I went to a Mary’s Market event this past weekend.  I’d been to an MM before and it seemed like a good opportunity to see some friends and get out of the house.  Kind of crazy to realize that it was the first time I’d left Joe for more than 15 minutes since he was born!

It was a beautiful morning, if a bit overcast…

It felt strange to leave Joe in someone else’s care, even if was with Chris.  I was about halfway to MM when I noticed how light I felt.  I realized that, counting the pregnancy, I haven’t been without Joe in 11 months.  I ended up getting to my destination in next to no time – side-effect of not having a baby carrier or pram.

I passed the Pohutukawa Sculpture on my to the market…

This fiber-glass sculpture marks the southern edge of Auckland’s CBD {central business district} and has recently undergone a beautification process.  All part of putting New Zealand’s best face forward for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

The market was being held in the Freeman’s Bay suburb of Auckland.

The market runs from 9am – 1pm.  It was still a bit early when I got there, but there were plenty of people milling around outside.

Of course, you begin to realize how popular this event is once you walk into the hall…

This was still early – the last time I went was a bit later, and it was much more crowded.  People love coming to these events.  They sell a range of baby, children, and women’s clothing, as well as toys, skincare items, decorations, and cloth nappies.  All of the items sold are seconds, samples, or end-of-line, so they’re marked down from retail prices.  I happen to think that NZ retail prices are quite high to begin with, so the markdowns serve simply to bring them into what I’d consider a reasonable price range.

Still, there are some good things to be found.  Remember this blanket?

I’ve been using this blanket with Joe since birth.  It’s 100% merino and is a great, stretchy swaddling blanket.  I bought it at the Dandylion Kids stand when I went to the last MM, and I was happy to see that they had a stand at this market, too.  I bought a few more of their items…

No, I did not buy hot pink clothes for Joe, although you might think it from that last photo.  The pant + shirt set is actually red.  Merino is used in kids’ clothing here like cotton is used in the States – it seems to be in everything.  And the great thing about it is that it can be worn in winter or summer.  It’s very breathable and great for wicking moisture away from the skin.

I picked up some skincare items for Joe, too.  His poor scalp and forehead have been quite dry, and it was suggested that I try using oil rather than lotion.  I had bought some baby lotion a few months before he was born, but never really studied the ingredient list.  Turns out that the lotion I purchased has several different types of alcohol in it.  Fabulous – alcohol {which is great for drying up the skin} in a baby lotion.  Sigh.

The Plunket nurse recommended using sweet almond oil or rosehip oil.  I scoped out the stalls at the market and found one that was selling baby skincare items.  I bought a starter pack of 4 items, which was actually more economical than buying 3 items separately:

These are sold by Made4Baby.  I’ve been rubbing the massage oil into the dry skin of his forehead and scalp once or maybe twice a day.  It seems to be working, and you can’t beat the ingredient list for simplicity:

He’s still got some dried patches on his scalp, but they seem to be slowly improving with time {I checked with the Plunket nurse – it’s not cradle cap, just dry scalp}.

Overall, going to MM was fun and a great way for me to see some friends, get exercise, and spend a little bit of time away from Joe.  I’m sure that my excursions without him will increase as he gets older, but for now, I’m happy to be back home with him 🙂