The bear came first, before the baby. Noah’s invitation puts him in the corner, a soft brown teddy with a blue bow, sitting among paper clouds and small gold stars, with a honeycomb balloon floating above and the title in round brown letters.
It is a boy’s card, warm rather than bright, and it fits a party at home, on a porch or at a grandparent’s house in any season. Type the name, the date and the place; the bear keeps his seat, and the letters are large enough for grandparents to read without glasses.
Make it a teddy bear picnic: every child brings a bear, blankets on the grass or the living room floor, honey sandwiches cut into hearts, a bear-shaped cake and a basket of small bears for the guests who forgot theirs.
