My fourth child, Baby O, is just a little over a month old now, and we are all still in a state of insanity at our house. From dealing with 24/7 nursing (and no, it’s not a growth spurt!) to riding out the daily temper tantrums of my third child, DD2, we are still in survival mode. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
But you know what is different this time around?  My little sister is going through some of the same things right along with me. She had her …

I’m pregnant, in case you missed it. Yes, #4 is on the way.
So the other night I was sitting around with DDalmost-6 and we were talking about what we might name the baby. DD started suggesting the most wonderful, magical, and sometimes hilarious names. I started writing them all down. For DD, this was about figuring about the best names for the baby. For me, it was about reveling in her mind and her world. Reading over the names again, it brings a smile to my face to imagine how …

I love my children, and I love breastfeeding. Yet, there have been times, especially at night, when I have felt seriously touched out and have wanted to run screaming from the room rather than nurse my child again! I’ve even been tempted to night-wean my children several times. But honestly, I could never go through with night weaning. I guess, in my soul, I knew they just needed to nurse. Here are some things I’ve done in order to survive.

My current child is 16 months right now. She nurses most …

I Dream of a World…
Where human milk is available for free for all those rare circumstances when a baby might need it, and for as long as the baby needs it.
Where there are comfortable benches anywhere a breastfeeding mother might need one – in the supermarket, at the pharmacy, on the sidewalk. Not just at the playground.
Where, when people see a woman bottle feeding a baby, they assume it must be a babysitter, or perhaps a mother with a severe medical conditions that prevented her from breastfeeding (very rare), not …

I’ve been noticing how M, now 7, has become more and more social as time has gone on.  Socialization is, of course, one of the hot button issues when it comes to learning outside of school.  Why people think learning to be social with 30 other kids who are also learning to be social makes sense – especially when the main lessons are to sit down, be quiet and do what you’re told – is beyond me.  (If recess were 6 hours long, I could see school as a place …