Our new mei tai and a jubilee of little treasures!

This past week has been a blur and I haven't had time to blog. Here's my catch-up:

1) Last Friday we went to see Aunt Laura belly dancing, and it was amazing. She's third from the left in the picture below, in the dark blue. I wish I had learned to do this before I had Suzi (and the stretch marks that ensued). Laura is a mother too though, and she looks great--so maybe one day I will just go for it! Um, never mind that I was a dance class dropout at five years old. Do you think they might offer remedial classes?


2) We went to our town's craft fair on Saturday and again on Sunday. There were loads of awesome finds, most of which we couldn't afford. But I did pick up a bread bowl and baked pumpkin bread in it Saturday. Suzi loves pumpkin bread!


I also got a bug repellent stick for Suzi and these neat wooden toys made by Grandpa John, who does excellent work at reasonable prices:

Suzi's Nana bought her this grasshopper and a classic toy: the duck on a stick. The duck flaps his feet as you push him along. Jordan and his brother had one. It's adorable but it'll be more fun when Suzi can walk.

And I bought her this because I think little girls should play with cars and trucks, too.

3) Suzi had a good time playing peekaboo in the curtains...


4) And last, but definitely not least, we got an Ellaroo Mei Tai. It's my favorite. Period. And it was worth the money. It distributes baby's weight across both shoulders and your whole back so it hardly feels like you're carrying anything! I saw Kelly from babywearing meeting carrying her son in one. He makes nearly two of Suzi, so I knew if it was comfortable for her it would be for me and my tiny little girl! Luckily Kelly sells them. Let me know if you need one and I'll get you in touch with her. This afternoon I took Suzi for our regular sunny-day walk, but instead of using the stroller I put her in the Mei Tai. I thought I'd get uncomfortable, but I didn't! There's a flip-up headrest in case baby gets tired, and the straps are padded so they don't cut your shoulders or get twisted. Here is a five-point rating of it (5 is the best, 1 is the worst):

I can safely get Suzi in without help from another adult: 5
It's versatile and can be used for different ages/sizes: 4
I could use it for a long time without getting a back/shoulder ache: 5
It looks cool: 5
I can breastfeed Suzi without removing her: 2

I haven't figured that last one out yet, but it can probably be done. We just learned to do this in the hotsling hip position! Yay! I still love my hotslings for quick runs into the store.

Daddy is such a good sport. He took Suzi shopping in Bi-Lo so I could go next door to Goodwill. Whoever put Goodwill next to the grocery store should be given a medal, because I'm always finding good deals there and I normally don't have time to make a special trip to the thrift shops.

Suzi and I are in love with our new Mei Tai!