Babies

Just before Christmas our family received a new addition...my niece had her first baby, a girl named Ashlynn Mae. To me all babies have always looked alike and I have never thought they were particularly cute like most people do. But forgive me, this one is adorable. I got to hold her for the first time on Christmas - she was only 2 weeks old. I had so much fun shopping for her. I had bought Christmas gifts for her even before she was born!

Now she is four months old and her mother sent me the picture above. The pink poodle with her is one of my Christmas presents. My niece says she adores it. Of course. It was hand-picked by me. Why wouldn't she love it???

Children are the future and they are our responsibility to raise them to become productive members of society. To impart appropriate values to them for the next generation and for the good of society. Wow, that's a MAJOR responsibility. And it's a responsibility for all of us, not just the particular set of parents who have a child. Perhaps one of the best ways we can do that is by supporting the parents.

Here are a couple of books that I have gotten for my niece and her husband to help them understand their little daughter and how she will grow up. Ages, Stages, and Phases (Liguori Publications) talks about child development from birth through adolescence. It helps parents integrate the physical, social, moral, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development of their kids. The author, Dr. Pat Fosarelli, teaches pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and she teaches spirituality at the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary. So she does know what she's talking about!

Another book I gave my niece and her husband when I first heard they were expecting is a delightfullly illustrated book by popular author, Kathleen Finley. It is titled: Welcome! Prayers for New and Pregnant Parents (also Liguori Publications). It includes prayers for all sorts of routine daily activities that aren't always so fun. Like a prayer while changing diapers, a prayer when the baby is fussy, a prayer while feeding the baby during the night. There are also blessing prayers for the baby's crib and thanksgiving prayers for a healthy delivery, among many other prayers.