Ages & Stages

After 2.5 years as a stay-at-home mom, I reentered the corporate workforce. Finding childcare was stressful to say the least, and I wasn't really sure what to look for.  My criteria were something along the lines of affordable, keeps my kid alive, and doesn't have a wait list of 2 years. The transition was very smooth, and Etta Mae was very happy with her new daily routine.  I accepted from the start that there were going to be things that wouldn't thrill me about daycare.  But I was committed to giving the benefit of the doubt as long as she was happy and healthy. Naturally, I got to know the teachers and aides in the 2-year-old hall.  And despite my...

We are expecting our second child in November and couldn't be more thrilled!! And a little terrified, let's be honest. I am blessed, honored and grateful to have this little life inside of me. But bringing another person into the fold will be a major adjustment for us all, perhaps for my 2-year-old more than anyone else. In addition to speaking to her about all things Baby, we've also been reading her story books about becoming an older sister and I think it's been truly beneficial. I've probably read about 40 of these types of books for children over the past 7 months, which is a significant amount...BUT there are probably at least 100 on the topic, so I can't say I've read them...

My son is almost 14 months old, and he's finally sleeping through the night (11 hours) and taking 2 one-hour naps a day! Our road was a long one, fraught with uncertainty, guilt and exhaustion but looking back on it I don't have any regrets and I really don't think I made too many mistakes. Maybe that's just my optimistic predesposition, but I know my son and through it all I did what was best for him. Here's our sleep story. I hope my personal experience can encourage someone else because I believe the biggest mistake I made was to second guess myself. Before he was born, I read Babywise and I knew that's what I wanted for my child. I wholeheartedly agreed...

Do you ever have days where you feel like all you do is reprimand everyone in your house? Last weekend I had one of those days. I felt like all I did was chase after everyone and say things like "Stop jumping on the couch!" "Don't hug the toilet!" "We aren't having any more chocolate milk!" At the end of the day my husband looked at me with exhaustion in his eyes- nobody was having fun. As I laid my head down that night I wondered why the day had felt so brutal. Was it a phase we are in? Was the kiddo particularly fiesty? Were we experiencing a little cabin fever? And then it hit me. Sure, the kiddo was probably...

The other day my husband and I were at lunch with my son, who happened to be sleeping, so we had a chance to actually speak uninterrupted. We chatted for a few minutes about everyday things, and then he looked at me and asked, “What do you want to do differently with this baby?” We are expecting our second child in December. Our kids will be 23 months apart, and our experiences with our son as a newborn are still fairly fresh in our minds. This time, when we bring our newborn home, we won’t be first-time parents, and we will at least be more confident that we know what we’re doing. We have learned many lessons from our son,...