Brother Max Combi bibs - A Review

We reached a point not long ago where it became very clear that some kind of food collection function was required at the end of Alex's bib. To be honest, there wasn't really a wide range to choose from as far as crumb-catching-bibs go, but I decided to give Brother Max a try. 

The basic Brother Max bib set comes with the catcher, and three bib attachments. I did like the look of the bibs; the bib attachments are made of soft white cotton (with a waterproof backing), each with either a red, orange or blue edging, and the orange scoopy attachment looked quite funky also. I was a little put off with paying $23ish for the pack. However the only other bibs with catchers I could find worked out to be marginally more expensive per bib anyway. 

I particularly like having the cloth part around the neck, rather than having the whole bib as plastic. I can't imagine it would be nice having a plastic bib attached to your neck every time you ate. I am also a big fan of being able to put the cotton bib part in the dryer. One of the few pitfalls with these bibs though, is that they seem to stain like nothing else. I guess one should expect that with a white bib, but it is annoying having to constantly soak them to get the stains out. The majority of the time, the stains don't come out anyway. I have a banana stain on Alex's blue-edged bib from the first time I used it that has lasted through several soaking with no signs of going anywhere. 

I am also a huge fan of how "nappy-bag-friendly" these bibs are. You can attach a bib to the catcher, roll it up, do up the buttons, and you end up with this cute little package that fits nicely in your bag. Also great for after use - if there is mess, it can be contained in the catcher. Fantastic for my little Grot-Bag, who manages to smoosh everything he eats.

You can also buy extra bib attachments, should the need arise, however these are still quite pricey. We generally only use this bib for lunch and dinner, so we can usually go through a day or two without running out. I have been known to reuse a cloth attachment for dinner after lunch if Alex hasn't completely covered it in banana, ricotta or avocado. We have run out a few times when I have been a bit lackadaisical with the washing, so I have been tempted to buy the extra cloth bib pack.

So to sum up:

The Good

• fabulous at actually catching food, therefore meeting their purpose
• nappy bag friendly
• easy-to-clean orange catcher attachment 
• very nice looking

The Bad

• The cloth part stains very easily and requires a lot of soaking to keep white
• A little pricey

I would say, though, that they are probably worth the money. In essence, they work. They are great for when you're out and about (see Alex's sushi photo). I wouldn't say I love them, because they're a bib and still largely utilitarian to me, but they are cute and have made eating out with Alex less of a nightmare. I give them a 8.5/10.

Out & About with Alex

Just a few not-great-quality-but-cute photos I've taken on my iPhone while we've been out and about lately...

Enjoying his first babycino from Gloria Jeans. Wasn't a huge fan...

He fell asleep on me right at the start of Read & Rhyme last week - which began a week where he fell asleep at every activity we went to.

His first sushi - loved it!

Loved this car while we were shopping with Alex's Nanna the other day.

Pfft, how wrong one can be...

Okay, so the last time I wrote, I was under the impression that as my son had slept through the night for two whole nights in a row, he was now "fixed". I was wrong. The night I wrote that, he was awake for about three hours, from one until four. It's all very random now. We do occasionally have a night where he sort-of sleeps through the night, but they are few and far between. Most of the time, he wakes at least once. Some nights, he'll wake up three or four times, and for hours at a time. I'm back to being incredibly frustrated.

Breastfeeding is still sort of happening, but we have the approach now that he only gets it when he asks for it. When he wakes during the night, I'll give him a feed to go back to sleep, but that seems to be the only time. I question how much milk he's really getting anyway, but if it gets him to sleep, awesome!

Besides that, we are joining lots of different activities to make sure Alex gets worn out during the day. Every second Monday, we go to Storytime at the ABC shop, one Tuesday a month, we go to Read & Rhyme at the library, every Wednesday, we go to Mainly Music, every Thursday is Kindergym (but we haven't made it to that yet), and music lessons at the Conservatorium every Friday. And in between that, I go to the gym two mornings a week and Alex goes to the creche, which always tires him out. On the odd chance we don't have an activity planned, I take him to the park and make him run off some energy there...

