I'm 22. Soon to be divorced from her douchebag father who would have preferred a baby boy. So that will make me married at 20, a mother at 21, and (hopefully) divorced at 22. He's deployed right now so we have to wait until he gets back to start everything.



Born and raised a coonass.   And damn proud of it.


Layla Wendy made her entrance a day early, on February 5, 2009.Her middle name is my mom's first name. She passed away in 2004. I was in labor for 28 hours and pushed for 1 1/2 hours. It was all worth it though.I love my Bebe more thanI thoughtI would, to be perfectly honest.

If I don't get remarried by the time I'm 30,Layla Bug will be it for me. I don't really want anymore kids anyway. She's practically perfect so I know no other child can compare. Just kidding...(Kind of...)Everyday brings something new for us and I'm learning to roll with the punches (sorry about the cliche).

About my parenting philosophy:
-I don't plan on spanking Layla. I was spanked when I was younger and, while it didn't affect me badly, I made the decision not to spank her. I think it's unnecessary and useless.
-I don't use the word "no" unless she's doing something that can potentially harm her. Overusing "no" can make it less effective overtime. Instead, when she's doing something like grabbing my glasses off of my face, I'll just tell her, "Not for babies." It may sound silly saying that to an infant, but I've dealt with kids who don't understand that no means no. I want her to understand that when I say no, it's really something she's not supposed to do.
-I encourage independent play. Babies don't need constant stimulation. I think she gets sick of me most of the time now and she plays better on her own.
-Layla doesn't watch TV (other than music videos in the mornings). I've tried a couple of times, but she's just not interested. So I decided that she's not going to watch it at all. She gets more than enough entertainment from me.
UPDATE - I went 9 months with NO TV and I've broken down. She's watches about 30 minutes of Sprout before bed. She loves it and it makes her happy, so I can't say no. I am proud I've gone this long.
-I strongly support crying-it-out. Only after your baby has slept through the night though. She slept through the night at 2 months and at 3 months we began CIO only at bedtime. Now, she goes down without a peep at night. And sleeps from 7 pm - 6 am every night. Babies need sleep and so does Mommy. It makes me a better mother when I can give her all of my energy and not worry about being exhausted.
-I hate baby talk. I've spoken to her like I would speak to anyone else since the day she was born. I might use a different voice when I talk to her, but I don't make up words.

-I do formula-feed, but I support attempting to breastfeed. Sometimes it just doesn't work out and that doesn't make me any less of a mother than if I was still breastfeeding.
-We do not co-sleep. I did until she was 6 weeks old, then it was crib time. It's not that I'm against it; it's just not for me. I don't want to have a 6 year old in my bed down the road. No thank you.
-I didn't start solids until she was 5 1/2 months old. I didn't think she needed it and my pediatrician told me it was probably better to wait.
-Layla will ride rear-facing for as long as humanly possible. I'm in the process of looking for a new RF carseat because I think she's almost to the weight limit on the Snug-Ride.
--I'm sure I'll add more later.









Layla Wendy
Born February 5, 2009 at 4:34 p.m.
8 lbs 1 oz.
20 inches.

My lovely neice Spencer and her brother Brody, with little Layla.




My mom committed suicide on February 23, 2004. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.

Haha I know what you mean. I can't believe how easy I can juggle her around now!
When she was first born I was always so scared I was going to drop her or something. Now she just fits me it seems like   Awww, a first birthday! I bet you're excited. Pretty soon she'll be asking for the car and dating