PAXbaby

The sand beneath my toes, and in my ears, and caught in crevices where sand should definitely NOT be!  The salt water drying white on my legs, crusted in my eyelashes, and burning my nose!  The buckets and shovels, rakes and pails,  boogie boards and goggles, chairs and umbrellas, snacks and towels that are all handed to me as my children run towards the water with glee!  The cuts and scrapes and bruises and worse from tripping over rocks and branches and their own feet.

You may ask why on earth would we go to the beach as often as we do…

The gorgeous white sand singing beneath my tan legs as I carry my baby to the water’s edge where we will frolic and splash.  The warm water washing up over us as we sit at the edge, tickling out toes, and bring an interesting collection of seashells to inspect! The colorful toys that only are brought out to join us at the beach, completing our fun with star shaped mounds and drip sand castles.  The excitement to be the first one all the way in the water, and then the first one out of the water.  Running back up to our bright blanket to telling me all about their adventures, explaining with large hand gestures how big the wave was and how long the ride was, finding something unexpected under a rock, and how much fun they are having.

Why wouldn’t we come back again and again and again!

With a sick baby in my house, things have kinda gotten backed up. Thus, I am starting my 13 days of what I love with a catch up to Day 3.

Day 1: Breastfeeding.

No matter how many times I do it, it never feels less important. For the first time in my life, my breasts have become as treasured to me as they already were to my husband! With them, I give my daughter everything she needs and she gives me the closeness that I still need from a child that will some day be a completely seperate human being. It is a miraculous gift to give.

It’s also wonderful because it helps her be a good baby and me be a good mommy. She has less stomach aches than any formula fed children that I have taken care of. And I have to spend a lot less time preparing for meals or dealing with loss of sleep. Basically, it is the easiest and best gift that I feel I can give my daughter and I will keep giving it for as long as I can! Oh, and the calories it burns isn’t bad either.

Day 2: Co-sleeping

Co-sleeping is an amazing thing! When babies co-sleep, they breath in more oxygen and spend less energy regulating heat so they are less likely to have some of the health issues of individual sleepers. Thus, I can sleep with less worry. Also, co-sleeping allows me to breastfeed without ever fully waking up. (Unlike other moms, I seem to have more of a problem with sleeping too much.) It also allows me to stay connected to my child while she is in her 4th trimester and I am adapting to her being out of my body. And finally, co-sleeping is wonderful because I get to share my bed with the most important people (…and sometimes puppy) in my world.

Day 3: Taking walks with my kids

Since our daughter was born, our dog, Coltrane, doesn’t get to do as much with either myself or my husband. It always seems like an event to do anything with the two of them. Recently, however, I have begun to attempt to walk both of them (which is quite a challenge). It is the one activity that both Aubrey and Coltrane can be a part of where I don’t feel like I’m losing my mind and it is pretty wonderful. Not only does it give me a little more exercise each day; Aubrey and I get our vitamin D; and Coltrane gets to burn off some energy so he isn’t so crazy. In the end, it keeps the family happy and Coltrane gets a little reminder that we still care about him!

The post Love Day 13: The Beach & Being Mama appeared first on PAXbaby.

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Big families don’t just happen by chance you know… there has to be a will, a want, and a “why not” attitude! In a culture where having 1.8 children is the norm, driving a 5 seater car is average, and going on 1 vacation a year is the minimum, a family the size of mine is considered to be a zoo! Imagine seeing me walking to the park in YOUR hometown! Frazzled, but smiling, ever smiling, mother with a baby strapped to her back & 2 kids holding onto the sides of the over-loaded double stroller chock-o-block full of 2 more kids, supplies, snacks, and extra clothes, supplies, and snacks *just in case!*

My mom often remarks that we look like a Volkswagon full of clowns when we emerge from our mini van! Child after child, piling out onto the sidewalk! We have the blonde one, the redhead one, the towhead one, the dark one, and the whispy baby! We have shouting, laughing, crying, and whining! We have needs, wants, and demands all needing mommy’s attention at the same time! We have a lost shoe, a forgotten bike, a book to be read, a book to read, and a million questions about why kites go up in the air, but sometimes don’t ever come back down! We have paint on our cheeks, clay in our hair, and “what is that on the back of your dress, Mommy?” We have the ones who only eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and those who only eat peanut butter with NO jelly sandwiches, the ones who request no crusts, and the ones who will eat real food! We have the sweet one, the feisty one, the cranky one, the confused one, and the bossy one! We have the adoring big sister, the helpful big brother, the silly little sister, the funny little brother, and the baby who everyone will baby until the next baby comes along! We have the one who has to pick out their own clothes, the one who will wear anything whether it matches or not, the one who will only wear pink, the one who will match whatever his big brother is wearing, and the one who really would rather just be naked! We have love in our hearts, spring in our step, songs on our lips, and a twinkle in our eye as we plan for our next baby because let’s face it, any family who dares to go against the grain and have more than the token 2 children, LOVES babies!

Other kids had lofty goals: Nasa astronaut, doctor beyond borders,hot shot Hollywood actress… me? I wanted to be a mom! More specifically, a mom of 8 kids!!!! In 8th Grade, we were asked to present a report on our “life plan”. Mine detailed very carefully that I wanted to meet a boy, marry this boy, and live happily ever after! With 8 kids!!!!
Well, 5 down, 3 to go, with a happy husband in tow!

When we met, he was planning to finish his 4 year enlistment in the Air Force and get out, go home to south Florida, and join the family business (if nothing else came along).

My mom told me to have him stay in… and here we are. He’s been in 8 years now and planning for a full 20 at least.

He thought we would be like everyone else and get on birth control pills to “plan” when we wanted to start a family. I informed him otherwise… His dad laughed at us and claimed “the rhythm method” never works and we’d end up pregnant right away (we didn’t use the rhythm method, FYI, just mostly fertility awareness). Turns out that the entire point was “moo” (as Joey from Friends would say).

So after trying to get pregnant for a year and a half (or so), hubby rather reluctantly jumped through all the hoops a reproductive endocrinologist puts couples through when their fertility is in question. When we got the oh so helpful diagnosis of “unexplained infertility”, my thoughts went in many different directions at once..

Which brought me to the idea of foster to adopt. And of course, hubby came along too. He got completely on board with it, but I know he just thought it was another crazy idea in the beginning. Then we got to convince our families that adoption isn’t just an option for “those people who are called to it” (how exactly do “those people’s” families decide that they are called or not, I’d like to know?) and get them on board not only with grandchildren that were not genetically related, but also of any possible race, gender, and not necessarily a baby at the time of adoption.

