Veni Vidi ...

The Lovers, The Dreamers, And Me.
If you're even a little bit of a hippie-geek (like me!) then you might remember what song the title of this post is from. It's from "The Rainbow Connection", sung by that lovable muppet, Kermit E. Frog.

I know that's not his name. But when Inara was a little baby, she couldn't say "Kermit THE Frog", and she said it her own way instead. So in our house, Mr. Frog's full name has always been Kermit E. Frog.

Back on track!

So why am I going on about lovers and dreamers and rainbows and me? It's because I am in love with a kooky little girl:Who dreams of rainbows (in her rainbow pajamas):And she and I are SO excited about the rainbow that is named after her:Because...

INARA'S RAINBOW HAS ARRIVED STATESIDE!!!

Giselle emailed me over the weekend to let me know that the wrap has made it's trek all the way from Germany, and she posted a few sneak peak pictures over at the Nurture Baby Naturally Facebook page. She is hoping to take some action shots soon, and when I get them I will post them here for all of us to oogle at. For now, here is a little tease to whet your rainbow-y appetites:Inara's Rainbow is on the bottom, the other wrap is another exclusive wrap called Felice.
Don't they look gorgeous together?I can't tell you how happy these two pictures have made me. I've been walking around with a goofy grin on my face for two whole days! Giselle has such a gift for turning dreams into reality, and I could not be happier with the way Inara's Rainbow has turned out. As soon as I saw the pictures I had to do the uber-geeky comparison thing to compare it to the original fabric. You can tell from this close-up (including Baby Doll's hand) just how closely the wrap mirrors the original, but in a more muted, sophisticated way. I think it's going to be stunning when seen in real life:I adore that red weft!I think I'm in love. And for all you fellow rainbow lovers and dreamers (and me), we won't have too much longer to wait before we get to hold a piece of Inara's rainbow in our hands. Giselle and family will be shipping out the pre-ordered wraps this week. And for those of you who didn't get a chance to pre-order, there are still opportunities for you to share in this amazing story of ours...but you will have to have to be vigilant! More details:

- Giselle said that there may be extras of Inara's Rainbow available for purchase through her online store Piece of Cloth. You will want to keep an eye on that site after midweek, as well as stay tuned to her Nurture Baby Naturally Facebook page for up-to-the-minute details on when those few wraps will be made available for purchase.

- If you aren't babywearing, or don't want a whole wrap, you might want to check out my friend Suzi's Etsy store, Starbright Baby. She did a preorder for the insanely popular (Seriously. I had no idea how fast these would sell out!) Inara's Rainbow teething giraffes and hobo bags. She will be opening up a very limited number of slots for those items once she meets all her preorders...so stay tuned to her Etsy store and the Starbright Baby Facebook page for news about that too.

- And also, you may want to keep your eye on my little bloggy too for another chance to own a piece of Inara's Rainbow. Just sayin'.

I hope you will be able to share the gift of wearing your babies close to your hearts the way I have been so lucky to do. Babywearing is a natural extension of my parenting, and it has been such a joy to wear my babies (Yousuf and I actually wore the girls just last night while we were cleaning up after dinner. They're both sick and really needed to be cuddled, and we were able to get things done around the house at the same time. Bonus!).

The symbol of a rainbow, and all it represents for us - hope, joy, the promise of a brighter tomorrows and endless possibilities - are all things that I want to share with all of you, through Inara's Rainbow. And no, I'm not being compensated in any way for saying any of these crazy things (other than the wrap that Giselle has kindly gifted to us). I just really feel that excited, and full of gratitude, to be sharing this with you.

So, are you excited now that you've seen the pictures of Inara's Rainbow? I am beyond thrilled. I'm cooking up plans to turn my wrap into something else...perhaps a Mei Tai or a ring sling (I'm a bit wrap challenged, so I prefer to use wraps in other ways). Do you think an Inara's Rainbow ring sling would be at all appealing? I think it could be really pretty. I've been out of the ring sling loop for a little while - and would love to know what ring sling shoulder style (and company name if you have a favorite) YOU like the most. I'm always up for trying something new!

~Mahreen