The end of the road…day 2

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #193 – They Say It’s Your Birthday

John from Journeys with Johnbo is asking us to celebrate birthdays this week for the Lens-Artists Challenge and in our household, March is birthday month. Both my husband and I have March birthdays, exactly two weeks apart. But this year our birthdays aren’t the important ones because near the end of the month, a new member of the family showed up, our first grandchild and grandson. So without further ado, let me introduce Ryland, naturally the cutest baby ever. 🙂 He’s almost two weeks old.

Since Dad loves to surf and they live only a few blocks from the beach, there’s a definite theme in all their baby clothes, books, etc. We’ll have to be sure to insert some other influences such as things with a Western theme or maybe Ohio State or Nebraska just to be sure he’s not one-sided. But you see here what we’re up against (and in this case, what he’s up against.) As you can imagine, we’re looking forward to our first visit to meet him in person in a few more weeks, the delay only because of my husband’s work schedule and the need to be around to finalize tax things. ❤

Just FYI, although I have a copyright on these shots, I didn’t take them, our daughter did. However, no one is allowed to use them for any reason, thus the copyright. Thanks.

Thinking about babies

No, we’re definitely not thinking about having another baby, even ’twere it possible.  However, I have a very good friend in the last stages of pregnancy, whose shower I attended this weekend.

I’m not a connoisseur of baby showers by any means.  I was never given one, most of my friends being men, and I don’t know if I’ve attended another one.  My greatest fear for this one was that we’d play all sorts of (dumb) games, but we didn’t and it was fun.

However, I was amazed and amused at the variety of baby/parent “necessities” my friend received.  I didn’t even know what some of the things were, so I guess things have changed quite a bit in the last 30 years!  Although we didn’t have any family members to hand things down to us, there was an older couple at church who had a crib and changing table for their grandchildren, now too old to need them, who sold us these used but serviceable items for very little money.  That was helpful, as we didn’t have much.  We got a used swing from someone else, an item worth its weight in gold.  A good stroller and car seat are necessary and we bought a comfy chair, Monty-Python style, for me to sit in while trying to stay awake to nurse the girls.  A front pack for carrying a baby while walking was also a necessity.

As for clothes, we bought most of their things for many years from a children’s thrift/resale store.  No shoes until they were actually walking outdoors.  Until then, socks and bare feet were fine.   All too soon, children want/need more expensive clothes and shoes, although thrift stores/resale stores have always been a major part of our shopping.

There are, of course, more things were useful and I don’t mean to denigrate anything given as a shower gift.  I’m just saying, don’t get distracted by the “stuff” and define your worth as a parent by what’s on your baby’s back or how fancy the room furnishings are.  Don’t overwhelm with toys.  Get and read books from day one (or thereabouts.)  Carry a child around, show him/her things while naming them, take walks, spend time with them.  They grow up all too soon and that love and time and those experiences are the things  they’ll remember most, not how expensive or how expansive the room furnishing or the items filling the toy box.

 

The Christmas bottle

I know some of you (Randy, Rich, probably Ted) have tuned in thinking, “Wow, a story about getting plastered at Christmas!”   Much as I hate to disappoint you, it isn’t that sort of story.  And no one even got pounded (fortunately.)