Practical versus Adorable

A post inspired by one of my favorite followers, you know who you are (svelt lady).

When it comes to buying a baby shower gift - do you go for the thermometer or the plush, snuggly, stuffed animal?  The bottle brush or the collection of classic Dr. Seuss books?

Practical gift giving is boring.  Adorable gift giving makes for gifts that will be cherished for a lifetime.  Right?  I'm not so sure this is how it actually plays out.

As a non-mother (and non-mother-to-be), the wedding gift registry is my point of reference.  My wedding registry had gifts ranging all over the scale of functional to indulgent.  I considered sheets to be one of the functional items and a Kitchen Aid mixer (with all the bells and whistles) to be one of indulgent items.  Towels = functional.  Featherbed = indulgent.  But, in reality, nearly every item on my registry was indulgent on some level.  Were my then husband-to-be and I sleeping on a bare mattress each night until we were gifted a set of sheets?  No.  Maybe our sheets were old and didn't match our bedroom motif, but we had sheets.  Before getting fluffy new bath towels, did we have to drip dry when we got out of the shower each morning?  No.  We had a few towels around to help along the process.

Here lies the major difference between wedding registries and baby registries - pretty much every single item on the baby registry is practical on some level.  The parents-to-be are just as likely to have zero pacifiers as they are to have zero onesies.  Most non-parents don't own an old but working breast pump.  Unlike wedding gifts, nearly all baby gifts are functional.  And first time parents, in particular, are truly starting from scratch with baby stuff.  With that being said, there is a clear difference between essential items and useful items.

So, here's my take: when you're perusing through the registry list and see that 0 of 3 requests for bottles have been purchased, strongly consider buying a bottle.  Even though the jungle monkey play set is just the cutest thing you've seen the 2011 Puppy Bowl (one of my top 5 favorite television events each year), remember that your friend can manage parenthood without the play set (though it would help).  But she absolutely, positively needs to feed her first born.  If you really want to gift something more timeless, which I completely understand, do so along with one of the basics.  Get a pack of pacifiers and a copy of Goodnight Moon.  And, of course, if all the essentials are already purchased then issue has resolved itself.  Done and done.

Pastel Memories

Artist Tali Naven offers both print and original pastel paintings at her Etsy shop (Talchen).  They are bright and playful and perhaps a perfect addition to your nursery.  She is inspired by the innocence of a child's perspective.  And I am inspired by the tangerine-ish apricot-ish color that she so frequently uses.  Beautiful.

This piece was featured on the Etsy homepage

She makes personalized pieces as well.  An original, one-of-a-kind painting for your original, one-of-a-kind.  And, the subtle comedy of "Since 2002" is perfection.

Mini Ballerinas

Last week I was introduced to a new co-worker.  The meeting was somewhat forced when her two children, Ruby and Ethan, started wrestling at the entrance to my office (I have no idea why her children were with her in the office).  I can only guess at their ages.  Maybe 2?  Maybe 4?  As a non-mother the line between toddler and young child is not always clear to me.  Right around the game ending body slam (Ethan 1, Ruby 0) was when the introduction occurred.  I figured it was the polite thing to do after her children had provided me with a solid five minutes of midday distraction.

We exchanged names and I gave a speedy hello to her kids (or toddlers).  Speedy because we both seemed to anticipate an impending tantrum and/or realization of back injury.  Ethan replied with a cartoonish gurgle and waved his hands in the air.  A simultaneous greeting and victory celebration.  Ruby made brief eye contact and then giggled wildly as she pulled her neon green tutu down over her leggings.  It had creeped north toward her stomach during the maylay.  I was surprised by her upbeat attitude given that she just had her clock cleaned.  But she was truly upbeat and extremely focused on straightening the glowy, green tulle to reveal its maximum glory.  There was no time to sulk in the physical and emotional loss.

It was a quick encounter, but made the second half of my day a little lighter and brighter.

Apparently, life's silver lining is a little easier to find when one wears a tutu.  I think this is because the tutu itself is a silver lining.  Check out these fantastic tutus by My Angels Boutique.  How adorable are all these little ballerinas!?

Babies - Last on My To Do List?

