The Mom Blog

Sure there are plenty of moms watching their children compete at the Olympics in China this month. But there are plenty of moms competing as well. We all know how crazy motherhood can be -- add to that training and traveling and competing at the highest level in a sport. These moms are truly an inspiration. Here are some links to images of Olympic moms and their kids. Check out a few. They are really sweet. To see images of babies on the podium with mom and a mom wearing an image of her child on her uniform is really touching.

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I've been watching the Olympics every night and it's been amazing and emotional. I got choked up during the spectacular opening ceremonies. I got choked up when the American men won that incredible relay race. But something else keeps choking me up and the source is not front and center but in the stands. It's the mothers.

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Cousin bonding just isn't how it used to be. I remember seeing my cousins on a weekly basis throughout my childhood. And if I didn't see them during the week I'd surely see them at grandma's house over the weekend. But cousin bonding in the 21st century is a whole different thing. Unfortunately, I know many moms in the same boat as me - living hundreds or even thousands of miles from their siblings. It's the job market, of course, sending us all away. And that means grandparents and aunts and uncles are left behind while we create lives for ourselves and our children in places we never dreamed we'd be (this New Yorker still marvels that she's living in Alabama).

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Today kicks off World Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 1-7) and I was just perusing the event Web site. It's pretty impressive, with mothers from more than 120 countries uniting in the coming week to promote breastfeeding. There are videos from India and photos from Uganda and posts from mothers and organizers in places as far away as New Zealand and Australia. Here's the link if you want to check it out: www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org Watching all that breastfeeding coverage made me nostalgic and I was surprised. I stopped breastfeeding seven months ago and was relieved to have my body back. I was ready and so was my son. I honestly never thought I'd miss it as much as I do. But yesterday my 20 month-old was in my arms drinking from a sippy cup and just the position of his body and head struck a cord in me. It made me pine for those times when he'd feed from me. So in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I thought I'd share a few breastfeeding memories that are forever burned into my brain:

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To be a baby in my Italian family means a few things. It means you have to endure great-grandma's slobbery kisses, cheek pinching and exclamations of "I'm going to eat you up!" (and at 92, she's only getting worse). It means you must must must enjoy homemade tomato sauce and meatballs. If not, pack your blankie and diaper bag because you're heading to the closest orphanage. And, finally, you have to cut your teeth on the almighty carciofo (artichoke in Italian).

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In the past few weeks, I've started playing Ring Around the Rosie with my 19 month-old son Jack. And boy does he love it. But something nagged at me while we fell down. Didn't I remember hearing that this game and song is actually about the Black Plague? I remember hearing it from someone over the years and saying something like "Wow" and dismissing it. But now that I'm a parent and actually singing the song to my child, I found myself wanting to find out if it was true or if it was simply one of those urban legends like Steve from Blues Clues overdosing on drugs (phew, glad that one was false). So I hopped online to see what I could find out.

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