This is a guest post by Dwija of House Unseen, Life Unscripted in the Women Speak on NFP series. In this series you will hear from women using various methods of NFP, some to avoid pregnancy, some trying to conceive, and their experiences. Disclaimer: This series is not meant to be a substitute for any method of training in NFP! If you are interested in one of the methods introduced in this … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Prepare Your Toddler for a New Baby
I woke up this morning sick as a dog, so I thought I'd share a little something from the archives. Our 16-month-old is just now at the stage that these tips are applicable (she loves looking at pictures of babies in utero and hearing about her baby sister) and if I could add one more thing it would be to get your toddler a baby doll and engage them in lots of imaginative play: changing the baby's … [Read more...]
A Letter to My Former Self On the Day I Became a Mother
On the eve of my firstborn's fourth birthday... Dear Former Self, You think today is memorable because you’re recovering from the Great Gatsby-themed college graduation party you threw last night and looking forward to a trip to see Radiohead. But that’s not why you’ll remember this day in May for the rest of your life. The funny thing is, the reason today is memorable won’t even occur to … [Read more...]
Birth Plan Advice
Today I'm over at MamaAndBabyLove talking about envisioning your dream birth plan. If you're expecting, a good birth plan is a must! Here's a snippet of my post, I hope you, or a friend, can find it helpful: "When we wrote our birth plan for our first baby, my husband and I were surprised to realize how many things we hadn’t thought about before. Who was going to cut the cord? Did we want our … [Read more...]
How My Kids Didn’t Ruin Mass
Confession: my kids are not typically little angels at Mass. ‘Typical” Mass behavior being our 3-year-old banging the kneeler open and closed and then dropping it on his own foot. Commence siren-like wailing. Or the kids tussling over who gets to hold the Baby Jesus finger puppet. And, to no one’s surprise, the preschooler throwing the St. Joseph finger puppet at his baby sister’s head doesn’t … [Read more...]
Baby Carrots Has a Name!
Like I said, this whole “having another girl” situation completely threw me for a loop. I was so convinced we were having a boy! We picked out an awesome boy name that we both loved. (But no, I won’t tell you what it was in case you are sleuthing the internet for the world’s best baby boy name and try to snag it before (if) we’re blessed with another boy. Because that’s the sort of folks my … [Read more...]
The Big Reveal: This Baby Carrot Is a…
No, I didn't bake a pink or blue cake to show you. I don't have any fancy, crafty pinteresty reveal planned. This craft-challenged gal is just gonna straight up tell you the news! Well, after a little background story: Have I ever told you about how my husband is a gender prediction wizard? He was NEVER wrong until he guessed "boy" for some friends of ours a couple of months ago and we were all … [Read more...]
The Cost of Parenthood: The Best Isn’t Something Money Can Buy
A friend sent me the link to the recent NYTimes article “Opting Out of Parenthood, with Finances in Mind” by Nadia Taha, probably because she knew it would get me all riled up. She was right. Here’s Taha’s premise: Children cost an unfathomable amount of money (her absurd estimate is close to 2 million per kid). If you want financial security and a comfortable retirement, your best option is to … [Read more...]
The Best Baby Wrap?
With Baby 3 on his/her way and my first niece due in the next month, I've been thinking a lot about my favorite baby items. One of my must-haves is a baby sling/carrier. I love baby wearing. It makes like so much easier to have your hands free and be "holding" your baby. Not to mention the perks of not galavanting everywhere with a giant, awkward stroller in tow (I didn't even bother buying a … [Read more...]
‘Fessing Up: The Best News Ever
So, there's something I haven't told you. And I've been DYING to tell you! I know it's been very quiet around Carrots and on the FB page for the past month. But it's for a better reason that just getting busy, Nutcracker rehearsal season arriving, and watching too many BBC miniseries... Yes! We're pregnant! 9 weeks tomorrow. We are thrilled, excited, psyched, and grateful to be blessed with … [Read more...]
