The first 20 weeks of busing with Chicklet have worked out pretty well. I love traveling around the city with her, especially now that she’s alert enough to take in her surroundings and enjoy the ride. Of course, we’ve had our share of challenges. One of the biggest is getting ourselves ready to leave the house. This is partly because timing–Chicklet’s needs with Metro’s schedules–is an issue, and partly because we always get held up figuring out what to wear. Check it:

Because I carry Chicklet in a front-pack carrier, I have to stick with clothing I can wear with it. This is not as easy as it sounds. It’s been cold and rainy since the little one was born, which means we both must dress warmly. None of my coats is big enough to zip up over her, so the shirt I choose must be warm enough to compensate for an open coat. It also must be thin enough to fit under the carrier (so much for sweaters) and–since at least half of the time Chicklet’s facing inward, and she’s especially fond of spitting up on her mother–machine washable. All of these constraints leave me with a handful of viable outfits, which I constantly rotate. Just when I had mastered the art of bus fashion!

Bus chicks in training must also accept some wardrobe restrictions. Because Chicklet’s outside a lot, I tend to focus on keeping her warm. Most of the time, I put her in a snowsuit, to make sure she stays nice and toasty while we’re walking or waiting. (Of course, once we get inside she’s invariably too toasty, and taking her out of the carrier to remove and then replace her layers is decidedly inconvenient. I digress.) When Chicklet wears a snowsuit, she has to wear an outfit that will fit well under it, which means no bells or whistles. So much for that Easter dress.

On days when it’s warm enough for her to go without the snowsuit, she must wear an outfit that covers her feet, which dangle below the carrier, exposed to the elements. Socks and shoes don’t stay on and are silly at her age, and bare feet are, of course, out of the question. Unless it’s a special occasion or she’s posing for pictures, she, like her mother, is forced to rotate the same few outfits–mostly one-piece, pajama-like numbers. This wouldn’t be so bad (after all, Chicklet’s only concern is that she’s warm and comfortable), except that we have to do laundry a lot. Also, thanks to the generosity of family and friends, our little BCiT has an extensive (and adorable) wardrobe, most of which rarely sees the light of day. I guess some lucky baby’s going to get a lot of very lightly used hand-me-downs.