Why we HEART Ergobaby

If you've known me longer than 5 minutes, you probably know that I am a big fan of babywearing. It has without a doubt made motherhood richer and easier for me in so  many ways. I purchased an Ergobaby Original Carrier a couple of months before our son arrived, and from the time he was 3 months old, he has been worn in that carrier daily. When he was little and slept often, I wore him while on conference calls for work, while cleaning the house, prepping dinner, you name it. As he's gotten older I still use it when we venture out to a festival or any crowded event that I don't want to navigate with a stroller, and it is our go-to to help him wind down his limitless toddler energy before bedtime. I can honestly say that it has been by far the most useful piece of baby gear we have purchased.

So, you can imagine my despair when buckling him in one night, the chest clip snapped. I called customer support at Ergobaby to see if we could order a replacement strap or clip. I spoke with a friendly customer care associate who followed up by sending me an email with instructions on what information they needed to process my request. After taking a handful of photos of our carrier I responded with the photos and details and crossed my fingers. I heard back from her quickly and learned that while my model did not have a clip or strap replacement, they would be able to offer me a warranty replacement. I sent a copy of my proof of purchase, selected a BRAND SPANKIN' NEW carrier from their website and a few days later had this beautiful baby in our possession.

I'll be honest. I expected one of two things to happen:

1) Pay $15 - $30 for a replacement part, or

2) Find out that any warranty had expired and I was out of luck

I am not a paid spokesperson for Ergobaby, just a mom who has loved their carriers and appreciates it when a company stands behind their awesome line of products and believes in taking care of their customers. If you are expecting or have a little one, check out the line of carriers, nursing pillows, swaddlers and more on their website.

If anyone from Ergobaby is reading this...please, please, please release a line of toddler carriers soon! :) My little man is rapidly outgrowing our original and I would love to continue to support such a fantastic brand. 

Building Your Emotional Toolbox: A Letter to my Son

Arlo,

There are many lessons I want you to learn in life and many character traits that I think will be important in shaping you into an honorable man. You already have a dogged determination when pursuing a task and a hint of budding charisma that I think will combine to make you a person who can be quite persuasive! As I look into your bright, inquisitive, 16 month old eyes; I do not see a hint of prejudice or hatred. No stereotypes have swept in to cloud your judgement of another person's character. Today my heart is heavy because the world is not like you. The world is full of snap judgements and assumptions. I take one look at my newsfeed on any given day and see this harsh reality. Between friends posting photos of their babies, and cute YouTube videos, there is a constant negative stream of judgement. The world can be cruel and taunting and I now see that the heaviness of motherhood is knowing the reality of the world and wanting better for your children.

It's my job as your mother to help you build your emotional toolbox. These are the first three traits I want to add:

1) Kindness. I want you to have a friendly, generous, and considerate heart. Kindness breeds empathy, and if you can understand the feelings of others, you will be a better person for it. 

2) Tolerance. I want you to have a fair and objective view when it comes to those who may differ from you in their own opinions and beliefs. I want your heart to be free of bigotry. Just because you may not feel the same way as someone else, doesn't mean you should have condemnation or hatred towards them. Remember that you have not walked in their shoes.

3) Bravery. I want you to have a fearless heart. I want you to be unafraid to recognize injustice and inequality and speak up. I want you to feel freedom to love others without fear of persecution. 

These aren't ground-breaking ideals. This is all some pretty basic WWJD, love your neighbor as yourself stuff, but somehow it seems radical. I know you will learn by watching, so this means I need to do undertake some realigning myself:

• I will work to model kindness for you. Even when dealing with a rude customer service provider, or being cut off in the parking lot. I will try to model kindness and realize that I don't know what could be going on in that person's life to spark that behavior. 

• I will work to model tolerance for you. It's hard for me to understand the struggles of the transgendered because I haven't walked in those shoes, but I can be thankful that I do not have that burden, and treat them with love and grace.

• I will work to model bravery for you. I will strive to publicly stand on the side of what is right and fearlessly show you that when Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" that he wasn't speaking figuratively, or only about a small group of Christians, but to all of us.

I won't always get it right, but I'll do my best. 

I love you so much, 

Mommy