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Baby differences
Our nearly 5-month old baby girl—and I still can’t believe she’s that old already—had her 4-month well-baby visit a few weeks ago. We went through the basics (yes to sleeping on her back and the...
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The rules (of introducing new foods)
Is your baby ready for solid foods? Here’s how you know … Baby hold up his own little head. Baby can sit upright without too much wobbling. Baby can pass toys/keys/spoons back and forth between his own...
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Baby stages
A friend of mine had her third baby this week, her second little boy. It was a quick and easy delivery, and as I looked at all the pictures of my proud and tired friend with her tiny new baby and his...
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Sitting tight
My cousin’s baby started crawling at 5 months. Five. Months. He was walking before he turned 9 months, and now he’s a terrifying 11-month-old who can back his way off her bed and is way too interested...
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She’s getting feisty
My, my … 10 months old and developing some serious attitude. That’s the update this week. Our baby girl has a fun new habit when things aren’t going her way. It’s a classic toddler move, so I’m...
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Week 11: A slight change in delivery
Three of the four positive pregnancy tests I’ve taken in my life have been in the bathroom at work. Always in the same stall. This has nothing to do with anything except that I feel as though it helps...
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Week 13: The one where I’m old
It was brought to my attention last week that I am now in fact old. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve known all along that I am getting older. I just didn’t realize that I am officially “old.” But I am....
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Week 14: The one where the kids find out
When I found out I was pregnant, my husband and I decided that we’d wait to tell our two older kids (ages 5 and 3) until after we had the first ultrasound. Because you just never know what might...
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Week 15: The one where there are so many other thoughts to think
I can remember back to my first pregnancy when I basically had nothing else going on in my life. I mean, I was working but only part-time, teaching a class at the local university and going to graduate...
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Week 16: The one where the milk almost killed me
Last week I decided that I had to give up exercising altogether. Until that point, I’d been working out three times a week since I decided to stop being a lazy jerk back in January. When the SI joint...
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Week 17: The one where I’m honest
I feel like moms do a big disservice to one another by not being honest about what being a mom (or a parent in general) is really like. I mean, maybe there really are people whose kids never lie down...
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Week 21: The one where we don’t find out
A few weeks back, the perinatologist’s office called to tell me the results of my blood work. The woman on the phone reported that all results were good. (Yay!) She continued, “… and the gender …”...
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Week 28: The one with the bedtime peekaboo
Every night at bedtime, I sit in the rocking chair with my 19-month-old, and we spend a few minutes together, rocking slowly and quietly before I put her in her crib for the night. She spends the time...
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Week 29: The one where pants are the worst
Today my pants are too tight … and it’s really cramping my style. Am I wearing maternity pants? No. Could this be why they’re uncomfortably snug? Possibly, but who can say for sure? I don’t own any...
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Week 30: The one with the vaccines
Hey—I made it to the third trimester! (I realize I’m two weeks behind in this recognition, but you may understand why when you read about what I’ve been dealing with in that time.) Two weekends ago,...
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Week 31: The one with the Christmas list
My Pregnancy Christmas Wishlist: 1. For everyone to stop asking me when I’m due. I know people are just trying to make pleasant conversation, but it’s annoying. I feel like I should wear a sign that...
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Week 32: The one with the due date speculation
On the topic of due dates vs. when the baby actually arrives—I know it’s not an exact science but I still think it’s fun to think about. Baby No. 1’s due date: January 10. Every single person I talked...
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Week 36: The one with no nursery
Just last week I saw a picture on Facebook of a friend’s nursery. She and her husband are having their fourth baby. (This will be their fourth girl!) The picture showed a perfect baby girl’s nursery; a...
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A long wait: The birth of Catherine
Each of my babies has come later than the one before, so I wasn’t surprised when the 40-week mark came and went with no sign of Baby No. 4. At my 40-week appointment I decided to schedule an induction...
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Newborns vs. older kids
With each new baby, the newborn phase has gotten less and less terrifying. With Baby No. 1, everything was new. We had no idea what we were doing as we desperately tried to learn how to be parents. The...
