babywearing papa sweetness

Warning: hold on to your ovaries, ladies. Extreme cuteness ahead. Check out this sweet papa singing "Hallelujah" on the ukulele while babywearing. GAH!

Thanks for the tip, Stephanie ;)

grenness on breastfeeding

The artist's wife, Musse, breastfeeding daughter Signi,

Johannes Grenness (1875-1973).

Oil on canvas. 92 x 73 cm.

one week + two days

The first time Taro and I saw all three of our children sleeping

alongside each other, we both gasped:

it seems like so many!

But, I said, if we were the Huxtables

we would only be to Theo...

still no Vanessa

no Rudy.

Yes, Taro replied,

but if we were

Family Ties

we would be done.

she's here

Hazel Nanette Alexander

Born at home, March 18, 2012 at 3:26 a.m.

8 pounds, 10 ounces

We are all so in love with her.

Photos by Liz Rubincam.

The Sling Diaries

Remember when I posted recently that I have a another fun babywearing collaboration in the works with Sakura Bloom? Well, we were planning to kick off the event next week, but since I'm restless in Labor Land I decided to give myself something fun and productive to do and launch today instead! You can thank my unborn child for your good fortune, because as you will read below, I'm also offering an amazing giveaway to celebrate the start of the The Sling Diaries ;)

WHAT ARE THE SLING DIARIES?

A photo-documentary chronicling the art of babywearing in the lives of thirteen families. Over the course of six months, contestants will compete by creating their own Sling Diary with a series of wordless entries interpreting a unique theme given to them each month.

WHO ARE THE SLING DIARISTS?

They are thirteen women with creative, unique voices, great style sense, and a passion for babywearing (plus thirteen of the cutest babies in blogdom!).

HOW, EXACTLY, DO THE DIARIES WORK?

The Sling Diaries will come to life with an emphasis on beautiful photography and creative interpretation of six different assigned themes. Contestants will create one blog post (diary entry) per month featuring photos of themselves wearing their Sakura Bloom sling. Each month, the curatorial team at Sakura Bloom will select photos from each diary entry and these images will come together on The Sling Diaries Pinterest page. When all entries are complete, our panel of three judges will select their favorite Sling Diary from the project and the winner will receive a $500 Sakura Bloom gift certificate.

WHERE CAN I KEEP UP WITH ALL THIS BABYWEARING AWESOMENESS?

The event will be hosted on the official Sling Diaries Pinterest page, with updates and giveaways happening right here on Marvelous Kiddo. And of course, you can also follow along by reading the blogs of our thirteen contestants! Without further ado, allow me to introduce them:

Carolee Beckham of Carolee Beckham Photography

Rachael Brown Kincaid of Kincaid Parade

Molly Elmer of My Favorite Things

Amanda Jo Greep of Outta Jo Onto You

Mary Katherine Hamelin of Birth + Family Arts

Ashley Muir Bruhn of Hither and Thither

Olya Nelson of Life Inspired

Karolina Palmer of Paper Hearts & Cranes

Emily Power of A Denver Home Companion

Jamie Street of A Desert Fete

Jen Tan of Lobster & Roo

Bekah Turner of My Little Loves

Jodi Wilson of Che and Fidel

Each one of these mama-baby duos is so amazing and we are so thrilled to have them be a part of the Sling Diary fun. If you don't already follow their blogs, I encourage you to -- you will be inspired and entertained by this lovely group.

To summarize...

• Be sure to follow The Sling Diaries on Pinterest
• Keep an eye on Marvelous Kiddo for chances to win beautiful Sakura Bloom Slings
• Bookmark or subscribe to the thirteen fabulous blogs listed above
• Keep up with all the Sling Diaries news by following Sakura Bloom and Marvelous Kiddo on Twitter

Thank you so much for your interest! Yay, babywearing!

Now, who wants to win a gorgeous Sakura Bloom sling? I'm ready to give away three single-layer linens from the ever-popular Pixie collection. That's right, you have three chances to win!

There are two simple steps to enter:

• Follow The Sling Diaries on Pinterest
• Leave a comment on this post letting me know you're following the event (PLEASE include your email address, thanks!)

The comments will close on Wednesday, March 21 at 11:59 EST. Lynne Banach, of Sakura Bloom will announce the three winners the following day. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to our three winners (chosen at random) Rachel, Kels, and Kristin! And a big thank you to all who entered :)

dispatch from labor land

Oh friends, what a journey we are on! We are still waiting for that day. The past week and a half has been full of ups and downs, starts and stops, hopes and fears. I know I'm getting closer, but at the same time it feels like I will be pregnant forever. There have been two different nights this week, separated by days, that I was certain I would meet my baby before the morning. It's hard to keep my spirits up when things stall out and return to normal, but all things considered I'm doing really well physically and emotionally. I have been getting plenty of rest, I feel strong and SO ready to embrace any hard labor work that might be in store for me. I'm eating and laughing and walking and crying and feeling so very blessed by my beautiful family and friends, even as I search for a light at the end of this tunnel. I am learning the hard and yet freeing lessons of surrender. And I have so much respect for this baby! I know he or she is picking it's birthday and knows when the time is right. Showing tons of activity in the womb, I know he or she is strong and feisty, and a real force of nature.

Thank you all so much for your comments, emails, tweets, and messages of encouragement and love. Every word gives me strength, and I feel so buoyed by your thoughts and prayers.

I look forward to updating you soon with news of the baby's arrival.

XO,
Leigh

waiting for baby

Hi folks, I just wanted to post a little update since I know it's been a few days since my last transmission and I know so many of you are thinking about me and sending good thoughts and happy birth vibes ;)

I am doing well, taking things one day at a time as I near 41 weeks -- feeling more and more excited and emotional as the time of meeting our new little one draws ever nearer. I have found myself going increasingly inward, hence the lack of posting, and I have a feeling that whether I go into labor tonight or a week from now I will probably be keeping blogging to a minimum for the next little while. I look forward to sharing our news once the baby is here, and introducing you to a beautiful new person very soon!

Thank you so much for all of your messages of support and well-wishes! They mean the world to me.

XOXO,

Leigh

Image:

de formato foetu, 1631
by Giulio Casserio (ca. 1552-1616)

stuck in my head, weekend (kiddo) edition

This bed

Classic literature in board-book form!

This vintage leather elephant

This sweet video

This earth mama

Also...

Cloth wipe solution recipes!

Have a happy weekend, everyone :)

XOXO,

Leigh

beyonce babywearing

So nice to see!

And I love her outfit. Those shades and sneaks are fab :)

Via Global Grind.