As I mentioned before, working at Graco makes me the unofficial expert in everything baby [gear, that is]. So when my roommate from college, Beth, told me she was pregnant with her first little one, I was so excited! Fellow blogger Melissa and I went to work on helping Beth prep for baby. I stuck with the gear, while Melissa, mom to PP, became her registry buddy for everything else.

Beth is the second in my group of close friends to have a baby. You would think after working here for five years, I would be unphased by people having babies, but when it’s one of your close friends, it’s just different! It’s like this sudden realization that we have responsibility for the next generation,  it’s wondering if we’re old enough or experienced enough or rich enough. The truth is, you are never any of those things, or at least that’s what I am learning. Watching Beth, and her husband Chris, (one of the most fun couples I know) prepare for this baby has given me a new appreciation for how people feel during this phase of life- overwhelmed and happy, all at the same time.

With everything else they had to prepare for, I told Beth and Chris that I would be happy to come over one night to put everything together- a Graco house call, if you will!  My husband Kevin and I went over for dinner and assembly. When I walked into their house, I was a little taken aback. I have put plenty of products together in my day, but never have I seen such a mountain of Graco boxes at someone’s house- this was going to be interesting! (looks like she took our advice on what to register for and our friends weren’t afraid to get it for her either!)

After dinner, we got straight to work. Beth and I headed into the basement with the bulk of the products, while Chris and Kevin stayed in the kitchen to “put together the wood highchair”. An hour later we caught them talking and laughing over a drink with the highchair “almost there”. In the meantime, I got to work on the Pack ’n Play, and the sweetpeace newborn soothing center. Once the sweetpeace was together, and I showed Beth how to use the swaddle blanket. I could tell at that point, it hit her that her baby was going to be swaddled in this little blanket very soon. It was so sweet to see the emotion that this product brought forth. Little “cubby” would soon be here*, and with a few products to go, we would all be ready!

The boys finally got the highchair together, and I finished up with the stroller and car seat. It was funny to see the once “couple-centric” home be so clearly transformed into the home of a family. *Very soon, there would be the sweet sounds of a little baby in here. While it may not been as easy as I had first thought, I was happy to help carve out “cubby’s” little space in my friends’ lives. I can’t wait to meet this little miracle!

*UPDATE! Little Cubby (who turned out to be a beautiful little girl) arrived this past Tuesday. Beth and Chris are excited (and hopefully a little less anxious because of my help) to bring her home today!

We’ve all been there: your car breaks down on the side of the road and you don’t know what to do, or you’re having a bad day and could just use some comfort food, or you split your pants before a big presentation. (ok, maybe not ALL of us have been there)

Here at Graco, this happens to the best of us. Lucky for us, we don’t just make baby gear. The Graco building also houses a tailor, a baker, and a baby blanket maker. (oh- and a car repair shop too) These aren’t just any craftsmen; these are the best in the business. (well at least at our business) These are the hidden talents of Graco- the talents that give us a sense of security, that if you are in a bind- someone here can help.

On any given day, you could come across the following scene in our parking lot during lunchtime :
Car hoods open, tools scattered about, the feet of a stroller engineer sticking out from under a car, another engineer peering under the hood, and a distressed-looking car owner standing by. The car repair team, usually led by stroller engineer Mike Dotsey and Roy Dean, will always find a solution to your mechanical problems. These guys are pure genius when it comes to making things (strollers included!) run correctly. (They’ve also saved many of us thousands of dollars.) Graco stroller owners out there- you can rest assured that you have the right guys making sure those strollers run smoothly! (because getting to work in a stroller just wouldn’t cut it!)

Split your pants? Lose a button? Need new drapes? The Graco sewing room can help. With efforts led by Vicki Kuhns, these ladies can fix just about anything in minutes. They are both talented, and efficient, all the while making you laugh about whatever mishap you may have brought to them! (Not to mention they will keep any embarrassing moments confidential!)

There are those times when things can get a little stressful around here. When the pressure heats up, in comes the comfort food! Rosemary Reppert in our fashion department is well known for her baked goods, particularly her heath crunch cookies and her banana cake. These treats have always seemed to make an intense meeting a little sweeter! For those who need something any day of the week, there is a supply of value priced candy and snacks in this building. Since this is a covert operation, I can not reveal its location or operator- but most of us know where to find it when we need to!

Given the baby boom in this office over the last few years, we’ve had a many baby shower. At these showers, we often find a special gift from Kaye Hansen- a hand stitched baby blanket. These blankets are absolutely gorgeous. No matter if it’s the first time you’ve seen one or the fifth, it always gives you goose bumps picturing the new baby wrapped in their soft new blanket. It’s the moment that makes it real.

So are we experts in baby gear? Absolutely! But I think it makes us feel that much better about our products, knowing the type of passion our coworkers put into everything they do.

(oh and before I even posted this, there have been some, apparently talented, folks that have told me this will need to be a series because they aren’t featured in this one!)

The irony of my job is that I’m surrounded by kids and baby gear all day but I don’t have children of my own. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids (I even had my own babysitter’s club for close to a decade!), but I’ve only been married for 7 months and we’re just not there yet.  So, even though I can set up and fold down a Pack ’n Play, with my eyes closed, in less than 60 seconds and I am constantly maneuvering through them in the halls at work everyday, the sight of one in my own home last weekend was- well- a little weird. No, it was not some strange work assignment- two real, live toddlers actually spent the night!  It was the first time children have ever stayed in my house, the first time there was “Yo-Baby” yogurt in my fridge, and the first time there was a Graco product in my house that was actually being used by a child.

