Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post about parenting resolutions for 2013.

The year 2012 has been a big one for me. My firstborn turned one, and my soon-to-be-secondborn announced her arrival in my uterus. The year 2013 promises to be busy, exciting, and full of new experiences for me and my family.

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Here are a few tidbits, tricks, and tips that I’ve picked up in 2012 that will help me along in 2013:

1. Stop to take pictures! If no one is hurt, and nothing is at risk of being broken, stop to take pictures! It’s important to have these pictures to look back on. Perhaps C won’t be as happy at all of the pictures I’ve taken when she’s older, especially the infamous “poop-in-the-pool” picture.
2. Let others help you when they offer. I’ve always been an “I can do it myself” kind of girl. I spend my days chasing a toddler while my belly continues to grow bigger. It can be tough, but I manage just fine. When I’m around other people, I’m learning to embrace the offered help from others. If someone wants to get me a beverage, I’ll let them.
3. It’s OK to be a bit sassy. Strangers have an uncanny ability to ask very personal, weird questions to pregnant women. If my sarcasm switch is turned on, they can expect to get a sassy answer in return. My favorite? When asked by a stranger what I’ll be naming my child, my response was “I’ll consult the father on that as soon as I figure out who it is.” There are never any follow-up questions.
4. Encourage the silly. C is so animated and has such a unique personality. Of course, there’s a time and a place to be silly, but silliness can bring on creativeness, and I encourage C to be silly. She enjoys putting a bucket over her head and wandering around blindly. It’s funny to watch, but she’s also having to utilize her other senses to learn about her environment.
5. Take a moment for yourself. I’m a mom, but that’s not the only thing that I am. It’s an important, time-consuming job, but it’s so important to take a moment each day for yourself. My husband has been my lifesaver. He comes home from work, and insists that I do something alone. This has ranged from taking a bath, painting my toenails, or just using the restroom alone with the door shut. It’s refreshing, energizing, and essential to my mental well-being.
6. You’ll make mistakes. Accept it and move on. This is the hardest thing to learn, and will always be a learning process. No matter how hard you try, or how good your intentions are, you’ll mess up and make a mistake. Parenting is a tough job, and it’s all on-the-job training. Accept the mistakes that you’ve made, but always remember to move on. Even “perfect” parents make mistakes.

What are your parenting resolutions for 2013?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post about how royal baby names are chosen.

The royals tend to use the same traditional names, generation after generation. This may seem repetitive, but when looking for baby-name inspiration, it means you're almost guaranteed to find a name that's elegant, respected, and, most importantly, timeless.

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With Queen Elizabeth II celebrating 60 years on the throne, and speculation rife about Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate)'s pregnancy, the spotlight on royal names has never been stronger. Here we look at the most influential royal baby names of 2012.

The Year of Elizabeth?
With the queen celebrating her diamond jubilee, 2012 is definitely the year of Elizabeth. Baby-name trends have reflected the nation's fascination with the queen. In 2012, the popularity of Elizabeth is set to increase by 264 percent. It's the perfect name for parents looking for a name that's traditional yet feminine.

The name Elizabeth was made popular by Elizabeth I, and it's been a royal favorite ever since. The queen shared her name with her mother, the hugely popular Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. And three of the queen's granddaughters — Zara, Beatrice, and Louise — have Elizabeth as a middle name.

Elizabeth isn't only a popular choice in royal circles; it's also a firm favorite with the Middletons. Both Kate Middleton and her mother, Carole, have Elizabeth as a middle name.

The Middleton Effect?
Since the announcement of her engagement to Prince William in 2010, Catherine has had a huge impact on popular culture, and baby-name trends are no exception. In 2012 the name Catherine is on track for a 188 percent increase in popularity. The name Catherine, meaning pure, also has a strong royal history, with three of the wives of Henry VIII sharing the name.

Kate is a nickname for Catherine, and one that's been widely adopted by the world's media when referring to the Duchess of Cambridge. Debate continues over whether the duchess herself prefers Kate or Catherine. Whatever her personal favorite, she's no doubt had an influence on the popularity of the shortened version of Catherine, with Kate on track for a 260 percent increase in popularity this year.

Keep reading to find out more about Kate Middleton's baby-name options!

It's not only Kate Middleton who's been making an impact on baby-name trends. There's never been more interest in Kate's younger sister, Pippa. This year, the name Pippa is on track for a 633 percent increase in popularity. It's the perfect choice for those who want something a little less formal than the traditional royal choices.

And for those who prefer something a little more regal, there's Philippa, which Pippa is a shortened version of. This is a name with a strong royal heritage. Philippa of England was the daughter of Henry IV, King of England, and was the queen of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the early 15th century. Interestingly, Philippa was the first documented princess to wear a white wedding dress during a royal wedding ceremony. Perhaps Pippa was following in her namesake's footsteps when she wore white to her sister's wedding in 2011?

