DFWChild February 2021

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F E B R U A R Y 2021

BUILD BETTER SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS MEET THE BISCUIT BAR’S

JANIE BURKETT

BEST: MOMS & BABIES FIND THE LATEST WINNERS OF OUR ANNUAL READER SURVEY

PARKS YOUR LITTLES WILL ENJOY

COVID’S IMPACT ON WORKING MOMS

+ MOM APPROVED OB-GYNS + MIDWIVES

Medical City Dallas, Medical City Lewisville and Medical City Plano have been named Best Place to Have a Baby by DFWChild readers!

Thanks for your support!

Where moms and babies are cherished and protected.

From the clinical excellence and specialized care you expect, to the thoughtful amenities and enhanced precautions you deserve – at Medical City Healthcare every mom and baby is cherished and protected.

Visit WeDeliverDreams.com to learn more.

Thanks for making us the Best Place to Have a Baby in Dallas.

There’s nothing Better than knowing moms and dads trust us with the unique moments of welcoming a child. With advanced services, comfortable amenities and experienced teams, you can rely on Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas to put you and your family first. We’re here to keep you safe, joyful and in the moment. BSWHealth.com/YourMomentDallas

Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of those medical centers or Baylor Scott & White Health. ©2021 Baylor Scott & White Health. 18-DA-227208 AM/GD

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2021

DEPARTMENTS NOTED 11 Finding Harmony

How to help siblings get along

REAL MOMS 15 Mom Next Door / Janie Burkett

With five (soon to be seven) restaurants and three small kids, Janie Burkett is skilled at managing “controlled chaos” 18 Briefs / Bread & Butter Our Mom Next Door shares must-haves and favorite things 20 Routines / Toni Randle-Cook Meet a mom juggling virtual school and late-night work

PEOPLE + PLACES 45 Families of DFW /

Tatiana Morosyuk

This mom of two and native of Russia shares what she loves about her new home

11 ON THE COVER

15 ABOVE // Janie and Jake Burkett dreamed up The Biscuit Bar after bringing their daughter home from the NICU; today the restaurant is thriving.

SPECIAL SECTIONS

The results are in! Presenting the winners of our annual survey covering resources for new mamas in DFW

22 This Won’t Work!

THE BURKETTS: THE BISCUIT BAR; SIBLINGS + MOM & BABY: ©ISTOCK

The parks and playgrounds to explore with your baby or toddler

26 Best: Moms & Babies 2021

FEATURE

55 Green Scene / Parks & Rec Jr.

The pandemic’s heavy economic impact on women—especially mothers words Ashley Hays-Weaver

36 Mom Approved: OB-GYNs, Midwives & Fertility Specialists

Facts on moms and newborns, plus readers’ favorite health care providers for growing families

COLUMNS

6 Hello / A New Mindset Prioritizing our well-being after a tough year words Heather Vance Devers Cover Kid: Forrest, 2 Photography: Cindy James / Alyssa Pizer Management Hair/Makeup: Lana Adams / Kim Dawson Agency Art Direction/Styling: Heather Vance Devers

8 dfwchild.com / Off the Pages

Can we plan summer vacations? A COVID expert weighs in, and more stories you’ll find online

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62 Confessions / Mom Truths

What’s the strangest thing your child has insisted on carrying around? dfwchild.com / february 2021

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hello / E D I T O R ’ S

NOTE

Holistic Pediatrics with a Heart

Putting Care Back Into Healthcare Treating the whole child, spirit-body-brain

Wellness Visits • Sick Visits Sports Physicals • PANDAS/PANS • ADHD Autism • Depression • Anxiety

Dr. Alina Olteanu MD, PhD & Friend

• Nutrition • Functional Medicine • Acupuncture • Chiropractic Care • Traditional Chinese Medicine • Stress Management & Meditation

ABOVE // Heather Vance Devers in her home with her daughter, Betty, and son, Jude.

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+ Teacher Professional Development

I

a new mindset

F YOU ARE ANYTHING LIKE ME, then 2020 was all about survival. I didn’t take great care of myself or pay much attention to my overall wellness. More was on my plate than ever before, so I told myself I didn’t have the time (or the mental capacity) to put my well-being on top of that mound of responsibilities.

