“Quick!” she said. ”What is the MOST important advice you have about being a new mom that no one talks about that you wish you had known?  Be honest.”

I was honestly unsure if this was her was of telling me she was expecting, or if she was trying to wrap her micromanaging mind around the unknowns of motherhood and I know that she measures every decision by weighing every fact (good, bad, or ugly) so I decided to lay it on her…

“It’s normal to want to strangle you husband for several months post partum, even though he knows your in hormone hell he will probably still think you are just plain crazy, and a diaper sprayer will be your best friend when you go to the restroom for several weeks after delivering.  But as long as you can remind yourself that others people are facing the exact same thing and you aren’t a crazy person, it’s all okay!”

“Seriously…,” she sighed.  “I can’t write THAT in a card for a coworker!  I need the inside track on some pretty advice.”

“Oh, well is she planning to breastfeed?”

“Yes.”

“Get her a Camelbak water bottle that is spill proof but easy to use with one hand and a box of KIND or Lara Bars to go with the card and remind her to always find a time to have a healthy snack.”

“Much prettier.  Thanks!”

The conversation made me immediately thankful for the expert advice Bump Club and Beyond placed at my fingertips when I began my adventures in motherhood.  Although I had purchased and read so many pregnancy and parenting books our condo was becoming a mini reference library, the opportunity to ask questions and hear each expert made the advice real instead of dealing with what sometimes feels so abstract in written form.

Past my due date and about 20 hours before going into labor- I was so thankful to have my BCB friends to keep me sane!

Even more importantly, events provided opportunities to connect with other women who were willing to share their experiences and helped me to eliminate the feeling that I wasn’t normal.  Women who were ready to talk or ready to listen.  I didn’t realize the true value of this community until very soon after I gave birth to Baby N.

I remember my early outings to the park with Newborn N on days that I hadn’t arranged to meet one of my new BCB mama friends for a chat- sometimes I would just push her pram in circles around the park in a deliriously tired state.  On the very-rare-but-existent-unbearably-tough days I would sit down on the park bench near the playground and engage in a meaningless conversation with a mom I didn’t know very well in which I would inevitably lie and say that new motherhood was perfect, and that I was sleeping, and that I’d never been happier or more confident while I hid my teary eyes with sunglasses.  And the mom I didn’t know very well would inevitably respond that yes, new motherhood was amazing, and perfect, and that she remembered always being happy too and that toddlerhood was even better and more perfect through an exasperated smile as she sprung from the bench to wrangle her toddler who was trying to scale the outside of the play structure.

I was still afraid of not looking like a good mom- and I think she was still afraid of not looking like a good mom.  But how I wish we could have sat there for a moment on those days and said “Hey, you know what?  Today sucks!  I know things will be better tomorrow, but today being a mom is really hard.”  I bet we would have both left the park to return to our respective homes calmer and more confident.  Seriously, what did we really have to prove to one another?

Sometimes mamas need the playdate more than the babies do!

These meaningless exchanges in the park with my un-friend made my beautiful BCB friends seem all the more valuable.  I was infinitely thankful that Rainbow shared that one of her friends who had recently had a child said it was totally normal to get frustrated with you husband for the first year, that Stephanie was willing to openly discuss that fact that we both had babies who were enthusiastic and frequent criers amidst the sea of sleeping newborns we were constantly surrounded with, that Karen and I could laugh about how our bladders could betray us early on in yoga, and that Claire was ready to engage everyone in discussions about their opinions of post-partum sex lives.  Because being a mom makes you more of a human, not less of one even though we become dramatically less likely to focus on our own needs.

Consequently, even though the park I now frequent has changed dramatically from Millenium Park on the shores of lake Michigan, any time I’m joined on a bench while watching N play by mama out for a stroll with her newborn I find a way to mention the fact that sweet Toddler N gave me my fair share of rough newborn days.  And 99% of those conversations end with new friend hugs and a confident shrug of the shoulders that “Hey, being a mom is really tough some days!”

Motherhood is a sisterhood in the most intuitive and natural sense.  Let’s make initiation as easy as possible for our new members, okay?  Share your knowledge, share your trails and- most importantly- share the joy honestly.

In honor or BCB Austin’s Secrets of the New Mom Sisterhood event this week, I’ll be sharing one of my own mama secrets each dat this week.  Need help connecting with your own network of sister-mamas and experts?  Join BCB for  the next expectant event in your city.

