I recently explained that we would prefer not to receive any baby gifts, either before or after our little one arrives. Some of you have expressed your dismay, others your burning curiosity, and I know that a few of you are quietly mourning the loss of a chance to buy adorable pink onesies and receiving blankets while daydreaming about baby toes and that sweet smell of a newborn's head. And they're probably some who are relieved that we aren't expecting them to go on a shopping spree on our behalf (I don't blame them!). Believe me, I've had my own struggles to keep my money in my pockets and not splurge on cute baby stuff. But we really do have everything we need. After everyone was so generous last time around and given the fact that we're having another girl, we're in no shortage of baby supplies (although if you know of a place where I can get my hands on a few extra hours of sleep a night, let me know!).
So, what do we want?
Your money!
More specifically, we want a bicycle, a beautiful, practical, environmentally friendly bicycle that we could never, ever afford on our own. And to make this possible, we'd like a little of your hard-earned cash. Here, let me show you the awesomeness of the bicycle:
Is that cool or what? These Dutch and Danish cargo bikes seat up to four children (with seat belts and everything!), and have the means to safely transport an infant by securing an infant car seat. The children are better protected against accident and injury in these bikes than they are in a child's bicycle seat or bicycle trailer. And when you're not carting quite so many kids around, there's tons of room for groceries, dogs, adults or whatever you need to take with you. They come with rain covers and sun covers to keep your precious cargo protected in all kinds of weather. Each bicycle is customized to the needs of the buyer. They are a city family's dream come true!
See? Even grandma can get a lift!
But seriously, folks, we have been eyeing these bikes for almost 2 years now, and as a no-car family, bicycles are already our main mode of transportation. But soon with two children, it's going to be tough to keep up our mobility, let alone to transport groceries. We could try to find a good used car, but we prefer this healthy, environmentally friendly option. In a big city like Berlin, cars are more of a hassle than a help. Most of our destinations are within biking distance, though not within walking-with-babies-and-toddlers distance.
But the awesomeness comes at a price - a hefty price of about 1,500 Euros - and we just don't have that kind of money, nor are we in a position to really save anything toward such a goal. And thus, we ask you, dear friends, to help us out. Instead of going baby shopping, take the money you would have spent on onesies, booties and blankies (plus the postage it would have cost you to send it to us), and make a small donation to our Marie & Baby Bicycle Fund.
To make the process as convenient as possible for you, we've set up a PayPal button right here on this website, meaning you can use any major credit card to make the donation. This eliminates the hassle of international money transfers, currency conversion and all that mess. When you click on the "Donate" button, you'll be taken through a simple, step-by-step process. You can enter the amount in Dollars, and we receive the equivalent in Euros. When you think about it, this is a very green gift-giving option! Maybe even carbon-neutral! No packaging, no shipping stuff halfway around the world. Just a simple contribution.
If you live in Germany and/or have a German bank account, you're more than welcome to transfer the money directly. If that's the case, just email me: apfelmus [at] gmail [dot] com, and I'll send you all the details.
If any of our mutual friends are considering sending us baby gifts, please tell them about this little fund we're setting up for our daughters.
And lastly, please know that this fund is meant for those of you who can afford to make a contribution - large or small. If times are tough, we
t o t a l l y understand. Maybe you can make a contribution sometime down the road (I don't expect to raise the money overnight), but we'd be just as happy to receive a thoughtful card or email when we welcome our new family member to this world!





