My friends who are mothers...envy me.  My mother and mother-in-law ...don't believe me.  My pre-natal instructor advises me to stay quiet.  My husband relishes with me.  My child, he sleeps through the night!  He started early, perhaps at four weeks and is going strong, now approaching 6 months.  I am sure I will owe my dues.But sleep, ohhhh the joy of sleep evades me.  I hear endless talk about getting our babies to sleep but what baffles me is getting myself to sleep. This was not a problem pre-baby nor was it a problem throughout my pregnancy.  I have... More »

Well, this is it.  The countdown to 2006 is almost complete.  We will be ringing in the New Year in a matter of days.  It is hard for me to believe on so many levels.  My kids are a year older, my marriage a year longer, and urbanmoms.ca was born, at least in theory, almost exactly one year ago!  It has been an amazing year of firsts for us and an exciting time to be building an online mom-based community and business. A HUGE thank you to all of the members who have contributed stories, comments, and feedback.  Without your... More »

I wanted to write this to let other moms know about my first 8 weeks. To start, my pregnancy and labour/delivery were amazing (sorry but it's true), if I could guarentee every baby to be like Chiara, I would have 50 kids. Chiara is my first, and I'm only the second of my friends to start a family, so naturally I took every piece of advice I could find.  All the tidbits of info and pointers I got were all about how to deal with the pain and stress. They all said that my life would be turned upside... More »

When I was in my late teens, I remember my parents whispering about their friends – always men – who were “losing it” as they turned 40. Bored with working at the same company for twenty years and the monotony of their daily existence, they were arriving at the mid point of their lives feeling like they’d seriously missed out. One man actually showed up at his own surprise 40th birthday party and told his wife he “couldn’t do it anymore.” Then he picked up his pre-packed bag, got in the car and drove off to initiate divorce proceedings. So... More »

I wrote this poem at about 2 a.m. one morning as I was, yet again, the only adult awake in the house dealing with a newborn baby. One minute I was feeling hard done by and overwhelmingly tired. The next I suddenly had a complete change of perspective and realized that this incredible moment would soon pass me by. Our babies are only this dependant on us for such a short time and instead of complaining I needed to soak it in and protect the memory. This poem was the result of my change of heart and I now... More »

Did you ever notice that it is way easier to deal with your own imperfections and shortcomings than your children's?  We all want our children to be well behaved, empathetic, and respectful.  We also want them to be smart, friendly, and to fit in.  This is not because it makes our lives easier but because it makes their lives easier. As many of you know, a few months ago my daughter's beautiful, long hair was completely buzzed while at a friend's house playing.  I have spent the last few months reacting, defending, and explaining why my nearly 3 year old... More »

My heart soared when I heard her first cry in such a crazy and painful time.  After 26 hours of labour with recurring fever, my little girl was born by caesarean section and came into this world with a loud "hello!".  "Give me my baby" I thought to myself as I began to shake uncontrollably with shock and craned my neck to see her wee foot swaying in the air on the table aboveme.  Why don't they put that table in eyesight?  A mother's poor neck!  "Give me my baby" I thought again but couldn't hold her yet, in... More »