Maybe I'll Shower Today

  • An apology letter to my son’s toys

    The other day, as I was watching my two-year-old beat his plush cookie monster with an elephant figurine, my first thought was: is this the same sweet, caring boy who was just giving me hugs and kisses minutes earlier? My second thought was: I feel really bad for cookie monster.

  • Blogging lead me to my village

    When I was pregnant with my son, many of my well-meaning friends and relatives stressed the importance of finding a mommy group in my neighborhood. “You will need the support,” they said. “You will be lonely,” they warned.

  • If fairy tales were written by toddlers

    The stories of “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty” and other great fairy tales were a huge part of my childhood. However, now that I know most were never intended for children, I hesitate to tell them to my own kid. Seriously, have you read the real version of “Cinderella” or “The…

  • Let’s stop the good vs. bad baby thing

    They sleep well at an early age, rarely cry, nurse well or tolerate any type of formula and are pleasant around everyone. These are just some of the ways to describe what many would consider “good” babies. Such other words as easy, calm or unfussy are often tossed around, but…

  • Don’t forget our boys

    My son is what most would consider a typical boy. He loves trucks, trains, cars and anything else with wheels. He loves playing in the dirt, stomping on leaves and chasing birds. He loves running, climbing and wrestling. He can be rough, aggressive and sometimes just plain mean. He is…

  • Who is your birth advocate?

    The Web is full of stories of births gone wrong. Whether it is of the mother who sought a routine hospital birth only to end up with an emergency c-section or the woman hoping for a peaceful home birth whose child fails to receive proper medical care. No matter where…

  • Learning to listen

    Credit: Juliane Lacknett I walked into my apartment, after being gone most of the day, to find my bewildered and frustrated husband and my two-year-old in the midst of an epic tantrum that had been going on for almost an hour. My son was angrily repeating, “boy,” over and over…

  • 5 things I learned from baking with a toddler

    My son has always been interested in food and cooking, even insisting on helping by adding seasoning or with the occasional stir. I’m no cook, but exposing my son to food preparation is important to me.

  • Fear may be the best reason to have kids

    There are many reasons to avoid having children. They are expensive. They require a lot of support. They are exhausting. They make spontaniety almost impossible. All are valid, and there are a slew of others that I totally respect.

  • My son grabs my phone, but not for what you think

    My two-year-old has a habit of grabbing my phone out of my hand, and while, like most curious toddlers he does enjoy playing with it, often he reaches for it as a not-so-subtle reminder for me to pay attention to him.