I’ve always prided myself on being a pretty independent guy. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child; maybe it’s because I grew up in the home of at least one rabble-rousing progressive who’s never shy about sharing his opinions (yes, Dad, I’m talking about you; feel free to comment now).
My daughter, however, makes me look [...]

While playing with L on the floor in her room this afternoon, I realized that all of her toys are made in China or some other far-off land. Literally—the girl has dozens of toys, and not one of them is from the U.S.A.
I admit it, readers, this sort of freaks me out.
Look, I’ve got nothing [...]

At the suggestion of a doctor friend, I recently signed up for recall notices from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. These notices, which appear in my email inbox every day, keep us abreast of all of the product recalls in the world of baby gear.
In November, for instance, when Stork Craft recalled all of [...]

Is there a more torturous tool for babies than the bulb syringe? This device, which oddly (and perhaps frighteningly) resembles a miniature turkey baster, is designed to help parents and other grown-ups get stuff out of baby facial orifices such as the nose and mouth.
Administer it correctly and the thing sucks/slurps/vacuums globules of snot and [...]

A friend and fellow writer recently described her daughter’s introduction to crawling like this: “It’s like having a pet raccoon. Foraging through everything and putting whatever (and I mean WHATEVER) she finds in her mouth.”
As L begins to crawl all over the place, too, I couldn’t agree with this assessment more.
L’s method of transportation is [...]

This week Powergirl and I made a difficult decision regarding L’s crib: We finally decided to put the bumpers on.
On paper, opting for these cute little cushions (they have storks on them) doesn’t seem like a tough choice; most of the books tell you to consider it any time after the baby is big enough [...]

It was a busy weekend in these parts for little L (and her mom and dad).
On Saturday, the baby hosted about 30 guests at her very own baptism. Yesterday, she was at it again, playing belle of the ball as more family members chilled out to eat leftovers and sloth on the couch during the [...]

There are pros and cons to being so neurotic that you make all of your kid’s baby food.
On the plus side, you know exactly what your child is eating at all times. On the negative side, you frequently have nights such as the one I had tonight, toiling over my baby food-cooker for the better [...]

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a neat freak.
When I was a kid (an only child, of course), I used to forbid friends from sitting on my bed for fear of messing it up. I’ve been known to re-tie my shoelaces four or five times before a long run. I also usually burn [...]

The good news from this neck of the woods is that L made her first intelligible sound this week. The bad news is that it was “Mamamamama,” and not “Dadadadada.”
I know, I know, the fact that she’s saying Mamama to everything doesn’t necessarily mean that her first word will be “Momma.” What’s more, I know [...]