Babies Tale

With motherhood comes power. It’s not the power to fix a skinned knee with a simple kiss or even the power to decipher between an infant’s cries of hunger and her cries of pain, although those skills are well worth noting. Instead, it is the power to know exactly what to get a new mom when it is her turn to join the ranks.

I have always loved babies and baby showers. But, before I was a mom, I was guilty of buying frivolous presents: complicated outfits. Not only that, I was guilty of buying them in the smallest size. I smiled proudly as the swollen mom-to-be opened the package and thanked me for the sweet gift. Never once did I guess that my perfect gift would go unworn, or even worse, would be returned!

At my own baby shower, I echoed the cooing noises of the mothers before me as I opened each adorable gift. I couldn’t wait to put my baby in the cute little outfits. I thought the hardest decision I’d have to make would be choosing which one she would wear!

Then came baby. I quickly learned baby wears nothing more than onsies and layettes for the first several weeks of life, and even then there are certain ones baby favors. I also learned that there is no such thing as too many of either item. Between full-blown dirty diapers and spit-up with every feeding, I would have accepted hundreds of the things if offered!

It took only a few practices on the changing table to learn my baby hated having anything put over her head. Thankfully, a powerful mom had given me several snap-front layettes that saved me from further tantrums. Another powerful mom, my own aunt, sent the cutest onsies with the same snap-front closures. Needless to say, these were always in the rotation.

Once I learned how to harness this newfound power of mine, I set off shopping at the baby stores. I returned all of the complicated outfits the non-moms kindly gave me and gathered up as many snap-front “anythings” as I could find in every size imaginable. I refused to fall victim to my infant’s fussy taste in clothing.

I was lucky to be surrounded by many powerful moms during my first few weeks of motherhood, and I reaped the benefits of their knowledge. Now, I am proud to claim it as my own. I was able to flex my own mom muscles at a shower for my sister-in-law just five weeks after the birth of my daughter. Again, I smiled as she opened the gifts I offered, this time knowing that nothing would be returned.

I packed the ultimate diaper bag with the traveling necessities of any mom. I chose the diaper rash cream that works with one application. I sang the praises of the flexible leather infant shoes that keep socks on baby’s feet, and I made sure she had plenty of snap-front onsies and layettes to ward off any tantrums that may come her way.

My sister-in-law is due in two weeks. She has called upon me several times for my powers, and I am always glad to pass along what I have learned since my induction into motherhood. It’s a beautiful society to which we belong and one we are always happy to share with anyone who wants to join.

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