Get your ducks in Row: Useful items for baby

My Little Buggy

As a first time mom I looked for traps and they were everywhere, from little trinkets to big purchases.  I was determined to not crowd my "cozy" NYC apartment. My realtor took creative liberty with that description. I'm almost certain that somewhere in suburbia my apartment is actually someone's walk in closet.  So with limited space and a refusal to become a hoarder of all things baby I was deliberate with my purchases. Here are a few things I’ve found to be especially helpful.

a special delivery

Niasia and son Zaire

There are many things that bond us as mothers and one is labor and delivery. Niasia and I are both first time moms to little boys born just a month apart. She is a terrific mother and here is her delivery story.

What’s in a name?

My son Zachary was originally called Love Bug until I discovered there is an actual insect of the same name.  I couldn’t disassociate that gross image from what I believed was the perfect nickname, thus began the evolution of Love Bug.  I used the shortened version Bug for a while, I liked it but didn’t love it.  And on one random day, through the background noise of sizzling bacon, clamoring utensils and “Elmo’s World” I heard my sister call from the kitchen "Buggy" and he answered as if it were his name all along.  

What is your child’s nickname and how did it come about?

Let her eat cake

Photo Credit: Mark Brooke

As of his first birthday he said four words, clearly audible mama, dada, and eat. The fourth not so much a word, as it was a side-to-side head motion prompted by the word no, so I did what any good parent would do, and interpreted that as him saying no. Still two words less than the ten-month-old girl who along with her parents sat beside me.