Austin
Wednesday, November 28th 7-9:30 pm:
Secrets of the New Mom Sisterhood 
What everyone is thinking but no one is saying — join us for an exclusive BCB Panel complete with a Labor and Delivery Nurse, Midwife, Therapists, and more as they provide candid advice on what to really expect. This dinner is designed to answer your most pressing questions about having a baby! Register here. Even better, use the code CYBERMONDAY2012 for 10% off tickets on 10.26.12

Chicago
Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 6:30-8:30pm:
EXPECTANT COUPLES DINNER
Baby Gear Safety with our Resident Experts, The Safety Squad. Register here.

Twin Cities
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 from 6:30 PM
Birth Centers, Midwives and Doulas… OH MY!
Join Bump Club and Beyond for an evening learning about Birth Centers, Midwives, Doulas(birth and postpartum), and the transition in to parenthood! Register here.

By Laura Gradman, Chicago Pre-School Pro, BCB’s Resident Pre-School Expert

QUESTION:  I have heard a lot of talk at the park from other moms about certain nursery schools “feeding” into elementary schools.  As a first-time mom, I have no idea what this means.  Can you please fill me in?

LAURA’S ANSWER:  I call it “the feeder school question”.  So many of the families with whom I work on preschool admissions ask if feeder schools exist.  I try to respond with some food for thought.  If feeder schools do exist, what does that mean for the school admissions process?  When we label a school “a feeder school”, are we implying that by attending a specific preschool we are guaranteed a spot at a certain elementary school?  The short answer is no.  There is much more to it than that.

If you ask me, the term “feeder school” carries with it a lot of implications.  By definition, a feeder school is a school from which students are selected to attend another school.  For example, if an elementary school feeds directly into a middle school, all of its students transition, or have the opportunity to transition, from one to the other.  When we put it into the context of schools to which we have to apply, this indicates that students are selected to attend elementary schools solely based on where they attended preschool.  It certainly sounds easier than tours, applications, interviews and play parties.  It also implies that all of these things are meaningless.

So where does the term come from?  Let’s face it-the admissions process is tough.  Many of the best schools in the city get over 200 applications for fewer than 50 spots.  As parents, we look for ways to improve our chances of being in that lucky 50 (or less).  Hearing that attending a certain preschool may improve our chances of getting into a specific elementary school gives us hope that we are doing everything possible to get that coveted spot.  Truth be told, among other things, admissions directors are looking for diversity in every sense of the word—including the preschools from which their students come.  If you choose a preschool based on what is best for your child, a preschool that has a solid mission statement, dedicated teachers and an active parent community, you are taking a positive step towards landing them in the right elementary school.

To refer to a school as a feeder school takes away from the integrity of both the schools and the families in attendance.  Are there trends as far as families moving between schools?  Of course.  For many reasons.  Does this make them feeder schools?  No.  There is much more to it than that.

Laura Gradman is the Chicago Pre-School Pro and Bump Club and Beyond’s Resident Pre-School Expert.  She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with ten years of experience as an educational consultant, guidance counselor and teacher.  Upon graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she promptly started working as a middle school teacher. While she loved her work, Laura never lost her passion for learning. This enthusiasm led her to pursue a Masters of Education in Human Services and Counseling, and subsequently her professional counseling license (LPC). Laura went on to become a guidance counselor for the Academic Center at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, one of Chicago’s most elite high schools. As the only counselor in this gifted program, Laura was responsible for guiding 80 eighth grade students through the high school admissions process annually. This included reviewing applications, keeping track of dates, providing verbal and written reminders, writing letters of recommendation, communicating with parents and following up with various schools regarding application status. Students graduated from the Academic Center and went on to such schools as Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Northside College Preparatory High School, The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Now, as a mom of two raising her kids in the city of Chicago, Laura has once again become immersed in the process. Personal experience, combined with countless conversations with other parents about navigating the often-overwhelming task of finding the right school, led to the creation of Chicago Preschool Pro.

Our Resident Experts will each be answering a minimum of one question per month on the BCBlog.  Please feel free to visit our BCBest Products & Advice pages to learn more about our Resident Experts, their credentials, and to ask them for their advice.

Okay so technically our birthday month is over at BCB Austin, but we would be remiss to wrap things up without sharing the very best go-to gifts for kids four years and older thanks to our friends at Brilliant Sky Toys and Books.

