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. In all honesty, having invested ten months into growing my baby, I was going to do everything I could to make sure she arrived safely. In my case that meant having the option of medical intervention if it was necessary. My thoughts exactly. I had a c section with my little one as he surprised us ...

In middle school, we had a strict dress code of tucked in shirts, belts, etc. My 8th grade year, they transitioned to uniforms. It never occurred to either me or my parents that I'd need new white tops, so I spent all of 8th grade wearing my dad's white dress shirts with navy blue pants. Occasionall...

You can do it, Gnarl! 4-5 weeks was a tough time period here. Now we're at almost 9 and are learning the truth of how quickly things change. Give it a few days and a new normal will emerge. And you have smiles coming up soon!

Lol... divot is in my leg...

When I was little, my family had a two door car. My mom didn't realize I was getting out on her side and went to shut the door just as I was getting out. It caught my nose and I needed 6 stitches. Then, there was the incident where my mom was smoking in the car and flicked her cigarette butt out of ...

Good, bad or otherwise, what do you wish you had known before you became a parent? For me, I wish I had known how much I would absolutely love almost all aspects of the gig...to the point that I'd like to stay home with the little monster, when I thought I'd be counting the days until I go back to w...

Good luck, ablotial! The waiting game is no fun.

Adding to the newborn edition: Knowingly fell asleep on the couch with baby on your chest because...sleep... Used a tablet or phone to surf net or play games while nursing rather than cherishing every moment Took baby out in public solely because it's really great to hear strangers compliment your a...

Social smiling happened yesterday. And the little 5.5 week old monster hit 13 pounds. He's huge! Today he's going to his first festival, too.

Nope.

Aaahh! The real tears! My heart broke when little guy had his first real tears while crying.

First real bath! And first naked baby in the tub picture. He also got to meet a great grandma and 2 great great aunts. Little old ladies and babies are wonderful together. Congrats to the newborns and their parents!

I pay $110 per paycheck, with a $3500 deductible, which includes $1500 reimbursement from a health fund. There's an $8100 out of pocket maximum per year. I just had a baby and I was toying with the idea of staying home for the first year, but then my family wouldn't have any insurance at all, so tha...

Congrats, mamas! Enjoy the tiny ones!

Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. Great for reading out loud and for emerging readers.
The Monster at the End of the Book with Grover
I collect Newberry medal winners and am workingon on the Caldecott medalists for my little guy.
Ultimately, though, as long as kiddos are reading, I'm happy.

My tiny 2.5 week old visited Daddy at work. He also discovered that pacifiers are an acceptable soothing aid.

I encountered this randomly the other day. Now I need to go dig some more into it...

Yay for better, if not yet great. The pacifier has been wonderful for my little creature. I was hesitant to use it, just like you, but it calms him like nothing else and he still eats like a champ. Best wishes!

Best wishes for a speedy (and soon) delivery. I'm seconding the whole acceptance piece as huge for a successful birth experience. I went in for my little guy hoping for as few interventions as possible, midwives instead of an ob, etc. Turns out he had flipped somewhere along the way and no one was w...

It reminds me, albeit without having read it, of Touchpoints by T. Berry Brazelton. Similar concept of developmental leaps affecting behavior, etc. I love Dr. Brazelton's work for lots of reasons and it has a good amount of of research behind it. A lot of the value of this genre does seem to be reas...

I'm working for kind, resilient and determined for this little guy and any others who happen to come along. I wish my parents had emphasized the persistence and resilience more than the smart that I got growing up. Smartand is great, but it's not everything or anywhere near enough.

Umm...thanks...I think? Two-ish weeks and counting until I'm joining you in the trenches. I can't remember where I read it or which anthropology class I learned it in, but the theory goes that newborns smile at about 6 weeks because that's the maximum length of time parents can manage without any re...

Ugh, so sorry to hear everyone's sleep woes. I'll add mine to the pile. While going to bed last night, I had a coughing fit to the point I must have strained a muscle in my side or something. Sleep's been elusive of late, but yesterday it vanished. I couldn't move without sharp, shooting pain, which...

That combo bed/bag looks like it'd be awesome for traveling, but overkill for pretty much everything else. We got a couple of the diaper clutches that hold a few diapers and wipes and have a changing pad. I figure I have enough spare tote bags and backpacks lying around that we'll figure something o...

While I wouldn't wish this on anyone, I'm selfishly glad I'm not the only one dealing with this loveliness. Somehow, I managed to get bronchitis, too, so in addition to not sleeping because I'm not tired, when I am tired, I can't sleep because the coughing won't stop. Yay, pregnancy! At least the li...