Reese's Page

Happy fourth!

Do you ever run into a recipe that you just can't wait to make? bonus points if it combines lamb with mint, salt, and pepper. oh, hey, what do you have here... Lamb Lollipops. yes. yes, I want to make that. well, mostly i want to eat it. in any case, we'll see if we can work that in before the end of the month. if so, we'll take pictures and tell you how it goes.

also ... aHAHAHAHAHA. remember what i was saying, just like five seconds ago, about the weather here? how's it's all nice, like summer, and whatnot? and how that's unusual because it always rains here on the 4th of july?

lookey here, a map of the weather in june, last month. you'll see what i was talking about with the "it's still spring, nope, now it's summer" thing... if you click on the pic it will be much easier to see the details.










now... here's july. again with the clicking







that is all.

So I've decided that the Baby Bjorn carrier was made by some parent hating crazy person!

We got one that was new in the packaging from a seller on Craigslist. I was so happy to have found it for such a great price. Well.....

7 months later and I want to throw the thing off a cliff. Here's why:

- It hurts your back A LOT. You will feel like you have done serious back breaking yard work after an hour of wearing your infant in the Bjorn. Mind you I have no back pain issues outside of those inflicted by this carrier.
- Your baby will quickly outgrow it. Fenix is a petite baby but his chunky ham hocks are barely squeezing through the leg holes of the Baby Bjorn. Sometimes when I was wearing him I would look down and see that his little feet were blue. Nope, not a fan.

So what do I like? Well I'll tell you.

Wrap style carriers:
pros
- can be used from birth until they are too heavy/bratty/sassy to be carried around
- baby can face in our out (only after they have full neck control)
- relatively inexpensive - Ours was $60 but you can get the basic model for $40 - a structured carrier like a bjorn is much more.
- many different types of hold options (hip, front, back, cradle)

cons:
- hot as balls for you and the baby in warm weather unless the wrap is made of very lightweight gauzy material.
- can be awkward to get the baby in when done without a spotter.
- has a bit of a feminine look when worn - if you are a dude, you may not be into it - j isn't :-/


We have the Moby D wrap and I love it because the D model has a non-stretch panel of fabric, that adds a bit of extra support for your baby.

Soft structured or pack carriers:
pros:
- easy to put the baby in and out
- some allow facing in or out
- structure gives more support for carrying a heavier child.
- manly enough for a dude to wear - unless you get one that is made with pink flower print fabric LOL

cons
- expensive - a new ergo carrier costs ~$100, other brands are even more.
- limited positions for carrying

I really want to purchase a Beco, Ergo or Pikkolo structured carrier to use in addition to the Moby D. The drawback of the Ergo is that it does not allow for the baby to face out (they have a bunch of rhetoric on their site about why they don't - meh). I know that unless Fenix is really sleepy, he wants to be facing out in the carrier so that puts Ergo on the bottom of the list.

So anyway if you are in the market for a carrier maybe this will help. We are keeping our Bjorn because until we buy a Beco or Pikkolo, that's what J will wear. And I have heard that they are now making a Baby Bjorn that has lumbar support but you know what??? Who cares because I'm so over them :-P

"The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."

- "Notably mild-mannered" Republican Senator Thad Cochran, of Tennessee, speaking about Arizona Senator John McCain