And raising my kids to be the same. Thank you.

(edited to add: if you go the doll route, check out ebay for some nice antique dolls).

Gifts for foreign kiddies
 

Not when you're 4 or 5 - through the end of HS, conformity is pretty much the determinant of cool, and it is a rare kid with the confidence to go against the flow. (Unfortunately. There are a whole lot of "geeks" in HS I now look back on and think "damn, that guy was actually really cool, I was just too stupid to realize it." )

Actually, I had some good luck with NYPD and NYFD t-shirts as gifts (for kids and adults, also the rich kind with access to western stuff) when visiting southern Africa in late 2001. They didn't quite get the reasons those T-shirts were considered hip here at the time, but they had real cache purely as NYC things, apparently. Obvious "American" things like that may not be so popular or cool now that our foreign policy has proved less than endearing, but maybe they still are. The power of American culture abroad does seem largely unrelated to policy or politics.

I'm just warning you, you sound like my parents with the crappy non-mainstream presents. And look how I turned out.

Gwinky, not that I think there is any danger of you doing the boring crap presents, but go with something hip. I don't know what's in with little girls. And, when they come to visit, for the love of christ, take them to Disneyland or Disneyworld or 6 Flags or SOMETHING. I'm begging you.

Small World!
 

I like Disney. Six Flags less so, though I've only been to the Montreal one.


It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

I invented making this joke about fringe on this board....

Hip Presents
 

Bratz are out - they were hip two years ago. American Girl dolls are still pretty strong if you get the AG Today with the right accessories.

Very in - Dance Dance Revolution (if they have a playstation or Xbox).

Very in - "Live Strong" yellow bracelets. The hippest fashion accessory for that age group.

Do you give out floss on Halloween as well? :P

aV

Bratz
 

As if you needed further proof, my six-year old son says they suck (he wouldn't even look at a picture of them in the newspaper -- he turned his head away so that he wouldn't see them.)

His father kept trying to trick him into looking at them, but he would NOT be fooled!!!

Flu shots for infants (yea or Nea)
 

Sigh. Finding a neighborhood kid to babysit cheap is nearly impossible in San Francisco. People here have too much money.

$15/hour has been the consistent rate. When Finchette comes along, it'll doubtlessly go up.

Gifts for foreign kiddies
 

Not to rub it in, but we also have big dicks and are better at sex, a la Louis and Betty Childs in "Revenge of the Nerds." Ask Hank's mom if you need corroboration. You missed out, sister.

Gifts for foreign kiddies
 

No one pictures Bill Gates in bed. Really. Stick with the "we make good money now" thing.

I hate Bratz dolls. I am glad I got a boy, if only for that reason. Of course by the time (and if) we have a girl, I'm sure they will be replaced by something even more offensive. :rolleyes:

Observation: I'm glad we got a boy first because we get cool toys: blocks, balls, wooden stacker thingies, none of which are pepto-pink. It would kinda suck to have a girl first and be stuck with tons of only pink toys for a later boy (not that that stuff is completely avoidable).

Question - the Lexling's B-day is next month. I am only doing a very small (10 people icluding us) party, but other people keep asking what they should buy him. My response is, "Oh, that's so sweet, but he really doesn't need anything" and then of course they insist. I don't want to sound rude, of course or ungrateful, and yes, I dig loot for the baby (who doesn't), but I hate being asked what they should buy. I'm thinking there is really no great way to handle this. Anyone? Oh, and no one (yet) has assumed they are invited to the party, but I am totally dreading this (from neighbors, esp.) and plan on telling them it is just family (it's not).

Just out of curiosity, can you ever have enough onesies? Or blocks? Gifts for a one-year old are inexpensive, so it's not like anybody's going to go broke buying a gift for the kid. Just tell them what he likes to play with or what he needs.

Question re: gift for preggers sister
 

It occurred to me that fashion is not necessarily the best board for this question:

I am seriously toying with the idea of getting a vintage, swing-style astrakhan coat for my pregnant sister this winter. (Fuzzy furs are just so overdone blah blah blah.) She is likely to get huge (if past performance is an indicator of future prospects), but the maternity clothes of hers that I've seen are just so bad I am dying to get her something kicky to wear, and a swing coat (I'm looking for something in a size large bust, so the cut will be even bigger at the waist) should give her plenty of room.

Any opinions (other than from the vegans)? She does live somewhere cold enough to justify (arguably) fur. I am hoping she will be able to wear it without looking like the love child of a grizzly bear and Jabba the Hut. I was considering finding her a big leopard print coat instead, but it may be too extreme (and she may not get it).

Question re: gift for preggers sister
 

It is my belief that with gifts for pregnant women, you win some and you lose some and you'll never be able to tell in advance which it is (and I have not generally had this problem outside of pregnancy). BUT, clothes of any sort a woman actually likes when pregnant are worth the risk, because when they hit they hit big. I don't know your sister - if I gave my wife a fur I'd get skinned - but I do know that if you think it will work, it is worth a shot, since finding anything good to wear when pregnant is a big deal.