1 Mother 2 Another

Still trying to decide what to get for new parents this year?  Look in your own child’s toychest for inspiration.

For Madeleine’s shower, my girlfriend Abby (and her husband Paul – I sometimes speak as if she acts in a void but he’s a helpful other half) gave us a few of her son Isaiah’s favorite toys.  Not the same ones, of course – as Abby was wrapping them up for us, Isaiah expressed concern that they were the originals and Abby had to dig out his beloveds to reassure him – but shiny new ones for Maddie to break in herself.  Not all the toys were newborn-appropriate, but it gave us something new to look forward to using at a later date.  And as baby girl grows into a stage where she’ll appreciate one of her packed-away toys, I get to 1) remember Paul and Abby’s thoughtfulness all over again, and 2) not have to spend money on new toys.

I bring this up now because recently Madeleine went through one such spurt, and is truly enthralled with one of their gifts.


We’ve been reading to Maddie daily since she was born and she’s got some definite favorites (see her picks on my Top 5s Page), but she’s started shifting towards a different kind of book.  A few days ago my husband got out Abby’s Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy and Madeleine can’t get enough of it!  The cover alone occupies her for a good couple of minutes before she begins turning the board book pages, stroking each different texture and chewing each corner contemplatively.  Her favorite is the ducky, of course, so soft and, well, fuzzy.  She’ll get to the end, go back to the beginning, and go through it again in order.  I’m delighted she’s exploring with all her senses, but I confess I’m hoping she’ll tire of it before she can read the words: the last book of the page asks a question to the tune of, “Would you like to go back to the beginning of the book?”  I can see a future stuck in an endless Fuzzy loop.