It does seem to help. He always sleeps well during the day now. It's so easy for his midday nap. Give him a quick cuddle, sing a quick song, and his eyes are almost asleep before his head touches the bed. Not like at night time, where it usually takes about an hour of screaming, singing, shh-ing, rocking, stroking, and whatever else we're attempting that week.

Alex is getting ever more confident with his walking now. He was previously only walking from one object to another, but will now walk quite freely on his own. It is a slow process, however, as he feels a need to step on any part of the footpath that is a slightly different colour, or is a different texture. Which means that when we are shopping at Westfield, he has to stand on every red Westfield sticker he sees on the floor. And when we're outside, he has to stand on every leaf. While I'm usually happy to indulge, if we're in a rush, putting him in the Ergo is often the quickest option...

He attempts to say a lot more words these days, and is getting slightly more recognisable with his pronunciation. His favourite words at the moment at "click" and "kick", which sound pretty much the same, but are quite cute. It's actually more of a throat-clearing sound than the words, but at least he's trying.

John has started his second CPA module, although again, his study is fairly minimal thus far. He struggles with the motivation a lot. Plus he think he always knows in the back of his mind that he can pass with minimal effort.

We have had many a car issue lately. John's Fiesta suffered some flash food damage and was written off, so we bought a second-hand Alfa Romeo 159 two weeks ago. 'Tis lovely, and it's nice having two cars that the family can go out in. However, last Friday, John had a bit of a scary incident in the Alfa, where the accelerator got a mind of its own, and started speeding up as John took off from traffic lights. Luckily, he managed to slam the brakes on, which slowed it down enough that he could turn into a side street near his work, then he managed to get it into neutral, and with the motor roaring, turned it off in the middle of the street. My hands go cold thinking what could have happened if there happened to be more traffic on the road, or there wasn't a side street to turn into.

So, the Alfa is currently sitting at his work waiting to be towed back to the dealer in Sydney, and we're back to one car for a while. I hope they can fix it; I was starting to really appreciate the lovely leather seats, and the light that comes on under the passenger door at night so you know what you're stepping into, and the automatic rain-sensing wipers, and just the general Italian craftsmanship.

I can only hope it does work out, I don't think I could handle another car purchasing research adventure like we had with the Alfa...

Oh Heavenly...

Oh the wonder of a child that sleeps through the night for two nights in a row! I feel we have finally turned a corner in the life of our precious boy. As mentioned previously, we haven't been sleeping well lately. Say, for the past fourteen months. Things had been particularly horrid of late, with night waking up to four or five times, only sleeping in our bed, needing to be fed to sleep. We have all been exhausted, and to be honest, a little stroppy.

A few weeks ago, John was (creepily, if you ask me) watching Alex sleep one night, and noticed that he was often hitting his head and limbs on the sides of the cot, which then woke him up. We decided to look into cot bumpers, somewhat trepidatiously on my part, due to the big no-no they have from SIDS and Kids. Nonetheless, I couldn't be convinced to part with $100 for a piece of foam that barely covered two sides of the cot. I hence decided to sew my own...

This was ambitious for me, being that my last sewing efforts were in year eight home ec, and they were, quite frankly, shite. However, a cot bumper proved to be quite straight-forward, even without a pattern. Stay tuned for my how-to guide and photos of the end result.

Anyway, the cot bumpers are almost done, except for some prettying up I need to finish, and they have been a revolution. I put them in his cot on Wednesday, and that night, he slept through the night for the first time since he was about two months old (when he slept through the night twice in a row). And again, last night, he slept through. I barely know what to do with myself.

Of course, we have also made some other changes which I'm sure have been of assistance. We've recently switched to one sleep a day, instead of two. I no longer breastfeed him at night; he now enjoys a cup of milk. I read to him and sing a few songs before we head to his cot. We have started telling him that it's "almost sleepy time" an hour beforehand. We try not to hype him up too close to bed time (Daddy's mostly to blame for this...).

