Baby Carriers...

As I prepared for this extended stay in Guatemala, I found that many people in the same situation bring several different baby carriers along with them. Before I left, I thought this was just ridiculous. I mean, one baby... one carrier, right? My friend Holly passed on her Baby Bjorn, I threw it in my suitcase, and checked that off my list.

Well, Antigua sidewalks are just an adventure. If you stop to take in the view, you are probably going to either trip on the cobblestones, bump into someone selling tortillas, or fall off one of the 2-foot curbs. While we LOVE having the jogging stroller, sometimes it is just faster and more convenient to use a carrier and breeze through the crowded streets.

Here's where the baby carrier saga begins. Cohen is a big baby (Remember his nickname here has become Gordito!) and to my disappointment he broke the Baby Bjorn! I mean, after only 30 seconds, the snaps come unsnapped! After the first day of this I got out the safety pins. Two on each side should fix that, right? Nope! Snaps and safety pins immediately come undone as soon as I put him in.

After the Baby Bjorn didn't work out, I decided to buy a Mayan sling, which is what most of the locals carry their babies in. These ladies are truly amazing. It is common to see these mothers carrying not only their baby in a sling, but a large basket on their head as well. So I found a beautiful Mayan wrap and even had some vendors on the street help me tie it. (We have made friends with several of the vendors here and we know each other by name -- Ruth and Clara are our favorites and they are not shy about telling me when my wrap is not tied correctly.) The problem with this sling is that I am not a pro at tying knots and even when Robby ties it it loosens up.

On to sling number three... At the mercado I thought I found the answer to my problem. A sling that is made of traditional Mayan fabric that I love, with the convenience of being adjustable. Perfect! I negotiated the price to $17 and was so proud... until we got home, tried it on with Cohen inside and discovered it was way too big. This sling was designed for the baby to lay down and Cohen is just not about to miss seeing the sights as we walk through town.

So this morning Robby and I headed back to the mercado to see if Teresa could help us out. (Thank goodness she gave us her card!) Teresa was happy to exchange it for another carrier (for a few additional quetzales of course!) that is very similar to the Baby Bjorn only with Guatemalan fabric. We tried it with Cohen, he loved it, and we were set!

We shopped for about 30 minutes when I started hearing a familiar popping sound... this carrier was breaking too! I had reached my limit... and I cried at the market! We went back to see Teresa and she felt so sorry for me that she told me to wait at her booth while she sewed the carrier for me. After her repairs, we were able to walk many, many blocks with Cohen in the carrier and no popping sounds!

So that is the end of the baby carrier saga for now. I may be heading back to the mercado each day for Teresa to sew a little more reinforcement on the carrier for our little Gordito...