Revving up for some new Oschas!

A few new wrap previews are up over on Oscha's Facebook page, including Braid Obsidian, Braid Mallo, ToL Astraea and Nouveau Bramble. I also saw a photo that looked like a combination of JK Mistletoe and JK Gentian, with dark green and aqua. So far we've seen aqua, indigo/purple, dark blue, dark green, light blue, natty and black. Combinations of silk, wool and cotton, and new fibers like finely spun wool and thick wool (mixed with linen for a super toddler worthy combo!)....I'm super excited for this release! I love the deep, dark night sky colors and contrasting whites. Braid Obsidian is kinda my style but I think I'd stomp a B for a SN in that colorway. Can't wait to see more previews!

Our OOAK whales

They have been with us a few months now, so it's about time I shared some photos and info about our preproduction orange/green/blue whales. There where two preproduction versions of thick whales, this one, and her sister, blue/green/light blue whales. Both versions are similar to the newer releases, but with a little less stretch. They have a thick stretchy denim sort of feel. Very substantial and supportive. These two wraps were given to a babywearing group somewhere in the Czech republic as testers. They toured Europe and visited with different mamas, while their travels were shared through photographs in the Czech forum. Apparently, most mamas who tested them loved the feel, but did t care for the colors. So the colors were changed for the release to orange/blue/red and orange/blue/light blue. Lucky for me, as I LOVE this particular colorway! I saw it in a few posts, and drooled over it from afar, never thinking that I might actually own them one day. Then I happened upon them on fsot and immediately messaged the seller. A wrapper's dream come true! They are very loved here, and will be for a Long time to come!

Roses for Nan

We've gotten lucky recently and managed to snag a beautiful Roses Foxglove from Oscha's new Machair Collection. It is a beautiful vibrant purple with soft pink in 100% cotton. Thinner than Roses Noel and very summery. The design is very textured and seems like it will be very moldable, like a flatter ellevill jade almost. No sign of digginess thus far. I wasn't sure if I would keep it while I was waiting, but this purple is so perfect, and it wraps so beautifully...how could I let it go?
Additionally, my mother-in-law said its beautiful, purple is her favorite color, she loves roses, and she is very ill. We have decided to keep our roses and wear them to remember her when she isn't with us anymore. They will forever be Nani's Roses, a maybe someday Wesley will wrap his own babies with them.

On Wrap Thickness...

My son has always been the higher percentile for height and weight. It wasn't long before certain wraps began to feel diggy. When I ordered my first Mystery Box from birdies room, only one wrap made the "cut" and that was Moss 55% linen. DS was only 4 or 5 months old at the time, but even BNIB I thought it was the bees knees. From that point on, I was a thick-wrap-lovin' mama. Thick and beastly because my favorite wrap descriptors, and the likes of Geckos Antigua, Carmin and Caribe fish, and Ecru Pfau all had their debut in my stash. I swore off all things thin, because I knew they just wouldn't work for me. Many beasts from the didy forest came and went until one day, I realized that while I loved many of my thick wraps, the ones I was reaching for most were all thin. 07 Pfau, Didy Ginkos, My Old Hopp. Looking back, my wrap preferences seem to go in reverse, I started out loving thick supportive wraps, and as DS got bigger and bigger, I began to love and prefer thin and moldable. Over those months, as my wrapping skills became more fine tuned, I found my needs changing drastically, or perhaps that I didn't "need" much in a wrap at all. At one point, I wouldn't buy a wrap if it wasn't "toddlerworthy," but recently I find I can wrap with almost anything and be pretty comfortable. That said, different wraps have their purpose. I love my Girasols for rebozo, but I wouldn't want one as a long wrap, just because there are much better things I can use, and I have a long Jade Royal that I love, but I didn't care for Jade as a shorty. I guess my purpose for this post is to warn new wrappers, that if you do end up ordering a Mystery Box, or happen upon a thin wrap that you don' think is supportive enough for you, Don't blame the wrap. I have a lot of regrets about wraps I sold because they were "too thin." I think I just may not have been a skilled enough wrapper to be able to use them properly, and had I known then, I probably would have practiced a little more before moving them on.

Deer are here!

