A month ago, Bella and I were leaving a store and walking back to the car as I held her in my arms. It was the middle of the day, but we were in a parking garage. It was well lit, as parking garages go, but still a dim, dark concrete, unwelcoming structure. As we walked down the aisle of cars, I noticed a large, muscled, broad-shouldered man walking directly toward us. Instinctively, I looked away, stiffened my grip on my baby girl, straightened my posture and quickened my pace. As we approached each other, I heard Bella laugh in my ear. I looked over and this big man, twice my size, was making googly eyes and waving to my little baby.
"Hello, Happy Baby!"
I am often amazed at how powerfully disarming a smiling, little baby can be. Bella laughs, waves and flirts with nearly every person she meets. Two weeks ago, we were among the first to board a plane to DC. I was exhausted after having trudged through security, pushed her stroller across the concourse and entertained and fed her while we waited at the gate. Once we were seated, I was tired and stared out of the window at the baggage handlers pulling up to the side of the plane. Bella stood in my lap and held onto the chair back in front of us. Her laughter pulled me back from my daydreams and I looked up. I saw a full aisle of people streaming onto the plane. They were all exhausted travelers lugging suitcases, overcoats and laptop bags. It now costs $20 to check your first bag on Delta and $30 for your second, so we are all our own pack mules. For the moment, however, there was something very different about this crowd. » Read more: “Hello, Happy Baby!”
Welcome to Next Top Moms! We are all new moms trying to figure out this maze of our new lives. Liz and Becca live in Atlanta, so we will have a lot to say 
about our hometown, but mostly we will be talking about a wide range of subjects, so moms and friends from all over are welcome! 
