ON BOOKS ~ The Best Library Ever...

I have fond memories of reading as a child. In fact, reading and being read to are some of my earliest memories. There is nothing I enjoy more than buying my nieces and nephews some of my favorite titles each year as presents. I believe every child should have more books than they have room for - an endless collection of stories to suit each mood and fancy. To delight, educate, inspire or just send them off into slumber with sweet dreams. This was my goal for my baby Bumble.

Unbeknownst to me, for my baby shower, my sister-in-law asked that each guest include a favorite book in their gift and personalize it with an inscription. It could be a favorite book from their childhood or a book that was loved by their own children. Each contribution became a building block for our child's first library.

Because there would be so many books, the women who hosted my shower knew that a bookcase would be needed to hold them all. So they purchased one together, painted it and stenciled it to match our nursery's theme. As the shower progressed, they set aside all of the books that I opened within the gifts, arranged them in the bookcase and then carried the filled bookcase out at the end of the shower to present it to me as a surprise.

I was so touched by the thought, effort, time and personalization involved in the creation of this new library for our little one. My one-year old niece toddled out and quickly selected a book from the bookcase and sat in the small wooden rocking chair handed down to us from a very kind family member. What a seal of approval!

We received many amazing gifts that day, many of which we registered for. The most treasured was the bookcase and the piles of books - some classics that I was familiar with and some new publications that I look forward to discovering with our son. You can register for and purchase all of the fancy inventions that the baby business says you need to have. But you will always remember the gifts that come from the heart, not a wish list. Because of some creative and special women who planned and attended my shower, baby Sammy now has the best library ever. The best way I know to thank them is to make sure he grows up to be a voracious reader - like his mom.