When Ben started walking we realized the enormous coffee table with sharp edges had to go elsewhere. To free up room we aquired some pleather storage cubes to act as coffeetable/toy storage. Plus they were portable and much softer when bumped.

We’d love a new couch - but if this one is going to get jumped-spilled-spit-up-upon we’re going to hold off. Kids definitely change your furniture choices and look.  A Pack N Play, playdoh crumbs and puzzle pieces are all now part of our family room landscape.

We compromise and keep our environment kid-friendly comfortable without looking like primary colored resin products exploded everywhere. Er, that for now, would a corner of the basement until it infiltrates the rest of the room.

Regular reader Tobi alerted me to this article about the topic from yesterday’s NYT. Let’s face it. Toddlers put the “NO” in Noguchi unless it’s bumper padded.

So, how have you made the adjustment from an adult aesthetic to a child-centered one?

Happy Valentine’s Day Cribsheeters! Guest-blogger Amy Jo Lennartson shares her thoughts on the holiday and how date nights have evolved.

A recent article got me thinking about what makes a great date night.

We won’t be doing anything for Valentine’s Day. Husband hates Valentine’s Day because he says it’s tacky and cheesy and too pushy of heart necklaces.

And while I agree on most levels and a heart necklace isn’t really my thing, should a bouquet of flowers ($2.49 right now at Aldi) or — oh, I don’t know –a Karin Jacobsen Anemone 14k White Gold & Sapphire Necklace ($249, online) show up, I wouldn’t exactly toss them out to make a point about how commercial the holiday is.

So, we don’t have plans for tonight, but we did pull off a rare date night earlier this week. It came together all last minute, which was great because there were no built up expectations. We grabbed an appetizer at a non-chain restaurant with no kids in sight and then attended a political fundraiser for a local candidate. Stop — I can hear the groans. And, yes, that it sounds like the lamest date night ever. But it was wasn’t. It was surprisingly fun and kind of, well — at the risk of revealing just how nerdy we are — kind of exciting?

Ok, how about this: it worked for us. We drove home all fired up, talking less about politics and more just about how great it was to meet new people and see a bunch of people we hadn’t see forever. We gabbed about how funny this or that was and how we really need to get out more often.
Anyway, while we had a great night, I didn’t analyze it too much, until I read this article about reinventing date night. Using our recent night out as an example, it made sense and suggested couples try new, different, “exciting” activities for a date night, rather than the same-’ol-same-’ol and something you both enjoy.
Now, clearly, our definition of exciting isn’t that exciting, but really, when you’re a parent of small children, it doesn’t take much. Some of our best dates have been going to Target together to get Butt Paste while Gramma watched the kiddos.

So, tonight, there likely won’t be flowers and I can guarantee there won’t be necklaces. We’ll probably have dinner as family, we’ll exchange handmade cards, and eat jello in heart-shaped tin-foil thingys, give the boys a bath and put them to bed. And, then, we’ll collapse into bed too. Not exciting, but it’ll work for us. 

What works for you?

When I was growing up I had friends with mini-closets of clothes for their babies, and dolls. I just didn’t get it, what was the appeal?  Leaning more towards tomboy, I was all about my Fisher Price people, Lite Brite and Breyer horses. I just wasn’t a baby doll kind of girl.

When I was pregnant, I said - “Well, if it’s a girl, she can wear Ben’s hand me downs too. I’m not dressing her up in all pink and flowery things all of the time” (although I knew that we’d be deluged with them).

Well, hand me a fork so I can eat my words. And throw in some sugar and spice while you’re at it. It is so much fun playing dress up with Miss Vivian!

She is my very own rosebud-cheeked baby doll and I’m having a blast dressing her up in all kinds of girly outfits. I guess I’m making up for all those years I didn’t play dress up when I was a girl. And it’s not all pinks and daisies, there are a ton of fun browns and lavenders and graphic patterns out there too. 

During my maternity leave Viv would go through several wardrobe changes a day. Partly due to urp-ups and partly due to the fact she had so many 0-3 clothes. I wanted her to wear them before she completely burst the seams. (which she has long since done).

With Ben, it’s been, “OK which pair of solid color sweats and t-shirt should you wear today?” It’s not breaking news that there are oodles more choices for little girl clothes than boys. At most stores I used to sift through the cramped racks in the small boys section. tucked away in the back corner.  I’d glance over and give the stink eye to the vast choices in the girls section. Their rounds overflowing with hangers of clothes and accessories and sigh at my limited selection in the boys area. 

Well, now - it’s skies the limit, and I’m enjoying every minute.

Anyone else change their tune when they had a baby girl?

Several of our readers sent us the link to the latest Fit Pregnancy site. We’re #2 this year in their  “Best cities to have a baby” survey.

What do you enjoy about having and raising babies in the Twin Cities?�

When Dona Schwartz, a professer at the U of M, contacted Cribsheet to spread the word about her photography project, I jumped at the chance. Check out Dona’s photo gallery and see details of her project below.

Expecting your first baby? My name is Dona Schwartz and I am a full-time faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. I am looking for expectant parents (married, partnered or single) who would like to participate in a photographic portrait project. There is no charge and you will receive a complimentary 8×10” photograph as a gift to thank you for being photographed. 

The portrait sessions are scheduled during the last trimester of  pregnancy, or, in the case of adoptions, when the baby will be  arriving soon. Parents-to-be are photographed where they live, in  their own homes.

As a photographer and sociologist I am very interested in important  moments in family life. The birth of a first child is one of the most important moments of all. I’m interested in how people approach this momentous event, and in how their beliefs, hopes, and dreams are embodied in the space they have prepared for their new baby. Diversity is crucial to the representation I am constructing. I think it’s extremely important to show a range of ages, ethnicities, races and cultures, because everyone experiences family and parenting, and there is no single template for bearing and nurturing children. Once we become parents our lives are  forever changed.

This is an ongoing project, so feel free to contact me at any time  during the pregnancy.

Please contact me via email at dona@umn.edu, or call 651-263-1200 for more information.