Ages + Stages

Dear Second Baby (SB), This morning, Dad and I watched you board the school bus for the first time headed to your first day of kindergarten (then we headed to the school to make sure you arrived in your classroom)....

  My Dearest Sweet Pea,    I’m thankful you still let me call you that. I’m not sure if one day you’ll resist, but for today we still embrace it. You are about to enter sixth grade. Middle school. These years, for...

Ok, mamas. The school year is starting, and that fall buzz is in the air. You’ve got the crayons, backpacks, notebooks, and lunch boxes all in order (or not, if you’re more like me). And you probably can’t wait...

To My Daughter, Welcome to middle school. These are exciting years of change and growth. You know you’ll always be my little girl and I will protect you whenever I can. That said, I can't protect you from growing up so...

I’m in the midst of back-to-school planning, logistically and mentally. Buying school supplies, planning lunches, making sure everyone has clothes and shoes that fit, and strategizing schedules. If you’re like me, you’ve already begun thinking about how to make...

To my wildest little one, in honor and celebration of all the magical things as you turn four. Four! It seems so small, so young, almost insignificant. But to know you, to really know you, is to know that...

Breastfeeding is WORK. It takes time and energy (and often a few tears). Anyone who thinks it’s easy either hasn’t tried it or has been exceptionally fortunate. While we can all agree that fed is best (my first two...

We’re closing in on the last weeks of summer. The novelty is gone, everyone is home ALL THE TIME. The constant requests for snacks and my new role as referee have grown a little tiring, but there are a...

  I've been tired lately. So very very tired. I guess we all are. It's sort of a badge of honor when you become a mom. Your work triples, your sleep gets cut in half and your temper and patience is...

They seem to come out of nowhere. Even if you can plan for or predict them, it doesn't take away their intensity.  There's the scream, the foot stomp, the aggressive "No," and that face that makes you feel hot, stressed...