So life feels so easy right now. I know I shouldn't count my chickens or eggs or anything yet, but I can't help it.

The sad part is that I have now inadvertently completely weaned Alex from breastfeeding! I meant to have John take a picture of him feeding before we reached this point, but it has kind of happened without me realising. I believe we have gone about two or three days without a breastfeed now, but as I said, it kind of happened without me realising, so I can't remember when I last fed him.

I will miss that special bond we had, but onto the next phase, I guess. On a bonus note, no more nanna bras! I actually fit into my old bras again, and as a result of losing about six kilos in the last two months, I actually fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes. Woohoo! I still have another kilo until I'm pre-Alex weight, and would still like to lose another seven after that, but happy with the hard work paying off right now.

So hoping tonight will be another fabulous night's sleep!

Up on my high horse...

I've been reading a lot in the media of late about encouraging mothers to breastfeed longer, which then brings out a whole bunch of people saying, "I tried, but breastfeeding didn't work for me". The uppity-judgemental part of me can't help but say "slacker". While breastfeeding is such a natural action, it is challenging, but it shocked me to read that only 14% of babies are breastfed at six months. Fourteen percent!! Do people not understand how vital breastmilk is to their child?? How could anyone give their tiny baby something made in a lab instead of the wonderful nutritious milk your body was designed to give them??

So that's my judgemental side. I know every mother has her reasons for using formula, be it returning to work (valid), illness (valid), lack of education (read a pamphlet, bogan), or just pure laziness (see previous comment). I just can't believe more mothers aren't listening to the WHO breastfeeding recommendations. Crazy.

I've been breastfeeding Alex for over thirteen months now, and I do feel the pressure to wean him. People tell me I've done a "great job" to breastfeed as long as I have. That makes me wonder why it's such an achievement. I see it as a purely biological need that I provide for my son. I don't see it as anything special. Baby need food. I have breast that provides food. I give food to baby. That's not to say it hasn't been difficult to keep feeding him sometimes. The first six weeks sucked. I hated that I needed to use a nipple shield, and I guess if I didn't feel the importance of breastfeeding, I may have given up and given him formula. Actually, the thought of giving up never occurred to me, as much as I did end up in tears from time to time.

However after Alex and I both hit our stride, it was fine. We have had a down patch a while ago with the biting, but even that has passed now. I really do understand that some people need to use formula, and I really don't judge them (well, some of them), particularly after bubs are over six months. I just don't think I'm doing anything unusual by continuing to breastfeed.

A family friend (who had given up breastfeeding early and switched to formula) was trying to encourage me a while ago to go to formula so I could regain my independence. That left me thoroughly flummoxed. I gave birth to my child, I am wholly responsible for his well-being. People, including my darling husband, often tell me I should take a break from Alex occasionally. If I had wanted an accessory that I could pass off to someone whenever I was tired, bored, and whatever, I would have gotten a dog. My child's well-being is so much more important to me than my "independence".

My Mummy raised the three of us girls on farms with no family support, and complete isolation. She didn't have the option of "taking a break". While I appreciate the times when I can leave Alex with John or his grandparents, and go shopping by myself, or go out for a nice dinner, I don't see my son as a burden, and I never feel like I need a break from him. Taking care of him, and providing him breastmilk, is my job, and a job I love.

That being said, there does need to be more education for women before they have a child to prepare them for the hard slog that breastfeeding can be. I was chatting with a friend a while ago who is in the midst of research for her PhD on post-natal depression, who said that every single mother she has spoken to, some who had suffered PND and some not, felt like a failure at some point due to breastfeeding. We're led to believe that it is a "natural" process, so it really is shocking to discover it takes hard work, pain, dedication, bleeding nipples, a complete loss of dignity, and the ability to sort through the crap every single person tries to tell you about the "right way to breastfeed".