Top picks for 4+ year olds:

 1) Red Toolbox Junior Candy Maze Kit

This Red Toolbox, Junior project, Candy Maze, is for the youngest children and works best with a high level of parental support. Skills required include assembly, gluing, hammering and filing. Painting and decorating is optional and the crafts to be built are toys that would appeal to younger children. Crank the handle to dispense the candy. Red Toolbox is a new, groundbreaking concept in the world of DIY, offering parents and kids the opportunity to spend valuable time together while learning new skills.

$13.99

 2) Learning Resources Primary Lab Set

These real science tools are perfectly sized for little hands! Put this powerful assortment of resources right to work with the accompanying selection of hands–on science activity cards. Provides accurate measurement markings to support rigorous investigations
Encourages inquiry with 10 double–sided Activity Cards that reinforce science process skills, living and nonliving things, physical science, senses and more.  Includes durable, unbreakable beaker, magnifying glass, funnel, eyedropper, flask, tweezers, goggles, large 6″ test tube and stand, 2 small test tubes with lids and stand, plus an Activity Guide

$30.99

3) Ogo Sport

Encourage active play and exercise with the Ogo Sport! Age ranges span from young children ages 4+ to grandparents. Ogo is a flying disc that catches and throws balls up to 150′. Adapts to many sports such as volleyball, baseball, and tennis, floats on water, and is even awesome with water balloons. Unlimited possibilities for inventive, active play.  Ogo allows for open-ended exploration and experimentation, opportunities for both indoor and outdoor play, and benefits for therapy and children with special needs.

$30.99

Looking for gifts for younger kiddos?  Check out our features on gifts for 6-12 month olds, 1 year olds, 2 year olds, and 3 year olds.  Be sure to pin these pages so you’re prepared for your next party!

Visit our friends at Brilliant Sky at The Village at Westlake (360 and Bee Caves Road) (512) 347-TOYS.  Sanity saving tip:  The Brilliant Sky crew is famous in my mama circle for taking child preference info over the phone and greeting time-crunched mamas curb side with the perfect gift-wrapped present! 

Late pregnancy and early infancy are filled with big gear purchases, but once the nursery is stocked and furnished and you’re ready to stroll in style you get a brief reprieve from the big item research and purchases… until it’s time for the high chair.

Being the Stokke nursery fans that we are in our home, we decided to continue the functional, minimalist design trend and purchase a Tripp Trapp for Baby N.  I could say an endless number of wonderful things about that decision, but I don’t really even have to- you can read all about how much our BCB members LOVE their Tripp Trapps in our member submitted reviews of the product right here.  Stokke’s products have a definitive theme of bringing baby into the conversation and activity with the rest of the family- and Baby N was more than excited to become an integrated part of our family dining culture by eating at the actual table with us!

There was only one drawback- N got so used to being an equal member of the activity at each meal that any time we dined elsewhere and she had to sit removed from the table or in a boxy, unsupportive restaurant chair she was noticeably irritated and less fabulously behaved (Take away a five point harness, and it’s crazy what a little one thinks she can get away with!).  Too bad the Tripp Trapp can’t travel!  Or can it?

The Handy Sitt ($104.99) is Stokke’s latest addition to their dining solutions for your little one- it’s essentially a portable (and more moderately priced) version on the Tripp Trapp seat that can be attached to chairs with backs.  With the Handy Sitt, N is able to join the family directly at the table- regardless of where we are.

I particularly love that even if the table and chairs are a non standard height, N is able to sit comfortably and stably in a chair with her Handy Sitt- and anyone who has ever tried to enjoy a meal at a restaurant that stocked highchairs that were too low for their corresponding tables knows that this is a HUGE help in preventing an aggravated, hungry toddler meltdown.

We took ours with us to Breckenridge recently (it folds up very compactly and fit neatly in my suitcase) and enjoyed the option of leisurely alfresco dining without having to worry if there would be an appropriate seat for N.  It was also a far better highchair solution then having to rent a highchair for use at vacation lodging or friends’ homes.  The Handy Sitt is also a lifesaver when we visit my parents who purchased a highchair that N simply abhors.

Stokke offers an additional set of feet ($24.99) that can be purchased separately to create a freestanding chair for use directly on the floor- the ability to convert products based on your growing and changing needs is one of the things I love most about the brand!  A travel bag ($44.99), seat cushions, and a wall mounted hanging rail ($59.99).  I can see the hanging rail making a fabulous addition for nanny share families who might not want a second highchair in their living or dining space at all times.

