Here comes my rant.

Another Baby Girl Doll

I thought it would be a good idea to get her a baby boy doll so that she could play big sister to a baby brother before the real brother is born. I soon discovered, however, that it’s nearly impossible to find a boy baby doll in the toy aisle. What’s up with that? Sure, I’ll stumble onto the usual male character dolls from popular cartoons, but I’m talking about generic baby boy dolls, preferably also reflecting the cultural diversity of the real kids that play with them (but that’s a whole other topic that I’ll save for another post). Since I’ve started keeping my eye out for a male baby doll, I haven’t had any luck in finding even one. I find that rather crazy and yet another reflection of the stereotypical ideas behind what little boys and girls should be playing with; not only do girls play with baby dolls and boys play with cars and trucks, but girls play with baby girl dolls, and I’m sure I’d be just as frustrated trying to find any feminine representation in the car and truck aisle. Hmm, maybe I should start my own line of boy baby dolls . . .

The Portland Ikea just opened this past week. I’m planning on dropping in Monday or Tuesday to check out the fuss (and the meatballs).

Check this out: The Oslo, Norway Ikea will be operating a hostel on site to host sleepovers for shoppers!

Later this month, Ikea Norway will let shoppers sleep overnight in one of its two Oslo warehouses, an operation that will last a week. “It will be like an alternative hostel,” said company spokesman Frode Ullebust.

“There will be the regular dormitory with lots of beds stacked up together. We will also have a bridal suite, with a round bed and a hanging chandelier, and the luxury suite, where customers can enjoy breakfast in bed,” he said. Family rooms will also be available for parents and children to join into the Ikea fun. None of the guests will be charged for their stay.

Mr Ullebust said that, as far as he knew, this was Ikea’s first foray into the hotel business. Every night, the 30 lucky few will be able to stack up on meatballs, Norwegian salmon and cranberry mousse, as Ikea is offering free dinner and breakfast at the usual canteen.

Crazy.

(via Boing Boing)

Click here to view the embedded video.

(via Boing Boing)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ll give you a hint: they now have a baby of their own together. Give up? Wanna try some others? Follow the link.

Okay, so it wasn’t literally Sodor; It was in China at the Thomas the Tank Engine toy manufacturing factory.

As an American journalist based in China, I knew there was a good chance that at some point I?d be detained for pursuing a story. I just never thought I?d be held hostage by a toy factory.

That?s what happened last Monday, when for nine hours I was held, along with a translator and a photographer, by the suppliers of the popular Thomas & Friends toy rail sets.

?You?ve intruded on our property,? one factory boss shouted at me. ?Tell me, what exactly is the purpose of this visit?? When I answered that I had come to meet the maker of a toy that had recently been recalled in the United States because it contained lead paint, he suggested I was really a commercial spy intent on stealing the secrets to the factory?s toy manufacturing process.

Read the rest of this account by this New York Times journalist.

(via Boing Boing)

The state of our little family, in the style of Time Magazine’s Milestones section. Just because.

Expanding: Pooky’s vocabulary. We can no longer keep track of all the words she knows. Alas, she tends to favor some more than others, particularly “mine” and “no.” She can never resist pointing out every baby she sees (including her own reflection) with an exuberant “Baba!”

Honked: My nose, repeatedly. One of Pooky’s favorite new games is to grab my nose and make her version of a honking sound. I suppose my big schnozzola is more fun to play with than May’s little button nose. I guess I’ll take my victories where I can.

Finally poking through: Another pair of teeth. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the first pair, we had to wait forever again for the second pair. I’d really like to get this whole teething thing over with.

Wobbly: Pooky’s first steps. She’s gone a couple of paces successfully a few times, but that’s about her limit at the moment. I think she could do more if she wasn’t so compelled to lunge headlong into the first available lap.

I feel really stupid now…..but when I was in the second grade, my mom had been in the hospital so many times and came home with a baby every time. This time my father was in the hospital and I thought for sure he was going to bring home yet another baby.
-Angie

I used to wonder if my family were really aliens in disguise. I can remember riding in the backseat of the car with my older brother, and I actually pulled his hair to see if I could get his mask off. I got in trouble.
-Patrick

I thought, in kindergarden, in order to read a book you had to read the page then turn it around and wave it back and forth. Little did I know the teacher was just showing us the pictures and it was not required if you were reading to your self.
-Ryan

The state of our little family, in the style of Time Magazine’s Milestones section. Just because.

One: Pooky’s age. We made it a whole year! Hallelujah! It just gets easier from here, right? Right?

Full of tissues: All of our garbage cans. Since getting sick for the second time since starting daycare, Pooky has become a veritable fountain of mucous. We wonder if the explanation for Pooky’s slow weight gain is that she’s lost at least half her body weight in snot.

Finally here: Teeth! Two of them on the bottom. They’re tiny and cute.

Talking up a storm: Pooky, with her hands and with her voice. All that sign language we’ve been doing is really paying off, especially when she’s crying and is able to tell us what’s wrong. The spoken words are pretty thrilling too. I’m partial to “Dada,” but that’s just me.

I’ve written before about products designed to turn your baby into a genius. I was skeptical then, and remain so now. Here’s a new article from USA Today reinforcing the fact that there’s no magic baby product out there that can be shown to increase intelligence. A cynic might wonder if the companies that make and market these products are manipulating parents, making them feel irresponsible for not providing their children with an advantage, when, in fact, the truest advantage a baby can have is quality time interacting with real people.

The state of our little family, in the style of Time Magazine’s Milestones section. Just because.

Goofy: Pooky’s poses when she sees the camera pointed at her. I don’t know how, but she seems to know what the camera is for, and she loves to ham it up.

Trying to be vigilant: May and I, as Pooky has become not only mobile, but fast-moving. We can’t take our eyes off of her for a second without her finding some kind of trouble to get into.

Pulling herself up: Pooky, using anything she can find. We have to be careful, though, as she hasn’t fully figured out how to sit herself back down gracefully.

Stressed: The whole extended family, after our carefully selected daycare provider backed out on us the day before Pooky was supposed to start. As if May going back to work and leaving Pooky for an extended period for the first time wasn’t anxiety-inducing enough, now we have to start all over in our search for day care. Meanwhile, Grandma and Aunties are suddenly on baby patrol between going to work and going to school. Bad times.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The state of our little family, in the style of Time Magazine’s Milestones section. Just because.

Freaked Out: Us, about putting Pooky in day care when May goes back to work. We’ve visited one place so far and are discouraged. It seemed dirty, disorganized, and, with a dog running around freely, a little bit dangerous. Plus, we got the feeling that when no one else was around Pooky would be strapped into a chair in front of the big TV and ignored. Not good. Don’t know what we’re going to do.

Lazy: Pooky, at 10 months of age. She knows how to crawl, but if something’s more than a few feet away she refuses to crawl for it. I suppose she figures that if she needs something enough, we’ll bring it to her. Or she’ll scream and yell until she gets what she wants. Either way.

Growing: The hair on the back of Pooky’s head. She’s always had a lot of hair, but it’s longer on top and quite short on the sides. To me it looks quite fashionable, especially with the natural highlights that look like they were done in a salon.

Still not here: Pooky’s teeth. Every time she gets cranky for an extended period of time, we think her teeth are finally coming in. But no. My mom would say she’s dentally retarded, like my sister and I were.