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We are putting our popular weekly newsletter online this week because several subscribers are having trouble receiving it via email. A shorter version of our weekly e-newsletter – announcing this week’s giveaway, newsletter sponsor and teasing to these events below – is being emailed to subscribers as well. Please let us know if you didn’t receive yours by emailing anne@southernmamas.com

Savannah area
Storytime, songs and animal visitors @ Toddler Tuesdays @ Oatland Island Wildlife Center
This week’s program on Tues. Sept. 23 focuses on deer and is best for ages 6 month-2 year olds
Free with regular Oatland Island Admission.
10:30-11:15 am Tuesdays
912.898.3980

Ellis Afternoon Musicales @ Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
3:30 pm Tues. Sept. 23
Featuring harpsichordist Anne Acker. Part of series of afternoon concerts designed to raise musical knowledge in children’s education.
Free and open to the public.
220 E. 49th St.

Island MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) @ First Baptist Church of the Islands
The mom group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 9:15-11:30 am Wed. Sept. 24. Join other moms for inspiration, support, guest speakers, friendship, food and creative activities. Free childcare for your children ages birth-5 yrs.
6613 Johnny Mercer Blvd.
912.898.6456 or 912.898.4344

Aesop’s Fables family puppet show @ two Live Oak library branches
4 pm Thurs. Sept. 25 @ Islands branch, 125 Wilmington Island Rd.
10:30 am Thurs. Sept. 25 @ Effingham library branch, 810 Hwy 119 South Springfield
FREE! shows by The Red Herring Puppeteers
Best for ages 5 to 12.

“If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” performance @ Savannah Children’s Theatre
The live show based on the beloved book is best for ages pre-K to elementary ages.
3 pm Sat. & Sun, Sept. 27 & 28. Cost: $10
2160 E. Victory Drive.

Free car seat safety checks @ Week Day Ministries in the parking lot of First Baptist Church, Rincon
11 am-2 pm Fri. Sept. 26. Offered as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week by Safe Kids Savannah along with State Farm Insurance Company
118 East 6th St., Rincon.

Medieval Festival @ Oatland Island Wildlife Center
Travel back in time to the days of Lords and Ladies at the spectacular Medival Festival. See knights doing battle, try out a trebuchet and take part in the music and merriment. Special entertainment and food highlight this incredible event.
10 am-4 pm Sat. Sept. 27. Cost: $7 for adults ages 18-63; $5 for children ages 4-17, seniors ages 65 and over and military (must show ID); FREE! for children 3 and younger.
912.898.3980

Grand Reopening Sale @ Just for Baby & More
One day sale with a variety of giveaways – cribs, twin bed, bedding more. Sat. Sept. 27
Just for Baby & More’s new store is located directly across from their former 7720 Waters Ave. address.
Look for the polka dots.
912.355.4455

“Authors on Autism” Workshop @ Armstrong Center for Continuing Education & Community Engagement, 11935 Abercorn Ext. For parents and professionals working with children with autism.
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sat. Sept. 27.
Pre-registration is required. Call 912.355.9098 or email jennifermcgee4@comcast.net.
Sponsored by The Matthew Reardon Center and the Georgia Department of Human Resources

Youth Jazz Festival @ Forsyth Park, downtown Savannah
4 pm Sun. Sept. 28
Bring your lawn chairs. Part of the nine-day Savannah Jazz Festival, Sept 20-28.
The Savannah Jazz Festival, celebrates jazz offers all types of jazz, from Dixieland, traditional swing, straight-ahead and bop to melodic standards and funky down-home “gutbucket” blues.

Hilton Head Is./Bluffton area

ArtStart Visual Art Classes for ages 2-5 @ the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
3:30-4:30 pm Wed Sept 24 & 10-11 am Thurs. Sept 25. Pre-registration required.
14 Shelter Cove Lane
843.686.3945 ext 233

2nd Annual Morgan Keegan Pedal 4 Kids
Benefit for the Boys and Girls Club of Hilton Head High School. A non-competitiv, multi-distance biking event for riders of all abilities with a 5, 10 or 25-mile route. Pre-registration required.
8:30 am Sat. Sept. 27
843.689.5565

Family Fun: Puppet Playshow with Yostie Ashley @ the Art Academy of Hilton Head
10 am-noon Sat. Sept. 27. For ages 6 and older. Pre-registration required. 106 Cordillo Pkwy
843.842.5738

Beer & Brats Festival on Calhoun Street, Bluffton
1-8 pm Sat. Sept. 27. More than 20 beers to sample, food from local eateries, kids’ activities, live music
Admission is $10, includes drink tickets and a souvenir cup. Hosted by the Old Town Bluffton Merchants Society
843.757-6300.

