An adoptive family welcomes their newest addition with a Red Thread Session
Today we get to share a flawless family session with you guys that’s straight outta California. East coast photographers Val and Sarah hooked with Harmony and her family through Red Thread Sessions, a service that connects adoptive families with photographers interested in documenting their growing families.
What kind of mom forgets her kid in the car on a summer day? This Mom.
Much of the world is in the thick of summer, and with all of the fun and good the season brings (swimming! sunshine!) it can also bring tragedy. Inevitably there are stories of babies and toddlers being left in hot cars for too long on summer days. With these stories comes many discussions and commentary on what should or shouldn’t have been done — and what the commenter would have done different. Sarah Tuttle-Singer, social media director for Times of Israel and regular Offbeat Families contributor, recently opened up about the one time she almost forgot her son.
The 25 most adorable cosplayers at Comic-Con
EEEEP! I am loving this round-up of 25 adorable cosplayers at Comic-Con — it’s the perfect antidote for those of us nursing our “I can’t go to Comic-Con” blues. How can you feel sad when such a cute version of Iron Man exists?! Here are a few more of my faves!
Where will I fit into the life of my partner-of-only-a-year’s child?
Last year I met a fabulous genderqueer person with whom I fell into bed unexpectedly one night and fell in love with almost as quickly — a person who told me in the very first hour or two of serious conversation, right before serious cuddling became serious sex, that he was planning to get pregnant and become a single mom within a year. And I surprised myself by instantly thinking “That’s interesting… where do I fit in? How can I be part of this? Who do I want to be?”
Because we’re queer and gender non-normative, we have a wonderful terrifying freedom to design our own family structure. Who will we be together? He (who just as happily goes by she) is set on being Mom or Mama or Mother to the Real Live Baby he’s growing inside him. My role is not set. Do I want to be a Dad, a Daddy, a Papa, or a Pops? Or an Uncle K or a KayPaw or just K? Do I want to be a parent or only the partner of one? And who does the Real Live Baby, and the Real Live Baby’s mother, want me to be?
How cow milk and goat milk relate to Mama milk: a story and a quiche recipe
During my pregnancy my craving was ice cream. But during my last trimester I was advised to stop eating sugar. When I gave birth, I was so excited to be able to eat ice cream again and make up for all those cravings I hadn’t been able to satisfy. I knew that because I was nursing, that I’d have to eat healthy, but at least some sugar could return to my diet. But when my baby was about three months old, I was put on another new strict diet, this time for dairy, and my dreams of eating ice cream throughout the spring and summer months were squashed again.
5 practical tips for bed-sharing and co-sleeping families
When it comes to co-sleeping and bed-sharing we’ve covered an awful lot — but never have we listed practical tips for families who are introducing the practices into their lives! I’ve compiled the top five most helpful bits of information I ever received for co-sleeping.
I’m an attachment parent who didn’t co-sleep or baby wear — and that’s okay!
I share my story because I don’t want other new parents to go through what I went through. My advice is simply to trust yourself and trust your child. You know what’s best for your family and your child knows what they need. Babies are born with personalities and preferences that can’t be accounted for in a one-size-fits-all parenting philosophy. Children are more resilient than we think. If Plan A doesn’t work, keep trying until something does.
Small-space living tips that even families in bigger homes can learn from
My partner and I are raising two young kids in a third floor walk up apartment in Brooklyn. We have two small bedrooms. How small, you ask? Well, when I insisted that we get a queen-sized bed during month six of my second pregnancy, the trade-off was that we would no longer be able to shut our bedroom door. We have a living room space, a kitchen and a bathroom. While our apartment is bigger than what many people make do with in the city, its not spacious by any extent.