Le Top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did not say that!

My daughter wants to wear my wedding dress for her First Communion. I told her it’s too big.

Can’t Grandma tighten it?”

– Isabelle, age 7

Editor’s Note:
Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

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What to call the Grandparents

Now that you’re done agonizing over your baby’s name, it’s time to come up with what to call the elder members of the family. These days not only do you have four grandparents and possibly great grandparents but now there can be many more with second marriages added to the mix. How does your toddler keep everyone straight?

Lilah (a couple years ago) with some of her grandparents and great grandparents.

When my daughter was just starting to talk I asked each of her grandparents what they would like her to call them. On both sides of the family they said that she could call them whatever she would like. The problem is that in most cases a child needs a starting point.

I have always called my grandparents “Grandma” and “Grandpa” and if I was talking about them they would be distinguished by their last names. In this day and age it seemed a bit formal to do that. Since they had no preference and did not have an issue with the grandma or grandpa moniker (I think it’s because I waited until I was older to have her) we just went with the traditional Grandma and Grandpa. If we were talking about them to Lilah we added their first names to the end to any avoid confusion, for example Grandma Laurie. Of course, when she was just a wee little one she couldn’t even say Grandma. Instead all her grandparents were all known as “Ga” until her verbal skills developed. Great grandma was Great Ga or GG.

In the past two weeks this subject has come up many times with people in and out of the Le Top office. I know that grandparents with different ancestry solve the problem by using the name for grandma (or pa) in their native language, such as grandma is Abuela (Spanish), Oma (German) or Nonna (Italian). Often this is very natural because this is what they called their grandparents. What if that is not the case?

Some grandparents will take the opportunity to name themselves. Generally it’s something that is endearing and fairly easy for a child to remember like Nana. Remember, if the name is too difficult a child may simplify it by him or herself, and you never know how it will end up. In the end, most grandparents are just happy to have grandchildren and will be willing to work with whatever you child ends up calling them.

Here is a list from the grandparents.com website that lists traditional, trendy, playful and international names for grandparents. Hopefully it will give you some useful ideas to deal with your naming dilemma.

Good luck!

Full list of names for Grandparents

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le•top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did not say that!

When I’m a mommy and you’re a grandma, I’m going to live next door to you and we’re going to be best friends!”

– Emma, age 4

Editor’s Note:

Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

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A Weekend of…Sleep and Appreciation

Looks like Grandma also took a little nap!

Every year my uncle throws a start-of-summer party in Paso Robles, CA, and it’s always a good time. The week leading up to it, my husband was very sick and just didn’t have the energy to make the three hour trip. Instead of us completely canceling, my parents offered to take Lilah with them. It’s always hard for me to be away from her, but she was so excited to see her grandparents, great grandparents, and other extended family that I couldn’t say no, so I dressed her up in le•top’s Butterfly Wishes top and striped capri pants (party festive!), packed her up and met up with my parents.

Once I dropped her off I realized that my husband and I had the weekend to ourselves. We immediately made plans to go see the new Star Trek movie since we’ve only seen about two in an actual movie theater since her birth (2 ½ yrs ago). On Saturday we did the regular chores but they went so much quicker without our little one around that I had a chance to mop the entire house! I know, the exciting life of a mom, huh? We got in some cat naps, worked in the garden, saw a great movie, and zzzzz slept in zzzzz Sunday morning until 9am. I don’t think we’ve gotten so much sleep since the last time she went out of town which was close to a year ago. Sunday was pretty similar except we managed to watch two videos too. It was heavenly.

Lilah gets doggie kisses

Don’t get me wrong, I thought about her the entire time and every time we did something that she would have normally made a funny comment about or done something crazy, we talked about it and her. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have the time to appreciate her instead of just being in the thick of it.

I was soooooo happy for Lilah to come home on Monday. I heard all about her adventures with her grandparents, and I’m still hearing about how her grandma painted her toenails and put flowers on them. I guess she partied so hard that she slept in the middle of the party for five hours. Part of me wishes that I had been there for those fun times, but most of me is happy to have caught up on some sleep.

The five hour beauty nap, painted toenails and all!

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Sharing Your Pregnancy News

When I was pregnant with my first child, my husband and I decided to let our families know on Thanksgiving Day. We gave our parents wrapped presents with “I love my Grandma” and “I love my Grandpa” bibs and let them figure it out. It took about half a second since they’ve been asking when we were going to give them grandchildren. (The pressure!)

The next time we were pregnant, we wanted to be more creative. My dad’s birthday was coming up and my mom had planned for the entire family to have brunch aboard one of the San Francisco’s tour trains. So instead of yelling our announcement over the railroad tracks, my husband and I decided to be more sly. I made a special t-shirt for our daughter to wear that said, “I’m going to be a BIG sister!” and see how long it would take for the family to read it. The perfect opportunity presented itself when the train photographer came by and asked the family if we wanted a picture. So while the grandparents and grandchildren were getting situated, I asked Miranda to take her sweater off. Sadly, no one took notice. Then the photographer said, “Oh, what a cute shirt!” Finally, my mom noticed. Everyone was screaming and yelling, and asking if it was true. It was hilarious!

Since creativity runs in the family, my brother and sister-in-law gave us their special announcement by telling us they were going to be in a Dr. Pepper commercial. So as the family gathered around the giant plasma screen over Easter to watch their TV debut, this is what we saw. We were all confused because we didn’t see any Dr. Pepper in the video. The last image took a second or two to sink in. And once it did, the video became an unforgettable announcement, mixed with tears of joy and peals of laughter. Classic!

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A Favorite Dress for a Day with Grandma

Lilah playing at her great aunt's backyard in a most favorite dress from rabbitmoon

This weekend, my daughter wore the cap-sleeved short dress with tiered skirt from the soleil collection (rabbitmoon spring 09). It was a special occasion that day, as she was going to her great-aunt’s house with her grandma. I tend to save my favorite clothes for those types of occasions, so the dress was just the ticket. The soft yellow brings out the highlights in her hair. The design and patterns are absolutely adorable, and the fabric is incredibly soft. When my husband and I got home that evening around 10pm, Lilah was still going strong. She was prepped for bed in her jammie pants, but I noticed she still had on her soleil dress. My mother-in-law explained that when she went to change her, Lilah threw a fit. She did not want to take it off, so she just let her wear it. Actually we let her wear it all the next day too. I can’t believe that it stayed clean enough that we could leave it on her.

Remembering back to the last time she wore it, she had a very similar reaction. I could barely keep clothes on her that day, so I asked her just to try it on to see if it fit. Once I put it on her she didn’t take it off all day. That is practically a miracle in our house. I’m very proud to show my daughter off in any of our le•top and rabbitmoon clothes. People always tell me how beautiful they are, and all I can do is agree. We do make beautiful clothes!

Just in time for spring! Click photo to see the entire soleil collection from rabbitmoon

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