Welcome to another SouthernMamas Q&A with one of our savvy readers about parenting tips, troubles and triumphs. (If you know a SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a profile, email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past profiles by clicking here. )

Meet Beth Howells, English professor and Armstrong administrator.

Your family: husband, David Thompson, Nurse Anesthetist; daughter, Elsie (Elizabeth Locksley Thompson), 2 years old; pug, Oscar, 7 and aging quickly with Elsie around; cat, Baby, who has better things to do. We live in midtown Savannah.

How would you describe your parenting philosophy?

Wow! We don’t really have a philosophy since this is our first. We are kind of making it up as we go. I guess we try to encourage Elsie’s independence, we try to let her explore and experience the world, and we try to stay positive. Most of this is not premeditated, though, we just end up trying to react appropriately in the moment and later reflect on whether or not our reaction was correct.

What are your child’s favorite books and toys?

It seems there are new toys every day: new instruments, animals, puzzles, balls… She finds them, loses them, refinds them, and loves them. And of course, the toys she likes best aren’t toys at all: toothbrushes, hair products, shoes… Actually, her current favorite is the Dora umbrella her babysitter Elaine gave her for her birthday.

Elsie loves books, every book, really. She loves the Boynton books; Each, Peach, Pear, Plum; Knufflebunny; the Carl books, the Peggy Rathman books; and Good Night Moon, of course. We’ve moved from the touchy-feely books to those with words and stories and find she even likes longer ones like Amelia Bedelia or Sylvester and the Magic Pebble–though we might summarize a bit. Ultimately, at this point, it is more about her parents’ favorites, books we aren’t tired of or too tired to read!

What are your child’s favorite TV shows or movies?

Elsie likes the Wiggles, Hi Five, and the Doodlebops–oh and Thomas, she has a thing for Thomas the train. She adores the bonus DVD that came with the Lisa Loeb/Elizabeth Mitchell CD–it has two songs that she dances to over and over: “Catch the Moon” and “Stop Go.” As for movies, she likes parts of Charlotte’s Web best but watches bits of Nemo from time to time. Of course, we try not to do too much TV, and then again, we just broke down and got the car DVD player for long roadtrips.

What are your child’s favorite foods?

Guacamole and chips. Edamame. Cheese. And ice cream for special treats.

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood?

Wondrous.

Describe your most humbling parenting moment:

The most humbling moments are probably yet to come with #2 on the way in January. When we find our hands full with one two year old and see those handling much more than that with such grace, we are incredibly humbled. And we’ll have two girls–I imagine the teenage years with two will be a daily lesson in humility.

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment:

Coming home from work every day and seeing her face lit up and having her run to me saying “Mommy… Mommy…. Hug.” If she is anything like I was, unfortunately, she won’t always have that reaction to her mother, so it is especially beautiful to me.

Favorite local kid-friendly eatery?

Jalapenos.

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event?

We love all of the little parks and playgrounds in Ardsley. We walk and bike to them daily.

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here?

I hear the Charleston Children’s museum has a kid’s size little grocery story. I think Elsie would love something like that.

Who is your pick for the area’s best pediatrician?

Dr. Dudley Stone

What is your pick for the area’s best preschool?

Montessori Academy of Savannah.

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without?

Our Mountain Buggy stroller.

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?:

Fighting Cancer.

What is the one phrase you hope your child will say to you when she’s all grown up?

Nothing’s better than “I love you,” though, I will miss the childish little lisp–“I lub you.”

Are you receiving your weekly SouthernMamas newsletter?

We’ve heard from several readers who didn’t receive theirs this week. Please let us know if you didn’t and we will try to individually email you one.

The newsletter is emailed regularly every Sunday and packed with quality information about local kid-friendly events, so we really want you to read it. If you are not receiving yours, we want to hear about it and fix the problem. Email anne@southernmamas.com.

Make plans to attend the Aesop’s Fables family puppet show presented by The Red Herring Puppeteers visiting from North Carolina.