After the adoption roller coaster started, my life seemed to split into two passions: parenting (in an attachment sort of way) and simple living (as in gardening, cheesemaking, and basically doing whatever we can for ourselves instead of paying others to do it).

My wonderful husband has now dug up a good sized patch in the back yard for my heirloom veggies and a nice sized strip of our front lawn too! Why grow grass- grow food!

He’s also learned to put a baby in a wrap and do yard work at the same time. He’s still often wary of joining in conversations with friends from La Leche League, but admitted to wanting to ask a very pregnant co-worker about her birth and baby feeding plans! He just didn’t know how to bring the subject up. This is my husband, the man who was completely weirded out the first time he met my family…. my 2.5 year old baby brother was nursing on the couch watching a movie with us.

So yes. My mostly manly husband is now a babywearing, organic gardening, lactivist that subscribes to Hobby Farms magazine and can’t wait for the farmer’s market to open back up!

The post Love Day 12: Big Families and Adoption appeared first on PAXbaby.

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I’m not a big fan of surprises. In fact I’d prefer you tell me know what’s in my Christmas gift, even if I have to wait 10 more months before I can open it! But I do like the unexpected. Seeing things that perhaps don’t quite fit in yet still look fabulous. Like the shocking pink hair on my favorite Blabla Boogaloo, Yoko…

I love finding babywearing in unexpected places! Last year TurboTax aired this commercial which shows a father wearing his baby in an Ergo! The DVR came in handy the first time I saw this one, and of course my hubby thought I was nuts playing and rewinding and playing again, asking over and over if that was an Ergo baby carrier.

And of course there’s the silly baby carrier sightings, like Luke carrying Yoda during his Jedi training. Although we can’t really call Yoda a baby, the carrier Luke is using was certainly inspired by a traditional meh dai, straps over the shoulders and around the waist.

Babywearing is becoming much more common, or I suppose we should say it is experiencing a resurgence, since carriers carriers have been around since people figured out how to weave cloth together. Even a decade ago, however, it would have seemed strange to see a baby being worn instead of in a stroller.

Now that the benefits of babywearing are getting more attention, celebrities and public figures are catching on. The average family can babywear with pride and not feel like a pariah or earth-hugging hippie (not that it’s a bad thing ;))! It’s still a little unexpected, but certainly a welcome sight to see slings in the media.

On Sunday morning, January 10, as we prepared to leave for church, my Mom called to let me know that my grandmother, Mema, had been hospitalized due to heart attack.  At that point no one really had much information except that she was stable and being admitted to the cardiac care unit for tests and observation.

On Monday morning, January 11, I was awakened about 5 a.m. by contractions that steadily grew stronger and closer together.  I was 40 weeks 3 days pregnant, so we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest baby girl.

Our precious baby girl was born that afternoon and immediately stole our hearts, just as her older sister (3 1/2 years old) and brother (21 months old) had upon their births.  My parents made the three hour trip from Nashville to be with our older children while I was in the hospital.  The news they brought of Mema seemed to be good; everyone thought she was improving and that with time and a change in medication she would be able to go home.

The next twelve days were pretty much a blur of newborn care, mom recovery, tending to the older children, and attempting to get as much sleep as possible.  And then, on Saturday, January 23, my whole world shifted as I learned that my Mema had left this earth and gone to be with Jesus.  As I spoke with my Mom on the phone that morning, I struggled with many things: holding back the tears well enough to carry on a conversation, guilt at not having been able to visit Mema in the last few months, and a profound sadness that my tiny baby had not been able to meet her great-grandmother.

I immediately made the decision that I had to be at the funeral; there was just no way that I could miss it.  Even though that meant loading up all the little people, making the three hour trip, and exposing my two week old baby to all of the people who would be coming and going during the visitation and funeral.  For me, this was really a no brainer, the choice between the temporary hardships of a 24 hour trip to Nashville or a lifetime of regret for not being there.

Mema was a very special lady.  She poured her love into my life from my very earliest moments.  She set an amazing example of what a wife should be as she cared for my grandfather during his years of battling muscular dystrophy.  She demonstrated the love of a grandmother in every way.  She influenced my life in many ways.  Her death is felt by many and by me every day.

Our baby girl is a very special little lady.  Right now because she is ours and, hopefully, in years to come because she grows and matures into the very special lady God has created her to be.  I feel blessed to be her mother and pray that she is as good a woman as my Mema was.

I did get to introduce these two ladies who mean so much to me, although not in the way I had hoped.  Instead of a cheerful welcome into the arms of her great-grandmother it was a tearful, one-sided conversation.

And now it is my privilege and obligation to make sure that this tiny girl knows how much her Mema loved her even though she never met her.  It is my privilege and obligation to make sure she knows that in her final days Mema was very concerned about the well being of this tiny girl.  It is my privilege and obligation to make sure that I pass along the legacy that Mema left.

Mema, you are loved and missed, but a part of you lives on in each of your daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters.  Including this tiny bundle of baby girl that I hold in my arms.

The post Love Day 11: The Unexpected appeared first on PAXbaby.

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Caren of Olives and Applesauce is sweet, nurturing, & passionate about babywearing!  With 3 young boys, she knows that moms need to keep their hands free, and she has provided all of us with a stylish, comfortable, & easy way to do that!  Caren, we  you, and love our O & A too! Just for kicks & giggles, we asked Caren a few questions to show you how creative & cool she is!

PAXbaby: When did you begin babywearing?

I started BW’ing when Trey was about 5 months old, he’s now 4 1/2 already! I had a really hard pregnancy and an emergency section and just had a really hard time bonding with him. He screamed all the time, literally, all. the. time. After a few months a friend offered me her old Bjorn and my life just did a total 180. I could go out again, I took him for walks, I made myself lunch, I picked up the house, I could use the phone again. It was amazing. I found a natural parenting group through craigslist and before I knew it I was totally into the natural parenting lifestyle and I found that we were all a lot happier… I had a life back that included my son but didn’t leave me tied to my couch anymore and that was what I really wanted.

PAXbaby: When did you start designing the  Olives & Applesauce baby carrier?

