Fortune!

Call me Plain Jane or Simple Susan, but I can't believe how cushy slings can be! I came across one today for 350 bucks at oopababy.com. Naturally, it's of the most exquisite fancy pantsy cashmere fabric with fine attention to ruffled pocket detail, etc etc. And dry clean only, to boot.

I cannot wrap my mind around this. I grew up in a family of 6 kids, and our house was called "Koolaid Corner" because there were always stampedes of neighbor kids and friends running through, having a grand time. There were sticky fingers, muddy boots, and chocolate milk mustaches aplenty. Every 3 months or so, we'd have Wipe Down Day, in which all six of us got armed with a wash cloth and a spray bottle and we'd wipe down walls, doors, chairs - anything that those precious little fingers graced.

Now, after baby #3, I don't think I own a single thing that is dry clean only. Even my sofa comes all unzipped and gets machine washed. Babies have a stream of liquid emitting from some part of their body CONSTANTLY. I can't imagine owning something (especially something for a baby) that couldn't be used to wipe a snotty nose in a pinch, and get washed afterward.