The FREE! puppet shows will be various branches of Live Oak Libraries including:
4:30 pm Thurs. Sept. 18 @ Oglethorpe Mall Branch, 7 Mall Annex, Savannah.
10:30 am Thurs., Sept. 25 @ Effingham (Springfield) Branch, 810 Hwy. 119, Springfield
4 pm Thurs. Sept. 25 @ Islands Branch, 125 Wilmington Island Road, Wilmington Island

Best for ages 5 to 12.

Sponsored by The Savannah Coastal Puppetry Guild and the Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation.

Welcome to another SouthernMamas Q&A with one of our savvy readers about parenting tips, troubles and triumphs. Meet Barbara McQueeney. (If you know a SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a profile, email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past profiles by clicking here. )

Your Family: Sean and Barbara McQueeney, Connor is our only child, and he is 2-years-old. We live in the Georgetown area.

Describe your parenting philosophy? Constantly evolving. I have discovered with a toddler that things are always changing…just because one thing worked one day, doesn’t mean it will work a week from now…I have really learned to adapt and be open to new ideas a lot more now that I’m a parent!

What are your son’s favorite books and toys? Connor has two bookshelves overflowing with books!! A few of his absolute favorites are Peas and Thank You (a Veggie Tales book), Cookie See Cookie Do….because he has it memorized and can “help” read it and does the actions along with the book…and lately the Foot Book by Dr. Seuss, he cracks up at the “slow feet, quick feet” part.

What are your son’s favorite TV shows or movies? My son likes a show that comes on the Learning Channel in the mornings; it’s called Hi-5. They don’t make new episodes anymore, so we bought the American Hi-5 DVDs….he adores them and knows all the songs!! Of course he loves Elmo and could sing all the words to the Veggie Tales Theme Song!

What are your son’s favorite foods? Well, I’m a vegetarian, and his Dad is not…so Connor has a unique palette….he is probably the only 2-year-old in the world that loves sushi and miso soup, and he would prefer soy chicken nuggets over real ones! But he also could eat his weight in “real” breakfast sausage and fresh grilled tuna steaks!

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood? Entertaining! My 2-year-old keeps me on my toes! I never know from one day to the next what weird habits or phrases are going to be his new “favorite”….he surprises me on a regular basis…and makes me smile!

Describe your most humbling parenting moment: My son had some issues with being bit at daycare, then turning into the biter…and one night after his bath we were playing and I nibbled on his clean little toes….he immediately told me “stop it mommy, no bite, time out, not nice”….it reminded me that everything I do, even in play, should set the example of how he should behave…..how could I tell him biting his friends at daycare was wrong, only to turn around and bite him in return, even it was just in play.

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment: The day our little monkey was born. It sounds so cliché, but leading up to his birth was so stressful, and to see this tiny little guy that we’d been waiting on so long….it was magical!! We had been in the hospital for a day already, trying to induce labor and he just wasn’t coming out…and his heart rate had been dropping….so we ended up doing an emergency C-section only to discover that the umbilical cord was around his neck 6 times!!! The doctor said she had never seen a baby with the cord around their neck so many times, and never seen such a long umbilical cord!! Despite that, he was fine….he didn’t have anything but a little red welt on his neck…which was gone by the time we checked out of the hospital!

Favorite local kid-friendly eatery? You’ve heard it a thousand times….but we LOVE Beef O’Brady’s in Richmond Hill….no matter how fussy and loud our son gets, their staff are always more than accommodating! They bring his food out as soon as its ready and he loves the crayon holders shaped like sports balls

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event? We love taking Connor to new places that are fun for him….we hang out in the JF Gregory Park in Richmond Hill as much as we can, and really enjoy going to Telfair’s Jepson Center for Arts., and visiting Oatland Island. We recently took Connor to our favorite city, Charleston…it was a different kind of trip that we normally take (we always celebrate our anniversary there as a couple, but this time we decided to make it a family affair) and we went to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry…Connor had such a great time and so did we…we love sharing a city that is so close to our hearts with our son…and seeing it from a different point of view this time!

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here? I am a working mother, and I always want to take Connor to local story times and events, but they are typically only available during the week. While we love the festivals and activities our city has to offer for children, I wish more of them were aimed at working mothers. I would LOVE to see a children’s museum in Savannah. With resources like SCAD and Savannah’s rich history, I think a children’s museum that teaches about regional art and history in a fun way would be fantastic!!

