Ages + Stages

Dear daughter,  In a few days, we’ll be putting five candles on a cake and watching you unwrap presents while you squeal and jump up and down.  Being your mom isn’t perfect, but it’s the best gift I’ve ever been given....

It's easy to trash on Millenials. As a child of two baby Boomers, my teenage years were filled with talk about how shameful my generation was.  After all, we invented selfies -- so we must all be completely self-obsessed. We spend...

My daughter has been asking for a cell phone since she was in second grade. Second grade! That is insanity to me. I had to wait until the morning of my 16th birthday to receive the very first brick Nokia....

One of the most beautiful things about being human is that we are all different.  We come in different shapes and sizes, colors and textures, we speak different languages and eat different foods, have different beliefs and abilities, love differently...

Recently, I've realized how awesome it is to live in an area that provides so many fun experiences for children! Moms can take advantage of playgroups, special programs through colleges, church programs, and more to keep their little ones...

It always happens in the early morning hours: my nine-week-old daughter slips into a fitful slumber only to wake up just as I'm settling in for some much needed sleep. I slide sluggishly out from under the covers, uttering...

Motherhood is filled with memorable milestones: baby's first step, your preschooler's first day at "big kid" school, graduation from 5th grade, your middle-schooler's first band concert, and prom.  But what about the small, special, still-of-the-night moments of motherhood?  Will...

Ladies, let me tell you right now there are not just three stages in pregnancy, a.k.a. three trimesters. I think there are at least nine, and no one really talks about these stages. But these right here are the...

I’m nearing the end of my third (and last) pregnancy. I’m sure there will be a mourning period when the realization hits that I won’t have another baby after this. However, right now in my third trimester of my...

First off let me say, I am not a doctor or a lactation consultant. This is my experience and while I’m sure others have similar experiences, nursing is something that is a very personal choice and experience. I hope...

It hasn’t been long since I found out you’re going to be in this world, but it feels like I already know you. It feels like I've known you my whole life. When I think about you, I can't help...

I’ve always been a healthy person, I’ve always been athletic, and I’ve always eaten pretty well. When I got pregnant with my daughter in 2009, all of that was suddenly just not good enough. I knew that I needed to...