What a man wednesday.......entourage worthy

NOTE: In an effort to keep me regularly posting I am instituting "What a man Wednesday". This will feature guys I think are totally crushable, hot, whatever. There is more to life than looks - the good book tells us 1 Samual 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel: "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart."

I know there is way more to someone than appearance, but I have to say, God has made some pretty fine looking men. Of course my husband is #1 on my list - those blue eyes, smiling dimples, that strong cleft of the chin.....but I am not blind to admiring the works of God on others. I promise to counteract another day of the week to look within and see people who are beautiful inside and out....but Wednesday will be about guys I think are nice to look at just for fun. Of course I always keep in mind how these hotties behave also! Nothing is uglier than ugly behavior. So if you read my What a man of the week,let me know what you think in the comments.



This Week's What a Man, What a fine Man ........ Adrian Grenier










The star of HBO's Entourage playing hearthrob Vinnie Chase. Ok, so I am old enough to be his Babysitter, well he aint a baby anymore. I suppose I am picking Adrian because I dreamt of him last night. Oh, nothing too risque, we were on vacation together and he was digging me. NOTE: In my dream I was not married and not a mom. It was all very innocent actually. maybe I am just missing the show Entourage and I need a trip to the beach!





I really like the character of Vinnie Chase, he is a hot guy, not too bright and women just throw themselves at him. Well, uh, yeah, he is hot, those eyes, he has a powerful weapon. I thought it was a GREAT plot when it was revealed he fell deeply in love with Mandy Moore as a bit player on the set of "A Walk To Remember"...oh love that movie! His character is good, he loves the nice good girl....and then she breaks his heart....talk about poetic justice. Of course he turns into the total guy after that. GREAT story, fun character, nice to look at. Anyhoo, from looking at pics he is taller than all the guys on that show at 6 feet, seriously, the other guys on the show, total Short Men - which for me is ok being 5'4" - short guys never a problem, but Mr Grenier totally overshadows on many levels. Its a fun show, very well written and acted. He seems like a loyal guy enjoying the ride of fame and wealth he is dealt.... and he is not a trainwreck or superegomaniac which makes him totally loveable.





I REALLY love his character in The Devil Wears Prada.......cute, loyal boyfriend AND great cook - could it be any better? Sorry, Simon Baker has NOTHING on Adrian. Aww, what a totall cutie!

What was Ann Hathaway's character thinking when she cheated on him. Confession time, I liked him in the Melissa Joan Hart Movie "Drive Me Crazy" - yes I know you don't need to say anything. I read on IMDB he plays Guitar, Piano and Drums...him being a musician is just icing on the cake...shows a sensitive side along with his smoldering good looks. I love how he looks kind of tousled and casual. Its a little funny he is my first "What a Man" as my type is short hair and clean shaven, but he has got it going on! Such a cute smile. Oh, and he loves the environment also.....aww, he cares about the planet.

Adrian - I salute you, what a man you are. You have great eyes and wonderful features exhibiting many characteristics of your Native American and Irish Heritage. Can't wait to see you as Vinnie again soon!

Let the little children come to me..............

I took Sarah Cate with me the other day to the Adoration Chapel at my church. They needed someone to fill in for the 11-12 hour and I told them I would do it. This was with much trepidation.....to sit quietly and reflect on the presence of Jesus can be a little hard for me without a toddler - I can easily get distracted and I can feel unworthy. BUT add in to the mix making sure Sarah was not tearing up the chapel or running amuck in front of the most holy presence of our Lord, well it was intimidating. There were actually a couple people in the chapel with us, so of course I was hoping Sarah wouldn't distract their time of prayer.

The chapel is wonderful, a peace filled place. I just feel good walking in. Its truly amazing to pray and personally reflect on what Jesus means and to have him present in the room is really awesome. Sarah was SO good....of course she was running back and forth in the pew, but she only left it once to look at some flowers in front of the altar. To try to keep things as reverant as I could, I got out my rosary beads with the intention of saying the rosary and the divine mercy chaplet...which would also help time to go by without me sitting there thinking.."What do I do now". Sarah grabbed my beads - they were actually my moms, and put them aroud her neck and gave me a huge smile. She did let me read her a couple of her books about Jesus. I pointed out Jesus to her on the cross and in the monstrance. I THOUGHT we were alone so I started to sing the Divine Mercy Chaplet - which she did get quiet and still....I got out a chant of the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Apostles Creed when I realized that the old man who was there when I walked in, was still in the back.....so I finished the Divine Mercy Chaplet silently while watching Sarah.

