Boston

Especially if you live in the Boston area, check out the sunrise photos of Joe Gerry He takes a photo every day, so you can purchase one that comes from a date that’s meaningful to you and the recipient.

Becky writes that she was given one of his prints of the sunrise the day Nick was born, and it has been a cherished reminder of that day. “We’ve bought many more, for wedding and baby gifts, and they always generate tears in the recipient.”

You could also do this yourself for a new mom friend if you get notified in time. Or spend the whole week she is due waking up at the crack of dawn to capture the sunrise. Oh wait, you already wake up at the crack of dawn. Consider this a way to capture proof of your selflessness.

Fellow rookie mom Becky describes some of Boston’s best bets for babies especially for the Spring and Summer:

Monday — Play it Local
We live near Cleveland Circle in Brighton, Massachusetts, close to Boston College, sandwiched between the towns of Newton and Brookline. One of the delights of living in Boston is that it is so easy to walk to places of interest . We have a number of favorite neighborhood activities: playing at the Waldstein Playground, walking around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, and visiting the Brookline Public and Newton Free Libraries. While, for the adults, these may not compete in interest value with the Art Museum or the Aquarium, they are free and when you’re a new little guy or gal, probably just as stimulating.

The Waldstein Playground is between Dean Road and Clinton Path, behind the buildings on the south side of Beacon Street. It has baby and kid swings, a sandbox, a spray fountain for playing in, and other climbing equipment. My son’s favorite feature is that from the park you can see the “T” trains going by. The Chestnut Hill Reservoir, adjacent to Cleveland Circle, is about two miles around, and affords views across the water, and of the local wildlife: swans, turtles and ducks.

Both the Brookline and Newton Libraries have large children’s rooms, and each has a nice selection of board books arranged so that babies can pull out any they find interesting.

Tuesday — Make Way for Ducklings
One of America’s classic children’s stories, Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings is set in Boston. If you have read this story to your child, you must make a trip to the Public Garden (located in central Boston, at Arlington Street, between Beacon and Boylston streets).

In the spring and summer the Public Garden is alive with trees and flowers. When we visited last, much of the grass was roped off to allow for new growth, but we did find a section of grass near the duckling statues (memorializing Make Way) where Nick could crawl around. The bronze statues of mama duck and ducklings make a wonderful photo opportunity.

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Sarah and I don’t know each other well– our husbands were college mates– but she was alone with me during the first five minutes after I left my baby with someone else, and so she has seen me cry while fat. Not my best moments. At the time, she was six months pregnant and I was one month unpregnant, and we were sharing a cab to a wedding.

Now that we are both in our sophomore year of motherhood, I thought it would be nice to touch base, so I sent her an interview. Here’s how you do an interview: Write 10 questions in an email. Hit send. Wait for response.

I think it’s always fun to find out how other people do things. Perhaps next I will interview her about her life as a freelance writer, but for now, it’s all about Finn.

How old is Finn and what’s his most recent accomplishment?
Finn turned one a couple weeks ago. His most recent accomplishment, according to me, is letting go of my hands/the coffee table/the toilet (I know, I know) for about three seconds and then clapping enthusiastically for himself. But if you ask him, it’d probably standing on a window sill and holding on the top edge of the window while banging his forehead on the glass (how did I ever think it was a good idea to try that?).

What’s your favorite outing with Finn that’s not necessarily Finn-centric?
A long walk (or, if I’m feeling lazy, we take the MTA boat part way there) to this amazing Farmer’s Market in Haymarket Square in Boston on Friday mornings. I load up his under-the-stroller basket with tons of cheap and yummy fruit and veggies; meanwhile, he’s kept happy looking at all the colorful people and produce. Then we usually both eat a peach or something on the walk home.
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