I started on the first test run of the O&A when our second son, Nathan was born. Nothing was working for me and as the saying goes, necessity if the mother of all invention. Well, I’m apparently the mother of really heavy kids, by 6 months old they were already in the 15-20 pound range and with a childhood shoulder injury I couldn’t use one shoulder carriers anymore. I worked and worked on it and finally signed up for a natural parenting festival about an hour from my house. I took 15 half buckle carriers and sat there all day long. I sold one carrier and it was so exciting for me, it was totally worth that hour each way in driving and sitting there all day. I came home though with 14 carriers and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I realized that the awesome women of TBW would be able to help me really hone my product and so I asked for testers and got an amazing response to the carrier. Over time people requested that I put side buckles on them and gradually we moved away from the half buckle to the carrier that everyone knows and loves now. It’s been an amazing journey and at times a real Godsend. My husband was unemployed for all of my pregnancy with our third son and for a few months after his birth and this little business of mine that started as a hobby allowed us to continue to take care of our boys, I’ll be forever grateful for that.

PAXbaby: How did you come up with O&A’s infamous & creative name?

The name, I get asked about that more than anything else and every time I swear I’m going to make up some really cool answer. I never do though and I’m afraid the real answer it’s really to exciting. I have an odd sense of humor, frequently I am the only one that finds me funny and this was one of those times. My husband got me a balloon for Valentine’s day that had a martini glass and olives on it, it said “Olive You”. The balloon combined with a lack of sleep and a rambling thought train lead me to be thinking about gross food combinations and olives and applesauce was pretty gross to me. At that time I never really had a goal for my business, it was just to pass the time because I can’t stand to be idle so I thought why not? It makes me laugh and it makes me happy so there’s a good name for it. I still have that balloon in my file folder with all of my business paperwork.

PAXbaby: What has been the best part about spreading the BWing LOVE???

The best part about spreading the love has come through our local group. It’s been two fold, first is the actual babywearing. It’s so wonderful to help a new mom who is going through that same frustrating experience that I had years ago. I can see it on her face, she loves her baby so much but she’s tired and she needs her hands back. She feels almost helpless to try and meet the constant demands of a newborn while still caring for herself or other family members. You get her in a good carrier and you just see the look of relief on her face, she totally gets it. She might go on to become a die hard babywearer or she might wear just out of necessity but you know that you’ve helped her get a semblance of order back into her life. She has another tool now to help calm her baby, to help her get her never ending list of things done, to give her a little break but still be near her baby. It’s so rewarding. The second has been an inadvertent benefit, I have found that in the last few years I’ve been able to be a sounding board for mother’s that have had less than wonderful births. You help with a carrier and then your answering breastfeeding questions or something about cloth diapers or baby food and you develop a bond. Birth stories are a universal thing, we all have them and good or bad we wind up sharing them. The good one’s triumphantly and the not so good in an effort to have someone hear us and understand, to help us with the healing. I had two c-sections myself and then a home birth with our third son and I’ve found that women will just want me to hear them. I’m helping them with wrapping their newborn and a half hour later I’m hearing about their birth. I can totally relate because after the first section I just wanted someone to hear me. Everyone wanted to tell me that I was healthy and so was the baby, what else mattered? But it mattered to me and it matters to them to. Our babywearing group has been amazing for so many things and it’s all started with helping a mom and a baby. I wouldn’t trade my experiences with our group for anything.

Sweet peaceful long sleep

So, my friends at PAXbaby have me thinking; Why am I so in love with babywearing?  I am totally over the moon obsessed with babywearing, and I teach it, live it, and breath it.

hugs that last for hours
baby droolie kisses
sweet exhaling sighs of a sleeping baby close to my heart
Breastfeeding in front of many with secrecy
long stares into deep baby eyes
never chasing my 2 year old into the street!
Crumbs down my shirt (front or back, I love both!)
Being able to have my babies nap on the go and not being stuck at home
warmth and closeness
But most of all, I LOVE HAPPY BABIES!

Nursing Judah in Goldfish

Weee!

snuggly!

Nati Savannah and a willing wrappee! 40 lbs 2 1/2 yrs.

newborn back nap

snapshot of ann arbor babywearers!

The post Love Day 10: Olives & Applesauce and Wrap Love appeared first on PAXbaby.

Etsy is a favorite website of the PAXbaby mamas! You can find anything there, and most of it is handmade! We especially love coming across babywearing items on Etsy! Check out these fun finds!

Babywearing gear for little people! These handmade pouch slings are perfect for little girls and boys to carry their dolls or stuffed animals in. I’ve even heard of little boys using them to tote around their favorite trucks! So cute! The mama behind this pouch sling in it’s country-flair bandanna print says, “The slings are for sale — we keep the cowgirls =)”

The mama and papa behind Family Tree Glass are babywearers! Along with this gorgeous Slinging Mama pendant, they hand create beautiful pregnancy, birth and nursing pendants from a rainbow of colors of glass. Each piece is one of a kind, they don’t use molds! Pretty awesome, isn’t it? A beautiful way to commemorate the relationship between you and your little one and remind you of the precious slinging days! Check out their website for even more glass art.

Here’s a babywearing magnet to stick on your fridge! The sweet, hand drawn image shows a baby in mama’s sling. I love the colors on the sling, reminds me of Wrapsody Bali Baby in Iris with it’s rainbow of colors melting together. What do you think?

The art is by Jen Niles and is also available as an ink jet print.

Some of the most inspiring Etsy art we have come across is babywearing dolls. First up, choose from a mother and newborn or family babywearing doll sets. The mama behind these gorgeous works of art is from Sydney, Australia! Her dolls are approximately 5″ tall, perfectly sized for little hands. The babywearing family wears their newborn twins, mama with her sling and papa in his wrap. The mother and newborn is a four piece set, mom can switch between wearing her babe in a pouch sling or wrap! The babies are swaddled and wear adorable elf-like hats.

And check out this needle felted babywearing mama egg! Perfectly sized for your little one’s hands, this sweet mama has her baby all wrapped up in a sling. If you aren’t familiar with needle felting, it begins with raw wool roving which is then poked and squished into form. It’s an arduous process, but the results can be spectacular, as shown with this gorgeous little egg! You can also order this and other egg designs as part of a half-dozen carton of wool eggs. (Could be a perfect basket stuffer for Easter, which is right around the corner!)

We’ll end with some babywearing inspired art. This simple yet breathtaking watercolor art piece depicts a daddy wearing his baby on his back in a meh dai. I love the monochromatic look and simple lines. And baby looks snuggled against daddy’s back, maybe even sleeping! One other cool thing about this picture, if you haven’t noticed, the fabric in the background is none other than the same as our Zoye Beco Butterfly II! Pretty neat!

Thanks to all the Etsy mamas and papas for inspiring us and creating works of art that remind us to cherish our little ones and wear them often!

:: this belly ::
26-ish weeks. every single wiggle and kick brings a smile.

