December 28

I'm really not sure what we did all day today; all I know is that no one puked, and I didn't leave the house (or my jammies). I call that a win.

It was lovely outside, so Caleb was thrilled to be able to fly the kite Grandmother gave him for Christmas. At first, he and Chris tried flying it in our yard. After it got caught in a tree and some power lines, the boys decided to head to our neighborhood common ground.

Caleb wanted to ride his bike there, and he insisted that Daddy ride his bike, too. Chris took this cell phone video for me:

He did pretty well! Watching him run through the grass reminds me of puppies romping. I love it!

While the boys were gone, Daisy took a four-hour nap. I think she's officially recovered from the stomach bug; now we just have a cold to worry about. While she slept, Lily (who also has a cold now) and I had some quality time.

First, we practiced her sitting.

She doesn't quite have the hang of it yet, but she's getting there! (Also, isn't her new outfit darling? Grandmother gave her lots of cute clothes for Christmas!)

Then, we practiced wrapping.

There's a whole subculture out there of mamas (and dads!) who wear their babies not with carriers like the Ergo, but with simple, woven cloths. I think the concept is awesome - I love being able to turn any strip of fabric into a baby carrier, and use it lots of different ways! The problem is that the wraps made specifically for baby wearing are absurdly expensive. Most of them are hand-woven and hand-dyed, and considered wearable art. This mama is in no position to be shelling out over $100 for a piece of wearable art.

Luckily, I stumbled upon a company that manufactures woven tablecloths that are perfect for baby wearing! For much less, you can buy one tablecloth that can be cut down the middle and turned into two wraps. Grace gave me one for Christmas, and yesterday I worked up the courage to cut it in half. Today I hemmed the cut side, and voila - a wrap!

With the help of some YouTube videos, I was soon wearing Lily in several different carries.  

This was my first attempt at Reinforced Ruck tied at Shoulder. You can't tell from the side view, but I'm basically wearing Lily as if she were a backpack. The fabric creates the straps and the support for her body. She was a little bit loose, so I tried again.

This is take two. Pretty cool, huh? I still need to work to break the fabric in, because it's pretty stiff and tough to knot. I also think that, because of all the effort that goes into putting her in a carry like this, I'll still turn to my Ergo first. But I'm excited to have another option. 

Right as I got Lily wrapped up like this, Daisy woke up. We went into Daisy's room, and I asked her what was on my back. With a smile, she pointed and whispered, "Lily!"

I asked what she thought about the way I was wearing her sister, she scowled and replied, "It's wrong!"

What's wrong?
"Lily is on backwards! She goes on the front! Fix it, Mommy!"

That girl. So opinionated!