What kept running in my head over and over was "I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me". Its so funny how you recieve different messages each time you spend time in the chapel.

Of course my contemplation was interupted many times by falling books, a child running back and forth and dropping her goldfish - yes I gave her snacks to try to keep her quiet and I had to make sure I picked them up. As I started to feel unworthy or like I wasn't being reverant as I picked up a dropped cracker, I heard in my head the verse "let the little children come to me"....

I am sure Jesus was happy that I was there - he told me that He is the way to the Father....as being in His presence brings me closer to my Father and then he told me was REALLY happy that Sarah was there also. She was so cute smiling and waving to the other few who came and left in our hour.....I wondered if somehow God was working through her showing us how happy he was that we were spending time with Him and His Son. Adoration is so wonderful, I love being Catholic.



Christ and ChildArtist: Danny Hahlbohm

Good news....

1. My dog Susie survived her teeth cleaning and did very well. Now her teeth are not icky yellow and her breath don't stank. I am such a worry wart worse case scenario person sometimes.

2. I bought some size 10 shorts that fit me very nicely. Its good to be there. I haven't lost any more weight and to be honest I am seeing myself easily fall into some bad habits, but at least I recognize this and know it needs to stop if I want to lose any more weight. I would love to drop another 10 lbs so I need to eat to lose weight. The good news part 2 in this is even though I have been a little off programs, my portions and calories in must be good because I am maintaining my weight. Again, I really started South Beath to get in the habit of heart healthy eating and I certainly have changed my habits.

3. Met our new neighbors tonight, well them yesterday and they invited us to their Housewarming Cookout...it was umm umm good and they have really nice families. She is due with a baby boy in October and that should be one cute little kid. Its good to have nice neighbors!

Mosaic Meme

I copied this idea from my friend Kathleen, The Responsible One who got it from Sara at A Shower of Roses. It was alot of fun to do!



The Questions (and The Answers):
1. What is your first name? Julie
2. What is your favorite food? Varsity Chili Dog with Fries - makes me so happy
3. What high school did you go to? St Pius the X - our motto Domini Sumus
4. What is your favorite color? Blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Dennis Quaid to name one of many
6. Favorite drink? Guinness - its good for ya!
7. Dream vacation? Ireland,to meet my distant cousins in Slane
8. Favorite dessert? Pizookie = hot cookie from the oven topped with Ice Cream
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Joyful
10. What do you love most in life? Family
11. One Word to describe you? Mom
12. One hobby of yours? Handbell choir

Here are the instructions if you want to play along:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions above into Flickr Search. b. Using only the first page, pick an image. c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. d. Save image to hard drive and post to blogger. e. Copy HTML code for flickr photo credits and paste into blogger at the bottom of the post.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Photo Credits:
1. Julie II 2. Chili Dog and Strings 3. Untitled: St Pius X lion; 4. When I'm sleeping, I slow down my breathing...Living in dreams, dreams that come true...thinking of the color blue... ZZZzzzzzz... 5. Dennis Quaid 6. Guiness 7. Slane Abbey 8. Pizookie 9. Joyful 10. Family Blessings 11. Mom 12. Of Course

Dog tooth cleaining.........

Friday Susie goes in to get her teeth cleaned at the vet. It will be the first time she has had this done. I have always been a little cheap when it comes to dog care and growing up we never had our dog's teeth cleaned. Susie's breath is REALLY stinky....I am talking rotten. I know and the vet confirmed, its from her nasty yellow teeth. So I decided to get them cleaned despite the underlying reason we have not done this in the past few years....I am afraid she will not wake up from the anesthesia.

I know its a small risk, but it is a risk and it could happen. I know of 2 people whose pets never woke up and this scares me. When we lost Caleb and I was lying in bed with my infected csection incision, Susie was there for me. She would lay next to my bed and look at me with her sweet eyes and expression telling me it would be ok. I did have a huge support when I was going through that, but let me tell you, my dog got me through it. When I was on bedrest with Sarah, susie was so happy to have me home all day. She kept me company and again gave me that sweet doggie smile. The thought of something happening to her kind of overwhelmed me for a while. I even told the vet last year, I just am not ready to do this, I can't lose her yet. He was very understanding.

Its sad to say, but I have decided within the past month if something happens and she doesn't wake up, its ok. She has had a very long and happy life with us. I will just pray that she does well on Friday because even though I think its ok if something happens, she still brings me so much joy. She is such a loyal companion and loves me no matter what. I guess we just need some extra special time to love on eachother....just in case.

