A new visitor is here and his name is Taj. (It just sounds like a boy name and the wrap feels like a boy too I think) So very first thought out of the package, "looks just like marble but so much thinner." My DH even said "Didn't you just have that one?" Anyway it does look like gotham marble as its the same fibers, ecru cotton and mercerized but at 280 g/m2 to Marble's 280 they feel so different in hand. Now this is a first impression, I have not even wrapped with it yet as today was just not a wrapping day, [it happens] so I'm excited to see how it compares to marble once it's actually being worn. Stay tuned!
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Again I have to credit my amazing friends and their generosity but at the same time I kind of wish D had never let me borrow this beauty because when I give it back on Friday I'm going to be ripping my heart out. I love love love marble; I've haven't put something on and instantly been this in love since I bought my senior prom dress (almost 10 years ago.) So anyway, the details. Pavo Gotham Marble size 5 100% cotton. When I picked this wrap up from D it was essentially brand new having been washed and dried and maybe tried on. It was definitely still crispy but even in that state the second I put LD up, it was love: cushy, smooshy, lovely love. In return for getting to play with marble I agreed to take the beast aka break it in. First I threw it in the wash and then I braided it a few times, wore it a few times, washed it again, ran it through the rings a few times, wore it a few times, braided it some more. Every time I wear it I love it more. Its a fairly textured wrap so its pretty grippy. I find it to be a little difficult to wrap with; it wouldn't be the best choice for a beginner trying to learn how to make passes. However at the same time when you dont get the wrap perfect it is very forgiving as the texture holds the wrap in place well. As I said before it has a lot of cush and pavo cotton is vert supportive. I carried LD in a front carry and he was weightless seriously, and there was no digging or pressure anywhere. (They really should have called it marshmallow) When it comes to carrying SG the wrap is a little on the thicker side but it's just thin enough that I can still make leg passes without throwing his tiny baby legs out of whack, and while its textured and started out a little stiff, it's plenty soft enough against his squishy skin now. I think this wrap really shines in a fwcc for both squishes and toddlers. Visually this wrap is simply gorgeous. The pattern is just barely visible by color, but due to the texture it shows like a favorite cable knit sweater (which is also how it feels.) The color is a perfect creamy natural that will compliment any skin tone. Because it is natty, I was a little worried about getting it dirty, but I've seriously been wearing it daily and have wrapped in parking lots and streets in NY in March and I haven't found a speck of dirt yet. I could just gush about how much I love this wrap all day but I have to get out and wear it a little more because it goes home Friday. Just go out and find one for yourself, I promise you wont be disappointed and if somehow you are, just send it my way; I'll be going through withdrawal. I didn't write yesterday because I spent the day with a friend who was visiting from out of town. We just moved across the state eight months ago and while I've made great friends out here, it's so nice to have visits from friends and family "back home." So we spent the day yesterday together in the best way; we went shopping. First we went up to the outlets and then we spent the rest of the day walking around downtown Saratoga. Yesterday was one of the first days it's been above freezing, and even though it was a little rainy, it felt like paradise. It's been one of the longest coldest winters I can remember and with a newborn I've barely gotten out of the house. I'm going stir crazy and so is the dude so it was amazing to get out of the house.
Due to the weather SG rode in the stroller with the cover and LD got wrapped. Since we were going in and out of stores I used a front cross carry which is poppable. He's a little bit big for a front carry height wise, the weight isn't a problem for me though and I was wearing my borrowed Pavo which is a total rockstar. We spent a lot of time in the bookstore which is not surprising if you know our family at all, and of course we hit up the toy store too. At the end of the day mommy bought a new outfit, LD got a puzzle, SG took home a rattle and we all got fresh air and excersize. It was a good day. At dinner I decided to put SG in the wrap because he'd been in his carseat for 4 hours at that point and I couldn't stand to have him apart from my body any longer. I ordered a two hand meal so I put him up on my back when the food came. Now if you've never watched a newborn getting back wrapped let me tell you, it never really looks good. It looks even worse when the baby is already cranky and gets his foot tangled in the wrap which is a size 5 (aka entirely too long for a newborn ruck.) So here I am in a corner of a fairly crowded restaurant while my husband and friend sit there eating. SG is screaming and everyone is looking at me. The waitress and another woman offer to "help" with "someone call CPS" looks on their faces and I start to get flustered. There is a moment when I almost give up but then I think to myself how embarrassing that would be and I just look at the floor and plow through. In the end its not a perfect wrap job, and he doesn't stop crying completely because he's actually hungry, but he settles down and I get to eat my sandwich with both hands. So what if I got embarrassed and it didn't go smoothly, its not always easy, that's reality. And too bad for anyone I made uncomfortable, I was doing what was best for me and my baby at the time and that ladies (and gentlemen) is why we're here. In the wrap world, when it comes to stashes you can be one of two things you can be a hoarder i.e. "Give me all the wraps." And "You'll have to pry them from my cold dead hands." Or, you can be a churner e.g. A good wrapping friend of mine who we are lucky to see her newest wrap before its back out the door to make way for another. So what are you? I think of myself as somewhere in the middle but toeing the line to hoarder. Being a SAHM who is still paying off college loans, and just had another baby I flat out don't have any money so I keep a very small stash, which you can see right there, and I find then that I shop until I find what I really want and so when I do buy something I feel very attached to it and I just can't let it go. Even when I bought my second wrap which was definitely not the right fit for me, I had a hard time trading it. And the be honest even if I did have more money I would probably just buy new wraps without giving anything up, so I guess that makes me a hoarder. However I have the heart of a churner, I really want to try everything and when I'm privileged to borrow wraps Im more than happy to churn through those. It's a good thing I have a bunch of amazing friends that are going to be lending me their wraps so I can review them for you. So I'm really doing this, huh. I've only talked about starting a blog a million times but of course there are excuses, primarily that I'm not really a very good writer. I don't always spell words correctly, and i have a terrible habit of leaving out apostrophes, and forgetting to capitalize my I's (see above.) Also lets be honest I'm not really qualified to review wraps, I've only been wrapping just over a year. I don't know all the fancy terms, I couldn't tell you for sure if a wrap has grip or slip or glide, my thick is someone else's thin I dont know if the stretch is diagonal and cush versus bounce is lost on me. Im also not a pro wrapper (yet.) Sure I have a few carries down solidly but sometimes I try something new and it's a complete disaster. So what am i doing? The thing is I just love wearing my babies and I love wraps. I know how I would describe a wrap. I know what I like, I know what my boys like. I also wear in real life, in nursing tanks, un-showered, half (or fully) crazed. I wear my kids to get the mail in my husbands huge boots and pajama pants, I wear them in the grocery store.
So while it's true that I'm just an average (or below) mom and Im not the best writer or wrapper, I do really and truly love wraps and I want to share the real side of babywearing when we don't always get it perfect and I want to give people an honest review of a wrap that maybe they can identify with. Maybe no one will ever read this blog (that would kind of suck since I'm putting a lot of effort into it) but maybe just one person will, maybe one person who also doesn't always get it right, and doesn't know all the right terms and maybe I will help that person find babywearing love. If that happens then I will be happy, because that ladies (and gentlemen) is why we're here. |
AuthorA stay at home mom of two boys under 2 living in Upstate Ny. I love wraps and wrapping and all things babywearing. Archives
May 2015
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