Donating 10% for Haiti

We are so saddened by the tragedy in Haiti and to do our small part will donate 10% of all sales to the American Red Cross for the next week.

Please consider donating what you can as every little bit helps.

Making it Through Bedrest

For the past week and counting I’ve been on bedrest in the hospital for my pregnancy. To help me cope I’ve depended on my laptop, the internet, and my friends and family visiting (ok, and a trashy novel).

My husband and I both know that this is for the best and it will ensure a healthy new baby daughter and healthy me.

The hardest part has been being away from my 2.5 year old daughter, who is having a difficult time with mommy being away from home. Luckily, my husband brings her almost every evening to have dinner with me and spend some time. Not the same, but the best we can do.

Did you have to endure bedrest for a pregnancy and if so, what helped you to get through it?

Only Child

At a baby shower recently, some moms were sitting around discussing how exhausting infants and young toddlers are and how grateful they are to be “done.” They had two, a boy and a girl. When I also expressed that I was “done.” They were shocked and joked that I had to meet the status quo of at least two children. Though it was complimentary (I think) that they felt I “seemed like the type to have more,” they could not quite explain what that meant. Am I too maternal for just one? On the way home, I grew a little upset thinking about it.

What is the stigma against one child? I am content and, like them, can not see myself doing it again. I am young still, and I don’t claim to know what life will bring, but as of now, I have no plans to have more. I am happy and grateful with my beautiful daughter, the joy and challenges she brings, and I know she can’t stay young forever, but that is even more reason to enjoy each moment with her as fully as possible. Before I could even think of having another child, I would have to feel completely capable of giving myself equally to both of them, and that’s a lot less left over to give myself.

I think people who want everyone else to have more than one child should consider why they feel that way, but not let the mom who has chosen to have just one know how you feel about it. Perhaps it is a fertility issue or a genetic issue or a financial issue. While it is none of these for me, I would rather people not question my choices, but instead listen to them and learn. And I will try to do the same.

This post was used by permission, and originally posted at, AlsoKnownAsMom.com

Pregnancy Cravings

I’d say my pregnancy cravings have gone from mild to manic, with my current craving being jars of Kosher Dill pickles. At one sitting. (I know, how much of a stereotype am I?!)

MicheleZ from CafeMom feels the same while expecting her twins and writes about it in her new post My Latest Pregnancy Craving. We’re thrilled that along with the lemonade she’s found our Organic Lovies by MiYim. What’s not to love?!

The Great Ear Piercing Debate

There’s been a hot topic on one of my mommy message boards lately, and it has many of up in arms. Is it Cash for Clunkers or Universal Health Care? No. Circumcision? Nope, not even close. The subject is ear piercing, and I admit it was me who started the whole debate.

It started innocently enough, me wondering when I should have my daughter’s ears pierced. She’s 2 1/2 and I’ve been debating whether to have them done now, when there’s less of a chance she’ll remember any trauma, or to wait until she is old enough to ask for earrings. And even better, take care of them herself. I was seven when I first had mine pierced, double-teamed at a teen jewelry store at the mall. When those closed up, we were off to the doctor for attempt number two. My Mom had hers done the old-fashioned way: needle and potato, but not until she’d moved out of the house. Grandma still clings to her clip-on earrings (which seems even more painful than the temporary gun).

Many people hopped on the debate; some, for cultural reasons, had their daughters’ ears pierced as early as they could. Others thought it was barbaric: why would you want to poke holes in your innocent child? A third party agreed with me on the wait and see approach.

So I ask, dear readers, what do you think? Have you had your daughter’s ears pierced? If so, at what age, and where? What was your experience when you had yours done? I’ll be very interested in seeing the answers; hopefully they’ll help me make my own decision before my little one goes to college.

What’s In a Name? The babynaming dilemma

Traditional or modern? Focus on the meaning of the name, or name him or her after a family member? Now pregnant with my second child, I’ve been spending a large percentage of my brain power focused on the question of what name to pick.

The options are seemingly endless when looking at the books proclaiming 100,001+ names to choose from, but would I really choose Bertha or Butterfly? (no offense to any Berthas or Butterflys out there). I could go the route of the famous and pick a name like Alchamy, Apple or Freedom, but I really don’t think we’re cool enough.

So while searching for the perfect name, I’ve come across two favorite sites that I’ve been using to help me narrow down our list. First, Baby Name Voyager with their namevoyager and namemapper, and my newest find thanks to Nick: Appellationmountain.net, a highly addictive blog where we’ve found endless ideas previously not considered (and many that - although we’d never think of using - are incredibly interesting to read about!)

And then of course my husband and I need to agree…

Why I can never show my face at our local Target

Yesterday my Mom, my 2 year old daughter and I went trolling through the Easter clearance section. There was a fellow Mom there, with two girls in their younger- to mid-teens. One girl had a toy that was spinning and lighting up, and she was singing.

So no big deal, right? It was actually quite sweet considering how self-conscious most teens are these days. But what was she singing?

“Shake, shake, shake… shake, shake shake…”

followed by a tiny (yet surprisingly loud) voice singing from behind her “‘ take your boobie! ‘Take your boobie!”

