Things shifted in my 40’s when I had my son. My Nick books were informed by my food journals except they had a lot more pictures.  I would never have remembered the hilarious things Nick said if not for these books. Like when he was three and I was trying to get him to open his mouth to brush his teeth and he told me, “it’s closed for repairs.”

Or when he strode forcefully into our bedroom and said, “Dad, you need to teach me how to chew gum.” On a visit to New Orleans, he looked out the hotel window and said he couldn’t sleep because of  “the midnight winds.” God forbid there’s another hurricane; I know these books are what I’ll grab first.