Marisa starts school!

In her new tap shoes. She looks so proud.

Dance school that is. I had been looking around for an MDO program for Marisa. I really wanted something with Spanish instruction. She has also been showing a strong interest for anything dance related. She loves dress up and asks for me to put on music just so she can dance. One weekend there were ice skaters on tv and she was mezmerized by the choreography. She kept saying she wanted to dance like them. I considered ice skating for a a moment but then learned about this great mothers day out arts program, a bilingual one! I didn't need more convincing. I signed her up. Today was tap day but she will also have ballet and gymnastics. In addition to dance they have theatre, art, and music and some reading and math instruction, all in Spanish. Yesterday when we toured and visited, the music teacher played the congas . I love that she's getting culture on top of everything else too. She is so excited and I'm so glad I found something that is a perfect fit for her. Well, I'm off to cuddle with my newborn. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to enjoy that tranquility and sereneness of holding a newborn in the silence AND in the light of the day. :)

Warming up

The nice weather has us outdoors again

At a local park

At the San Antonio zoo

Poor Karina

Last week Karina had a fever of 101.9. I called the pediatrician and they told me I had to take her to the hospital because of her age. I knew from other friends' experiences that it would be unpleasant. Omar was out of town and it happened to be my first true time alone at home since Karina was born. (He'd been gone previously but I had help from his mom.) So that meant I had to bring the girls along. Luckily, I was able to drop Elena off with my cousin for the night and they also took her to school the next morning. Marisa had the stomach virus so she had to come with me. I knew what was ahead so I brought the stroller and she slept most of the time. My sweet little Karina was poked at least 6 times when they were trying to get an IV in and they even gave her a spinal tap. :( She cried and Mama cried too. We wound up spending the entire night there and finally arrived at home at 7 AM!! As I had suspected, they didn't find anything serious and said it was probably just a virus. She is much better now and I am so relieved that ordeal is over.

My sleeping beauties

Princess Karina

I dozed off in the living room for a bit and when I awoke I found Karina like this. Elena turned her into a princess and Karina sure didn't seem to mind. :)

Karina update

I realized I had not updated on Karina and she's had some significant developments so I wanted to take note of them. She is now 7 weeks old and smiling up a storm. She loves her swing, baths and the mei tai. She has gone through 3 illnesses already all colds and luckily none of them bad. She currently has laryngitis and sounds absolutely pitiful. She has no other symptoms other than not much sound comes out when she cries. I played it safe and took her to the Dr. even though there was no fever. I was shocked to find out she gained a whole pound from last week. She is now 10 pounds, 11 ounces. I'm always amazed at the power of milk.

After having a colicky baby--Elena, then an easy breezy newborn--Marisa, I counted on this baby--Karina being right in the middle. Turns out she is the easiest. I'm still afraid to admit it and even hesitate to write it because I know how babies' phases change so quickly. But, she is 7 weeks and hasn't gotten any fussier. She does not sleep like a newborn, not my newborns anyway. She goes to sleep at 10:30pm wakes once in the middle of the night to nurse and then awakens between 6 and 7am when I'm up to take E to school anyway. So it really feels like she only wakes up once through the night. Yesterday she slept 6 hours!! Granted she is sick and I know it's not typical but I do get 4 hour stretches of sleep, usually 5.

The girls have been absolutely wonderful with her. They turn on her swing, bring her her paci when they hear her cry and deliver all kinds of things to me when I'm plopped down to nurse.

Have I mentioned how in love I am with her? I know. I have. But I can't help it.

6 week smiles

2011 SNOW!!

I even got to wear my snow boots!

Babywearing

If you've even glanced at my blog recently or ever, you know about my love for babywearing. I'm more obsessed with carriers than I care to admit. But I couldn't get by without them really. They've saved me so many times. I can distinctly remember one time in Belmont in the cold at the grocery store. I had Marisa on my back (in a carrier) and Elena walking beside me. We crossed the street and Elena began having a meltdown there in the middle. She refused to walk the flight of stairs that led to the grocery store. Feeling overwhelmed and panicked not knowing what to do (We all know the sheer determination and plain stubborness of a toddler),I picked E up and carried her. My problem was quickly solved and I continued on with my grocery trip but I couldn't have handled this well had I been carrying Marisa in arms. There are so many other instances like this that I won't bore you with but I thought I'd give a little insight to the carriers themselves and why I LOVE them.


The pouch--


This an easy carrier in my opinion. You slip it on like a sash, pop the baby in and go. I love the pouch because it's quick no messing with straps, buckles, or rings. The down side is that they are size specific. For example, Omar and I can't wear the same pouch. He needs a larger one. There are some adjustable ones although Omar still can't wear the small it does allow for adjustment for wearers more similar in size. Before K was born I found a used (Most of my carriers were purchased used) Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch which has been great for the winter. The cute one in the picture is a HotSling. A great gift from Julia. Thanks Jules!

The ring sling--
If I was stranded on a deserted island :) and could only pick one carrier, it would be the ring sling. It's by far my favorite even though I think it's the trickiest carrier with a bit of a learning curve. It was my first baby carrier and perhaps the reason I like it so much. After Elena's birth I quickly learned that if I was ever going to eat I needed to wear her in the ring sling and prepare and eat my meal that way. I love it because of it's versatility. I can nurse in it discreetly anywhere and it is usually more comfortable for me to nurse in the ring sling than sitting down without the support of a nursing pillow. I also like the way newborns snuggle in a natural position in a ring sling.

The wrap--


A stretchy wrap (The Moby wrap in the picture) is my favorite wrap for newborns. Ironically, I haven't used it much with Karina because she pulls her head back and can't seem to get comforable, but it I loved it with Marisa and still recommend it for newborns. You can see comfy,cozy Marisa in a stretchy wrap here.
The increasing weight of your baby around 4-6 months makes a stretchy wrap less supportive. A two shoulder carrier like the two below are good options after that.

The Mei Tai--
While Elena lived in the ring sling, and Marisa in the Moby, Karina lives in the this Babyhawk mei tai. The headrest keeps her from pulling back and she quickly falls asleep. The mei tai is my favorite carrier for front carries for longer periods of time. The long straps can be cumbersome but the straps are what allows this carrier to work from newborn to 40 lbs and it can fit wearers of different sizes. A mei tai can also be worn on your back.

The Soft Structured Carrier--
I think structured carriers are user friendly and favorites among dads. I love this carrier because it's quick and easy and super comfy to wear with baby on your back especially once baby begins to get too heavy to wear on the front. These carriers are typically for babies who have head support (4+ months)to 35 pounds. Here's a post on this carrier that I posted previously.

Finally if you want to read up more on babywearing, this is a great forum with more info and reviews. You can also purchase used carriers on their For Sale Or Trade thread for great deals which is where I purchased most of my carriers. Also, if you want to try carriers before purchasing what is right for you check out your local babywearers group where you can try on and borrow carriers. I recently attended the one here to try and learn how to back carry a newborn and I was impressed with the extensive lending library.

Newborn portraits

It was so much fun taking these. I'd do it again if it wasn't so cold. I felt bad enough that she didn't have clothes on. And the cute little hats are courtesy of my mom. I asked her to make one but leave it to her to make one and then some. Aren't the hats adorable? and my baby too of course! ;)