It All Started with a Little Skittle...

Everyone has an opinion about potty training: when to do it, how old they should be, discipline for accidents, etc.  I have decided on pretty much all aspects of parenting to enjoy the baby stage.  It is so precious and for such a short amount of time; why rush any of the milestones (but I don't plan on her being a late developer either)? Almost everyone I know with a child Gabby's age (she is 2 years, 5 months) have begun the process of potty training or have successfully completed potty training.  Gabby was interested when she turned 2 and actually went potty 2 or 3 times in her potty chair.  We praised her and were extremely proud, but she quickly lost interest to the point where she didn't want anything to do with her potty chair any longer so I decided to wait until she was interested because we are in no hurry at this point.  Then I saw this article, thanks to my cousin Michelle, and I realized that there are benefits to waiting to potty train.  I d...

Anyone who knows us well, knows that we had "difficulty" becoming pregnant with Gabby.  After a year of trying (and praying) we were really disappointed, so we decided we would try anything at this point (besides fertility drugs).  My doctor tested both of our fertility (by the way our insurance didn't cover this so find out before you get tested so you don't have $1000s of dollars of surprises).  The procedure I had done, called an HSG test, was very painful, like more painful than labor pains! Also, my doctor did not tell me this, but when I was researching online a lot of people stated that the HSG test cleans out your fallopian tubes and a lot of people get pregnant quickly after the test.  I also started taking cough syrup twice a day that had guaifenesin in it because my mom had mentioned once that it helped her get pregnant with me (I told you we were desperate). Finally, we more mockingly than anything made a vision board (my mom was always trying to get us t...

Since Gabby was very small we've had difficulty getting her to go to sleep without a lot of tears from her and heartache for us.  We've tried Super Nanny tactics, my doctor's recommendations, a thousand ways we've read about on the internet and still it's the same fight every night even though Gabby has had the exact same routine for a year and a half (which is 75% of her lifetime) and the result is always the same, a crying baby.  (There is one way to get her to soundly go to sleep and that is allowing her to go to bed with milk, but I would rather her cry a little each night than to have teeth with cavities.) A few nights ago something finally clicked in my head. I try not to be too much of a speech pathologist to Gabby because I am her mommy and she is developing normally so I try to think in mommy mode rather than SLP mode.  Desperate I thought what would I recommend to another Mom at work and it clicked.  Any time a parent is having a serious difficulty wi...

A friend's infant's chiropractor recommended this video. Apparently we've all been changing babies ages 0-6 months incorrectly.  Rather than lifting their legs we should roll them from side to side because 80% of their learning (I am assuming he means neurologically) is through their "gut."  He says that this technique reduces colic significantly. It' amazing that such a simple change (once you get used to it) can change you from having an extremely fussy baby to a happy baby. I will definitely try this with my next little skittle! If you have a baby that's not yet crawling pleas take a moment to watch this video and you will make your life a lot easier!

While being pregnant these are the books I have read: Educational: Baby Wise The Happiest Baby on the Block Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy Into the Womb-National Geographic Pregnancy Guide Week by Week I'm Pregnant A Week by Week Guide Great Expectations Entertaining: Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy Chicken Soup for the Expecting Soul Belly Laughs Twighlight Audio Books: The Total Money Makeover The Millionare Next Door The Millionare Mind