A day of all things Swedish.........

God dag!

Our big family outing today was a trip to Ikea in Midtown. We were looking at a table and chairs for Sarah Cate and just enjoying the store. Sarah LOVED the wooden table we got her, we are going to finish it and she will be set. We enjoyed a lunch of what else....Swedish Meatballs. We found a cute little plastic chair for Sarah also for only $3.....she was SO happy she passed out in the car.

After a long nap and dinner, I headed to pick up my cuz Lyn to enjoy Mama Mia....featuring music from the supergroup ABBA - from Sweden. This musical movie is SO much fun! Its kind of a cheesy musical, almost making fun of itself. The actors all appear to be having a great time and the scenery is beautiful. Poor Pierce Brosnan just didn't sound too good...but he looked as good as ever as did Colin Firth.... a little eye candy for the older ladies. The theater appeared to be sold out, mostly women of course, but I was surprised with how many men were there....Andy wouldn't go.

I love Dancing Queen....it reminds me of my sister Mary Beth who loved Abba...I believe she owned the Arrival album, the one with the photo of them in the group helicopter. Mary would sing along and dance around - and I am talking about disco type line dancing fingers pointing and her twirling you know 2 or 3 steps to the left then right, even simulated bumping....to Dancing Queen, much to my embarassment. She worked at my grade school's athletic department as an admin and when she wasn't busy so she would turn the radio up and dance around the office.....curtains open, big windows and across the schoolyard from my classroom. All the kids in my class laughed and made fun of her. Sadly, it embarassed me terribly - you know how tough middle school can be when the kids have something to pick on you about. When I told her to stop as people were watching and laughing she just said "I don't care" and she just kept on dancing. You know, she really didn't care, she just loved music and dancing and with her being "special" it was her outlet. So time went by, I grew up went to college and lost Mary Beth who died at 25. I graduated and did the things a young single girl does - things Mary Beth never exerienced and when I would go out with my friends to a bar that played Dancing Queen I would run out to the dance floor and dance with a huge smile on my face singing along. OK, probably more times than not alcohol was involved, but I know deep down, when I hear this song I think of Mary Beth dancing away without a care in the world and sheer joy in her heart. You know I can get a little teary eyeded when I hear it and I did at the movie.....fun song with great memories. The best thing at the movie was all the women on the island no matter what age joined in the singing and dancing which is pretty much what happens at any bar when this song comes on....well at least it was that way at Bar and Bell Bottoms.

I think I will pop Abba Gold in the minivan tomorrow and introduce SC to some Swedish music....maybe even have a little dance party around her new Ikea stuff to continue our Swedish celebration. Heck why don't you just click on a link for Dancing Queen and Mama Mia, open a window and and have a little dance party of your own..... I bet Mary Beth will be dancing with you from heaven.

Skal


Skal

Shorts on head

I think Sarah Cate is going to be the life of the party when she is older...the other day she came running to me in the kitchen with her shorts on her head. The last time I saw her before that, she was walking into her Little Tykes Garden...fully dressed...so apparently when she was in the garden, she thought it would be awesome to take off her shorts and put them on her head. I am proud she was able to do this without drawing attention to herself...or maybe I should pay more attention! It was a very cute site with her running to me with those Old Navy shorts on her head.

Her cuteness never ceases to amaze me.

Independence Day

Well isn't this late. Andy and I had a great day with Sarah Cate a few weeks ago. I think the best part was us just being together. Started the morning of with a free cup of joe from Starbucks with our starbucks promotional card....I got free coffee for 2 weeks, best promo ever! We enjoyed the Dunwoody Parade, largest one in Georgia, complete with a Tank. Not Sarah's 1st Parade, that would be the Gay Pride Parade we happened upon in Pittsburgh while walking around the city. As we wandered through the Pride Festivies I learned "On a hot sunny day like today, honey, every Drag Queen's Makeup starts to look bad". But back to Independence..... The Dunwoody Parade was alot of fun, nice friendly crowd, dogs on leashes and so many political candidates making their presence known. The Tank was actually on a tractor trailor float for one of the candidates...you can see the impression it made on me as I forget which one. It was an incredibly hot day but sunny day. We came home from the parade - at which I drank much water, cooked out some dogs and relaxed. Drove up to Roswell for the fireworks, it was an awesome show. Sarah was very tired, but she seemed to enjoy them, at first she was a little confused. Its a great country we live in, freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So many men and women have sacrificed to much for our country, we need not take these freedoms for liberty. Sure the US is NOT a perfect place. I saw Ray Charles say on a show about the statue of liberty, you can make fun of the president and complain about the governement here without risking your life. We take so much for granted, but when you visit other countries, it can be very apparent how much we have. He is so right - heck you wouldn't happen upon a Gay Pride Parade in some other places! So a very Happy Birthday America - yes I know belated....I think John Adams would be proud at how our county is still celebrating!

