Posted by Cottontimer on 26 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: Motherhood, What the @#!
Don’t blame the boys!
Going a bit dippy is a common pregnancy trait. But if you really go doolally, you could be carrying a girl. In tests, mums carrying boys out-perform mums carrying girls. But after the birth your brain (usually!) gets back on track.
via Mothercare
Based on on my behavior, I wonder if people think I’m carrying a boy or a girl.
Don’t answer that!
Posted by Cottontimer on 24 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: Motherhood, Reading
Book reviews aren’t just good for when you’re looking for something new to read. I find them particularly interesting after I’ve finished a book just to see if my impressions jived with others.
Today I came across Sunday Salon member King Rat’s assessment of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. His well thought out comments on this feminist classic are particularly interesting because they’re coming from a male perspective. I read The Feminine Mystique two years ago and found her description of a housewife’s life to be terribly depressing. My situation has changed tremendously because I am now gainfully employed, albeit part-time, and Stephen spends six hours a day in school which gives me plenty of breathing space. When baby #2 is born in June, I’ll have to figure out a new arrangement but it won’t be half as bad as most of the situations described by one of my favorite parenting blogs, WSJ’s The Juggle.
Besides parenting and other obligations this February, I juggled a number of books (like the smooth segue? heh) and am up to 278 on my list of books read since 1995 with mini-reviews.
278. Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang
277. Curious Minds by John Brockman
276. A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
275. Tough Choices: A Memoir by Carly Fiorina
274. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
My current “assigned” reading for my own good is The Changing Face of China: From Mao to Market. I’m reading a chapter a day and should be done by end next week. It seems that no matter how many books I read about the Cultural Revolution and the period of time surrounding it, I can’t keep the people nor the events straight. My grandparents and older aunts and uncles were affected but I don’t know how and to what extent. One of these days, I’ll have to ask for details if I think I can handle them. In any case, with all the many business opportunities in China, it seems important to understand the underlying motivations of the Chinese government and to be vigilant for signs of history repeating itself. Scary thought.
So that I’m not too burdened with reading about China, I’ve started reading the first book in the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series called Cross Stitch in the UK. I read book 6 in the series this month without knowing it was part of a series so I’m now playing catch up. It’s a fascinating tale involving time travel, European and American history, and love. Kerri’s going to read book 1 with me and I hope she’ll enjoy it as I have. It was fun to learn that Liz Strauss is a fan too. Anyone else?
What are you reading right now?
Posted by Cottontimer on 04 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: Motherhood
As if I don’t already feel like a fat cow:
Some expectant mothers wear a bell on their tummy. Thus, the baby becomes familiar with a happy tinkling sound along with the noise of the bowels and the beating of his mother’s heart.
via 3D Pregnancy
Posted by Cottontimer on 29 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Funny, Motherhood
Some of the “good” baby instructions shared on this forum seem kind of “bad” to me too but most are hilarious. This one’s my favorite:
HT: Deb
Posted by Cottontimer on 25 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Megan, Motherhood
Launching June 2008
Posted by Cottontimer on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Motherhood
Posted by Cottontimer on 07 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: Motherhood, What the @#!
Great news! Or not….
Latest research shows that breastfeeding does NOT make breasts sag but pregnancy DOES. Not surprisingly, smoking and age also make breasts sag. And not wearing a proper sports bra may also increase “breast sagginess.”
The conclusion?
Women can now breastfeed without fear for the future of their breasts, author and plastic surgeon Brian Rinker said.
Dr Rinker said he decided to carry out the study after many of his patients demanded he “fix what breastfeeding did to my breasts”.
As if I care. Breastfeeding is good for so many reasons that being saggy is the least of my concerns. Not that I’m admitting to being saggy, of course! As Oprah has been saying for ages, a good bra will fix ya.
Clues your bra is the wrong size:
Where do you get your bras? (Men, please feel free to answer too if you’re buying bras for yourself or someone special. 
) For years, my favorite bras have been the Maidenform Bodymates bra that you can get in a 3-pack at Costco. Comfortable, affordable, supportable.
Posted by Cottontimer on 24 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: Motherhood, What the @#!
Most reasonable women are aware that once you’ve expanded to carry a baby for 40 weeks then give birth to one, your body will never be the same again. And yet some people still think that they should be back to their pre-pregnancy body within three months of childbirth.
News flash: No matter how much you diet or exercise and even if you get back to the same weight or less, your body will never be the same again. The snug jeans you loved will not fit the same, your belly will be looser, your boobs bigger, your feet may have widened, and most everything on your person will shift around to some degree.
Those who think they will be back to the same same after childbirth are going to be those nutters we see who keep at plastic surgery time and again in a hopelessly freakish attempt to retrieve their youth. Good luck to ya! I’ve got far better things to do with my time than moan about my post-baby body.
It’s different. It’s new (to me). But it does what it’s meant to do. Good enough for me.
Posted by Cottontimer on 27 May 2007 | Tagged as: Motherhood
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Posted by Cottontimer on 13 May 2007 | Tagged as: Motherhood
Katherine Ellison, author of The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter
Three to six months after delivery, breastfeeding mothers are less tense, less edgy and less bored.
Now, I can barely remember what it’s like to have an infant, but I think if I were any of the above it would be because I was totally sleep deprived. The truth is, I was probably tense, edgy, and bored to the Nth degree. Motherhood can be mind-numbingly repetitious, especially at the newborn/infant/toddler stages. It had its charming moments which made all of it worthwhile. Still, I’m not sure I would want to go through it again.
How were you feeling when your child was 3-6 months old?
