Ingenue Mom

We have been trying to do some baby sign language with Isis, but I've had a hard time figuring out how to get started. Misty Weaver contacted me about doing a guest post on baby sign language & I jumped at the opportunity - if only because it would help me figure out what to do! I spent a lot of time on her site checking out her tips & charts & diagrams & it's really helping me get started! I hope her post helps you a little &  make sure to check out her site for TONS more information!! Are you thinking of giving the gift of Baby Sign Language to your baby or toddler? If so, congratulations! Teaching your baby to sign is one of the greatest things you can do for her! And getting started isn’t as difficult as you might think. Teaching babies to sign is actually easy. It just requires a little bit of patience and a willingness to be a bit repetitive! Before you can teach a sign to your baby, you have to learn the sign. Most parents start really sl...

I'm guest posting over at The Mommyhood Memos today! I shared a little about my process of getting ready to go back to work & how to balance everything! It's working pretty well so far! It took a couple weeks to transition, but I'm finally finding the balance! Go to The Mommyhood Memos & check it out!!!

As many of you probably already know, I'm a big believer in educating & supporting pregnant women in their experience. I used a nurse-midwife & because of that, I heard a lot about doulas. I didn't choose to use one this time, but I was informed on what they did and how to find them in my area, but I know that many women don't know what doulas do or what options they have. When Heather Green contacted me about the possibility of doing a guest post about what doulas can offer a new mom, I was happy to have the opportunity to share with all of you what was available from someone much more informed than I! When I found out I was pregnant, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted a doula. Not only for me, but for my husband and my family. These amazing women are basically your guardian angels who guide you through the most difficult and painful time of your life. What most people don't know is that doulas do almost everything! From massage and hypnotherapy to ...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Adriel of The Mommyhood Memos . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow The Mommyhood Memos on Twitter or in her BlogFrog community ! Dear Adriel, You are becoming a mom. Finally, after 32 long years your dream is coming true! And guess what? It’s going to be even better than you imagined. I know that right now it seems like pregnancy will never end… but enjoy these last days. Soon—when he’s not all tucked up safely inside of you—you will have to share that precious boy with the world. Don’t stress about him coming too early or too late. I know you’re concerned about your parents flying in from overseas and being there for Levi’s big debut… But your clever little one will actually be one of the few babies that decide to come on his due date. Isn’t that fun? {What you couldn’t have known...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Liz of A Belle, A Bean & A Chicago Dog . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow A Belle, A Bean & A Chicago Dog on Facebook & Twitter . I'm so happy to be here today, taking part in Cameron's New Moms Tips Week!  I'm Liz, a 32 yr old mom of 2 girls, and my tips below are what I learned following the birth of my first daughter, four and a half years ago. I firmly believe in the power of numbers, and the saying, " It takes a village ."  Motherhood is like nothing else imaginable, and surrounding yourself with as many Mommy Friends as possible will be beneficial to you.  This story is mine, just like yours will be uniquely you.  I hope you can take away a thing or two that will help in your New Mom Journey... ****************************** ******...

This is part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Melissa of Confessions of a Dr. Mom . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow Confessions of a Dr. Mom on Twitter . Becoming a Mother and welcoming your first child into the world is such an amazing life altering event. You've probably read countless books, heard an inordinate amount of advice, and may even wonder...am I ready? Well...don't worry, the moment you see, hear, and touch your precious baby for the first time all your doubt will melt away.  I'm here today to share with you a few key tips that I learned through my (mis)adventures during the newborn days in the hopes that this type of (un)solicited advice comes in handy...hence, my first tip: You will get tons of advice, some will be unsolicited...take it all with a grain of salt .  It can actually be a good thing...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Alexes of One Cluttered Brain . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow One Cluttered Brain on Facebook and Twitter . I remember being pregnant with my first baby like it was yesterday. She is turning 11 years old next week and I still remember holding her in my arms as a wee baby. I didn't know anything as a new mom. All I knew, is that this baby girl that I held in my arms was mine and that I loved her. I think that is enough to get you through the HARD days. I have put together a few tips for all you "new" moms that will be experiencing the miracle of life in a few months. Sleep when the baby sleeps. (No doubt about this one. Don't try and run around and clean or do dishes or anything like that. Just sleep at first. You will get the hang of this eating/sleeping/diaper...