PS. I have added seeing the Boston Pops on the 4th to my Bucket List....it would be so awesome, maybe someday - but until then, just enjoy it on PBS!

Just Married.....again

Picture this, July 12 2003, a bride and groom exchange vows and get hitched.
Aren't we the cutest and wasn't the church GORGEOUS!

Fast Forward to July 12 2008 - Happy 5 Year Anniversary Julie and Andy!

I decided that we would renew our vows every 5 years so today we restated our vows and had Fr Juan bless our marriage. It was a fabulous day for me. I started out by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, hadn't been in a few months so its great I went into our marriage renewal with "a clean slate".

Came home and played with Sarah, fed her lunch and got ready. Andy and I headed over to St Andrew and met Fr Juan. He is so nice, newly ordained and really did a wonderful job. He took our picture and then our camera died before I could get a pic of him....figures...but here is the Franklin Family 2005 on the Altar of St Andrews Catholic Church...



I can't tell you enough how wonderful it felt to be saying I Do all over again - especially with the past 5 years in retrospect, we have sure been through alot!

After our nuptual repeat we came home and napped. SC was extra fussy, so I got her after 45 minutes and took her to our room where she passed out! When we woke up we headed over to the site of our reception, Maggiano's at Perimeter. Here we are back in '03 dancing to Al Green's Lets Stay Together, our first dance. Also a picture of our cake with Andy's favorite Cartoon Couple standing watch...

Followed by here we are at Maggiano's tonight, and I brought the Tiara and cake toppers! The food is so good and we had a great time with Sarah - though we did miss the DJ and all our friends and family.








We finished the evening off by strolling down to the fountain by Norstroms so Sarah Cate could show daddy how she plays and tosses coins in the fountain. What a wonderful evening, we are truly a blessed family.

Here's one of my readings from the Old Testament Book of Tobit which was used in our wedding -

Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, "My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance." She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. He began with these words: "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.
You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.'

Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age." They said together, "Amen, amen,"

Happy Cow Appreciation Day

Big day for Sarah Cate. We took Grandpa shopping at Publix and hung out at St George's Village for a little while, played at the playground and enjoyed free nuggets and a sammy lunch at Chick Fil A. Its Cow Appreciation Day, if you dress like a cow you get a free meal - we just printed out hats from their website. She LOVES those nuggets from Chik Fil A. And let me tell you, she is as addicted to the waffle fries as mom, though I have been TRYING to abstain lately, though today we shared and order.

Yes, they do have SEE FOOD at CFA. You can see the waffle fries in Sarah Cate's mouth :-)



Now that I think of it, we should have had breakfast at one for free also.




After lunch we celebrated by stocking up on some steaks on sale at Publix. Kind of ironic after all the chik fil a marketing..... but we love our red meat and while we eat it very sparingly, can't do without our beef.

Why I want to give SC a sibling......

Last night as I was lying in bed unable to sleep, which seems to be a phase I am in lately, it dawned on me why I so badly want to give Sarah Cate a sibling....well a LIVING sibling. She has a brother in heaven, Caleb Andrew.

I have 2 theories on this:

1. I think because I lost my mom when she was young, only 53, its like I have only 10 more years and I don't want to leave Sarah alone. I have this little fantasy that she is close to her brother or sister and they carry eachother through my funeral and whatever circumstances are my death. Yes, I know a little morbid, but one thing is certain in life.....DEATH.

2. If I live a long life, I don't want her to be burdened with me by herself. This is where the fantasy comes in where Sarah and her sibling and I live in the same city, oh Andy also, and they have eachother to lean on, complain to about me, etc. I never realized that only children don't have anyone to vent to about their parents. Sure you can vent to friends, but when you vent to your siblings, they know exactly what you are talking about as they lived it too! I think of my sister Jill and brother Jack - who like mom, passed away in early 50's. They were very close - endured alot together. I know we all were devastated when Jack died, but it was so hard on Jill. I think he understood alot of things about her that no one else ever could, only because they grew up together. Sure Jill and I can relate about certain things, but she had 9 years of life before I entered the family.

