Well, this is it: The night my son has been anxiously awaiting.  We’ve tried on our pirate costume, and we’re ready to trick-or-treat.

We’re a little behind on the pumpkin carving.  All four of ours have been gutted, just need to put some finishing touches on the carving.

What a fun time of the year.  The weather is finally season-appropriate, the leaves are changing and falling and a steamy bowl of chili with cornbread sounds good.

I remember trick-or-treating when I was young, then meeting my aunts uncles and cousins at my grandma’s house.  My grandma would always have a big pot of chili waiting for us on the stove.

Do you have any Halloween traditions?  Do you let your children dig into their candy, or ration it out?

Have a fun, safe night!

Posted by Sara Diamond

I knew when we decided to have children, my sleeping patterns would change drastically.  You see, I loved to sleep in, lounge in bed and stay in my pajamas all day.

Those days are a beautiful, but very distant memory.

Maddie is our human alarm clock, with a snooze button in the form of a pacifier.  She usually starts to stir early in the morning (by early, I mean between 6am and 7am) and “pacie patrol” begins.  One of us will go in her room, give her the pacifier and she’ll settle back to sleep.  We’ll repeat this a couple of times until she insists on getting her morning bottle, and we’re coherent enough to give it to her. 

Every once in a while, though, our dog will hear us get up and think its time to go outside.  He gets very excited and starts romping around. 

Let me tell you, a 160 pound dog cannot do anything, much less romp, quietly. 

So, before our dog wakes up everyone in the house, he gets to go outside, do his business and return to one of his sleeping spots.  After all of that, the person on “pacie patrol” gets to tip-toe back to bed for a few more precious minutes of sleep.

When Maddie does sleep in, our alarm clock number two takes over.  Jaxon will come and wake us up by crawling into our bed.  He tries so hard to ‘rest’ so we can snooze for five more minutes, but he is ready to begin his day, so we, in turn, start our day as well.

Sleep has become a precious commodity in my life since I became a mom.  But I wouldn’t change it for anything.  It just makes me appreciate the times when our parents can take the kids in the morning, and allow my husband and I to re-live those pre-baby days, and sleep in!

More on the importance of grandparents in my next entry!

Posted by Sara Diamond

My baby girl had another ear infection.  She was up all night wiggling around, trying to get comfortable, and by morning, she and I were both exhausted.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the treatment of ear infections.  Right now, we are doing a round of antibiotics.  Some doctors recommend the ‘wait and see’ approach, where you don’t use antibiotics, and the ear will get better.  Others are proponents of tubes. 

Here’s a link for more information on ear infections:

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/

What approach do you take/have you taken with your child’s ear infection?

Posted by Sara Diamond

The other day my 4 year-old son Jaxon found some markers with stamps on the other end.  He asked if he could use them, and after I reminded him to put the lids back on, he went to his desk and got to work.  When he emerged from his room, I was expecting him to be holding a masterpiece for me to admire.  You can imagine my shock, when I saw stamps up and down his legs and arms, as well as on his face.

I should have seen that coming.

Boy was he proud of his work.  When he asked me my opinion, I hesitated.  How shall I handle this?  Is this a sign of tattoos to come?

Trying hard not to burst out laughing at the stamps all over his cheeks and forehead, I ended up complimenting him on his hard work, and told him next time he needed to use the stamps on paper, instead of on him!  I added that we would also have to wash it off before preschool the next morning.  I’m not sure if this was the appropriate parental response, but to tell you the truth, it was hilarious! 

I think life is too short to fret over little things.  It’s easier (and more enjoyable) to laugh at them, and use the photos as blackmail years later!

Posted by Sara Diamond

My first entries on the Mommy Blog were about yucky shots and leaving your kids for the first time.  Let’s talk about something happy today!

There is nothing in the world quite like having your child smile and coo at you.  Madeline has started cooing and babbling, officially beginning our ‘girl talks’.  A lot of our time together is taking turns ‘talking’.  I’ll make a coo sound, she’ll reciprocate, and we’ll both smile and laugh and repeat.  It’s so much fun to watch her try to move her lips and make a sound. 

To learn more about your child’s coos and the importance of talking and reading to your baby at an early age, go to http://www.babycenter.com and search ‘coos’.  This website is a great resource for parents!

Let the conversations begin!

Posted by Sara Diamond