Eliza's Wardrobe:
Lela Rose Corded-Lace Sheath Dress

Brought to you by:  Three Little Ziglets

Go, Go, Gadget Girls!

Technological treasures always entrance me -- cell phones sleeker than credit cards, laptops light as a feather, a canon of concertos in the palm of my hand.

I appreciate how modern fixes have made many of the most mundane parts of parenthood more pleasant. Self-adhesive tabs over safety pins, nifty diaper-disposal units over putrid pails, one-handed folding strollers over prams the size of Pontiacs... If it makes my life easier -- or even just prettier -- I say bring it on! With the possible exception of breast over bottle, my motherhood-management mantra is "Out with the Old and In with the New."

The greatness of what gadgets have done for me as a woman runs the gamut from laser-hair removal and Zoom tooth-whitening to my new Prada phone and our car’s integrated GPS navigation (which may well have saved my marriage!).

Ingenious inventions help me integrate my personal and professional personae, too. Hands-free Bluetooth technology lets me simultaneously conference-call London, choke back a latte and get in a morning stroll with Ben! Likewise, I salute the WiFi in Wakiki that saved my last vacation from cancellation, while my beloved Blackberry has become both my digital baby brag book and my daybook.

And yet, while stylized silicon streamlines our lives to near-optimal performance, technology and toys can never account for the glorious, unexpected chaos that characterizes the human condition... nor would I want them to! Batteries die, hard drives crash. Sometimes, I trade one form of PDA for another by leaving my Personal Digital Assistant at home and heading to the park with Ben for some Parental Displays of Affection -- hugs, kisses and kite-flying!