Specialists say that it is important that the child always be able to trust us. It is imperative we don’t do anything to make them doubt us when we tell them something. You don’t want them wondering if you are telling the truth when you talk about the tough stuff like abandonment and the one [...]

I’ve been asked how to prepare a cat for the new baby.
I am personally against declawing, but I do think it’s important to do something to make sure the baby doesn’t get any scratches. If you aren’t familiar with SoftPaws then check them out. Your vet can put them on if you aren’t comfortable with [...]

I mentioned the family bed last time. That worked best for us, but it’s not for everyone.
The important thing to remember is that it is very unlikely that your baby is going to sleep in the nursery by herself. It is possible, but it isn’t likely.
I think the thing I have seen the most is [...]

Someone asked a question about preparing your dog for the baby. This will be long. But it’s important.
One of the biggest things is to change as much as you can well before the baby arrives, so the dog doesn’t associate this change with the baby.
Think about where your baby is going to spend her time, [...]

In my early twenties I didn’t sleep much. I worked and I partied and slept when I could. I believe that in your early twenties your body is okay with just getting sleep when you can grab it. That’s when you’re (apparently) supposed to have kids. When sleep isn’t that important.
Of course, never mind that [...]

We did a lot of educating of family members while we were waiting last time. It was a long wait back then, too, so we had plenty of time.
I pointed out that family members may not understand some of the things we would need to do. That they would see us treating a one year [...]

When I started the ISOrumors site I occasionally posted items other than rumors.
But things have changed over there (in a good way, I love all of the information we can gather together as a group), and I’d like to have a place to talk about general parenting issues (with some adoption stuff here and there.)
And [...]