Pregnancy & Adoption

As an adoptive mom, often I am asked about the reason for the costs in adoption.  The fees for a private, domestic or international adoption can be somewhere between $10-50, 000.  Those numbers can seem intimidating, but they start...

EDUCATION WITH REWARDS Who doesn't like to be rewarded for completing a class or a course? I remember when I was expecting my first little one, who just turned nineteen. I read every pregnancy book, took courses at the hospital,...

Let me start off by saying that Steph and I did not plan on having BOTH of our children SO close together!  Steph had her daughter Nora just six weeks before my daughter Reagan was born... and now I...

On Tuesday we showed you the two most darling newborn in all of Scottsdale - Auggie and Anna Drew, as photographed by Anna Hollister - and today we thought we'd update you on the bellies that remain in the...

February of 2013, we met a very special little redhead that we are now in the process of adopting. In October of 2012, my husband Brian and I decided to grow our family by adoption. We contacted an agency and...

One of the most common concerns in adoption is the finances.  Although it needs discussion, it should never deter a family from adopting.  All children cost money to come home to their families, whether biologically or through adoption.  It...

Snapshot One: I looked in the mirror as I slid on a pair of size-zero Gap khaki capris.  I was nearly six months pregnant with my first baby and my gaunt frame was still shrinking.  At this point I had...

It seems like one of the very first questions people ask upon finding out you're pregnant is "Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?"   Now for some women waiting for the big...

Now that I’m 22 weeks along, it’s probably time to go ahead and announce it on SMB: Yep, I’m pregnant! We’re so happy to be welcoming our third child in October! I’ve found that with my 3rd pregnancy, it’s...

Note: Please help us welcome Andrea to our contributor team! She is a yoga and barre instructor and mommy to one cute little guy. We are excited for you to read about her journey through motherhood and tips for...

Like most first time parents-to-be, my husband and I read the baby books, took a birth prep class and decorated the nursery according to my Pinterest board. We checked off the checklists and felt confident we were prepared for anything...

Maybe you've always talked with your spouse about adoption and think now may be the time? Maybe adoption looks like it might be the only way your family will grow? Maybe you cry every time you talk to an adoptive mother...

As I quickly approach our little man's due date, I'm working hard to pull together all of the details I can. All of you experienced moms have gently warned me, "If there's something you want to do, get it...

We are continuing our series with Board Certified Lactation Consultant (and Scottsdale mom/grandma!) Andrea Mansor, who answers Scottsdale Moms Blog readers' breastfeeding questions once a month. You can read previous Q & A posts with "Dear Andi" here. This time around...

Please help all of us on the Scottsdale Moms Blog team welcome the newest {baby} addition… Elsie Grace Flies!!! Elsie Grace Flies was born May 19, 2011 at 4:25 am at Scottsdale Shea Hospital.  She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz...

Almost a year ago, we brought home our precious little boy through adoption. He was 9 hours old when they placed him in my arms. I am not at all biased: he is perfection. He is yummy and snuggly...

  If you’re just tuning in, Renee is a local mama of 1 little boy and is chronicling her second pregnancy as part of  The Belly Diaries.  Click here to read the first post in her series and here for her 30 weeks...

When I first heard about the world of doulas, I was blown away. Who knew that there were people out there who offer emotional support, knowledge, guidance, and strength during pregnancy and birth? The job of a doula - meaning...

Guilty! Yes, I’m guilty. I did it! The day my son turned one, I went ahead and flipped his car-seat to face him forward. Now, before you judge, I had my reasons for doing this. First of all, I didn’t...

So we're a blog for moms. Written by moms. About moms. For moms. You see where we're going with this, right? One of the best parts of this gig is welcoming a new baby to our team, and it's been...

Hello Scottsdale mamas. In case you're new here..wait, wait, thats me. I am so excited to be writing with Scottsdale Moms Blog, and get to know all of you more over time. As my first post here, I thought...

It's Pregnancy Week here on Scottsdale Moms Blog! If you are just tuning in, be sure to read the rest of the week's posts here. Our little bundle of joy on the way will be baby #5! We will have 3...

Most of us love the attention we receive when our new baby arrives and the overwhelming support our family and friends give. Although most of the the people closest to us often mean well, sometimes that same attention we...

Curly hair, kinky hair, afro hair, curl patterns, plaits, two strand twists, a twistout, cornrows!  It’s all new to me. I was thrilled to start the hair adventure with my daughter from the first day she was born. After her first...

When we registered for our new baby (over two years ago now!), it was pretty overwhelming. There were so many items to choose from and so many options for each of those items and so many stores where you...

mom·sen·se (mɒm sens) noun 1.  practical motherly intelligence that is sensible or reasonable 2. a mother’s mental discernment, realization, or recognition  – She has momsense. OR She used her momsense to determine that something was amiss. ~~~~ The past few weeks we've looked growing your...

We’re back with SMB’s Belly Diaries guest vlogger, Michelle, and her 32 week update! If you missed her 16 week video update, 19 week video update, 22 week video update or her 26 weeks video update be sure to go back to view it…...

Ever since guest blogger, Jenny M posted about Donating Cord Blood I wanted to learn more. I had heard (and read) all about the benefits and costs associated with banking our baby's cord blood but I never knew I...

We have some exciting baby news here on the blog today. Remember sweet and hilarious Lindsey? She blogged through her pregnancy as part of our most recent Belly Diaries series. You can read all her posts here. We're thrilled to...

It's Pregnancy Week here on Scottsdale Moms Blog! If you are just tuning in, be sure to read the rest of the week's posts here. A Few Pregnancy Differences Between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Your 1st pregnancy: You grab your bag and...