Just a Simple Piece of Cloth

365 days plus 9 months I've carried, nourished, and loved her with nothing more than the body God gave me and a few simple pieces of cloth

E's first birthday had me reminiscing about how simple we had strived to make her first year on Earth. We started with lots of stuff, but most of it fell away as we discovered what was really useful. The crib gathered dust as we came to accept cosleeping as the best option for our family, the stroller never came out of it's storage spot, and I struggled to maintain a minimal number of toys that inspired imagination and learning. 

Wrapping became not only a day-to-day necessity for us, but a hobby and passion for me. I made a goal to master one new carry a week (some of which I'm still struggling with) and was eager to try as many different kinds of wraps as I could. Thanks to the Babywearing Swap on Facebook (enter at your own risk!) I was able to buy, sell, and trade wraps until I found those that suited us best. But somewhere along the way, I took a wrong turn into cherishing the wraps more than wrapping. I found myself awake in the middle of the night stalking a new release from a high end wrap maker and waking up exhausted the next morning. I was spending way too much time on my phone browsing these simple pieces of cloth, and not enough time investing in all the little moments of my daughter's life. 

So the past few weeks I've been working on condensing my "stash" to just those wraps we love and which have the most use for us. I'm enjoying writing this blog and sharing the love with other new moms. So many mamas helped me when I was learning the ropes and I'm hoping to pay it forward. A few days after E's birthday, we went for an evening walk and a dinner picnic by the Lincoln Park Zoo. As we got ready to eat, I spread a wrap on the ground for us to sit and eat on. My husband reacted with shock at my willingness to potentially soil one of my prized possessions, but the moments shared with my little family as the sun set were worth more than a stain or two. It's just fabric after all :)