I LOVE: Once again, Stokke Has completely executed and delivered a high design, minimalist product that is both comfortable and comforting for the user!   At a price point sitting just above $100, it allows even the cost conscious family to partake in the geniusness that is Stokke design.  It will transition swimmingly to use as a booster as well.

I WISH: I would love to see the travel bag as a standard accessory or at least the option to purchase the bag and seat together as a package- this would certainly help out with baby registries when no one really wants to get you “just” a travel bag for a seat even though it’s something very useful.  Even though it is easy to transport with out the bag, I can see how it would be a great addition when you hands are filled with baby, diaper bag, and the rest of life.

COST: $104.99

Our minds are all on dress up as Halloween approaches, but our friends at Brilliant Sky have your little fairies and super heroes covered year round!

Halloween is right around the corner… which means the holiday season is ramping up!  To add just a little more merry to the festivities, Bump Club and Beyond is continuing to celebrate its first birthday along with the birth of it’s new sister city in Twin Cities.  We’re also helping you celebrate the birthday’s of your special pint sized buddies in style by featuring the most coveted birthday gifts on the market.  Thanks to experienced mama Maya Pomroy at brilliant Sky Toys and Books, we have suggestions to help you freshen up your gift giving stash with toys that are developmentally appropriate and will stand the test of time.  (Don’t blame us if all of a sudden you’re on every party guest list!)

This week, Maya shares her go to gifts for 3-4 years:

1) EDTOY Bulldozer

The Magnamobile Bulldozer from EDTOY is no snooze: this sleek, innovative little ‘dozer for kids has tons of play value. Not only is it a rolling toy bulldozer with a working bucket that can be raised and lowered, but it also can be taken apart and reconfigured! Magnamobiles feature “rotating magnet technology” which enables the pieces to connect with enough stability to result in a working vehicle that can roll, carry, or dig, but makes the pieces easy enough to detach that a preschooler can handle the task.

$25.99

2) Honey Bee Tree Game

Players choose their numbered flower trays and then pull leaves out of the honey tree, being careful not to wake the sleeping bees! If you pull out the wrong leaf, the bees come tumbling out. Try to “bee” the winner by having the least amount of bees in your flower tray!

$20.99

3) Reversible Spiderman Batman Cape and Hood

Your superhero will be doubly thrilled with this reversible cape! Red spider print and satin with black panne spiders is on one side of cape. Black satin with bat logo on opposite side of cape. Matching hood available too.

$30.99 Cape

$10.99 Hood

Visit Maya and her sensational staff at The Village at Westlake (360 and Bee Caves Road) (512) 347-TOYS.  Sanity saving tip:  The Brilliant Sky crew is famous in my mama circle for taking child preference info over the phone and greeting time-crunched mamas curb side with the perfect gift-wrapped present! 

For nearly a decade after college,  I worked in publishing, advertising , marketing and business.  My two degrees are in communications and marketing and have been the credentials I have used to build the community that is now Bump Club and Beyond.  BCB remains dedicated to connecting you with the BEST information, the BEST Resources, the BEST product knowledge and the BEST expert advice WHILE connecting you with each other.

Since becoming a mom it seems that everywhere I turn someone else wants to offer me (and all of you) his or her advice and “expert” opinion on everything.  Whether it’s your own mother, in-laws, friends, or simply people professing to be an “expert” at something—everyone seems to know how to raise my child better than me.  I have said it for two years and I will continue to say it now.  Your best is good enough.  There are an infinite number of “right ways,” and what works for you and your family is the right way for you.

While I may be a mom, and one who has made a career and built a business out of this role in my life, I have never professed to being an “expert” at anything that is clearly out of my realm of expertise.   I may share my favorite products and gear on TV regularly, but when it comes to the truly important topics of parenting, I turn to the BCB Resident Expert Team.  For example, when someone asks me a question about what to feed their baby or Toddler J’s picky eating I always begin with: “Our Resident Nutrition Expert, Lara Field, has said…” If I can, I simply go on to answer their questions with something I have heard in one of Lara’s many sessions.  If I can’t, I refer them to her, her website or to one of our sessions with her at the helm.  Lara is the one that can offer this advice with the facts and proper information to back up what she is saying. She has the letters MS, RD, CSP, LDN, following her name indicating that she is qualified to answer these questions with professional knowledge.  I do not.

