Support

For real. I am so not kidding. Forget a new watch, purse or new clothes…my needs are pretty darn simple this year. I would give my front teeth for a full night’s sleep. Heck, at this point, you can have my husband’s too.

These days, I get two questions without fail. Family, friend, or complete stranger: “How old is your son?” Me: “Almost two.” Them: “When will you have another one?” Me: “Ummm.”

So I’m nine weeks into life with my sweet Baby J. After a rough ride (three months of puking, one month on bed rest, 28 hours of labor, two non-functional epidurals and lots of screaming in pain…you get the picture), Josie Marilyn Fernandez made her debut on March 9, 2010.

And all I have to say is Holy Cow, I am tired.

Probably the aspect of holistic parenting that terrified me most as a new mother was cloth diapering.
Logically, I knew cloth diapering was better for the environment and for my baby’s bottom, but I wasn’t sure if, as a first-time mom with a full plate already, I could take on anything else.
Also, I was a bit unnerved by the up-front investment cloth diapering requires.

If you ever have a hankering to attract a lot of attention to yourself while perusing the aisles of your local supermarket, tuck your baby into a sling and wear him on your chest or hip as you do your weekly grocery shopping.

I thought baby wearing was so common by now that it wouldn’t cause much of a stir among onlookers, but boy was I wrong. Without fail, every time I wear Isaac in a sling in public, strangers flock to me, cooing over how adorable he looks in it (which is true, by the way), wondering how he stays inside it, if it hurts my back, etc.

Infant Loss:
Remembering the
littlest angels
by Joan Rhine

It’s a rare person who doesn’t know what it’s like to lose someone to an unexpected death. But when it involves a child, an infant, the loss can seem doubly hard as it carries the additional tears of all the future hopes and dreams loved ones felt for the young life, dreams now dashed, unresolved, and unlived.

Of all the “taboo” choices parents make, co-sleeping with our babies or children seems to be the one we’re most nervous to admit. And yet, every time I reveal that I share my bed with my son, another mother will say to me, usually in a hushed tone, “Me too!”

I never planned to have a family bed. In fact, I was almost opposed to it. I just didn’t think it was the right sleeping situation for my family. I kept a cradle beside the bed, but most nights were spent with my son in my arms, rocking him in the rocking chair.

Statistics show that international adoptions have tripled in the past decade. There are many reasons for that increase, but one thing stays the same—it’s never easy.