North Mississippi Parent 2016

NM Parent North Mississippi

Babies of 2015 Plus:

Homemade Baby Food Toy Declutter Staying at Home vs.

Work

No. 11 • Spring 2016 Babies of 2015

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NM Parent North Mississippi

Editor Ellie Turner Feature Writers Anna Kuykendall-Cox Ginny Miller Natalie Richardson Columnists Sara Berry Allyson Willis Photography Lauren Wood North Mississippi Parent is a bi-annual publication of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

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Coming Soon nmparent.com Featuring: family-friendly events easy meals expert advice local features

pg. 23

Table of Contents Features

Homemade Baby Food 7 Stay at Home vs. Work 13 Toy Declutter 16 Babies of 2015 23 Best-Dressed Boy 32 Best-Dressed Girl 33

Columns

Best Behavior 11 Character Corner 34

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Homemade

Baby Food Babies of 2015

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Homemade Baby Food 101: Make sure your baby is ready for solid foods. It would be best to ask your doctor, but a good rule of thumb is to wait 6 months after birth.

After you’ve determined if your baby is ready to eat solid foods, you must then make sure the foods you make are age-appropriate. Start out with single-ingredient purees using low-acid fruits and sweet vegetables.

Before making large batches of any type of food, evaluate any sensitivity your baby may have to certain foods. Also, be mindful of gas-inducing foods like beans, broccoli and fruit juice.

Recipes:

Appropriate for 6-month-old babies Sweet Potatoes Ingredients: 4 ounces sweet potato, finely diced 1 cup water Directions: Bring the sweet potato and water to a boil. Use a spoon or fork to blend, if needed. To make it smooth, place in blender and blend until desired consistency is reached. Let cool and serve.

Carrots Ingredients: 1 bunch of carrots (or desired amount) Directions: Peel and slice carrots and place in steaming basket over boiling water. Once tender, puree the carrots in a food processor or blender. Add a little water, if needed (note: do not use steaming water). Let cool.

Peas Ingredients: 3 cups peas 2 tablespoons water Directions: Steam peas (2 minutes if frozen, 1 minute if room temperature). Puree peas and water in food processor or blender until smooth. Let cool.

Serving instructions: All recipes can be served after cooling. To preserve, you can refrigerate the mixtures for a couple of days or place in ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, place cubes in freezer bags and label with description and date and keep up to three months.

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Photos by Lauren Wood

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Best Behavior

Baby Talk You hear your baby crying in the middle of the night. What has awakened them? Dazed and confused you stumble to their bedside with only half your wits about you. Now what? They cannot declare, “I seem to be a little hungry,” or “I woke up and can’t get back to sleep.

May we chat for a while?”

By Allyson Willis Infants do not yet communicate with verbal words, but they certainly seek to communicate in many ways by their own language. It is hard to be angry toward them for crying, but exhaustion can certainly set in as a result. Crying is their way of expressing a need.

As your infant grows and exhibits other behaviors, it can try your patience as well in different ways. But comparable to the crying of an infant, these behaviors can be looked at in a similar manner.

They are often an expression of a need or a beautiful breakthrough in learning and growth. We must be careful not to allow the frustration and inconveniences we experience along with the behavior to cause us to overlook progress.

It’s our job as parents and caregivers to learn how to interpret the language and action of our infants and babies. This should be easy, right? It seems every book possible exists on how to understand your baby and mold them to do what you want, when you want. But somehow, no matter how much we may read, there is still a gap in comprehending our babies’ signals.

Take a moment to adjust how you view your baby’s actions and reactions to see it as an exploration of their world and development of their mind, body, and spirit.

Grab It: Most behavior of babies is motivated toward their growth and development. For example, when they grasp buttons on a shirt or dangling earrings, they are not attempting to annoy the person lovingly holding them. They are maturing their pincer grasp, which allows them to hold items with their forefinger and thumb. This is the precursor

to important abilities such as holding a spoon and pencil as their fine motor skills develop. Put appropriate items in their path for them to grasp.

Point It: When your baby lunges forward from your grasp, pointing at an item, it’s easy to become irritated when you have named everything in the room and still cannot figure out what he is talking about.