Ok, I have to be honest; their parents were there too. My brother & sister-in-law brought the family up to stay with us for a night. Kevin and I were a little giddy about all of it. We were so excited to see them but- was our house child-proof? did we have the right snacks? what will they play with? do we have a place for them to sleep? Clearly, we were somewhat unprepared, so we came up with a plan to divide and conquer.  Kevin went to the food store and bought the kid-essentials (?)- apple juice, cheerios, pudding, and this fun snack we discovered- yogos! Thirty minutes later, and high off a sugar rush, I found myself at Target buying race cars and magna doodles. (wish I had read that post before heading out!) But not me! I also had to get the loop-de-loop race track for the cars. This was going to be great!

Soon enough, everyone arrived. Little JMC and APC burst through the door and gave us both a big hug. To our delight, the toys were a hit. Little race cars began flying all over the kitchen. We had the cars that could jump through flames (don’t worry, they were plastic flames). We set up a winners circle, and sent the “losers” under a nearby cabinet (where they still live and probably will stay until we move).

APC was busy with her magna doodle. She is just about 18 months and is starting to talk. It’s really so amazing to realize that this little person has something to tell you. She said “DANK OOH” (thank you) and “GU GUH” (good girl) with such enthusiasm, it had us cracking up. JMC is 3 and such a little gentleman. He was so genuinely grateful for the race cars, it blew us away- a testament to their parents, Matt and Maryann. I think when Kevin and I have kids someday, we might need them to move in- just for the first 5 years or so….

The night ended with all of us dozing off to The Backyardigans- the perfect end to a day of seeing things through a child’s eyes. I think we did well for our first visit. And yes, the race car track is still set up in our kitchen. You may just catch us on any given night, competing for the winner’s circle while popping a few yogos!

Runners take your MARK! Go!

As the horn sounded early on April 26th, over 800 racers took off on their way through a very hilly 5K benefiting the Mommy’s Light Organization. The weather was beautiful and the music blared at the starting line. What on earth was this running about?

Mommy’s Light is an incredible organization with a special mission: to bring joy and comfort to children and teens who have lost their mothers, by helping them keep alive traditions and simple pleasures they shared with their mothers. To support young people in adapting to their mothers’ illnesses or deaths, Mommy’s Light’s key initiatives include: (1) free Tradition Fulfillment Services to eligible children and teens; and (2) the development and distribution of education and outreach materials targeting grieving children and the adults who are likely to interact with them.

With headquarters near our Graco office, this was the perfect event for us to sponsor, right here in our own community.

Prepping for the race was the talk of the office leading up to this day….ok, well maybe it was more like just me panicking about not being able to finish and humiliating myself in front of my coworkers. Surprisingly, not the case! By some miracle I was propelled up the last hill of the course pumping my arms on my way to the finish. I will not reveal my time, as many of you reading this could probably walk faster, but I finished none the less! I was indeed amazed at all of the Moms sprinting past me with joggers- SO inspiring!

We do, however, have some amazing athletes here at Graco! A special congrats to the following people who won medals in their age categories:

• Tom Pollack-Silver (Engineering)
• Erin Varano-Silver (Marketing)
• Josh Jacobs-Bronze (Finance)

It wasn’t just Graco employees running the race. Some of the most intense competition occurred on the hills of the playgrounds.

Three year old Jagger was prepping for his moment. “Eat my dust,” he said as he happily greeted PP. (Lindsay taught him that) Good thing they weren’t in the same age group!

The toddler trot drew big crowds, and for good reason- we had a Graco child in almost every age category! All of the children were winners, sporting their medals proudly.

The event also consisted of a Graco Stroller Walk and I Mile Fun Run. We also had a Graco tent raffling off lots of great products! It was a fun event and raised over $47,000! Thank you to Mommy’s Light for giving us the opportunity to support such a great cause, but more importantly, for helping so many children keep alive the cherished memories and traditions of their own mothers.

It’s always exciting to hear the pitter patter of little feet throughout the Graco building.  We had many little visitors during Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day last week.  Employees got to bring their children to experience the magic that happens here at Graco every day! 

Sure, we think we’re engineering and designing breakthrough products, but how would the children describe what their parents do here?  I conducted some interviews to find out:

Question: What did you learn today with your Mommy/Daddy at work?

 “Slinkies don’t go down stairs.”  and (POP!) “Plastic bubbles (from packaging) are fun to pop!”  Craig Desrosiers (Lead Engineer)’s son, age 5, learned two important lesson in physics, focusing on motion and sound. 

Question: What does your Mommy/Daddy do here at Graco?

 “Daddy chatters, spies on people, and goes to a lot of meetings”, observes Mike Halak (General Manager, North America)’s 8 year old daughter.  (Spies?  Oh, she means those focus groups- don’t worry - all of the parents involved know we are intently listening behind the glass! )

Other insights included “talks on the phone,” and “plays” on the computer.  
We managed to harness all of this creative energy around the building by transforming a conference room into a carnival of games and treats.

We also identified some future talent for the fashion and design department! (see for yourself) All in all, everyone had a great time.

And what does this day mean for those who don’t work in a corporate office setting? Beth F. from the NYC Moms Blog had an adorable idea….a trip to the zoo!  (After all, how much fun can kids really have with staplers and paper clips before some serious damage is done?)