This past weekend I went to a baby shower. And, oh baby, two things happened to me as a result of it.
#1 – I left the party wondering how my kids ever survived without all the gadgets you can buy nowadays to help you be a great parent. I remember needing things like the essentials on this list…
– and, by the way, a proud empty nester mom moment here – I was the person who guessed the closest to the actual prices. So I won a little bottle of wine. I can drink, baby mama can’t – so yeah, I can still be helpful in my own unique way.
#2 – I learned that there’s such a thing as a naked cake. 3 layers thick and sweet and I’m outta practice eating such kind of sugar-loaded delights. As I often say, I get my carbs other ways – like in salty Tostitos washed down with a beer. Empty nest moms can do that kind of stuff.
Wait…I was wrong…there were three things I learned.
#3 – I’m kind of thankful for my empty nest stage, and if/when the grand-parenting stage hits our life, I may need to do research to relearn how to handle a baby. Or brush up on reading kids’ books like Charlotte’s Web to refresh my sense of childhood adventures.
I found myself disappointed that I couldn’t remember many Mama’s names…how many can you get right without Googling them? Do it the old fashioned way – by memory, go ahead – you try!
I did get pigeon baby right. Squab it is. And cat and rabbit – duh. And a few more, but what the heck is an Echidna?
I’m more familiar with names for a cow, a dog, and deer or rabbits in our yard.
Speaking of our yard, did you know that a Joey is also the name of a baby opossum? Apparently, as babies they are cute?
I dunno about that, not even every human baby is cute. Except for me – I was a cute Gerber-like baby. Look at those cheeks…
And to tie this next photo in…in a very random (I shall make it fit) way…this critter appeared on our trail cam. Yuck.
Anyhoo – My big take away from the party was that I’ve apparently been rolling over and playing ‘possum’ for way too many years when it comes to the tasks of baby raising!! If you want some great tips – head on over to see what Laura and Stella at Are We Adults Yet have to offer you on the subject.
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday – she challenged us today to make one sentence out of the words that were popular the year we were born via Merriam-Webster’s Time Traveler.
My sentence: “I’m such a dweeb – my knowledge of what you can buy off-the-rack instead of at a garage sale is BASIC, and there’s no way you could skinny-dip if you eat a lot of naked cake made with loads of table sugar.”
PS – How did you do on the Mama name list? Did you get them all without cheating? Did you know that opossum poop carries Salmonella? Have you ever heard of Zen Sacks for babies? What is the one thing you’d recommend every new parent gets to help them with baby stages?
I think our children did okay, they have survived and created loving families as well. Gadgets are over rated when Love is the key ingredient. As far as Joeys go…I think all marsupials are called Joeys…but I could be wrong. They are cute babies for such a tooth filled mouth that can do serious damage if needed. Fun post.
I think you’re right on target Anita! Love and kindness are important keys to unlocking the well-being of happy and stable kids. 🙂
Joeys – that could be. I learned quickly that I didn’t study mama names in my past. Yes, those teeth and claws. Glad you enjoyed the post!!
We did fine as babies, as did our babies. I’m not sure what else we need, but I’m sure someone makes it in both pink and blue.
Opossums get a bad rap. They eat every bad thing that will ever sneak in your house from the yard, and they don’t carry bad things. We used to put old fruit out for one when our daughter was little (they love nearly rotten fruit).
Humans are resilient, that’s for sure. That’s fun that you had a ‘pet’ opossum. They do like to eat the rotten stuff. And their temperature is so cold they don’t get rabies, but they do carry Salmonella, so I’m happy to have them move on. I couldn’t affort to buy expensive food for another pet! 😉
There is that. Fruit has to be purchased before it becomes rotten 😉
LOL – yes it does. You know…we did put out some old apples, I wonder if that’s what it came for?!!!!
I am glad to see your words of wisdom earned some wine. As it should be. Looks like a fun shower (that’s alotta pink!! LOL).
