Featured Blog Posts – October 2011 Archive (21)

Upon the split of Anyah's father and myself I found my life up in a whirlwind. Although I saw the split coming, I had not planned for it by the time that it actually occured. Therefore, everything that has taken place since then has been based off of a "in the moment" mentality. One decision in particular I am having a hard time with, is my current one to accept my previous position back at my old job and allow my family to take…

   When you think about giving birth to your child, the painful labor always comes to mind. But you know it will definitely be worth it when they place that baby in your arms and you get to take him or her home and start your life with the new addition to your family. What you don't envision is not getting to hold him or her, and not being able to take him or her home when you leave the hospital. You don't think you'll see your baby in the NICU with tubes and machines hooked up to her 24/7…

Dear Baby Princess,

You turned 13 months old this week.

Which means I'm about a month later than I wanted to be with this post, but better late than never.  You may never be interested in reading about your birth (to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want to read about mine) but for some reason I feel like the story should be recorded.

You due date was Sunday, September 19.  Not surprisingly Sunday came and went, and by Thursday we were on our second…

"My daughter is 14 months old and still breastfeeding. I'm not sure if I want to wean her completely, or just start to. She still wakes up and I nurse her 2-3 times a night. Should I stop the night feedings? Will she sleep through if I do? Weaning advice please?" Mackenzie

This is a terrific topic for us to explore. If you are nursing your 14-month-old several times at night, you have got to break free for both of your well being. The beauty of nursing is not…

Picking my daughter's Halloween costume used to be pretty simple.  We like Disney, she likes princesses - our decision was made before we even went shopping. For her first Halloween she was Tinkerbell (Mommy's pick), second she was Snow White (Daddy's pick) and last year she chose Princess Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty.  This year I thought it'd be a no-brainer - till she threw me a total curve ball. So in the spirit of Trick or Treat, here are 6 costume conflicts to let you know you're not…

Barbie's got a new look thanks to Japanese-inspired brand Tokidoki, complete with pink hair, glittery heels and tattoos across her neck, arms and chest. The $50 limited-edition Barbie is marketed to adult collectors, but some parents are pissed at Barbie-maker Mattel, saying that …

Many of you may have read my previous blog, Homemade Baby Food and an Accidental Journey into Hippie Parenting, and found it to be a bit preachy. This was not my intention.

 …

Target Frog Mask

The Product

Children's frog mask by Target. The plush mask is green with yellow and red highlights, with two eye cutouts and a green elastic band with a fastener used to…

so i'm at my dad's yesterday and they have the front door open because it's nice out and fresh air yaddy yaddy yaddy. i'm trying to scarf down some grub and tommy is bugging the crap out of me because i'm paying more attention to my food than i am to him. to give myself a few seconds of peace i hand tommy my keys. i assumed he'd jingle them a few times and throw them or hide them somewhere irretrievable(again). instead he ran to the front door and did his best to reach the knob and use the…

I have 18-month-old twin daughters. They are very affectionate toward each other and seem to be very close. When we are doing activities, or perhaps one gets really excited, she will sort of swing her hands/arms in a flailing manner and smack the other either in the face or on the head. It doesn't ever seem to bother the other one, but I don't want it to turn into a problem in the future. Is it too early for time-outs? Alycia P…

Dear Baby Princess,

You are completely finished breastfeeding.

Overall, the transition went pretty smoothly.  I was worried for a minute there but since you are equally accustomed to breastfeeding and bottle feeding, you barely seemed to notice when we cut out the "breast" portion.  The majority of my concern ended up being just how to make my body stop producing milk, since you were fine but I was totally uncomfortable.  I got some good advice including…

so my brother, tommy and i are at home depot buying anchors for the top of the stairs baby gate that my walls just won't support. this is literally the tenth attempt to install a baby gate in this house that was not meant to be baby proofed. i am so frustrated with the whole process that if it wasn't for my brother i'd just use pressure mounts and cross my fingers. how could all of the walls in my entire house be made of paper?

anyhow. we get our anchors and make our way to the…

I never really thought about baby changing station until I had a baby. I find it unbelievable that restaurants and stores that have public rest rooms don't feel the need to have baby changing station. My son goes every where with me. He is a human being and will be respected as such. I make sure that Logan is feed and changed and happy so that he doesn't have to complain when we are out. I think that there is nothing worse than a crying baby out in public. It is our responsibility to meet…

Dear Baby Princess,

You are fast asleep next to me on your Daddy's childhood bed.

You slept for a little while today in the crib that Grandma and Grandpa D set up for you (and for cousin J, when she's out on Long Island).  You sleep fine in it at night, but you really just hate napping in a crib.  The fact that you passed right out again when I brought you in here with me confirms, I'm pretty sure, that you really do just want to be part of the action and are…

Dear Baby Princess,

You had a wonderful first birthday!

Yes, I’m a little late with this post.  But it’s been a pretty busy few weeks.  Last weekend all of your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came to Atlanta to celebrate with you.  Friday night we went for Italian food with some of the group, and you were a rock star.  It was way past your bedtime but you were cheerful and good natured for the whole meal, fascinated by everyone who walked past. …

A little while ago there was an article in the baby news about how to tell if your baby will become a Bully. I have also noticed a lot of news reports on bullying. How to deal with it, families dealing with the suicide of their young child due to bullying. Last week on Anderson (weekdays NBC at 2)  they talked to a girl who admitted to being a bully herself. This had me…

UPDATE 11/7/11: This contest is closed and we are notifying the winner. Thanks for entering!

To enter to win a copy of book, post a comment below telling us which of your kid's books you like as much as your kid does.



Hats, and animals with tails, are some of my just…

We just discovered an AZ-based mom site with cool DIY Halloween crafts. Our faves: pin the heart on the skeleton and spider puppets. Click the links to find downloadable DIY instructions and patterns.

We love that the spider puppets work as simple…