RoShamBaby

While Jackson is my first born, he is definitly not my first baby. That title belongs to a sweet 4 legged girl named Shai-Anne. Ten years ago, when I moved out to Arizona I adopted Shai when she was just a couple months old.  Her name at the shelter was Lavergne, and she was there with Shirley and Squiggy too :) One year later, I adopted Lola. Her mom was found wandering the desert, pregnant. She is my special needs pup, & worth every one of the sleepless nights spent worrying about her health in her first year.  She is totally healthy now, BTW.  Both of my girls are Australian Shepherds, and have grown up together as sisters. I raised them with free access to the yard by way of a doggie door, and it has worked out pretty well.  Well, until now.  Having a doggie door when you only have dogs is GREAT! They can let themselves out, meaning no accidents in the house. It means no early morning wake-ups from doggies doing the potty dance. It also means

Until I was pregnant, I hadn't ever heard of the term "Attachment Parenting". It actually did not dawn on me that I fit into a particular style of parenting at all.  I just knew that I REALLY did not agree with certain things. Honestly, I don't recall the first place I heard the term being used, but the more and more I read and learned, the more I realized that I just might be an AP parent.  Attachment (noun) - A feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal; devotion; regard  I think that we can all agree that MOST parents only want to do what is best for their children. On the other hand, there never seems to be a shortage of conflicting information coming at us from all angles. Friends, family, doctors, and even strangers all seem to know the "right" way to do things, and aren't afraid to share. Okay... Back to the basics. In the midst of my confusion, I stumbled upon Dr. Sears , and his website really helped me realize it doesn&#

So here I sit, once again at 1am, obsessing about my upcoming flight. Only, on this trip, I am adding an extra carry-on into the mix. Jackson's first trip at 3 months. I find myself running through the  same obsessions  in my head, and procrastinating as I always do, but this time, I am packing for two. UGH. If you have never traveled with a toddler or baby, you know that there is really no way to prepare for what may transpire in the air.  Being that his Mom is currently a globe-trotter by trade, Jackson has already been on 8 planes in his 16months. Well, 9 if you count the one that we sat on for over 3 hours waiting for a mechanical problem to be fixed, before being sent to another airline anyway.  2nd leg of our last trip to L.A. in December So far, the flights with my lil' monster have been relatively perfect. Any crying was honestly the result of me not unbuttoning my shirt fast enough. On our last trip, we were actually complimented by several passenge

You may have noticed that I have a very strong opinion that EVERYONE should be practicing informed consent, in EVERY aspect of their lives.  Not sure what I mean? Consider these examples . . .  Before jumping on a flight to an exotic destination, would it be safe to assume that you would research potential resorts, in order to choose the best one based on location, price, amenities, etc? What about buying a new car? Aren't you prepared when walking into a dealership with safety ratings, price range, and even your preferred color? Even eating at a restaurant requires some research. Maybe you are a vegetarian. Maybe you are on a budget. Maybe you prefer a cloth napkin to a roll of paper towels at the end of the table. In any case, I think we can all agree that we spend a great deal of time preparing to make even some of the most mundane decisions in life.  So what about childbirth? I was SHOCKED to learn how many people I know, that never attended a childb

My EDD was fast approaching, and I didn't have a pediatrician yet. After months and months of research, I made some pretty significant decisions during my pregnancy, and I was learning that they were not exactly falling into the "norm".  I decided that I would schedule appointments to interview pediatricians. I started calling my friends to see who they thought I should consider. OF COURSE every one of them suggested their own doctors. On one hand, I was so happy to hear that so many of my loved ones were happy with their choice in providers for their kiddos. . . On the other however, I was becoming more and more frustrated with the process.  The first few interviews I went to in person. I cyber stalked these docs, and they SEEMED to be aligned with my new found "crunchiness".  DOC #1  She seemed to be a good candidate because she worked with the hospital where I was going to be giving birth. She was really nice at the beginning. That ended as soon as

Want to win a FREE Amber Teething Necklace?  Scroll down for GIVEAWAY link... "Awwww, What's his na . . . oh sorry HER name?" (as Jackson's Amber necklace peeks out of his collar) Please don't get me wrong, I am in no way offended by this simple assumption. But I'm sorry, have you seen this kid? He is ALL boy, if I've ever seen one. Jackson sporting his Amber necklace in polished yellow Now back to the necklace. About one week before my lil' monster decided to make his earthly debut, I got a little package in the mail that I was really excited about. It was a Dark Cherry Raw Amber* Teething Necklace. It was so cool that I wanted one for myself. I had only recently learned some pretty interesting things about Amber. First things first, the most common question I have heard . . . Is it for chewing? No, it most definitely is not. It actually warms to the body temperature, and then releases trace amounts of a natural healing substance cal