Toddlers

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...

I am currently 9 months pregnant with bouncing boy No. 2, and I could not be more excited. Overall, this pregnancy has been a breeze compared to my first. Only one day of morning sickness, so much less worry, and I have confidence that I know what I'm doing and am getting myself into. I'll admit I was a little nervous of the idea of being pregnant with a toddler running around, but instead of it being this terrible thing I was expecting, its been pretty great and even hilarious at times as I've even noticed a few things we have in common now.  And just think, my lucky husband gets to deal with us both! 1.  We can't focus...

It was a typical Sunday afternoon. The sun was shining, the TV was blasting Disney tunes, the house smelled of Pine Sol as I cleaned the house, and my boys were playing contently in their rooms. Or so I thought. I walked into my 3 year old's room to instruct him to pick up his toys so I could vacuum his room. Upon entering, I could see his stout little body standing amidst his toys (the millions of toys) doing something inexplicably horrible. I won't go into detail, but it involved a bodily function. On his toys.  And on the carpet. And wherever else it may have sprayed in his startled state of mind when I shrieked. I asked him why he...

As a mom to a two-year-old, I am learning very quickly that people aren't kidding when they say a toddler's vocabulary doubles overnight.  Judah is rapidly saying new phrases, sentences, words, and is making our home and car a much louder and interactive place to be.  But with all his new ways of communicating, he can be a little...demanding. Since I live a good 30 minutes from Baton Rouge, the car has become my quiet place to and from work.  I think about things, listen to music (or books!), pray for friends and family, but mainly I just tune out.  That is, until Judah is in the car with me.  When I get Mr. Chatterbox on board, he wants to...

Last month, my husband and I took our baby to the beach for the first time. Almost every summer of my life, my family has spent a week on the Gulf Coast, usually in the Orange Beach/Pensacola area. We rent a condo and spend the week relaxing, swimming, reading, cooking, going out for dinner, and shopping at the outlet mall. It is a week that everyone looks forward to, and this year was particularly exciting because we brought along a new addition: our four month old son, William. I was very, very nervous about taking him. He had never slept anywhere but our house and I didn’t know how he would adjust. He had also been going through a bit...