Many moms I’ve talked to admitted that their only form of selfcare last year was making sure that they didn’t have symptoms of COVID-19. Now we’re paying the price. All of us are tired (totally exhausted may be more accurate), and some are suffering from real depression. You’re definitely not alone if you’re struggling under the lingering pressure.

A lot of that pressure has involved balancing our work responsibilities with ever-growing needs at home. There are moms who have felt like the only option is to leave their job. Others have been laid off because of the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor says that there were 140,000 jobless claims reported in December 2020, and all of the jobs were lost by women. Beyond that, Black and Latina women lost more jobs than their white counterparts. If those facts don’t drive home the desperation many moms are feeling and the load they’re carrying, I don’t know what will.

It may seem impossible—particularly if you’re among those whose employment or income has been affected—but I really believe we must prioritize self-care, before we all melt down. Selfcare is not selfish; it’s making sure that our own cup is full so we can we pour into others. What is self-care? For me, it means waking up before my kids to get some quiet time, getting my body moving to make those endorphins flow, and fueling my body with wholesome food. I have a friend who relieves stress by singing at the top of her lungs alone in her car. What clears your mind and recharges you?

While I can’t answer that, here’s what I do know. If we continue to just keep our heads above water, and not really live, we’re going to miss a lot. You probably won’t notice a beautiful sunset at the end of the day or appreciate that moment when your kiddo masters tying their shoes after months of trial and error. Existing in the survival mindset removes all of the joy that makes nurturing tiny humans completely magical. So take a deep breath, mom, and try to find some peace—you deserve it.

Be Well,

Heather Vance Devers

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KORENA BOLDING SINNETT

INTEGRATIVE PEDIATRIC MEDICINE

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SYDNEY BLALOCK RITCHIE

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what’s in store this month on dfwchild.com register with us for great benets

DID YOU MAKE RESOLUTIONS LAST MONTH? How are they going? If your resolutions are going strong and you’re rising to the challenges, keep going! If not, we think resolutions can start whenever you put your mind to it. February isn’t too late! And those challenges?

If one knocked you down, pick yourself up and give it another go. In the meantime, give yourself a break and check out everything we have on dfwchild.com. You’ll find encouragement, laughs, info and new resources for your family. While you’re on our website, be sure to sign up to receive our daily emails.

Is Your Child Safe Online?

Whether your kids are learning virtually or just keeping themselves busy on a device while social distancing, time spent online is way up these days. We put together some cybersafety tips and resources every parent should check out.

10 Ways to Simplify Family Dinners

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Vaccines, Kids and Vacations: What to Expect

The vaccine rollout is underway and summer is in the not-too-distant future—are you hoping to plan a family vacation? Will kids get vaccinated, too? We spoke to a local infectious disease expert about COVID in 2021.

ALL IMAGES: ©ISTOCK ©I

Find a store near you or shop online at

Life gets busy. But sitting down for a family dinner is possible. We have 10 tips—from filling your freezer with premade meals to having themed dinners and getting kids involved—that make meal planning easy and fun. (Really!)

Growing families deserve the best again and again.

Thanks for naming Texas Health Fort Worth “Best Place To Have A Baby.”

From high-risk pregnancy care, family-centered rooms and a Level III NICU, to breastfeeding support and a celebratory meal, Texas Health Fort Worth is honored to be recognized for our maternity services.

It’s another reason why more families choose Texas Health to welcome their babies each year than any other health system in North Texas. So when you’re ready to become a mom, we’ll be ready to care for you.

1-877-THR-WELL TexasHealth.org/FW-Baby

Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health hospitals or Texas Health Resources. © 2021

BABY QUESTION #293

WILL WE EVER SLEEP AGAIN?

Newborn questions? We’ve got answers.

When you’re a new parent the questions never end. At Cook Children’s our pediatricians are here to help answer all of them. Schedule a consultation with a pediatrician and explore the many articles from experts in newborn care at newborncenter.org.

SIBLINGS: ©ISTOCK; ©ISTOCK PEACE: NOUN PROJECT

noted.

FINDING HARMONY how to help siblings get along

WORDS

HEATHER VANCE DEVERS

I

HEAR A HEADACHE-INDUCING SOUND from across the house. “Moooommm, Jude won’t share his Magna-Tiles with me.”