Look at this cutie pie, doesn't she deserve a sibling? I know I am 43 and have been trying for WELL over a year, but I just want to give Sarah a brother or sister. Here she is in all her glory in her ride our Odessey chillin' with her dried fruit snacks...




I know, I just need to Joyfully accept whatever God has planned for me. Afterall, I think I am seeing the Schnurr Schnoz on my little girl, even Andy thinks it could be. Despite the fact we Schnurr cousins wish our noses were a little more petit and less German, it would be a blessing if SC had mom's family nose and a reminder to me of how life goes on through generations. Look at this beauty, a combo of Andy and Me, a visable sign of how much we love eachother. I will never probably know why we lost Caleb or why I am not getting pregnant...its all good. I have love.




Ecclesiastes 1:14; 8:16 “I have seen all things done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to observe what is done on earth,I recognized that man is unable to find out all God’s work that is done under the sun…”

A couple of Sarah firsts...........

Yesterday SC was particularly rambuncious...hmm, did I spell that ok its late. She was running around the house back and forth. All of a sudden she started running in circles and was shaking her head laughing. Of course when she stopped she was dizzy and wobbled around - and she didn't even fall down! She had a huge smile on her face and did it again several times. I couldn't help but laugh with her.

She also cried yesterday when the ending credits for Curious George rolled - for the first time. To be exact, cue the music, roll the credits, she cried and pointed to the TV. Then she proceded to point to the remote, somehow that 20mo old knows that we have some George shows TIVO'd and to get to it, we need the remote. She cried also today when the ending credits of George rolled, she loves her George.

Sure she doesn't speak much, but she really can talk to me.

Weigh In week 11 or 12, ok losing count here

SO after the holiday weekend, I am back to 10lbs lost. I have stopped the trend of gaining back what I lost and am back on the slow but sure loss route.

Yay me!!!!!

Wearing Sarah Cate - A History in Pics

I love babywearing, I think its the best mothering tool that exists. Afterall, many cultures have different ways of carrying babies and it does free up your hands. I was introduced to Babywearing when Sarah Cate was 5 weeks old, and I tried a sling from Infantino which sucked...pardon my french, it just didn't work for us at all. My cuz Lyn and friend Randi helped me overcome my fears - they were embracing babywearing and encouraged me. I had and I started my quest for the perfect carrier for us. I have bought and sold a few carriers, and tried on MANY at my local babywearing group the Koala Mommas. Heres a trip down memory lane in the order of what I tried. My only regret is I didn't start right after Sarah was born..... some of these pics are bleh, but who cares....

#1 Baby Bjorn Mainstream USA



Here's the carrier we all register for - you can get them at Babies R Us, Target and all the megastores. We did use it and Sarah Cate loved it! Andy could wear her when she was very small facing in, she didn't tolerate me wearing her until around 2 months. Comfy carrier until she hit about 15lbs then it pulled on my neck.Sarah is about 6 months....check out those cute thighs. She really liked facing out. I sold our Bjorn to another mom.

#2 Sleeping Baby Productions Solarveil Ring Sling





LOVED IT!!! Pics are from 5 - 7 months or so. Sarah loved being all squished up in this facing out. When she hit about 20 lbs, it was a little uncomfy for longer carries. Sold it during the fall as we just weren't using it anymore. Looks like the ring is a little low in the pic that is kind of yellowed, this was my first time trying it on after I got it. We have facing out and facing in hip carry. Solarveil is a very lightweight fabric, great for summer. It also contains UV protection, the "tail" was great as a cover. You can also use this one in the pool, it dries quickly. Andy wouldn't try the ring sling..... I miss this one...maybe because it was my first non mainstream carrier.

#3 Mei Tai - Ball Baby Overall


AHHH, a two shouldered carrier that is so comfy! The Mei Tai is my favorite carrier. You can use from infancy to toddlerhood. Sarah Cate is about 7months in that photo, check out the baldness like daddy. This BBO carrier is the most comfy front carry for me. I have to say, being able to snuggle and kiss any time, this is my favorite position - look at that cute little snuggle. I have worn Sarah on my back in this carrier, but I prefer it for the front. FYI BBO is one of the carriers I sell I love it THAT much.


