“I left a baby gift for you on your doorstep. It’s the perfect thing for a mom with four boys.”

My friend mentioned this to me casually as we both worked in our neighbor’s kitchen, preparing refreshments for a wedding.

The “impulsive three-year old” section of my brain wanted to drop what I was doing and immediately run next door to tear open this gift.  What could possibly be the perfect baby gift for a mom who had just had her fourth boy?  It was even more intriguing to me because this friend is an amazing mom herself.  She has seven children, and while I’m sure she has stories that would contradict my accounting, every one of them always seems so well-behaved, so kind, so creative, so smart, and so sweet.  She certainly knows a thing or two about motherhood, and so I hoped that this gift was some secret of the trade.  A talisman from my Jedi master.

The “responsible adult” section of my brain won out, and I helped out with food for a few more hours before making my way home to find a small wrapped box on my doorstep.  I slid my fingers through the tape and pulled out the box.

And started laughing immediately.

Here’s a look at what I found inside:

That binky.  I laughed because it was hilarious, but I also laughed at myself for thinking the gift would be so serious. [Read more…]