Charlie had his first babysitter on Sunday. Well, almost. Last month when our hot water heater was broken and we were staying at my parents’ house because of the mold, we left him with my sister Jane for a half an hour while we went home to pack up what we would need and bring it back. And that same week sister Rose watched him for an hour while I took Jane to a cross country clinic thing. But on Sunday Daniel and I had several errands to run in Frederick, and we figured it would be much faster if we went together and much easier if we didn’t take him with us, so we dropped him off for my mom to babysit him.

We were gone for two and a half hours in between Charlie’s feedings, and apparently he did really well! I missed him like crazy by the time two hours had gone by, though; I’ve never been apart from him for that long. But it was nice for Daniel and me to spend some time out of the house alone, even if it was just shopping.

The day before that, Saturday, Daniel and I both had wedding-related events to attend. Daniel went to Baltimore for lunch and a baseball game for a friend’s bachelor party. The same afternoon, Charlie and I went to a bridal shower that was about an hour’s drive from home. My friend Caroline rode with me so that she could sit in the backseat with Charlie because I was too nervous to have him back there alone for such a long drive. It’s a good thing she did, too, because at some point during both trips he needed to be comforted. Caroline was a great sport about offering her pinky for him to suck on, which worked like a charm to put him to sleep! Charlie was for the most part very well behaved during the shower, and it was a lot of fun to be able to spend some time with my college friends.

This fall will be full of events Charlie will get to be a part of, including his own baptism, three weddings, and a family reunion. I’m currently in the market for a good, comfortable, and easy-to-use baby carrier to make it less difficult to have Charlie out and about (in fact, I have another window open right now with several tabs devoted to different carrier brands and reviews). I have a hand-me-down carrier right now that really hurts my back when I have him in it for more than a few minutes, and he’s only getting bigger! Hence the search. Any suggestions?