Story time at the library can be a great bonding and social experience for mom and baby.

I just learned that September is Library Card Sign Up Month thanks to a BlogHer post I saw on Facebook. Can I just say, EVERYBODY needs a library card. Gone are the days of Dewey Decimal card catalogs and all that nonsense (no offense to my librarian friends). I reserve my books online, and get an email when they’re ready to be picked up, thankyouverymuch.

The kids LOVE going there to play and “shop” for free in the books and DVD’s. It’s also a big treat for them to do self checkout with the scanners and their very own library cards.

The Lexington Public Library has an amazing schedule of story times for all ages—6 months to teens. I really like the class called The Young & The Restless. I’m betting it’s a great place to make friends who can commiserate with you.

If your child is born at University of Kentucky Hospital, you’ll get Baby’s First Library Card in a goody bag. Can’t get any easier than that! However, the application process is super simple, so don’t let that hold you back. In fact, adults can apply online!

Please check it out. You’ll be so glad you did.

The iPhone really has changed the way we do things. If you have an iPhone, be sure you check out these cool apps… and be sure to leave a comment if you have your own suggestions.

Great Apps for New Moms

Baby Log ($4.99): Records diaper changes, feedings, naps, and bathing and can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet. What a dream this would have been with my jaundiced newborn.

Things ($9.99): A smart organization tool that helps you manage your to-do list, notes, projects and more.

Food Additives ($3.99): Find information about 450+ food additives that might be unsafe to you or your child’s health, ranked by risk factors. This one would probably just freak me out.

Expecting ($4.99): This app not only tracks your due date and OB appointments, but gives you tips and helpful facts relevant to each week of your pregnancy, plus a checklist and contraction timer for the big day. Wow! This would be good for expectant dad’s.

Baby Names ($4.99): Let’s you search, research and share potential baby names and then create, edit and reorder your favorites list.

Great iPhone Apps for Little Kids

Scribble (FREE): Lets kids (or parents) draw with their finger right on the screen and then shake to erase, like an etch-a-sketch. My friend’s twins love this game.

Bubbles (FREE): Make and play with bubbles. This sounds perfect for distracting toddlers. Also look for the Bubble Wrap app, and pop to your heart’s content.

Preschool Adventure ($0.99): Super cute games like space shapes, farm sounds and animal matching.

Super Monkey Ball ($9.99): I’m horrible at this game on XBox, but maybe I would improve by practicing with the iPhone version.

Flashmath ($0.99): Quick math problems with multiple difficulty settings from Kindergarten through 5th Grade.

My husband and I always said we’d find a church once we had children. That turned into once we had children in school, and we church shopped for years before finding a place to call home.

If this sounds like you, I encourage you to stop by Southern Acres Christian Church on Harvard Drive in Lexington. Last Sunday was the launch of KidStuf in the new state of the art family theatre. It is a funny, engaging 45-minute program for families. It’s actually Christianity 101, so it’s perfect for adults who are looking for the fundamentals and kids who easily get bored. My boys, 8 and 5, left saying that church was so fun last weekend.

I’m so proud of my little church on Harvard Drive. I hope you’ll stop by one Sunday to see what the fuss is about. KidStuf is at 10:15 a.m., with worship services at 9 and 11:15. Look for me if you do come… I’ll be the one with the big, goofy grin.

Southern Acres Christian Church, Sundays at 10:15 a.m.

Child Drowning Prevention video

Summers at the pool with young children can be anything but relaxing. My 4 year old has finally learned to swim well enough that I trust him to play in the shallow end while I relax on a float or a chair. Meanwhile, my husband has the “Nemo’s Dad” syndrome with the boys around water because of a near-drowning experience from his childhood. I’m convinced that if I had a pool in the backyard, I would seek out infant swimming lessons–along the line of this video. If you haven’t seen it yet, prepare to be amazed. I would love to know if there is anyone teaching this type of swim safety in Central Kentucky.

I found this cute little handmade bear hanging in a tree at my son's daycare. It was a part of The Toy Society project. Too cool!

