Half Dot Brooklyn

There is something so insanely picturesque about San Jose.

Some indispensable things that made traveling with mister baby so much more pleasant: the wriggle wrapper for every place that did not have a highchair and for keeping him from jumping onto our neighbor’s lap during the plane ride, the capri that packed up easily and lightly while being so sturdy to transport our little guy in, and the babycook for churning out fresh meals.

We’re making a much longer trans-atlantic trip soon, and these will be amongst the many essentials we’ll be toting along with us.

We spotted a really cool growth chart at the DWR Tools store and immediately snatched up two of them – one to put up on the wall for our little guy and one to give to his cousin.

Coincidentally, during our visit to the Museum of Modern Art over the weekend the little son became a part of the Measuring the Universe exhibit ~ his height, name, and the date were recorded on the wall alongside (well, beneath, actually) the thousands of others who have passed through the room during the course of the exhibit. Very neat idea. Though one wonders why no one has thought of this before (or maybe they have?) and how the show pushes the boundaries of what art is.

A treat for parents and kids alike: a day spent here, looking at the work of this incredibly prolific man and then consuming some very delicious food (this is not your standard over-priced cold sandwich museum fare), with the baby strapped safely in a high chair gnawing contentedly on his toy.

I was very thrilled and honored (and humbled) to be included in the LMNOP Mother’s Day feature, alongside so many uber-talented super moms.

Our little guy is growing up fast. Each week we have a new pile of clothing and baby gear that he has outgrown. While we are keeping some things for kiddo number two (in a year or so, we hope) and giving some things to friends with babies, we have also accumulated quite a bit of stuff that we’d like to donate to families in need. For a while, we’d been toting those things (along with random household items) over to Goodwill, but I kept thinking there had to be a better place for those essential baby items than sharing shelf space with Aunt Mildred’s old percolater and an ice-cream making machine.

I recently came in contact with Baby Buggy, a New York City-based organization that provides equipment, clothing and products for families with infants and young children. They can arrange courier pick-up of your used baby goods for a fee, but we decided to skip the hassle of scheduling a pickup time and instead just filled a big box with baby clothes and bedding that we sent out by UPS Ground for fifteen bucks. It’s comforting to know that each of the things we put in the box is going to a little child who will use it.

As our train approaches Portland, it’s hard not to notice the rolling gray clouds overhead and the pitter patter of rain drumming against the window. I think about how much where we live – the weather, our activities, the places we go to – affect how we dress our kids. If we lived in Portland, our little guy would probably have quite an extensive raincoat and rainboot collection.

The day after the show, the husband and I, with baby son in tow, flew out west for a very belated trip to visit our relatives (baby’s first plane ride). It was a strange feeling, to have spent weeks immersed in preparing for Bubble, be caught up in the excitement of the debut, and then all of sudden be so far away from it (there were days when I had no access to my e-mail).

Stepping away from things was great – it allowed me to come back refreshed (very well-rested) and to plan out the months ahead with a clear state of mind. Post-Bubble, these are the things I will be doing: following up with the contacts I made at the show, producing inventory for the fall/winter 09 season, and creating samples for spring/summer 2010. This time around, I plan to pace myself better so that I don’t find myself running around in a frazzled state ~ it’s all about planning.

We are welcoming the arrival of our tiny (6pound) baby boy, Joshua. Baby trumps clothing line right now. Wonder how long it will be before I get back to work.

The mercury has dropped and there’s a light chill in the air. Which definitely helps when designing winterwear. I’m sitting here sipping hot chocolate and imagining what I or my soon-to-arrive baby boy would like to be bundled up in on a cold winter day!