ExpectingWords.com - Helping expecting couples find the right words at the right times

Father’s Day is underrated.  People plan Mother’s Day for weeks, and sometimes months ahead of time.  But Father’s Day?  “It’s just not as big a deal as Mother’s Day,” says my husband.  So am I supposed to believe that, or should I make a big deal out of it anyway?

My husband deals with many of the same childcare frustrations that I have to deal with: early mornings, night wakings, difficult meal times, tantrums (hmm, am I making parenthood sound difficult?).  I do handle the majority of those hard experiences, but, still, he’s been pushed to edge of patience more times than either of us would care to admit.

Fatherhood isn’t the easiest.  So I’d like to give a shout out to my husband for being a wonderful dad to our son Blake.  You take the ups and downs while you play with him and share joyful activities together every day.  Continue reading »

I’m not talking about basic separation like leaving your child in the living room while you go to the bathroom (which is not always easy!).  I mean school or camp separation when you drop off your 2 or 3 year old and pick him up hours later.

Separation is a parent’s choice.  But how do you know when your child is ready?  I took my son to his first day of camp last week.  It’s a two hour program three days a week for two-year olds.  The other five kids in the group already separated, so Blake was only one who needed his mommy there part of the time.  I told him that he was doing a great job and that he could take as much time as needs to feel comfortable in the class.  I don’t want to push him if he isn’t ready yet.

While in the room with him I tried to be as boring as possible so he’d have to join the other kids and teachers to have any fun.  I’m hoping that after a couple weeks he will be fine in class without me, but if he’s not, then I’ll probably just take him out of the program and wait until September to try separation again.  Is that giving up too soon?   Continue reading »

There are lots of creative ways to announce one’s pregnancy.  I’m not that creative.  I’m pregnant!

I’m 8 weeks along in the journey and my husband and I are thrilled that a new little baby will hopefully join our family next year.  I write “hopefully” because the future is never certain.  We can only be joyful today as we share our excitement with others.  If you’re wondering whether it feels as thrilling to become pregnant the second time around, it does.  In fact, it’s almost more thrilling because I know what to expect.

Here are the top 10 ways that pregnancy the second time around is fabulous! 

Continue reading »

I wanted to get my son a toy piano.  “But we have a real keyboard, Laurie,” exclaimed my husband, “He doesn’t need any more toys and we don’t need any more stuff in the house.” He was right, but I had to be reminded.

Buying a new toy is an easy way to keep Blake occupied for 10 minutes, but it’s a costly form of entertainment.  My husband and I began talking about all of the things Blake likes to play with that are basic household objects.  These so-called toys are free and available to any parent. For instance, we went to my parent’s house and my mother brought out a colander and toothpicks.  To our surprise, Blake was enthralled by sticking the toothpicks in the holes and then locating them on the ground.  He did this again, and again (under supervision of course).

Another cheap-o baby toy?  An empty plastic milk carton.  I cleaned one out and gave it to Blake who fills it up outside with a hose, using a nozzle.  Then he walks to a bush or plant and waters it.  His smile while doing this is worth a thousand dollars!  This is a great sunny day activity.

My son also likes painting, but I’m not a fan of real paint.  So, Continue reading »

A recent New York Times article, “Labels Urged for Food That Can Choke”  by Laurie Tarkin, featured the harrowing story of a 23-month old girl who died from choking on popcorn.  Her father tried to save her but he was too late.

This is an example the American Academy of Pediatrics points to as a reason why they want food to be subject to the same scrutiny as children’s toys.

They say that parents don’t know which foods are dangerous and that the Food and Drug Administration should require warning labels on foods that are known choking hazards.  While the New York Times didn’t list which foods are hazardous for kids, I found a list on SHEKNOWS.com:

The AAP recommends that you avoid giving the following foods to young children: Continue reading »