34
So...... I apparently have an issue with small obsessions. I get obsessed learning about something new, and pour myself into it. Sometimes it's a hobby (photography). Sometimes a subject (home birth). Sometimes a creative project (photo blogging my pregnancy with Jax). Sometimes it's free (cooking, well besides the cost of food). Sometimes it's expensive (Crocs shoes).
I get attached to whatever my newest thing is, go crazy about it for a few months, and move on to the next obsession.
My confession is that the current obsession is baby carriers, and they can be expensive. I've been buying. And selling. And trading. I'm at a point where the energy of the obsession is dying down. So now I'm mainly selling off things I bought that aren't working for me. And trying not to buy anything new.
I haven't wanted to talk about this on my blog, because I know some people will criticize or judge me for spending so much money. Or wearing my toddler instead of letting him walk. Or whatever. Everyone has hobbies. Everyone has their areas of weakness for spending money. The good news is so far I've been able to sell what I've purchased for within $10 or so or what I paid for it. That's not much of a loss for a hobby.
When I prepare to sell a carrier, I do so with a mix of my other hobbies / obsessions: fashion and photography.
I take photos with my super awesome camera (on tripod, using remote). I have two remotes now, because Jax always wants to hold one. He says, "Thank you," when he wants something. His, "Thank you" means, "I want to have that right now." When I'm holding the remote and taking photos, he says, "Ish ooh! Ish ooh! Ish ooh!" over and over like a broken record until I hand him the remote. So now we have two remotes. One for me; one for Jax.
When we take the photos of the baby carrier I'm selling, I dress Jax and I up in matching outfits, that also coordinate with the colors of the baby carrier or wrap. I fix my face and my hair, because if we've learned anything from the billboards and magazine covers, it's that looking good sells stuff.
So then, I have this baby carrier I'm trying to sell. And I have gorgeous photos of me and my adorable son wearing said baby carrier. And then I don't want to sell it, because we look so good in it. But I do sell it, because I can't keep them all, and I've determined not to be the person who owns 200 wraps (believe me, they are out there, and I'm not judging, I'm just saying).
I've talked with Benjamin about this new obsession, and I described it this way.
It's like you've never worn shoes in your entire life. You're a grown adult, never worn shoes. Someone takes pity on you, and gives you a pair of sneakers. Walmart brand, white sneakers. You are amazed. Your feet don't burn when it's 100 degrees outside in Texas and the asphalt is radiating like an electric stove top. You can walk through burrs and drought-dried grass without being stabbed. It is heaven. You wear your sneakers everywhere.
You are allowed into places were previously you were banned by the "no shirt no shoes no service" rule. And when you go to those places, you see other people. Other people wearing shoes. And you realize, wow, there are so many different shoes out there! I had no idea!
So you save up your pennies and buy a pair of flip flops. The cheap plastic ones from Old Navy. And you are amazed. Your feet, no longer sweaty and sticky! Supported but not suffocated. It is heaven.
This journey continues, slowly, as you eagerly investigate the world of shoes. Soon you discover water shoes for wading in Texas streams, high heels for fancy events, and simple flats for church. The world slowly unfolds into brands, prices, fabrics, textures, and colors.
So can you own just one pair of shoes? How about two? How about ten? At what point do you own a sufficient variety of shoes to adequately cover the gamut of life events, weather demands, and outfit coordination needs? Were you better off with bare feet? Were you better off before you discovered shoes existed?
So here I am.
I started my baby wearing journey sixteen months ago with a grey Moby Wrap and an ErgoBaby soft structured carrier in galaxy grey.
I haven't counted how many carriers I own at the moment. It's less than 20. They're not all staying here. Many are going back out and three are currently up for sale.
But I'm going to share them here. Judge if you must. But I hope you won't throw the first stone unless you've never had some kind of obsession either. And if you haven't ever had an obsession, well, I hope one day you do. They're fun.
I will share carriers I'm selling, and what I thought of them. I will share carriers I own, and why I love them. I will share the photos we take, and I will take photos of the ones I'm keeping and not just the ones I'm selling.
It's my current obsession, so I can stay silent, or I can share.
My next obsession needs to be free. Any ideas?
Oh, and I would be so so happy if I could somehow get more people into baby wearing. Not to spend money on wraps, but to have babies close and cuddly. But my theories about baby wearing are for another post.