What is your pick for the area’s best preschool? We use the Richmond Hill Montessori and just love it!! Within the first week of being there, Connor really opened up and started talking more and he learns so much everyday…it amazes me. As a parent, we are constantly teaching our child….but the Montessori goes above and beyond what we do. They are able to teach him things I would never have imagined…and in a way that is both fun and educational. We’ve been there less than a year and I am really happy with the progress he’s made.

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without? Maybe its not valuable, but it meant the world to me……I had decided to nurse our son, and was doing great while at home….but I wouldn’t leave the house because I was hesitant to nurse in public…I would schedule errands around his feeding time, making sure to be in the comfort of our home when he was hungry….one day he had a doctors appt right at his feeding time. There was no place for me to nurse in private, and the waiting room is entirely glass windows for the entire world to see into….and here I was, with a hungry baby!! I lifted up my shirt and covered myself with his blanket the best I could…hoping I wasn’t exposing too much….and fed my baby….Later I was talking to my mother-in-law and she was like “they DO make special nursing shirts you know”….what??? I was floored….who knew??? She went online and ordered me some nursing shirts in every color she could find and had them shipped to our house! It was the greatest gift ever…..I was able to have my freedom to run errands and go places for more than two hours at a time, and my son could eat wherever we were!!! It was fantastic and made me feel cute as well as functional!! They looked like regular t-shirts and were in the greatest spring-time colors!

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?: I would pick the American Brain Tumor Association. My mother recently passed away from a very aggressive form of brain cancer and I can’t help but wonder if more research and available treatments would have given her at least a few more months with us.

What’s the one phrase you hope your son will say to you when he’s all grown up? “I may not have agreed with you at the time, but I understand why you made the decisions you did. Thank you”

We here at SouthernMamas rely on our savvy readers to keep us informed. One such reader is Ginger Heidel, the subject of our latest savvy SouthernMama Q&A. Meet the woman behind a popular Savannah mommy blog, gummibunny. (If you know a SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a profile, email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past profiles by clicking here. )

Your family: I’m married to my high school sweetheart Lee Heidel, and we are the very proud parents of Camille, who just turned two. We live in Savannah’s Ardsley Park, and Lee and I together own Heideldesign, a web development and multimedia firm. I work there three days a week, and spend the rest of my time being mommy to the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.

Website: www.gummibunny.com

How would you describe your parenting philosophy? Listen to all the advice you’re offered, and then go with your gut. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do or how to parent in a particular situation, and I find the advice of trusted friends and family very helpful. But on occasion when we’ve disagreed, I’ve found going with our gut instinct has worked best for us.

What are your child’s favorite books and toys? Right now she is loving Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. But her favorite book is her First Baptist Church of Savannah pictorial directory – it’s hilarious! She enjoys flipping through and looking at all the pictures and asking everyone’s name, and we joke that she knows our fellow church members much better than we do. As for toys, she really into her tea set, her little toy farm and various farm animals – the goat is her favorite.

What are your child’s favorite TV shows or movies? She is a huge Elmo fan, and also likes the TV show Yo Gabba Gabba. But her favorite thing to watch is a Brainy Baby DVD about farm animals (noticing a farm animals theme? More to come).

What are your child’s favorite foods? Right now she’d like to eat a popsicle for every meal if I’d let her, which I don’t. She loves grits (my true Southern Belle!), fruit, and macaroni and cheese.

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood? Rewarding.

Describe your most humbling parenting moment: I think the whole parenting experience is humbling because the learning curve is so steep! I felt humbled when we left the hospital after her birth, knowing we were responsible for the care and upbringing of another human. It was an awesome, albeit humbling, moment.

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment: There are so many great moments, how to choose? I remember feeling blown away the first time Camille smiled at me and meant it. It was like the biggest payday to realize she was communicating her happiness to me.

Favorite local kid-friendly eatery? We enjoy going to Barbara Jean’s on Wilmington Island. The portions are large enough she can eat from our plates, and she likes many of the yummy veggie casseroles. And if she gets antsy, we go out on the deck and look for birds flying around the marsh.

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event? Our favorite spot is definitely the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. We like their Toddler Tuesday program (which we learned about on southernmamas.com!), and Camille LOVES visiting all the animals in the barn. She’ll talk about them for days after we visit – “Cow eat hay! Goat itch ear!” I am also infinitely grateful to the City of Savannah for maintaining so many nice parks and playgrounds – we frequent Daffin and Hull Parks.

