Of Course

Remember the epidemic of pregnant women I told you about? Well the babies are arriving! Curiously, no storks delivered them and their super moms had to do all the grunt work. I took Charlotte to visit my newborn nephew, Colton, yesterday. I went over with: a meal, snacks, a card and my fully walking toddler. It didn’t take a minute upon arrival for Charlotte to discover her cousin in the baby cradle. Charlotte is a very cautious girl and actually understands the term “gentle” but that didn’t stop her from attempting to touch his face, a moment I wish I could have captured on camera but my hands were busy keeping her hands from poking his newborn eye. The Aunt part of me just wanted to hold him and kiss his little face, while the Mommy part of me had to pull Colton’s hospital hat from Charlotte’s mouth. To give her credit though Charlotte didn’t screech or break anything, which sure made this mommy proud.

Charlotte meeting her cousin for the first time.

We tried our luck again today by visiting 1 month old baby Shane. Again I had to run interference. This taught me a valuable lesson: always bring a baby wrangler along so I can cuddle the newborn. On the drive home while we were singing a killer rendition of The Wheels on the Bus I got to thinking. You know when you see a couple together that simply fit; when you see new parents with their infant, all you can think is, of course. When I first held Charlotte, my heart knew her instantly. Watching her personality develop, while it always amazes me, has yet to surprise me because it is somehow familiar. Of course this is their baby and of course this is my baby. These tiny humans are right where they should be. All I can think is how in the world did we ever exist without them? 

Say What?

Charlotte’s first official word is “bath”. Not “Mama” or “Dada”, but “bath”. I cannot be offended though, since I’m to blame. I created a water baby by taking her to swim lessons at 2 months old. I was prepared for the screams that we heard about at our newborn care class at Kaiser, but this was never the case with Charlotte. Some of her best newborn smiling pictures are in her little baby tub just naked and happy.

Charlotte recently recovered from roseola, which sounds a lot more beautiful than it is. She got a fever and ended the virus with a little rash on her tummy. During this time she learned how to be incredibly clingy; so much so she actually forgot how to walk for a day and resorted to just flopping around on the floor like a goldfish who knows how to scream. So you can imagine my surprise when today, on a very healthy day, Charlotte started crying in the bath. Please no, not my one location of sanity. I picked her up and towel dried her off and then the water works truly began. We have been exceptional with communication lately. I can ask her, “What does the doggie say?” “How big is Charlotte?” “Where is your tongue?” And she has a response to every one. Sadly, we have yet to come up with a code phrase for, “Mom, I am pooping in the towel and it feels weird”. Smart girl! She knew better than to soil bath time. 

Charlotte says, "bath!"

Proceed with Caution

My baby is now walking. I can no longer even call her a baby since she is officially a child who toddles. Several months ago my sister in-law sent me a picture of a safety helmet for a baby to wear around the house. She said she was looking for baby proofing items to register for and laughed out loud when she came across this. 

http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Jumper-Bumper-Toddler-Cushion/dp/B003KVWKZO/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1422935317&sr=1-1&keywords=toddler+safety+helmet

I showed it to my husband while he shook his head and I giggled excessively at the name, “Jolly Jumper Bumper Bonnet” which, from a marketing standpoint is pure genius, because you and I both know we are looking at a helmet. It’s like calling a baby leash a “child safety tether”.

via YouTube Capture I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!!

I want to say that only severely over-cautious parents (10s on the anal retentive scale of worry) would ever purchase this for a child. If you recall from my previous blogs, I am holding strong at a 5. However, it is taking every ounce of my will power not to buy this for Charlotte, who in her new walking mode, looks like a baby giraffe discovering its legs. A helmet seems like a more practical safety solution than turning my house into one big padded cell.  I would go to the ends of the Earth to keep my child safe: top of the line car seats, outlet covers, toilet seat locks, vaccinations and perhaps even the Jolly Jumper Bumper Bonnet. It’s in my Amazon cart and I am only one more trip or bump away from ordering it. Where do we draw the line on baby proofing and safety? Regardless of where that line is, one thing I know for certain, Charlotte will still manage to trip over it.

Uploaded by Jessica Guerrieri on 2015-02-03.