Jun 8, 2011  •  In Baby, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Working With Nature

A few weeks ago, I was shocked to discover some tan spots on Claire’s scalp. They varied in size from a eighth of an inch to half an inch in diameter. The coloring looked similar to how one’s skin looks as a cut/scrape heals, so I immediately checked to see if they were results of […]

Jun 7, 2011  •  In Baby, Claire, Parenting, Personal

Our Very Own Mary Poppins

Weeks after placing “part-time nanny wanted” ads, I was still getting tons of applications and found myself only lazily skimming through them. It wasn’t that I didn’t want the help. Rather, I was literally receiving hundreds of applications, most of which I knew to be were from people I wouldn’t trust to prepare my coffee, […]

Jun 3, 2011  •  In Aerin, Parenting, Personal, Pregnancy

It’s a…

Girl! …but we’re not certain. BebeDeux was moving around so much that the doc had a hard time getting a good look at the goods. He thinks it’s a girl, but he says he wouldn’t bet on it. We’ll just have to wait until the 14th to find out for sure. (Sigh.) I know that […]

May 29, 2011  •  In Claire, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Enjoying a Lazy Weekend

While Claire’s nighttime sleep has somewhat returned to normal, her naps are still a mess. All week I had been dealing with 15-30 minute naps…and she only takes two per day! I try to make up for her lack of sleep with early bedtimes, but keeping a cranky, teething (no top teeth yet), sleep-deprived baby […]

May 24, 2011  •  In Baby, Claire, Parenting, Personal

Growing Pains

About a month ago, Claire’s first two teeth popped out. And the very next day, she no longer started screaming for (seemingly) no reason and resumed waking up only once per night. And within days of that, she *magically* started sleeping a full 12-13 hours through the night. And taking at least one 1-hour nap […]

May 10, 2011  •  In Baby, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Household Help

I have a confession to make. Before I became a mother, I used to look down on SAHMs with housekeepers and/or nannies. “You stay at home all day,” I thought to myself. “Can’t you clean when the baby’s sleeping? And why would you need help raising a kid?” This, like many other pre-conceived notions of […]

Apr 26, 2011  •  In Education, Funny, Parenting, Personal, Science

A Chemistry Kit with No Chemicals

Last night, The Daily What featured a children’s chemistry set called Chemistry 60 which boasts “60 fun activities with no chemicals.” Sadly enough, I was not surprised. You already know my thoughts on this matter. It’s actually a pretty clever marketing technique when you think about it. Because most children’s chemistry kits available to consumers today are quite […]

Apr 24, 2011  •  In Aerin, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Because She Loves Me Most

I once read that a baby will cry hardest to her mother (or the primary caretaker) because, just like adults, babies reserve their most passionate and deepest emotions for those they love most. Our household is a perfect example of this. When Claire is around me, she WILL make it known if she is displeased […]

Apr 12, 2011  •  In Baby, Claire, Funny, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Pink is for Girls, Blue is for Boys?

Before having Claire I couldn’t understand why some mothers — even the die-hard feminists who eschewed all traditional takes on gender roles — would dress their baby girls in pink, frilly clothes all the time. And as soon as Claire was born, I discovered why. It’s because whenever she’s not wearing pink she’s often mistaken […]