(Me & Kristen on the far right) My friend Kristen graduated from the College of Education with me in May! Although she's actually completed her student teaching & I'm just starting mine! Either way, she shared some of her recent thoughts with me on motherhood & the future & I thought it was interesting to hear her perspective! I decided to share some of her writing as a guest post on my blog! She's also writing for a local website ! Check out some more of her stuff & maybe share your thoughts on her perspective below! Now that I have graduated from college and been hurled into the real world, all of the social pressures I have successfully avoided for four years are looking me right in the eye. It seems like every other day I hear about someone becoming engaged or pregnant. At this rate, in a matter of weeks I will be the only single girl left. The mere thought of getting married and starting a family is terrifying. That probably has a lot to do with ...

After my wonderful experience with my guest bloggers last week, I have decided I would like to highlight some other bloggers through guest posts on my blog from time to time. I'll always try to post these on Friday with my Weekend Reading posts! This week, I'm kicking this off with Gretchen from That Mama Gretchen . She is currently pregnant with her first child & is planning to have a waterbirth at Andaluz Waterbirth Center . I asked her to share her story of how she came to choose a waterbirth. Please visit her blog for more posts & follow her on Twitter ! It isn’t every day you hear of someone giving birth naturally, let alone in the water. It kind of makes you think of something a sea creature does while wondering how exactly the baby avoids drowning. These are all common questions, even similar to the ones I had before deciding that a waterbirth was the best choice for my family. Today, the bun is in the oven and my husband, Dominic, and I are just 2 mon...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Simone of Sporty Mama Says . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow Sporty Mama Says on Twitter . A birth story is a very powerful and unique story indeed. It’s a story based on human connection, on our babies, and on ourselves. I have three birth stories I’m proud to represent and to this day it amazes me how different each really are! I was 23 when I had my firstborn, my son. I had taken plenty of time to read up on how labor develops, I had watched many videos so I wasn’t completely in the dark, and had spoken with many friends about their labor as well. I was a labor expert, or so I thought… my water broke just like a trickling creek. I didn’t have that explosion like you see on TV, nope. Just 10 long minutes of trickle. 12 hours of active labor later and my sweet son was born! He was...

Anybody interested in some of my thoughts on marriage? I guest posted over at Single Mom in the South today!! Here's a sneak peek: Marriage is hard. I’ll be the first to say it. It is also one of the most rewarding & wonderful things in the world, but it takes work . The truth is that loving someone is an active thing that involves choice every day. Those mushy in-love newlywed feelings fade & if there is nothing there to sustain the marriage beyond that, then trouble is waiting. I made the incredibly risky decision to marry very young. I was 20 years old. My husband was 24. I am now almost 26 and we will celebrate our 6th anniversary in October. While this in no way makes me an expert on marriage, it does mean that due to the decision to marry young, I believe we encountered a lot of difficulty very early in our marriage. It has taken a lot of prayer, discussion & humility to come out on the other end at a point where we now are parents & homeowners...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Alyson of Common Sense, Dancing . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow Common Sense, Dancing on Twitter . I’m honored to be sitting in for Cameron today! She has asked me to write about a birth story. I have *4* stories -- how do I choose? I’ve included all of them, because each is different...and I realize now looking back I was so wrapped up in the *when* and *how* of the events that I didn’t really focus on the *wow* of them. Learn from me, Grasshoppers: I find more useful information from a Cake Boss episode than I ever did in Lamaze class. When you are expecting your first baby, you dutifully go through all the “correct” steps and stages along the way. You eat all the right things, read all the right books, take the birthing class and learn to breathe the “right” way. H...