Approaching the School Year

Today's home visit was all about helping a mama and her babe start the transition to going back to her work as a high school teacher in in a couple of weeks. These 2 sweet young ladies are her nannies.

Our main objective was to get little man to take a bottle. We used a Sleeping Baby Productions Ringsling.

We had some real success with a method placing the baby in the sling in a nursing type position. He was interested in the bottle after we gave him a bit to check out the new face he was looking up at.

Slight rocking or bouncing can calm babies nervous system and encourage them to calm their breathing and try the bottle.

It was at this moment that Little Man's Mama and I relaxed, and saw true nursing and bonding behavior between this pair. Hux reaching up like this to play with his nannies face was a wonderful sign that he was relaxed and happy.

He was full and thrilled by the end of it!

Mama watched this and told me she was so excited, and felt a bit less tension about returning to work soon.

Here is mama, playing with size 4 wraps, using Zephyr, while I played with the nannies and the bottle. I swear Z is flashing me a cool baby gang sign.

A babywaring service is a really great way to answer pressing questions the new wrapper might have like, "If I buy a 4, will I still be able to tie tibetan?" "Do I like textured wraps or smooth?" I bring over what ever the Family wants to try. We had so much fun and success today. Thanks to all involved for sharing this special day with all of us!

Didymos Nebbia Naturally Dyed Linen Fish

Didymos Nebbia Naturally Dyed Linen Fish, I happen to think its my new favorite fishie (shhhh, don't tell latemeria)

This wrap has a beautiful blend of true black cotton and a bold yellow/green naturally dyed linen. It is a medium to lightweight fabric, and has been great with both zephyr and Judah in multilayer carries. I have a 7, so I haven't tried single layer carries yet.

Sleepy eyes The Linen in this wrap makes it supportive but lightweight. It is Definately not "summerweight" though. I am looking forward to using it tons this fall

I know that this photo is overexposed, but I love it. We have been cuddling in this fish for hours in back and front carries, and I think it is supportive and just a bit grippy, but not hot, even though it's black . Expect to see more of it, especially since I discovered that I love 7's for the DRS2S carry. I used it all of Ann Arbor Babywearers yesterday and It rocked!

Updating this post to say that we are loving Nebbia Fish for log naps as it gets cooler as well It is cool, hip and comfy and soft. It is more and more like my goldfish everyday, but a little bit heavier. Heaven snuggled together. All My wraps and I can't stop reaching for this beauty!

Oh, and I found my camera.  It was missing through this weeks Ann Arbor Babywearers meeting, which as you can all imagine had me, ummmm. . . . . . . . Frustrated.  Yeah, thats the word.

Anyway it was another great meeting with tons of new moms and experienced moms.  I love our group!

Recovering

Erba Hemp for some man to man house chores

Rose Silk for a walk watching my sweet Camillia.

Hibiscus in the sunrise

We spent all of Saturday morning wrapped up close

We love it

Caribe fish is wonderful for single layer carries. Plus its perfect for Camillia's eyes!!

Nebbia Fish with Linen Arrived to brighten our day. I'm pretty sure my friend would have thought it was awesome and hardcore . I've taken to calling it "Bad A$$ Fish "

Remembering A Loss

What can I say?

It was 1 year ago last friday that my dear friend fell asleep and never woke up. Kyle and I decided after discussing it all year, to get our first tattoos, in her memory.

I thought children marked the passing of time in a way I would never experience any other way.  But death has sped up time in a whole new way.  I feel like I was just holding her yesterday.  I wish there was a wrap for this.

Ann Arbor Babywearers August 16th

We had a blast at our meeting as usual.  New mamas and experienced mamas together wearing their babies, its the greatest feeling!

Earthy Rainbow Girasol made into a Ringsling by Kalea Baby.

A bambaroo and a dolcino wrap.

Moby D for a comfy cuddle.

Awesome Ruck In Peacock Girasol

beautiful group that day, I am always in awe of how we help each other

Dyed Tussah Silk Fish

DIY Cotton Linen Blend. Dyed by Lindsay and modeled by Leslie

Snuggled happy in Ginkos by Didymos

I love watching ladies that have fond carriers that they are comfy in, shop together on my ipad

Our special friend from Kalamazoo, paying us one more visit before she moves. We will miss her so much!

Mira and Barb had a rare and sweet nap together in Lauren's Petrol/ecru Fish (thin version)

We had such a special time together, 2 Rebecca's, wrappin' our babes!

 

Brain and Sensory Foundations Workshop With Sonia Story

Last week I took Zephyr on a two day intensive worskhop adventure to learn more about the amazing brain, the bodies reflexes, and how to learn more about how to get the body to talk to the brain properly so we can accomplish what we want on a daily basis and on a broader spectrum.

http://www.moveplaythrive.com/

I learned (in as simple language as possible)  That the body is born with a set on infant reflexes that it is ment to grow out of that eventually turn into skills  When the body or brain experiences trauma, these reflexes can sometimes get buried or cease to progress on their normal development schedule and  the body can develop massive (or tiny) compensations for the presence of these infant reflexes.  This workshop was all about how to test for the presence of those infant reflexes, and if found, how to integrate them for the benefit of the body and brain.  We worked a lot with something called rhythmic movement training. (RMT)

This workshop was full of so many wonderful healing practices. Physical therapists, Occupational therapists, Vision Therapists, Brain Gym Instructors, Cranial Sacral therapists and A dentist. Oh, and Me .

