My friend Sara has taken to making gear recommendations on her blog, which, considering most mom-blogs are read by other moms, is a particularly great idea. I was once almost inspired to write a product endorsement of my own for the Bebe au Lait, a "nursing cover for chic mothers," but as a busy nursing mother, never quite found the time. It was a gift from my aunt Molly, and at first I thought it was just a gimmick, though an adorable one. Who needs to carry an extra thing in their diaper bags when a blanket or burp cloth will do just fine, thank you very much? Well, as it turned out, there's something to be said for the bright fabric, easy to find in even the largest diaper bag when your baby is screaming-hungry; and the adjustable neck strap to keep the thing in place; and the terry-cloth pocket, for holding a stray pacifier and wiping up after a burp; and, most of all, the stiff insert at the top, like boning in a gown, that creates a window through which your baby can see you. So voila, product endorsement.
Most of Sara's recommendations have clearly been thoughtfully considered and highly researched- like an idiosynchratic Consumer Reports boiled down for busy modern parents. I will, on occasion going forward, offer a slightly different service: sharing with you the gifts that I never would have bought myself, but which have been surprise hits.
Consider the glowworm.
We were given this gift twice- once for Clio by Dave's uncle Don and family, and once for Eleri by Adrianna, who works for my aunt and uncle, Missy and Jim. Now, as a re-interpreted relic of my own childhood, (I remember playing with these things at way too advanced an age),
there should be a positive nostalgia factor. But the new glowworm is, annoyingly, a BABY glowworm, and like so many toys these days it's super cutesy, with huge eyes and bubbly proportions, influenced, it would seem, by Japanese anime. (I was dismayed when I went to Target this weekend to pick up Memory and CandyLand, two games I loved as a kid that Clio has shown a marked interest in, to discover that a similar fate had befallen these classics.)
So where's the endorsement, you ask?
Eleri loves the thing. When you push it's belly and its face lights up, so does hers; then she laughs delightedly, grabs its ears, and tries to slow dance and make out with it simultaneously. Then she puts it down and quizzically tries to figure out why it glows in the first place. She can do this for hours.
O
ne problem: she can't make it light up and sing all by herself. But Clio can. So I suppose I'm giving this an endorsement with the caveat that you must have an extra kid--in this rare case, a bossy kid is preferable, one who wants to "help" with everything--to actually help with this.So thank you, Don Chevyoune and Michaela, and Victor and Adrianna, for introducing us to these heretefore unknown delights!
Somehow, the impending life-changing addition of a second child to our home has given Dave a jump start, and after months (or even years) of research, he recently invested in some "big-ticket" items.
Last week, he bought a limited edition Casio G Shock in white- it's fabulous, and he didn't even hesitate (when he called, Macy's had 6 left and predicated they wouldn't last the day.) Generally, Dave would lose out on such a purchase from indecision, but off he went to Macy's, and home he came with a watch. Which he is keeping, and actually wearing.
Then, today, he came home with a messenger bag. Some background: Dave has been carrying the same backpack since High School, and has sent it in to Eastpack at least once for refurbishment. I find this kind of devotion and long-term investment to an object somewhat awe-inspiring in our disposable culture, but the truth of the matter is, the thing is incredibly faded, has some holes, is losing it's shape, and is generally not so presentable. I got in on the act at Christmas, researching additional options (watches, too, in fact), but warned all potential gift-givers that whatever we came up with would likely go back. My mom bravely bought a great leather messenger bag, but sure enough.... back to the store.
Still, I was shocked when Dave bit the bullet and came home with this thing. It's just about the right size for Clio, and Dave tested it out with this precious cargo.
Doesn't it look like half her body is missing? Weird.
