On Thursdays I post from the vault. This post is from June 2009. I wasn't close with cousins growing up. My mom was an only child. My dad's sister had children but they lived far away and we only saw them occasionally. So it has been a new experience to be an aunt and know a close relationship with my neices and nephews. I have to say that seeing the love that my kids have for each other, and seeing their love for their cousins, is enough to make this cynical mom's heart burst with . . .

On Thursdays I post from the vault. This post is from June 2009. I am trying so hard not to be Chaotic Mom. You know her: she's the mom who is sweating at the restaurant as her unruly children run circles around the table, or the mom with screaming and kicking kids on the plane. She's the mom on Supernanny. The mom you don't want to stand next to in line. The one whose kids make a scene at the grocery store. And today, she is me. Oh, I had the best of intentions. After my last grocery . . .

On Thursdays I post from the vault. This post is from June 2009. Parenting a newborn is hard. One major plus about adopting is that you aren't simultaneously dealing with the ego blow of having your body morphed beyond recognition after a pregnancy. I truly believe that the weight gain aspect is one of the unmentioned curses of childbearing. Your world is already being rocked with a crying baby, no sleep, breastfeeding woes, and an end to freedom as you know. Let's tack on top of that the . . .