Babywearing!

So, I follow a lot of parenting blogs and one mom in particular always reviews great products for her followers and posts where to find the products.  The problem is most of the time they are way out of my price range.  So, I've committed myself to locating the cheaper more inexpensive versions of the ones I like and then waiting for them to go on sale!  My shopping prowess comes from my mother :)  Anyways, I thought I would take the time to review one of my favorite finds and hopefully help any budget minded folks get their hands on some great products!

Babywearing is one of my favorite things to do, both around the house and on walks.  Annabelle usually loves it, as long as I keep moving - she is not the sit still type.  We were gifted a hand-me-down carrier from my husband's cousin, which worked pretty well, but it was generic, not very soft and had to be adjusted to fit well every time I used it.  So, I started looking through reviews for a carrier that could be used between the three adults in our household, was soft enough for Annabelle to sleep in and was light enough to wear in the coming summer months.  The carrier I kept coming back to was the Boba Carrier 3G.  Its versatile, soft and lightweight.  The only problem is the $125 price tag.  Seriously, who pays that much for a cloth carrier?  So more research ensued and I found the ultimate compromise - the Infantino Sash Mei Tai Carrier.  It has a $34.99 price tag, which rocks, but also has all the features I want in a carrier - soft, lightweight and every time my husband, brother or I put it on we adjust it to fit our specific body type.  (You can find the amazon version of the product here, which has free shipping with Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom).

Annie on a walk!

Annabelle loves the carrier and has successfully begun to use it as her teether when we go for walks.  The carrier does come with a "hood" which snaps onto the top for sunny days, but I haven't tried it yet and I'm not sure if Annabelle would be a fan of something that blocks her view.  We use hats and baby sunglasses instead and luckily she loves her sunglasses.

Hope you enjoyed the review!  A cloth diaper review is in the works, just waiting on a zulily order to arrive!

Success!

So, in the Hammer household we use cloth diapers.  I love it and Brandon...deals with it (he doesn't change many diapers or do diaper laundry, so his opinion doesn't count as much).  In the past week we have had a disasterous breakdown of our washing machine.  Not so great when you're doing diaper laundry at least every other day.  So, since we currently rent...the timeline falls on our landlord to fix the washer.  We're hoping for a quick fix (cross your fingers).  Anyways, we are currently using disposables during the week so we don't have to worry about going to the laundromat. 

Diposables suck.  They smell weird and don't look cute at all and Annabelle's sensitive bottom does not like them either.  The success I have in my diapering journey is the fact that my brother (currently Annabelle's daytime caretaker) thinks so too!  I enjoyed hearing him say "I hate disposables" this morning and I feel as though I have at least converted one person to cloth diapering.  Now to convince everyone else :)

My three month old!

Three Months!

We've officially reached the three month mark for Annabelle and she is more of a delight to be around every day!  She had her three month check-up last week and she weighed in at 15 pounds 1 ounce and was 25 3/4 inches long.  She doesn't miss a meal!  She is giggling and lets us know when she wants attention and has absolutely fallen in love with her Uncle Ben.  He is here with us for the summer to take care of Annie and spend time with Brandon and me.  We really enjoy having him here and love the extra help!

Coming up this summer, we have a lot of exciting outings for Annabelle to experience.  At the end of May we are planning our first beach outing to Bethany beach at the southern end of Delaware.  I'm hoping she loves the water just like she loves the pool!  The week after that we are heading to Logan, Ohio for the Warrior Dash!  I'm super excited to compete this time - last time I had to watch because I was still pregnant!  Then we'll have my parents with us for a week around the fourth of July and may venture out to the beach then as well.  And finally, we are headed to Nags Head in August with the Hammer family.  Annabelle will hopefully be a perfect age then to enjoy the ocean and beach and our family!

The more time I spend with her, the more I couldn't imagine life without her.  She is amazing and we are blessed to be able to watch her learn and grow!

I want to move mama!

Crib time!

