It takes a village - or at least that's what this whole process feels like. And what a joy for me to take the things we used and pass it on to people I'll see every day, knowing that they're kids are using it.
I didn't need reminding - not with two teenagers, one of whom graduates from high school tomorrow - but passing the proverbial torch (or in this case the Baby Bjorn) from one family to another - brings it all home about how fast this happens.
In the blink of an eye.
Ella is closing in on 23 months, but it seems like years since she needed a bottle sterilizer. And the truth is that it really doesn't seem that long ago when my eldest - did I mention she's graduating tomorrow? - was using some of this equipment.
Life hurdles ahead. As it should.
Part of the pleasure of this re-gifting process is knowing that what I'm offering helps these expectant parents - because it's one, or 20 more things they don't have to buy. And sheesh, this stuff can be expensive.
That's the editorial point to all this rambling, because the federal government today came out with its latest estimate of what it costs to raise a child to age 17. Sit down if you have a youngin' - because the estimate is now $226,920. That's up 2 percent from the year before. The biggest expenses: housing, child care, education and food.
And mind you this figure is for a family earning between $58,000 and $100,000. The more money you make, the more you'll spend on your child. Sort of like everything else.
Or - as the expectant father in the room emailed me in response to the cost estimate, "Breathe……"
It's a daunting figure - all that money, especially with the economy still struggling to get any kind of traction. We'll have the latest on the economy, tonight after the basketball game (Game 5 of the NBA finals).
We're also on the springtime scorcher. A triple-temp or close to it day in many parts of the Tri State, and Meteorologist Lee Goldberg says the heat is about to break. That's the look to tomorrow. But getting through today wasn't the most pleasant experience for many people.
And how about the 60,000 folks who went to Central Park's Great Lawn today to hear the Black Eyed Peas perform? I'm sorry, but unless the Park was suddenly transported seaside, crowded shoulder-to-shoulder in the sweltering sun doesn't seem like much fun to me.
I'm just sayin'.
But you'll see the peeps who went, and hear some of the music, tonight on our late-edition of Eyewitness News at 11.
The former Giants football star Plaxico Burress is campaigning for redemption - this after spending 20 months behind bars for carrying an illegal gun and then accidentally shooting himself in the leg outside a nightclub. He's appearing with the Brady Center people - gun control advocates - for some big announcement on Monday. Also there: Tony Dungy, the former pro football head coach. You'll recall that Dungy was also there when quarterback Michael Vick campaigned for redemption at a news conference with the Humane Society, after Vick emerged from prison for running an illegal dog fighting ring.
Obvious stunts or legitimate contriteness?
And a not-unpredictable thing happened to Apple and its App that listed DUI checkpoints. Cops didn't like it. Duh. Now the App - called "Trapster" - has been pulled.
We're also keeping tabs of the developments in the erstwhile Republican Presidential campaign of Newt Gingrich, who tonight is vowing to begin anew his effort this weekend. He had a rough day. His senior staff resigned en masse today, because they believed Gingrich had refused to aggressively campaign for President.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Rob Powers with the night's sports. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight after the NBA Finals.
