What a Mess!

So I spent all day today pulling out everything from our front hall closet to get out the infant carseat. Sigh. So now my project for tomorrow is to put it all back. I did get the carseat straps adjusted to the smallest height setting. Claire's baby doll, "Toby" was the model. I also got my Baby Bjorn adjusted to the smallest setting. It was sorta sad. Claire didn't remember it. She remembers my blue OTSBH but not the Bjorn. I think about this time last year was when I stopped using the Bjorn since her legs were so long, they kept hitting my knees. I stopped using the OTSBH so much since she likes to walk, but I put her in it a few weeks ago when she was teething and clingy, and I was trying to make dinner. She did remember that since I'd continued to use it.

Tonight we went to a preschool open house and got Claire enrolled for the fall. She'll do a year of Pre-3 and then a year of Pre-4 and start Kindergarten when she's 5. She'll be a fresh five, but she's so ready. She is sooo sooo social. She loves story time weekly at the library and and Children's church on Sundays. I'm not sure if we'll still be able to do story times in the fall, but we'll have to see how the story time schedules fit with her preschool calendar. We meet all the teachers she'll have tonight and feel very confident with our choice. I've been to 2 other preschools and gotten the best vibes from this place from others and just from being there tonight. Claire was great and ran off to color and play with toys with the other kids while Josh and I talked to the teachers. We are also going to do a "SUMMER CAMP!" I'm excited about this.

It's just a day camp, 2 days/week for 2 hours. I think it will be great for her to get used to in June and July. Then August will be off and school starts after labor day in September. She'll go 3 days a week for 2 hours. It's also faith based which I like. It's kind of a joke for 2 hours since they'll do a snack and potty break too. It'll be good for her though. She's always asking, "What are we gonna do today? We got story time today? Who's gonna come over? Can we go play somewhere? We going shopping? I wanna play outside!" So this will be nice for her to have something to look forward to 3 days a week.

The other preschool I really liked was 2.5 hours for 2 days/week but they don't welcome siblings on field trips...and that was really a major deciding factor for me! I don't want Claire riding in a car with someone else that I don't know so I'd want to go on field trips. And I don't know if baby boy will take a bottle. Claire never would. So anyways, this way she'll get to go on field trips (bowling, pumpkin patch, apple orchard, tour local pizza place, etc). They've got it all planned out for the year!!!

I actually looked into a 2s class last year about this time, but decided to wait awhile. I know some kids never do preschool or Kindergarten and do totally fine, but Claire is a very social creature and seems to make friends easily. I think she'll also love the crafts they do.

We've been playing outside a lot. It's great! Today it got up to 67!!! We did chalk on the driveway, then brought moonsand outside. That made for a nice and easy clean up! No sand on the kitchen floor!

So Claire did great at her open house and asked me to go potty in front of her to-be teacher. Luckily, she did not lift up her dress to show off her big girl panties, like she was doing at church on Sunday...and all around town the past week or so. We even broke out the sandals today as part of cleaning out the front hall closet.

Well wish me luck as I organize and put it all back. I've got to paper grocery sacks ready for the Goodwill. I'm a little sad to be putting away her snow pants/hats/mittens. I don't know if they'll fit at all next year and don't know if I'll have another girl. :) I don't know if baby boy would like to wear purple snow pants...but it seems silly to not let him wear a perfectly good pair of size 2T snow pants in the winter just because they are purple. Who made up these silly cultural color rules. Why can't boys wear pink, purple, and florals nowadays?

They used to put babies all in white since it's easy to bleach. Dang marketing.

BOYCOTT MOTRIN!

I love my slings. And they don't hurt my back. Here is one from this past Saturday that I took myself as Claire napped in her hammock after nursing: aka..the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder!!! It's great for on the go when she doesn't have her bed. Notice the yellow sweater that I wore at the funeral:
Also from this past Saturday... We are by my Great-Grandma Adeline and Great-Grandpa Oscar's headstone in Mt. Horeb, WI, cemetery. Notice...Claire has her coat on in in the Baby Bjorn under the blanket. I can wear the Bjorn over or under my coat. I LOVE IT! I've said that many times before! I know it's morbid to take pictures in cemeteries, but whatever...

Here we are a week ago Sunday, heading off to Amanda's Colts-themed shower! Claire has her BPA-free NUBY sippy cup that I got for free at the LLL conference. I liked the carrier before she could walk, but let's face it...they still can't walk alone outside or for very far!!! I don't know how people NOT wear their kids. Clearly the ad was made and marketed by a bunch of SWFs who have no actual knowledge of what motherhood is like. I HATE parenting comments from non-parents. Sort of like comments about anything from people with no actual experience on the topic at hand.

Why all the baby sling/carrier pictures...well...here's why:

There was recently an ad for Motrin that discourages baby wearing. I hate this ad for Motrin. If you've followed the news on it, it's been pulled for offending moms. Last week was International Baby Wearing Week. How IRONIC! Watch the whole thing:






I also don't like how it mentions moms crying and being crazy. I think that offends anyone who has cried as a new mom for PPD or whatever reason. I think most hubbies would be offended, too. Mine was when he saw that crazy face at the end.
I don't like anything about it. Obviously everyone involved in the ad knows NOTHING about wearing a baby. It should cause less pain, not more. The sling, wrap, carrier, or whatever you call it needs to fit right, like a pair of shoes need to fit right. ALSO like those new shoes, they take some getting used to before being comfortable for all day wear and quick and easy to put on. Remember learning how to tie your shoes? That's like how wearing a new carrier is. AWKWARD to put on and wear, but you have to give it a chance for you to get used to it...and your baby! Think of Birkenstock sandals...really expensive and well-made, but they hurt like heck if you wear them more then 10 minutes the first time you wear them. I know. I have had several pairs and currently have several pairs.
I'm glad to see MOTRIN apologized on their website, but they've lost me as a customer!!! I know they know that they suck, but let's let them know a lot more by sending them some good comments https://www.motrin.com/page.jhtml?id=/motrin/include/email.inc
Watch this one as well. There are some very good comments throughout the video!!!

Also, one person commented something about "what...I'm not a real mom for not baby-wearing!?!"

Argh. Just got home after a LONG weekend that was more than a little sad. End of beotchy rant.