It's tough being a grown-up

I finally owned my baby dead to rights when he was about 8 months old.

Babies a lot like animals

Back in the pre-baby days, any time my husband and I dealt with a pet catastrophe, I'd say by rote, "How will we ever take care of a baby?" and my husband would answer, "Babies aren't animals!"

Pregnancy can create emotional meltdown

Even in our toughest moments, pregnancy has the mysterious power of turning us into mush.

College shopping is under way

Polka-dot hair dryers, hot pink plastic storage bins, dry-erase boards, extra-long twin sheets and compact refrigerators: This year the back-to-school ads started popping up by mid-July. They take me back to a time not so long ago when, armed with high school graduation gifts of checks and cash, I first set out to furnish a college dorm room.

It takes time to become a mom

"What do you do?" a lady asked last spring while I was pregnant. "I work at a newspaper," I said. "No, no. I said WHEN are you DUE?" she replied.

Facebook has gone overboard

There's a new sensation that's overtaking the Web and changing the way people interact, and, no, I don't mean Facebook.

Swim diapers put to the test

I had scoured all the stores for the perfect one. I wanted plastic, not inflatable, and not too big and round, and of course, purple wouldn't do. It'd have to be blue.

Graduates still babies to doting parents

The SATs have all been scored. The college decisions are made. Prom gowns are back in the closet, and the caps have all been tossed.

Mental slip can lead to tragedy

On a recent day, I went to the Pulitzer website to read the 2010 winning feature, announced in May. When the subtitle of the article was "Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake. But is it a crime?" I just kept on reading.

Dessert with dad a special memory

He'd order coffee, and I'd get milk. We'd both go all-in and order Hot Fudge Cake.