the haystack needle

babywearing + my baby carriers

  

Since some of you asked, and since it's a subject that I feel passionately about, I thought I'd share my experience with babywearing. But I do want to first say that I'm not an expert on the topic, nor do I think there's one right way of doing anything parenting-wise — and every baby is different. Every mama gets through the first year with their child (especially those first tough 8 weeks) in their own way, and making it through with a happy child makes every mama such a hero. This is just my experience and what I learned that worked for me, as well as some insight I've gained from talking to other moms who are experienced in babywearing. I'll be totally honest, some of my family disagree (and seem baffled) with my choice to use a baby carrier with Juniper a large majority of the time when we're going places. Finding your own way to get out with your baby and explore, see friends, and do errands is an early challenge as a new mom. I can't thank Adriane at Caribou Baby enough for helping me discover the wonders of babywearing. Here's how I navigated through our first seven months with Juniper — I hope my experience can help some of you.  

Babywearing is one of my proudest achievements as a mother, simply because it has given me so much confidence, independence, and bonded me and Juniper in this remarkable way. Think about it this way. How many people have you spent consider time belly to belly, where you're so close you can touch noses? Probably just your partner. And that's probably the same person whom you can read what they're thinking without them saying a word. That's what babywearing has given me with Juniper. I quickly learned what this expression or that whine meant because I could literally feel the shifts in her energy. But that's not how our story started...

(top photo by my friend Charlotte Jenks Lewis)

sprinkle for "the noodle"

Last Thursday, Juniper and I headed out on our longest journey yet. We took a cross-country flight to Sacramento, where we met up with four of the most amazing women in my life. My college girlfriends and I have a tradition of meeting up for a reunion in a different spot every year (see previous reunions here and here). Since we all live in different places, and life has gotten even crazier with babies in the picture, I love how we've collectively made the intention to find time for these reunions. This year, we wanted to be sure to see each other before Baby Z, or "the noodle" arrives sometime around late February. My friend Trisha is expecting, and I'm so happy I was able to see her and that beautiful belly. Juniper was a rockstar traveler. I was so nervous flying solo with her on a cross-country flight (and a red-eye home!), but she was the best traveling partner. I think she loves all the lights in the airport and a plane is a perfect place for her favorite activity — staring contests with strangers.

Every morning we got to eat breakfast with this view from outside Trisha's door — beautiful, right?! I wish I'd taken more photos of Trisha's home because it's such a gem, and everything was designed with an eye for sustainability. 

We threw Trisha a little sprinkle to welcome the noodle and give her some love. The theme was tea and scones. Erin made an amazing batch of scones (and it was her first time baking scones!) and she even whipped up some homemade lemon butter. I was in charge of favors and decided on these Juniper Ridge soaps. The packaging felt so in tune with Trisha's laid-back style, and I love how the scents are indigenous to California. Plus 10 percent of the profits from the soaps actually goes back to helping the mountains of California. (You can pick up the soaps here.) Since Juniper is the first baby of the group, I thought it felt so perfect — a little luck from the first baby to give to the second. Terah picked up teacups, saucers, and dessert plates from a Salvation Army. Together with a sheet as a tablecloth, the table had just the right balance of sweet and unfussy. We also gave Trisha a copy of the classic, Oh the Places You'll Go, and we all wrote notes on the inside cover about why we think Trisha is going to be one amazing mama. (The idea for this started with my sprinkle.)

Terah's recipe for the yummy scones..

And just for fun...

Juniper and I had a picnic by our JetBlue gate in JFK before heading off to California.

Before we surprised Trisha for her sprinkle, Erin and Juniper and I had an impromptu dance party. So much fun. 

ps. I promise the babywearing post will go up next week! Keep finding more to add :)

Have a great weekend!

crown light bulbs

Last night, when I was changing Juniper's diaper at 3 am, my sweet baby fell asleep on the changing table. But before nodding off, she stretched out her arms to cover her eyes from the bright light above. I need to get crown bulbs for that light. I saw that Adriane had these silver crown light bulbs above the diaper changing nook in her shop, Caribou Baby. The silver coating diffuses a softer, soothing light than regular incandescents or CFLs. On my to-do list — sorry about the bright light, Juni!

ps. I wish more shops were as mama-friendly as Caribou Baby and had a space to change diapers. Juni needs a changing mid-outing every time without fail. 

pps. For you mamas out there, my favorite sleepwear for Juniper are these Kicky Pants coveralls, which have the old-fashioned drop down butt that's super cute (and makes diaper changing in the middle of the night so much easier.) I love how these jammies are made of soft bamboo fabric and fit nice and snug.

