Slingin' it at the Micronesian Fair!

We took Fern to the Micronesian Fair last weekend. There were islanders from all over the FSM demonstrating their cultural dances and selling local dishes. Yum. I thought Fern might like to watch the colorful dancers. She did, but my camera battery died right after I took one single picture of the Yapese stick dancers (above). Bummer. They hadn't even started dancing. Instead, here are some pictures of Else and I carrying Fern and Ekko in our slings. After all, this is supposed to be about Fern, right?

Fern says, 'Woohoo, mama! I love being on your hip!'

Ekko's like 'This is soooooo comfy...I just can't seem to stay awake.'

Fern's turn to snooze...

Fern has FINALLY decided to love the hip carry in her new sling. Ever since she was a mere 2 weeks old, she has wanted to face out, watch the world, and for the most part have her legs and arms free and dangling. She has never liked to be swaddled or cuddled much. :( Held, absolutely (she demanded it), but hugged...not so much. She lived in the Baby Bjorn for the first few months, but as she grew bigger, and because mine was an old model with no hip belt, my back began to suffer. Plus I worried about her hips a little because she was in it literally 3-7 hours daily.

self- portrait in the Bjorn when she was a few months old

I also tried the Moby and she liked it facing out, legs and arms free, but it would quickly begin to sag and then I would have to re-wrap her every 30 minutes. Not very practical. And it is a lot of fabric for a tropical climate:

another self-portrait demonstrating Fern's favorite position

This was one of the rare times (possibly the only time) that she enjoyed being in this position. Notice that she is sleeping, and only a few weeks old.

I was so happy that she was content in here and I was finally hands free....and then she woke up.

We also have the Ergo and she would tolerate that with the infant insert in the cradle position when she was tiny, but only if she could nurse herself to sleep. As soon as she woke up, she wanted out. I know she will like the Ergo when she is a bit bigger and can be put on our backs (or fronts). It is extremely comfortable for mom and dad and will probably be good for hikes, but it is a bit bulky for everyday use:

Look at my tiny legs!

So my friend Else made me a ring sling and I absolutely love it. Fern originally only wanted to be in the kangaroo hold (for about 3 weeks), and would sometimes fuss because her legs were buddha'ed, but in general, she liked it. This hold still wasn't perfect for my back though...a huge improvement, but not ideal.

She is happy here, but she doesn't like to be this tight for many hours. I would have to loosen it up, which would strain my back a little.

For the past few weeks I noticed that Fern was getting more cuddly and liked to hug our necks and bury her face into my chest (this is new and I am totally eating it up :)). So I thought that maybe I would try the hip carry again. She instantly loved it (this time) and fell asleep three times in it that first day. It has been a few weeks, and she consistently enjoys it. Hooooray! So now if Fern is with me, she's in the sling. She loves it, I love it, and my back loves it. Even my nanny loves it, and she has undergone major back surgery and has four giant screws in her back. Everyone is happy!

I forgot to mention that Allen loves it too, but I am usually hogging her.

awwwwww.

And I am all about supporting local artists and buying organic fabrics when possible. So if you want an awesome ring sling, check out: http://balilla.blogspot.com/ She also makes some really cute children's clothing.