Where were you in 1984? I was a teenager, just turning 13, dealing with all of the fun, crazy, confusing aspects of learning to be yourself amidst various pressures from friends and family. Thankfully, the thought of pregnancy at that time was about as foreign to me as taking a trip to the moon.

Fast forward to 2005. My husband and I were ecstatic to confirm the news that I was pregnant, expecting our first child. Before we knew the sex of the baby, we referred to him/her as Baby 167 - about how many heart beats per minute he (yes, it was a boy) had at those first prenatal visits.

The pregnancy guide that hit the shelves in 1984 became not only a bestseller but one of USA Today's 25 Most Influential Books of the Past 25 Years. And I, along with countless other women over so many decades, rushed out to get a copy seven years ago. Of course I am talking about What to Expect When You're Expecting. I sent my much-worn copy to my best friend in Canada when she became pregnant; I had moved on to What to Expect the First Year.

During pregnancy in particular, everything is new. All of the changes to your body are unchartered territory, and sometimes you aren't sure what's normal. And of course as the weeks and months go by, you wonder where your baby is developmentally. This book offers an amazingly comprehensive description of what to expect when you are pregnant, answering all kinds of questions you may have about the changes you are undergoing. The drawings of the fetus, then baby, offer a glimpse into the truly amazing phenomenon of life. It is rightfully the bible of pregnancy for women throughout North America.

At Tot-Bot Baby Gifts, I am so excited to be offering a free giveaway of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Or, the lucky winner may also choose between a copy of either What to Expect the First Year or What to Expect the Second Year. Here's what you have to do:

Follow the Tot-Bot Baby Gifts blog publicly.
Leave a comment explaining which of the What to Expect books you would most want. (What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, What to Expect the Second Year). Include your email address.
Like Tot-Bot Baby Gifts on Facebook.

You can enter this contest for yourself or on behalf of someone you know who is pregnant (or has a toddler) who would love to receive a copy of one of these incredible books.

Check out the What to Expect site while you are at it.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!

It has been a great, relaxing summer. I'm hoping for one more visit to the beach before school starts. First grade for our son, first year of preschool for our daughter. A lot of adjustments in store.

Speaking of adjustments, being a first time parent is quite an adjustment. No amount of reading up on it can quite prepare you for the sheer exhaustion, or joy, of it.

If you know an expectant dad, consider some Daddy Scrubs as a gift. On our site, each order of these great, comfy outfits (ideal for the delivery room, and then as pajamas once baby is home) placed in the month of August will come with a free Daddy Scrubs tote bag. It's our way of saying thanks to all the wonderful fathers out there.

Happy end of summer!!

Usually the last day of school is cause for celebration. And in our house, we are excited about the summer, vacation time, and all that goes along with it (brief as it is). But it was such a special, memorable school year that it's sad to say good-bye to it as well.

Our son is days away from finishing kindergarten. What made the year so tremendous was his teacher. She is an amazing combination of kindness, compassion, understanding, plus she can discipline when necessary yet never seem upset or frazzled (I volunteered weekly in her classroom, so I know). This has set such a strong, positive foundation for our son and we couldn't be more grateful.

Coming across someone so positive and with such a good impact, especially upon a child, is a blessing. Teachers touch children's lives so powerfully; exceptional teachers are a true gift.

I have seen progress and maturity in our son over the past school year, and I'm excited about the learning he will continue in first grade. But we will always have sweet memories of his first academic year.

My best friend (who lives in London) recently had her second baby. I wish so much I could be there to lend a helping hand. She had an emergency C-section, has had to deal with mastitis, an infected healing site from the surgery and, as anyone who has had kids knows, the non-stop demands of a newborn, all while trying to get well herself and give some time to her older daughter.

Ads related to newborns, babies and toddlers tend to show the sweet side - an angelic sleeping baby, a happy baby smiling up at the camera. Yes, babies are bliss, but they are also a lot of hard work and the first several weeks of adjusting can even cause some tears from the parents (did I mention my friend's baby also has acid reflux, so feeding her is a challenge as well).

I promised her it will get better, and I know it will. She will get back to good health, the baby will outgrow the acid reflux, everyone will get sleep again. I told her how much I wished I could be there to help, and she said just talking about how she was feeling lifted her mood a lot. Sometimes we all just need someone who will listen and who can understand our problems. Moms - let's all band together. No one else can understand our woes better than a fellow parent.

Just wanted to share my first guest blog, on a site called Mommy Warriors. It's about competition among young kids (in sports) -- how young is too young to encourage serious competition?

It's been a while since my last blog. I guess that's how it is when you have a 6 year old, an almost 3 year old, freelance writing and editing work and a website. Moms are a busy bunch.

I have added a lot of new products to Tot-Bot Baby Gifts - all kinds of personalized gifts for babies as well as for new moms, and even some items for the new dad.

I'm really excited about offering organic personalized body suits. These come in super cute owl, monster and baby block themes. A perfect gift idea.

Our jewelry for moms features all kinds of exciting new items - personalized pendants with birthstones, boy/girl name and birthstone necklaces and a girl birthstone charm bracelet. With all of the fuss over the new baby, the new mom is sometimes forgotten. These personalized jewelry items are a great way to wow the new mom.

And let's face it - dads do a ton of work nowadays when it comes to taking care of baby. They're up at night along with mom during feedings, they change diapers, some even play Mr. Mom when the real mom goes back to work. Hats off to all fathers! We just added some fun gift ideas for dad - Daddy Scrubs (for the delivery room and beyond) and I'm the Daddy t-shirts and hats.

I love being able to offer such a variety of fun, personalized baby gifts for this special, unique time in people's lives. If you come across something you think would be great for the site, let me know - email me at info@tot-bot.com.