Baby Culture

A garden of babies

Hey, give me my leg back!

Wyatt and his friend Varik soak up the tunes.

Sometimes it's not easy having a baby in New York City. Everyone lives in small spaces and on top of each other, and in our case, it takes four flights of stairs to get there. Getting on the subway is a constant test of the kindness of others. Will they or won't they grab one end of the stroller and hike it up to the platform with me? Good news, most people are happy to help. Things are expensive here and winters are coooold, at least to these transplanted Texans. But with all that is difficult about having a baby here, sometimes there are shining glimmers of light that make it not just bearable, but downright sublime. I experienced one of those glimmers last Wednesday.

I recently joined a group of very cool moms called Bowery Babes. The group consists of a singer, a photographer, a couple stylists (including myself), a clothing designer, a yoga instructor, a web designer, a doctor, a nutritionist, a couple of photo editors, a theatrical stage manager, a lawyer...you get the picture. In other words, a pretty normal cross section of women living in downtown Manhattan. We email each other with our concerns, ideas, and experiences and try to think of fun things to do with our babies. So far Wyatt and I have been to two Baby Story Times at the Mulberry Street Library (more cuteness than you can shake a stick at). And Wednesday Wyatt went to his first concert. Maybe not as well attended as the recent Led Zepplin Concert in London, but the crowd was enthusiastic, none-the-less.About 15 pairs of moms and babies piled into the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Errico, a large, well appointed but homey residence in Soho. Mr. Errico is an accomplished concert pianist and his daughter, Melissa, is in our group and had organized this concert for newborns. As her father began tickling the ivory, Melissa suggested that us moms gather our babies under and around the piano (they had laid down soft sheepskin rugs for this purpose) so they could really feel the music. One by one, babies gathered under the piano and soon it looked like a garden of wiggling newborns. The babies were transfixed by the music and with each other. Wyatt wound up being plopped down next to a little baby girl who couldn't get enough of him. As they laid there on the rug, she wrapped her arm around his leg. It was a magical half hour of music. Perhaps it was too short, as most of the babies began piping up with skwacks and tears as the twinkling melodies evaporated from the room.

A friend sent me this video clip (mostly of her daughter) check it out with the volume turned up for maximum effect. Click here:

http://www.intermogul.com/movies/MVI_2052.mp4