Through this process, you are actually giving names to many items your baby’s brain will begin to process, remember, and verbalize in the coming months.

Repeat It: What about when your baby exhibits repetitive motions that might seem annoying? This allows them to practice their motor skills. It helps them increase coordination as well as provides vestibular stimulation.

Empty It: As babies learn to crawl and pull up, they have access to many opportunities. They do not take everything out of the kitchen cabinet and sprawl a drawer full of clothes on the floor just to give you one more clean-up duty. They are exploring how to grasp items and move them from one place to another.

Provide them with ways to use these new developing skills and praise them for their accomplishments.

As parents, we realize we do not always have the right answer to problems immediately. I recall lying in my bed with our third child as she was crying incessantly.

Frustrated, I felt like crying myself. This was my not my first rodeo. I should know how to soothe this baby, I assumed. Upon seeing my angst, my husband reminded me lovingly, “Babies cry.” I burst out laughing. He was right. Sometimes, what

my child needs is for me to just simply be there with them through their frustration or pain. It may take me longer at times to discover what the cry means. That’s OK. When I choose a loving attitude, patience, and a peaceful approach it will positively affect my baby as we together figure out situations. Aristotle reminds us “patience may be bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

Behavior, positive or negative, spans all ages of a child’s life. It’s easy to understand the need to address the surliness of a teenager or the throw-down fit of a 2-year-old but what about the seemingly angry cry of a infant or the repetitious behavior of a 6-month-old? They are an indicator for us to slow down and contemplate what is really behind the action exhibited. These tedious touchstones can be milestones to be celebrated or needs to be met.

Replace your frustration and impatience with intentional investigation of what your baby’s sounds and actions might mean. Couple that with choosing a calm and patient demeanor. Watch as your baby grows healthy and strong while you experience the joy of being the one to learn their language.

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Laine Hampton and her son Loyd play after she gets home from work.

Stay Home vs. Work Like many first-time moms, Laine Hampton knew she wanted to be with her son, Loyd, full time after he was born.

Story by Ginny Miller Photos by Lauren Wood

“Before I left work, I had already planned on staying home,” said Hampton, who lives in Shannon with her husband, Will, and 1-year-old Loyd. “I thought I would stay at home for at least a year.”

Hampton said being at home not only provided bonding time with Loyd, but also helped with postpartum depression.

“When I had him, I suffered with really bad depression,” she recalled. “God had blessed me with something amazing, and I had no clue what to do.”

With the love and support from her husband and mother, Hampton ended up staying home with Loyd for eight months before she re-entered the workforce. But when she did, that’s when she began to doubt herself.

“I felt like people would think that I was a bad mom,”

she said. “I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, a perfect mom, a perfect wife. We had to do what was best for us. I prayed and prayed and prayed about it.”

The compromise was having Loyd stay at home with a sitter while Hampton works at Renasant Technology Center in Tupelo. When Hampton walks in the door, there’s plenty of time in the evenings to cuddle and play with Loyd before supper and bedtime.

“I hate to brag, but he has been the best child I have ever been around,” Hampton said. “He is always happy and always smiling. He is the perfect little angel.”

She knows she did the right thing for her family by returning to work.

Still, “In the morning, I’ll wake up and he’ll be right there against me,” Hampton said. “I would have loved to Babies of 2015

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“

It’s still a feeling of separation and anxiety, but not as deep as before.”

stay home and take care of him forever.”

Working mom Tierney Mosley knows exactly how Hampton feels. Mosley and her husband, Kino, have a 5-year-old daughter, Kinley, and a 3-year-old son, Kingston.

A battle of emotions and economics limited the Tupelo mother to be home just six weeks with Kinley.

“There was really no choice in order to survive,” she said.

“There needed to be two working parents in the home. I was very emotional about having to take her to daycare. I cried.”

When Kingston was born, Mosley said she was better prepared for the tug-of-war between her heartstrings and purse strings.

“It’s still a feeling of separation anxiety, but not as deep as before.

It also helped that I had him in April,” she said, noting that as a teacher, “being able to be home with my kids in the summer is just amazing.”

Mosley, who teaches English at Tupelo High School, does not feel guilty or inadequate for not being a stay-at-home mother.

