Mama Speaks

So lately, I've been doing some thinking about gender roles.  You know, when you find out you're having a girl and all of a sudden your house is oozing pink out of every crevice?  Or if you're having a boy, only to find that your choices for clothing include: balls (like they don't have a lifetime to obsess about balls!), dinosaurs, and puppies. I read an article today talking about the uproar caused by J. Crew when they mailed a flyer with a picture of a little boy getting his toenails painted pink (at his request) by his mother.  Oh no!  Gasp!  Doesn't that mother know she's turning her son into a homo by doing that?  Please.  (I'm not going to get started on the issue of homosexuality because I know and love many people who are gay and didn't make that "choice"...)   Who cares if that little boy wants to wear toenail polish?  Will my daughter become a lesbian or become "gender confused" (as some suggest of the J. Crew ad) due ...

My stress levels have been SO HIGH lately, and not for any one specific reason.  I have been having terrible migraines with shoulder and neck pain on top of horrendous tailbone pain (cracked tailbone during childbirth almost 2 years ago) to boot. I do not often talk about my job on this blog, as I know that many teachers have faced serious consequences for airing their negative views or opinions in a public forum.  However, I will say that there are a number of things going on in my state (merit pay + eliminating tenure, pay freeze for my entire career, standardized tests) that have caused many of my wonderful friends a great deal of turmoil, stress, and anxiety.  There are, of course, the perks of the job that are priceless, for instance receiving a note from a parent letting you know that they will never forget the difference you made for their child. My sweet daughter has been very rambunctious and has been learning a lot about boundaries and limitations.  It...

The Sun, Part I was supposed to be about how my whole world revolves around Ayla.  Then, I got sidetracked and typed out (somewhat) her birth story.   So, back to the point. I've come to realize that my whole life revolves around Ayla.  For instance, if I want to go to the store or get money from the bank or do anything involving anything, I have to consider several things.  Is Ayla ready?  Am I ready with the things Ayla might need (aka snacks and other distractions & diapers)?  How much longer will it take me to do this and do I really need to do this after all?  I mean, who needs groceries?  And when she was little, it was even more involved.  The car seat that was her chariot  was so heavy to carry such a small baby in to go everywhere.  To the car.  Inside the store.  Back to the car.  Phew!  Plus, the water for the formula and the formula and the other many things we thought we might need....

Of all the horrific and terrifying tales I was told while pregnant, I was never told that as a mother, a feeling you are destined to experience on a frequent basis is GUILT.  Now, I'm not saying that I don't recognize it being misplaced.  Unfortunately, it doesn't make it any easier on me or any other mom. Tonight, I felt guilty for growing frustrated with Ayla as she climbed to a stand on the couch over and over again, despite my telling her repeatedly, "Sit down."  I tell her, "Look at mommy, what did I say?"  She shakes her head, saying, "No no no.  Sitting."  After one of her many full-on, fall down screaming tantrums for the evening, my patience was done.   Guilty. If ever I should fail to read her a story when I put her to bed (though this is usually Brandon's specialty-reading the stories with excellent sound effects), I feel guilty.   When she gets chicken nuggets and frozen peas for lunch, I definitely feel guilty because I ...

My dog eats his own poo and then vomits it.  I guess we're back to putting crushed pineapple in his food.  Apparently it makes their shit taste like...shit.  Novel concept, really. Okay, where was I?  Baby fever.  My beautiful, precious, awesome new niece (my 2nd) was born around 4 this morning.  Her name is Elisabeth Mae, and she has an awesome set of parents (my brother Dave and SIL Jess) along with her big sister Naomi and big brother Will.  Is it estrogen-y in here or is it me?  Babies are all around me, and let me tell ya, it's hard not to catch the fever!  We aren't going to try again for awhile, but it doesn't mean that the sweet smell of newborns' heads doesn't tempt me.  I wish I could hop on a plane to Iowa and sniff in the deliciousness of her dark-haired little head!  They make beautiful babies.  My SIL homeschools, and she puts Betty Crocker to shame.  Both of my brothers chose ladies to have in their lives ...

1. If your baby isn't sleeping through the night (STTN) by 6 weeks, its a good time to start sleep training.  Becky Bailey has a lot to say on this topic.  While I agree that sleep training is a personal choice, its not for me.  I don't think that my 6-week old daughter was manipulating me when she cried in the night.  I think that if she was dry and her tummy was full, then the need I was fulfilling was a baby's (and any human's) need for physical touch and affection.  I may have spent the first year of Ayla's life exhausted, but I know that I was meeting her needs in a way that felt right to me.  Mother's instinct, right? 2. Rice cereal will help your baby STTN.  Research proves that this is a myth or, at best, an old wives' tale.  To sum it up, when babies are being offered rice cereal, it is often around that age that some babies (not mine!) start sleeping through the night naturally anyway.  Not to mention that rice cereal can be asp...