Welcome little Laura!

My friend and follower Ann has had her baby! Laura Violet appeared some time yesterday and is apparently doing well, as is her mother. I am continually amazed by Ann's ability to be healthy, fit and cheerful while very pregnant. Now she's going to amaze me further by continuing to do so while nursing an infant and running after her busy toddler Ray.

Having three stepchildren who appeared in my life just over a year ago—and really only in earnest since last June—I can't imagine the thrill of raising your own baby. You get to decide how you want to proceed, how much to spoil and how to pursue that goal of raising a responsible adult.

Which brings me to my real point. When you are raising your child, what would you think of a parent who chooses to put unhealthy food into that child. I rarely do it with my stepchildren. In fact, they tend to eat better than I do. So, I'm going to pretend that everything I eat, they will have to eat. I want them to have good eating habits. They serve themselves and it must include at least a bit of everything (I sneak pureed vegetables into dishes so that I don't have to force feed them vegetables). They have to clean their plate, so we tell them to start with just a little food and only add more if they are really hungry. And if they are full, they can stop—they just can't have dessert (wasting was a huge problem when we met). They are getting really good at gauging how much they want to eat and only eating that much so they have room for dessert. It's funny how kids don't really like to stuff themselves! I remember those days.