I can't believe it's been one full year of wearing our sweet girl. It has truly been an amazing experience to witness the benefits of holding our child. It's crazy that something so simple has made a remarkable impact on the relationship Justin and I share with our daughter. I knew even when I was pregnant that I wanted to wear my infant. I remember talking to Justin about what kind of wrap/carrier he wanted to use for Ava when she arrived. It was actually pretty cool that Justin was on board from the start as well. He's always been up for being equal parents, which to me means, equally sharing the parental work, and excitement. Watching him wear his child proudly makes me all kinds of happy. I really love the gentle father he is, and baby wearing contributed to that a bit.

Through this past year we have tried three different types of carriers for baby wearing. I fell in love with the Moby wrap right from the start. I actively used my wrap for about seven months, until we purchased an ergo baby carrier, and that became Justin's favorite way to wear Ava bug. I'm not a huge fan of structured carriers, but I did love that Justin and I both found our "go-tos" Three months after that I discovered ring slings. I was offered a free sling for a review, and it quickly became my favorite way to wear our daughter. Sakura Bloom is without a doubt my favorite line of ring slings. The hype about baby wearing is extremely real. We have never had a fussy, crying, unhappy baby. Granted there's the rare occasion where Ava is a bit out of sorts, but other than that, Ava is so chill. Aside from compliments about how beautiful she is, we hear this more than anything.

People are always telling us how calm, chill, and easy she seems. I happen to believe it's in large part to baby wearing. I never let her cry it out, when she wants to be held, we hold her, we don't keep her in strollers, infant seats, or any type of toys. Being able to hold her whenever I want and still have the same level of productivity is completely golden. Fostering a strong bond between a child and their parents is vital early on. I'm glad we have been able to do that with Ava!

Here is a scroll of some of our baby wearing memories so far. I plan on doing a session at the beach (mentioned in my last post) that hopefully captures the very essence and art of baby wearing.

Happy Wednesdsay all!

 ♥- Leilani

Let it rain, let it pour

Man, it feels like my little family got slammed with a lot of stress these last couple months. I am pleased to report that soon, it will all be over. Today we had our JPPSO movers come out, and they were nothing short of a blessing. Not only did I not have to lift a single finger, they were super friendly and personable. They handled all of our things with care, and made sure to go over each part of the paperwork with us. I initially thought this moving method was going to be horrible (ask me again once we are waiting on our things), but it really wasn't bad at all. I know Justin feels a million times better knowing he doesn't have to drive a huge u-haul, and tow dolly across the country. It took the movers around six hours to pack and move all of our things into the 24 foot truck. The best part? We didn't have to pay for it. This time it's on the Army's dime. 

 Seeing all the boxes were far too familiar, and I'm excited to stay somewhere a little longer than a month. I was so proud f our bug today. She was awesome! So chill, and full of smiles. She let us eat lunch, while she just chilled in her high chair, and I think we baby wore Ava for like seven hours straight today. She was even able to get a little nap in, it was glorious. After the movers left, we were able to get the car packed up, and finally settle for the night. Ava bug had her first helping (stage two) of apples and blueberries, and (we think) they are a hit. Stage two foods aren't really different from stage one, aside from the fact that they are all mixed with something. The consistency seems the same to us.

I'm in the mists of trying to plan something super special for my third wedding anniversary with Justin, and this has got me all giddy and feeling romantic. I really want to show my husband how thankful I am, not only for the past three years, but for all he does on a regular basis to keep our family solid, and golden. In raising a family, going back to school, and constantly moving (Thank you Army) there are plenty of moments to forget about the special time you and your spouse need. I'm really glad that Justin and I constantly remind each other that we need that time. I have just under two weeks to plan, so hopefully I can come up with something sweet, without Justin suspecting a thing. We also decided on the first DIY project we are going to do at the new house. You can find the image in the "DIY" section of my blog. We are going to put up some rain gutters for books we begin to purchase for Ava. I am finally ordering her pottery barn anywhere chair (as long as it isn't back stocked) for this nook in her nursery. Thanks to an awesome friend at Colorful Characters, Ava will also have her name with ballerina inspired decoration on them, hanging over her new book shelves.