“It’s not like I couldn’t fully give myself to my children, it’s not like I’m letting them down, not like I’m less than a mother,” she said. “But there is some regret for not preparing well enough. It makes me sad that I’m unable to be home for my kids.”

What Mosley and Hampton are feeling is not uncommon, said Valerie Fields, a licensed professional counselor at North Mississippi Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Center.

“First of all, any new parent experiences fears and feels overwhelmed,” Fields said, noting that because some women identify their self-worth with their role as mothers, “It can be scary for parents to let go and let someone else care for that child.”

Through the Employee Assistance Program at Behavioral Health, she works with NMMC employees and their spouses, many of whom deal with “some of those natural feelings of guilt about returning to work and leaving the child. Of course that’s always the struggle when financially they have to return to work.”

Her advice is for working moms to prioritize their needs, have realistic expectations, not be afraid to ask for help, and to give themselves a break.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Fields said. “You are not alone. Many mothers go through this.”

Mothers who work outside the home should also remember that when spending time with their children, “Quality is always going to outweigh quantity,” Fields said.

“They feel less guilty when they can do that. You cannot be Superwoman. That is not realistic.”

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Toy Declutter It’s always a struggle to keep a clean and organized home. But then come the holidays, and a giant wrench gets thrown into any sliver of order and cleanliness that our beloved abodes once had.

Story by Natalie Richardson

You probably still have that tin of stale cheddar popcorn.

You have yet to figure out what to do with those hideously matching hand towels. But as parents, possibly the worst holiday after-effect is the huge influx of toys and clothes that our children received. Sure, the kids love the magic of the holidays, but the Christmas tradition of gift giving can easily overwhelm and take over our lives, especially if the toy bins were already overflowing.

Never fear, dear parents! I talked with several organizers in the Mid-South chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers and researched minimalist mommy blogs. Here are a few basic tips and tricks to start you down the decluttering road.

Decide whether to include the kids in the process:

Only one of my organizers suggested that young children do not have to be included in the decluttering process.

My other two organizers insisted children should always 16

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be included. Sarah Lewis, owner of Organized by Sarah, pointed out that if children are included in the process of organizing, they will be more likely to stay organized.

Sandy Wright, founder and owner of WrightEdge Solutions, said it can actually sometimes be traumatic for a young child to suddenly discover her precious, but dirty, doll is gone. “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” she said.

While it’s essential for older children to be involved, Karen Eskin with Organized Advantage said it is sometimes difficult to get rid of anything with very young children.

Start with the right attitude:

Sandy Wright said it is important to approach the decluttering process as a chance to learn gratitude. When decluttering, “Don’t use the word ‘chore’ with your children. Use the word ‘contribution,’” she said. “This shifts the attitude from something demanding to something grateful.”

“

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”

The same admonition applies to the parents. Many parents are tempted to swoop in and do all the cleaning themselves, Karen Eskin said. The right perspective, though, is to take the process as an opportunity to teach children the skills needed to maintain and organize their own lives.

Make it fun:

When you start the decluttering process, the first thing you have to do is categorize all your child’s belongings. To make it more fun, Sarah Lewis suggested making it a race against the clock. Give your child 5 minutes to gather up all the balls.

Next, find a place for everything. Have your children make the labels for the storage bins or drawers. They can have fun drawing pictures or picking which color box is for the art supplies.

Once you’ve completed your organizing goal, reward your kids with a family outing like going to the park or to the movies.

Have pre-set limits:

Tanja Hoagland from Minimalistpackrat.com said that you must set healthy boundaries for your kids. Limit everyone’s clutter to a defined space, such as their room or closet, and lay out clear exceptions.

Designate a toy box that cannot overflow. Once the toys don’t fit, you know it’s time to purge, Hoagland suggested.

As a parent, you can also limit what comes into the house, Hoagland said. Get all your relatives on the same page when it comes to gift giving. Limit yourself when buying your child gifts, and limit how much your kids can purchase.

value after that.

2. If your child loves to collect, Karen Eskin said the best thing to do is containerize the collections. Don’t stifle the child’s creativity by prohibiting collections. Instead, put the collections on a display rotation. His rock collection can be displayed on his dresser for a month, and then it’s time to pack them up and bring out his Lego masterpiece.