It’s not the first time today my kids have had a conflict; before this, they argued about the swing at the park, the coziest seat on the couch, and the Nintendo Switch. Every day, there’s something (multiple things, actually). Maybe you’ve also noticed more tension than usual between siblings. For sanity’s sake, there has to be a way to establish and keep peace.

TEAM BUILDING Beth Lewis, owner of Beth Lewis Therapy Group in Fort Worth, is a licensed professional counselor with a master’s degree in family counseling. She says that while fighting between siblings might be hard on parental ears, it can serve a purpose—after all, it’s good for kids to learn to dfwchild.com / february 2021

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noted / F I N D I N G

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manage disagreements. That’s something that will serve them throughout their lives. “If we reframe it, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing. It is really up to the family dynamic how sibling rivalry unfolds or plays out,� Lewis explains. “Can it actually take a healthy path or does it have to be derogatory?�

To get to that healthier place, parents need to nurture a team mindset, one that helps children see their siblings as allies and not foes. “Whether they are close in age or far in age, they’re on the same team, even though they might not feel it sometimes,� says Patty Gobin, a family therapist at Beckloff Behavioral Center in Dallas. “It’s not that we’re trying to pit our family against the world, but [siblings] are there to support each other.

They know each other better than anyone else.�

Parents can encourage kids to understand that everyone is different, and that’s a good thing. “[Perhaps] your brother is a really fast runner and that frustrates you because you want to be a fast runner,�

Lewis says as an example. Parents can emphasize “how exciting [it is] to have a fast runner on your team ‌ You can learn and share ideas and help each other. While he’s a fast runner, you know how to write your name and write words so well that he now gets to learn from you. It’s just the framing of how cool is it that we have all these great teachers in our house.â€?

A “family team� is a powerful concept for easing conflict in the long run. Do you know a child—or adult—who doesn’t desire connection? “What every human wants is to feel like they belong to something,� notes Lewis.

DAILY TOOL KIT That’s a great approach, of course; we want our kids to feel pride in their siblings’ talents and abilities. But getting there might take some time. So what do we parents do in the moment, when things come to a head and our kids are in full conflict mode? Do we step in?

Do we just let the argument run its course?

Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer, because it truly depends. If the disagreement gets physical—and it’s not “fun� wrestling, and the kids are pummeling each other—it’s time to act. “Obviously, when kids are shoving and punching, we don’t want that. Redirect it and give them a second to breathe,� Lewis suggests. Of course, some verbal fights get out of control, too. Whatever kind of conflict you’re trying to break up, Lewis says parents should be very aware of how they speak to their children in the heat of the moment.

Use productive words instead of simply telling children what they’re not supposed to do. “Try to stay away from, ‘Stop that!’ and instead direct them towards what they can do,� Lewis says. For example, you could say, “Lower your voice and talk to your brother.

I think he’ll hear you better if you’re talking instead of yelling.�

You want the kids to know that you, as the parent, hear them as well. In fact, when siblings are at odds with one another, a big peacekeeping tool is validation: letting children know that you get what they are saying and feeling. “If we say, ‘Oh, my gosh, you are so mad. I want to hear it. I want to hear why’—really giving validity to why they’re mad, and [giving them] the ability to breathe and compose their thoughts about why they are angry is a powerful life skill,� says Lewis. “If we teach children at a young

“SAY STATEMENTS LIKE, ‘IN OUR HOME, WE BUILD UP EACH OTHER,’ OR ‘IN OUR HOME, WE DON’T HURT EACH OTHER WITH OUR HANDS.’�

SIBLINGS: ŠISTOCK

Considering a Mommy Makeover?

HARMONY

age that having big feelings is OK, and give them the tools to process and verbalize those feelings in a productive way, that is developing emotional maturity.”

Parents can also encourage peace by positioning the family home as a “safe place.” “I think home needs to be a place where we can come and be safe and be built up, [a place where] speaking negatively about one another wouldn’t be allowed,” Gobin says.

That may mean developing house rules that encourage positive talk about oneself and each other. “I think for siblings, if they are getting angry or they say something negative about their sibling, I would have a rule that they would have to say four or five things that they like about their sibling,” Gobin suggests.

Those house rules should be based on clear, established boundaries for how family members treat one another. “Say statements like, ‘In our home, we build up each other,’ or ‘In our home, we don’t hurt each other with our hands,’” Gobin recommends, “so that children know what is not up for discussion.”

