Baby Love
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10/16/12Malala YousafzaiLast week, I blogged about the International Day of the Girl. With a sense of irony and sadness, Malala Yousufzai, a 14-year-old Pakistan girl, was shot in the head by the Taliban that same day. You see, the Taliban believe girls should not be educated, or for that matter, even leave the house. Malala believes differently and has risked her life to defend her right to receive education. "I have the right of education," she said in a 2011 interview with CNN. "I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up." Currently, Malala is recovering in a hospital in Great Britain. The doctors are hopeful that she will be able to make a full recovery. The depth of... |
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10/11/12International Day of the GirlAlthough she's still a baby, I feel a huge responsibility with my daughter. Not just the typical parental responsibilities, but the extras that come with being female. I want to raise her to be a self-reliant, confident, smart woman who never feels the weight of a glass ceiling. I want her to read about sexism in history books, but never experience it herself. And if she does, I want to raise her with the tools she'll need to handle it. I want her to have a healthy body image, and not feel overwhelmed by what she sees in magazines or televisions. When I lie awake at night thinking about these things, never does becoming a child bride, prostitute or school drop out come to my mind, but there are mothers out there who do. It's not that they don't want better for... |
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10/04/12Things I Don't Want to ForgetThis morning, I read this wonderful blog post by Allison Tate from the Huffington Post. I got very teary and it reminded me how quickly it all goes by. My little guy will be three soon, and somehow my newborn is almost 5 months old. When everything changes so quickly, I want to make sure and remember what is happening right now. Like how my son, no matter if it's a flu shot or a bonk on the head, truly thinks my kisses can heal. "Mommy kiss it," he'll say. Then, "I'm better! Tank you, mommy." Oh it makes me melt. Or how he refers to every child he meets, no matter if it's his cousin or a complete stranger, as his friend. "Mommy, there's my friend," he says while running to play with him/her. I love it, but it also makes me sad... |
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09/18/12How to Support Sibling LoveFirst, let me be clear, my sister and I do not have the perfect relationship. We've had a few quaffs. I stole some clothes of hers back in the day and things like that, but we've never had any sort of physical altercation. Anytime we have a disagreement or have spent too much time together, instead of having some sort of blow out, we usually just kind of have an awkward few days until something bigger happens and the disagreement is forgotten. I've been mad at her and I know she's been mad at me, but for the most part we are truly best friends. Maybe our personalities don't conflict (she's type A and I'm type B) or our 3 1/2 year age difference is ideal, whatever it is, it works. Like most of these things go, I'm going to go ahead and give credit... |
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09/10/12Cool Family Fun at Guthrie GreenThe people of Tulsa have spoken (sorry, I watched way too much of the national conventions), Guthrie Green Park is the new IT place. This weekend, families and reggae lovers alike spent atleast a couple hours at the new park in the Brady District. I went out yesterday afternoon and was shocked by everything going on in this area. I've obviously been living under a rock (aka: just had a baby) and haven't been paying the much deserved attention to the amazing things going on. But no more! I am inspired and reinvigorated to join this awesome movement happening just north of downtown. Not knowing what to expect, I was quite ill-prepared, but that's the cool thing about Tulsa...or Oklahoma for that matter; blanketless and snackless I was able to bounce around from... Posted at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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09/04/12Afternoon Activities for Toddlers in TulsaThe past few weeks, I've been a work-at-home mom. Wowsa. Normally, I spend the first part of the day in the office while my 2-year-old goes to MDO. Recently, I've been spending the first part of the day trying to wear my 2-year-old out to prepare for a good naptime so I can get cram in some work---usually while breastfeeding my 3-month-old. A couple of times I've gotten them both to sleep at the same time. I've even got a victory dance down for when that happens. I'm tired. To the SAHMs and WAHMs, I salute you. Anyways, while I've been home, I've been taking advantage of all the fantastic activities around Tulsa for toddlers in the morning. We've been to the storytimes at the Schusterman and Hardesty libraries, the new splash park at Whiteside... Posted at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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08/26/12My Labor StoryThree months later, and I'm ready to talk about it. Nah, it wasn't that bad actually, I've just been knee deep in diapers, a breast pump, the terrible twos, trying to get work done, etc., etc. I love hearing other people's labor stories. So, I thought I would share mine with you. Like my first child, it came earlier than expected and earlier than I wanted. First and foremost, I have a heart-shaped uterus, so I'm quite lucky that I've had two healthy babies and no mis-carriages (that I know of). They just tend to evacuate a little early. My son came at 36 weeks on his own. Turns out he was pretty uncomfortable in there, which was obvious by his extreme conehead...like he could have easily been a baby in the "Coneheads" movie back in the... |
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08/13/12Crafts and ChristI'm not a crafty person. Nor do I enjoy doing crafts. I do, however, enjoy receiving them. Luckily, my husband's Aunt Susie is an amazing crafting goddess who loves making things for us. Win, win! For our wedding she made the flower girls and guest book attendants dresses. Most recently, she made my daughter's baptismal gown...OUT OF MY WEDDING DRESS! She called me a couple of months ago saying that she was taking a class and one of their projects was re-using an older piece to create a new one. Then she asked what I was doing with my wedding dress. Being the crafting loser that I am, I had no idea where she was going with it. But then she told me her idea and I got really excited. As you can see in the photo it is just gorgeous. It must be comfy too,... |
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08/06/12How I'm Beating the Heat with a Toddler and InfantIt's not good when you refer to 100 degrees as a cool day. Not good at all. By 10 a.m. it's already too hot for my 2-month-old to be outside. This can cause for alot of cabin fever from my 2-year-old. I'll remember the Summer of 2012 as the one that I had an epic battle with Dora and Diego. I try to keep the tv turned off, but it's just so hard while I'm nursing or trying to get the baby down for a nap. Which at this point it seems like that's all I'm ever doing. My son isn't the entertain himself type of kid. He needs me in there playing cars or reading books with him. So, to avoid too much screen time, and me feeling guilty all day.... GET STARTED EARLY At the Zoo: This is pretty easy for us. I think the longest my 2-year-old has... |
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07/23/12A Mother's Obsession with PooNow that's the face of a boy with healthy bowels. Because, let's face it, our moms were right to be concerned with our poo all of these years. Here is a conversation I've had with my mother atleast a hundred times: Me: "Mom, I don't feel good." Mom: "Have you taken a good b.m. lately?" Me: "Yes, mother, but I don't think that's the answer to everything." Mom: "Was it healthy?" Me: "What do you mean, mom?" Mom: "Well, what did it look like?" Me: "Ew, mother, I've got to go." Mom: "Make sure you're drinking plenty of water." Normally, I wouldn't disclose all of this, but I have a strong feeling that this is a universal conversation... |
The first years of motherhood are the most educational years of your life. Abby Rodgers shares the highs, the lows, the love and complete shock of being a new mom. She'll write what she has learned and also seek advice from you about things she has yet to figure out. Abby keeps it real with a little humor and a lot of love. 