3. Emphasize charity and generosity. Sarah Lewis said it’s best to find a mission or church project where your children can personally see how getting rid of their old things can help others.

4. Hold a garage sale. Sandy Wright recommended this strategy with children who understand the concept of money. Ask your child to sell unwanted or surplus items, and let them keep the money they earned, she said. For older children, you can even let them use online commerce sites like Craigslist or Varage, although this requires adult supervision.

5. Tanja Hoagland suggested implementing a strict and regular cleanup with your children. If they have to regularly clean up all their things and put them in their proper places, they will begin to realize just how much they have.

Teaching your child how to declutter and organize can be daunting, but it’s an investment into the sanity of your home and an investment into a life skill your kids will take with them forever.

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Strategies to help your kids purge:

1. Sandy Wright recommended a strategy by fellow organizer Judith Kolberg called “Friends, Acquaintances and Strangers.” Have your child take one collection of toys, like all the stuffed animals, and separate them into her Friends, Acquaintances and Strangers. The Friends have a premier spot of display; Strangers can be donated or thrown out. As for Acquaintances, ask your child to pick three then store the leftovers for at least six months. You can reassess their

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Encourage Extracurriculars

Why are extracurricular activities so important as to be included in a child’s life?

Why is parental encouragement an essential ingredient?

Story by Anna Kuykendall-Cox

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Dance, music, sports, theater, gymnastics, debate teams, or volunteer work….. any organized social, academic, or physical activities for school-aged children are all examples of extracurricular activities. In mental health, we encourage clients of all ages to get involved in a healthy activity for a variety of reasons. Having a healthy activity of enjoyment decreases anxiety, depression, and is often utilized as a coping skill when dealing with a difficult situation.

From my experience as a mental health professional in both community-based and private practice, I have seen the positive effects of extracurricular activities in children 5 to 21 years of age. As with adults, it is imperative to have a healthy “outlet” in order to escape the stresses of everyday life….this concept also applies to children. This concept is also important when thinking about the technological advances our world has experienced over the years. An extracurricular activity does not include downloading the latest app on a phone, online shopping, or chatting with someone via Facebook. We are talking about actually doing something productive for one’s self, and that begins in childhood. It has been proven that “real” extracurricular activities can increase self-confidence and self-esteem.

“Participation in school clubs has been associated with 20

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decreases in problem behaviors such as alcohol use, sexual activity, and delinquency, while in some cases, participation in sports has increased these behaviors” (Farb 2012).

Involvement in healthy activities also increases social skills, allowing children to develop the skills to succeed as adults in interpersonal relationships, careers, etc.

Although extracurricular activities serve as an integral part of a child’s well-being, parents’ encouragement of extracurricular activities is an essential piece to the puzzle.

Without the encouragement of parents or guardians, children often do not feel the need to be pushed out of their “comfort zone,” when in fact, it is healthy. As adults, we continue to face challenges that put us out of our comfort zone, and it is a skill that is acquired more easily and met with a decreased level of anxiety if learned in childhood.

Anna Kuykendall-Cox, LPC, M.Ed., NCC, CMHT Outpatient Services Regional Manager, Tupelo, Mississippi Children’s Home Services Mississippi Children’s Home Services (MCHS) is Mississippi’s largest and most comprehensive provider of children’s behavioral health, educational and social services. Please contact 800-388-6247 to learn how MCHS can help your child.

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August 7, 2015

Kristyn Burroughs

Ethan and Kathryn Kidd

Mark Bartholomew Bennett

Daisy Harter Jackson

Child of:

Child of:

May 6, 2015

Gabe and Joanie Bennett

Child of:

Cody and Alisha Williams

Photo by Photography by Kristeen

Ava Madison Bell August 4, 2015 Child of:

Paden and Taylor Raper Bell

Aubree Laine Kelly

Liam Lewis Hurt

Aspen Breleigh Kennedy

Child of:

Child of:

Wayne and Samantha Kelly Photo by Kyle’s Kreations

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June 20, 2015

David and Laura Beth Jackson

February 24, 2015

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July 25, 2015

Wyatt Andrew Williams

NM Parent

Photo by Amanda Holt Photography

April 7, 2015

Byron and Dana Hurt

Photo by Trent’s Portrait Design

April 23, 2015 Child of:

