Dear Readers,

Welcome to Baby Guide 2008!

Perhaps no event in a person’s life is more significant than the birth of a child.

Whether you’re having your fifth or your first, bringing a new life into the world is an exciting and joyous event.

After all, this child will be like no other, a unique combination of your and your partner’s DNA imprinted on every living cell. That in itself is a wonder.

As baby grows from a newborn to an infant to a toddler, she will amaze you at how quickly she learns and develops.

The first few weeks and months seem the longest, as you get to know each other and live in a sleep-deprived fog, filled with poopy diapers and feeding sessions. You anxiously wait, camera poised, for that first smile, and, if you’re a mom, you begin to wonder if you’ll ever wear anything other than sweat pants again.

The next thing you know, your precious baby is rolling over, then sitting up, then standing. You have to lower the crib floor and, a week later, you have to do it again. You’re buying size 2 diapers. He’s eating bananas and rice cereal!

Make no mistake, it all happens very fast. And I’m told with each child, it flies by even more quickly. My daughter will be 2 next month. When writing about her birth for this edition of Baby Guide, it seemed like it was yesterday. And at the same time, I barely remember my life B.E. (Before Emma). It seemed so empty!

Oh, sure, it was less complicated, and we went out to eat more often and got regular sleep and belonged to a gym and ... but who’s complaining? Emma has taken my husband and me to a whole new level of joy that we didn’t even know existed.

As you contemplate your little bundle of joy’s arrival, or have already begun the journey with your new baby, it is my hope you will find something useful between these two covers.

From choosing a baby name to deciding on circumcision to the question of should you let your baby watch TV, the 2008 edition of OV Parent’s Baby Guide is full of vital information for parents and parents-to-be. Local writers and experts share information on wearing your baby, avoiding baby bottle tooth decay, choosing books for your newborn and surviving the baby blues.

This is not a one-sided publication. You are invited to share your input and personal stories, such as how you named your baby and your baby’s birth story, on our Web site, just click here. Upload your baby’s photos to the OV Parent CU Gallery, click on the button at right. And enter to win a Mamma’s Milk baby sling on the Web site or by e-mailing me at bethel@news-register.net. More contest information is on page 21.

Happy reading!