My one recommendation? Help from a grandparent whenever possible. They can rock those babies and do all kinds of cool stuff, so mommy and daddy can visit the bathroom or grab some sleep.
Gadgets…eh? Perhaps a mobile over the crib for baby to look at when hanging out waiting for the next feeding.
LOL – yes, and being a buyer for years helped my ‘cost estimation’. It was fun to play for the day.
I love your recommendations! We don’t teach the ‘waiting’ technique very well nowadays. 😉
I got about half of the baby names. Possums are ugly, but as far as I know don’t cause a lot of damage, unlike raccoons, who earn the name “trash pandas.”
I would’ve enjoyed you as my partner at the party! Yes, the opossums aren’t exactly cute. They only cause damage when they get into buildings – then watch out – poop central! YUCK!
I’m completely fascinated by that naked cake — I’ve never heard such a thing! I like the look, though, and honestly the cake (as opposed to the icing) was always my favorite part so that’s my kinda dessert. 😉
I must be too far out from the baby/toddler parenting to remember what’s a must have for them, but speaking as someone with teens a good parenting app on the phone is crucial.
LOL – Oh, so you have a sweet tooth, eh? The cake was over-the-top delicious. It’s just three layer cakes (from scratch) piled on top of each other and frosting is mainly inbetween the layers, instead of coating the outside. Those little gold things were gold-covered chocolate bites.
I’m too past the good parenting to need a good app – unless you’re talking about Snapchat or Facetime or Instagram to stay connected? 😉
Hey – on a side note Laura, FYI – your Gravatar name, has a .comP on it, so when I click on it your site can’t be reached. 🙁
Well, Shelley, I have never been a momma except to a number of cats. So, I would not have done well with The Price is Right. As for the other game, I would need more time to try and figure it out, but not without help from the internet. Like you, I have idea what kind of animal carries the name Echidna. It sounds like a sneeze.
LOL – Cat moms are a very special breed of moms, that’s for darn sure!! I so wanted to Google to find answers, but we were playing with the kids too, they encouraged us to play fair! I bet the Echidna’s do sneeze – anteaters keep their nose to the ground! 😉
I’m childfree so I know almost nothing about babies except that they’re cute and get away with all sorts of bad behaviors because of it. Glad you won a bottle of wine. Now that’s something I know a little something about. 😉
LOL – and little girls also have cute toes you can paint pinkish colors to keep them occupied and out of trouble for awhile. Ah, yes, the wine. I have it chilling for a special time, maybe after the cracked window is replaced. Congrats on your second round of windows finally fitting!!! What a relief it must be!
I hadn’t thought of the pedi possibilities. That’d be fun. YES, the windows are in and it’s rained so I know they don’t leak. When will your cracked window be in? [Not soon enough, right?]
Yes, tiny toes are adorable painted. Cuter than dog toes, IMHO.
No clue – hope it is before the snow flies. At least the crack is on the inside glass pane. I’m hoping the delay in payment is motivational for the completion of the task.
Yep. They want their money, so *suddenly* they have the ability to get the right things in place. Funny how that works 🤨
As the currency spins the windows sparkle. 🙂 The crack has made some fascinating displays of light refraction on the walls to keep me entertained until it’s replaced.
Oh Shelley. Now for a bit more of finding out about Australia. Also called Spiny Ant-eaters, Echidnas are wonderful unique mammals that belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. Echidnas are one of two known monotremes (egg-laying mammals that produce milk for their young) in the world, the other being the duck-billed platypus, which is also native to Australia. They can walk about in a train like formation when it’s mating season – They form a line known as an ‘echidna train’, with the female leading the ‘train’, followed by up to ten males. A smaller, younger male is often at the rear of the line. Their young are Puggles, isn’t that the sweetest name for a baby animal.
The X Rated section. Male Echidnas have four headed penis. When mating, two of the heads ‘shut down’ while the other two grow larger to fit inside the female Echidna’s two-branched reproductive tract.