Yes, that’s right, my little girl finishing that fabulous disco hit by KC and the Sunshine Band.

I don’t know whether to be proud that she has such a great memory, or mortified to have it “outed” that that is one of the songs I choose to sing to my toddler.

Grandmas are Great

Why grandmas are great:

1. They are like a second mom. They will come over and change diapers, feed the baby, read books to baby, play with baby, bathe baby and most everything short of nursing. Sometimes they even cook a meal and do the dishes.

2. They always have good tips and new ideas. My mom basically taught me how to dress my daughter. She also decorated and got her room ready for her when she transitioned into sleeping in her own room. My mother-in-law helps to introduce new foods and new games to play.

3. They tell you you’re doing a good job even if you don’t think you are. And when you mess up, they don’t judge you.

4. They babysit, for free. Plus, you know that they are doing it out of total adoration for your child and you never worry when they are on the job.

5. Even mommies sometimes need their mommies.

Originally published on, and used by permission of, www.AlsoKnownAsMom.com

No Sick Days for Mom

My mother likes to tell this story as if I may forget it, but I never have: I was in elementary school, maybe 4th grade, and it was my mother’s turn to drive the carpool. On this particular morning, she had a terrible stomach flu. It was too late to find someone else to drive us kids to school, so she got in her car and proceeded in her duties as mom. Unfortunately, and most embarrassing to me, she would intermittently pull over the car, open the door, and vomit in the road.

It wasn’t until I became a mother myself that the significance of her actions became apparent to me. Moms don’t get a sick day. Moms don’t get a day off from work when they come down with a flu, head cold, allergies, bronchitis or pneumonia. The irony of this is that when you become a mom, you get sick more often. Perhaps because you have contact with more people with kids and kids, as cute as they are, are little germ bombs waiting to blow.

Recently, I was sick. Unlike my husband who lay around on the couch all day, I continued in my pursuit of taking care of everyone but myself, running errands, cooking dinner, changing diapers, etc. Eventually, I refused to get out of bed and let my husband take over for a few hours while I rested. Confused at first that I was going to “rest,” he did eventually come to terms with my condition and make me soup, which I ate in bed. Sometimes, daddy isn’t around to take over and you have to be both mom and sick simultaneously. The best way to deal with this is to avoid too much action from either yourself or your child. In other words, watch cartoons all day long. Yes, you’d rather be watching The Bachelor’s After the Rose Ceremony again (I can’t believe he did that to her. What a jerk!), but that won’t distract the wee one. So, suck it up and watch Ant Bully on Netflix instant player or Sesame Street clips on Hulu.com while your kid is entranced because they’ve only seen T.V. at grandma’s. Relax, guilt-free, though they aren’t outside getting fresh air or playing with friends, you’re sick. Your body is begging for a break. Now, how to avoid getting your kid sick…

Originally posted, and re-posted with permission by AlsoKnownAsMom.com

Momnesia: In Need of Public Acceptance

Momnesia is real. Clinically speaking, it is a slow onset disease in which a woman becomes a mother and can no longer remember her phone number, her underwear or what she walked into the room for. Many doctors believe this disease may be caused by lack of sleep, excessive selflessness or unnatural amounts of multitasking.

Momnesia still has light-years to go to gain public acceptance. Women everywhere are currently working on allowing Momnesia victims rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This would allow people with Momnesia the right to call home from the grocery store to make sure they did not forget anything, even if it is holding up the checkout line. It would also allow them the right to end a conversation abruptly because they forgot what they were saying and then to say, “Oh yeah, now I remember,” at anytime, even if it interrupts your conversation. They would also have the right to make waitresses wait while they try to recollect what they decided to order and to, on occasion, burn the soup.

The more this disease is accepted as a viable concern, the more moms everywhere can relax and feel understood. We must continue to work toward this goal of equal rights until the day moms everywhere can say, “Sorry, Momnesia,” and receive a gentle knowing nod from their company without feeling embarrassed.

What rights would you advocate for Momnesia victims?

— originally posted at, and reposted with permission by, AlsoKnownAsMom.com.

Puppy Love

I first became a mother eleven years ago and while it was difficult in the beginning, I feel blessed everyday that I made the choice to adopt him. His name is Kelev (an americanized version of the Hebrew word for “dog”) and he has been my baby and my best friend long before I was ever married or gave birth to a little girl. I dread the day my beloved canine passes away, the heartbreak I would face, the heavy and nonrefillable void he would leave behind.

But there is another reason it will be truly traumatic when Kelev passes onto doggie heaven. He represents another time in my life, a time when, you can say, I was someone else. Out of college, with a puppy riding shotgun, I hit the road to travel west where, side by side, we encountered tragedy, love, loss, bliss and adventure. My twenties were a time of great independence and fearlessness for me that I think back on wistfully and sometimes, even with longing. Kelev and I eventually made our way up to Alaska, the promised land for dogs where it is unusual to have only one because some people have over forty. This is where I met my husband. And for Kelev, Eric quickly became a part of our family tribe or, more specifically, our pack. Kelev was the ring bearer at our wedding and my in-laws frequently watch him, their precious grand-doggy, when we travel by plane.
Read the rest of this entry »