I'm Mom Enough.

Yes. Yes I am.

By now, everyone has seen the controversial TIME Magazine cover of the woman "breastfeeding" her three-year-old son. It's struck a chord with mom and non-mothers alike... "mom enough?" What does that even mean? And why does it have to involve breastfeeding a three--year-old who looks older than he is?

Even within my own social circles it has become a topic of debate. Does attachment parenting work? Should there be a line drawn when a child is at a certain age? And who makes these decisions best?

I think that's where TIME got it all wrong... any mother who's a mother is "mom enough."

The time, effort, and energy it takes to raise a child doesn't need justification. Yes, I breastfed my own daughter, but between going back to work and her own self-weening we were done at 7 months. Do I feel like I failed her because we didn't keep it up until she was older? Absolutely not. I had even said if we were lucky enough to get through a year, I was going to ween her myself the moment she could ask to eat. There are boundaries, and a child asking to suck from my boob is one of them.

Am I judged as a mother because I allowed her to sleep in her own crib starting at 3 months old rather than co-sleeping in our bed? Was it cruel of me to leave her alone at night so I could sleep peacefully knowing that I wouldn't be in fear of rolling on top of her in the middle of the night? Sure there were late nights when she was little where I would bring her in with me after a feeding and allow her to sleep on my chest until she was hungry again, but I can tell you for a fact regardless of how comfortable she was, my sense were attuned to every move she made... the slightest movement and I was awake to make sure she hadn't somehow fallen away from me. No, that was no way for me to rest.

Am I less of a mom because I chose to use disposable diapers on my daughter rather than cloth diapers? Before my daughter was born, my husband and I compared costs, not only the initial start-up, but the cost to maintain our decision. For the amount it would cost us to purchase cloth diapers - the shells, inserts, detergent - not to mention the extra water and time it would take to keep everything sanitary, it just wasn't comparable having to buy boxes of disposables. We were able to price out boxes of disposables to fit our needs and budget (and for anyone wondering, Amazon Mom is a godsend). Not to mention most daycare centers won't even take a child in cloth diapers, so at that point you're going to have to buy disposables anyway!

But why stop there?

Am I demoted as a mother because I wasn't a fan of wearing my child? Because I found a Moby Wrap too confusing and time consuming? For not giving her organic or all-natural foods only? Because I feed her chicken nuggets? Because I chose to buy standard Graco strollers and pack-n-plays rather than expensive high-end brand names? For using Johnson products? Hell, am I damned because I have had to bring her to a daycare so that I could work to ensure she was cared for??

Deep breaths...

Another article began circulating around the time this TIME cover surfaced, and I thought it was very well written and really hit home, not only to me, but to a lot of other moms I know. It's a blog post from Boston.com titled Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wishlist and I suggest any of you who haven't read it yet to please do so. Trust me, it will ease any doubts you may ever have about being "mom enough."

We ARE mom enough, my friends. Don't ever let anyone try to convince you otherwise.

Hi, my name is...

There's been a lot of talk lately regarding baby names now that the 2011 SSA list has finally been release.

Samantha is still out of the top 10 just as it has been for the last 5 years, sitting happily at 17.

Did we pick our daughter's name knowing this? You bet your right eye we did.

Other than the name itself, the one thing we did agree on was that it could not currently be within the top 10 of popular baby names.

If you're wondering, in 2010 within Massachusetts alone, Samantha was at 19. It hasn't changed in 2011.

We did good.

Top Ten Toddler Milestones

With Samma a week past the 20-month mark, I felt as if I needed to address this post I began writing some months back.

As a mom, I subscribe to various motherly emails, and I tend to get bombarded with so many that they're usually just archived with the thought that there's nothing in there I don't already know. On occasion, however, I do come across a few articles that catch my attention, and it's just because of one of those articles that you lovely readers get to deal with me now!

While I was pregnant, What To Expect... was my go-to book, so it was only natural that I signed up for their email bombs, and that's where I came across Toddler Milestones: Your One-Year-Old's Biggest Achievements. The article poses the question "So what can you expect in the next 12 to 24 months?" and covers ten milestones that your child is likely to cover with leaps and bounds.

So here you go -- the top 10 toddler milestones, by when they should be occurring, why they're so important, and my own personal commentary about Samantha's status and growth. Enjoy!


