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To all the mothers, moms, mommies, mamas, mommas, grandmothers etc. Happy Mother’s Day!

To the mom that has lost your child too soon, Happy Mother’s Day!

To the mom that has adopted her child(ren), Happy Mother’s Day!

To the foster mom, Happy Mother’s Day!

To the aunt that is also a mom, Happy Mother’s Day!

To the grandmother that is also a mom, Happy Mother’s Day!

To the mom who is missing her own mom, Happy Mother's Day!

To the mom that is still yearning to bring a baby home, Happy…

May is Maternal Mental Health awareness month. At HappyWithBaby.com we know it isn't always easy being a parent. But with support, encouragement, and education things can be easier. We are so exciting to be collaborating with some excellent clinicians, sharing some amazing articles, that offer just those things.

Guest Blog by Bridget Bertrand, Psychotherapist, LMFT 83020

Emotions: the invisible and yet powerful experiences we all have. What is an emotion? Merriam-Webster calls it an “...af…

I distinctly remember being told (more times than I can count) that everything would change when I had a baby.

WHOA…they weren’t kidding!!!

I’ve gotten a lot of gifts from being a mom. And one of them is that I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I grow up. 

Don’t get me wrong I was already a therapist, and had wanted to be a therapist since as long as I could remember. 

But when I became a mother, I finally figured out what direction my practice would go. I finally figured out …

Being a parent takes us to a whole new level of busy, because now we are actually responsible for someone else’s life. 

I talk with parents all the time about how to best manage their schedules. In Part 1 of this 3 part series (3 parts as I post this, it could be more by the time I’m done with this), I discuss picking your priorities that will positively impact your family.

Take a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c62XhOX6-4k&w=640&h=480

(Transcript of video)

Hi, This is Catherine…

So things have been ca-RAY-zyyYY busy in my neck of the woods lately. Not all work stuff. It has also been what I call “birthday season” in our house.

Somehow I managed to have kids with birthdays 2 weeks apart, plus both my parent-in-laws, brother-in-law, and my own mother all have birthdays. It’s hard to keep up.

But it really had me thinking. (Actually, I think about this every year at this time and many times in between.) About all the things I’ve learned…and am learning since I had my…

Valentine’s Day is a chocolate candy, and florist’s dream day, but it’s really about the heart and the thought. It is making sure your loved one’s know you care and love them. If it takes a holiday to get you to stop, that is fine. However, it is MORE important to make sure that you take the time to tell your partner, your children, your parents, whoever it is, how you feel about them all year long!

Believe me I know how hard it is to make special time to do the “Valentines Day” things. So …

In this edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to increase your intimacy.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYyyWZ9gW5I&w=640&h=480

As parents of young children, it can be particularly challenging to find time to make that intimate connection with your partner. We would love to hear from you about what you and your partner do to make sure that your relationship stays strong. Please share in the comments below!

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In this edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to increase communication.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiNHhx9gkqY&w=640&h=480

We’d love to hear from you about your communication with your partner. Please share your great connection tips below.

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In this edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to cope with your in-laws.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TdibIyYdLQ&w=640&h=480

We would love to hear from you about what you do when you have particularly challenging family members, please share your great tips in the comments below.

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As I put away the last Thanksgiving decorations and start to hang the Christmas lights, my heart is very heavy. As I usually find the holidays a “wonderful time of year”, this year it is especially hard for many of my relatives and dear friends. 

It’s that thing called grief. In the last 2 weeks, I’ve had 4 deaths in “my inner circle.” Some were expected due to age, and some very unexpected. But I know it doesn’t matter if it was expected or not -- grief is grief. 

It. Is. Hard. 

Even if…

In this edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to create family traditions.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BODLnZ6Xhyw&w=640&h=480

Please share in the comments below what you are doing to create new family traditions.

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As promised, here’s Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” where we're talking about three ways to support Dad when baby comes home.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjl7ymrdHQE&w=640&h=480

Please share in the comments below what you found most helpful as a new Dad, or how you support the new Dads in your life.

