Ages & Stages

My daughter’s sixth birthday party was a few weekends ago. We (I) like to celebrate usually with an at-home party, a meal’s-worth of food, homemade birthday cake, balloons, tablecloths, opening presents and some sort of entertainment for the kids/guests. It takes a lot of time and energy to execute. A lot of that time and energy is spent making it look like it didn’t take a lot of time and energy to execute. After it’s over, I’m usually exhausted. I may have mentioned it before, but I’m old. However, I can still remember going to birthday parties when I was a kid. Most of them were low-key, inviting neighborhood friends and friends from school (back then, they were one-in-the-same) to...

Before my son was born, when the question came up as to whether or not I would breastfeed him, the answer was always a resounding YES! Breastfeeding was something I very much wanted to do for him. (Ha! Parenting is SO easy before you actually have a baby.) Our son surprised us by coming almost six weeks early. I was still reading the pregnancy books and hadn't yet moved onto the "now-I-have-a-baby-what-the-heck-do-I-do?" books. Fortunately, he didn't have to spend any time in the NICU but as I worked through the shock that my baby was actually here, I also struggled to breastfeed. The nurses and the lactation consultants kept telling me "He's a preemie; it will take him a little longer to figure it out,...

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by St. Lillian Academy, which offers outpatient pediatric therapy beginning at age 3, full‐time education beginning at age 5 and thorough diagnostic services for infants, toddlers, children and youths, all at one campus. I don’t know where she would be without being at St. Lillian. Her inability to communicate like other children would have been a huge hindrance to her in most any other school environment. We know she is getting the best therapy and education possible at St. Lillian. - St. Lillian Parent St. Lillian Academy, a private Christian school, was founded by parents and professionals who believe that children with learning differences can thrive with specialized instruction, in a loving, safe and consistent environment. St. Lillian Academy gives the opportunity for children with exceptionalities...

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...