I think I was shown about fifty different ways to breastfeed before we'd even left the hospital, and none of them worked. I had, however, a sister who used to be a counsellor for the ABA, and who had had her own troubles establishing feeding, so I was pretty prepared for most of it, and knew if I could just get through the horrid phase, it would be okay. I was still in tears by the night we got home from the hospital, because I couldn't feed my son properly.

While I was prepared for the pain and discomfort, it was still disappointing that my body wouldn’t do what it was supposed to. Particularly when I developed mastitis when Alex was two weeks old. I almost felt like a failure that I was too sick to get up and look after my son, and felt the fact I had mastitis was my fault for not being able to breastfeed properly.

I have a little problem that I don’t like to be told how to do things. I like to get it right the first time, and I take it personally when someone gives me advice, however well-meaning it may be. I hence took it personally when the lactation specialist we were seeing gave me a pile of literature on mastitis, and reading through it, I was clearly doing a lot of the things one was not supposed to do. I couldn’t help but feel judged. Of course, one might argue that the information may have been handier before I started to develop the mastitis.

After all of that, I can imagine how easy it would be for someone to quit when the going gets tough. And of course there are people where breastfeeding is so traumatic that it is detrimental to their mental health. I just can’t help wondering that if only there was more education then breastfeeding for more than a few weeks or months wouldn’t be considered a rarity.

He can walk!

Yes, Alex has finally started walking! He has been able to walk quite confidently holding only one hand for a few weeks now, so we knew it wasn't far away, and lo and behold, the other night he finally let go of the lounge and started walking. He's still a little wobbly, and quite often falls forward, but our little boy is definitely not a baby anymore.

The funniest thing is that he keeps clapping himself as soon as he lets go, probably copying us clapping him, but it's quite cute. He frequently loses his balance due to his clapping.

He hasn't progressed much with his speech in the last week or so, but his favourite word is still "go". He loves to shout it when we're stopped at the traffic lights and they turn green, or any time we see anything with Diego on it. His other favourite word is "gone", usually coupled with his hands turned out, and usually straight after throwing his cup/sandwich/dinner onto the floor from his high chair. He is working on "bird", "grandma/grandpa", "pop" and "nan", but at the moment, they're really only recognisable by us.

We're still struggling with sleep, but the last few nights haven't been too bad. The last two nights, he only work once or twice before ten pm, but then slept through until morning. And, shock horror, we didn't have the usual two hour screaming episode before he went to sleep tonight. I feel so much more relaxed right now. I still haven't slept the last few nights, even if he has. I think my brain and body are still constantly on edge, waiting for him to start crying.

We have also realised that one of the reasons he does wake up is because he hits his head on the side or end of the cot. So we have decided to invest in a cot bumper. I want to get one to hopefully help with his sleeping, and potential head injuries, but part of me still has the "cot bumpers are evil" message ringing out, even though they are allegedly safe for over twelve month olds. I guess I need to decide if I can let those fears go, or if I want him to continue getting his limbs stuck in the side of the cot, or constantly bumping his noggin.

I might need to do some more research!

Welcome to the world, Madeleine Rose!

Here are some photos John took of our brand new niece over the weekend at one week old. She's the teeniest baby I've ever seen, born over three weeks early and weighing 2.7kg.

With her Mummy, my beautiful sister

Beautiful dimples

Cuddles with her Auntie Jo

So teeny she almost fitted in the palm of my hand...

A Year in the Life of Alex

Alex's life so far:

12 Week Scan - June 2008

1 January 2009, the day before Alex was born.

Alexander Ethan, brand new at 1:50pm, 2 January 2009, weighing 3.7kg.

Three months - he used to smile and laugh in his sleep

Six Months - his chubbiest

Nine Months - first walk on the beach

Twelve Months

Happy Birthday to Alex!

Ahh, it's been so long since I've updated. The whole Christmas bonanza is one excuse, followed closely by Alex's first birthday. It's been a very fun few weeks.