I too am learning as I go, just like many of you.   You won’t find me giving nutrition advice, or explaining why you should discipline your child a certain way, or telling you how to put your baby to sleep.  I can tell you what worked for me, but keep in mind, that may not be what is best for you.  For all of the hot topics at Bump Club and Beyond relevant to parenthood, we search our cities and across the country to find the best experts with the credentials to prove it.   I wouldn’t settle for anything less for myself and don’t expect you to either.

While I may weigh in on topics or “what I did” when asked, I am not the one with the many degrees which constitute the title of Registered Dietician, Social Worker, or PhD.  I did not spend eight years in school to become a Doctor or a Labor and Delivery Nurse.  I am the first to admit it and to call in the reinforcements when it comes to giving YOU, our dedicated and trusting audience, the best advice, opinions, resources and expert knowledge as possible.  While there are often many ways to do something, Bump Club will do our best to present as many options and sides to the story as possible.  But please know that we will do so with our experts who have the authority and qualifications to be offering you the information you are looking for.

While I think that we can all learn a lot from our own stories, support, and missteps as moms, when it comes to attending seminars and events to hear the facts which we use to make decisions about how to raise your child, I fully believe that you need to take a minute and look at where this information is coming from.  Ask yourself—what kind of training does this person have?  Do they have the degrees necessary to be offering me this advice?  What is their background? Like I said, sharing information with one another helps, but the letters MOM following someone’s name does not always make them qualified to answer some of the questions that you may have. Your time is valuable and I want you to get the best information in the time you spend with us, which is why we work with the BEST experts across their respected fields.

Having the right information at your fingertips is incredibly important.  I know that you can’t always make it to every BCB event and that many of you who follow us live out of town.  I also know that sometimes our events may not come at the time when you specifically need them most.  For this reason, BCB is instituting a new ASK THE EXPERT column on our new website and the BCBlog.  You can click on ANY of the subjects on our BCBest Products & Advice pages.  At the top of the page will be the BCB Resident Expert related to that topic with a biography of their background and qualifications.  There will also be a large pink box that reads “ASK THE EXPERT ON THE BCBlog.”  You can click here to send in an email question on that specific topic for that expert.

Starting at once a month, our BCB Resident Experts will be taking consolidated questions that we think our audience will benefit from most and answering them on the BCBlog.  For the tough questions, these experts will be Registered Dieticians, Peditricians, OBGYNs, Mental Health Counselors, Certified Gottman Educators, IBCLCs, Child Passenger Safety Technicians, Registered Nurses, and other qualified educators and experts from Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Austin, TX and across the country.

We hope that this is a way for you to get to know the BCB Resident Experts better and for you to continue to get the best information for your life as a mom—even when a BCB event isn’t on the calendar for you. Thanks for having our back and know that our team, including our Resident Experts, will always have yours.

We love a good party at Bump Club and Beyond… and we know that you do too!  But with the crazy party calendar our teeny socialites keep we are guessing that you’ve been to more Big Red Barn themed parties in the past six months than you ever thought possible… AND chances are your friends have all caught on to the fact that you’re the one who gives everyone an Eric Carle anthology by default.  Great books no doubt, but it’s time to shake things up.  Thanks to experienced mama Maya Pomroy at Brilliant Sky Toys and Books, we have suggestions to help you freshen up your gift giving stash with toys that are developmentally appropriate and will stand the test of time.  (Don’t blame us if all of a sudden you’re on every party guest list!)

This week, Maya shares her go to gifts for 2-3 years:

1) Sidney the School Bus

Shape sorting fun to help early years development. Sort the six packages by shape and colour, then retrieve them using the ‘magic’ WOW button. Load-up Sidney and play the role of bus driver. Safe for babies of 12 months and up. Introduces many features of the WOW World range at this early stage to stimulate learning and long-lasting developmental fun.

$32.99

2) Hoops for The Tub

Little squirts will have a ball in the bath with a basketball net and 3 squirting balls! The suction cup rim with mesh net mounts easily to smooth surfaces for endless tub fun.

$12.99

3) Munch It! Fix It! Sets

—The most familiar foods to toddlers. Invite early dramatic play, build vocabulary, model meal-time routines and more with soft, durable plastic foods. Toddler (ages 2+). Set of 21.

