Posted by: Sarah in Untagged on
Apr 28, 2009
When I got married and had children, I never thought I would get divorced. Who ever does? John and I dated for nearly five years, were married for 11 years and have two beautiful, healthy children together. But, life happens and sometimes the person that you fell in love with changes...we all change.
I grew up in a household with parents who loved and respected one another. They celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary this past summer. I was blessed to model a healthy relationship and realized when I was not in one.
When it came to telling our four year old the news we sat down together and conveyed this: 1) Mommy and Daddy make better friends than a married couple; 2) we are still a family, but Daddy won't live here any more; 3) he can see or talk to Daddy anytime he wants; 4) we both loved him very, very much and nothing would change that - ever. Then, we asked if he had any questions - about anything. He didn't. After this painful conversation was over, we played board
Posted by: nikkik in Untagged on
Apr 22, 2009
"Let's play doctor!" my daughters, Madison (6) and Chloe (3) exclaimed in tandem. Ever since we bought them a cheap doctor kit for Christmas, you'd think they were pre-meds. I acquiesced and they took their place on my "operating table" (i.e. my bed).
Both were equipped with their baby dolls, which led to the girls pretending they were having babies. Recognizing this as a teaching moment, and the beginning of shaping their perception of childbirth, I put a smile on my face and coached, "You've got to work hard to get the baby out - you're doing great" instead of "It hurts, oh how it hurts. Push harder." I want my daughters to view childbirth as hard work, rather than the most painful and horrifying experience any human being can possibly endure. While many of us who have children can say that the latter description heartily applies to us, childbirth has got bit of a bad rap, and I'm not sure it does expectant women a service to wail to them about the horror of it all.
Posted by: emmareaghansmommy in Untagged on
Apr 21, 2009
So I was thinking of things I could share other than just pregnancy, and it came to mind that I have spent a TON of time finding things to do with my kids for free, or at least super cheap, in and around Vancouver. So, I thought for people with kids (or kids on the way) I would pass my research along!
Our favorite places are the fountains at Esther short park, and I aim to go on a day that there is a concert in the park. ( I recomend the Beatnicks:) That way we can pack some pb and j's, cool off in the water and head up to hear some music and have a picnic. The water resource center has free events on the second saturday of the month, and is next door to Marine park. (more pb and j's) Columbia Springs off of old Evergreen Hwy is super fun..feed the fish, go on a kid friendly hike, great time! And keep an eye on your library, they have free events every month that are educational and fun. Kazoodles toy store has a storytime and also fun events every so often. If you don't mind
Last year, after we lost our baby, Jacob, we decided we wanted to try again as soon as possible. We got the green light and figured in nine months we would be holding a little newborn baby. Thats how it works right? We had the thought that it would be easier to deal with losing him if we had another baby that could not have been here otherwise. (does that make any sense?) So we began...
First month, no baby. Second month, no baby. Now I was getting worried...what if something was wrong with me? It should not be this hard right? I bought all kinds of ovualtion and pregnancy tests and still no baby. Every month I felt bloated and was sure this is the month! Then I would take the tests (early because I have no patience, so I would take them daily for a week or two:) only to be let down again. It was frustrating and pretty depressing, every month I had to start all over again. You have no idea how many people in Vancouver are pregnant until you can't seem to get pregnant.
Hello! My name is Kelly and I am "Born to be a star!" I thought I would write a little bit about my family and myself before the world watches me go through my pregnancy:)
My whole life I have lived in the Northwest, Portland and Vancouver. In 2004 I had my first daughter, Emma. Emma and I were always together, I was able to work at her daycare, usually in the same room. At the time I was a single parent and this really was the perfect job for us! Shortly after, Wes and I got together and eventually decided to add to our family. In 2007 we had our second daughter, Reaghan. The rules of the daycare had changed and I was not able to bring her with me. So, I worked part time while Wes' mom took care of her. For me, this was not the way to go! I spent all my breaks pumping and crying. Then I would go home feeling guilty and missing my baby. Now, Emma is five and Reaghan is almost two. We are finally in a place where I can just stay home with my girls, and take care of
The amount of weight to gain during pregnancy varies from woman to woman. Therefore, even though there are suggested amounts that women should gain during pregnancy, the best plan of action is to see your doctor or midwife and follow their recommendations. They will determine an amount based on your current weight and medical history.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I gained 28 pounds and my baby weighed 5 pound 9 ounces at birth, full term. She was considered small for gestational age. The average baby weighs seven and a half pounds. So, with my next pregnancy my doctor suggested that since I was in the low normal range for weight and had some medical issues that I should try to gain forty pounds in order to have a larger baby. Well, it worked because; my next baby was six pounds eight ounces. Thankfully, with breastfeeding and running after my two year old, the extra pounds were gone within about three months with very little effort.
