vienna sling share/volume 4: heather and garra

I'm excited to bring you the fourth installment in the Vienna Sling Share series today, with Heather Talladay & Garra Schulze.  

First up is Heather with her gorgeous family (including baby number three - a boy - on the way!)  She's wearing her daughter Briar in Vienna Springs Huckleberry for their trip to pick out their Christmas tree.  

Some words from Heather: 

"Some days, I look at my busy family (and down at my growing belly) and think about how I just really don't know how people do it without baby wearing. Now that my littlest is growing into her toddlerhood more and more every day I don't wear her around the house like I used to. But whenever we're out and about she still loves to cuddle up in the sling, my three year old is in the Ergo with daddy, and it makes doing things with two littles so much easier. When she was just a new little bundle, and I had a not-quite-two-year-old to care for, and a husband gone at night school a few nights a week...well we just wouldn't have managed without it. I love the bond that wearing my babes  has brought, and it just seems like the most natural thing in the world to keep them close. 

For the week that I got to use the Vienna Springs sling, we were preparing for Christmas and going to pick out our tree. It was bitterly cold out, but having my Briar close to me in the sling kept me so much warmer. I immediately fell in love with the sling. The color and quality is amazing!! Laura, the owner of VS is so kind and generous, just the sweetest soul. Her slings are wonderful, and so well made. We were walking through the woods, and then went straight to a small-town Christmas event. The sling was supportive and made walking around town and getting on and off hayrides so easy!" 

Next up is Garra & her daughter Kennedy!  In her words: 

"I never imagined myself as someone who would wear their child. I had a lot of different views before getting pregnant with Kennedy. I thought I would formula feed or pump only, instead of actually breastfeeding. I said I would never co sleep, that I couldn't/wouldn't be a stay at home mom. Then I got pregnant. My views changed.  I wanted to stay home, co sleep, and especially breastfeed. I first learned about ring slings through my friend Ashlee (creator of the 4th Trimester Bodies Project) and thought 'wow that looks really cool.'  So I bought my first one a few months before Kennedy was born. Let me tell you, it was a definite learning curve. I practiced on dolls/stuffed animals before she made her arrival and was so excited to be able to wear her, keep her close and be hands free.

Over the past 15 months, babywearing saved my sanity. I have been able to shop, clean, and just purely get ready for the day by having Kennedy in the sling.

On the particular day when Vienna Springs Huckleberry arrived, I needed to get stuff done around the house for Christmas but with a teething baby, we all know that it usually leads to lots of cuddles so we can avoid the tears.  I knew I wasn't going to be able to get anything done unless I put her in the sling. We hadn't been using them much lately because Kennedy is at that point where she wants to constantly be down crawling around and would 'pop' her seat (a term for when babies straight their legs in the sling.) But because she wasn't feeling great she actually wanted to be right there with me. I was able to get my house clean, laundry done, and even wrap my Christmas gifts. Babywearing is a game changer and I am so glad I started doing research before Kennedy was born."

*A little disclaimer: Garra had lots of great pics from her week with Vienna Springs Huckleberry but she had a technical disaster and lost them!  Of course we still wanted her to participate in the sling share, so these are photos of her past babywearing experiences in some Sakura Bloom slings.  

vienna sling share/volume 3: kara

This week I'm thrilled to introduce Kara Peck and her daughter Grace, who will be sharing their very bittersweet (last!) babywearing experiences in our sling share series with Vienna Springs.  

In Kara's words: 

I first dabbled in wearing with my third baby, however, I had no help or advice.  Couple that to the carrier I had not being ideal, and I never got the hang of it.  

Fast forward to the fourth baby, and I started looking into better options.  It was that or drown!  I'm sure most parents can relate to that feeling.  With Grace, I found a much better carrier and a large community of help.  My experience just grew from there.  With such a large group of support and advisors, I quickly found myself deeply obsessed with wearing my daughter!  I was trying all the carriers I could get my hands on and making friends through it all.  I loved it!  

