Ages + Stages

There are days when I definitely miss the look of wonder and discovery on a toddler’s face when she touches dandelion fluff, pops soap bubbles or holds a wriggly caterpillar for the first time. But those nostalgic feelings fade as I think about how my girls are able to dress themselves, get in and out of the van by themselves and will – on some occasions – sleep in past 8 a.m. on a weekend.

The gist is that like many mammals, babies are born with the ability to hold their pee and poop the same way adults do. When we put diapers on babies they loose this ability and learn to poop and pee freely into their diapers. Then they have to relearn how to hold it again later in life. However if they use this ability in the first six months of life then they can keep it and transition to using the toilet easily. Seems simple right?

Kids grow up fast. And their tastes and experiences are always changing and evolving; they aren’t “old and set in their ways” yet.  Which means I can still experiment with their music. While I still have control of the radio and a school-day commute, I’ll take advantage of it while I can….

In the beginning, I held my children up so they could reach the ceiling, today I support them, and tomorrow, well, tomorrow I could simply be standing next to them while they stand on their tiptoes of adulthood.

How often do we go through our morning routine on autopilot?  I rely on routines to get everything done. If I'm out of order, I'll likely go to grab my coffee only to discover I didn't make it!  Or (more...

If a child can't hear clearly, they are not getting good models for clear speech sounds, and they are not picking up on all the language around them.

My niece is pregnant with her first baby at the same time as I am pregnant with my fourth. How fun is that?! This is my third pregnancy, and I still feel completely surprised sometimes at the things that...

Here’s how it started.  I was standing in line at McDonald’s with my kids and they were practicing their Happy Meal orders, because I make them each do their own ordering.  They were discussing what the boy and girl...

It all starts with one brutally honest text message, perhaps to an old high school or college friend that also has kids. And after a while, this confidante is the person you text when you accidentally pee your pants again at work. This is who you drunk text from the bathroom of a work holiday party even though you are too old to be drunk texting. This is who you text to confess you forgot to dress your kids in green on St. Patrick’s Day when every other kid at daycare looks like an Irish leprechaun. And this confidante won’t judge you, because they’re texting you the same things. 

And there are MANY fears and worries that we have as parents! You are not alone! Here are some of the top worries that many parents have and how to best try to overcome them.