My latest hiccup in parenting a toddler girl

I occasionally get i n trouble while doing the best raising my willful little girl. Like the time we had her panty-less for potty training, and couldn't get her to stop putting stickers on her "ahem". Or the time I spent hours cleaning up quinua from the carpet because she decided she didn't like the texture of her snazzy new dinner.
Tonight I'm literally up this late, trying to come with ideas on how to put her earrings back in after I took them out for a cleaning. I managed to put one back in as she slept, but now for the second one, as soon as I brush the hair away from her face, she slaps her hands on top of her ear.
I could leave her with one earring and raise her a pirate, or I need to buckle up, be a man and figure out how to get this done.
Preferably before she turns three.
Any ideas?

The babies are HERE!

None of whom are mine. These are the babies in the Thomas Balmes sociocultural documentary "Babies."

This documentary filmed the first year of four babies in Namibia, Mongolia, San Francisco and Tokyo. There didn't appear to be a script, just comparison of different stages of the first year of each baby (sitting up, crawling, first foods, cruising, walking, talking etc.). There weren't any translations, which although at first was disappointing, I quickly realized was very appropriate for the objective of the film. The lack of translations or commentary left no space for judgment or presumtions and left every opportunity to observe and learn intact.

There were many many thought provoking scenes in the movie which is why I wanted to take my friends with me so we can one day discuss these things, many of which are social issues in our country. For example, the San Fran baby methodically peels away the pith from the banana (I don't know what that bitter thing is called that runs like a fuzzy vein between the meat and the peel) and doesn't chew the tough stem at the end of the meat. Meanwhile, in Mongolia and Namibia, the families make use of everything on an animal or vegetable because they cannot afford to throw anything away.

(At this point I'm losing half my mind and most of my other impressions that I wanted to share because I'm doozing on my laptop and really should be sleeping for my early morning run, but I'm being nice and finishing my post lolz)

Another thing I left the theater with was the realization, "what would our culture be like if like the Namibians, we considered a woman's breasts a source of food first and foremost?" In all the filming of the movie, the Namibian women were semi naked and their children had constant access to their mother's milk. I was actually repulsed in the beginning, but I came to realize that my repulsion is a taught behavior. I am TAUGHT to think "Ugh, would she put away those things already" when what she's really doing is just feeding her kid! And I actually began to feel a little envious.

That kind of non-attention would never fly in the West however, where people need an excuse to get naked even when they're never really doing anything beneficial with their exposed parts (like feeding a hungry baby.) The San Fran mom for instance, takes a skinny dip in a hot tub. On the roof top of her apartment. WHO THE HELL TAKES SKINNY DIPS IN ROOFTOP HOT TUBS?

Ok maybe many people do, but would they do it in front of rolling cameras? Where they'll have to get in AND out of it in front of a relative stranger? You're not breastfeeding your child and really did you have to be naked waist down in a tub you're sharing with your INFANT?

Yes, as you can tell, I had a problem with that. It was a total "what the fu..?" moment for me.

I hope it eventually becomes available on Netflix so in the future I can show Monster the Namibian scenes and make her appreciate her life in the West. Maybe I can threaten to send her there if she hangs out with the wrong type of boys.

Although I'm not sure if she'd actually hate it there.

Happiest Baby in the Park

As most Sunnysiders probably noticed, today was not much of a park weather. Monster needs her time out however, and despite the threat of rain, we made our way to Lou Lodati park.



If it wasn't for the trains, you could have heard crickets.



The park was abandoned! In a corner though, I saw a flash of black and a splatter of color. Thank God, another mom who needed to breathe.



Moms, welcome fellow babywearing mom from Chicago, Elise who with her husband, two-and-a-half year old daughter V and ickle Luke moved to Sunnyside only a week ago. Say hi when you see her again and marvel at her Do-It-Yourself mei tai.

Babywearing can help me keep my kid decent

Yet another odd moment where a babycarrier turned up as a savior. Carriers and wraps have previously served us as

*Emergency sun shades
*Hammocks
*blankets when the evening turned unexpectedly cold
*BEACH blankets

And today, when Monster peed through all her clothes AND through her back up outfit, she was put in a carrier to hide the fact that she was wearing little but an underwear.

Now THAT's what I call an adventure in babywearing...commando!

In other news, while I'm still honing out the blog, I'm hoping to build more readership. I kid you not internet, there is some wacky stuff to come soon. There will be a career change, a drastic location change, and stories of babywearing advocacy in hostile cultures. Plus there might be some political rant thrown in the mix. So keep a look out...it'll be slow in coming, but when it gets here? Be prepared to bring your boxing gloves.

So do what it says here:



Follow Me Back Tuesday is a day of the week that you can gain more followers and find other great blogs to follow on a weekly basis.



Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat & Boobies,Babies And A Blog..


It's a great way to start off your week & get more BF's !!

How it Works
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
(leave us a comment so we can follow you back)
WE DO FOLLOW BACK
1. Add your blog to the list (only have to add once)
NOT YOUR BLOG HOP Link up
2. Grab our fabulous button & the link code to post on your blog
3. Start to follow as many blogs as you would like (make sure you leave a comment so they can follow you back)
4. And when you receive a comment from a new follower return the favor & follow them back.

A little piece of happiness in my bag

Have I told you all about my adventures with energy bars? I love 'em. Absolutely love 'em. I am not so fond of the after taste some of the bars leave behind though. Some of them have little or no effect on me...'cuz compared to them I swear Milky Way has a longer burst of energy.

Then Wizard goes and orders these little known chocolate bars brand called Herbalife Protein Bars. He'd been researching for better tasting protein shakes for me (I know, the guy is adorable!) and new I love protein bars for little pick-me ups and got a few samples for me. He'd been in touch with the guy running the distribution website and he (the distributer) sent us some extra to distribute to our readers.

So here's the deal, I also need to pick up my followership. I'd love to share this great tasting product with you when you

*follow the blog with the Google's Friend Connect on the sidebar.
*You can get in EXTRA ENTRIES by following me on Twitter, also on the right side bar.

Two winners picked using RaffleKing.com will be contacted for their contact address and mailed a chocolate fudge protein bar to try for themselves.

Tell your friends, tell your aunt. These things are great and you're also helping a small business owner with providing inexpensive and effective marketing.

Giveaway ends June 14

***Special Thanks to Kim of ChubbyCheeks who whether she likes it or not, has now been enlisted ast MonsterHug's Godmother. ***

Weekends with Babywearing Dads

Today's celebrated babywearing Dad is my friend Cynthia's very handsome hubby, John Cherry.


John loves to wear Laura, he says he feels closer to her and more protective of her when he carries her. He also has no desire to learn to wear her on his back because he'd miss seeing her. John had the idea to make a jacket "extender" to zip into our coats so we could wear her comfortably and closely even through the winter.

How hot is that? A babywearing dad with smart ideas too boot!

Has your darling Babywearing husband offered any smart ideas to make babywearing even more fun lately?