Top Ten Toddler Milestones
Milestone #1: Clap hands -- 12 to 13 months
The ability to bring his two hands together means that your one-year-old is developing eye-hand coordination and fine-motor skills — both of which will eventually allow him to do things like catch a ball and hold a crayon.

I want to say Samma was doing this well before she was a year old, if only one clap. We would play patty-cake all the time, and maybe more towards a year, whenever we say "YAY!" she would always clap her hands.

Milestone #2: Take a few steps -- 14 to 15 months
When it comes to one-year-old milestones, first steps are a biggie: Your baby’s graduated into toddlerhood. And once your wee one is walking, he’ll be on the road to all sorts of physical fun, from running to jumping to climbing stairs all by himself.

Samma's first steps were taken just before her 1st birthday, and she was starting to move well enough on her own that same week. It happened really fast, and sometimes I long for the days when she was immobile on the floor trying to play with her toys. Sometimes.

Milestone #3: Drink from a (non-sippy) cup -- 16 to 17 months
The ability to drink from a real cup, versus a spouted one, means that your toddler is gaining mastery over his mouth muscles — and his fine-motor skills and coordination. Cheers to that!

This one we still need to work on... she handles a sippy-cup no problem, and we've even moved on to the harder mouthed ones, and with assistance she can take sips out of our cups or bottles if we're holding them, but at this point, no, she cannot drink from a cup on her own without spilling it all over her. I have made an effort to correct this, as I did purchase a training cup for her to use... I think we may have only brought it out once so far, though..

Milestone #4: Laugh at funny things -- 17 to 18 months
No doubt your child has been laughing along with you for months, but now that he understands the world a bit better, he’s more likely to yuk it up at things he finds funny.

I feel as if Sam was right on track with this one - I don't remember exact what it was that set her off, but there was just one day where she felt as though she was the funniest thing ever and wouldn't stop laughing at herself and what she was doing. Now she knows she's a goofball and it's so hard to reel her in sometimes!

Milestone #5: Say 10 words -- 17 to 18 months
One word was exciting (especially since the first one was probably “Mama” or “Dada”), a handful of words was nice, but ten words? Now we’re talking! Because children’s vocabularies increase exponentially, once a child has a solid ten or so words, he’ll be stringing together sentences before you know it.

I was able to cross this one off Samma's list at her 18-month appointment. The doctor had asked me and I think I counted in my head the number of words she could say, and it was either right at or exceeded ten... needless to say, at this point there's no keeping her quiet, and it amazes me the conversation and communication abilities she and I now have.

Milestone #6: Imitate behaviors -- 18 to 20 months
When your one-year-old picks up your cell phone and pretends to chat, or offers his stuffed bunny a spoonful of cereal, you know that his understanding of how things work and are used is developing by leaps and bounds.

Miss Samantha has known how to use a "phone" since she was pick items up with her own two hands. I'm sure it doesn't help her seeing every one of us using our phones every day, but how else is she going to learn! Now, rather than mimicking what we do, she starts mimicking our actions... if I'm sitting on the couch cross-legged with my elbows on my knees, I can look over and see her doing (or at least trying) the same thing. It really makes me aware how much of a sponge she is becoming, and how everything I do truly does affect her growth and development.

Milestone #7: Dance -- 18 to 20 months
For starters, a toddler who can boogie is one of the cutest things you’ll ever see — definitely fodder for the Flip. But this particular one-year-old milestone also marks a child’s emerging sense of rhythm. His footwork will get fancier as the months go by — a sign that he’s gaining control over his body, building physical strength, and fine-tuning his large motor skills.

I think Samma has been able to boogey ever since she was able to pull herself up on the furniture. The Wiggles were also a big help. Nowadays between the arm-swaying and the hip-moving, this girl doesn't stop! Put a good beat on and she can cut a rug with the rest of them!

Milestone #8: Take off an article of clothing -- 20 to 22 months
If your tot has a motto, chances are it’s “Me do it!” The second (and third) year is all about growing independence, so when a little kid can do a task solo, it’s a major accomplishment. Plus, being able to undress himself takes one job off your plate.

Somewhere, I have a picture of Samma at 6 months old taking her shirt off... either that or it was just too big for her and it casually fell off while she was learning to roll over. Regardless, my daughter has been taking her clothes off for the last couple months -- sometimes I'm OK with this, sometimes it's in the middle of the mall and not all that appropriate. And I can't really put her in onesies anymore -- one time she tried taking her onesie off, her arms got stuck inside because she couldn't get it up over her head. Well, that'll teach her...