Wow! What a beautiful wrap! Legend of the Miraculous Deer Green/Ecru has arrived from Budapest. Its a gorgeous natural color, mixed with a forest green, to make a beautiful soft sage. The cotton side is luxuriously soft, and the Linen side is very similar to Natibaby's bamboo/linens, but a little bit more textured and slubby. New in package, it was stiff and beastly, but after just one wash, its surprisingly soft and floppy. Definitely a thick wrap, and wraps thick, with a huge knot. Comfy with my 30lber in both single-layer and multi-layer carries. Nice cush, pretty moldable, and i think it will be more moldable once it's broken in. The pattern is beautiful, subtle, classy, dressy or casual. I love the placement, and the way it looks wrapped!

Obsession of the week: Vatanai Blue/Orange/Red Whales

Okay, this one took me a little bit by surprise. Everything i've ever heard about vats was regarding how thin but supportive they are. I tried Vatanai Ravenna recently on a temp trade and loved it. So when I heard that these new tri whales were thick, I was excited! I love Ravenna, but I love thick too. I was looking for the orange/brown version for a few weeks, but the only size available at retail was a 6 so I waited. I had a feeling SO might try wrapping with this so I asked him which colorway he preferred and he chose this one. I ended up getting this 7 in a trade, and while I was hesitant about the color, now that its here I LOVE it! The blue is very petrol, and the red/orange mix together nicely. Its just a beautiful wrap. But that's not the best part! This thing is a beast of a wrap for sure, but i've never met such a thick, dense wrap that had so much stretch! The stretch and moldability are unreal! I can't compare it to anything i've ever felt before. I just keep going back to a description someone gave of pamir a long time ago, that it wrapped sort of like an ace bandage....This is very much like that...like a huge, thick, dense ace bandage. Unbelieveable cush, super support, the ultimate comfy toddler wrap. Makes me think I could give up all the rest. Not that I ever could, in fact, i'm thinking of getting the orange/brown version too!

First Impressions: Oscha Alto Nebula

Wow! This beauty arrived yesterday all the way from Barcelona, Spain. It's similar in thickness to Marigold V.1 and my 07 pfau, and a little bit dense. Very moldable, nice cush. Loads of shimmer in the blue threads. For being all cotton, it's nice and supportive as a shorty with my 28lber. One of those wraps you just can't stop looking at. Well....for me anyway!

Digging through hungarian forums...

found the natibaby stock photos of the Legend of the Miraculous Deer wraps in green-ecru and brown-ecru :) enjoy!

Anyone else have an unhealthy obsession with Oschas?

I just recently got Japanese Knot Mistletoe in a trade, and I was just completely blown away by this wrap. It's so...perfect? In every way? This one is the linen/cotton/wool tri-blend and I was really bummed out to miss the release on christmas eve (had just spent all of my money on xmas gifts and returned home just in time to catch the stocking, but with no money left to spend!), anyway, I had kind of forgotten about these, even though I was really excited when they announced that there would be wool/linen blends. So what a pleasant surprise when it arrived! This wrap is cushy, supportive, warm and snuggly...the perfect woolly for us by far. The only wool I want now is more oscha wool! So this kick started my hunt for Oschas, I now have Alto Nebula otw and am hoping to find Roses Noel and Nouveau Ecru 50% Linen and 100% Linen Midnight on natural.....and no doubt more of these beauties when they release a few more! Seriously, these wraps are divine and perfect and everyone needs one! ...and I need a few more!