Alex's first Christmas was fairly quiet. We had intended on travelling down to Canberra with my family, but John injured his back which made extended car travel out of the question. We did have a lovely Christmas Eve lunch and dinner with John's family, which included much seafood. John was in charge of cooking, so we lined up with the hundred of others in the morning at the fish market, and ended up with a live mud-crab among other goods. Christmas day was very quiet. Alex opened the few presents we (and Santa) had for him, then I did some washing, and John had a nap. But it was lovely having a nice quiet day with just the three of us.

Followed a week later by Alex's first birthday. We had a really lovely party at John's parents' house, with lots of family and friends there. I needlessly spent the week before baking goods that didn't get eaten. Alex was extremely spoiled, gift-wise. We incorporated a little bit of Korean tradition as well. There is a small ceremony where the child is placed in front of a few items that represent different "futures" for the child, and whichever the child touches first is their future. We selected our own "futures" for Alex, being a soccer player (soccer ball), accountant (calculator), doctor (stethoscope), international finance (a $5 note) and a couch potato (remote control). Knowing how much Alex loves remotes, we weren't shocked that he headed straight for the couch potato option. John did a "do-over" though, where Alex picked the soccer ball, to his Daddy's delight.

The Diego cake - decorated by John

Jungle animal patty cakes (slightly smooshed by car ride)

With his cousins Zoe & Erin

While all of his presents were cool, this car from the Cliftons was particularly awesome. It was handmade by some guy at Morpeth. Although Alex hasn't quite gotten the hang of riding on it yet...

Besides Christmas and birthdays, our new niece was born the other day, three weeks early! Madeleine Rose, weighing 2.7kg, a full kilo less than Alex newborn. We're off to Canberra this weekend for our first cuddles.

Alex now has his fifth tooth, and I'm guessing the sixth isn't far away either. The teething would explain his extreme lack of sleeping of late, but now that it's through, it hasn't helped that much.

He has also started to balance for a few seconds while standing, so we feel those first steps aren't too far away!

John got his results back from his first CPA module, and from a weekend of half-assed study, managed to get a distinction and be in the top ten percent of candidates. Nerd. (But very proud of him.)

Feels like there should be so much more to update... The new year is here, and as with all new years, John and I are possessed with a great desire to clean and rearrange the house, and exercise regularly. I have actually been going to the gym almost every day, and am on target to meet my goal weight in a few months time. In theory. The house is getting there...

Good night, sweet prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest...

Alex has never been a tremendous sleeper. He has only slept through the night possibly three times in the last twelve months. Compared to other babies, though, I wouldn't consider him a problem sleeper. Until recently.

Up until three weeks ago, I felt like we had hit our stride. Alex was having two good naps during the day, settling himself to sleep at night at about seven pm, waking at eleven for a quick breastfeed, and then sleeping through until about seven am. It was fantastic. And then, all of a sudden, he stopped settling himself to sleep at night. He has been waking and refusing to go back to sleep for hours on end. Waking up at four-thirty or five am, and staying awake.

It's not just waking though. When he wakes, he screams hysterically. After he is picked up, he will generally fall asleep, but will wake up and resume screaming as soon as he is returned to his cot. We have also developed the technique of gently tickling or stroking his tummy or back and singing Christmas carols. This sometimes works, but more often than not, he wakes as soon as you leave the room.

I can only hope this is a phase. A phase that disappears very, very soon.

There is nothing worse than having your child scream and cry and refuse to sleep, and having no solution to deal with the situation. In today's society, we're used to the "quick fix". There is, however, no magic solution to your baby not sleeping properly. There is no switch you can flick. And quite often, when you do find something that works, within a week, it stops working and you have to find something new.

It's frustrating, exhausting, debilitating. It is incredibly confronting to be in your child's room at two in the morning, and fighting the temptation to throw them out the window. Anyone who has spent hours, sleep deprived, with a baby who just won't stop crying, and who won't sleep, could tell you that they begin to understand how someone could shake a baby. Sometimes you just need to put your baby down screaming, leave the room, get a drink, and give yourself a break before you go back.

