I don't think lucky is the right word...

So. Darn. Cute.

I can't tell you how often people comment to BK and I how lucky we are with Baby K. It could be that they think we're lucky because she's a really happy baby, she loves to be around other kids, she's a good traveler, she's a great eater, she slept 12 hours per night at 12 weeks (and for long periods even before that)...the list goes on and on.

So yes, moral of the story, she is a good baby. When Baby K first came along, BK would ask me quite regularly, "What percent good baby do you think she is, versus her routine?" My response was typically: "95 percent routine, 5 percent good baby." He never bought it, but I think he's continually coming around.

I also write this on a day/weekend where I feel like I constantly had to check in with my go-to parenting resources. What to do when our sweet little 18-month old is squealing when she doesn't get her way, or cries for 30 minutes after her nap because it wasn't quite long enough...

I mostly check in with these because I need to be reminded to take a breath. She's 18-months old, and we'll make it though the day regardless of how long the time from nap time to bed time feels. But I know she can feel my frustration, so I try hard to keep it in check.

So, I thought I would share my go-tos. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but people sometimes ask, so here they are.

Babyproofing Your Marriage
I think I'll start with this one because it's the first one I read, before Baby K was born. I can't even remember where I heard about it, but I think I read it because I was worried about what our new addition was going to do to our relationship after more than 10 years together. I still have days and weeks when I go back to this one on my iPad, mostly to say to myself, "LK, stop acting like a crazy person to BK and just tell him what you're thinking, or what's bothering you." And that things that feel like a huge deal at the moment really aren't that big of a thing in the end.

Moms on Call
My friend KC recommended these books to me, and I am forever grateful, as they have been a life saver. They are written by two pediatric nurses who have quite a few kids between them. When Baby K was born, I felt like the Swiss were telling me to just go with it, just do what she needs. Umm, I need a little more than that. I just can't. So, at three weeks I started using Moms on Call and haven't stopped yet.

The 0-6 Month book covers sleeping, feeding, schedules, and other basic care that new parents pretty much don't have a clue about.

The 6-15 Month book continues to cover sleeping and feeding (two really important things), moving to solids, a typical routine, and easing into that toddler stage.

The 15 Month to 4 Year book really gets into the nitty gritty of the toddler phase. It does still cover sleep (which I cannot imagine Baby K not sleeping through the night by this point), but also helps a lot with what to do with your cute kid who now is exercising her free will. The whining, tantrums, accidental behaviors, defiant behaviors, and lots of other stuff. I think I write the most about this one because we're in the midst of it now.

Love and Logic
In addition to Moms on Call, now that Baby K is a toddler, I felt like we needed a little more guidance in the area of discipline and kind of what we wanted to do with Baby K. I've known of Love and Logic for a while, but was reminded of it by one of BK's sisters. To put it simply, Love and Logic allows children to grow through their mistakes and learn from the consequences of their actions, ultimately teaching children to learn how to live in the real world. I like the immediate consequences part, as typically in life, someone is not going to warn you 17 times before something actually happens.

That's it- nothing too complicated. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but these have been our go-to parenting resources. It's worked so far, but we're only 18-months in, so I'm sure we'll add more to our list, but this is what we've started with. Baby K has started nursery school now, so I'm sure we'll have more challenges coming our way, thanks to other kids. Hopefully the resources above will help guide us through and help us figure out what we're doing along the way.