I'm already thinking about fun little additions to add to the master. Man, this Washington home is going to be a good one. I can't help but smile when I think about Washington. Especially when I think about  my mama. Every time we talk I can hear the happiness in her voice. She is ready to have us back! Well, that's all for now. I am literally beat, and it's time for this mama to hit the sack. Also, if you haven't "liked" my facebook page, make sure to do that. (Simply Howland) Once I hit 130 likes, I am giving away an ergobaby carrier! Goodnight all! 

♥- Leilani

Cloth, Breast, and Baby wearing.

I have received almost a dozen emails, facebook messages, and calls asking me about cloth diapering and how it's been going. With everything going on in my life, I have spaced with answering a lot of questions and I apologize! We are done with our cloth hiatus, and I love it. Justin has been super, super great with our diapering methods. I think he's done every step of cloth diapering. Washing, drying, folding, and diapering our lover bug.

My current favorites
green mountain diaper prefolds with thirsty diaper covers
Fuzzibunz perfect size
bumgenius all in ones

Detergent
We have only used rock n green and we love it!

Cloth wipes
I bought a few dozen from green mountain diapers, and they work great. I recently ordered some from a fellow Army wife. Here is the link to her facebook business page. If you cloth diaper, it makes sense to use cloth wipes. No chemicals on baby. All you need is water.

As of right now, I just dunk bug's diapers. I expected to be in complete shock from the poop change due to Ava eating solids, and I am pleased to say, it is nothing like I thought it would be. We have kushies liners that I've had since before she was born; I have found that I actually don't need them. Right now we are sitting at just over 450 dollars spent on Ava's diapering investment. I have over 48 diapers, 8 diaper covers, and that is more than enough to get us through our lover bug's diapering phase. I am so proud of myself! I have definitely stayed under budget, and found which diapers work best for each stage of our daughter's life thus far.

I still breastfeed, and we baby wear religiously. We did introduce a sippy cup (just for juices), but Ava really has no interest in that cup at all. I have had no issues with breastfeeding, it actually forces me to be a healthier person. I watch what I eat, I drink water more than any other fluid, and I don't overdue myself (fear of altering my milk supply). I really want to breastfeed for 15 months. Nursing has become such a comfort for Ava, and I don't want to take that away from her cold turkey.

The past seven months I have worked on strengthening a bond with my child, and it has been nothing short of a blessing. Justin and I can feel that she trusts us. She's content, and happy almost always. I can't tell you how good it feels to have this happy, smiley, beautiful baby. With the exception of teething, and a tired baby, fussing is always at an all time low for us. With my moby wrap, any fussing that occurs, comes to end within minutes anyhow. I love how much Ava bug loves being wrapped. Her daddy wraps her too, it's just a great way to connect with your kiddos. I don't want to dig too much into how our little lover has been, so look out for her seven month post in just a couple days!

I kind of got off topic, this was suppose to be primarily for cloth. For all my girlfriends who have asked, here you go! Also, I will be making a vlog of our cloth system this week, and an updated video of what's in a cloth diapering mama's diaper bag!

Happy Sunday all!

 ♥- Leilani

Baby wearing

I've mentioned this in previous posts, but i really am starting to grasp why baby wearing is so important for mom's and babies. Some of the benefits that really pertain to baby wearing for me would be:

               

• Promotes strong attachment
• Lowers incidence of illness
• Reduces crying significantly
• Provides fathers with a soothing touch
• Increases learning
• Increases hormone levels 
• Advances social development

Those are the key reasons why I want to baby wear. I am using a moby wrap with Ava. Tons of solid reviews and Dad friendly as well. All the information I have listed above can be located on the www.mobywrap.com website. They have an exclusive page going into detail about the benefits and studies done with baby wearing. On the moby wrap website, they also give you full instructions of each wrap you can do. Just to list a few: newborn hold, hug hold, hip hold, etc. They come in all different colors and materials. I think it's definitely worth a look see for new moms or moms that want to try a different parenting route with their next child. The wrap goes from 8 lbs - 35 lbs, so even if you want to start baby wearing when your baby is a little older, it wouldn't hurt when you weigh all the benefits it brings.