It's not just with girls' names that the Middleton effect can be felt. The name of Kate's brother, James, is on track for a 374 percent increase in popularity in 2012. Of course, James has also been a popular choice in royal circles over the centuries. In the 17th century, James I was King of England and Ireland. The queen's eighth grandchild, son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, is also called James.

What About Royal Names For Boys?
Prince William has always been in the spotlight, but the attention has never been greater than since his marriage to Catherine in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the interest in the prince has seen his name surge in popularity. William is on track to be 654 percent more popular in 2012 than it was last year.

William, meaning resolute protection, is a name with a rich royal past. It was introduced to England by William the Conqueror. In the 17th century, William III ruled England along with his wife, Mary, and in the 19th century, William IV was king. When Prince William inherits the throne, he will become William V. Prince William has always been known as Will or Wills, and these nicknames have gradually replaced Billy and Bill as the popular short forms of the name.

Another royal favourite is George. The name George is on track for a 500 perecnt increase in popularity in 2012. St. George has been the patron of England since the 14th century, but the name did not become popular until the accession of George I of England in the 18th century. George is also the name of Prince William's great-grandfather George VI. Edward is another royal name that's trending upward in the jubilee year, on track for a 366 percent increase in popularity. Edward has always been hugely popular in royal circles, with eight English kings going by the name. It's still a popular choice and is the name of William's uncle, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Edward.

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Carolyn Robertson about oversharing during pregnancy.

Positive pregnancy tests, ultrasound photos, naked baby bumps… it sometimes seems that when it comes to pregnancy and social media, there's no such thing as "TMI."

Just last week actress Busy Philipps announced her second pregnancy by posting a photo of her Clear Blue Easy test on Twitter. She's not the only one — according to a new survey out of the UK, 22% of respondents had been treated to a photo of a friend's positive pregnancy test online (while a whopping 90% had seen an ultrasound image!). I have to admit, it's a trend I don't really get.

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I know that a picture says a thousand words, but in this case I think just two will do: "I'm pregnant." If you say it, I'll believe you; you don't need to show me the pee-soaked stick to prove it.

Things don't tend to get much better as the pregnancy progresses. A quick Twitter search shows that #morningsickness is a hugely popular hashtag. As in, "Omg I hate #morningsickness! I threw up my entire breakfast," which one suffering mom-to-be Tweeted just this morning. I feel for her… but suddenly I don't feel much like breakfast, either.

Here's another gem from today: "Oh snap three chunks of my mucus plug came out! Pleaseeeeee let her come today!!"

Shudder. (And good luck, by the way!)

Hollywood mama Jessica Simpson was a classic case, happily chatting and Tweeting about everything from pregnancy-induced sweating ("I was sweating my butt off and I just started calling myself 'Swamp Ass,'" she shared) to her insatiable sex drive. But even she drew the line when it came to childbirth.

It's the final act of over-sharing: Posting the complete, unedited birth video online. For everyone to see. YouTube is home to a huge collection of childbirth home movies. Shaky cameras zoomed in on women writhing and grunting, moaning in pools, slumped over exercise balls, pushing and screaming as their babies' heads crown. I can appreciate the educational value in it, and certainly the miracle of it, but it's all just a bit too much for me.

Did you share all the great (and gory) details of your pregnancy and childbirth online? Do you have pregnancy friends or family members who are guilty of "over-sharing?"

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Denise Cortes about motherhood and worrying.

In my home, we love Legos.

Throughout the day, I'll hear the sweet twinkling of Legos moving around in a Rubbermaid bin and then concentrated silence. It means my kids are playing Legos and I'll have a few moments of peace.

My son Cyan is a highly devoted Lego collector. Since he has the tendency to be a neat freak, he has Rubbermaid bins inside of his Rubbermaid bins filled with the stuff. My two daughters enjoy playing with them, too.

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One day while I was cooking dinner, Maya walked up to me and asked, "Mama, will you buy me my own Legos? Cyan won't let me play with his." Bottom lip sticking out, the whole nine yards.

"Yes, of course," I answered her absentmindedly, stirring the spaghetti sauce.

"But, mama, I want girl Legos!"

That made me stop stirring.

"And what exactly are 'girl' Legos? Are they pink or something?" I questioned her.

"I don't know!" she said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I don't want boy Legos like Cyan's!"

"A Lego is a Lego, little girl!" I called after her as she ran outside to ride her bike.

Ever since my kids were little, I encouraged them to play with whatever toys they wanted to. This meant my boys played "store" and "restaurant" with fake food and my girls often played with Buzz Lightyear and a light saber.

Recently, a 13-year-old girl named McKenna Pope launched a petition on Change.org on behalf of her 4-year-old brother, who always wanted an Easy Bake Oven but felt that the toy was "for girls only." Big sis McKenna has become quite an activist, stating that pink toy ovens discourage boys from kitchen play.

I totally agree. Kids should play with whatever toy they want, not "gender assigned" toys. This explains why my daughter clearly defined Legos as "boy toys" — they weren't swathed in baby pink, just like her favorite toy aisle. The color sends a message loud and clear, these are your toys, young lady, this is what's acceptable to play with.

