On Babies...

When to Wean
I just started weaning my 10-month-old daughter from the breast. She has never had a bottle, a pacifier, or sucked on her thumb or fingers. She is having a hard time, but I have been back at work for about three months, and I just don't have enough milk to keep feeding her during the day. It is wonderful for those who can continue feeding well into the toddler years, but mothers need to understand that sometimes you just have to stop. I have been taking a lot of criticism for weaning her at this age (even though I am going to continue breastfeeding morning and night for as long as I can), and I just hope that everyone can remember that every mother has her reasons for weaning either from breast or bottle when she does, and very rarely is it for the reasons people assume. I was among those who had a very hard time breastfeeding at the beginning, and I was very proud of myself when we finally got the hang of it. It hurts that some women assume that I am weaning because I am lazy or for some other negative reason. We should all be supportive of each other, whether we are breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, weaning, or nursing. The only thing that matters is that we are working on being happy mothers of happy babies!
Jennifer

Magic Moments
Magic moments happen every day with my seven-month-old Nathan. One of my favorite is when he grabs my ears with both hands, pulls my face to his, and then kisses me all over! Another happens when nothing seems to quiet him and I sing. Then he smiles, closes his eyes, and sleeps. Children are a blessing from God.
Stephanie Santos

Pacifier Toss
From day one we have limited our son’s use of the pacifier to the crib only. As soon as he wakes up he thinks it's funny to throw the pacifier into the crib as we lift him out. He giggles when he sees it bounce of the mattress. I'm hoping that this limited use will help when we decide to "break" the habit.
Nikki

The Best Laid Plans
We took our two-month-old daughter to the mall for her first trip and I remember being so proud of our beautiful new baby. Like all new parents, we were nervous and embarrassed when she began to get fussy. My husband took her out of the stroller to carry her when she started to cry, while I was shopping. When I looked up, I noticed two little old ladies giggling at our baby. Of course I thought it was because she was so cute. Then a little boy walked by and said, “Ew, big stinky diaper!” Wondering how he could possibly know that, I looked over at my husband holding the baby, and saw that she had had a major diaper blowout! It was all over her and my husband! Embarrassed, we cleaned her up, and my husband too, the best we could and headed home. So much for the mall!
Erin Evett

No one Can Pull Off A Toothless Smile Like a Baby
When our baby flashed us her first big toothless smile it just melted our hearts away. She does it all the time and you can’t help but get all warm and fuzzy inside!
Virginia Nogueras

Now She's Starting to Get Fun
I love my daughter being one year old. She is learning to walk, she plays and she is learning to speak. She has so many new things to learn at this stage that are just so exciting and fun. She's more fun to play with too. She loves to play with cars and her dolly.
Katherine Kreitzer

First Birthday Themes
For my baby’s first birthday, we are having a carnival theme. I am going all out with streamers and balloons. I have a first birthday hat, shirt, and bib for him to wear. I am having cotton candy, popcorn, corndogs, hotdogs, and cake. I am having face painting and four different carnival games and the kids are going to decorate their own party bags when they show up and then they can go play games and get prizes and candy and put it all in their own party bag to bring home.
Angel

Waking Up Baby
If your baby falls asleep during a feeding, change her diaper to wake her up. Try undressing her if she won't wake up. It works like a charm.
Jennifer