A few weeks ago, I looked in the mirror. I stood sideways sizing up my postpartum tummy, wondering if it might have miraculously flattened a bit overnight. My eyes drifted up to my nursing-padded boobs, mommy-muscle-arms, and then my shoulders. What the? When did my shoulders round forward so much? Didn't they used to be pulled back more, and didn't I stand up much straighter? The answer is yes, most definitely. Certainly, five months of cradled breastfeeding, 5-S's swinging, Skip Hop play-matting, hunched baby stepping, and gentle placement into and extraction from the Mamaroo, Rock n Play, and Jumperoo had taken its toll.

Thank you for this beautiful and delicious meal prepared somewhat by me (the easy sides), somewhat by Trader Joe's (cranberry sauce and gravy), and somewhat by Ralphs supermarket (the turkey).

With a new baby and very different life, there are several important things that I have done (and continue to do) to help my dogs feel like they are not forgotten or ignored.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that my birth plan was five pages long, single-spaced (bulleted that is; I wasn't that crazy!). What's ironic though was that shortly before writing it, I hadn't even known what a birth plan was, or why you would even want/need to write one.

Are you a new mom? When I was pregnant, I envisioned maternity leave as being the perfect time to catch up on random things that I never got around to on weekends: getting rid of mismatched coffee mugs, dumping out at least half of my husband's sock...

A few weeks ago, I looked in the mirror. I stood sideways sizing up my postpartum tummy, wondering if it might have miraculously flattened a bit overnight. My eyes drifted up to my nursing-padded boobs, mommy-muscle-arms, and then my shoulders. What the? When did my shoulders round forward so much? Didn't they used to be pulled back more, and didn't I stand up much straighter?

Since the birth of my son 5 months ago, I can admit that besides drinking water and going to the bathroom, there are very few things that I do routinely on a daily basis that don't involve his actual care (notice how I don't include showering, eating, brushing my teeth here!). The only other activity that easily makes the brutal cut is taking photos of my little one. No matter how busy I am, how many things I'm holding in my hands, chin, and armpit and neck, if my son decides he's going to giggle at me through that gummy mouth of his or stretch his arms overhead and sigh after a satisfying nap, I'm going to make a minute out of none and grab the camera for that priceless pict!

When people say that your life changes when you have a kid, boy oh boy do they mean it. For new moms like myself, this most certainly applies to something as simple as making a trip to the place-formerly-known-as my "happiest place on earth": The Mall. What used to be a spontaneous outing, beginning with simply grabbing my bag and running out the door, has transformed into an epic production that requires thoughtful planning and packing. I might as well be going away for a weekend: stocked diaper bag, stroller and wrap, paci, change of clothes, wipes; all for a 1-2 hour event perfectly coordinated with naptime. Yep, it's no longer a day-long getaway from my hubby and dogs involving endless shoe shopping and lengthy checking-and-rechecking-how-my-butt-looks-in-those-jeans fitting room sessions. Instead I'm rapidly sizing up the difference between 6-9 months and 9-12 months onesies.

I remember sorting through our baby shower gifts making a neat list of everything that we had received so that I could send out thank you cards. I had gotten everything I needed from hooded towels to plush, cuddly stuffed animals. I remember chuckling at one little onesie from the Apple store as I showed it to my tech-geek husband and read the words on the front "User Guide Not Included." Ha! Who would need instructions for a chubby-little-cutie-wootie-precious-little-angel-face? Here are some how to tips for after you've had your baby.