:: new mitts ::
goldenrod cestari merino + coconut buttons = happy hands indeed.

:: cute thrifted boots to wear with cute thrifted skirt ::
maternity skirt mentioned above has an elastic waistband and a button fly! how funny is that!

:: color, color everywhere ::
we have painted every day this week and have no plans to stop.

:: this weather ::
spring in january. ’nuff said!

:: new fluffy fiber ::
what will i knit? oh, the possibilities!

yours in loving life and making happy,
erika

The post Love Day 9: Etsy and Warm Fuzzies appeared first on PAXbaby.

We love Beco Baby Carriers so much that we’ve devoted an entire blog to using, choosing, tips, hints and everything we know about Beco carriers. myBecoBaby.com was started as a way to share information about the Beco carriers. It’s helpful, it’s funny, it’s informative! If you’re looking for the latest, new prints, design changes, or just need some help getting comfortable with your Beco, check out myBecoBaby.com!

A sweet ode to Beco:

Before you, my arms were heavy.
Before you, my back was achy.
Before you, my body was tired.
Now, my arms are free!
Now, my back is strong!
Now, my body is happy!
And my baby is peaceful.
And calm.  And happy.  To be worn.  All day.  Every day.

I LOVE the closeness.




I LOVE ability to nurse on the go. (Though, I have no pictures to prove it!)

I LOVE having my hands free AND happy babies…
(even wearing two babies at once!)

Much LOVE,
Carrie

The post Love Day 8: Beco and Babywearing appeared first on PAXbaby.

Living in Southern California, we don’t usually see much wildlife!  The only interesting animals we see outside of the zoo are squirrels, the occasional skunk or possum, and bats if you are in the right place at the right time.  Here in Australia and in New Zealand, we have seen so many fascinating animals, including a 3 foot monitor lizard in the rainforest, and a mob of kangaroos who come every afternoon to the local golf course to graze!  (If you are ever in Yamba, make sure to walk by the Golf Club on River Road!  You’re sure to see them there!)

But even though we have seen kangaroos in the wild probably a dozen times now, we still can’t believe how adorable they are!  HUGE feet, deer-like faces, tiny arms like a T Rex, long tails, and big intelligent eyes!  We saw wild blue penguins in New Zealand, and kiwi birds!  My daughters’ favorite birds, the pukeko birds! And “heaps of sheep” as my kids say now!

A turkey that we visited with really got a bit personal while I was wearing a sleeping baby! Unbelievably large spiders, and fast moving skink with places to go!  Grasshoppers flying noisily through the air as we walked, gigantic ants, and miniature horses!

“I’m going to marry that boy someday”. The words from a very young and much in (puppy) love 12 year old girl.

When I saw Steve for the first time, I couldn’t stop staring. He was very tall, thin and had this shaggy blonde hair that made my heart skip a beat. He liked good music and was a total skateboarder. I melted in his presence.

Our friends liked each other and would talk but since he was very shy, we didn’t talk (except on msn chat) for a couple years. Even when I started going to the school he went to, we pretended we didn’t know each other. It became a game to me and I was determined to win him over. He had never had a girlfriend and had other things on his mind. I was a bit boy crazy which is kind of what made our relationship fun. So I began the journey. My mission: marry that boy.

We were total opposites. But whoever said “opposites attract” was dead on. He was shy, quiet, had a few close friends he opened up to and was very tall. I was loud, outgoing, friendly and very short. It didn’t take long to win him over. I was a very persistent, determined girl who wouldn’t give up and Ill never forget the day he asked me to be his girlfriend.
We had gone to a movie and he put his arm around me and I felt like I was in a dream. After the movie his sister drove us home (I know, so romantic! But remember we were only 14) and when we got to my house, he walked me to my door. He looked really nervous and started to stutter a little.
“Um, Alisa…. I was just wondering, if you would be my “girlfriend”?”
The best part is that when he said “girlfriend”, he actually did the quotation sign with his fingers. How could I say no to that?
The rest is history. We spent every moment possible together and we never got bored or sick of each other.



He purposed out senior year on our 3 year anniversary on the side of a cliff at our favorite spot in Alaska.


We got married in July, two months after we graduated and it was one of the best days of my life. It was absolutely beautiful and we were surrounded with all our friends and family.



As if we didn’t have a busy enough year, we were blessed with the perfect surprise, a baby! We hadn’t planned on getting pregnant so quickly, but we were more than excited when we found out! God had a plan and it was better than anything we had hoped for. The next year, I gave birth to Levi Abner James and he is our everything.





The reason I wanted to write about Steve is because he was my first love. He turned my world upside down and still makes me melt. He changed my life and made me become a better person. He treats me like a queen and provides our family with everything we need. He is the hardest worker I know and I am blessed to be a stay at home mom to our wonderful son. He encourages me in all of my passions and hobbies and he puts Levi and I above himself.
Our love has come along way and is definitely not that puppy love it started with. We have had trials and some days are better than others. But there is no one I’d rather be with.
He is a man of God, a wonderful husband and an amazing Father. And we are a very blessed family.

The post Love Day 7: Animals and Puppy Love appeared first on PAXbaby.

In a perfect world, everyone would wear their babies!  Slings, pouches, and carriers would be commonplace, and expected.  But sadly, we live in a society where babywearing is still considered to be odd, crunchy, or plain old bizarre.  I find myself grinning like a lunatic at other babywearing moms that I pass, but hopefully they are just as happy to see me & my baby too!  Sometimes it feels like a secret club, and I am so lucky to be part of it!

When I stumble across babywearing in unexpected places, I LOVE it!  In movies (Star Wars Attack of the Clones), in books, in vintage family photographs, but my very favorite find is babywearing art!  The ALWAYS peaceful expression on the mothers’ faces reminds me of what I want to look like while wearing my baby!  Serene, relaxed, and enjoying the nurturing moment!  If this were a perfect world, my house would be full of babywearing art to remind me to savor the moment and enjoy the peace!

An early American Illustration showing a family on their way to church. Notice the baby in the sling!
This is Happy Family from Picture Lessons Illustrating Moral Truth (a childrens’ primer). Circa 1850.

Kee Fung Ng is a Chinese artist who escaped red China to San Francisco. His most cherished paintings depict children. This one of a child wearing a baby in a traditional meh dai carrier is circa 1970.

French artist Jean Charlot (1898-1979) created beautiful illustrations with Mexican and pre-Hispanic themes. It is said that his favorite subject was babies in slings!

Contemporary artist Erika Hastings used watercolor to create this sweet image of a baby being worn by her mother in what appears to be a Soft Structured Carrier.

