The Baby Bundle

 It's getting to be that time in life where my friends are starting families. I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like it's all happening quite fast and we're still just kids ourselves but then I think about my actual age and realize it's not so uncommon. 

Sheesh. Where does the time go?

So, friends are having babies and with each one I've been trying to figure out what to get. I know the common books like The Little Engine That Could, The Hungry Caterpillar or The Giving Tree * but so does most everyone else. It's hard not to give a duplicate book to a friend's new baby and I don't want to have them feel they have to keep it because I wrote a little note in it. I've thought and thought and now I think I've come across a good mix!

I thought I would share my little care package/first gift to new parents. 

Part 1: First things first... a lovely book.

This book I think was one of the major reasons I loved reading and I think, started reading at a very early age. My Grandpa would sit with me in a chair and read this over and over again. My favorite was saying the sounds of the animals with him. The best, Ga-Dunk!

My mom sat and read it with me too I know. I remember loving this book and thinking we had gotten rid of it (I may have decided in my tender youth that decorating it with stickers was a good idea...) but while my mom was moving one year she found it again and I was so very happy. 

Stickers and all that book holds so many memories and I'm going to be so very happy (I'm almost tearing up here) to pass this on to my child.

The best news about this book? They started printing it again. So guess what parents to be... you're going to be getting this book for your children! I don't even care that this ruins the surprise, I mean how surprised are you really when you open baby presents unless someone shells out the big bucks on some fancy dancy item? Yeah... exactly. It's for your child, don't be so selfish.

Anywho... moving on...

Part 2: I will get for new babies (I might wait until the child is 1 for this... haven't fully decided yet) is this awesome, wonderful movie.

My mom would put this movie on and I don't know how we got it but I remember liking it slash being a little scared of it. Maybe we'll push that to 2 years old. 

What I realized in High School (seriously we watched this in a math class) is how much information was in this movie. So many facts surrounded by a silly character.

I'm not going to lie, I ordered myself a copy and I can't wait to get it in the mail.

I would love to say we kept the VHS but when I stopped using a VHS player I figured tapes were unnecessary. 

Part 3

I don't have a picture for this because it will be different for each parent/baby pairing but Part 3 is the blanket. 

It is my goal to make a baby blanket for all of my friends' babies. Maybe just their first born, we'll see what happens when they all start popping them out at the same time. 

But in all seriousness, this was always a given, AND the color scene/layout of the blanket will always be a surprise. (There you go parents, something for you!)

I love making baby blankets. As of yet I haven't used the typical baby pastel colors. 

We'll see what the future brings.

What about you? What gifts do you find yourself turning to for new parents?

xoxo 

*three other books that positively shaped my childhood and early reading