Word(y) Wednesday: Marytown

After a vaccination at my toddler's pediatrician office, we stopped by Marytown.

I wrapped her in my mei tai on my front so that I could cuddle her and kiss her and whisper to her.  I figured that the shot would sting for a little while and that fresh air and cuddles would make us both feel better.

We walked around the garden and I told her little stories about each spot.

"Baby Jesus loves you"

 

"Spring is coming, my baby"

 

"The More You Honor Me, The More I Bless You"

St. Francis of Assisi Peace Prayer

And his prayer turned to song in this video:

I found this in one of the gardens and realized there must be Polish parishioners at Marytown... (I'll tell you about this more in another post)

In the Kolbe/Holocaust Exhibit, I saw this painting and thought it was too powerful not to share...

"Our Lady of Tears"

I needed this today.  I needed to hear the bells ringing for Mass.  I needed to walk into a church that looked and felt like a church.  Where the hymns were sung in the same harmony as my Prababcia sang them.  Where benches outside were carved from solid wood, with thought and skill and prayer, for the purpose of pausing, reflecting, finding inner strength.

Where I can walk safely.  In peace.  Holding my child...

Na razie...

Polish Embassy's Contest, Babywearing Links and Other Fun Links

I thought today I would share a few fun links I've found online.



The first is The Embassy of Poland in DC's first ever Social Media contest.

Go to Do You Know Polska?, check out some of the polish slang words featured there, come up with a sentence using one (it can be written in English with just the word in Polish or, if you want to, write the entire sentence in Polish), and either email to:  washington.press@msz.gov.pl or tweet to @PolishEmbassyUS.  Easy!

The prize is a newly published book about Maria Sklodowska-Curie.

Photo from Embassy of Poland in DC's Facebook Page

Today is the last day to enter!  Also, this is their first social media contest ever, so let's show support by spreading the word.

I also found a forum online in Polish about Baby wearing, called Chusty.  In Poland, baby wearing gear is called a Nosidełka or a Chusta, depending on whether it is a carrier or a fabric carrier (scarf).

Another site in Polish (use Google Translate button or try reading what you can, practice your Polish reading skills!) with older photos of babywearing in Poland from Chustomania.pl.

I found a website called World Memory Project and wanted to share it.  Some of you are sharing or looking for your family history and I thought this would be a good tool. 

 

And just to lighten things up a bit, I thought I would share a couple of videos. 

The first is a song my kids sing constantly.  A Ja Wole Moja Mame.  This video has the words and is sung by Edyta Gorniak instead of the original Majka Jeżowska.






The second was playing in Poland on our honeymoon.  My husband hates pop music but it got stuck in his head and we went searching for the video.  Warning:  It's not exactly Sesame Street.

Na razie...

I am not being compensated in any way for sharing any of these links.  I just wanted to.

One Reason Why I Babywear

My older daughter’s school requires parents to volunteer a certain amount of time or pay a tuition increase.  Since I don’t have the extra cash to waste on something easily avoided and also needed to get out and meet people in our new neighborhood, I decided it was a great opportunity for me.  Well, for us.

Yes, us.  For myself and… baby!  I don’t have family nearby and I also don’t know anyone in order to leave her during the day to volunteer.  So, I take her with me to the school.  But how to do that without causing a distraction for myself and the students or putting her in a potentially dangerous situation?  Baby wear!

I volunteer once a week for lunch duty, sometimes more if needed.  So, we go to the office, sign in, and I strap baby to my front or back in our Mei Tai or Ring Sling, whichever I brought along that day.  I’d love a wrap as well but that’s not an option right now.

We walk into the cafeteria and greet the students who all, at first, crowded around asking a thousand questions: “Is this your baby?”, “Why is she in that thing?”, “What’s that called?” and comments about how most of them had never seen such a thing.  Now, as the year has gone by, they are used to seeing baby and myself and simply say “Hello” to both of us, greet the baby by name, and go on about their lunch break.

The main reason I am at lunch duty is to help the younger children open milk cartons and their lunches, clean up messes, walk around and make sure every child is eating, has something to eat, and is happy.  You never know when you might come across a kid who doesn’t feel well, or got their feelings hurt, or forgot their lunch, etc.  And since baby is in a carrier, my hands are free to help while baby helps them smile and feel more open with me to share whatever problem they might have.

There is a particular girl who in the beginning of the year was being picked on for looking different. It’s not her fault.  So, wearing this exciting and excited baby of mine, and sporting a pair of glasses that day as well, I sat and talked with her at lunch while the children who picked on her watched.  She has not been picked on since that day as far as she has told me, and feels special because I make it a point to stop and talk to her every time.  Again, with baby who’s smiling, laughing, and hugging her from her safe perch against Mommy’s chest.

My older daughter loves to see us and tells everyone, “That’s my Mommy and Baby Sister!” and tells everyone about us.  She’s very proud.

And, of course, we can’t forget baby.  At first, she was still a little baby so she would watch quietly snuggled against me and after a few minutes, fall asleep.  Now, she’s over a year old and smiles and squeaks and “talks” to the children and watches everything they do.  She’s developing relationships, recognizing certain faces, and learning how to act in social situations, all from the safety of my arms, or baby carrier.

I think the cutest experience out of this so far has been the fact that many girls have come up to me asking how to wear a baby and parents have also told me, some showing cell phone pictures, that their children now walk around the house “wearing” their baby dolls with scarves, pillow cases, etc.  One little girl even asked Santa Claus for a toy ring sling.  Her mother came to me and asked where she could find such a thing.

I knew volunteering at a school is important.  But I never realized the kind of impression my bringing baby along would do, especially since I am not an expert at baby wearing at all.  I hope this inspires someone to wear their baby and maybe even realize that doing so opens the world to them and their child in an easy and nurturing way.