When I was a mere 14 years old, still biting my lip over being an entire foot taller than the majority of my peers, my English teacher requested that we write an essay about “love” as a nod to the impending February 14th.

What is true love?

Pretty abstract for a group of high school freshman that liken “true love” to awkward fumbling in a backseat, right?  I was stumped.  I had never kissed a boy, or held hands in a dark movie theatre.  I had never slow-danced.  Or found a note tucked into my locker between classes.  & the more I thought about the subject, the more I despaired over being the only 14-year-old in the entire universe that had not locked lips.  (obviously, my flair for the dramatic has come honestly by decades of careful practice.)  I believe I tapped out something self-righteously angry about how love could not be boxed in, could not be defined, & how this was pretty much the worst essay, like, EVER.

I got my first C- on that paper.

Fast forward 12 years again to the topic of love.  With a little more maturity, I can attempt to define love – my husband, who kisses the back of my neck every night before we fall asleep.  My son, who has my smile.  My friends that brought me pink slippers & bottles of liquor when I lost my first baby.  My dog, curling up at my feet every night in loyal companionship.   Snow & chocolate chip cookies.  My Moby wrap, the Twilight saga, perfectly ironed table linens, & the smell of Christmas.  & today, despite every single one of the things listed above (minus the Christmas smell since it is January, after all), the greatest definition & example of love are these:

Tissue paper pom-poms.

Over a month ago, I came up with the brilliant idea of throwing The Momma (aka my mother) a birthday brunch at the end of January.  Despite the fact that I have an infant son & returned to my full-time office job only three weeks ago, I saddled up the troops & forged ahead.  Ten of her closest girlfriends at my house, celebrating a woman we love.  & although she insisted that I throw a few eggs & a pre-made coffee cake on a plate, I wanted to really do this right.  Let’s be clear that I am NOT Martha Stewart.  I struggle mightily to take thoughts into action, but I felt determined to whip every piece of linen, tissue, & Southern Charm I owned to exemplify this amazing woman.  Decorations, food, & friends to reflect her own beauty, class, & grace.  Invitations were mailed on linen paper, with every single invite RSVP’ing in the positive.  A miracle!  I spent every free waking moment (& trust me, I don’t have many of those!) making & fluffing poms, polishing silver, washing crystal until it sparkled.  All with a joyful heart, knowing it was for a woman I love.

& then the unthinkable happened:

No, really.  It’s unthinkable.  We live in North Carolina, where the chances of snow are about as good as K. Stew ever giving a gracious interview.  So despite the forecast, I plugged on without rest, dipping truffles & strawberries, ironing pink tablecloths, & gluing butterflies to every surface imaginable.  & when I woke up this morning to multiple inches of snow with more pounding down, I sat at the dining room table & cried.  Not for my own hard work, but because I had been dreaming of this day for a month, when I could show my mother & all of her girlfriends just how much I love her.  It may have been pink tissue paper to everyone else, but to me, those tissues represented years of IOU “thank you’s” & “I love you’s.”  With a heavy heart, I called each guest to cancel & reschedule.

Because for the first time in my life, I truly understand love.  A love that is unconditional, unrelenting, & soul-consuming.  The sacrifices, selflessness, & loyalty that comes with being a mother.  I know that The Momma spent her entire life showing & teaching me how to love that deeply — did I ever truly appreciate it?  Or did it take becoming a mother myself to fully understand the extent of her heart?

Momma, I get it now.  & I cannot wait to show you for the rest of my life that I finally understand.  Even if it’s through fluffing tissue–paper at midnight on a Friday.

The post Love Day 6: Art and Tissue Paper Pom Poms appeared first on PAXbaby.

My husband knows a good thing when he sees it!  And when it comes to baby stuff, he has an eye for the superfluous!  Fancy cradles and bassinets?  NEVER, he said!  Expensive clothing to be outgrown in a week?  No thank you, he said!  Fancy strollers with all the bells & whistles?  No need, he said!  Baby carriers to suit any need?  Absolutely, he agreed!  And so, we are the proud owners of 2 stashes, HERS and HIS!

My husband is a man with no time to spare.  He needs to be able to pop that baby in and get on with it!  He needs to be able to buckle on the carrier while locking the car with the other hand all the while making sure that his smoothie doesn’t spill!  He needs to be able to put on the carrier without putting down his cell phone OR his GPS.  And all this while taking care of the 4 older kids.  In a nutshell, my husband needs a good SSC to keep his life simple.  SSC = Soft Structured Carrier or Simply Sensational Carrier if you ask him!

Buckle the waist, put baby in, shoulder straps up, buckle the chest strap, continue with his day!  He has his hands free for zipping zippers, flying kites, building sandcastles, applying band-aids, and whatever else may happen in his everyday life as a stay at home dad!

2009 was a year of change for me! In January, my husband and I found out that we would be bringing a child into this world which did amazing things for us…after my husband adjusted to my ridiculous hormones and I came to terms with the fact that I was being invaded by an alien and nothing would ever feel (or fit) the same.

In May of that year, my husband and I planned to move back to Oklahoma where both of our families lived. It seemed to be an impossible journey with our financial situation at the time; but when push came to shove, both our families and our friends gave us the help and financial support necessary to make our way home.

Then, a very long and arduous summer began. We moved in with my in-laws so that we could start saving money for our nest, which was both a blessing and an ordeal. My husband spent most of the summer working as much as he could and I pulled in some temp work. And in the end, we were in our house awaiting our wonderful bundle of joy.

After our daughter came into the world, things were amazing. We had found a way for me to stay at home with her and my life could not have been more satisfying; but, too soon after her arrival, my cousin, who had been struggling with a rare lung disease, passed away. It was a heart breaking moment in my life but my daughter had given me strength beyond any I had ever known. It was also an event that brought my extended family together.

Through sickness, divorce, and misfortune, it seemed that my once very close extended family had endured some damage that I was unsure would heal. With the sickness and then death of my cousin, everyone came together. We were reminded of why our family is so lucky and so rare. In a time when technology seems to be pulling others apart, we found ourselves pulling together and even using the technology to do so.

So, as I think about love in 2009, I think of all the times that I was proud of my family and the love that I continue to share with my friends. I think of our precious little girl who has brought more love to my already overflowing heart. I think of our rambunctious dog that has been tolerant as we have taken him across the country and forced him to share his territory. I think of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who are a great blessing to me. And most of all, I think of my husband who is the center of it all, my other half, and the person most responsible for all the love in my life.