But what about the little boy who want an Easy Bake Oven? Or the little girl who wants to collect Iron Man and Batman action figures? They should be able to do so, without feeling like they're strange. As for my daughter Maya, she requested Lego Friends, which seems to be a happy medium for us.

Does your child stick to "boy toys" or "girl toys"? How do you feel about gender-specific toys?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Betsy Shaw about motherhood and worrying.

This essay in the New York Times, written by a woman who was surprised by how much she still worries about her grown-up kids, is the antithesis of the e-mail written by the British dad informing his grown kids they're disappointing failures.

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This particular parent, college psychology prof Susan Engel, sees her three sons — aged 19, 25 and 29 — trying their best, yet still struggling to make it in the tough game of adulthood — relationships and career — and, occasionally, being dealt a terrible hand.

Instead of judging them and telling them they've only themselves to blame, her instinct is to want to help them, to make it all better just like any mother would. Yet she's learning, with a little help from her expressive oldest son:

He cut me off."Mom," he said, "when I tell you what's wrong, I don't want you to tell me how to fix it, and I don't want you to tell me it's not as bad as I think. I just want your sympathy."

and a wise friend:

My friend, with two grown children of her own, looked at me calmly and said, "Don't hope for anything."

that her sons' lives don't need fixing so much as her sons need space to learn how to fix their own lives.

I found her essay to be honest and, even though I'm seeming miles from having 20-something kids, all too easy to relate to.

If I'm the worrying type of parent now, which I am, how on earth will I cope with my children playing grownup. My mother once told me she hardly slept when she knew any of her grown children were flying in an airplane. The poor woman. After robbing her of sleep during my infancy, then again during my terrible teens, my entire 20s spent traveling the world as a competitive athlete only served to keep my mom sleepless well into her sixth decade.

Unlike many of the scathingly-critical readers of Engel's essay, who seem to think she's just another self-pitying, hopeless helicopter mom, I don't find any fault in Engel, or my mother, for their inability to let go of maternal worrying.

And I know I'll be just the same. When I'm not worrying about my kids on some subconscious level, I'll be dead.

What about you? Do you imagine letting go will come easy or hard for you?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Stacie Lewis about toddler food strikes.

When I picked up my toddler, Ieuan, from day care last Monday, he greeted me with a huge smile. “He’s just such a happy little boy!” his nursery worker said. Then, as she does at every pick-up, she gave me feedback on his day. “Ieuan had a good day,” she began, “he played with building blocks, got very messy in the sand pit and ate all his food.”

Wait a minute. What?

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“For breakfast, he had cereal and he ate all of that. For snack, he had apple sauce and he ate all of that. For lunch, he had spaghetti and he ate most of that!”

Sorry, what?

That was Monday. On Tuesday, same thing. And, Thursday – the only other day he attends day care – the report was exactly the same. 100% happy. 100% food eaten.

“I don’t get it,” my husband said, baffled. “He never does that with us.”

Sure, Ieaun is a happy boy but, at home, he barely eats anything. On Friday, he drank a few bottles of milk and ate half a bag of potato chips. That was it for the whole day!

He doesn’t look malnourished and he definitely eats – at least, he eats on the three days he attends day care – but is it enough? And, what will happen to him if this phase continues?

The BabyCenter Experts know all about toddlers who refuse to eat:

It’s no coincidence that right around the time children learn to walk… they become much less interested in food. When there’s so much to discover, who has time to eat? Plus, their growth has slowed and, no matter how active they are, their energy needs are smaller…

Rather than get hung up on the fact that your toddler has refused everything you put in front of her today, write down what she eats over the course of one week. Parents are often surprised to find that their child’s food intake balances out.

Don’t forget to consider fluids in the food equation, too. Milk and juice can offer vital nutrients… But since too much fluid can also dampen an appetite, you may want to serve drinks after and between meals.

This description fits Ieuan (and his mom) perfectly. I give him a bottle while I rush around preparing his meal. I can’t believe it never occurred to me that this might be a mistake. And, I focus on the uneaten meals. Probably, I don’t want to think about the day care’s successes.

Ieuan is a rambunctious toddler. It’s a phase. Just wait ’til he discovers pizza.

How do you feel when your child won’t eat?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Summer Schiavo about giving birth silently.

When I was in labor with both my children, all my breathing lessons from the childbirth class completely evaporated in my brain. The pain was crazy and beyond anything I could have imagined. With my first, I really did try the breathing, but ended up screaming like mad, and eventually had the epidural.

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With my second baby, I just went ahead and screamed! I was so loud; I am certain the entire hospital could hear me. The nurses told me I should try to breath rhythmically, so I tried. I really did! But every time I tried the rhythmic breathing I just wanted to puke.