Kyle's Mom is an OT and I was so honored that she came to the first day of the workshop with me and snuggled Z in our Rosie Ringsling

Z wasn't the only baby there. My sweet friend and Cranial therapist brought her wrappee as well. Babies playing in the back was a highlight

We went back and forth from learning lots of scientific knowledge, to playing integration exercises on the floor. I was most surprised at the compensations and effects of these unintegrated reflexes. they were wide ranging from add to depression.

Anthracite Hemp Indio Rocked day one of the workshop, totally allowing me afternoon freedom and closeness.

Lots of time in this workshop was spent on the floor practicing we were working on other people and practicing being a practitioner.

we were enthralled to watch Sonia test for the presence of unintegrated infant reflexes and then show us how to integrate them. It was sometimes magical the reaction people had.

Vision therapy was a new healing modality to me. This mama of 5 was a Vision Therapist doing wonderful things with children http://www.optometrists.org/jacobi/index.html I think is where she worked

Zephyr was a beloved attendee. this wonderful mama teaches Bran Gym here in Ann Arbor http://learningheart.com/ she was amazing!

 

April Indio Nap while I practiced the isometric integration excercizes with the group. It was awesome to be able to include Zephyr through babywearing. I would have missed this amazing workshop and getting all of this life changing information if I wasn't a wrappin' mama!

This Knowledge was captivating and life changing. I was reminded of the moment that we saw how severely Lion was affected by the Dairy protien Caesein. I see potential for a whole marginalized group of people (the medicated children with adhd most noticably) now to break through their seen limitations and activate their brains and awaken them to the uses that they were destined for!

 

It’s own post, for obvious reasons.

Judah really loves her brothers.

She loves to love on her baby!

Thanks for all your help Twan. I wouldn't have these killer pics without your help. (Or most of my instructional videos )

Late Summer Fun at Ann Arbor Babywearers!

We have been filling our days over here with making videos about wrapping and wearing and teaching and having tons of Ann Arbor Babywearers meetings and meet-ups. I am working hard on making babywearing something everybody knows about and can try out with the baby in their life!

The two young men that help me with the kids are becoming babywearing masters. Twan has the doll in Vatani Valensole and Tommy is learning to Front wrap cross carry in Dolcino Samos.

When you first wrap a baby, they often check you out really closely. They study your face, listen to your breathing and your voice and take a minute to settle in to their new environment.

Tommy said he liked wrapping better than ringslings instantly.

teeny beautiful girl.

Big Girls goofing around in Black Fish by Didymos.

Mazzy is 7 years old

She's working on helping me break in my natty linen stripped red/beige swallows. Thanks Mazzy!!!!!

Here is the Ann Arbor Babywearers Library Sakura Bloom Silk Champagne-Ginger.

Here I am sharing Kim's DRS2S I love this awesome carry!

It really is a fun carry

Starting out, The Moby Wrap can be great for snuggles

Dr. Mark Chapel-Lakin from Live Well Chiropractic Center has been visiting Ann Arbor Babywearers to help new moms with concerns they might have with their babies or themselves. He has been an awesome resource!

Sunday Fun With Spacemom3!! Wrappers Storm the Mall!

On Sunday we had a special little Ann Arbor Babywearers gathering at Briarwood Mall to meet up with or long time online friend spacemom3!  She was here with her beautiful family from France!  It was amazing to see her in real life as we have know eachother online for a long time .   We all had so much fun with some really special wraps, and really special moms and babies!

We arrived in style

All 3 kids and daddy

Beautiful Ladies!

Kim came up to see us from Ohio, well really from France, but they were visiting friends in Ohio

This is a Bebina Starsign Aquarius, which is Zephyr's sign.

Kim showed me how to do a great new to me back carry called the 4R or Drs2s or Double rebozo with a shoulder to shoulder built in chest pass She used my 2010 Black and White Pfau I made a new instructional video Do you Like the new link on the side?

She brought her beautiful Egyptian cotton Pamir for us to try.

I forgot how fun a mall meetup is. The looks we get!

They were such a beautiful family, they had 2 more girls! so 3 total

Snuggy Buggy in Didymos Dragons

Cool Trick!

Babywearing Twins, it seems like all the time! This time in 2 wraps, but Lindsay is up for any tandem babywearing combination. Viola Ellipses and Caribe Linen Fish both Didymos

LOVE!

Zephyr loves the DRS2S. Thanks for coming Kim! Ann Arbor Loves You!!

Caribe Linen Fish by Didymos

We have a new wrap in the house!  It is a size 4 Caribe Linen Fish by Didymos and we love it.  We are using it mostly for rucking all the children and the occasional front carry,  It is wide and kind of thick. But because of the fiber content (40% linen 60% cotton) it is airy when it’s on, and I’m liking it even in the hot weather.  It is just like my carmen fish in feel, and not as bouncy as latemeria fish, which i love in a long size.  I think that the linen and the width make this an ideal toddler-preschooler wrap even in single layer carries.  The color is so saturated and beautiful.  This first picture does it justice

We love it for all 3 of the children. Zephyr isnt much of a test for any wrap yet

But being comfy on the front with a lanky 2 yr old says a lot It shines

Daddy Approves. See it mold to her? she was happy for a long time in there

So Special to cuddle Lion. This wrap is perfect for this task

He always asks to get down too soon

Major Caribe Cuteness

What Ears? (Don't worry mom, his hair will grow to cover them )

Over all I’d say caribe fish is a great ruck wrap for bigger kids and a bit wide for older babies, but workable.  we are loving our 4 and planning on keeping it as a permanent part of the stash here.  It really earned it’s stripes!  (well, it’s fish I guess )