I feel terrible to just now be acknowledging the awesome social experiment I unwittingly became a part of the week after Valentine’s Day. As I left the parking lot of my son’s daycare, I noticed something hanging in a tree. Being my curious self, I pulled over and investigated.

There was this cute little teddy bear in a Ziploc baggie with a tag that said “Take Me Home. I’m Yours.” I obliged, and pulled the baggie out of the tree. Inside, there was a tag with further instructions to let The Toy Society know that it had been rescued. I was so excited! My 4-year-old son was even more delighted to get his hands on it when I picked him up that afternoon. He dragged the little bear to his brother’s Cub Scout banquet.

Anyway, thanks, Toy Society (and the local crafter who made and hid the toy)! You made our day, and inspired me to want to get involved. I’m just not sure I can take on another craft… I have scrapbooking and an awesome book I got for Christmas called A is for Apron. For some reason I feel the need to stitch some aprons of all things. But I will bookmark your site for later. Keep up the good work.

“The Toy Society is a small project spreading the love throughout the streets. Nothing to it really, just a bunch of handmade toys looking for a nice home.”

This photo was taken before I left the hospital with baby #2 in 2004. I was 4 years older and wiser than the first time, and I'm still learning every day.

I’ve collected a few of the most important things I’ve learned since becoming a mom eight years ago.

Don’t sweat what you can’t control, fix the things you can

1. Breastfeeding will be much easier and more enjoyable if you prepare in advance. Read a book, take a class or both. Since many of our own mothers are from a non-nursing generation, it’s hard for us to find free help after the baby is born.
2. My accountant (and friend) is a new mom and we concurred it should be common knowledge that it feels like the baby is born from your bottom after childbirth. She had to ask the nurse to make sure that was normal.
3. Your family life will be much richer if you understand sleep patterns. I recommend “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.”
4. Child-care options will occasionally fail and leave you feeling helpless. Sickness, laziness, natural disasters—don’t freak out when it happens, know it happens and work with it.
5. Make no firm declarations about how you’ll parent before you are one. I always knew my kids would go to public school. Now the tuition is automatically withdrawn monthly so I don’t have to think about it.
6. Boys may try to aim, but often fail. Make sure every toilet in your house is well-caulked around the base.
7. Children will hurt themselves. Don’t be too hard on yourself about scars or chipped teeth.
8. When your child stumbles, react to their reaction—not your own. They’re more resilient than we give them credit for and fragility can be a learned trait.

Anything else you would like to add?

I just received this video in an email forward… subject: Why Babies Have Mothers. It turned out to be one of my all-time favorite segments from America’s Funniest Videos. Enjoy!

Local dad and BBG reader, Daniel Sparks, recently wrote this op-ed piece on midwifery. In layman’s terms, that’s midwives—or a person trained to assist women in childbirth. Check out his take on the benefits a midwife can offer. I also learned yesterday that Lexington Women’s Health now has three midwives on staff. Good news for Central Kentucky women seeking options in childbirthing.

Tamra Larter allowed the birth of her second child to be filmed as part of a documentary titled "Orgasmic Birth." (Tamra Larter from ABCNews.com)

I admit, when my husband sent the link to this 20/20 segment as a possible blog topic, it was difficult for me to watch the video, let alone consider writing about it. But by the end of it, I realized the women were simply asking each of us to re-think our perspective on childbirth. I’m all about that. And, I’m living proof that when you minimize fear, you minimize pain. Watch for yourself and let me know what you think. Were you lucky enough to have such an exhilarating childbirth experience?

Welcome to Lexington’s first baby born in 2009 at 12:20 a.m.!! I wonder what is in store for the lucky parents and baby? I would like to imagine free diapers for a year or something else equally wonderful…. Baby in the Bluegrass will attempt to get an interview with first-time mom Mikki Johnson for the “Pregnant Pause” enewsletter. At least then we’ll know she got a free massage from Lexington Aesthetics for being “Mom of the Month” out of it. Congratulations Johnson family!