Merry Christmas

Ergo Review

When Logan was a newborn, I enjoyed using a Hotsling to carry him cradle-style. Now that he is older, I'm finding an Ergo carrier to be extremely useful. Since Logan turned 5 months old, he is big enough to be carried in it on my back.

This morning our whole family went on an hour long grocery shopping trip. When we arrived in the store, I took off my coat and Logan's and donned the carrier. He sat happily the whole time in the Ergo on my back, looking around and gumming a strap. It is a blessing to carry him around without hurting my neck or back.

I'm not the kind of mom that carries my baby around all the time on principle (and I'm not criticizing anyone who does). Logan is often content to sit in his bouncy seat with a toy, to lie on his tummy on a blanket, to play in the exersaucer, or to sit up (with someone "spotting" him still if he topples). There are times, though, when he is most content if he is held, and the Ergo has come in handy when I also need to get something done.

I have also carried Logan in the Ergo while:

• hiking
• vacuuming
• cooking
• doing laundry
• my kids have their piano lessons (which last almost two hours total)

I have at times, when Logan is no longer content with sitting, put him in the Ergo and had my kids walk around the house with me while I read aloud to them. I've also carried him around in it while reading one of my books aloud to myself and to him.

I was hoping it would be more useful to me during our church fellowship dinner. While it is useful to carry him while going through the line to get my food, he needs a nap at that time, but can't stay asleep in it due to the noise of everyone talking during the meal. In other words, it is a good place for a nap for him, unless there is a lot of noise.

I've read that it takes awhile for people to get the hang of putting the baby in the Ergo in the back carry position. I've done it by myself once, and it wasn't a piece of cake. Fortunately, my ten year old is perfectly capable of putting Logan on my back and helping me with the arm straps. Even if I didn't have that kind of help, it would still be worth it to me to put Logan in myself.

I'm writing about the Ergo on my blog, because I'm thankful that I heard about it by word of mouth on message boards and blogs and want to do my part on spreading the word about, in my opinion, the best baby carrier available. Large Family Logistics is now selling the Ergo (scroll down to the bottom of the page).



I asked my son to take this picture of Logan in the Ergo when I was helping my kids to make a gingerbread man and cookies.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

We've been hit with around 20 inches of snow, the most snow the Denver area has seen in three years. The storm was forecast to be a big one, but many of the powers-that-be didn't decide to cancel work or school until it was too late to avoid a huge traffic mess.

James drove to work, but then had to turn around and come home at 12:00 pm. His drive of 20 miles lasted until 3:30 pm! Tonight on the news, we heard a woman interviewed by cell phone who was stuck on a full bus which had been sitting for 6 hours.


James couldn't reach the driveway (starting at the mailboxes) when he arrived home. The second picture shows the depth of the snow when he opened the garage door.

The front of our house The view out our back door
The kids cut out the paper shapes (snowflakes, hats, angels & penguins).

Matthew standing behind a snow drift in our backyard


The kids stayed warm inside most of the day and enjoyed decorating the boys' bunkbed.


The kids decorated the tree themselves the other day but decided to add a popcorn cranberry garland.


This (taken yesterday) could be our Christmas photo...if I could edit out the dirty feet, the spit-up, the hole in the jeans, and the blink! It's reality, though!

All I Want For Christmas...

Drawing Comparisons

You may think that it is mean of me to make this comparison, but it was actually drawn by Sophie herself! (I mean she drew the comparison, not the cartoon, of course.) Having wobbly front teeth that often stuck out at weird angles apparently brought out the redneck in her. I snapped this picture while she was entertaining the men-folk with imaginary tales in her best Mater accent.

Saturday

James and the boys just moved the piano back into place in our family room! James and I agreed to forgo painting at this time with Christmas around the corner. We will move one thing at a time as we get to painting. Moving furniture proved not to be as daunting as expected with the use of these handy gadgets. You might not be able to tell from the picture, but these Movealls have a thick pad of fluffy felt on the bottom of a plastic bowl containing a foam pad where the furniture wheels or legs rest. We moved our refrigerator into place easily without risking the wheels scratching the floor. Ditto with the armoire and the piano. They will come in handy again when we move things aside to paint.

The only Christmas decoration up at our house so far is a wreath on the front door. Maybe later today, or next week, the kids can put up the Christmas tree in the family room (after we put felt pads on the stand!) By the way, I agree with Jen Ig and her take on Christmas. She already said it so well.

An aside: My husband just asked me, "Do you want some sardines?" That had to be a joke, right?

Okay, back to photo-blogging!

Yeah, so I'm sitting up. Big deal. And what's a little drool?

I actually just moved my leg long enough to snap the picture, then put my leg back in case he toppled over. He is starting to get the balance of it though!

What Logan lacks in skill, he makes up for in intensity.