Ken and Amy Williams Kennedy Photo by Faith Riley Photography

Joseph Bailey Steverson

Lynlee Marie Marascalco Cummins

Child of:

Child of:

July 25, 2015

June 29, 2015

Mia Valerie Pruitt September 9, 2015 Child of:

Jody and Lauren Bailey Steverson

Christopher Cummins and Jordan Goolsby

Rob and Michelle Donellan Pruitt

Mason Minga

Rowyn Marie Baker

Scarlett Annabel Daher

Child of:

Child of:

Photo by The Image Place

February 8, 2015

October 2, 2015

Photo by Kerri Collier

February 3, 2015 Child of:

Mindy and Marcus Minga

Veronica Bench and Lewis Baker

Jamal and Anna Catherine Daher

Gage Bennett DeVoss

Darby Elizabeth Northington

Jameson Cade Goodin

Child of:

Child of:

March 11, 2015

Gary and Emily DeVoss

August 14, 2015

Levi and Callie Northington Photo by Amber’s Photography

Photo by Tiffany Fisher Photography

October 28, 2015 Child of:

James and Macei Goodin

Photo by Lauren K. Drewery Photography Babies of 2015

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Silas Jude Fleming

Molly Kate Williams

Child of:

Child of:

December 8, 2015

Kenny and Kerri Fleming

Billy and Jessica Williams

Jerrett Daniel Bingham September 11, 2015 Child of:

Jeremy and Ali Bingham

Photo by Kathryn Leigh Photography

Photo by Kathryn Leigh Photography

Ansleigh Blake Deaton

Mariyah Thomas

Bailie Janai Gonzalez

Child of:

Child of:

July 13, 2015

January 12, 2015

May 15, 2015 Child of:

Stephen and Jodi Deaton

Misty and Gregory Thomas

Erik Gonzalez and Billie Glass

Chaston Wayne Barnett

Madison Grace Cooper

Mac Murphy Shouse

Child of:

Child of:

July 15, 2015

Chris and Christina Barnett 30

May 31, 2015

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April 4, 2015

Darin and Heather Cooper

October 23, 2015 Child of:

Corey and Maggie Shouse

Ava Grace Raines

Lydia Breanne McCreary

Child of:

Child of:

May 22, 2015

Jeremy and Amber Raines

Photo by Southern Sage Photography

July 24, 2015

Rod and April McCreary

Photo by Photography by Kristeen

Colton Jace Chandler August 11, 2015 Child of:

Kenya Coleman and Josh Chandler

Congrats from the

on your bundle of joy.

Welcome to our family.

7 Day Newspaper Home Delivery + All Digital Access $11.25/month EZ Pay

djournaloffers.com > print plus digital Babies of 2015

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Best-Dressed Boy

by Silly Simpson’s in Tupelo

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Best-Dressed Girl

by Monkey Tails and Tutu’s in Baldwyn

boy: seersucker set $62 girl: ivory lace short set $56 Photos by Lauren Wood Babies of 2015

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Character Corner

Sara is the mother of seven and the founder and creator of Integrity Time, an awardwinning character building program for children in Tupelo, Miss.

Baby Days I have been a parent for 22 years. My husband and I knew we wanted a large family when we decided to get married.

Seven kids later, I think we got what we wished for.

By Sara Berry

I am very thankful. Since we have had so many children, the baby days are not too far away in my memories.

Even the last two we adopted from China were young enough to get babied just a bit. I must confess, there are moments of the baby years that seem like a fog in my memory. You see, I had the first three children in less than three years. Later, I gave birth to two more, and even later after that, we adopted two more. When our first three children were born, my husband, Mont, was in residency at The Vanderbilt Medical Center and worked all the time. We didn’t have any family in town, and we struggled month to month with his meager salary. Needless to say, most days I felt like I was “in over my head.”

One particular trying day, Mont came home to an overwhelmed wife and crying kids. I quickly told him, “I have got to get out of this house.” So we put all the kids in their car seats, and headed to my favorite store — Big Lots.