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here? We recently visited the public library in Estes Park, Colorado, and they had a fantastic kids area. There were lots of books and reading tables of course, but they also had a table with a great train set, a farm set with plastic animals, architectural building blocks, and several other wonderful toys that encourage creativity and imagination. They had wifi too, so I surfed the net a little while she busily put the plastic animals on the train tracks (didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a recipe for disaster). We visit the Bull Street library branch here in Savannah and enjoy the books, but I’d love to have a kid’s play area like the library in Estes Park. We’d be there all the time!

Who is your pick for the area’s best pediatrician? Do I have to tell? We love her so much, and I’m afraid if everyone knew about her she’d be swamped! Our pediatrician is Dr. Micah Riegner with SouthCoast Pediatrics. She has the know-how of a doctor with the loving compassion of a mother, and we’ve been very pleased.

What is your pick for the area’s best preschool? Camille goes to Bible Baptist, and we’ve been very happy with her care there. The staff seem very loving, and the owners are very attentive.

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without? Camille really liked her exersaucer when she was an infant, and sometimes putting her in there was the only way I’d have enough time to get dinner in the oven!

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?:That’s tough … I’d probably donate some to cancer research, some to Oxfam to help fund solutions to poverty, and some to my church.

What is the one phrase you hope your child will say to you when she’s all grown up? “I love you, Mama!” I’ll never get tired of hearing it.

Welcome to another SouthernMamas Q&A with one of our savvy readers about parenting tips, troubles and triumphs. (If you know a SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a profile, email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past profiles by clicking here. )

Meet savvy SouthernMama Deganit Ruben of Skidaway Island. Deganit was kind enough to answer these questions on the same week she was to due to give birth to her second child. (UPDATE: On July 15, Deganit had her baby Elana Suzanne, weighing 7 lbs, measuring 19 ins. Congratulations Rubens!)

About:

Your Family

Husband: Jesse, Child: Jordan, age 3 1/2 & another due any day now. We live at The Landings. My husband works at NetJets in Bluffton, SC.

How would you describe your parenting philosophy?

Lots of love and patience in all situations, but with the clear message that rewards and good things all come from being earned and that there is no such thing as “entitlement.”

What are your child’s/children’s favorite books and toys?

Jordan loves the Little Critter series and enjoys toys that involve arts & crafts.

What are your child’s/children’s favorite TV shows or movies?

She loves the Wonder Pets on TV, and is not really a fan of movies yet.

What are your child’s/children’s favorite foods?

She is a typical 3 year old: pizza, fries, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood?

awe-inspiring

Describe your most humbling parenting moment:

Finding out about my daughter’s permanent hearing loss and realizing that there was nothing I could do to fix it

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment:

Realizing that all the months of hard work on behalf of my daughter’s disability was manifesting itself in success beyond what I would have imagined

Favorite local kid-friendly eatery?

The Original Pancake House near Mall Blvd. My daughter loves the food and atmosphere and the staff there is wonderful with children.

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event?

Storytime at the Bull Street and Oglethorpe libraries, Oatland Island, the 2 soft plays at the malls.

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here?

A REAL Children’s Museum

Who is your pick for the area’s best pediatrician?

We love our pediatrician, Dr. Gustave Kreh of Pediatric Associates, and we also loved Dr. Ben Spitalnik who we saw once when Dr. Kreh was unavailable.

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without?

My mother’s continuous babysitting offers!

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?:

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and other organizations devoted to helping children with a hearing loss learn to listen and speak

What is the one phrase you hope your child/children will say to you when they are all grown up?

Thank you for everything you did for me, and I’m sorry for all I did to you!

Welcome to the first of what we hope will be a regular feature on SouthernMamas.com: Q&As with our savvy readers.

Every now and then, we’ll introduce you to a different local mom and share her parenting tips, troubles and triumphs. (If you have a savvy SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a savvy mama profile, email anne@southernmamas.com)

Meet our first savvy SouthernMama, Christy Griner Hulsey of Statesboro.

About Your Family: I love my family! I live with my red headed husband Brian, my daughter Beatrice, my Labrador retriever Barry White, and our American Bulldog Sugar.

