Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

If you've had a baby here in Whatcom County, chances are good that you've been lucky enough to cross paths with the Mother Baby Center at some point. They are a blessing to parents - and children - in our area.

When Joy was born, I had a terrible time nursing her. Is this a familiar story? I couldn't get her to latch properly. She was hungry. I was tired. She got hungrier. I got more tired. And breastfeeding became more and more difficult. The Mother Baby Center sent over a lactaction consultant; a woman who specializes in tired new moms who are having nervous breakdowns because they can't feed their brand new babies.

And when I had my second baby, I went there to find parts for my breastpump. And nursing bras big enough to fit (believe me, I couldn't find them anywhere else, I'll just leave it at that).

I know it's rare that I'm very serious about anything, but here's something I'm serious about. The Mother Baby Center has been in financial straits recently - and they need our support. I want to be in the front lines. I'll be supporting their upcoming auction on November 7th. If you can, I know that it will make a huge difference for families in our community.

Thank you, Mother Baby Center!!

Joy started second grade today.

When she started preschool, she cried and cried and cried. "No more teacher Wendy!" she pleaded, EVERY. GOD-LOVING. DAY.

When she started kindergarten, I was the ONLY mother who had to physically pry her child from her body and sneak away.

In first grade, we started going over the details a week in advance. "And then you're going to walk INto the classroom, right?" "Right." "You'll stay until I put my stuff away, right?" "Right."

This year I was all prepared to park the car and walk her to her classroom. As we neared the school she said, "Oh. Mom, you can just drop me off." "Huh?" "My friends will be outside. You can just drop me off." "Oh. Right. Well. OK, honey."

Now who's the one with separation anxiety?

(P.S. She styled her own hair. And she and Clara got matching hoodies for the first day, as evidenced below.)

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

I have to start this post by saying that I love the woman that takes care of Clara. She watches her 3 days a week, and she is my savior. Previously, Clara was in a baby-factory that literally gave me nightmares. There were about 12 snotty, crying toddlers per 18-year-old college student - in a room about the size of my bedroom. And it was miserable. I am so glad to be saved from that place, please don't get me wrong. But I am struggling with the standard mommy-guilt.

Clara has been crying. She cries when I leave. She cries when the childcare provider isn't holding her. And she cries bloody murder if the woman leaves the room. And I am a single mom - a working mom, no less. So there really isn't anyone else around to point fingers at.

The first line of questioning went like this. "Have you always held her so much? Maybe you could let her be more independent. Let her cry a little. Allow her to build some confidence being on her own." Well... I hold her a lot. Partly because I don't get to see her enough, and I miss her! And partly because she's a baby. And then there's the fact that I love her.

Anyway, none of that business seemed to help much. So the next approach was more serious. "How old was she when you went back to work?" Well, this one is even more tricky, because I started working again when she was only one week old, because I had to. So, probably that's why she cries. Maybe she's going to grow up to be a serial killer, who knows.

I hate mommy guilt.

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

You know when you meet someone and you instantly know that you are destined to be the dearest of friends? That is how I feel about the book I've started this week. It's a recommendation by our local celebrities here in Bellingham - Chuck and Dee, owners of Village Books.

The Monk Downstairs is absolutely taking my breath away. I've been staying up too late reading it all week, and it's all tabbed up with quotes that I want to share with anyone who will listen. I'm having a terrible time picking just one - almost every page is hitting close to home for me as a single mom, as a spiritual being, as a woman, as a human. But here is one, and maybe I'll be able to narrow down another one to share when I finish the book.

"She felt her frustrated need for ardor as a burden and her longing for depth as a kind of dull pain. Sometimes, to be sure, smoking the last cigarette of the day, looking up at the stars, she would feel for a moment that life was bearable. But that wasn't much to offer a child's soul: Someday, sweetheart, with enough wine and nicotine, you too will be glad just to have survived another day. You may even, briefly, be content. It wasn't enough for anyone, really. But it was what she had."

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

Joy, waiting to be "checked on" for the thousandth time tonight. So she can tell me about how she bit her tongue. And has a scratch on her elbow. And her tummy sort of hurts. And one of the kids at camp fell on his knee today and got, like, 10 bandaids! And she's thirsty, and also still a little hungry. Plus, she can't stop thinking about this scary movie she saw 3 seconds of 2 weeks ago at grandma's house. And she can't sleep she's not even tired. And she reeeeally wants to come sleep in my bed puuuleeease? Well... then how long until the next check on?

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com