday was just…busy. So was today, because the trip is 2 days away (does Thursday count?) and we’ve still got tons to do. Today, Sarah and I went grocery shopping for the road trip and so that she would have food to eat while she apartment-sat. Noah went with us, of course, and he did…okay, but it was a lot easier and a lot better once he fell asleep in the mei tai. I saved $74 in coupons and sales! That made me feel pretty good. I think we’re pretty set for the driving portion of our trip, minus a few things like ice and deli meat. I also discovered a new addiction to Quakes Rice Snacks by Quaker. These things are dangerous but so delicious. Kettle Korn is my favorite so far.

I don’t think I could have done today without Sarah’s help. Not only do I not know her taste buds but she is so invaluable when it comes to Noah. She’s patient, hard-working, kind and incredibly understanding. It’s no wonder that Noah loves his YaYa so much. If I could, I’d bribe her to go to every single one of my grocery trips…

She even loaded the car up today while I ran inside with Noah to fix a coupon mishap. Then she watched Noah for a few minutes as I ran back inside to find his ball, because apparently, when he was pointing at what I thought was pretty flowers, he was pointing at the ball he had watched bounce away. This ball, by the way, is not just any ball. It’s his favorite ball – blue and textured and bouncy…but that’s not what makes it special. What makes it special is that Daddy bought that ball and gave it to him and he will carry it everywhere. So it’s needless to say that as soon as I realized it was missing, I frantically ran back into Kroger to find it. I even called Joshua on the phone, crying about the stupid ball and just as I was about to give up my search, I spotted it hiding behind a flower pot.

That damn ball.

Anyway, about Sarah. She is wonderful and she does really well with Noah and again, I am going to have to find a way to bribe her to go to every one of my grocery trips. I’m going to be super sad when she moves away. (I wonder if I can cling to her leg and make her stay…or if Noah can. I need to teach him how to guilt trip people but then it would totally backfire on me so maybe not.)

Noah even likes her sunglasses.

Oh! I wore Noah on my back today. I don’t do it very often because even in the mei tai, he’s simply too heavy for my back (28 pounds – he’s a over a fourth of my weight) but it was really fun and Noah loved it. He thinks it’s a novel idea to be on my back…I remember the first time I put him on there, we were both giggling at the mirror because it was just so silly but we loved it. We always love it. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t wear Noah…I can tell that our time is coming to an end and it saddens me because I want to get so much more use out of my mei tai and there is nothing – nothing – like wearing your child next to your heart. Not even pregnancy, because when you’re pregnant, you don’t get to share the experience in quite the same way. I just can’t explain it; I’m terrible with words.

Two days!

I love babywearing. It is one of my favorite parts of parenting – holding my baby close to me without wearing out my arms or my back. There are many types of slings: pouches, soft-structured carriers, wraps, mei tais…the list goes on. However, I truly believe that one of the best ways to get into it is a ring sling. Ring slings as a whole have a short learning curve and there are tons of tutorials on the internet on how to thread/use one, and there are a multitude of carries you can do (tummy-to-tummy, hip, back, cradle, etc.) without too much trouble.

I spent a lot of my pregnancy looking up carriers. I searched product reviews, read blogs, and lurked on TBW constantly. The conclusion I kept coming to was that I wanted to try a Maya Wrap sling, and oh am I so so glad I did.

It was great! The sling was made of a wonderful fabric that felt sturdy and supportive for my son, who was born at a whopping 9 pounds 8 ounces, and I used it comfortably until he was 4 months old (20 or so pounds). I could have used it for longer with ease, and only sold it because I’m a short, petite gal and the Medium size left me with a tail at my calves. *weeps* A small, on the other hand, would have been perfect. I’d gotten a Medium so my (tall) husband could use it too.

Maya Wrap’s colorgrown cotton is a natural, amazing shade that went with everything I wore. The rings they use are sturdy – not once did I ever feel like my son’s safety was in jeopardy. The lightly padded shoulder was great for a beginner like me, because it helped me adjust to a one-shouldered carry (which can seem quite daunting, especially for those with bigger kidlets).

The only downside to this sling was that I couldn’t fit it in my smaller diaper bag. I had to carry around a tote specifically for it, which isn’t really bad because every hard working carrier deserves its own special home. ;-)

Oh, and I can’t forget the pocket that Maya Wrap includes on the tail. This pocket holds keys, diapers, cell phones, wipes…whatever you need to take for a short (or long) walk. It saved me from having to lug around a diaper bag on occasion, which I was definitely grateful for.

If you are considering carrying your baby, do! And if you are considering a ring sling but don’t want to invest too much money for a quality sling, definitely give Maya Wrap a shot. I highly doubt you’ll regret it.