Inara's Rainbow.

A while back, I posted about why keeping my babies close to me, by wearing them in baby carriers (babywearing for those of you unfamiliar with the term) means so much to our family. That post was probably the hardest one I have ever had to write, because in it I talked about Inara's difficult infancy, some of her health issues, and the journey we went through to get to where we are today. Very emotional stuffs, indeed.

So that post coincided with the start of International Babywearing Week and as many other babywearers around the world were doing at the time, I changed the profile picture on my personal Facebook page to a babywearing one. Most people changed their pictures to ones of them wearing their little ones, but as I was scrolling through my (countless) babywearing photos, I came across one of Inara wearing one of her dolls in a sling that was made for her by one of my very dearest friends in the whole entire universe (For anonymity's sake, let's just call her "Jen". Which is totally NOT anonymous, but whatever. Why make this even more confusing than it already is?)

Immediately after posting that picture of Inara, my Facebook page lit up with comments. Which I knew would happen, because who wants to see a boring picture of me wearing my babies (been there, done that) when you can have the cutest little mug staring back at you instead?  And that too, a cute little mug wearing her cute little dolly? It was just too cruel to deny the world of that experience (such a modest blogger am I).

One person in particular (for anonymity's sake, let's call her "Tiph". Which again, is totally her real name), went completely bazonkers and demanded to know where I got that little doll sling for Inara and if it was possible for her to get one - not for her kids - but for herself. Errrrmmmm...huh? My friends had seen that picture before, but nobody had ever wanted the sling for themselves. That was new.

As a lark, I told the lovely "Tiph" that it wasn't an actual baby sling, and that if she wanted it for herself she would need to find a way to get it made by - and here was the insane part - emailing a certain baby carrier vendor (Giselle. That's really her name. Anonymity is so overrated.).

ASIDE AND SHAMELESS PLUG: Giselle Baturay is a babywearing legend. She is the hardworking businesswoman behind two well-loved family-owned stores called Granola Babies and Piece Of Cloth and she is also the smart yet sensitive author behind the blog Nurture Baby Naturally. To say that I am in awe of everything she has done for the babywearing community is an understatement. I had the pleasure of working with Giselle when we both served on the Board of Directors of Babywearing International, Inc. and I believe I may have professed my adoration for her on more than one occasion. It may have even been the reason that she decided to step down - I'm sure she didn't sign up to be stalked by a babywearing lunatic. I'm actually surprised that she still talks to me. GISELLE OMG I LOVE YOU WILL YOU BE MY BFF?!?!?!

Ahem.

Okay, now here's where the story gets really exciting. As if it wasn't already.

So "Tiph" emailed Giselle and Giselle saw my picture of Inara wearing the sling that "Jen" made for her. Got it? Good. And then Giselle said this, and I quote:

"Oh my dear lord it's GORGEOUS!!! Thanks Tiph for pointing it out. I think a wrap that color would be so beautiful!! Though....could it be the wearer that brings out the beauty?"

Whereupon Tiph countered with:
"I think she has a little something to do with it Giselle. ;) Maybe we could name it Inara's Rainbow??"

Giselle replied:
"Ooooooh, that would be lovely!!

At this point "Jen" stepped in and offered to send Giselle a piece of the original fabric, and Giselle said:
"Oooh Jen, I'd love a piece of it! I just need a piece of it to make sure we get the color numbers right. Inara's Rainbow is a go!

Thud. That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.
Pop. That was the sound of my eyeballs popping out of my head.
Slam. That was the sound of me keeling over in shock and disbelief.

Did you read what just happened there, people? Let's recap:

I posted a picture of my daughter and now she is going to have a baby wrap named after her.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah. That.

Okay, so I don't even know how to start explaining this to people who aren't "like us". "Us" being People Who Wrap Up Their Children In Fabric. If you'll pardon my French,  this is like every babywearer's wet dream come true (Mom! Don't read that last part!). And honestly, I'm not even slightly kidding at all.

All of a sudden my brain started thinking:
- Inara is going to have a wrap named after her. Holy sheeps.
- I'm going to have to buy this to wrap my baby in, or to save for Inara as a keepsake.
- I need money. How much do kidneys go for these days?
- Wait. I don't have a teeny baby to wrap right now.
- But that can be solved.
- I should shower first.
- INARA IS GOING TO HAVE A WRAP NAMED AFTER HER. GISELLE I LOVE YOU WILL YOU MARRY ME?!?!?!?!

So here's the deal. This is really happening. Giselle is currently working with Girasol, a Berlin-based company that works with Mayan women from Guatemala, who hand-weave baby wraps that are used all over the world. Girasol also pays fair trade wages to the artisans and uses only untreated cotton in their baby wraps (Double fantastic awesome. Gives me the warm fuzzies all over just thinking about this!).

Right now, Giselle is confirming the colors of Inara's Rainbow with Girasol to most accurately reflect the original swatch of fabric. I have it on good authority that this wrap is going to be FANFRICKINGTASTIC (A teaser for all you wrap geeks out there - the weft color is going to be red. Gorgeous!). Giselle is hoping to get a digital swatch of the wrap very soon, and possibly be able to take pre-orders by the end of this month. If all goes according to schedule, she hopes to have Inara's Rainbow here sometime in early February. Perfectly cheery for those wintertime snuggles!

Inara's Rainbow will be an exclusive wrap, sold only through Giselle's store, Piece Of Cloth.  You will be able to find more information about it, as it becomes available, through the Piece Of Cloth/Nurture Baby Naturally Facebook page - so "Like" them now so that you don't miss any updates! I will also be updating everyone here on my blog whenever possible.

I still can't quite believe that this is happening. For my daughter - the baby that I wore close to my heart through so many ups and downs - to have a wrap named after her is thrilling beyond anything I could have ever possibly imagined. That Inara's Rainbow will carry, soothe, and comfort countless other babies around the world is nothing short of a dream come true. This wrap will mean so much more to me than a simple piece of cloth. It is going to be our legacy. And I am so so honored to be a part of it.

So here it is. The face that launched a thousand (Or more? One can always dream!) baby wraps. I am so proud and privileged to present to you...Inara's Rainbow. I hope that her sunny stripes and sweet softness bring you happiness and a lifetime of warm memories. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!