silkscreen a crib sheet

Printmaking is one of those arts that I'd love to be able to do someday. In the meantime, it's awesome to have a generous friend who is a master of silkscreening. My friend and shop partner Chris whipped up a bunch of textiles for Juniper using patterns I picked out from one of my favorite craft books, Lena Corwin's Printing By Hand book. I'm so in love with how the crib sheet turned out! When I was shopping for Juni's crib bedding, I was frustrated by how many of the cool, modern nursery collections sell everything in sets (especially when I knew I didn't want a crib skirt or a quilt.) And I was hoping to go with an organic sheet. So I decided to go the handmade route. I bought my organic sheets from the Green Depot. Chris took the templates from the book and had screens burned. I picked out a turquoise color to match the cross-stitch crib bumper I had bought from Auggie. And then Chris worked her magic on the sheet. I love that my little rabbit is sleeping among all the bunnies! Chris silkscreened the same design on my boppy cover, which makes that odd shaped pillow look a little less random on our sofa. Thanks so much, Chris!! Juni and I love the silkscreened additions!

grow strong, little bunny

I can't believe that tomorrow Juniper will be 3 weeks old. How did that happen! Thank you so much for all the sweet notes about the arrival of our Juniper Claire. I knew the beginning weeks would be hard, but I didn't anticipate how challenging breastfeeding could be, or how much your heart aches when you think something might be wrong with your little miracle. I think we've finally turned the corner with breastfeeding, thanks to the help of an amazing lactation consultant and our pediatrician. Juni is now back to her birth weight and eating like a champ. Each day is so different, and she seems to grow and change with every hour. I'm already certain that Dan is going to be her favorite — he's so sweet with her and has already taught her to stick out her tongue (she mimics him sticking out his tongue, it's absolutely adorable to watch.) 

I framed this bunny photograph in a gray barnwood frame I found through a favorite Etsy shop and hung it in the nursery. Then I added one of Shanna Murray's illustrated decals underneath the bunny. I feel like we can exhale now that we made it through the first weeks. So excited to watch my bunny grow.

caribou baby

For a few months, I've been meaning to make my way over to Caribou Baby to check it out. It's right here in Greenpoint actually (thank you to Erin for introducing the shop to me initially). I promise to do a more in-depth post soon (post baby's arrival) photographing this cool shop, but for now, I had to share that this is the best baby shop I've seen in the city. For sure. Everything is carefully curated with a modern ecological eye. Yes, there are the make-you-melt adorable baby clothes, wooden toys, and handmade stuffies you come to expect at a Brooklyn baby shop. But this shop has more than the cute stuff — it has the practical things, too. I went to Caribou Baby in search of a sling. My birth class instructor had tipped me off that Adriane, the owner of Caribou Baby, is a master expert at baby wearing. She wasn't kidding. Adriane spent a half hour with me explaining slings, their fabrics, their benefits, how they're worn, how to tie one, and I practiced on an 8-pound baby doll. There were so many pretty ones to choose from, but I landed on this blue patterned sling, which has a super soft weave. (I plan to be a sling master!) Also scored on this shopping venture: a whale cloth diaper (and a ton of great advice from Adriane on the ins and outs of cloth diapering) and soft bamboo cloth wipes with reddish pink stitched edges.

I don't know if any of you who are pregnant (or have been pregnant) went through this, but I've found myself treasuring these little moments of connection with women who share their wisdom. Especially as my guess date draws near, these moments seem to give me this late-game boost of confidence that yes, I can do this. And I'm so excited for the adventure to begin. 

ps. Thanks so much for all the words of support over these last months. It means so much. I promise not to abandon this blog space after the baby comes (and it won't turn into a baby blog, either. I have a ton of apartment projects I want to share with you.) The posts will likely be a bit erratic though, as I get used to caring for a wee newborn. xo, Jen

nursery peek

I had a fun photography date with my friend Charlotte this morning, and she was sweet enough to capture a quick snap of one of my favorite parts of the nursery — the cloud over the daybed. I commissioned Nadia of Nightwood to make a paper cloud for me when I spotted one of her paper clouds in their pop-up shop. There's something so dreamy and whimsical about this sewn paper cloud, and I knew I wanted one for the nursery. Flash-forward a couple months, and the cloud was still sitting in its box as I hadn't quite figured out how to mount it. Thankfully, my friends Doug and Sue-Anne were over on Monday and became cloud hangers — so now it's officially up.

I almost thought I was going into labor twice over the long weekend. And I'm officially in a space of mind where I'm desperately hoping the baby decides to come soon. I don't think I can wait much longer to see those eyes. Maybe the little bean was just waiting on a cloud.

Photograph: Charlotte Jenks Lewis