If after visiting your
As I write this, I'm watching the new show on ABC called "In the Motherhood." I'm not a big TV connoisseur, so I'm watching it online several days after its premier. I must say, I'm pretty blown away by how "real" moms are portrayed. I mean, Cheryl Hines taking one look inside her house after work and turning her back on her unruly kids to go have drinks with friends instead of coming home to the fam? Please. I gotta admit that Megan Mullaly's character's bit about pretending to be preggers in order to benefit from the perks of pregnancy was funny, but the rest of it, in my opinion, was nonsense. Most real moms do not look perfect 24-7, attempt to have sex after work with their supervisors, or have great looking "mannies" (played by Horatio Sans, of Saturday Night Live fame, who used to be obese and now looks fantastic, but I digress...). Am I wrong here? I welcome comments from those who fit the above
Posted by: Sarah in Postnatal Parenting, Pacifier on
Apr 20, 2009
It has been a two-year love affair for Caroline and her binkie (she calls it "bubba"). If your child is fast friends with his or her pacifier you know what I am talking about. Recently, Caroline has made a new attachment, however. For my little girly-girl, it's not surprising that the attachment came in the form of a doll with a pretty yellow dress, frilly socks and felt shoes (Caroline loves shoes). I saw my opening when this new friendship started to blossom.
I have been weaning Caroline off the pacifier for awhile now to slowly lessen the reliance of her "bubba" for comfort (and habit). After her mid-day nap and in the morning, she takes the pacifier out of her mouth and drops it in the dresser drawer on my queue.
Last week, I asked her caregivers to not give Caroline the pacifier at naptime. To my delight, she did just fine without it. That evening, she did not get her "bubba" at bedtime either. While she did cry and ask for her longtime friend, I did not relent. After
My little guy will be starting kindergarten in September. For the last year or so, I have tossed and turned about what to do about this big transition in my little guy's life. Do I keep him at his current school, move him to a public school near our house, or is private school a better option.
We've gone to school open houses, consulted friends and family members and even talked to his doctor about her recommendations. Like most parents, we are biased by our own experiences. For most of my early education, I went to public schools and had mixed experiences. After fifth grade, my parents transitioned me and my siblings to a uniform wearing, no-nonsense but nurturing private school. I loved it, plaid skirt and all.
As I set my own child's educational course, I want him to have all the advantages that I had. And for me that means, good friends that live nearby, a school that has resources to invest in its teachers and technology as well nurturing the academic and creative
Posted by: Sarah in Weight Gain on
Apr 20, 2009
I'm no exercise queen. Not by a long shot! But over the past several months, I've been trying something new. Exercise the old fashion way - on the floor with my kids, at home. We make a game of it. "Okay let's do exercises," I exclaim. Then it's a free for all. My four year old runs and jumps with excitement. He makes up all sorts of wild positions and movements. My 21 month old daughter chases after him trying to get her little body to act like his. The laughter is infectious; the energy palpable.
Then there is me. Like I said, I have never been a gym rat. I have however, been blessed with good genes and that has carried me a long way - until the kiddos came along.
So it's back to basics for me. Push ups, sit-ups, squats, lifting weights (the hand weight variety), running up the stairs, good-old-fashion stretching, etc. While I have to watch out for the occasional kid landing on my back or jumping on my tummy, I figure that just adds a little weight to my activity.
I'm
