Adventures in Motherhood

Hold your unborn baby? Yes, you can …

By Darci Jordan | Saturday, July 4, 2009, 12:01 PM

Have we taken all elements of surprise out of pregnancy?

Not only can we see Baby via ultrasound, now in 3-D/4-D color no less, but we can find out what gender Baby is months prior to delivery.

These are a great features for excited expectant parents - myself currently being one - but, did you know you can now “hold” your baby prior to delivery? Yes - you read correctly - “hold.”

A recent report on ABC’s Good Morning America explains just how, thanks to Brazilian designer Jorge Lopes who uses 3-D images to make models of unborn babies.

Touted as a “Prenatal Bonding” experience, Lopes makes these models life-size, pertaining to the week of gestation the images are from, for parents to bond with.

What do you think? Would you like to “hold” your unborn child or wait until the real-thing makes his or her appearance? Check out the video link and let us know …

Contact this reporter at dmjordan@coxohio.com.

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Great deals: $5 pizza, free DVD rentals, swimsuits that last!

By LucyB | Thursday, July 2, 2009, 06:03 PM

We hosted a pool party for my daughter’s 11th birthday, and the main attraction (other than the great weather and fun crowd) was the pizza.

We had invited some family friends, along with a few of her classmates who would join her for a sleepover later that night, but we weren’t sure how many would show up, so that made menu planning tricky.

We wanted to serve pizza — everybody’s favorite — but hadn’t decided on where to pick it up, until fate chose for us. A few hours before the party, I stopped into the local Family Video to rent some DVDs for the night, and right next door was a Little Caesars.

A sign in the window announced the chain’s 50th anniversary deal — a large, one-topping for $5. Could this be for real?

I hadn’t had Little Caesars in a coon’s age, so I thought, “Why not?” I popped into the shop and ordered nine pies — yes, nine — and had my pizza problem solved in like 4 minutes.

Hubby drove down and picked it up a little later, and what we got were 9 fine pizzas that were mostly devoured amidst a lot of “Mmmmms.”

For all that ‘za, $45 was quite the bargain, I think.

I added a big bowl of veggies and dip, and I was done “cooking” for the night.

Speaking of swimming, a few fellow swim team moms recently turned me on to an awesome practice suit for my little dolphin: Dolfin Uglies.

Not-so-ugly Uglies.

When the team moms first mentioned needing to order some “Uglies” for their girls, I replied, “Huh?”

They weren’t surprised at my ignorance — I’m kind of a noob compared to these swim team veterans.

After their glowing recommendations, I looked at the suits online and decided to take the plunge. They’re polyester (instead of the usual nylon/spandex combo), fully lined and durable.

Another plus for the swimsuits? The bright, fun patterns! With names like Spyra Gyra, Hippy Dippy and Pinkabelle, what’s not to love? (Read all about how Uglies got their name here.)

So my next stop was SwimOutlet.com, where the Uglies are a great buy at around $28.95. Both daughter and mom are totally pleased with the product.

I also added a plain-Jane competition suit to my shopping cart for $19.95 — about half of what many parents paid through the “official” team supplier Kast-A-Way.

The bargains don’t stop there: The videos for the sleepover were FREE! thanks to daughter’s stellar report card. Her five A’s in core classes earned her certificates for five free rentals. I love having smart kids! ;)

And I just love a good deal!

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Photo of the week: Like mother, like daughter

By Michelle Everhart-Sullivan | Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 08:26 AM

This is something I vowed I would never do but I’ve found it is too much fun not to. I’m coordinating outfits with my daughter. It started out innocently enough when I realized I had similar colors on as my daughter and now I’m purposefully dressing us alike.

The husband won’t join in on the fun.

Mommy and baby out to brunch

I think it is hereditary. My mother dressed my sister and me alike for years. Now we have numerous matching outfits for my daughter and my niece. There is just something irresistible about it.

Do you try to match your kids? Do you dress your kids alike?

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Motherhood: Moms Can Be Frugal Creatures

By Darci Jordan | Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 09:40 AM

We moms and moms-to-be are resourceful creatures.

Hubby and I are expecting baby No. 3 this summer. Having rid our home of essentials such as baby bottles, infant clothes and more, I am finding we are less than prepared for the arrival of this Bundle of Joy.

God bless friends and family who have offered hand-me-downs. Granted, it’s a golden opportunity to unload their garage full of no-longer-needed items, but I’m OK with that.

Not only did my closet quickly fill up with maternity clothes, but upon the “it’s a girl” announcement, Baby’s closet began to acquire lots of pink, frilly items of which many are like-new.

In fact, Baby Girl now officially has more shoes than I do.

I am no stranger to the game, nor are my boys. My girlfriends who have sons younger than Nicholas — soon to turn 4 — will likely never have to buy clothes for their kids again.

“These are for Carter,” Nick will tell me when his pants are too tight.

In anticipation of a batch of hand-me-downs from Aunt Patti, I plow through dressers and closets frequently unloading too-small clothes on appreciative mothers.

Noah thinks it’s fantastic when Aunt Patti sends home a bag full of clothes that no longer fit the rapidly growing Cousin Erik. Since Erik once wore it, it must be a “cool” shirt.

When the clothes migrate into Nick’s dresser, he loves it because it was Noah’s. (Hmm … I wonder how long this will last?) For now, this works well for Daddy and I, who aren’t being coerced into buying preschooler-Polo.