–Big fix-it fun for the smallest fixer uppers. Encourage early imaginative play with chunky tools made from durable, soft plastic. Includes saw, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, drill (with sound) and tool box.

$24.99Did you miss our feature on gifts for 6-12 months or 12-24 months?  Be sure to check them out and bookmark them for future reference!

Visit Maya and her sensational staff at The Village at Westlake (360 and Bee Caves Road) (512) 347-TOYS.  Sanity saving tip:  The Brilliant Sky crew is famous in my mama circle for taking child preference info over the phone and greeting time-crunched mamas curb side with the perfect gift-wrapped present! 

From the moment you get pregnant, the development of your baby is measured in milestones. 8 weeks pregnant? Your chance of miscarriage reduces dramatically and you should hear a heartbeat. 12 weeks? First big sonogram. 20 weeks? Anatomy sonogram and you’re half way through. 28 weeks? Lungs are developed and baby would most likely survive a premature birth. 37 weeks? Clinically full term. The hope is that you glide through each milestone without any big news and around 40 weeks your perfect baby enters the world.

The milestones start over when the baby arrives. After a long pregnancy we are familiar with the milestone routine, so it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Wrong. The difference is that these baby milestones are combined with mommy guilt and comparison to our peers. Didn’t quite get back to birth weight at 2 weeks? Didn’t smile at 6 weeks? Not sitting up at 6 months? The list continues with eating solids, crawling, walking, talking, etc. All of the experts attach the appropriate timeframe for each milestone, and if your baby misses this given window, we start to worry. Is there something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Most likely the answer is NO! Each baby is different and has his or her own schedule.

Like most first time moms, I anxiously awaited each milestone timing and copiously tracked when my son met each one. We had a rocky start. Breastfeeding was not working, and he was losing too much weight in the first week. Fortunately, a quick call to my lactation consultant eased my concerns and got us back on track; we simply needed to supplement with formula.

The early weight issues were nothing compared to the crawling and walking milestones for my son. According to the experts, he had surpassed the normal timeframe for those accomplishments, and it required action. Let me explain. My son was breach for the last several weeks in utero, with his head jammed between ribs. At about 2-months-old his doctor noticed that his head was slightly misshapen, so we were referred to a cranial specialist. He was soon fitted with a cranial band (baby helmet), which he wore for 10 weeks and now has a beautifully shaped head. These 10 weeks were in months 5-7, or in milestone terminology, prime tummy time phase. We did as much tummy time as we could, but when you’re a baby with a helmet strapped to your head, it’s not that much fun and very hard.

I thought when the helmet came off he would quickly catch up to his baby peers. Rolling over would happen immediately and he would take off crawling soon. Instead he took his time. He took the time he needed to build his core muscles and coordination, and finally took off crawling just shy of 11 months. I found myself going into a long explanation with every mom I met about why he wasn’t crawling. In retrospect, all of the explaining was really for me, trying to convince myself that his delayed milestone had a reason, that he was okay. I’m pretty sure I was the only one needing the convincing, the milestone pressure was getting to me.

Now my son is 17-months-old, and he started walking about two weeks ago. You guessed it, way past the normal 9-15 month timeframe. Fortunately I’ve mellowed in my milestone tracking. Waiting to walk made sense – he needed a few months of crawling time and since he’s not the most daring baby, he waited to walk until he was confident and ready.

It took me almost a year and a half to learn that the milestone calendar serves an important roll to gauge our babies’ development, but it shouldn’t be taken so literally. Most babies will meet each milestone, in their own way and on their own schedule. Next up? Talking. For now, I’m going to let him walk and babble to his heart’s content.

If you’ve somehow missed it, October is a month of celebration for BCB.  (Seriously… if you’ve really missed it, check out all three BCB facebook pages- Austin, Chicago, and Twin Cities- and make sure you are signed up to receive your city’s newsletter.  You DO NOT want to miss all that is going on!)  Thanks to Maya Pomroy- mompreneur and gift giving genius- at Brilliant Sky Toys and Books, we are sharing some of the very best toys and gifts for each developmental age group.

This week, Maya shares her go to gifts for 12-24 Months:

1) Pewi Y-Bike Walker

Baby N proved the Y-Bike is totally irresistible to 18 month olds. It was impossible to snap a photo of it without her enjoying a ride!