#4 Hip Panda Hip Carrier


I really liked this one, its a one shoulder buckle carrier. VERY fast to put on and the way the shoulder strap hugs the shoulder was actually VERY comfy. I used it alot when we did quick in and out of smaller stores like Kroger, Trader Joes or Walgreens. Because it was a one shoulder carrier, couldn't wear for very long. I got it when SC was about 8 months, wish I would have got it when she was smaller as she seemed too big for it very soon after I got it....she could easily lean. You can see the flap on the top of the back does fold up for head support when they are smaller. Sorry these shots are bad, I wore it and sold it around 11 months, just didn't get any good pictures. Playtex has a similar carrier for sale at the megastores - but the Hip Panda has a MUCH better shoulder.

#5 The Search Continues for the Perfect Soft Structured Carrier - like a backpack....








I began to look for a Soft Structured Carrier, similar to the Mei Tai, but it buckles instead of ties. You can wear all these type of carriers on the front or back. In my search, I tried on an Ergo Blue/Green, Beco Blue/Brown Circles with Brown Straps, Babies Beyond Borders Green Floral AND ended up with the Patapum in Navy Blue. Crafty me,I even made a cover for the Patapum out of some Ralph Lauren paisley fabric I got on markdown. The Patapum to me was the most comfy and didn't dig under my arms or put any strain on my shoulders, its an Italian company and actually the cheapest of them all...bonus. But it was blah boring on looks..... never satisfied..

#6 Nana's Jetpack Soft Structured Carrier



In an effort to get something cute, I bought this carrier from my cuz Lyn. It didn't work for her, but was super comfy on me. VERY lightweight and great for the diaper bag as far as compact. Cute summery colors, nice and bright. Sarah Cate loved it also, she was always happy in that carrier. I sold it during the winter when I wasn't using it as much. I regret selling it. Nana I love your jetpack.

#7 Kozy Mei Tai



Tried on a Kozy and fell in love. Nice large body that evenly distributes the weight. Heavy duty fabrics for support, and cute. Nice padded shoulders. I sell Kozys because for a Mei Tai back carry, for me, they are GREAT! Here's a pic of us at Church heading towards the picnic on my back and one from Halloween on my front. Kozy is my all time favorite Mei Tai - especially for the back carries.

#8 Olives and Applesauce Soft Structured Carrier




Sarah has reached about 25lbs and while I am still loving my Kozy carriers, was looking for something with a little more support to put the weight on my hips. So I tried what had to be the prettiest carrier ever, the blue flowers, but it was too tall. Sarah likes having at least one arm out and she couldn't do this, so off it went to another home. I was lucky I found the brown strapped one one which is actually a backpack/mei tai hybrid.....it buckles at the waist and has straps like a Mei Tai. OMG, this is one comfortable carrier.....I am in love. Its purty AND comfy. We went to Pittsburgh for a wedding and I didn't take a stroller. Sarah napped on my back for well over an hour, almost 2 one day and I was super comfy. It puts all the weight on your hips, NONE in your shoulders. My Kozy is super comfy, but let me tell you, for long haul wearing, this one beats it...again I attribute to the padded waist as the shape of the carrier and body size are similar enough. As for the name Olives and Applesauce, I have NO idea where it came from, other than the company slogan, something for every taste.

EPILOGUE

So, what is the perfect carrier for me? Well..... they are all good and have merits. I have really loved my Ring Sling, BBO Mei Tai, Kozy Mei Tai, Jetpack, Patapum and my Olives and Applesauce. I don't wear my BBO as much these days since Sarah is so tall....the front carry is just not as condusive and again, the BBO for me is the most comfy front carry. Still use my Kozy when walking the neighborhood or when out and about and I wear Sarah. If I wear it for long periods, I can feel it in my shoulders, not painful but I feel the weight on my shoulders compared to my O&A. I love how you can fold up Mei Tais, so the Kozy is probably my fav right now, and its a great price. the Patapum is a great carrier, but i have the infant version and its short so Sarah an lean, which pulls on my back. For travel, the Olives and Applesauce hands down is the best as I can wear it for much longer and feel nothing on my shoulders. Sarah will also nap in this carrier, she doesn't do that in the Kozy anymore, she used to, but not anymore. There is no best one.....I have moods, and I wear what suits me at the time. It sure is fun trying on different carriers though - and my car always has 2 carriers in it. The best place to do that is at a Koala Mommas Meeting which I colead in Decatur. You should see how many carriers some of the other mamas have....my little stash looks like nothing in comparison. If I had to do it all again, I would have gotten a wrap when Sarah was tiny....I didn't even touch on those with her.

Bye for now, its been fun! If you want to buy a carrier from me....Sweet Baby Sugar is the place to go.