"Cordy, you can put on your shirt. You're a big girl," I tell her.

"Nooooo! I'm a little girl!" she cries in response.

I chuckle. "You're a little girl like Mira? A baby?"

"Yes! I'm a baby!"

We have this conversation nearly everyday. Cordy refuses to admit that she's a big girl now, and is therefore expected to act like a big girl. In her mind, she's still a little girl and wants to cling to her little girl ways. Like needing help to… Read More

This weekend my husband and I drove to Chicago for an annual trip. He attends a workshop each year, while I visit with friends in the area and do a little shopping. We've done this every year for seven years now, although in recent years it has been a little more difficult to plan due to kids.

Cordy has only gone with us once. That was a disaster of a trip, even with my mom along to help me out. Cordy is… Read More

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we asked Cordy what she wanted Santa to bring her. No matter how many times we asked, the answer was always the same: a ballerina skirt, and a magic wand.

But then just days before Christmas, her list changed. What was at the top of the list now? A train. A red train, to be precise. (And a ballerina skirt and a magic wand, of course.) My husband and I looked at each other. "Everything… Read More

Since Cordy is doing so well in preschool, I'm starting to look for other opportunities for her. School is now effortless, with no resistance when it's time to get in the car in the morning, and no complaints when I leave her in the classroom. Her teacher reports she has adapted well to classroom routines and rules, and she comes home happy every day. I've seen her interacting with her classmates more, too, which has been a big hurdle for… Read More

Recently I wrote out a list of family resolutions for 2008. These were broad-reaching goals to make our family happier, healthier and closer in the new year.

But I'd also like to write down some parenting goals as well. 2007 was rather tough on me as a parent. First I found myself struggling to parent a very energetic toddler while waddling around like an overstuffed penguin in my third trimester of pregnancy.

Then Mira arrived and I discovered that everything… Read More

Cordy's school is currently halfway through a two-week break, and I already wish for it to be over. Having two weeks off of school is a welcome event for many children, but for my preschooler, it's a major disruption to her life.

She has grown accustomed to the special needs preschool she attends five mornings a week. The routine is comforting to her, and she loves her teacher like a member of the family. I like the time with only… Read More