Pewi is a new innovative “Walking Buddy/Ride-on for the toddler market”. Beginning as young as 9 months Pewi is the coolest, sleekest walker around. However, unlike traditional Walkers on the market where the child is typically sitting in the walker the Pewi actually enhances body and space awareness. In a traditional walker a child does not learn to fall as he or she typically just sits or hangs in the unit. With the Pewi the Child stands freely in front of Pewi using it only as an aid.

This item comes in three colors: Pink, Blue or Red.

$69.99

2) Caterpillar Gears Toy by Melissa & Doug

Turn the gears slowly and watch each interlocking segment move the next, or see how fast your child can make the caterpillar “crawl” on the wooden base. This rainbow-colored gear toy is hands-on fun at any speed! With their bulky, notched shape, the colorful gears are easy for children to fit onto the color-coordinated pegs . . . then rotate, remove and rearrange. Toddlers will be fascinated by the colors and movement of this charming toy.

$9.99

3) Funtime Tractor

The Funtime Tractor features 5 animal friends that stand in the trailer and make animal sounds when placed in their appropriate spots. Press the funnel to hear realistic engine sounds and then the tractor rolls along for 10 seconds! Push the driver to hear a fun melody, and you can also push the steering wheel to hear a horn sound. This small toy for kids is not only fun, but it is also a learning tool for them to teach themselves about different shapes and sounds.

$39.99

Did you miss our feature on gifts for 6-12 months?  Check it out here.

Visit Maya and her sensational staff at The Village at Westlake (360 and Bee Caves Road) (512) 347-TOYS.  Sanity saving tip:  The Brilliant Sky crew is famous in my mama circle for taking child preference info over the phone and greeting time-crunched mamas curb side with the perfect gift-wrapped present! 

One good luck kiss and then it’s go time! (Photo courtesy of Bumps to Babies Photography)

In a few days I’m doing something big.  Something that’s not about me at all yet is simultaneously wholly about me.  I’ve planned for it, worked for it, and compulsively prepared for it.  I’ve read books and blogs about how to best prepare myself for my big day.  I’ve changed the way I eat and adjusted my fitness routine.  I’ve commiserated with other women in my position on rough days, and I’ve consulted my virtual support network in the dead of night when I have a weird unexplained pain or craving.  I have family coming in town to help with N so she is well cared for during the excitement.  And I’ve talked obsessively about this moment and the experience I’ve had leading up to it with every poor person who has sat still long enough for me to burden them with my unbridled, nervous excitement.

We’re all moms or moms-to-be here, so you totally get where I’m going with this, right?

In two days I’m leaving to tackle the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon.

Wait… what?

Sounded eerily familiar, didn’t it?

As first time moms or moms-to-be, we embarked on a journey that was life altering and life strengthening.  We made ourselves better as we endeavored to make the world a better place for our budding little ones.  We learned about sacrifice, we learned about life, and we learned about facilitating growth and change.  And we have the power to continue forward all of our days with the same strength and fervor born in us the moment we felt the stirring of connection to the tiny being we prepared to greet with unbridled, nervous excitement.

Photo courtesy of Bumps to Babies Photography

We have learned a lesson in motherhood that more than half of the population will never have the benefit of learning from experience, but it doesn’t stop there.  We now have the power of applying those same lessons and the same inexpressible joy over to any number of goals we want to achieve.  We have the secret benefit of being unstoppable as soon as we allow ourselves to find our stride and settle into our correct pace.

We only get so many miles in life- it’s what we do with them that counts

In my own personal life, running has given that to me.  It’s helped me recapture all of the good intentions that I incubated for 40 weeks as I awaited my transition to motherhood.  It’s helped me get out of my head on early morning training runs after late sleepless nights and arrive home ready to care for my family invigorated.  It’s helped me to set goals that are solely mine yet far greater than me alone.  And it’s helped me give birth to the happier, healthier, more purpose-driven mama that was inside of me.

We all have it in us.  There is something we are passionate about outside of our mama personas.  We just have to allow ourselves to grasp ahold of it amidst the happy chaos of our daily lives and not lose sight of it once we have it.  And we have to give ourselves permission to pursue and achieve our goals.

Photo courtesy of Kerry Gray Photography

Remember, we’ve given birth to beautiful babies- introduced a new life into this world.  In all other things we can unquestionably continue to be victorious.