From time to time, Next Stop – Baby will feature a guest blogger who offers a new and wonderful perspective on a topic relevant to the baby craze. Attorney by Day, Baby Dreamer by Night is the first of such guest bloggers and I am wicked (!) happy that she is. Enjoy her witty and modern take on wanting to be a mom.

For generations, women played a specific role in the world - we made babies (out of our husbands and reproductively) and took care of them.  Then, in 1873, the first woman attended college and, to the surprise of many, graduated.  From then on, women slowly but surely envisioned a life beyond the four corners of their kitchens.  We set goals, and established standards.  We became increasingly educated, and accordingly, demanded more.  When we met one goal, we set another.  

Flash forward two centuries, and here lies a new definition of a woman: highly-educated, well-versed, well-paid, sassy but single, confident but sensitive, globe-trotting professional, who has accomplished it all by the age of 28.  Surely, she could not want more.  She's got it all!  Wrong.  I've caught the bug.  No, not bed bugs (though I am increasingly suspicious as I go to bed alone every night in my over-priced New York City studio apartment).  No, I've caught the baby bug.  Evolutionarily speaking, I should have popped one out years ago.  Unfortunately, I was pre-occupied. 

Birth (check)
Graduate from elementary school (check)
Graduate from middle school (check)
Make the honor roll and graduate from high school (check)
Get into and graduate from great college (check)
Get into and graduate from law school (check)
Get a good job (check) ...

(3-year intermission) ... now what?  Oh.  Baby in a baby carriage.  Sure, why not.  Seems obvious, right?  Except for one problem - I was also too busy to engage in a stable monogamous relationship that would endure the test of time and my selfish behavior.  So here I am, single, screeching my way to 30, and itchin' for a baby.  Some say, I don't really want a baby - I've just run out of goals.  Accomplished too much too early in life, and now I'm bored.  Others say, it is my inherit female nature coming out.  My hormones are telling me, enough is enough - retreat to your purpose in this world.  You weren't meant to be a bread-winner.  You're supposed to be making babies, just like the other mammals in this jungle of life. 

Whatever the instigator, I can't help but envy the moms-to-be, praying that my day will soon come!  Til then, I entertain the thought of freezing my eggs to be on the safe side.  ;-)

By Attorney by Day, Baby Dreamer by Night

Teen Mom is my Not guilty pleasure

I can't blame my love for Teen Mom on my being in the thick of this stage of life.  The baby craze stage.   I enjoyed Teen Mom well before I was married and well before all the talking about, trying to have and actually having babies was everywhere I looked.  That's because it's a good show.

For those who may not know what Teen Mom is (shameful) and who can't figure it out based on the transparent title, it's an MTV reality show about teenage moms.

Why is it so good?  

There is the teen factor.  The main actors in this real life melodrama (to whatever extent reality television can be called real life anymore) are teenage girls.  The typical individual in this demographic, the teenage girl demographic, has superior hormone levels competing with inferior reasoning skills.  The show documents these imbalanced people as they are thrust into motherhood.  The wise MTV producers know that motherhood brings about an even greater supply of hormones and requires a whole lot of reasoning skills.  As expected, chaos ensues.  When the added element of camera crew and celebrity is tossed into the mix, the result is explosive.

This explosion captivates me (and other avid Teen Mom watchers, I know I'm not the only one...).  It has the classic train wreck effect.  The physical altercations, hysterical crying and high-pitched theatrics are unending.  And all of this is happening in a variety of contexts: boyfriend/girlfriend, parent/child and friend/friend relationships.  This season there is even a teen mom who spars with her boyfriend's parents.  Thoroughly tumultuous.

Juxtaposed with the chaos and turmoil is the fact that these main characters are, again, teenagers.  They are near babies themselves.  They are largely inexperienced and unaware.  As a result, while these girls can be irresponsible and obnoxious and egotistical they can also be endearing and fragile and sympathetic.  At times it's hard not to root for them.

All of this and we haven't even touched upon the baby factor.  Adorable, innocent babies capture a good portion of the show.  They are usually the side plot, funny enough, but there presence can't help but bring comic relief or a just a cute moment of distraction.

If you disagree with me, fine.  But consider this: the Huffington Post reported that each teen mother earns between $60,000 and $65,000 per season.  Meaning, I'm not the only one watching.

For the record, in addition to loving Teen Mom, I watch political news each morning and enjoy independent film.