(I still love Big Lots.) Since our bank accounts wouldn’t allow us to buy anything, we just pushed the kids around in the cart and walked the aisles, looking with envy at all the needless plastic items. We had been there just a few minutes when Mont’s beeper went off. He borrowed the Big Lot’s phone, since we had not yet entered the world of cell phones. He got off the phone looking disturbed. It was the Vanderbilt Hospital operator reporting that the police had called because the alarm at our house was going off. Mont left me and the kids at Big Lots to go check it out. When he got there, the policeman was outside, looking in the windows, with his gun pulled. He said with great seriousness, “Looks like you’ve had a robbery.” Mont unlocked the front door, and the policeman went in first, gun aimed and ready. Mont followed behind. The policeman said, “Yep. The place has been ransacked!” Mont looked around and realized that it was just as we had left it. He quickly had to explain, “My wife has had a really bad day.”

Those baby years can be tough. If you are there, let me 34

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NM Parent

give you some encouragement. It will get better. You will sleep again, read again, go to lunch with a friend again.

This time will actually pass by much quicker than you can imagine. You will one day have a clean house again. You won’t walk around forever smelling of spit up and wet wipes. You won’t always have to eat cold food because you are tending to the children during meal time. One day, your car will no longer smell of old milk or have crushed Cheerios in the carpet. (If it makes you feel any better, my friends used to call our van “the Milk Dud”, because it smelled like spoiled milk.)

This, too, will pass. But let me tell you a little secret.

You will miss it. Yes, you read that correctly. There will be days when you look out the window and see the empty backyard all neat and tidy, free of the dozens of balls and bats and trikes and bubble makers that used to be there.

And on that day there will be a tiny pinching in your heart, and your eyes will well up with tears (which you will blame on allergies when your middle-school-aged child asks), and you will remember those sweet, hectic days and you will miss them. The chaos of those days will seem so far away, yet so close as well. And you will clear your throat, and wipe the “allergy eyes,” and then you will give thanks. You will thank God you were given that gift of chaos, that you had those memories of a ransacked house, and that you have indeed survived. And then you will realize the baby chaos melted into toddler chaos, then elementary, teenage, and young adult chaos. The chaos never really goes away; it just evolves into different forms. And by then, as an experienced and seasoned parent, you will smile and realize all of it is a gift to be savored and enjoyed.

So today, my fellow parent, seize the day. You won’t be given another day exactly like today. Examine the chaos and see if there is anything you can eliminate so that you can concentrate on being a good steward of the season you have been given.

NM

109 Parkgate Ext. • Tupelo, MS 38801 (Next to Skate Zone)

Dr. Sylvia Blanchard, DNP, FNP-BC Family Practice

Monday - Friday Phone: 662-840-4175 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Fax: 662-840-8279 www.familycaremedicalclinictupelo.com “We Really Do Care”

Babies of 2015

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“New Life” t g n i r B o Nor g n i theast MS in 201 Help July 1st 2015

Theodore James Peralta Son of Jessica & Gerald Peralta

March 10th 2015

March 4th 2015

Parker Page

Madison Grace Graham

September 18th 2015

November 4th 2015

Son of Nicki (Danielle) & Jerry Page

Daughter of Teri & Tyler Graham

Sadie Lynn Deweese

Connor Levi Mitchell

December 8th 2015

December 23rd 2015

Daughter of Ashley & Drew Deweese

Kathrynn Rene Dees Daughter of Heather & Blake Dees

Son of Sarah Trent & Justin Mitchell

Mealey Faith Cooper Daughter of Layken & Tray Cooper

Comprehensive Women’s Healthcare Routine Ob/Gyn Care • High Risk Obstetrics • Infertility Treatment • 3D and 4D Ultrasound Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy Surgery • Laser/Cryosurgery • Robot Assisted Surgery • Bone Density • Gardasil C. K. White, M.D. Johnny F. Miles, M.D.

Mark A. Ray, M. D. Kristen Y. Turner, M.D.

Cassie B. Hill, M.D. J. Bennett McGehee, M.D.

Brandi S. McGehee, M.D. Miguel A. Luna, M.D.

1041 Madison St. • Tupelo, MS 38801 • 662-844-8754/FAX (662) 844-1973 NM Parent l South

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