Made my first mei-tai!! Syntia and I both have become fond of using a wrap to go for walks together. With her getting bigger and my elastic wrap being too hot, cumbersome and elastic, I started researching what the next step would be. After deciding on a mei-tai, the next step was finding out how to make one myself. Gee, am I glad I once pointed at the sewing machine sitting in the cupboard at home, asking my mom if she knew how to use one of those! With her help, I started designing and making my own bags, shirts and pants as a teenager. While I never got particularly good at it, I learnt the basics and gained a confidence knowing that I had a skill I could always rely on if need be, could hone and perfect if I wanted to and could be creative with when inspiration strikes. Repurposing fabric from one of Leila’s wraps… et voilà! Ready for the next chapter in our baby wearing adventure! 
#babywearing #meitai #diy #craftymama #sewing #makeityourself #attachmentparenting #parentingforlife
Here’s the link to the tutorial I used: http://www.fineandfairblog.com/2013/10/tablecloth-mei-tai-tutorial-with-wrap.html – in case you want to give it a go yourself, or pass it on to your sewing-skill-endowed friend while winking your face off, lol.
![Cesar gave Syntia his train tracks about a year ago, and before they were hers, she would play with them together with Cesar. She's had a ton of time to learn the different pieces, how to put them together and build a track, but for some reason, she DID NOT want to build a track by herself and most of all preferred to just watch as someone else built the track for her.
Lj and I knew she was perfectly capable of building a track for herself and we tried to support her to start small and show herself that she can do it. Or that we'd be here if she gets stuck, but she can at least try on her own. Any such attempts, however, were met with an absolute and firm refusal. So, we did it with her, or for her.
We started wondering, is this little girl really just taking advantage of us at this point? Are we entertaining this too much? Should we push harder? We knew she could do it, she knew she could do it, but for some reason she just didn't want to do it, at least, not yet.
And then one day, out of the blue, she takes out her blocks and starts building a track... by herself. Lj quietly waived me over, pointing at her, then signing 'shhht', lol - didn't want to disturb the moment. The track you see in the pic is the first one she built by herself. It wasn't a "beginner's" track like a simple circle or a straight line, it was a more intricate design laid out exactly and precisely how she wanted it to be, including all the elements she wanted to have as a part of it. Kabam, out of the blue.
There are other things where Syntia 'took her sweet time', like learning how to walk and potty training, where it was clear at some point that she was able to do it, but for some reason, pulled back or didn't want to do it all by herself just yet. It's so easy as parents to freak out over that, to think that children should develop skills in a particular way, like 'starting small' or doing something by yourself as soon as you're able to. But not all kids are the same in this. [Continued in comments..]](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/135216034_868657797266702_107582540258970761_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=AwcDjJsv6z8AX8z3F1X&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfDz7JKknfXiTiNtMQPTY6feuYnVgUtaSV9OJJa_M1vbzA&oe=64823152)