The post Love Day 5: Daddies appeared first on PAXbaby.

PAXbaby

Even moms are allowed to like cool music, and even moms are allowed to make cool music, right?  PAXbaby has Gwen Stefani for years now! We both grew up in Southern California, and in high school, I swear I was 1 step ahead of her fashion!Does that mean I wore bright yellow Doc Martens and dyed the bottom 2 inches of my hair PINK? Yep, I did it, and I did it before the rage hit MTV, just ask my mom! I also favored a light blue tutu and my favorite coat was green velvet, real fashion trend setter, eh?  Anyway, when Gwen became a mom, I was not surprised that she and her hunky husband, Gavin Rossdale, babywear!

The couple have been spotted wearing their little boys on multiple occasions! Gwen Stefani, you are cooler than cool, you have a great body, your husband is a great dad, you’ve got it going on! Rock on, babywearer!

Lately around the blog-o-sphere, I’ve seen quite a few gals include honesty and being “real” in their yearly resolutions and goals.  Following along in that mindset, I thought I would clue my readers in to why I brag about and truly love my husband.

I don’t just BLOG/BRAG about my husband.  I truly do love this man.  He rocks my world (I just HAD to get him to smile!)  Unfortunately, he hasn’t always been the love-of-my-life.  We’ve lived in some dark days and not many knew.  I did really well hiding it and I was ashamed that MAYBE all those who told me to not marry Hubbie, might be right.  Thankful, God had other plans.

When we got married, we were so very very VERY young.  HA!  The fact that I am almost 28 years old AND have almost been married for 8 yrs, tells you, when I got married, I was a spring chicken!  We both were.  It was ok.  We had plans.  We had goals.  We were gonna “blow this joint” and make tons of money and have fun.  We knew what we wanted and we knew just how we were gonna get it.

Some of our marriage problems were my fault.  Some of our problems were my husband’s fault.  I am NOT throwing him under the bus, but he was not ready to be married.  I spent so many times just crying and pleading with him to pay attention to me.  I expected him to fill all my needs.  I expected so much more from him than he was giving me.  I felt cheated out of my perfect marriage that I expected to have.  I did anything and everything I could to make him notice me.  Not sexually.  Emotionally.  He helped a little bit around the house. We still had fun in those years, but he made some really stupid choices and didn’t want me to have any input in those decisions that were gonna effect me AND our “future”.  I was so hurt.

Then, Easter Sunday 2004, I found out that I was expecting.  I was so scared.  I knew we couldn’t afford a child.  We were children ourselves.  I can remember crying when I found out that I was pregnant.  I was not expecting this.  During this time, we had racked up quite a bit of credit card debt.  We planned on Hubbie getting a really good paying job when he graduated with his degree, but he didn’t.  Hubbie was working two jobs and going to school.  Then he was put on academic probation.  We had made a bunch of stupid financial decisions and it all kinda fell on top of us once we knew we were pregnant.  I think this is when our marriage began to slide along rock bottom.  We were forced into this extremely stressful position.  Hubbie took a job that I didn’t want him to have.  He was miserable at it.  I was working and very excited to be having a baby, but my husband wasn’t.  I was devastated.  I wanted us to both be happy and excited.  Hubbie told me that he was scared and wasn’t ready to grow up yet.  We fought like cats and dogs.

December 2004, Bubbie was born and he became my world.  Hubbie had quit the car dealership, worked with his dad for a little while and then had gotten a good paying job shortly before having Bubbie.  It felt good to have some stability, but I was still working.  I felt like a failure of a Mother, by working and not being able to take care of my child.  With this(Hubbie) job, came horrible working hours.  It was a very physically demanding job and horrible hours- split shift and nights.  Bubbie became my focus.  If I wasn’t working, I was with Bubbie.  We played.  I took pictures of him.  He became my buddy.  That is the way we lived for the next year.

I remember the day my world and our lives changed.  For the better.  Hubbie had been sick with a kidney stone and if he missed any more time from work, he would be fired.  I was on my way to pick up Bubbie from my in laws and Hubbie let me know that he couldn’t go work that night.  I can remember the knot that formed in my stomach.  I was hurt and angry.  I didn’t understand how my husband could fail so miserably as a husband.  To just leave a job knowing that your family NEEDS it…..  I was raised to just do it- whether you didn’t like it or not- JUST DO IT…. and I felt like he was giving up.

That was a Thursday.  The next day, I sat in my car during my lunch break, wondering and crying and going over the numbers.  The credit card debt was so incredibly high that the minimum payments were quite high.  We just could NOT do it without Hubbie’s salary.  No matter what.  I called Hubbie and cried.  I did not know what was going to happen to us.  I imagined the worst.

I didn’t tell any co-workers for a few weeks.  Hubbie still had another paycheck, so I knew we’d be ok for a week or so.  Then we asked our parents for help.  We promised we would pay them back.  The help from our folks and our 3 credit cards allowed us to make our payments for the next month or so.  During that time Hubbie worked with his father.  He kept Bubbie with him a little bit.  Hubbie also got in touch with a family friend who was helping him find a job in his career field.  Hubbie had to do a lot of brushing up on his skills.

Hubbie did eventually get that job, but during that time, having to max out credit cards and do a lot of financing of our monthly lives- robbing Peter to pay Paul- was humiliating.  I felt like a failure.  I was so angry at Hubbie for letting me down.  And I, like an awful wife, let him know it.  I can still remember the evening that I made sure he knew how badly he had failed as a man, a husband and a father.  Tears sting my eyes when I think about how horribly I treated my husband.  I heard my inner voice telling me to BE QUIET, but I ignored it.  He hurt me and I wanted to hurt him back.  I felt like the weight of the world was on MY shoulders and it was not fair.  That night I was planning on maxing out our last credit card in order to pay rent for the next month.  The future looked bleak and Hubbie had NOT gotten the new job.

A few weeks later, Hubbie was offered a job.  I was thrilled until I found out what the pay would be.  We would be taking a HUGE cut.  Hubbie would be bringing home about 1/2 of what he had been making.  I was devastated.  Why were we given a job at such a low pay grade?  We couldn’t live off of what we would be bringing in.  I did our bills and we would NOT make it.  We could pay all of our bills, but we would have no money left in order to eat, fill up our car, etc.  I was so upset.  We were still doomed.

