What's New

Dr. Zoidberg: I want the tactile pleasure in cutting him here... [points his claw at Fry's neck]... in the gonads.
Fry: [to crowd] Shhhhhh. Nobody correct him.

So a new week, and three new entries on the one day... As expected, my "blog" was well neglected for the last two weeks or so. I'm actually surprised it didn't take two months before I bothered writing anything again. Here's my catch-up from the past two weeks or so.

John had his first CPA exam. He may have passed. He doesn't know. We don't find out until January. I hope he has learnt his lesson and will actually study for future subjects.

On a high note, this does mean we can do things as a family without feeling that guilt that you feel when you know you should be studying but you're not. I spent the whole of my extremely long academic career feeling that feeling, and I don't enjoy feeling it on behalf of other people now as well.

We do intend on visiting Blackbutt soon, now Alex is starting to be interested in animals. He seems to like dogs, but cats still freak him out a little. Which is fine by me.

Alex has started cruising around the furniture like a bandit, and now has a variety of tiny bruises and scratches up his legs to show for it. He tends to get a little ambitious sometimes, which inevitably leads to a hard fall to the bottom, or even worse, a big knock on the head on the floor boards. He has now discovered he can easily stand up in his cot, after somehow wiggling out of his sleeping bag. Quite cute when you go in and he's happily just standing up smiling at you when you walk in the door.

I can't believe he's ten months old already. I'm starting to think about plans for the First Birthday Party. I know the first birthday is a pretty important occasion in the Korean culture, so we probably will make it a slightly bigger deal than we would otherwise. I want to do the Korean traditions, like dressing him up in the hanbuk, and laying out a table of items that Alex chooses from to show his future. I've already picked the cake I'll make. It just sucks that it's at New Years and lots of people won't be able to come. Poor Alex will have to live with that happening for the rest of his youth.

That's about it... It's now 4pm, and Alex has been asleep for four hours. I feel I'll have to wake him now or he'll never sleep tonight.

The Ergo Baby Carrier - a Review

I've never really written a review before (except under duress at school), so I thought I'd start with something I actually liked as my first go.

Up front, I'm saying I LOVE my Ergo baby carrier. For the first six months or so, we were using the Baby Bjorn that we inherited off Kel & Jason. It had its merits, but I couldn't really tell you them, because I physically couldn't use it. John was fine with it. Alex loved being in it. However, carrying 9.5kg all on your shoulders did not work for me. I used it once when Alex was 6 months old (and 9.5kg) to run into the shops for 10 minutes. It took me 3 days, constant headaches, and intense shoulder massages before I felt normal again.

I first saw the Ergo baby carrier while shopping with Mum and the sisters, and Kel tried it on. When we got home, I did a little research and I couldn't find anything negative about it. Everyone loved their Ergo. So, having convinced John it would be awesome to have one, we ended up having to drive to the 'Fd to actually purchase one. They are quite in demand.

We ended up going with the maroon standard model. Personally I would have preferred the canvas colour, but John wasn't a fan. The colour would be my first picking point. If I had my time again, I definitely wouldn't get the maroon colour. It fades like anything. I spoke to a lady wearing a maroon Ergo in David Jones a few weeks ago, and while hers was about 6 months older than mine, it looked worn. I think the canvas colour would probably hide that level of wear and tear a little better.

Anyway, the thing that works best about the Ergo is the bit that wraps around your waist. This is where the weight is carried. The first time I tried it on with my little 10kg Beef Cake in it, I could barely feel his weight on my shoulders.

There are three carry positions, two of which do require watching the instructional video to get the hang of, but you have the option of front, side or back. It took a few days to get used to putting him in to the front carry position, but it was intuitive enough. To be honest, I still find putting him on my back a little challenging, but I can do it fairly easily at home. I haven't really attempted it when out by myself though. I haven't felt a need to use the side position, but maybe as he gets older, this might be of use.

One of the few negatives is that there isn't an option to have bub facing forward with the Ergo, and Alex loves facing forwards. He isn't unhappy facing me the whole time though, and I guess when bub is on your back, they probably have more of a chance to look around.

I have also found that Alex gets very hot if he falls asleep in the Ergo. There is a hood you can place over bub's head when he or she falls asleep, which looks a little odd at first, but it is effective, and the baby really can breathe... It does require you to dislocate your shoulders just a little if bub falls asleep on your back and you want to put the hood over his head (highly recommended). Alex hates waking up with the hood over his head, but hey, who wouldn't. He also tends to have a sweaty head after he wakes up also. However, I don't think would change if he fell asleep in any other baby carrier. Body heat is body heat.

The Ergo has absolutely made a world of difference to my every day life. Alex used to hate being in the pram, which made shopping crap. He would scream for the entire time, but as he was so heavy, I couldn't carry him, and then had to endure strangers informing me that my son must be hungry and that I should feed him. I can now easily chuck him in the Ergo as soon as he starts fussing, which also leads to the fun shopping game of "poke mummy in the face".

I can also pop Alex on my back while I cook dinner in the afternoon, which is normally the time when he is at his fussiest, and saves me having to put Go Diego Go on to entertain him.

To carry a newborn, you also require the extra Infant Support, which is an extra $35 or so, but as we get got ours when Alex was well past the infant stage, I couldn't tell you how this works. We do intend on using it for our next bub, so we'll see how it goes then.