A lot of mothers, particularly those who are successful in their career, find the sleep issue difficult. When they're used to being able to control what happens in their world, succeeding at everything they try, and then all of a sudden, this little person doesn't do "what they're supposed to". This can be really hard to deal with for some mums. And dads. It's almost as if you've failed.

I remember joking with Kel a few weeks ago that I needed to return my little one. His sleep function is faulty. Surely there's some kind of warranty for defects?

All I can take from this, though, is that it's a reminder that this little baby is a little person, and they will do what they want to do, and sleep when they want to sleep, and you cannot control that. It's a reminder of how amazing it is that not that long ago, this little individual was nothing more than biology, and now they have their own personality.

There has to be some positive that comes from sleep deprivation...

Santa Claus is coming to town

[standing outside a jewellers discussing what to buy Chandler's girlfriend for her birthday]
Chandler: I want to get her something serious.
Joey: You want to get her something serious, get her one of those.. ah.. barium enemas. Those are dead serious, and you know she'll never get one for herself.
Chandler: Look, I'm going in here and you don't buy me anything ever.

It's almost Christmas time! It's Alex's first Christmas, although he did score a few presents in utero last year. We went to get Alex's picture taken with Santa last weekend, which involved waiting in line for an hour and a half for the following result.

It's so much more fun having Christmas with children around. I always felt when we were growing up that Christmas just wasn't as fun without my younger cousins around, showing us what Santa brought for them, and just generally bringing the joy that children do when they're excited and all hepped up on sugar.

While we are yet to put up the Christmas tree this year, I am getting much more in the spirit than I have in the last few years. We're heading out to the vineyards for their Carols in the Gardens this weekend, and I do have Alex's Santa outfit ready to go. I love taking Alex through the shopping centres and showing him all of the lights, and Santas, and the general Christmas-a-rama.

It does bring to mind, however, how we're going to treat the "Santa" going forward. John is all for being up-front and telling him that Santa isn't real. I can see his point, but on the other side, Santa is such a fun part of being a child. I had two big sisters, so I don't think I ever really believed Santa was real, but I still pretended I did. I wrote the letter to the North Pole, we left out the milk & cookies, and had a pillow-case full of presents next to my bed in the morning. In fact, Santa still left presents next to my bed until I was about 19 or 20, and even after that, he was polite enough to leave some under the Christmas tree.

I have read research that says the children whose parents keep up the Santa pretence often feel a sense of disillusionment and betrayal when they eventually find out. It also brings to mind an un-named, incredibly innocent and somewhat precious sister-in-law who found her parents putting her Santa presents out when she was young, so they told her that Santa had in fact died, so they were taking over his role for her. She was devastated, but never actually discovered Santa wasn't real.

Fast forward to her moving to Australia and car-pooling to work with her brother-in-law, my darling husband, who, after hearing her sadness that Santa died, proceeded to tell her that Santa had not died, he just didn't go to Korea because they don't keep the Sabbath holy. My sweet sister-in-law didn't pick up on John's sarcasm, and was so excited about Santa being real, that when she got home she rang her Mum in Korea to tell her how excited she was, and how she couldn't wait to have children so Santa would bring presents, especially now her English was good enough that she could speak to Santa when she met him. No one had to heart to tell her the truth for such a long time. There's nothing worse than finding out about Santa when you're 23.

So I'm sure there's a balance somewhere in between letting your children be children, but not letting them feel betrayed at the lies when they discover the truth. I'm not sure what we'll tell Alex, but we have a few years before he really "gets" Santa anyway, so I guess we'll work out a story before then.

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.

So this is a blog...

Quote for the Day:

"Eh, it's a long story involving my son, a rum cake, and a low counter. Suffice to say, it turns out that, at first, it's... it's endearing to watch them bounce off of the walls, but man... you take your eyes off them for one second... and bam! They got a bucket on their head, and they're plowing right through your brand new flat screen TV." - Dr Cox

I hadn't heard of a "blog" until last year. All of a sudden, everyone was like "ooh, check out my blog", "ooh, did you see XX's blog?", etc. I was pretty keen to not jump on the bandwagon, with a minimal care factor. However, now my darling husband has his own blog re our son and headphones, and I can always use more ways to avoid doing housework, I decided to dip my toe in the bandwagon... (get it?)

