I was browsing through family photos the other day (and by photos, I mean thousands of unorganized pictures sitting on my hard drive screaming out at me to be photo booked, scrapbooked, or given attention of some sort) and marveling at how much we are able to do together as a family.  I have great shots of us exploring the sea shore with a baby on my back, hiking with a baby in an Ergo, walking across a river with a baby in a sling, and wandering around amusement parks with a baby in a wrap.  This is not the life I had pictured a person who had chosen to have three kids three and under would live.  For some reason, I had always assumed having babies around slowed you down–that a home with a baby was one where all of the family members sat around taking turns holding the squirmy, fussy, needy person who had come along, created a rather burdensome situation, and destroyed all of the fun.  Luckily for me, this has not been the case.  I do not sit at home and stare at my babies and obsess over how much they have slept or eaten.  We go on adventures!  We go to the park, to the aquarium, to the beach, to the zoo, and to the library.  We go on hikes, visit farms, pick seasonal fruit, attend play dates, and take fun classes.  Having babies around has not only created more fun in my life, it has given me the opportunity to relive my amazing childhood through the eyes of my children.  For me, being a mother is, in a word, awesome.

Three years ago when Jameson was a rather energetic toddler and Madelyn, my 34 week preemie, was a tiny ball of need, I had my doubts.  I tried to continue living the active life I had become accustomed to, but was finding myself both physically and emotionally drained.  It seemed impossible to keep my little guy entertained while dragging his baby sister around in her rather clumsy and cumbersome car seat.  During a routine family visit with our fantastic chiropractor, Kelly Frye, she recommended I stop carrying around the twenty pound car seat and start carrying my six pound baby.  Funny how that never occurred to me.  She also gave me some Bellani brochures and urged me to stop in on my way home.

It’s funny how you have those moments that change the way that the rest of your life plays out.  I heeded Kelly’s advice that night, stopped in for a lovely visit with Bellani Kelly, and returned home with a Hotsling.   I remember this as a remarkable and life changing event simply because that was the day I stopped doing what everybody else did. I stopped dragging around my babies in their buckets like everybody else did and started wearing them.  Words cannot express what a find this was for me!.  From that day on, I did not remove the baby bucket from the car.  My back no longer hurt.  My baby never felt left out.  And best of all, I was no longer encumbered by a baby that couldn’t be doing what I was doing.  From then on, she did what I did.  It was great!  Without this total lifestyle change, I would not have all of those wonderful pictures of all of the things I do with my kids.  In fact, I would probably be sitting at home staring at my babies and obsessing over how much they had slept or eaten.

I was and still am totally in love with my sling.  Everywhere I go, people rave over the beautiful pattern and remark on how comfortable we both look.  I am a regular poster girl for Bellani, giving directions to the shop every time someone asks.  “Do you know where Chili’s and David’s Bridal are in Warwick?  Well, behind there…”  When Madelyn was one, we invested in an Ergo carrier since her weight was becoming a bit too much for one shoulder to carry, and I fell in love all over again.  (I will admit to squishing her into the sling until she was perhaps a bit too large and the old ladies feared her legs would lose circulation, just because I love snuggling sling babies so much.)  The Ergo is a fantastic fit for me since I am so used to doing everything on the go.  It buckles on quickly and easily, so I am not slowed down as I pull kids out of car seats.  My favorite feature is the hood, which I use several times a day to cover a sleepy nursing baby while I roam the aisles of the grocery store or push the kids on the swing on the playground.   We are always completely comfortable, and I use it both as a front carrier or a baby backpack.

These days, I am often adorned with several babies at a time.  On the five days a week that I care for my 6 month old niece Sophia, she rides up front in a sling while my one year old Lily is my back seat passenger in the Ergo.  (This also works with two Ergo’s.)  After several trial runs, I am now able to quickly gear up and have my hands free for my two bigger children.  Baby wearing gives me the flexibility to run around the playground, to bop in and out of stores, to make dinner on days when everyone needs to be held, and to simply make it from the house to the car in one trip with two babies.  Had I not discovered Kelly and Shannon, Bellani, the hotsling, and the Ergo, life as I know it would not be possible.  I just love it when the stars align.  So, to all of you babywearers out there, how has your life been enhanced by your baby carrier?  What are you able to do that would have been otherwise been off limits?  Please share your favorite baby wearing moments!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 9:22 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site.