Being helpful, the nurses got me one of those kidney-shaped bowls in case I puked and otherwise encouraged me to continue the breathing. Instead I asked them if I could just scream, because it felt better actually. The breathing really was making me nauseous. They laughed and said go for it, so I did! I am sure I terrified any first time moms in the early stages of labor who could hear me! Ah well…

So now I was reading in the BabyCenter Community and found this thread about silent labor. Apparently a lot of women actually go through all or nearly all the stages of labor without even making a peep. How is this possible, I wonder?!?! Some mention hypno-birthing, others mention that they are quiet people in general, several say they were very focused on getting through it. Many said they felt screaming was a waste of energy.

I definitely tend to agree, that screaming is a waste of energy. I was lucky both my labors went by quickly (8 hours for my first, 4 for my second), so I didn’t have to worry too much in the end about saving my energy.

Are you aiming to have a silent labor? Did you manage to do this yourself? How did you manage this amazing feat?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Jessica Kim about pumping at work.

Remember the song, “Pump…pump it up…yo pumpin’!” It has become my theme song as I walk off to pump throughout the work day. As the founder of a startup, BabbaCo, I brought baby Brandon to work with me and breastfed him in front of anyone and everyone. I used my hooter hider cover, of course, but would breastfeed him even while recruiting new hires! (My co-founder recalls that I was all business from neck up, but in the midst of talking about product lines, you heard baby Brandon literally slurping underneath a cover. Hilarious.)

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Well, now that Brandon no longer comes to the office, I’m now pumping several times a day. It has become a very public "to do" amongst my 14-person team. "Jessica, you need to pump, right?" "Let’s meet while you pump! I used to whisk away and privately pump, but I soon got comfortable with pumping in front of people.

Here is a pic of me in the bathroom stalls meeting with Stef, my product director, as I pumped. At first, I felt really odd about her seeing my milk for some reason. I obviously got past that quickly.

However, it’s different. I can breastfeed in front of male co-workers, but I can’t pump in front of them. I just feel a bit guarded and awkward. Everyone discusses breastfeeding in public, but what about pumping? Is it different to pump in public vs. breastfeed in public? In both situations, I’m covered, but I have found that people respond differently when it’s a machine sucking my milk out versus. a baby.

Would love to hear your thoughts…before I scare off my 26-year-old bachelor teammate. Thanks!

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Erin Lane about throwing a low-key birthday party.

My son turns four in December. Last year, when I stared at the chocolate cake stamped into my carpet, wondering if my hearing would ever return, I swore next birthday we wouldn't have the party at my house. Oh yes, we were going somewhere.

But here we are, five weeks out, and I'm questioning myself. I've gone over it and over it in my head. Majority of the places I've called will allow around 20 children. I made a list and can't come up with more than 12 kids in my head. The cheapest option out there? $200. $200 y'all!

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I've been debating buying him a LeapPad for his birthday but finally decided no based on the price. Yet, I thought nothing of spending that much money on a party he'll barely remember, when he'd have just as much fun with just a few friends or heck, just family? Sheesh, what am I doing?

I'm not sure why I feel he needs a big party. He doesn't. He's going to be four, for Pete's sake. He's content playing with two or three friends. Twenty friends? He'd barely know who all was there. Then you have to think about parents and siblings and food. It's overwhelming. Is it other parents/ past parties that make me feel this way? I’m don't know, but I think I've finally come to my senses.

We're going to have a birthday play date at our house the Friday morning before his birthday with a few friends from school. I'll get Donut Holes and they can run around and play. Then on Saturday, we'll have a nice (read: small) party with the family. The family party will have the Spider Man cake that he's so desperate to have. He'll be happy and I'll be happy.

I'll worry about bigger parties when he gets a bit older. Or maybe I won't and we'll just have him invite one or two friends over for dinner.

What do you think? What do you do for your kid's birthday parties?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Stacie Lewis about kids sharing a room.

My son is 15 months old. My daughter 3-and-a-half. No one would accuse them of uncontrollable sexual urges. But, after my post yesterday about the unexpected joys of them sharing a bedroom, I read comments on how brothers and sisters are kept apart, specifically for this reason. Even young children like mine.

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• Jeanine wrote in: ". . . where I live siblings can't share a room if they are different genders. So if #2 is a girl I'll have to rethink what to do."
• Katie Kimes: "I live in Cleveland, Ohio and CPS can get involved in room sharing of opposite sex kids if the oldest is over 5. Its a form of child neglect here."
• And, this tweet I received from @sarahmanynames: "This is true for foster children in the US, even if they are siblings"

This really shocked me, especially the last one. But, I found examples, such as this policy in Arkansas, in regards to adopting and fostering children: "Children of opposite sexes will have their own separate bedrooms if either child is 4 years old or older, except for a mother in foster care with her child(ren)." And, countless other examples of people questioning the legality of children sharing rooms. (I couldn't find any law against it.)

Are we really so paranoid now that we don't trust 4-year-olds of the opposite sex?

The situation in which a child must be fostered is already a traumatic one. Should we separate siblings on top of that? Make them feel even more alone? I would question the merits of such a policy, especially as housing two or more siblings together is already a challenge. Under this policy, it must be the case that sometimes appropriate housing cannot be found, and that siblings are separated into different foster families because the requirement cannot be met.