Website: Moon Dreams and Day Beams

How would you describe your parenting philosophy?

Good old’ fashioned parenting – shaken and stirred with lots of attachment, twists of obsession, a little infatuation, splashes of affection all on the rocks of love.

What are your child’s/children’s favorite books and toys? Beatrice has lots of favorite books. The one she first fancied was That’s Not My Puppy: It’s Coat is Too Hairy by Fiona Watt. The touchy feely pages sparked her interest. At a young age she began to touch the “bumpy” paws and “furry” coats of the animals illustrated.

Admittedly our house feels like a giant toy box some days with an assortment of singing, laughing, plastic, card board, wooden play things. Yet, it isn’t hard to pinpoint one single toy. She has been a doll lover from the start!

When she was NINE MONTHS OLD she latched onto a doll in Walker Pharmacy. Neither the sales girl nor I could pry the Corelle Doll from her grip. It was amazing to witness how hard-wired the human brain is, to see her natural tendency to latch onto the baby. Since then we have kept the store busy with purchases of new soft-bodied realistic looking dolls to add to this little mama’s family, equipment (like strollers), and little smocked doll dresses.

What are your child’s/children’s favorite TV shows or movies? Beatrice loves the My Favorite Signs and the All Aboard the Potty Train DVDs. Both are from Baby Signs. I think it is the colorful music and the simple antics and screens that keeps her attention. We have many other DVD’s but these two are the most popular at our house.

What are your child’s/children’s favorite foods?

Beatrice is a true foodie. From fish to fresh vegetables to olives to chicken this girl eats EVERYTHING! She eats such a variety that I sometimes question the ability of her taste buds. Attempting to capitalize on her desultory preferences, I offer a broad menu that includes foods that even I do not eat. I regularly include items vitamin rich items like kale, spinach, avocados and kiwis.

Fresh corn-on-the-cob is her most recent fancy. I think it is the challenge of gnawing it off the cob that has sparked this southern girl’s admiration. Oh, and I can’t forget: cherry tomatoes!

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood?

Gratifying

Describe your most humbling parenting moment:

Sometimes I feel like I am re-inventing the wheel every minute of the day…I get frustrated and tired while I question the worth of my mother-ing skills.

But when she throws her arms open wide, reaching above her head to lovingly wrap them around my legs while uttering sounds that match the rhythm of I love you, my heart drops, my mind blinks with clarity, while a wave of love and a feeling of knowing resonates through my entire body. I know why I am where I am. I know why I am a mom.

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment:

The day we brought her home. It is riveting to know that I am a mother, that I am responsible for someone’s care, love, healthy growth and development. I cried in the car as we left St. Joseph’s. I cannot explain the feeling that resonated my body as I realized that I was someone’s mother. I became someone new as I became a parent. In that moment, I gained new confidence, new interests, and a brand new kind of love. I promised her right there that I would love her until the end of my life.

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event? (park, museum, storytime, music class, trail or playground etc.)

Splash in the ‘boro (Family Water Park & Aquatics Center)

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here?

There are many fine resources for children here, however, I would like to see bilingual education for toddlers and preschoolers. I would love to introduce Beatrice to other languages and cultures, yet find it difficult. There isn’t even a sign language class in our area. Yet, even in areas as close as Augusta foreign languages are taught in preschools.

Who is your pick for the area’s best pediatrician?

Dr. Michelle Zenah is Statesboro’s very best pediatrician, beyond outstanding knowledge and profession passion she is very involved in our community. She co-ordinates charitable giving for the Professional Women of Statesboro, supports the local Farmer’s Market and actively speaks to civic groups about topics such as the healthcare crisis. She is amazing!

What is your pick for the area’s best preschool?

Georgia Southern Child Development Center

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without?

My most valuable baby gift was one that I gave myself. It was a Sewfunky sling. Despite the initial intimidation and hesitation, I grew to love it. With my arms free and my baby close to my heart, I could not have been more relieved than the day I learned to use it properly.

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?:

I am a philanthropist, and if my bank account ever looked like Oprah’s, I have always said I would focus my giving on animal welfare or underprivileged children or Alzheimer’s research. And, I would. Given the impact memory-loss has had on my family lately, I think I would focus the majority of my donations on dementia research.

What is the one phrase you hope your child/children will say to you when they are all grown up?

I luuuuuv you, Mama!