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In this edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to support Mom when baby comes home.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZOyfkLe9H4&w=420&h=315

Please share in the comments below. What things did you find most helpful when you came home with your baby? What are some things you do now to support friends or family with their new babies? And don’t worry Dad’s…I know you need support too, so the next video is going to be just for you!

S…

In this first edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three date night ideas.

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIVUtc0V9u4&w=420&h=315

Please share in the comments below your favorite date night ideas.

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Oh my goodness!

It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the “back-to-school” hustle and bustle. If you’re on my email list then know that my oldest child just started kindergarten. It’s only been four weeks, so we’re still getting used to the routine of making school lunches, getting to bed on time, drop-off/pick-up, and doing the dreadful homework! Yikes, I don’t remember doing homework in kindergarten 

Last Friday, after what seemed to be an unusually long week, my husband (who’s…

In this first edition of Happy with Baby's “3 Tips in 3 Minutes,” we're talking about three ways to say “I Love You.”

Watch Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7CpeTYzLzQ&w=420&h=315

Please share in the comments below how you let your partner know you love them.

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What is it about becoming a parent that all of sudden we think we shouldn’t get to do things for ourselves? This can be especially true for moms...right? 

So many times we compare ourselves to other people, to other mothers…enter in Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. This creates feelings of inadequacy. This can be because we feel bad for not being at home with our children, or we feel bad for not “working.” I think we can often get so caught up in how to do things right, that we get to…

My plan for this shortened week has me doing a lot of things in a short amount of time. One of those things is editing this blog post.

As anyone with small children knows (I suppose anyone with children of any age knows), the “best­ laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”.

First, my son woke up 3 times throughout the night with what seemed to be growing pains in his legs, and so I ended up rubbing his legs and soothing him back to sleep ­3 times. Then of course my daughter woke up for he…

With the New Year comes lots of resolution making and breaking. Often people forget these resolutions by the time February arrives. So what can you do to make them last? Since the point of this blog is family and being happy with baby I want to focus on resolutions that emphasize creating a healthy and happier family.

1) To take care of yourself. Remember, it is very hard to take care of your family if you are being neglected. Maybe one of your resolutions could be to go to bed earlier. Whe…

You’re constantly on the go…going to appointments, going to work, getting groceries, taking your child to day care. The list goes on and on. What we often forget in our never-ending to-do list is that one of the best ways to manage the stress in our daily lives is to take time out for self-care.

Part of the difficulty with finding this balance as a parent is the enormous amount of tasks that we have to do. It can become very overwhelming.

First off, you need to be able to identify what you…

Until I had a child myself, I did not value “date night." I find this to be an important tip that seems rather simple, but often is overlooked as children enter into your relationship. It may not look the same as it once did. However, making sure that you can get a couple of hours a week to spend time with your partner is ideal. This will give you time to connect, which is key to working through the challenging times. If you are able to connect with your partner in a positive way the things …

If you have a child you are no stranger to finding that making time with your partner can be almost impossible at times! It can be so hard to find time to talk to each other let alone trying to connect on a deeper level.

Many couples struggle during the first year of their baby’s life to maintain their groove with each other. This can lead to dissatisfaction with the relationship.

There are steps can you make to keep your relationship with you partner strong, and even to make it stronger t…

When you have a baby there are countless things to worry about. What type of laundry soap should you use for their clothing? What diapers are best for the baby? The worries even extend to should the baby be sent to daycare or should one of us stay home? Then there is the ever-present issue of breastfeeding versus formula. The questions are endless and the answers are many, but one important thing that often gets forgotten in the pursuit of raising a happy child is the relationship with your …

Is the summer heat stressing you out?

Do you seem to have less patience for you partner?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Having children often leads to a higher level of dissatisfaction in your relationship. The heat does not help, along with the stressors of work, childcare, housework, planning vacation, etc, etc, etc.

That’s why this months Just Between Moms Educational and Support Group we will be discussing:

- tips for understanding your partner
- ways for getting the emotional and practical supp…