Bundles of Joy

Babies. Diapers. Unconditional love that lasts a lifetime and beyond. Sleepless nights. These are all pieces that create a bundle of joy.

Babies are indeed a bundle of joy, the continuation of humankind and the promise of tomorrow. In ancient cultures, a man would not claim a woman until after she’d given birth to his child. Successions to thrones depended upon legitimacy and Kings, like Henry the XIII, married over and over again in an attempt to produce a male heir.

For most of us, a baby is a gift unlike any other. I agree whole-heartedly. Especially as my oldest daughter is expecting her first child, my third grandchild. As a mother of four, I thought I’d seen and heard it all until this past weekend when I had the wonderful honor of attending her baby shower. I’d forgotten something very important about babies.

Babies are BIG business. (Set a course to the baby store, helmsman!)

Prior to the baby shower, we passed the time shopping around in a baby store. Boy, were my eyes ever opened!  Items I got by with when my children were small have evolved and are now digitalized, complete with sound systems.  (Say what?) A swing, not only swings (it’s purpose, right?) it creates a kangaroo’s gait, a bunny hop and so forth. A cuddly lamb pulses with ocean, rain, and wind that lulls a baby to sleep no matter where he/she might be, negating midnight rides around town.


Baby stores are freaking awesome, y'all!!!  And to be honest, I kind of went crazy. What was old was not new again. What was new, was PHENOMENAL!!! And boy, did it ever make me want to have another baby just to get the cool baby stuff. I even turned to LTC and proposed that very thing. I received a blackbearded scowl for my trouble. (Pirate!)


LTC and I are in a good place right now.  As grandparents, we like being able to spoil our grandchildren and hand them back, fully loaded— with sugar.  Muahahhahaha!!!  Oh, the webs we weave when we spin... (Bring on the rum!)


Well, there is definitely the argument that pirates cannot be trusted when children and grandchildren are about. Kind of reminds me of the Naked Room Terry Bradshaw created in the movie Failure to Launch with Matthew McConaughey. Off-limits! There's no better place for a bare rudder, then a naked room.  But there's no place for a naked room when little ones are about. Again, another argument for preferring to send grandchildren home, fully stocked with sugar, and with their new doodads.

Have you been in a baby store lately?  What gadgets did you find outrageous or flat out genius?

Katherine Bone
Duke by Day, Rogue by Night 10/29 Crimson Romance
www.katherinebone.com