So to summarise:

The Good Stuff

• Can carry up to a 4 year old without causing permanent internal damage
• Choice of carry positions
• Reasonably intuitive to use in the front-carry position
• Very comfortable to wear
• Has an in-built pocket if you only wanted to carry your mobile and some money around
• Has a hook at the top of the shoulder should you wish to hang a toy for bub to play with
• Can breastfeed bub discreetly on the go in the front-carry position (as long as you have an appropriate outfit)

The Bad Stuff

• Can be a little hot
• Using the hood when bub is on your back requires the flexibility of Romanian gymnast
• Our colour (maroon) tends to show wear and tear
• A little more expensive than other baby carriers

I still can't understand how the Baby Bjorn is as popular as it is, when it distinctly blows.

Another good thing about the Ergo is that it's a great conversation starter. It seems to be the rule that if you see someone else wearing an Ergo, you must then stop and discuss how fabulous it is. Or even a delighted "oh, snap!" at the other person as you pass to show your Ergo pride.

So don't get sucked into the Baby Bjorn farce. The Ergo is worth absolutely every cent. On my brand new (somewhat arbitrary) rating scale, I give it a 9.5/10.

The Organic Yuppie Yummy Mummy

Women dress alike all over the world: they dress to be annoying to other women. - Elsa Schiaparelli

In my mummyhood, I've started to notice a new sub-group of Mummies. The best way to describe them is, as in the above title, the Organic Yuppie Yummy Mummy. Here's how to spot one of these:

• They tend to reside in the inner city.
• Their husband or partner works as a fairly well-paid professional
• Both are well-educated, and the child is involved in a variety of activities from a young age
  
• They, and their child, are dressed head to toe in labels
• When not in labels, the child is dressed head to toe in organic bamboo clothing
  
• Their child eats nothing but organic food stuffs
• Their child wears organic bamboo Modern Cloth Nappies
• Pram is either Bugaboo, Phil&Ted, Mountain Buggy, or similar higher-end model
• There may or may not be an air of pretentiousness
  

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture.

I have noticed these mummies for a while now, but it was at Alex's music class that I really noticed the trend. In amongst the Chanel thongs, the gorgeous maxi-dresses, the cutie in pink Ralph Lauren sneakers, the perfect hair, the stunning tans, I started to feel a little intimidated. Luckily I had dressed up a little for the first class, and Alex was in a cute outfit. I started to get the feeling that yes, Alex and I were going to have to start dressing well for every week...

The Organic Yuppie Yummy Mummy is an unexpected mix. Almost an urban hippy, while embracing blatant consumerism. It is fashionable these days to only use organic products, be it food or nappies, but at the same time, only the most expensive organic products will do. Being seen to be doing the organic thing. I can't help cringing whenever I hear a mum, with a huge sense of pride, telling how they only use such and such brand because it's "organic". I question what the baby actually gets out of it.

It actually reminds me of a South Park episode where Kyle's father bought a hybrid car, which leads the family to move to San Fransisco, after Randy tells Gerald that he has become so smug he loves the smell of his own farts. Once in San Fransisco, Kyle's family are among other like-minded folk, who, mid-conversation, fart, bend over and inhale before resuming their conversation. If you can draw the parallel.

It's not just the organic products though. It's the high-end products that many parents feel a need to purchase, even though there is generally no advantage using that product over the less fashionable brand.

On one level, I'm a little jealous. I wish I was pushing the Bugaboo pram. I wish I had a wardrobe that wasn't filled with cheap $10 shirts from Valley Girl, or wherever was having a sale. I was glad I'd left our pram in the car that day, and that Alex wasn't wearing his slightly tattered hand-me-down shoes. I wish I could justify the expense of $40 each for the lovely organic bamboo MCNs. I wish I could tan effectively. I wish I was an organic yuppie yummy mummy.

On the other hand, it almost appears to me that the mums that must have the "must have" items almost treat their baby as a fashion accessory. Their baby must be wearing the "right" clothes, their fashionable nappy bag must be hanging from their stylish pram.

While I have no qualms with following fashions for yourself, I do question the practicality of some of these purchases for children. I like to have brand names too. I just don't see the point with brand names for children. They don't appreciate that they're wearing a Leona Edminston dress when they're 14 months old. They'd be just as happy wearing a five dollar onesie from Big W. To me, it's as simple as styling your child as a fashion accessory for yourself. An extra handbag, if you will.

I mentioned to John the other week how I wished we could have had a Bugaboo pram, and he reminded me the reason we got our pram was because we wanted a sturdy pram we would jog with, which neither the Stokke or Bugaboo options lend themselves too. I'm glad I have my husband to give me a sense of reality.

I don't really hold it against anyone who has the funds, and buys what they buy because they honestly believe it meets their needs. It's when people who don't have the funds think they must have these items when things aren't so great. I think celebrity worship is to blame in part, particularly after the latest wave of celebrity babies hitting the streets. We know Angelina, Naomi and Nicole are using particular products, and damn it, we want it too. Regardless of the fact that these celebrity mums have a slightly larger income than the average mum around here, deep down, we just want to do what the cool kids are doing.

I know it doesn't really matter though, and Alex is doing fine without any bamboo clothing. I'm still spending the next few days picking out what to wear to the next music class though.