Baby

  I delivered my five children at four different locations. Three hospitals and then at home for my fifth. It took me awhile to come around to the idea of a home birth. But after fighting the medicalized "norms" of hospital delivery...

When I first heard of Stroller Strides, I thought “Oh, how cute, a group of moms chit-chatting about babies while doing some stroller lunges.” However, when I actually joined one of their workouts I spent an hour huffing and...

Parenthood is full of many questions: What is he eating? How is it dinner time already? We are how late? What’s that smell? While some questions make us laugh and others make us cry, there is one serious question...

It's been exactly two years and two months since my husband and I started trying to get pregnant with baby number two. Many people said it would happen quickly because "your body just knows what to do" or that...

Recently I broke free from the Arizona heat and made the trip to to the west coast to lounge on the beach. (More like stop my daughter from eating every grain of sand on the shore.) The beach can...

As temperatures are expected to rise to 110 ºF this summer, the first thing that comes to mind as an AZ mom of an 11-month old daughter is how to keep cool while being able to entertain her and...

I have always been an introvert. For as long as I can remember it has been difficult for me to be in groups and large social settings. Throughout my life I have learned how to deal with being introverted......

I love baby showers, and I love births, and I love birthdays. I don't always love shopping for them. Mostly because I never know what would be most helpful to get the mom to be or the new baby....

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! I love this week long celebration focused on protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding moms throughout the world. I realize that breastfeeding is not for everyone, whether by choice or by circumstance, but for me,  personally,...

I practically grew up at the Public Library in Tempe. My memories are full of my single mom lugging me, my two sisters, and two brothers into the van and involve either a story time, checking out handfuls of...

The search for excellent childcare remains many parents' most challenging pursuit. As many begin the process, their questions turn into a long list of concerns, requirements, and desires for the perfect place for their children to thrive.  When my oldests,...

When I see those moms who have more than two kids and are really rocking it, I find myself in awe. I just don’t think I could do it. I always knew that I wanted more than one baby, but it wasn't...

I recently boarded a plane headed to my first national conference since having my two children. Exhausted, I comfortably sank into my seat, glanced across the aisle and watched as two adorable, well-meaning parents worked feverishly to calm the...

Before embarking on the adventure of starting a family, I felt as though I had this whole ‘life’ thing figured out. I went to college, graduated, paid bills, went grocery shopping—I was pretty dang good at ‘adulting.’ My husband...

I never expected to be the kind of mom I turned out to be. In fact, I never really dreamed of being a mom at all. I had my career and I loved it (I still do).  I always...

Our little girl turned one a couple months ago and I’m having a hard time figuring out where that year went! I must have blinked. It took us a few years to have our daughter, so the fact that she’s...

I really enjoy gift giving and have a hard time buying people gift cards, or sending something that they could buy anywhere.  Sure, I do both, but I try to minimize it as much as I can.  I have...

Turn It Up! When my son hit the scene he came in with a bang and blew my heart wide open.  My beautiful gift of a spirited and idiosyncratic kid that never slept, never wanted to leave my side, recited...

A letter to my surprise baby, I remember when your daddy and I first started talking about having kids. We were so young, hopeful and naive. We didn’t know about pregnancy complications, congenital defects, infertility and infant loss. And slowly...

In April 2017, my youngest child was born and so began maternity leave. While it had been over 3 years since I had last taken maternity leave, I knew that it could go by in the blink of an...

The truth is my Instagram account is something I am proud of. I love scrolling through my pictures and seeing special moments I get to treasure forever. It’s full of specially curated images that represent who I want to...

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! I love reading blog posts and any information I can get my hands on about breastfeeding, so this is a fun week for me. Also having been around the block a few times with it...

Family photos and I have a love/ hate relationship. I love getting the family all dressed up, I love having pictures to hang on my wall, and I love creating lasting memories. What do I hate about them? Getting...

Parents know having kids is inexplicably hard and magical at the same time. One minute you feel like you are rocking it and the next you want to just hide in your bed under the covers. These feelings can...

While sitting 9 months pregnant with my feet up, my husband and I shared our concerns, fears, and excitement about being a second time parent. While we know each child can and will be so different, we had a...