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Newborn no more
Baby No. 4 will be 12 weeks old on Saturday. This means that I’m down to my last few days of life with a newborn. Sure, after Saturday I’ll have an infant. And a toddler. And a preschooler. And a...
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Traveling success
Well, we survived our cross-country trek. It’s like a miracle! Not really, but saying so seemed appropriate. Sometimes our kids really rise to a challenge and surprise us with their adaptability,...
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Not so little anymore
Time moves too quickly. I remember in elementary school when the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed like an eternity. Now I feel like entire years pass before I even know what’s happened....
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8 Random thoughts in my head (everything from babies to nicknames to nail...
Sometimes I have a cohesive idea for things I want to write about and other times there are just a lot of little thoughts swarming around inside my head. Today it’s the latter, so I’m just going to go...
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A letter to the baby on her 6-month birthday
Six months! That’s a whole half of a year! I don’t know how it’s possible that six months have gone by since you joined us, but it seems as though that’s the case. And instead of a tiny blob who...
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A shameful story about poop
Now that I’m on my fourth kid, I’m really bad about carrying a diaper bag with us when we go places. I’m lucky if I remember to grab a diaper as we run out the door to whatever event we are more than...
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Week 11: First tri symptoms
Compared to many of my friends’ experiences, my pregnancies are super easy. So I really can’t complain. … Kidding, of course I can complain! I have had the good fortune to reach 11 weeks without once...
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Week 12: Workout shakedown
I’ve had my eyes opened this week as I’ve been working on an upcoming article for P&N. It’s about prenatal fitness, especially the mental benefits of exercise during pregnancy. This is something I...
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Week 17: Countdown to doughnuts
The gender reveal party craze has totally taken off since I had my first. I blame Pinterest. And other social media. But mainly Pinterest. Every pregnancy, I’ve gone to my 20-week-ish ultrasound, found...
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Week 18: A bell pepper to add to the mix
According to the world wide web, at 18 weeks, baby is close to the size of a bell pepper: 7 ounces and 5.5 inches from head to rump. I feel him/her moving all the time now, but I can only feel it on...
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Week 19: It’s a …
… nother boy!!! The kids bit into their blue-filled Krispy Kremes Wednesday evening and exhibited mixed reactions. My 3-year-old boy was simply excited. My 6-year-old boy said, “I really wanted a girl...
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The good in the world
People often ask what it was like going from three kids to four. I know the experience is different for everyone, but for me, going from three to four was totally overwhelming. Before we had the fourth...
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Week 21: The old and the new
I’m having my third boy in a row, so you might think I already have all the boy supplies I could possibly need. Like Ariel, “Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl; the girl who has … everything?” And I do...
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The “I’m done have babies” feeling
As baby No. 4 nears her first birthday, I am faced with the reality that I’ll never have an infant again. The other night as this thought passed through my mind, I looked at my husband and shouted at...
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A letter to the baby on her first birthday
Well, Funky B, you’re a year old. I don’t know how this happened, but here we are. You’re no longer a baby (although, like it or not, you’ll always be the baby). I thought we had agreed that you’d stay...
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Week 26: June is not soon
It’s crazy how pregnant I look—there’s such a difference even over the last two weeks! I’m struggling to wrap my mind around doing this for another three months. My belly will be out of control. I’m at...
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Week 27: You are my son-shine
I have a wonderful 9-year-old daughter and two delightful sons, ages 3 and 6. It would be easy to get excited about adding another girl to the mix, but you know, having a herd of boys has its perks,...
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Timing is everything: The birth of Deacon
It was Saturday night, June 17, and expectations were low. Although my due date was less than a week away, my OB had reported very little progress in the last month. I fully expected to put in my...
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Along for the ride
Baby Deke is my whole world. Charlotte, Finn, Graham and Shawn are also my whole world. My world is crowded. So while Deacon receives love and attention from many sources, he doesn’t get my undivided...
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