Jan 28, 2012  •  In Aerin, Baby, Claire, Parenting

Helping Mommy Out

My mother has been telling me ever since Aerin was born that the best way I will survive the next two decades is by getting both girls to help me out as soon, and as often as possible.
Obviously this is still an unreasonable request to ask of Aerin, but now that Claire is walking — and growing more curious and precocious with each passing day — we have slowly begun to teach her little ways to help around the house, and with her little sister.
For example, yesterday as I was cleaning I made a little game of it…

Jan 16, 2012  •  In Baby, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Daddy Woes

As much as I b*tch and moan about how difficult it is being a mother, I know that I am not in this alone. And I know that it must be just as difficult for him…if not worse at times.
Because I can’t fathom how frustrating and upsetting it must be when you have been trying your darndest to soothe your hysterically crying baby, only to have her immediately calm down once she is in her mother’s arms — because after all, the baby had been living inside the mother for almost 10 months and intimately knows her voice, scent,…

Dec 20, 2011  •  In Aerin, Baby, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

The One Where I Felt Like I Was Poisoning My Baby

Last week, I wrote that breastfeeding Aerin was going splendidly.
Well, this just goes to show that anything can happen in the wild, crazy journey we call motherhood, because I am no longer breastfeeding.
So what happened?
I had mentioned earlier that Aerin was suffering from 3 different types of skin ailments: eczema, baby acne, and little red bumps that our pediatrician guessed was heat rash.
Aerin developed these skin problems when she was about a week old, and they seemed to keep getting worse and worse no matter what we did.
No only that, she was spitting up and vomiting frequently…

Dec 16, 2011  •  In Aerin, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

My Apparent Lack of Separation Anxiety

Most of the moms I know can’t bear to be apart from their children. They tell stories of the bucketfuls of tears that were shed the first time they left their babies with a sitter, nanny, or at a daycare. They talk about how they refuse to spend more than an x amount of time away from their children. (I even know one mom who has not spent even an hour away from her daughter for over 3 years!) Some even speak out about the physical pain that is felt when they are away from their children.
I am not one of those moms.…

Dec 14, 2011  •  In Aerin, Baby, Claire, Parenting, Personal

Switching Up the Morning Routine

Since the moment I got pregnant with Aerin, J took over Claire’s night and morning duties so that I could get some extra rest. The routine has not changed with the birth of our second daughter. In fact, I think that J quite enjoys these moments alone with his eldest — despite the fact that he is not a morning person — and uses them as special father-daughter bonding times.
A typical workday morning usually goes something like this (all times are VERY approximate and change daily):
6:00am:  Aerin wakes up. I change her diaper, feed her, and play with her…