Four things that help my ex and I happily co-parent
We are both kids from divorced families, and we both realized that we should both be equally and amiably involved in our daughter’s life to raise a happy and secure child as best we could with the circumstances. We take her to dinner together a few times a month, spend holidays together, and try to make sure she knows that even though we are in two separate houses, we are still a family and still her mommy and daddy.
All about BabyRoX and his serene water-and-home birth
I love (love, love, love) Atlanta-based photographers Leah and Mark (of LeahAndMark.com — you’ve seen them here before!), so I squealed like a fangirl when I found out they were expecting a child. I squealed again when Leah wrote about getting ready to become a mother on Offbeat Mama, and just about LOST IT TOTALLY when the pair each wrote out their birth story for their blog.
Oops: I’ve totally accidentally abandoned my partner in favor of my child
Joanna Goddard recently posited an interesting question on her blog A Cup of Jo: Who gets the best kisses? She just finished reading Esther Perel’s Mating in Captivity, a book about sex and marriage (before and after having kids).
A beachside maternity session featuring one happy mama and her kilt-clad baby daddy
So get this: I’ve just discovered that the only way to make a beach-side maternity session even better (because obviously the whole OCEAN thing already rocks) is to throw in an incredibly adorable family that includes a dad wearing a REAL LIFE KILT. I’m not sure why the juxtaposition of the kilt and the sea is so fantastic to me, but these maternity photos are some of my favorites that have landed in our Flickr pool to date.
Proof you can be nerdy, pregnant, artsy, and totally smokin’ in your maternity photos
Montomery, AL-based photographer Gina of The Element of Photograpy sent us this cute maternity session a few weeks ago, and I’ve been excited to share it with you guys ever since.
An age-appropriate guide to using Thanksgiving to talk about Native American history
Thanksgiving is the closest holiday many American children will have to one recognizing Native America. Some of us may celebrate Native Americans’ Day in lieu of Columbus Day, but in public school, media, and pop culture, the story of Pilgrims and Indians holding hands around a turkey is still the official narrative of Native/Colonial interactions.
How can I tell my gynecologist I don’t want her to be part of my pregnancy without hurting her feelings?
Is it weird to see my regular doctor for a preconception checkup knowing I don’t necessarily want her to be my OB? Do birthing centers do those kinds of checkups and should I find one prior to getting pregnant to avoid the above awkwardness? Do most couples pick an OB/midwife before getting pregnant, or am I putting the cart before the horse?
Anyone would be lucky to adopt: what we’ve learned after adopting two daughters
Nobody is “lucky” to be adopted. I am told fairly regularly that my girls are lucky that we adopted them. People are usually trying to be nice, to compliment me. But something every adoptive family has to deal with on some level is that all adoptions begin with a loss. And no child is lucky to lose their first parents. Loving adoptive parents are great, but we’re not providing something extraordinary for our children. We’re providing them with the thing every child has a right to –- a loving and safe family environment. And they shouldn’t have to walk around feeling indebted to anyone for that.