My Slings have Arrived!

I am so excited! I am officially open for business! I have my starter set of Over the Shoulder Baby Holder(OTSBH) Slings and they are FOR SALE! I have 4 size medium slings (fits momma's or poppa's 110 lbs - 190 lbs), in the colors of Black, Chocolate, Blue Denim [color, not fabric], & Khaki. I have 2 size large slings (fits momma's or poppa's 140 - 250 lbs) in the colors of Chocolate & Blue Denim [color, not fabric]. And I also have one size medium Extravagant Love Sling color grown organic 100% cotton in the color of Natural and one Kid Sling in a Blue Striped fabric for the kiddo's to carry around their own baby dolls. If the parent is taller and leaner build a medium will work up to about 210 lbs, or again if the parent has a shorter, stouter build go with the large if over 160 pounds. The regular slings are $50 and if it needs to be shipped I charge a flat rate of $7 for shipping and handling. If you order more than one, then it is just $1 extra for shipping if being shipped to the same address (this is for orders in the continental U.S.). The Extravagant Love Sling is $65 and has the same shipping charges as listed above. The kid slings are $20 and are the same shipping info as above if ordered alone, or if ordered with an adult size sling, shipping on the kid sling is free! There are more colors available in different sizes, feel free to email me to find out out about them! Read below to see some of the benefits of "baby-wearing". I bought an OTSBH Sling made with combed Egyptian cotton almost 9 years ago when my son was born and I used it with him until he was about 2 1/2. Since then it has been used with my daughter, 2 of my nieces, and now my new little one, so think of this as an investment!

• The OTSBH sling fits a baby from preemie up through toddlerhood, and is durable enough to last through several children.
  
• You can breastfeed discreetly in the OTSBH sling, and you do not need to wake your baby to take the sling off.
  
• More important than making your parenting job easier, your baby will benefit for a lifetime from being raised in contact with his parents and caregivers.
  
• Study after study has shown that babies raised attached to their parents cry less, are sick less, have higher IQ's, are more secure, do better in school, and have healthier relationships with other people.
• Swaddling an infant and putting it in a cradle works but it lacks a third and most critical ingredient, that of letting the infant know that it is in the hands of the person who nourishes it both physically and emotionally. An infant who cannot feel or see or hear its caregiver has more stress hormones circulating through its central nervous system. This causes the baby to cry. Stress irritates the immature digestive system causing baby to spit up and increases diaper rashes. Being touched and carried has a positive effect on the digestive system.
• The OTSBH sling has a shoulder pillow rather than straps over the parents shoulders. This is especially important for a nursing mom because the straps can restrict circulation in a nursing mother's engorged chest tissue which can increase the incidence of breast infections. Also, the sling allows mom to nurse more on demand because the baby is right next to mom. This also reduces breast infections. (1988 Study, UCLA Lactation Dept.)
• A randomized controlled test reported in Pediatrics showed that carrying babies in the manner the OTSBH slings promote reduces crying and fussiness 43% during the day and 51% at night.
• Older siblings are more accepting and less jealous of a new arrival when it is carried in an OTSBH. This is because mom is not "tied down" to the baby, and has her hands free so she can give attention to the other children and the variety of things life is made of.
• The OTSBH sling is the sling rated #1 by baby experts!

Also...if you don't have a human baby to use your sling with, the OTSBH sling is also a Pet Pouch! That's right, you can carry your furry "baby" with you wherever you go! All pets suffer anxiety when they are weaned from their first "parents" and come to live in your home. But they will quickly imprint on you and become your family's life-long best friend when you carry them in the "Puppy Pouch". The Puppy Pouch is exactly the same fabrics, sizes, everything, as the OTSBH.

The littlest Cowboys fan!

Here is #4. Our littlest Cowboys fan. I decided I should start to add photos to the blog to liven it up... let me know what you think!

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!

We have had A LOT of rain, thanks to our dear friend Ike, and no, I do not speak of my youngest child. Yes we are in northern Illinois, but Ike's torrential rains plagued our area for the past 4 days, resulting in a flooded basement. UGH, what a mess! We do not own a sump pump, so therefore had to just sit back and watch as the water got higher and higher. I finally got a loaner pump from my dad who has 3 of them and was using all three to get his basement pumped out. We probably got about 8 inches of water in the basement and now have the aftermath to deal with. I had planned on sorting through the cardboard boxes in the basement and getting rid of a lot of things, but now I am forced to get rid of a lot more than I had intended. And it will be a much messier job than I had anticipated. But, for the future, BUH BYE cardboard storage, hello plastic tubs! Also, my oldest son's bedroom is downstairs, so for the time being he is displaced to his sisters room! I did get lucky and found a bunch of high velocity little fans at Wal-mart on clearance for only $5 each! I just got 3 to start us off. They are blowing downstairs right now, working their little motors off trying to dry things up. All the ditches in the area have been flooded, the creek just up the road has flooded into a neighboring bean field creating a lake of sorts. Everything is just absolutely soaked! So with all this rain and mess in my basement my chicken project has been put on hold. However... on a good note, my slings should have been mailed out today! YAY! I can't wait to start selling them! I have also started cloth diapering on a part time basis. I will let you know how this is going... Have a great day!