Milestone #9: Set simple goals -- 20 to 22 months
No one has to tell you that your toddler has a mind of his own. But the ability to decide what he wants to do and how to do it, and then to carry out his plans, is a huge leap in a child’s cognitive development. You may not always agree with your toddler’s intentions (like when he decides that the dining-room wall would make a perfect canvas for a self-portrait), but there’s no question such antics indicate a creative, resourceful mind in the making.

I don't think we've breached this one yet. I know she knows enough to pour water from one cup to another to make it full... the same with sand while at the beach. When she wants to go somewhere or do something, she WANTS to do it. But setting certain goals, such as setting out to draw a picture or cooling down a patch of hot sand, I don't think we're exactly at that point.

Milestone #10: Show awareness of your approval -- 22 to 24 months
There are a few reasons you’ll want to give this milestone a high-five. For starters, it shows that your toddler is beginning to develop empathy: He’s tuning into how others feel. It’s also a sign that he’s ready and able to start living with some limits.

Samma helps clean up when asked, and when she is doing something, even if she knows it's something she shouldn't be doing, she does often look to me to see my reaction. More often than not, I'm usually in the corner trying not to laugh when I'm supposed to be stern, so I think I have some learning still to do myself.

Samma and the Swan Boats

One of the best parts about living in Boston is the scenery and the perks that comes with is. For 130 years the Swan Boats have been peddling around the Boston Public Gardens, bringing joy to young and old. We had been talking about bringing Samma for about a year, but it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of for her first experience, but because of timing, schedules, and weather, we never got a chance to go until this past Sunday.

Since we weren't able to get together with the McCarthy clan for Mothers Day the weekend before, we took advantage of the awesome day and spent it in Boston with the ducks.

Samma's favorite part was throwing the bread to the ducks as they swam by... we even saw a few ducklings, which was wicked cute. And of course we couldn't walk away from this momentous occasion without buying Samma a t-shirt (and a stuffed duck) to commemorate it!

The next stop on our Boston Common adventure was towards the carousel by the Frog Pond. This isn't a permanent fixture, so it was fun to be able to take advantage of it while the weather was good and the lines weren't insane. Not to mention, despite the $3 ticket, Samma had a blast, and when it was done she was ready to do it again!

The only downer was we were so ready to move on from the ducks and start our walk towards the carousel that we didnt get a chance to take pictures on the world-famous Make Way For Duckling statues...

I mean, sure, they've been there since 1987... it's not going anywhere... but still!

The one last stop we were going to make on out Tour de Boston was the water fountain in the North End. We tackled this bad boy last year when Samma was just beginning to walk, so we thought it would be fun to let her run through them on her own... sadly, however, the City of Boston decided that the weekend before Memorial Day, regardless of how warm it was, was not the time to turn on the water fountains. Bummer.

Regardless, a great time was had by all, and as always, I look forward to our next Samma adventure. :)

Mothers Day 2012

I don't think I could have asked for a better Mothers Day. :)

It just worked out that it was Chris' morning to wake up with Samma, so I was able to "sleep in" until 9am... crazy, I know. We had some cuddle times while I opened my presents, and then we were on our way!

We began the day with a trip down to Plymouth, MA for breakfast at The Blueberry Muffin, a little breakfast place known for their homemade muffins and donuts. Being so small, they didn't take reservations, especially on a day like Mothers Day, but we arrived a little after 11am, waited for maybe 15 minutes, then were seated at a booth in the comfy little restaurant. Other than Samma being fussy towards the end and Chris taking her outside to walk around, breakfast was really delicious. And, being a mom, I received a white carnation on my way out the door!

From there we drove over to downtown Plymouth. Despite forgetting Samma's stroller and the strip being more desolate than I imagined, it was a nice day for a walk. If we have thought of it we should have driven one block down and walked along the waterfront while playing tourist around Plymouth Rock, but alas... I did, however, get a delicious iced Almond Joy Mocha from Kiskadee Coffee so it was worth it.

Later in the evening we had dinner with my family at Burtons in Hingham, which also happens to be one of our favorite places... at least it was. I don't know if it was the overbooking for Mother's Day, or if they were just losing their touch, but there were $50 worth of mistakes comped from our bill during this one sitting... it may be a while before we go back again.

End the Sunday evening with an episode of Game of Thrones, and I don't think I could have asked for anything more!