Here's To Silly!

So, I mentioned earlier (this is normally where I would post a link to the "earlier," but it was just the post before this, so I'm just not) that I love my sling.  Now I have pictures to show you how great it is:
 I know that kind of looks like a boobie-shot, but it's also representative of how cozy it is for Bean.  She falls asleep on walks ALL THE TIME.  It's sweet.  And sometimes a godsend since she's not a great napper.  If all else fails, go for a walk.  This is basically the Dominican equivalent of taking a fussy baby for a car ride.  I am the family car. 
 Can you see what beautiful material it's made out of?  It makes me feel kind of fancy just wearing it.  And the long tail part that you can't see is lovely and feels like a totally chic scarf/accessory of some kind as it floats gently in the breeze.  It also works wonders as protection from the rain (for Bean, not so much me) and extra sun protection.  The site where I found it said the tail can be used as a nursing cover, but we all know I've sworn off those.  Meh.  So far, so good.
And this one had to be included because I feel almost exactly how I did when I was taking belly shots of my pregnant self.  She already is so big I cannot imagine how she ever fit inside me.  She is also a lot of fun and I am glad she is outside me.

All this being said, I have to confess, I have already wondered if I made a huge mistake by not bringing a stroller with me.  One of my favorite moments recently came when I mentioned to a friend (and mother of a small baby) down here that I didn't have a stroller.  She just looked at me in silence for a few moments, with a look of what I always imagined a stupor of thought to be, then it turned to a slightly horrified brow-wrinkle. 

"You don't have a stroller?" 

I laughed at her mainstream reaction to my crazy hippie ways.  But inside, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  Bean (as mentioned before) got a burn her first day out.  She has gotten heat rash a few different times on her face and chest.  You know, where she is pressed against me and we both sweat and sweat.  And sweat.  She is a very effective heater.  I learned this when she was inside; turns out she also warms me well from the outside (and, like I keep telling myself, it's not even hot yet - eeek!).  She is no light-weight (Wonderman and I, both being good-sized, solid people, have made a solid baby).  Carrying her makes it oh-my-goodness so much more difficult to carry anything else.  Grocery shopping was tough before, with all the walking and no-car-having.  Now?  It's an adventure, to say the least. 

Still, when I talked to another friend, and avid stroller-user, about all the places she can't get to with her stroller, I felt great (and maybe a little superior, because I'm lame like that) about being able to strap Bean to my chest and go wherever I want.  I haven't yet gone on any of the hikes or island adventures, but I am pretty sure I could, and I like that.  Turns out, I'm not positive that all the baby-wearing hippies imagined said baby-wearing in such a warm place.  A stroller may come in handy sometimes.  Meh.  I still figure strollers are for sissies (I can say this because we've looked at our finances and there is no way we'll be able to get a stroller down here anytime soon [because, ps, a stroller that can handle our "off-roading" situation would cost a fortune], so it will be a trial by fire, I'll be wearing Bean no matter what).  Good thing I love my sling.

Conclusion:  All roads have their challenges.  Embrace your choices and move on.

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