Four-year-olds are one thing, perhaps, but teenagers are another. What will I do when my children hit puberty?

In my research for this post, I came across an old Dear Abby column. A mother wrote in to her about her two teenaged children, of the opposite sex, who share a room: "Many evenings, my husband and I have stood in the hallway and heard the children talking about their friends, teachers, relatives, even us; sharing ideas and discussing problems. When children share a bedroom, they learn to cooperate, share, and compromise."

Abby responded: "It's obvious that you are ignoring (or denying) the power of natural and very strong sexual urges in that period in the life of a normal teen-age boy and girl. To subject them to the nightly stress of such close private physical proximity is not only unfair to them, but also presents a greater risk of subjecting them to a potentially traumatic and incestuous experience."

This column would not be so out of place today. What a dark fear we have of our own children, if we subject them to the kind of paranoia that paints them as sexual predators in their own bedrooms. It says far more about us, the adults, than them.

Would you worry about your 4-year-old sharing a room? Your teenager?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Evonne Lack about grandparents caring for their grandkids.

The number of grandparents as caregivers continues to rise, but according to the American Academy of Pediatrics many grandparents, are unaware of the newer safety guidelines for young children.

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Among the findings of research presented at last month's AAP National Conference:

• only 44 percent of surveyed grandparents knew that babies should be put to sleep on their backs
• 25 percent thought that a 22-pound, 9-month-old baby should ride forward-facing in the car seat
• 49 percent thought that it was OK to have blankets, stuffed animals, or bumpers in the crib
• 74 percent thought walkers were perfectly safe

It's not always easy to stand up to Grandma, but there are instances when it must be done — not only by parents, but by health care providers. As primary study author Amanda Soong of the University of Alabama puts it, "Discussion of health and safety recommendations is an essential part of routine well-child care, and pediatricians must recognize knowledge deficits that may exist in grandparent caregivers and be comfortable addressing these deficits."

I think that many grandparents just want what's best for their children's children, and will be open to hearing about — and following — the new guidelines.

Of course, there are always the exceptions — the grandparents who fall back on the "in my day" argument and who insist on doing things their way no matter what. If there's one thing that gets under my skin, it's hearing a grandparent say something like, "Well, I raised [insert number] kids, and we always put them down on their tummies / gave them solids at two weeks / used crib bumpers / let them use walkers / etc., etc., etc. / and they turned out just fine!”

As if the fact that they were lucky enough to have their children survive into adulthood disproves the validity of sound safety research.

But again, I would think these grandparents would be the exception, rather than the rule. I would hope so, anyway.

Are you lucky enough to have an open-minded grandparent in your life? Or do you have a stickler for the old rules? And when it comes to safety issues, do you have trouble standing your ground?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Sabrina Garibian about breastfeeding while pregnant.

Some of you didn't think it was possible, right? Well it is.

Breastfeeding while pregnant is not something I ever thought I would do. Actually, I didn't even know one could breastfeed while pregnant. When we decided to try for another baby, I knew it would be important to me to continue to breastfeed as long as Raffi wanted and it made sense. I didn't consider two big factors: pain and supply.

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The night before I found out we were expecting I had a dream that I was pregnant — just like last time. I woke up, took a test and it had the slightest second line. I was sure I was imagining it just as I was sure I was imagining the pain I experienced when Raffi nursed that day. Yet the next day the second line was darker and the nursing pain was still there. I was pregnant! I am pregnant!

I was worried about others judging me but I continued nursing anyway.

My OB told me to stop immediately, but I felt comfortable that it was safe for me. I didn't want to rush the weaning process at all.

Raffi started nursing up to eight times a day and for long periods at a time. My chest hurt tremendously, and even with the increased nursing sessions my supply didn't keep up. Weaning continued naturally. Even while I was nauseous and exhausted, nursing wasn't difficult while pregnant aside from those two issues. I enjoyed the snuggling and I feared I would miss it when Raffi stopped. It was important to me to wean naturally.

Today I can share that last week was my last nursing session with Raffi. It was bittersweet, as it is for many who wean. I was in no rush to stop breastfeeding, and our weaning process took over two months. Now it's done and the emotions are flooding while the milk is not.

I am thankful I was able to nurse for over a year and throughout my entire first trimester. I'm also thankful that we are done and can bond in other special ways now. Over the last week Raffi has started toddling over and spontaneously giving me giant, cuddly hugs. And I get to eat as much peanut butter as I'd like.

What do you think about breastfeeding during pregnancy?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Lindsay Weiss about keeping your sanity through motherhood.

Some days I feel like I’m a washing machine cycle — load, wet, wash, rinse, repeat — only the settings on my cycle are something like: wake (too early), feed kids, dress kids, entertain kids, feed kids, drive kids, entertain kids, feed kids, bathe kids, tuck kids in bed, repeat.

I’m a mom robot and I’m currently on auto-pilot. And if I have to make one more meal, clean up one more mess, fight about one more article of clothing or sit through one more soccer practice I might combust.

