The past weekend definitely felt like January, but didn’t look like January. By Tuesday morning, a smattering of snow made it look more like winter … but with temperatures quickly climbing to 40 degrees, it didn’t feel like winter. I’m not complaining, mind you. I just don’t know if I should shed or keep my fur this winter.

The cat is out of the bag: Nathan Ruggiero has been named Newtown’s 2012 First Baby. The Bee would also like to congratulate all the other recent babies and thank everyone who contacted us about this year’s contest. We know that there are at least four brand-new residents in town right now, including two boys, born to separate sets of parents, on January 9. In addition to these children, Kelly Burch gave birth to a little girl named Mylah on December 31, just a few hours before midnight, which may have earned Mylah the unofficial title of Newtown’s 2011 Last Baby. The Bee has been running its First Baby Contest annually since 1960. For a shot at next year’s title you may want to mark your calendar to do something more than a practical joke or two on April 1…

Congratulations to the Julie Allen Bridal! We got a note from owner Melanie Mattegat this week: “We won the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards 2012! This means we are in the top five percent of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness, and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards are determined solely by the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.”

The Silver Spoon Bakery in East Greenwich, R.I., is a little out of my usual range, but I have to share this tasty tale. The custom cupcake bakery heard about the airline “Cupcakegate” in which a carry-on cupcake that Massachusetts resident Rebecca Hains tried to take aboard in Las Vegas was confiscated, for being overweight. The Silver Spoon has responded by producing The Compliant Cupcake, a moist vanilla bean cupcake topped with vanilla frosting, and weighing in at exactly 3 ounces. “Prepared for takeoff, this cupcake comes in its very own one quart-size bag for proper adherence to the TSA 3-1-1 rule,” says the press release from the Rhode Island bakery. The tongue-in-cheek cupcake even comes with a boarding pass and fun decorations. Going up, up, and away and feel a need to fly with frosted treats? Visit www.SilverSpoonBakery.com to find out how to get your very own Compliant Cupcake.

Julie Stern says she has hit another prime number with her recent birthday… but she’s not saying which one. Happy Birthday, Julie!

Organizer Lois Barber, in conjunction with the Northern Fairfield Blue Star Mothers, announces the 2012 Newtown’s Beautiful Baby Photo Contest, a fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops. The contest is open to all babies, newborn to 4 years of age. To enter the contest, write the baby’s name and a contact phone number for his or her parents on the back of a nonreturnable 4-by-4-inch photo or a wallet-size photo. Mail the photo and a $10 check made payable to Homes for Our Troops to Baby Contest c/o Lois Barber, 33 Zoar Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482. Space is limited to the first 54 submissions. The baby whose photo raises the most amount of money wins the title of Beautiful Baby 2012, and will ride in a chauffeur-driven convertible donated by Mercedes Benz of Danbury during the Newtown Labor Day Parade. The family of the winning baby will also receive a fun-filled family prize basket, and their photo will be printed in The Newtown Bee. The baby should live locally enough to attend the parade and to use and enjoy the local gift certificates. Voting will open June 8 at Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue’s annual LobsterFest. Voting will continue for two weeks after that, with a booth relocated to Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza.

“Art To The Point: Tri-State Juried Exhibition” opened at the Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street/Route 22 in Katonah, N.Y., last weekend and I was pleased to learn that Sandy Hook artist Liz Alpert Fay’s “Milk Thistle 2” is one of 88 works that were chosen from 697 pieces submitted by artists from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. (Congratulations also to our Bethel neighbors, Brian Walters II and Elizabeth White, whose work was among those of Connecticut residents also accepted into the exhibition). The exhibit is on view until February 19. Call 914-232-9555 or visit www.KatonahMuseum.org for information.

Sound the trumpets! The Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras (a/k/a Greater Bridgeport Symphony Youth Orchestras) is looking for alumni. The GBYO is celebrating 50 years of music and youth, and over the years many Newtown residents have been involved in GBYO groups. The orchestra is looking for alumni to attend and/or perform in the 50th Anniversary Gala Alumni Concert, followed by a reception, Sunday, March 11, at 3 pm, at the University of Bridgeport’s Arnold Bernhard Art Center. GBYO Executive Director Barb Upton is hoping to hear from any alumni, as soon as possible, at 203-452-0003 or gbyo@gbyo.org. Even if you are not available to attend or perform, Barb would love to hear from you so that she can update the GBYO database… and so would we. If you are a current or former resident of Newtown and plan to participate in the 50th anniversary event in March, contact Shannon Hicks at 203-426-3141 or Shannon@thebee.com.

The Military Museum of Southern New England, 125 Park Avenue, Danbury, will be a drop-off point for Valentine’s Day cards and letters for military personnel stationed overseas. The cards and letters will be distributed in care packages distributed by the Northern Fairfield Blue Star Mothers. Cards and letters can be placed in a drop-off box in the museum’s lobby until February 19. Please call 203-790-9277 for winter hours.

And don’t forget to stuff the valentine collection boxes set up at the library by the Newtown Woman’s Club. There is a box on the main floor of the library, as well as one in the children’s department. The valentines collected will bring a smile to the faces of veterans around Connecticut and at the Walter Reed Hospital. Store bought or homemade, it doesn’t matter — just no glitter, please!

You don’t have to stuff a box with anything to bring a smile to my face. Just promise that next week you’ll… Read me again.