I had been wearing my "baby" for two years, at that point you become a toddler wearer, and you have to be a little more fierce about your decision to wear your child.  That's about the time I stumbled into a sweet group of friends online and found the Vienna Springs sling share.  I was quick to jump at the chance to try her slings.  My wearing days were slipping away, and the opportunity couldn't be missed.  I signed up and anxiously awaited my turn.  I began to wonder if we would even use it in the week we were slotted to have it.  Well the day it came, I opened up the package, feeling rather bittersweet about it.  Grace knows when new carriers are in the house, she was super excited.  When she saw it, she said "Ohhh pretty!"  Her eyes were lit up and she immediately wanted an up!  I was thrilled, I can tell you.  We of course loved the sling.  More than that, loved the fact that we could put all the love we had for wearing and all the love and friendships we had been give into a sling, and share it.  How amazing is that?  To be a part of something so beautiful.  I am honored and blessed.  The day we took these pictures is the last day we wore.  I am sad to say it, but so glad to be passing on the love.  To know that something so special exists is wonderful!  I think it's also safe to say, my daughter was thankful too!  Look at that smile!  I may not be wearing anymore, but that doesn't mean I've lost the love and kinship with other babywearing mamas.  I pass it on wherever I can.  As you can see, I'm not the only one who feels that way.  As parents, we often feel alone - well you aren't!  Don't hesitate to reach out.  Chances are you'll be as welcomed and blessed as I have been.  

vienna sling share/volume 2: jessica & crystal

The next women to sharing their babywearing experiences in the Vienna Sling Share series will be Jessica, gorgeous mama to baby Emily, and Crystal who is wearing her daughter Ava, and also has a son named Braxton.  Take it away ladies!    

For us, babywearing began when my husband deployed to Afghanistan.  It was a life saver to put my daughter in a sling to get her calmed down, walk our two dogs, and get stuff done around the house.  It became a way of life for us.  I was so honored to be part of this sling share for a mama who needs a carrier.  My daughter Emily & I had a great time breaking in Huckleberry.  We did a lot of shopping and a lot of dog walking!  This was the first sling that we ever experimented with different carries - we mastered kangaroo and a back carry!  My favorite memory with Huckleberry was taking a trip to a pumpkin patch for Emily's first upcoming Halloween.  She was able to look at pumpkins, pet the goats & ponies, and be cuddled up with me the whole time.  We loved taking part in the Vienna Sling Share and sent it off with lots of love from the two of us.  I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as we did!  

Love, 

Emily & Jessica

When I first became a mom with my son Braxton, baby wearing wasn't really on my agenda. I didn't know anything about it besides randomly seeing people using those Baby Bjorn carriers...even back then I thought to myself how uncomfortable they looked for both mom and baby so I steered clear of them. When I was pregnant with my second, Ava, I was introduced to the world of baby wearing by some friends. That's when I saw that there was so much more out there than those awful Bjorns. 

When Ava was born I realized that if I wanted to get anything done with two kids, I was going to have to wear her. Baby wearing really is a necessity when you have more than one child. Luckily Ava loved being close to me, and being worn. I started out by wrapping, because somehow ring slings intimidated me. The thing with wrapping is it can be time consuming compared to a ring sling where you just have to basically throw it over your shoulder, put baby in, and go.

I finally decided to buy a Sakura Bloom ring sling when Ava was around 7 months old, and I remember the first time I put her in it I was kicking myself that I didn't do it sooner. It was much easier than I had ever imagined. It may sound silly but because of the sling, I gained friendships with other like minded ladies from all over the world. There really was a community of moms out there that came together out of the love for using these slings. 

Because of that community I got to participate in the Vienna Sling Share, which is such a great idea. Instead of doing it for profit, or for personal gain, it's purpose was to break in a brand new sling for a deserving mama at the end. It's nice to know that there are people out there that still do nice stuff for others. Ring slings can be expensive, and I know that some people overlook them because of the price, but they really are worth it. 