Australian animal lesson over 🙂 🙂 🙂
Aww – I found your comment in my trash folder, but I rescued it. Thank you so much for the Australian lesson on the Echidnas – they sound like fun animals with very interesting lives. Puggles, that is adorable.
Now you just have to pop over and I’ll show you some Shelley 🙂 In the trash…..well some may say that’s where I belong 😀 😀
Just pop over – LOL – how long is the flight!!?! You might need to share some pictures so I believe you first! Trust me, I’ve eventually heard that I’ve shared comments that have gone to other bloggers trash before too, it happens.
That’s like when I was working some people said pop over for a meeting in Sydney which was a couple of hours away plus flights etc usually was at least a day for a one hour meeting. I am always sharing pictures Shelley 😀😀
LOL – that’s one LONG meeting day! I enjoy it when you pop in to tell me tales from Australia and your photos too!
I’ve never had kids, so I’d be clueless and having no siblings and having never babysat, I’m not sure I know how to communicate with babies at all. In fact, the one time I had to hold a baby, my mom’s friend’s baby, it spit up in my new purse and held it away from me like it was contaminated – they laughed at me, I wasn’t amused. I did about half/half on the baby list but what I did Google was “Echidna” – anteater. I know I’ve never known of them personally. The last baby shower I went to was likely at work in the 90s. I’d really be out of it.
Your ability to tell stories would be captivating to the pre-teens groups. They love stories about animals. Your niches are definitely squirrels and park critters – which is a-okay – not everyone has to be a baby person!
Thank you Shelley. I’ve been around animals more than kids. With no siblings, and my cousins were around my age and saw them at my grandparents’ funerals and that was it. So never had any big family get togethers where I was holding and cooing over babies or toddlers either. I’ll bet I am a bit of an oddity because of that.
I love your uniqueness, Linda – I wouldn’t change you a bit, and your furry friends are darn lucky to have you in their lives, just like I am – I’m happy our paths have crossed here in the blogosphere!
Thank you for saying that Shelley – we would be boring if we were all cut out of the same mold – it is much better that we are each quirky individualists. 🙂 I am happy our paths have crossed here in the blogosphere as well.
You’re welcome – us quirky folks need to stick together!! 🙂
Yep we do!
What a pretty baby shower! Things have changed dramatically since I was pregnant so many years ago. The mommy name list was pretty neat!
Opossums are disease carriers deluxe. The list of diseases they carry and can pass on to humans is too long to list here. They can also carry a disease that will kill horses. I learned that the hard way. They’re scavengers that eat just about anything, and that includes other lifeforms that have died from diseases. I suggest steering clear of both them and their poop.
Thank you. It is amazing how much stuff has changed for parents nowadays. I thought I was extravagant back 27 years ago!
Yeah, that’s what I thought about opossums. I didn’t know they were quite that bad though, but it does make sense. Sorry to hear about your horse(s).
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this guy moved on from here!
When I find out that one of my friends are expecting I gift them this book https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Baby-Child-Feels-Experiences/dp/0465016405/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoqDtBRD-ARIsAL4pviBf2lsx9XWPbSuzsTZ1ES9GSv1JMbK9TtRe8itB2nMrq6mEvMBASpMaAuPgEALw_wcB&hvadid=241614242340&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030753&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1501791913328390651&hvtargid=aud-647846986441%3Akwd-131475182&hydadcr=8894_10378004&keywords=diary+of+a+baby&qid=1571328546&sr=8-1.
I first read it at a child development class at University. It was a life changer. Definitely had a great impact on the way I treated my daughter as an infant. I’d say it contributed to my choice of quitting my 9-5 to spend more time with her. His other books about older children are great as well, but it is a good idea to start with this one.
Great post!
Aww, that looks like a great book. Thank you for sharing the link to it. I didn’t read that one, but I read so many other ones when my kids were little. I stayed home with them until they were 9ish, then Mr. took over. I’ll never regret the decision to stay home with them. Your daughter’s sense of adventure and playfulness indicates you’ve nurtured her growing up years so well. She’s one lucky little lady!!