The evening that Hubbie brought home his first paycheck was the beginning of a new life for us.  I flew off the handle when I saw exactly how much little the check really was.  It was NOT going to cover the bills coming in.  I felt hopeless.  What was I suppose to do?  I was a mother, wanting to be home with my son, but yet, I was working 40 hrs a week from M-F and then picking up every Saturday that I could so that we could make ends meet.  And after all those hours, it still wouldn’t cover our bills.  We had yet another heated conversation.  I yelled.  Hubbie yelled.  I threatened with divorce and bankruptcy.  Hubbie told me he’d give me a divorce and that is how we ended our conversation that night.  I called my mother, crying.  I knew our marriage was over and I just wanted it all to be over.  I wanted anyone and everyone to take away my pain.  My financial pain.  My marriage failure pain.  I didn’t care anymore.  I was just tired of it all.

The next morning, the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2005, my Dad called.  He told me that they had set up a counseling session with a couple at their church.  We were to meet them later that afternoon.  I will never forget that first counseling session.  We cried.  We held hands the entire time.  I think we both knew that if this didn’t work, we were heading for divorce and bankruptcy.  Something had to change.  We talked about how our expectations of our marriage hadn’t panned out and how hurt we were about how our marriage had played out.

After that first session, life got easier.  We began to do our home  work.  We began to work on our finances.  I enrolled in a consumer credit counseling service and they were able to lower my interest rates.  The payments became a little bit more bearable.

A month later my parents put together a Dave Ramsey-FPU course at their church.  We learned how to budget.  We  learned how to respect each other and communicate.  We fell in love again… with life and with each other.  Through FPU and marriage counseling, we became a family for the first time.  We began to feel God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives.  Life became good.  Life was still tough financially.  We struggled through the first few months, but we loved the financial freedom that we felt for the first time in our marriage.  We were finally living off of what we were making.  The credit cards had been cut up.

I write all this, not because I want to embarrass my husband or myself, but to tell others that God has a most beautiful plan for your life.  He had one for mine.  If we had not gone through those really dark days, I wouldn’t know the Lord like I do today.  For me, I needed to go through those dark times, to be able to see who my Heavenly Father was.  I had always believed in prayer, but it wasn’t until I felt God’s forgiveness, that I realized that I was loved.  I grew up in church and in a very loving and Christian home, but for some reason, I never understood that God wasn’t a score keeper.  He wasn’t keep track of the Sunday services that I was missing or why I hadn’t tithed in months.  I was being disobedient by not doing either of those, but, He wanted me more and it took going through a really miserable time, for me to see why I needed my Savior.

I became a Christian at a young age, 12 yrs old, but I didn’t understand what the hard times would be.  I knew they’d come, but I didn’t know they’d come in the form of a loveless marriage or in financial ruin.  Once we began to follow God’s guidance and tithe, the blessings began to flow.  Hubbie got a new job that paid A LOT more.  We were blessed with the news that I was pregnant with Peanut.

Then we were able to pay off our car.  Paying off the car almost 2 yrs early was a complete answer to prayer.  I was then able to stay at home with my sons.  Things in our life began to fall into place and we could see God’s handiwork in our lives, our marriage and our family.

God has continued to shower His blessings upon us and I love my husband more today than I did when we got married.  I am so thankful that I stuck around to now be the mother of Hubbie’s three sons.  Our life still has ups and downs.  We had a roller coaster of a year last year, but we have still been able to see God’s hand in our lives.  God is awesome and a loving Heavenly Father.  And Marriage rocks!

My husband is truly my best friend and my confidant.  He loves me for me.  Hubbie is an extremely hard working man- giving 110% to his job AND at the same time, devoting 110% to his family.  He has development so many wonderful characteristics over the last few years and I am continually amazed at my husband.  I want to grow old with this man.  I love you.

The post Love Day 4: “No Doubt” and Keeping It Real appeared first on PAXbaby.

Nothing like a tide pool to demonstrate NATURE at its finest!  My homeschooling class of 5 – 1 first grader, 1 kindergartner, 2 preschoolers, and 1 tag-along sibling – enjoyed a beach hike, jellyfish dissection, tidepool exploration, and a sudden thunder storm during one homeschooling day in Australia!

We’ve been homeschooling since we left California last September, and we’ve decided that there is no better way to teach our children than by traveling!  What a lot they have learned!

Rainforest walks, the differences between kangaroos & wallabies in the wild, how to make shells into necklaces, swimming skills, cooking classes with mom, rock climbing with dad…  Nature is at its very best when being explored by young people eager to learn!

There’s the superficial part of me that loves shopping or the kid in me that still gets giddy over cards in the mail. And there’s the perfect relaxation, going to the salon and getting my hair done.

But what I look forward to every day is the absolute joy I feel when I pick my kids up from daycare.

I enjoy my job but it doesn’t compare to being a mom. It doesn’t matter how stressful my day was, the moment I walk into daycare and hear my 2 year old yell “Mommy Mommy! My mommy’s here!” I’m in
bliss.

This is something my husband also enjoys. So as juvenile as it might sound we “fight” over who gets to walk into the room first. The winner is the recipient of a running hug from an enthusiastic 2 year old. Next up is our 1 year old. Winner is greeted by a baby, arms extended, impatiently waiting to be picked up for a hug.

That time at daycare, those 10 little minutes, free from the madness of deadlines and bedtimes, full of pure happiness, that is what I love. That is what I live for.

The post Love Day 3: Homeschooling and Away From Home appeared first on PAXbaby.

I’m sure we make it look like it comes naturally, but the PAXbaby mamas are really novices at blogging! Hee hee! But we try hard and hope our effort speaks stronger than our often clumsy execution!

When we started posting the things we love on our blog as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we were having so much fun that we decided to ask some PAXbaby fans and blogging mamas to join us. Well things grew quickly and our clumsiness perhaps took over again, but we have found some polished and eloquent moms who are excited about blogging the things they love along with us, no matter how unorganized we have been!

So today we celebrate the patience and tolerance of these lovely mamas as we present our
2010 13 Days of Peace and Love Blogroll:

If we’ve forgotten you, so so sorry! Please let us know and we will update our blogroll!

The post Love Day 2: Blogging! appeared first on PAXbaby.

I’m a black thumb when it comes to gardening, I am not much of a cook, and I can’t sew a straight line worth beans.  But give me a (relatively) simple recipe to bake, and I can pull it off with (relative) success!  The only thing is, I have to be able to make the recipe while wearing the baby!  Otherwise, he ends up on the table, getting flour in his hair, and no one, not even his grandma, wants to eat a treat that he has had his paws in!

