August 3

It was a hectic - and fun - and challenging - day today.

We started the day with a playdate. My friends Jill and Lacy came over with their daughters, and the majority of us had a great time! I think Caleb felt like the odd man out (literally) because he was the only boy (aside from Eli, who doesn't count yet) and the oldest. But it was fun for the rest of us.

Our friends left before lunchtime, and Eli was being high-maintenance.

Luckily, I'm still doing my single-layers babywearing challenge, so I popped him up in today's carry. Day 3 was Simple Hip Carry. It is the worst carry ever, and should be deleted. At least my wrap is pretty and it kept my baby happy. The end. 

 Right after we finished lunch and I got Eli down, I realized that the mailman had delivered a package I have been anxiously awaiting: my very first handwoven wrap!

Ohmygoodness, isn't it lovely? 

Eli was asleep, but Lily was thrilled to help me try it out. (The ruffles down her back are her "pinkie", the blanket Grandma gave her that she likes to snuggle and sleep with. She was ready for her nap, too!)

It has struck me lately that my babywearing days are limited; now that Eli is 18 months, I figure I realistically only have another year or two before we'll be done. That's why I've been selling all of my wraps - I'm moving out the things that we don't use, so I can try all the things! I've sold several wraps, and I'm down to a long wrap, a short wrap, a ring sling, the Ergo, and now this piece of handwoven gorgeousness. It measures 2.2 m, which makes it a size 1 wrap. But see that serged edge? It's really a piece chopped from a longer wrap, making it perfect for converting to a ring sling. 

So that is what I did! After Lily went down for her nap and the big ones went off to Special Time with Grandmother,  I got to work. This is maybe the tenth ring sling I've made, so I felt pretty comfortable handling such a lovely (and expensive!) piece of fabric.   

The end result is perfect for me, don't you think? However, 2.2 meters means the tail of the ring sling falls down past my knees. For now, I will try to get used to it, but I may need to take it apart and chop some length off to make it a more comfortable size for me. I would hate for the long tail to get damaged! (With handwoven wraps, the weaver attaches special labels at one end of the fabric. That label is at the tail of the ring sling, so I can't just chop fabric off the end and re-hem, unless I want to get rid of the special tag.)

The fabric is brand new, so it is still pretty stiff, but I love the colors so much! In fact, I really loved the way it looked before I converted it, and now it makes me wonder if I also need a handwoven wrap... and back down the rabbit hole I go! I'll have to find some more things to sell, though!

As I was working on my ring sling, I was also fighting off a migraine. The excitement of the task allowed me to keep going, but as soon as I finished, I knew I needed to stop. I am so thankful that I don't get migraines very often anymore, especially compared to the daily ones that plagued me as a teenager! Now that I live a crunchier lifestyle, I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with them when they pop up. Today, I tried essential oils, different essential oils, water, and magnesium. Nothing helped.

I moved on to ibuprofren.

Nope.

Finally, I collapsed in a heap on the couch with an ice pack. 

Then Eli woke up. And Lily woke up. But by that time, I was done. I got them out of their beds, then laid back down on the couch with my ice pack. Gayle returned the children, and I couldn't even get up off the couch to chat with her. I told Caleb and Daisy to turn on the TV, and the kids were fine until Chris got home. 

Finally, I gave in and took Excederin. It was what I needed, and the migraine slowly faded. 

Thank goodness, because we were also hosting my baby sister's 34th birthday party tonight! Luckily, we planned a very simple event. Caleb and I did most of the cake-making yesterday, and Chris picked up the pizza and margaritas that were the entirety of our meal on his way home from work.  By the time everyone arrived, I was feeling almost normal.

I love this picture of Eli "helping" Jenny with her birthday cake. She is the baby of our family, and he is the baby of my family. Together, they are adorable.

Can you see how Eli is resting his little hand on Jenny's hand while we sing "Happy Birthday"? Cutest thing ever.

And as she blew out her candles, he stood by and clapped for her. It was a fun evening, and we were all so glad to be celebrating!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!