Why I really love Babywearing International of Cleveland

Why do I love Babywearing International of Cleveland? It is so much more then just a group of ladies that teach you the how-to's of babywearing.  It is a place to come and learn how to wrap your babies up in love.  A place to learn to care for your babies in a way that still allows you to cook, clean, shop, and play (with two hands!) your older children while still loving and holding and nursing your itty-bitties.  A place that welcomes you in with open arms, even if you have never met them before....

 

I discovered BWI of Cleveland during a time in my life where I needed new mommy friends oh so badly.  I had a deep ache inside of me where those other like-minded women were missing.  Ones that understood the type of parent that I was and could provide the support and true friendship I was craving.  And while I attended my first meeting with just the hopes that they could help me figure out this crazy long piece of fabric I had just bought, I left with so much more.  I left that meeting feeling so uplifted and completely welcomed that I was giddy; my happiness bubbling out making the long drive home fly by.  I got to know these ladies a bit more through their active facebook group and I was counting down the days until their next meeting.  So I went again, and again the following month, and then it got to a point where I couldn't imagine not attending a meeting!  THIS was exactly where I was supposed to be.  Right here in this village, this place that truly cared about the desires of my heart, loved on my children as their own and went out of their way to lift me up when I needed it most. 

 

Last May, just 3 months after I had attended my first meeting I had a miscarriage at 22 weeks.  It was heartbreaking and someone that has battled depression in the past, I was afraid the darkness was going to over take me again.  Well these ladies blew me away with their kindness to an almost complete stranger.  They set up a mealtrain and made sure my family was fed, they checked in on me regularly and lifted me up both in prayers and lots of love.  These ladies jumped in to care for me in ways that you would expect from people you had known your whole life.  I felt blessed and loved and that dark stranger didn't stand a chance. 

 

And yet again in August I had a freak accident and fell (while Babywearing no less) and broke my leg.  I was required to lay completely flat with just my leg elevated for 2 months.  After those two very long months I was then on crutches with a cast then a big old boot until mid December.  I had a 6 year old a 2 1/2 year old.  I am a stay at home mom and just the thought of complete and utter bed rest stressed me out.  How does one care for their family and not succumb to full on depression?  It takes a village.  Yes, yes it does!  Yet again these amazing ladies stepped in- wait not stepped, but jumped in to bring food, flowers, phone calls, visits, and countless texts and emails, to keep my spirits up which was a huge part of the healing process.  International Babywearing Week came, and I still couldn't drive let alone babywear (or toddlerwear in my case).  My sweet friends went out of their way to pick me up and cart me around so that I could take part in the festivities.  In a time that is easily the hardest of my life, I look back with such gratefulness. 

 

It can be difficult to make new friends as an adult.  It takes a lot more work then when you are younger and attending the same college, or able to bond over cocktails and wild nights.  Having  a group like this where we are all in the same stage in life- juggling children, husbands, housework and the occasional loneliness of being home alone with just little people to talk to is a necessity.  These women are my lifeline.   So when I was asked if I was interested in becoming a VBE, I jumped at the opportunity.  This group has given me so much I wanted nothing more then to be able to give right back.  And although the whole point of our group is the art of Babywearing, it is so much more.  We've shared sickness and health, pregnancies, childbirth, surrogacies, and children's birthday parties.  We've fought depressions, shared in one another's joys, late night conversations, tears and lots and lot of laughs.  It's real life.  And it's the good life.  Come for the lessons.  Stay for the rich friendships you will undoubtedly gain along the way.