Janice, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom, wrote a beautiful poem called “No Daffodils Tonight” about being unable to make it home in time to tuck her daughter into bed.  I think most moms, and every working mom, has felt this pang of guilt.

Julie at A Little Pregnant writes about misadventures in infertility, pregnancy and parenthood.  Most recently, she asks is it ever okay to laugh at your child?

At Your Cervix writes the hard-core truth about being a Labor and Delivery Nurse at a hospital.  Written anonymously, she guest posted for us at Expecting Words about How to Take Charge of Your Labor and Delivery.  On her blog, she recently gave a behind-the-scenes look at how a nurse takes a baby’s footprints at the hospital.

Denise offers up her Confessions of a Mean Mommy on her blog.  Most recently, she admits that as the mom of two boys, she still wishes she had a little girl.  Would Freud call that “girl envy”? She writes, in jest (sort of), “Another Farewell to the Daughter I’ll Never Have.”

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer, posts about a not-so-ordinary bedtime routine for her youngest.  You’ll enjoy the way she finds pleasure in small moments.

Candy at The Laughing Stork, is all humor all the time. I recently had the opportunity to guest post for her blog.  I wrote about How Take-Out Saved My Marriage. Be sure to spend some time watching The Laughing Stork TV on her webpage.  You WILL laugh.

Amy at Amalah shares her memory of discovering that her child has sensory processing disorder.  Did the discovery that her son was special needs shock her?  Yes.  Did she find solutions?  Yes!  In the year since his diagnosis, here’s how things have changed.

Do you like taking pictures of your child? Jill at Scary Mommy wrote a recent post Photographing Children: Tips and Tricks.  It is not to be missed.  I promise that you’re photos will instantly improve.  Mine did.

At BusyMom.Net you can read about life with teenagers (yes, one day we will all hopefully arrive there). Recently, the busy mom wrote a funny post about why car insurance for teenagers should come with health insurance for parents.

Mir over at Woulda Coulda Shoulda offers up helpful advice about how to pick your battles with your children.  It’s really quite insightful.  Take a few minutes to read and learn.  One of the things I found quite funny about the post is that she tagged it, “It’s not a regret, it’s an experience.”  Love that!

Related posts:

1. My Top 10 Blog Posts on Pregnancy and Parenting (August ’09)
2. Do You Love or Hate Being Pregnant?
3. How to stay in love, even when you have young children!

If you want to laugh out loud, check out Tarzan and Jane’s secret blog about pregnancy and parenting at www.hisboyscanswim.com.

At Exploiting My Baby, comedian from TLC, Teresa Trasser, talks about how other pregnant ladies ignore her on the street. If you see Teresa, say hi, alright?

MomsLikeMe is a unique site that brings you together with moms in your area. You’ll find community, conversations and events that would interest any new or expecting mom.

If you liked Vicki Glembocki’s guest post on our blog (about the top 5 things she wished she knew before the baby came), then you’ll appreciate even more of her humor on BluntForceMama.

Donielle at NaturallyKnockedUp shares her gardening and cooking secrets for raising a healthy family.

Yes, it’s true, a site just for dads. Created by a one cool Dude, he links to blogs from other smart and savvy dads and offers product reviews.

Katherine Stone suffered postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder after the birth of her first child, now she writes PostpartumProgress, a leading blog on the symptoms and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders during and post-pregnancy. Her recent post is about how to treat depression during pregnancy.

At BreastfeedingBaby they’ve been writing about what you need to know to buy the right breast pump. Take a look at what they have to say before making your decision.

Babies online shares important research, most recently on the risks and rewards of letting your baby sleep in the car seat.

The March of Dimes writes a useful blog with health and lifestyle advice for pregnant women. They share one author’s unique birth story and the signs of her impending labor. Who knows, maybe those will be your signs that the baby is about to arrive…

Related posts:

1. My Top 10 Blog Posts on Pregnancy and Motherhood (June ’09)
2. 10 Pregnancy and Parenting Blogs I Love! (March ‘10)
3. My Parenting Experiment with The Dog Whisperer

If there’s one word to describe our guest blogger Vicki Glembocki, it’s “honest.” When parenthood feels like you’ve been hit by a two by four, it’s time to find yourself a copy of her best-selling memoir, “The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the Real Truth About Becoming a Mom…Finally.” Within minutes of picking up the book, you will laugh out loud and feel comforted by the knowledge that whatever your situation, Vicki had it worse!

Her numerous magazine articles and television appearances, including an interview on Oprah, led to her Oprah.com blog: Blunt Force Mama focusing on the trials and tribulations of raising young children. We asked my friend Vicki to share her top 5 list of what she wished she knew before she had a baby. Here, she graciously answers that question with her typical Vicki-like honesty. Thank you, Vicki.

Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me BEFORE the Baby Came
Vicki Glembocki

1. Embrace your maternity clothes

Six weeks in with new baby, I decided to go out in public officially to a Baby and Me meeting at the hospital where I delivered. I pulled out a pair of shorts, previously known as my “fat shorts.” I couldn’t squeeze one thigh into them (then proceeded to blame my husband for drying them all the way in the dryer). I tried a skirt with a drawstring waist–no go over my hips. I tried a beach cover-up–nursing boobs too big. After trying on just about ever item of clothing I owned, which left my bedroom looking like it used to the night before a high school mixer, I opened the drawer with the maternity clothes. I wore those clothes for the following six months. SIX months. My mother reprimanded me for complaining: “You know why your body is baluga whale-ish.” Yes. I knew why. I wouldn’t have traded that baby for anything. But, two months in, when you’re still hoisting in your gut with eight-inch-wide elastic bands, it can feel like the end of the world.

2. Babies cry

Like, a lot. You will try everything-feeding, sleeping, finger-sucking, binkies, bouncing, rocking, baby-wearing, placing carseats on the dryer. And, sometimes, nothing will work. And you will feel like something is wrong with you, because parents are supposed to be able to calm their babies, to stop them from crying. Well…there is nothing wrong with you.

3. You will want to kill your husband

Here is something I learned last year, when my older daughter was three: studies show that the first year with new baby is the hardest on a marriage. Well, that would have been a helpful bit of intel. Because I thought there was no place to go but divorce, what with me needing him to help more, and him not knowing what I wanted him to do because I didn’t know what to do myself, and me listening to him sleep while I nursed half the night away every single night for almost a year, and him thinking it was still okay to go to the gym after work everyday. I threatened to leave him. Literally. Packed bags and everything. (I never intended to go. Just wanted to get the point across.) I’m certain we would have been easier on each other had we known this.

4. All the time, people will say to you, “Call if you need anything”? Call them.

Repeat this to yourself: “asking for help is not a weakness, asking for help doesn’t somehow prove you’re a bad mother, asking for help may actually get you a home-cooked meal, brought to your door by a neighbor, who will hold the baby while you eat it.” This is good.

5. You are not alone

You will wonder if you might be the only person on the planet who doesn’t have the parental gene. You will watch other parents and you will think, “Why do they have it together, and why am I sucking?” Here’s the secret: all new parents are freaking out. This is the biggest-ever transition in your life-yesterday? No baby. Today? Baby. It’s big for everyone. If they say they aren’t freaking out, they’re lying.

Vicki Glembocki is the author of “The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the Real Truth About Becoming a Mom…Finally“. She’s been on Oprah (!), writes for magazines like Reader’s Digest, Parents, Ladies Home Journal, and Women’s Health, and lives outside of Philadelphia with her daughters, Blair (4) and Drew (2) and her very patient husband Thad.

What’s your top 5 list of what you wished you knew before you had a baby? If you’re expecting, what do you wish someone had told you about pregnancy?

Related posts:

1. The Top 5 Things This DAD Wishes Someone Had Told Him Before the Baby Came
2. Where does your baby sleep?
3. Baby Puke

Below are 10 of my favorites. The posts cover an array of topics, but each is valuable. I’ll continue add new Top 10 lists whenever I have a good collection to post. Enjoy.

1. Heather Armstrong at Dooce shares a funny entry about the “appropriate behavior for a pregnant woman.” You mean you can’t eat raw chicken and run three times a week?
2. Vicki Glembocki at Blunt Force Mama on Oprah.com reminds us in her post When Mothers Attack that moms are always being judged. Fortunately, Vicki and her wise mother were able to find the perfect comeback. You’ll probably need one someday too (if you haven’t already).
   
3. Cara over at Baby Bunching offers a nice confidence boost for the summer reminding us that pregnant girls can rock a swimsuit, too.
   
4. The Young Mommy of two makes a powerful defense argument for Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Do you agree with her?
5. At Mom Dot, they’re displaying a very helpful video about how to breastfeed in public. Do you know your rights? How can you keep some privacy even in a public place?
6. At Momversation the guest panelists are asked a very interesting question: “Which Parent Has the Better Deal?” My guess is that every parent thinks the other one has the better deal!
7. Kathy at Chief Family Officer shares some money-saving tips for restaurants and diapers. The $25 restaurant coupon would be perfect for a date night.
8. The Mama Saga reveals great tips for “How to Breastfeed (Or Just Look Like You Know What You Are Doing).” The best part is all the awesome links to help you prepare for whatever breastfeeding challenges come your way. Knowledge is power, right?
9. Kara over at Notes from the Nest shares great advice on selecting the right stroller. She’ll also clue you in on some insider discount secrets.
10. Heather at Hip Chick Blog otherwise known as the Natural Childbirth blog, posted the most adorable laughing baby video. If you want to put an instant smile on your face, check it out. Thank you for the happy pill, Heather!

Related posts:

1. My Top 10 Blog Posts on Pregnancy and Parenting (August ’09)
2. The Magic of Balancing Work and Motherhood
3. 10 Pregnancy and Parenting Blogs I Love! (March ‘10)