You are what you eat

I came across this video yesterday, and it really got me thinking about a diet overhaul. Funny, because my horoscope (which is always eerily dead-on) yesterday was something about revamping my diet. This is a study about how our food is digested, or more-so how healthy whole food is digested compared to processed artificial food. I've been on a mostly gluten-free diet for about 2-3 months now, I say mostly because I cheat a lot, usually in the wee hours of the night. Being on a gluten free diet has made me really think about the foods I eat, and what they are doing to my body. Since gluten is usually found in processed foods, I have mostly stopped eating them. I had theorized about the body's ability to digest gluten and processed foods, and I strongly believe that over-indulgence in ready made foods is what is causing such an epidemic of gluten allergies and intolerance in this country. It all comes down to nature, and what we are naturally meant to eat. A caveman would never eat wheat, because he wouldn't be able to make it into something edible. He would hunt and forage for meat and vegetables and fruits, but wheat and grain wouldn't make up any of his diet. So why does our food pyramid say that most of our diet should come from whole grains? Perhaps because the person who designed said pyramid worked for a company that sold processed food products made mostly of grains? If I remember correctly, bread was originally made in poor countries when people needed to eat things that would keep them fuller, longer because they didn't know when they would eat again....fuller longer as in....it took way longer to digest so it took longer to work its way through the body? So something that was made to be eaten out of desperation now is something that makes up 80% or so of our diets. It's no wonder why we have so many problems with obesity and food intolerance and ADD and mental disorders...the diet that most Americans believe they should be eating is far from what we really should be eating. I mean, if you fed a horse a diet that consisted of 80% gummy bears and 20% hay and grain, would you expect it to act like and be as healthy as any other horse? This video is a great example, and I hope it brings more light to an important subject for all of us, not just those with intolerances, but anyone who wants to be and feel healthy.

Stashification: Myth or Mecca?

I was hovering kind of close to being stashified lately....or so I thought. It seems like everytime I get close, I get broadsided by some rare beauty and find a new obsession. But honestly, does anyone ever *really* find stashification? It seems like everyone is always churning at least a little bit. In fact, in all my time on TBW and NM I've only seen one mama become truly stashified, and in that case, she found one wrap that met her needs, said goodbye to TBW, and was never heard from again!
Do I need to avoid the forums completely to get there?? I think that would require cutting myself off from facebook too.

But I guess the real question is....do I even want to be stashified?? I find such enjoyment in trying new wraps, trading, hunting down rare beauties....maybe it's the pursuit of happiness that brings the real joy?

I think i'm almost to the point where i'll be content with my stash, but I dont think i'll ever stop trying things just to try. How do you know what your favorite is if you haven't tried everything??

Obsession of the Week: Legend of the Miraculous Deer

it may be impossible, but today I am attempting to hunt down Natibaby's Hungarian exclusive "Legend of the Miraculous Deer." It is quite possibly the most beautiful wrap I have ever seen, and of course only made in limited numbers in another country...UGH! But seriously....how gorgeous is this wrap? It has me so curious about hungarian art and folklore. I need more of this art in my life! Crossing my fingers i can snag one of these!

from wikipedia:
Csodaszarvas (animal):  A central figure in the legends surrounding the origin of the Hungarian people. The name translates to "Miraculous Deer". According to Hungarian legend, while out hunting, the brothers Hunor and Magor saw a miraculous white stag. They pursued the animal, but it always stayed ahead of them, leading them westward into Levedia, where they married two princesses and founded the Hun and Magyar peoples.

On my plate this week...

wow, i have so much to do...more than ever!
-possibly getting a promotion at work
-lots of dye projects
-preparing and planning for the international babywearing conference
-planning a good friend's baby shower-
-trying to get a special wrap that's an exclusive in another country
-v-day...woops! gotta get shopping!
-making an osnaburg wrap for a friend
-lots of wrap side projects

I often wonder where normal people get the energy to accomplish all of their daily tasks. Reminds me of a discussion I was listening to on NPR the other day about Mitt Romney. Everyone who was interviewed kept repeating that he's the most non-stop, energetic person they'd met. Never the type to sit down and kick back in front of the TV, always full force working on his career and family life, goes to bed at 1am and wakes up at 6 everyday....I wish I had that kind of energy. There has to be some biological reason why people like Mitt Romney have such unstoppable energy. Maybe he takes vitamins, or maybe he's a robot or an alien....or maybe he just smokes crack. I want to know the secret!!

hellooooo mamas!

I've got a ton going on right now, so I thought it would be an appropraite time to take on another huge project and start a blog. I suppose now that I have an iPhone, it will be easy to post when i have free time anyway. This blog is a place to share my journey through parenting as a young, semi-crunchy, baby-wearing obsessed mom in America. I will share my online findings, current interests, topics of discussion and what we're doing at home all in the spirit of natural parenting. Enjoy.