Considering how fast children grow, most of the items are in great condition — other than boys shoes, which suffer some serious abuse.

Of course, when others’ closets are filled to capacity, there are places such as the Pregnancy Resource Center, the Mercy Parent Infant Center and Hannah’s Treasure Chest that distribute children’s items to families in need.

There is always a need and always a use for children’s items — clothes, toys, books, gear, food, formula, diapers, bottles and more.

Garage sales aren’t a bad place to load up on kid-gear, either. Not to mention, garage sales are a great place to teach little ones the value of their piggy-bank change.

Of course, “new” stuff is fun, too, even for parents (more fun if it’s on clearance).

But, if children express as much joy and contentment with gently used items, why rain on their parade?

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0356 or dmjordan@coxohio.com.

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No, my daughter is not a boy

By Michelle Everhart-Sullivan | Monday, June 29, 2009, 08:24 AM

This is a public service announcement to anyone who might run into me when I’m out with my daughter.

If you are unsure whether I am carrying a boy or girl on my hip, look for some clues. Yes, she might be wearing blue but take a second to look closer. Is she wearing a blue dress? Does she have pink and orange flowers on her shirt and a skirt? Then chances are she is not a he.

If you are still confused by the dress or flowers, how about just commenting on the fact that I have a cute kid and not say “Oh your little boy is so pretty.”

I understand that most children under the age of one could easily be confused for one gender or the other. This is why I don’t dress her in “Bob the Builder” outfits or with a shirt that has a dinosaur on it and instead opt for more traditionally feminine clothing that is pink or purple or a dress.

Still some people find it confusing. I’ve had three people think that my daughter is a boy. One time she was in head-to-toe purple, another she had on a light blue dress and another when she had a flowered skirt on with a large flower on her shirt.

My husband tells my I should say “Yes, pink is his favorite color” but I usually gently correct them because, after all, they are kind enough to come talk to her. It still annoys me though.

Besides does she really look like a boy to you?

Have you had this problem? What do you say?

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Help! My daughter is socially unacceptable

By Michelle Fong | Thursday, June 25, 2009, 06:00 PM

It was a perfect moment.

I gazed adoringly at my daughter walking down the aisle during her aunt’s wedding on Saturday. She looked absolutely beautiful in that satin, poofy dress. Her long, dark hair was piled on top of her head in little ringlet curls and framed by an ivory wreath of flowers. She was carrying a bouquet of bright flowers. She was an absolute princess.

That beautiful moment was quickly ruined when she started digging for gold the very second she took her seat.

“Stop picking your nose! Here’s a tissue,” I whispered (quite loudly).

My request was promptly ignored.

Auggghhh!

Sometimes my 4-year-old is really Daddy’s girl (well, these are clearly not behaviors she learned from me). She seems to always be picking something, whether it’s her nose or her seat (and I’m not talking about the kind of seat you sit in).

It can be so embarrassing at times … particularly during a wedding in front of hundreds of people!

How can you stop your children’s bad habits like this one?

Here are four recommendations on curbing nose-picking straight from the experts at Babycenter.com.

1. Bite your tongue. No matter how embarrassed you are by this habit (and of course you are embarrassed), don’t say anything. Nagging or punishing her won’t help, because she probably doesn’t realize she’s doing it, and you could turn into a power struggle.

2. Keep her fingers occupied. If you can identify picking patterns — such as while watching television, for example — try giving her something to do with her fingers such as a crayon and a piece of paper or a toy to hold. Teaching her to blow her nose may also help.

3. Check things out. If your child is exploring her nose so intensely that she’s hurting herself — she’s drawing blood — or if the habit seems to be one of many nervous behaviors (sucking her thumb, biting her nails, for example), you’ll probably want to consult your pediatrician.

4. Wait and hope. As your tot gets older and busier, chances are her fingers will stay away from her nose of their own accord. If not, and she keeps up the nose picking until she goes off to school, at some point some other child will say, “Ewww, she’s picking her nose,” and she’ll suddenly be very motivated to stop.

Now it’s your turn. Do your children have bad habits? What are they and how do you work with your children to break them?

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Cheat sheet for life’s biggest days would come in handy

By Jill Kelley | Thursday, June 25, 2009, 06:09 AM

A friend of mine at work and his wife just had a baby — their first — and the days leading up to the big event sparked many lunchtime conversations filled with stories from those of us who have been down that road before.

We talked about which of our babies came into the world like runaway freight trains, and which were kind to their mothers.

We talked about the doctors who erroneously dismissed early labor pains with, “First babies take a long time,” and those docs who convinced nervous new daddies to cut the umbilical cord.

It reminded me how much more enjoyable it is to look back on these events, compared to wondering how (or if) they will play out.

And it makes me wish that there was an optional cheat sheet available that would list the days these life milestones would occur.

Such as:

The day you meet the love of your life: Sure, that day would be anxious, and everyone who crosses your path would get undue scrutiny. But it would make the other days of your single life more enjoyable.

The day you figure out what your career should be: Many of us second-guess what we can and should do with our lives. It would be freeing to know, “Hey, this is it.”

Your wedding day: This one might work better with a ballpark figure — say within the year — but it would be nice to know just the same. Wanting to know this might be more of a girl thing, since some of us anticipate the day for years.

Continue reading "Cheat sheet for life’s biggest days would come in handy"...

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