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When I start to feel like this (which, if I’m being honest happens at least once a month), I get an urge to rebel. To do something crazy. Since I’m a responsible adult and 8 months pregnant, my options are limited so I usually focus on doing something that makes me laugh out loud. You know, guffaw. Last night was one of those nights and, as I was singing at the top of my lungs in my car (alone), I realized I do several weird and quirky things that help me keep my sanity as a mom:

(Please don’t laugh as I realize these aren’t even remotely rebellious. In fact, they’re a pitiful excuse but indulge me anyway.)

1. Wearing crazy socks underneath my boots — In the fall and winter you can always find me in jeans and riding boots. They’re cute jeans and boots, I promise, but I don’t get fancier than that. And every single day I giggle when I put on the craziest, often mismatched knee socks underneath them. Think Rainbow Brite on the left, black and white polka dots on the right. Rudolph on the left, bright orange camoflauge on the right. I love it – silent rebellion.
2. Eating dessert for lunch or dinner (or both) — you’re probably not shocked to learn I have a major sweet tooth. While I’m a stickler that my kiddos eat pretty balanced meals, sometimes I skip a healthy meal in lieu of a chocolate cupcake, butterscotch blondie or um, a pop tart if I’m desperate. Silent (and wholly unhealthy) rebellion.
3. Rockin’ out in the school carpool line — I have three drop-offs/pick-ups every single friggin’ day of the week…8am, 11:30am, 3:30pm. If you do the math that’s at least 45 min. a day spent in ridiculously long lines. To pass the time, I crank the volume and rock out to great music. The genre varies by day—I did Kings of Leon this morning, Beastie Boys yesterday afternoon, and Footloose before that. I turn it up loud, sing even louder and occasionally break out the air guitar. Now ya gotta cut loose…Silent (well, no one else can hear me) rebellion.
4. Getting in touch with my inner Dale Earnhardt — And speaking of all those drop-offs/pickups, there’s a half-mile stretch of smooth, deserted road between my house and the school. Even though I drive like a granny most of the time, I cannot control the impulse to gun it like a NASCAR driver on that open stretch. I already have my excuse ready if someone ever catches me…"I wasn’t speeding, officer…I was qualifying." Silent (except for the sweet torque of my engine) rebellion.

I’m sure there’s more, but these are my most frequent methods of keeping my sanity in check. I may be a mom, but I’m da*n sure not going to lose my sense of humor (or my chocolate).

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Samantha Schoech about the bizarre things moms find around the house.

Anyone who has ever raised kids knows something about finding weird things in weird places. I wrote last year about pulling out my wallet to pay at the grocery store only to have a pair of poopy underwear in a plastic baggy come flying out of my purse. Yay me! Yay motherhood!

But that was my fault. I mean, I wasn't the creator of the poopy undies, but I was the one who stuffed them in my purse and forgot about them. But mostly, my little archeological finds have nothing to do with me. There seems to be some brain malfunction in my children whereby they are unable to remember where they put anything. Shoes are lost daily. Jackets and sweatshirts disappear into the ether. And weird things turn up in weird places all the time. Legos in my shoes are farm league.

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A partial inventory of what I've found lately:

1. A saw in Oliver's bed (along with a handful of clothespins and about 15 hardback books — obviously he's planning an escape.).
2. A coaster filed with nail clippings on a side table in the living room (I know, so disgusting).
3. Four lipsticks in Maggie's bed.
4. An ancient computer keyboard, also in Maggie's bed — so nice to snuggle up to.
5. A bottle of shampoo in the laundry hamper.
6. A pile of sand in the closet.
7. A wad of chewing gum in the back of Oliver's hair. (He has epically thick hair. God only knows how long it had been there.)
8. A lovely orange parasol in the chicken coop.
9. A Tupperware filled with crackers in the coat closet.
10. An old, warm yogurt in the toy box (unopened).

Things I am missing and suspect I will someday find in my kids' room:

1. My keys and the remote to my car.
2. All my freelance accounting paperwork from the last year.

What about you? What's the weirdest (or grossest) thing you've found in the weirdest place?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Stacie Lewis about dress codes for teachers.

One of my friend's children started school last week and was stunned upon meeting the teacher to find her teetering on stilettos. The teacher was, shall we say, more appropriately dressed for clubbing than a first-grade classroom. Her skirt was very short; the kind of skirt that makes it near impossible to squat down next to a five-year old without revealing more than the secret to long division.

Is this teacher a rarity? I am a teacher and I have seen it myself. Many times. Admittedly, some of the women have been amazing teachers. Amazing teachers with a very liberal approach to the dress code.

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This past summer, as the temperature rose quite a few skirts rose as well — along with a few eyebrows. At my school, all female staff were gently reminded that there was a school dress code and it should be adhered to. Our dress code for women: no spaghetti strap tops or dresses, dresses/skirts of a reasonable length, no see-through or very low cut tops and no flip-flops.