So, when I found this pretzel recipe, I decided to give it a whirl with the kids, and it was an instantaneous hit!  By the time the big daddy got home from his errands, every last pretzel had disappeared into our growly tummies!  I made a few amendments, and developed a treat version also, perfect for Valentine’s Day!  We’ve made this recipe almost weekly even while traveling through Australia, it is THAT easy!  Keep in mind, this recipe doesn’t make traditional Bavarian pretzels, but kid friendly, delicious doughy pretzels that you can make in batches for special occasions, school parties, and just for your own family’s enjoyment! 

PAXpretzels – will make 8 large or 10-12 small pretzels

1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp cinnamon (less or more depending on your love for cinnamon)
1 cup warm milk (1 minute zapped in the microwave)
2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour (add more if the dough is still wet)

• Preheat to 425 degrees & set a pot of water to boil.
• Combine & mix the first 4 ingredients.
• Start adding in 2 cups of flour, and add more slowly while stirring (beware the white poof if you add the flour too quickly!)
• You’re looking for your dough to go from a thick batter to a bread like dough that you can hand knead.
• Spread a handful of flour on your clean (no children’s tongues have licked it, please!) surface, and hand knead your dough for 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth & satiny.
• Cut the dough into even pieces and roll into short snakes.  Let the dough relax for 10 minutes, and stretch the snakes longer.  Shape into pretzels, roll into cinnamon roll shapes, or pinch the middle and curl the sides around into hearts.
• Boil each pretzel for 5 seconds and place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each PAXpretzel with a cinnamon sugar blend.
• Bake for 8-15 minutes depending on the size of the pretzel! Eat as soon as you can without burning your tongue!

All done, mama!

Aren’t they BEE-You-T-FULL???

A yummy heart just for my little love!

I wanted to be a mommy my whole life. I wanted a baby. I want to feed a baby and clothe a baby and change diapers and rock a baby to sleep. I loved to soothe crying babies and cuddle babies and kiss baby cheeks. I baby sat, had 30 cabbage patch dolls, tried to surround myself with babies every moment I got!

I knew a mother’s love for her child was like no other I heard the moms say “I never knew love until I had my baby”. I wanted that love. I saw babies only want their mommies when they were scared or sad or even just happy. I wanted a baby to want me.

I loved my baby like that the second I knew he was there. I felt that connection from the first fleeting thought of curls, rosy cheeks, and smiles. I knew what I would have with my baby would be extraordinary!

Sure enough, I had Austin. I loved him exactly like I knew I would. People asked me “did you ever imagine you would love someone so much?” I just smiled and shook my head each time, but honestly, I thought the answer “yes,” every time. I knew how I would love him. I knew he’d be irresistible to me. I knew that huge vacant space in my heart would fill, and be overflowing, with this indescribable feeling for my baby.

The moment I heard his cry in that OR Thanksgiving morning, not knowing if it would be there or not, put all of the pieces of my life together. There was that baby, healthy and here, ready for me to love with every ounce of love I already had for him, have for him, and okay, probably a little extra that I couldn’t imagine I’d have!

Motherhood makes me so happy. I love it. I love knowing the different cries he makes & knowing exactly how to fix it. I love knowing exactly where to tickle him so that he smiles and squirms. I love knowing that when he’s sucking on his pacy & his eyes get really big, it means he’s hungry & wishing it wasn’t a pacy at all. I love knowing that he likes to copy me when I stick out my tongue or make AAAH sounds. I love knowing the perfect combination of swaddle, sleepy, and music makes him comfy & dreammy in his bassinet, but that he’d really rather cuddle with me. I love his exasperation when I text on my blackberry instead if singing his favorite song, which I love knowing is Father Abraham. I love weighing him every week and seeing him grow before my eyes with nourishment that only I can provide him. I love that “nom nom nom” sound he makes when he’s nursing. I love noticing when he does new things, like noticing his mobile for the very first time. I love that he looks like me. I love when he makes new noises. I love that I know exactly where to pinch his cheeks to make him giggle. I love when he squeals because he’s so excited. I love when he pees on me, even though it’s gross, it’s so so funny. I love showing him off to my friends and family. I love knowing they love him too. I love that I forgot my birthday because I was so wrapped up in him. I love taking hundreds of pictures of him & I love looking at them over and over again. I love that my instincts know exactly what to do. I love when I look over at him and he’s just gazing at me smiling. I love that my heart melts & my eyes well up every time I remember that memory. I love that I feel this way about him.

I love being his mommy. It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done in my life.

The post Love Day 1: Babies & Homemade Pretzels appeared first on PAXbaby.

What do you love? St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and starting February 1st, we will count down with a PAXbaby LOVE and one of YOUR loves!

Here’s how to participate. Contact Us and tell us what you love. It can be anything, your kids, your hubby, your exclusive custom Olives & Applesauce carrier, maybe it’s even PAXbaby! (hee hee hee)

We will be picking 13 contributions and posting one each day. Each contributor will be given a fun, exclusive gift to commemorate the day! Something to sport around town, something you and your baby carrier will LOVE! But that’s all we’re saying for now!

Are you a blogger? Spread the word! Post what you on your blog, use the little logo we’ve created below to link back here. Then contact us and let us know it’s on your blog! We’d love to read it and we’ll add you to our list of bloggers for 13 Days of Peace and Love, linking back to you. And if you’ve been blogging for any amount of time, you know that links = love!

Copy and paste this code to your blog to get the mini-image:

<a title="PAXbaby.com 13 Days of Peace and Love" href="http://paxbaby.com/2010/01/baby-love/">
<img src="http://www.paxbaby.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/13-days-1.png" alt="PAXbaby Love" />
</a>

UPDATE There has been a little confusion about how you can get involved in our 13 Days of Peace and Love. First of all, you do not need to have a blog to participate! If you are just a mama with a big heart (and what mama doesn’t have a big heart we want you to submit a Love Story for us to consider publishing during our 13 Days of Peace and Love. If you are a mama with a blog, you can submit one story for possible publishing, and then if you would like to blog every day along with us about the people and things you love in life, that would be awesome! We’d love to link to and Twitter about and blog about all the love spreading around the internet!

If you do want a story included in consideration for one of our 13 days, and a chance at the super-secret, super-awesome prizes, please contact us ASAP! February 1st is just around the corner!

One last note about pictures! We love them, readers love them, we’d love to include them with your story. Please note that our email goes through a ticketing system (to help us keep track and answer requests quickly!) but this system does not allow attachments, so if you email us, please provide links to your pictures online. Maybe on your blog, Photobucket, Flickr or the like. Or we may email you and ask for pictures!

The post 13 Days of Peace and Love at PAXbaby.com appeared first on PAXbaby.