More Baby Book Recommendations

Ok ladies, since I had a couple of requests for more helpful books, here are some other suggestions:

1) The Baby Whisperer - Talks a/b listening to your newborn/baby and taking cues from them. Also has a WONDERFUL suggestion for a "schedule" of sorts to follow when you first bring the little tyke home. I thought it was really interesting and also has a little questionaire for you to evaluate your baby and learn more a/b their specific temperment.


2) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - This book is a MUST! I still refer to it for Everett. The doctor who wrote it is a pediatrician sleep expert and he is right on. Once you read it you'll realize that most behavior problems you see in kids are really just due to tiredness and/or sleep deprivation. I think Everett's sleep habits have consumed more time, energy and thought on my part than any other aspect of his growth and development.


3) What to Expect: The First Year - Like What to Expect When You're Expecting, this book provides a great overview of the milestones and common questions of the first year. It's a great reference for all sorts of stuff, but I especially like it for the "Sickness" chapter. I just refer there to find out at what temperature I should be worried and also some common remedies.





And one final recommendation: As great as all of these books are, don't fall into the vicious cycle of reading TOO much and not trusting your own instincts. You may not think you have much experience being a mother, but it's so true that no one (not your mom, mother-in-law or even doctor) knows your baby as well as you do. If you think something's off, it probably is, and if, after you've read what these folks have to say, you think your child is just fine, they most definitely are. Just my two cents on the topic! :-)

Book Recommendation: Momfidence

Since I'm a relatively young mom and have lots of young mom-ish friends (either who are moms or who will be moms in the near future), the topic of motherhood and raising children is forefront in my mind. It's amazing how having a child has introduced all sorts of new topics into my daily vocabulary. Naps, poops, baths, sippy cups, onesies. I find myself doing things I NEVER would have thought I would do like clean dirty bums, wear tennis shoes more than simply to exercise, SING outloud in front of other people with NO music to help me out. I've often asked myself, "Who am I? What happened to Natalie?"

And since I love to read and be generally well-informed, I've read a host of child-bearing, -rearing, -sleeping, -disciplining books. Reading and learning are excellent things, but I've found that there's plenty of gray area when it comes to children and what really matters is what works for me and my family.

Enter Momfidence. I randomly picked up this book from the library and thought it was a great read. Light-hearted and easy to read, the author has plenty of practice writing about being a mom and raising children (She writes a monthly column on the subject in Woman's Day and she has four kids). I laughed out loud at some parts and giggled my way through the rest. For all you moms out there, be sure to pick this up, you'll not be disappointed!

Thanksgiving Recap

For our loyal readers, we apologize for the lapse in posting. I've been having issues transferring pictures from our camera, to our laptop and then to the desktop - all so I could post! I know what you're thinking, "Alright, genius, why not skip the middleman and simply upload photos directly from your camera to the desktop?" You would be one smart cookie, but alas, due to a memory card and no connection cables for the camera, I was stuck in the Middle Ages, having to jump through forty hoops everytime I wanted to upload new pictures.

Another reason for the lack of posts is that I'm still so frustrated with Blogger beta! I can still only post up to four pictures at a time, I can't seem to left justify my text, and the "help" feature in Blogger is really no help at all! I'm pleading with anyone who's reading this (for I know that there are plenty who read but never leave a comment, which is fine, but if you know how to help me, then PLEASE help me!) to please throw me a bone. I'd really like to get back to semi-regular postings, but Blogger's really making it pretty unappealing for me.

Moving on...

Since I'm like three weeks behind here, a recap of Thanksgiving is in order. We spent Thanksgiving in Birmingham celebrating with my Uncle Giles (aka Stoogie. Believe me, that's what I call him. I remember being SHOCKED when I learned in my teens that his real name was Giles) and Aunt Kathi, plus my Granny, and cousins Amy (husband Ryan, child Thomas) and Nancy (husband Chris). We had a wonderful time visiting and ate some really great food. The next day we headed to Sylacagua (about an hour and 1/2 away) to visit with Will's grandpa, Papa, and his wife, Brenda. They've been married for just over a year and are very sweet with one another. We had a good visit with them, but no visit is complete without pictures:

Will, Mr. E and Papa on the front porch swing.

Our little man giving an almost toothless grin.

A sweet picture of E with his great-grandpa.