My 2012 teaching self says, "Yes, that sounds right." My 2000 teaching self says, "It's hot. I'm wearing spaghetti straps and some flip-flops!" I wore jeans every day to work in my first teaching placement. Oh yeah, and a tongue piercing. That stayed in for five years and I never once heard a complaint (to my face).

Today, I go to work every day in a dress or skirt. I'm short so I wear heels. Usually a wedge of some sort. This places my teacher look firmly in the "smart" category.

I would never try to look sexy at school. I would never dress like I used to dress back in 2000. And, I'm old enough and conservative enough (and prudish enough?) to wonder why any teacher would.

Which of the following teacher looks would you be happiest to see? And, do we judge a teacher by the length of their skirt or the quality of their teaching?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Jamielyn Nye about flying with kids.

A few weeks ago I flew with my two toddlers across the country all by myself. I was pretty nervous about the trip, but it ended up being OK because I was well prepared. Even though there were a couple tantrums and mishaps along the way, the kids actually had a good time. There were a few things that helped my kids and me endure the four-hour plane ride that may come in handy for you some day.

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1. Check in early so you get the best seats. The front row is the best because it has the most leg room.
2. Plan to get to the airport two hours before you depart.
3. Be prepared and remember to stay patient. If you're calm, your kids will be too.
4. Buy new toys from the dollar store.
5. Pack coloring books with crayons in Ziploc bags.
6. Bring a variety of healthy snacks.
7. Divide the books and snacks into small bags so you can pull them out at different times. You can even wrap the toys to make it more fun.
8. Give your baby a bottle or pacifier for takeoff so their ears don't hurt. Starbursts work great for older kids.
9. Bring a favorite blanket or stuffed animal.
10. Pack Ziploc bags for messy diapers.
11. Bring an extra pair of clothes just in case.
12. Take along an iPad or Kindle with children’s books and/or shows with headphones.
13. Bring melatonin if it's a really long flight to help the kids sleep.
14. Buy a few packs of stickers to keep their hands busy for a little while.
15. Dress up silly magnet faces.
16. Pull lace through shapes, or string Cheerios on a necklace.
17. Play with finger puppets.
18. Count Teddy Grahams or gold fish.
19. Bring flash cards with letters and numbers.
20. Snuggle and sing songs.

These are just a few ideas of things I did to keep my kids happy during our four-hour flight. It really helped having several activities to break up the long plane ride. It also helped to get up every once in a while to walk down the isle. They thought it was fun saying hi to everyone. Hopefully, a few of these tips will help you on your next flight.

What tips do you have when flying with young children?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Samantha Schoech about pressure placed on new moms.

By the time my twins were a week old I already knew I was a failed mother. First, I had failed to conceive them "naturally." Then, I had gone into labor too early and undergone a c-section instead of pushing them out my vagina like any good mother would. Nursing my tiny babies was proving to be very, very difficult and pumping was producing these sad little 2-ounce bottles of liquid failure. When I looked at my children in their incubators what I felt was not an overwhelming flood of love like I was supposed to, but a heart-pounding, skin prickling anxiety. I was doing it all wrong and I was deeply unhappy about it.

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What I can see now, with six years hindsight, is that I was actually doing it all right. I was doing the best I could with all the love and strength I could muster. The only person I was failing was myself and that was because my expectations were all screwed up.

In her new book, "Why Have Kids?" Feministing.com founder Jessica Valenti takes on our notions about motherhood and decides they may just be the source of parental unhappiness.

In an interview in USA Today Ms. Valenti says:

I think that the ideal of parenting can make people unhappy. It's that this lie that they're being told by society that parenting is one thing — and when parenting is something completely different — that's what makes them unhappy. When you ask most American parents why they want to have kids, it's to bring more joy into their lives. So, when you don't feel that all-encompassing joy, it must be that something is wrong with you. I think it's dissatisfaction that the expectation was different than the reality.

I would add that along with the dissatisfaction is the guilt. If you are not being swept along on a giant wave of joy and fulfillment every waking second, then there is something deeply wrong with you. Add to this all the modern "supposed tos": breastfeeding, baby wearing, superfood making, sign language teaching, job quitting, cookie baking, PTA leading, and you've basically got a recipe for misery.

This is not to say that there isn't incredible joy to be found in raising children. Of course there is. Just that it's probably best to expect the bumps, the bad days and the failures along with the joy.

This holds true not just for parenting, but for almost everything in life: if you have expectations of perfection and unceasing happiness, you will be sorely disappointed. It goes for marriage, it goes for work, it goes for friendship and it goes for motherhood.

That's why I think the absolutely best thing we can do for our fellow and future moms is to tell the truth: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Because the real joy in parenting does not come from being perfect, it comes from relaxing and giving yourself room to be human. It comes with the understanding that you will absolutely not be perfect and that this is just fine.

What about you? Did you suffer from unrealistic expectations the first time around?

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Evonne Lack about still nursing her son at 18-months.

William, this baby who started tapping on my heart about seven years before he was conceived, is almost 18 months old. He's still nursing — once before bedtime, again in the middle of the night (most nights), and yet a third time upon waking in the morning.

