The image of a mother singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" or "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with her young child is something we're all accustomed to. Babies and toddlers love music, and there are a variety of cute children's songs that parents memorize and gently sing back to their children. Some are sweet lullabies, others are fun songs with hand or full-body dance movements. Nearly every parenting book out there advises parents to sing to their children, saying that no… Read More

The girls are now in bed, and Christmas is, for the most part, done for this year. While I have always loved getting together with family for the holidays, I realized this year that Cordy might have some problems with the change in schedule, the different foods, and the large number of people around her. Any of these could lead to a very bad day for her, so all three combined had me worried.

Christmas Eve always involves visiting my… Read More

I'm a little stunned that 2007 is already drawing to a close. Where did the year go? So much changed in my life in the past year: we had a new baby, I quit my job as an academic advisor, it was determined that Cordy has an autism spectrum disorder, and Cordy started preschool.

Looking at all that has changed, I'm hoping that 2008 brings fewer big changes and more family time together. Here are five resolutions I'd like to… Read More

I gave you a list of gifts for the bottom half of the baby earlier, so it's only fair to give you my picks for the top half. Time is running out, but with express shipping you can still get many of these before Christmas.

Many people love putting bows on baby girls. I'll admit, you can only take so many, "So, how old is he?" comments before you want to stick a little pink bow on her head. But… Read More

I knew things would be different with the second child. "Oh, you'll be so much more relaxed this time around!" people would tell me. "Suddenly flash cards and Baby Einstein aren't as important when you have a second baby."

You know what? They were completely right. The first child is where you throw all of your anxiety, and you're neurotic over the smallest details for fear of damaging them forever. Like dressing them in mismatched socks one day and feeling like the… Read More

I'm sure you've seen the news stories about all of the toy recalls due to lead paint. It seems like nearly anything plastic is worth casting suspicion at now. I've had to throw out several of our toys due to recalls, and I worry that others in the toy box will eventually find their way to the recall lists, too.

So this Christmas I've decided that we're going to be pickier when buying toys for the girls. And I've found several… Read More