We've got lots of toys. Aside from our normal accumulation, we've been the recipient of tons of hand-me-down toys from friends of my parents. Some of these toys have bells and whistles: sound effects, battery-powered "learning'" toys. We probably should put away most of the toys which no longer are of prime interest to Jolie anymore - either she has grown out of them developmentally or those that have lost that novel appeal. She's got a lot of toys which can… Read More

The recent recall of cough and cold medicines for infants 2 and under didn't phase the DrMommyKC household. We've never used cold medicines or antihistamines on our daughter despite the myriad of colds she's had (including that extra special bounty of colds she acquired when starting daycare/preschool last winter).

Maybe you would assume that doctors are drug-happy, sprinkling medications around us like pixie dust, but the truth is, I'm pretty much a drug minimalist. I only take medications for myself when… Read More

Knowing that I would be leaving on a business trip this morning, taking me away from my family for several days, I was eager to spend the morning's moments wisely with Jolie. I was already missing her for the upcoming days ahead and not looking forward AT ALL to leaving her.

As I walked into her room, excited to see that beautiful face just waking up, I was greeted with "Daddy? Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! I want my Daddy!"

"Darling," I said, "it's… Read More

Even though it's my second pregnancy and I'm much more relaxed about things the second time around, I still enjoy reading those pregnancy week-by-week calendars that talk about fetal development. Sure, I learned this at one point or another during college biology or medical school anatomy class, but it's entirely different when it's you and your baby.

I like knowing how big he's getting, what's developing that particular week, where he is on the whole ready for prime-time scale. Fingernails? Great! Eyes no… Read More

My post today is part of Family.com's Comment Mania! contest. Leave a comment -- on the full article, not this blog post -- and you'll get a chance to win a prize. Here's an excerpt:
One evening before dinner, my then-27-month old daughter Jolie was sitting on the floor playing with some of her toys. Instead of busying myself with dinner preparations like I normally do, I decided to get down on her level and engage her -- like… Read More

I shudder to think about the amount of carbohydrates I consume on a daily basis. I was born with a deep affinity for starches, especially of the fried potato product kind. Later on, my addiction spread to pasta, bread, and bagels. Oh, how I loved me some bagels. At one point during college, I was obsessed with eating good bagels and would scour the campus countryside looking to score me some authentic, doughy goodness.

All dietary carbohydrates are broken down… Read More