When we got the sling in the mail, I instantly opened it and put Ava in. She was so sleepy already but I just couldn't wait, and neither could she since she fell right asleep in it. The color, Huckleberry, was seriously the perfect choice for the sling share. It was rich but subtle at the same time, so it works well for everyone...even me with my bright red hair. We were fourth on the list to get the sling and it was already super soft. I have never had a silk sling, only a pure and a simple linen by Sakura Bloom, but it felt amazing. It was pretty much love at first wear. Vienna Springs really makes a great sling, I'm telling you. 

We got the sling just in time for Halloween and it came in handy! Ava and I put on our kitten ears and did some trick or treating with Braxton around our small neighborhood before putting on the real costumes and going out for the night. Ava's costume was a little too poofy to wear in the sling but it was still fun. I don't see our baby wearing journey going for much longer, considering she's becoming very independent now, but I have cherished these moments. I'm so grateful that I have had something to help me through these "mom of two moments" and that I haven't had to rely on getting flustered with strollers or feeling helpless. My advice to any new parent is wear them, and don't be intimidated, because it will make your life so much easier. 

xo 

Crystal

my grown up christmas list

I know, I know, it's only November 13th, but realistically Christmas will be here before we know it!  Darrell & I already started our shopping, and I wanted to share a few things that are on my radar for gifts and to-dos.  

This week, I'll definitely be tackling Christmas cards.  I love love love sending them out, but this year I'm trying to pick a more budget friendly option - we have to send more cards out now that pictures of Claire are involved, and more cards means more $!  We'll probably end up using Snapfish or Shutterfly for the first time, but of course my favorite place to get cards if money was no object would be Minted.  I love their real gold foil accents!  

For Claire, I know we'll get clothes & toys a plenty (which is good, because I'm a bit lacking in the 6-12 month sizes) but I've also got my eye on this hand-stitched heirloom pillow from Etsy shop The Wild Hares, and another pair of moccasins for her from Giggles & Fluff.  It almost makes me tear up when I think about the fact that her first pair was SO huge when we received them 3 months ago, and now she's going to grow right out of them any day.  The buffalo plaid bonnet from Stella & Wilbur is one of my new favorites in their shop, I think bonnets are such a cute throwback and the perfect alternative to bows in the winter!  

For me?  At the top of my list is a cognac leather Lily Jade Madeleine diaper bag, a splurge but it seems it's the universal favorite!  I have enough slings to last a lifetime and will be wearing "sangria" from Sakura Bloom the whole month of December, but since it's discontinued I wanted to share Vienna Springs' holiday ready "bordeaux" sling.  The rich dark red would look picture perfect in photos!  (Her stockings are announced via her Instagram, and they go quickly!)  

Anything on your Christmas list that you're planning to get a head start on?  If there's anything that I've found true in the last few months of life with a baby, it's that getting a head start is the key to less stress!  

vienna spring x light sleeper heavy dreamer sling circle

Happy International Babywearing week!  Truthfully, I had no idea until Sunday that it even WAS International Babywearing week, but the timing couldn't be more serendipitous because this week we are kicking off a sling circle with Vienna Springs Etsy shop.  

What's a sling share?  

Well, it's common in the babywearing community for a person with a highly sought after sling to lend it out to a series of mamas so that they can try it out and wear it for a week or two.  It's an act of generosity from one mom to the next, and in the end it really benefits the owner because a broken in sling is the most comfortable and easy to use.  For our sling share, each woman will receive a Vienna Springs silk sling for a week, document her experience wearing her baby that week, and then pass it on to the next recipient.  At the end when the sling is all broken in and filled with love, we'll be donating it to Baby Buggy, a charity that provides supplies to mothers in need.  

The real reason behind the sling share is to share the experiences of the women participating.  I posted my guide to babywearing a couple weeks ago, but more important than my instructive post is hearing about how wearing our children affects our mothering and the happiness of our children, something I just know these women's stories will illustrate better than I could alone.  The sling will begin its journey around the country this week starting with Laura, the talented owner of Vienna Springs and mom to Leah, then coming to me.  I hope you'll be as excited as I am for each of these posts.  I'll have the first post up in a couple of weeks, but before then you can follow along on Instagram by searching the hashtag #viennaslingshare.