Annabelle slept in her crib for the first time last night and I can honestly say it wasn't a complete disaster!  She has been taking naps in her crib during the day for the past week, so we knew she liked it, but the naps never lasted longer than an hour.  So, we decided to try the crib last night and we both slept in the twin bed we have for guests in her room (NOT comfortable).  It started out well, but by 3am she ended up in bed with us because I was too exhausted to get up again.  Brandon, Annabelle and me in a twin bed...needless to say none of us got a lot of sleep!  We just have to get past the beginning where she is used to having a warm body next to her, wish us luck!

Crib time!

In other news, we have had many visitors in Delaware lately.  Last weekend we had Brandon's brother Ryan with us for his spring break.  We were able to go baby-less to my swim banquet on Friday thanks to him and Annabelle got some uncle time!  That was our first outing without her and it went well.  Next week my mom is in town for her spring break and I'm excited to spend time with her.  I feel isolated sometimes here and its nice to have family visit us.


Spending time at Mommy's work, playing with a monkey!

Annabelle is growing like a weed! She is 13 pounds and looks super long, though I haven't measured her lately.  I do know when we go to the pool and see babies that are 6 months old, she looks bigger than them!  She loves the pool, as long as we make sure she is fed and has just napped :)  Yesterday we spent about 45 minutes just floating around the deep end as she kicked her legs and pushed her head back.  I hope this love of water continues!


Swimming with Daddy

 Last, but not least...Annabelle shows off her Buckeye pride.  Final four!


O-H-I-O!

Video Find

Found this video on Brandon's computer...its amazing how much of a personality she has developed since then.  We had our two month check-up today and got the first round of shots.  Much harder for me than her I think, but she was a trooper!  Now she is sleeping on Grandma Hammer and hopefully won't have too rough of a day.

I started back to work this week after an eight week break and I have to admit, I am looking forward to the day when I can be a stay at home mom.  I miss my baby so much during the day and I know she is growing so fast...I don't want to miss out!   Here are a few pictures of my beautiful girl (she is loving the warm March weather!)

Six weeks!

Well, its been four weeks of baby bliss and I absolutely love being a mom!  Annabelle is a pretty easy going baby for the most part and she has hit the six week mark full of smiles and coos!

We have had a busy past four weeks to say the least!  When Annabelle was a week old we made a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit with my paternal grandparents while Brandon was on a business trip.  I had some much needed help and my grandparents were able to meet their first great grandchild.  We were then on our own for a few weeks and luckily the weather was pretty fantastic in Delaware.  We were able to go on walks at the park and when it was cold we ventured to the mall to keep up the exercise routine.  Annabelle loves to walk and she usually falls asleep right when we get in the car (on the rare occasion she doesn't it makes for a not so fun car ride!)

Last week, we were able to make an unexpected visit to Cincinnati to visit with family and friends.  It was great to show off our baby and to see family we hadn't seen since September.  We had a great time and are looking forward to making another visit for Easter.  Brandon started a new job this week in Pennsylvania, so he leaves earlier and gets home later, but he's happier and for that I am grateful!  I start back March 12th and have mixed feelings about leaving Annabelle.  I'm excited to get back to coaching, but I love seeing every change and expression on her face.  Its unbelievable how fast she is growing!

We're hosting my grandma this week and she has been a great help!  I was able to show her around Wilmington a bit yesterday and hopefully we'll be able to go to the zoo tomorrow.  Having help is definitely a great thing and having Annabelle around family is even better.

Brandon and I are getting back into the workout routine this week.  I'm going to try swimming tonight - definitely in the warm pool.  I think it will be easier on me than running and I'm excited to get back to something I enjoy!  I'll leave you with an Annabelle video!

Annabelle pictures!

With Ya-Ya

Big binky!

Big yawn!

With daddy

Daddy time before work

Family picture

First day home

Froggy girl!

   

Sleeping upright

Sleeping on mommy

Playing with daddy

Holding bink