Occasionally — maybe once or twice a week — he'll "ask" to nurse in the afternoon by tugging on my shirt. Usually, I give in.

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"Once they can ask for it, it's time to stop," natter the naysayers. Every time I've heard a naysayer naysay this, she (sorry, but it's always a she) accompanies it with a little laugh, as if it's so ridiculous to still be nursing your baby when he's no longer really a baby, so ridiculously off the wall that she can't even naysay about it without that embarrassed giggle.

Ask a naysayer why someone would still be nursing after 18 months, and she'd probably say it was due to laziness, or a weird dysfunctional attachment to the child, or a lack of willingness for the child to grow up.

Those naysayers get on my nerves.

But you know who else gets on my nerves? "Proud Mama's" who are so damn proud of breastfeeding (they always say "breastfeeding" instead of "nursing") that they judge mothers who don't breastfeed, and make inane statements about how people who don't breastfeed "just aren't comfortable with their bodies," and sign their computer signatures like this: "(.)(.) Proud Breastfeeding Mama! (.)(.)"

Ask a Proud Mama why someone would wean before 18 months, and she'd probably say it was due to laziness, or a weird lack of attachment to the child, or a desire to make the child grow up too fast.

Jeez. We eat each other alive sometimes, don't we?

Fortunately, these are the extremes. I think most of us are in the "to each her own" camp; it's just that the naysayers and Proud Mama's have louder voices.

Anyway. William started tapping at my heart about seven years before he was conceived, and now he taps at my breast, tap tap tap, and I give in. I suppose laziness is part of it, actually, as well as — yep — an unwillingness to let him grow up. And hell, I may as well admit it, there's a little pride in there too, but not obnoxiously so.

And partly (partly, I say!) I nurse him because I'm still trying to get myself to believe that I actually had a third baby.

I mean, I never got used to it, you know? The fact that I had a third baby, this tapping son, was always a bit infused with disbelief, like a dream, from the moment he was born. And now he's not even a baby anymore! He's a toddler, and I can't begin to believe that, because I didn't accomplish believing the baby thing yet!

It's kind of like radios. I never bothered to learn how they worked — soundwaves? what? — and now there's way too much technology in the world for me to even begin to understand any of it. It's too late, I'm too behind.

Does this make any sense at all? Probably not.

3rd grade and 1st grade start on Monday, and my baby is a toddler, and everything just keeps spinning.

At least with the nursing, I'm spinning right there with it.

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Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Stacie Lewis about being a good parent.

After my daughter, May, was born, and I was told of her disabilities, I spent a lot of time worrying over what to do to help her. There were only so many hours in the day. May needs help physically, cognitively, visually. She needed to learn to bite, make sounds, reach out her hands. That's a lot of stuff.

Was it better to use our time for stretches? Sit in a darkened room, looking at colored lights? Feed her only organic, homemade food and never use a microwave? (That brilliant advice to cure brain damage was made by a dietician we swiftly dismissed.) I asked nurses, physiotherapists, play therapists, neurologists; no one had an answer. But, they had plenty of suggestions. Too many to include in one 24-hour period.

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My daughter has issues beyond most children, but the question is no different for any of us. What do we want? Happy, healthy children. But, how do we get there? We can't do it all.

Polly Palumbo, Ph.D. wrote a post on Psychology Today's Momma Data blog called What Makes a Good Parent: Hint, It's Not Breastmilk or Buying Organic. (See! The secret isn't organic food! I was right to fire that moron dietician.) Palumbo explored the research of Robert Epstein Ph.D., a psychologist at Harvard, who identified 10 areas of parenting skills that routinely predicted a child's health, happiness and success.

Here are the top 10, as written by Palumbo, in order of importance:

1. Love and affection. You support and accept the child, are physically affectionate, and spend quality one-on-one time together.
2. Stress management. You take steps to reduce stress for yourself and your child, practice relaxations techniques and promote positive interpretations of events.
3. Relationship skills. You maintain a healthy relationship with your spouse, significant other or co-parent and model effective relationship skills with other people.
4. Autonomy and independence. You treat your child with respect and encourage him or her to become self-sufficient and self-reliant.
5. Education and learning. You promote and model learning and provide educational opportunities for your child.
6. Life skills. You provide for your child, have a steady income and plan for the future.
7. Behavior Management. You make extensive use of positive reinforcement and punish only after other methods of managing behavior have failed.
8. Health. You model a healthy lifestyle and good habits, such as regular exercise and proper nutrition, for your child.
9. Religion. You support spiritual or religious development and participate in spiritual or religious activities.
10. Safety. You take precautions to protect your child and maintain awareness of the child's activities and friends.

I still wish there was someone who could tell me the secret to improving May. But, three years later, I know the answer isn't stretches or visual stimulation. In retrospect, the most important thing wasn't at all clinical, and it is number one on the list.

Give her love.

Do you agree with everything on this list — I was surprised to find religion on it — and its order?

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Source: Flickr User Fê Candia