When you become a mom, you suddenly realize you’ve been surrounded by parenting experts all along. Well-intentioned family members, online acquaintances, even the elderly stranger you meet in the HyVee checkout line is full of golden nuggets of wisdom you didn’t even ask for (or necessarily want, for that matter)! It can be overwhelming to […]
I have been working with infants for 25 years. I love babies! With four of my own, let me tell you–none of them have been the same. Not a single baby has been exactly the same! However, I have gained some insights into sleep that I am more than happy to pass along to my […]
The year following the birth of a baby must have its own name and its own set of expectations. In my family, it is known as The Baby Year. (Capitalized, revered, and always uttered with a touch of fear.) Each time my husband and I went through a Baby Year, we overcame the guilt, rationalized […]
Some lessons have to be learned the hard way. Our 15-month old daughter has been battling illness basically bi-weekly since her first birthday in late October. We both work full-time, so she spends her Monday through Friday daytime hours at a center (which we adore!) with about a dozen other germy toddlers who aren’t shy […]
This past year my husband and I decided that we were officially done, and there would be no more babies for us. Logically, next came the daunting task of what to do with all the baby stuff we had accumulated from our daughter. It was no small feat, and required a massive garage sale to […]
The first time I realized the importance of a baby book was when I watched my father-in-law comb through his. His mother was scrapbooking the lives of him and his older sister back before scrapbooking was a thing. We were gathered around the kitchen table with a book that was twice the height of a […]
When I was pregnant with my son, I was committed to breastfeeding exclusively. I went to classes, read all the books and blogs, talked with other moms who successfully breastfed, and asked for their advice. I joined online breastfeeding support communities and found local groups to attend after I gave birth. With all my preparations […]
It was twilight in the Amana Colonies. Our little family of three was heading back to our car after a late afternoon of window shopping and enjoying some strudel. Seasonal garlands were hung along every fence post on the main road. The authentic smell of Christmas trees, the dimmed lights flickering above the shops, the […]
Dear Adrienne, Thanksgiving to me is almost as big of a milestone as your upcoming first birthday. It’s the beginning of your birth story. It’s also the beginning of when I thought I might lose you. This is why I have been more anxious as your mom than I was the first time around, even […]
We’ve all seen the pictures, the pins–the pure perfection. We’ve seen the perfect party posts on Instagram and attended parties that are coordinated from the food to the favors. I didn’t realize how much work these masterpiece parties were until I started searching the Internet for ideas for my own daughter’s first birthday party. The […]