So what to write about? I have few veritable interests, besides music, movies, a little bit of photography, and of course my family and friends. So I guess I can write about them. Most importantly, my boys. So I might document our life, plus chuck in a few random reviews while I'm at it. Never reviewed anything before, but with the amount of baby products we have been using, and experimenting with, I think I can think of a few things to say about them...

So about me. I'm 29, have been married to my husband John for about 2 and a bit years, and we have a gorgeous son, Alex, who is almost 10 months old. John and I were in the same year at high school, have been best friends since we were 20, then housemates since we were 23, a couple since we were 24, then married when we were 26.

About John: he's 6 foot, Korean, music lover, headphone addict, "tech-savvy" (i.e. huge nerd), incredibly intelligent yet academically lazy, commercial accountant, CPA studying, lover of fine food, amazing guitar player, basketballer, football mad, Liverpool supporter, smiles all the time, and has impeccable taste in movies.

Me: generally average. I'm a stay-at-home mum. I have 2 & 1/2 degrees - my BA (in psychology), 1/2 an early childhood degree, and my B. Commerce degree. I am an accountant (when working). I love music and play piano. I have a mum & a dad, two big sisters, who I adore, two nieces, one nephew, and another niece or nephew due in early February (I know which, but not allowed to say).

I don't like watching too much TV, but I am a big fan of the TV in general. My current favourites list is Gilmore Girls ("they talk so fast, but they talk from the heart"), Scrubs, Seinfeld, Heroes (just started watching season one, and am so addicted), Buffy (perennial favourite), Futurama... Movies are also a great time waster, but with our little A-man around, I tend to stick more to the 40 minute length options than the 2 hour movies. My current all-time favourite list includes The Royal Tennenbaums, Garden State, The Departed, movies of the Kevin Smith oeuvre, Juno... Need to start watching some new stuff.

So anyway, what's happening at this juncture in our lives...

John is a few days away from his first CPA exam, which I can only assume he hopes will be similar to the review quiz at the end of Go Diego Go, with the amount of study he's done. I cannot wait for him to finish this subject, so we can enjoy doing stuff without feeling guilty about him not studying.

Alex's two front top teeth have cut through! Much less painful than when the bottom two came through. He has been a little cross the last week or so, but hey, who hasn't. He does look super cute with just the bottom two teeth. I'm sure the top two won't take away from the cuteness though.

We're in the midst of seeing if we want to switch to cloth nappies instead of disposables. We're currently spending about $20 a week or so on disposables, which is fairly outrageous. We've so far purchased one MCN (Modern Cloth Nappy) from Ebay, from Hong Kong, and are giving that a trial before we buy any others. Once we've finished our rigorous testing regime, that may be my first review. The cost of MCNs is also a little outrageous ($35 for a nappy!!), but I guess they do work out much cheaper in the long run. Plus we can use them for our next bubba also.

Hmm, what else... I have a five year plan. My lovely friend Jillbert inspired me with her five month plan a few months ago, but I got a little carried away and made a five year plan instead. By December, I was supposed to have lost 7kg, and we were supposed to have made the backyard presentable. Okay, we still have two months, but neither goal is really coming to fruition as yet.

I've been "chubby" for a while now, but I was reasonably happy with my weight before I was pregnant with Alex, but have kind of sadly plateaued at my post-birth weight since Alex was born. Not cool. I have a gym membership I haven't used for a few weeks, but have started trying to go for a 2 km walk every day, and quit the snacking... Somehow I feel I'll need to do something a little more intensive to reach my goal in 2 months though.

Anyway, enough about me. Alex is up from his nap now, so back into Mummy-mode...