THE BIG PICTURE If you too have dealt with increased sibling conflict, consider it one more thing to blame on COVID. School schedules and activities are disrupted. Children’s worlds have been turned upside down, just as ours have. Many are taking out that stress on their siblings.

“There’s more conflict right now because all of us are doing something that’s a little bit unhealthy, which is being together 24/7,” Lewis notes. “It breeds arguments and irritability, and a desire to isolate and get away.”

Parents can take steps to give kids some breathing room—even if they’re really close together. “Being able to honor space within the same room, [letting your child] say, “Hey, I’m going to put my headphones on and zone out for a bit,’ can really help everyone’s mindset,” Lewis shares.

Through all the tension and raised voices, Gobin recommends that families remember that this is an extraordinary time. “We all need to take into account what we’re going through,” she points out.

That means having realistic expectations of how family members will interact and taking the victories where you can. As far as your approach to daily life, “I think just getting a couple of good family times in, knowing ahead of time that not every day is going to be great, [is important],” Gobin says. “It’s not always going to be smooth. But bottom line, what are they going to remember about these days that they can tell their own children—because this is history in the making.”

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RÉSUMÉ AGE 37 LIVES IN Carrollton HAILS FROM The Denver area

ALMA MATER Metropolitan State

University of Denver CAREER Co-CEO, The Biscuit Bar PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Network sales/direct marketing PARTNER Husband and business partner Jake Burkett CHILDREN Daughter Blake, 4; sons Banner, 2, and Byron, 16 months.

Daughter Brycee, Blake’s twin, passed away at 2 weeks old.

THE BURKETTS: THE BISCUIT BAR; PLACE SETTING: NOUN PROJECT

“Nothing makes people feel better than a bunch of carbs,” says Janie Burkett.

mom next door /

JANIE BURKETT selling biscuits & raising babies

INTERVIEW BY

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F

OR JANIE BURKETT, FAMILY LIFE AND HER PROFESSIONAL WORLD have been all about growth lately. With husband Jake, Burkett welcomed baby Byron in late 2019; the now-16-month-old has an older sister Blake, 4, and brother Banner, 2. Meanwhile—despite the challenges of the pandemic—the Burketts’ business, The Biscuit Bar, opened two new locations last year (in Arlington and the Fort Worth Stockyards, in addition to the existing stores, two in Dallas and one in Plano). More locations are coming soon to Coppell and Abilene.

The venture came about following a tragic season in the Burketts’ lives: Born premature, daughter Brycee Jo passed away at 2 weeks old, and Blake, her twin, remained in the hospital for two months. After, loved ones gathered for biscuits and other comfort food— something that inspired the Burketts’ journey forward. dfwchild.com / february 2021

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Tell us more about the origins of The Biscuit Bar. When we brought Blake home, we couldn’t go anywhere because it was RSV season; they don’t let you take immune-compromised babies out. So all our family came to us for Christmas.

We were making biscuits and gravy and fried chicken. I was like, “Where can I buy this, so I don’t have to clean up my kitchen?”—a very “mom” thing to think. Then my husband, whose background is in venture capital, said, “I bet the margins on this could be great.” That’s how The Biscuit Bar was born.

So becoming a restauranteur wasn’t a longtime goal? Absolutely not. Before we actually came up with the idea, I never would have thought about it. We had no restaurant background or experience. And obviously restaurants in general are very risky endeavors. More of them fail than succeed, and that’s from people who have restaurant experience. And then our market here in Dallas is one of the most competitive—I think it actually might be the most competitive restaurant hub in the world, because there’s more restaurants per capita than in any other market.

So when my husband first said, “Hey, we should open a restaurant,” I was like, “You’ve lost your mind. There’s absolutely no way we’re doing that.” It was when we had just gotten Blake home from the NICU, and we were brand-new parents. We didn’t know how to parent.

We didn’t know how to make it through the night. So “Let’s start a restaurant” sounds like a really stupid idea. But apparently we’re gluttons for punishment. We went in and did it anyways, and we’re still doing stuff that probably on the surface doesn’t look smart—opening up stores during COVID. But God has really just given us favor, and we hustle as hard as we can.

Not every couple could work together as well as you and Jake. We really do enjoy it. We are both super type-A personalities and extremely stubborn and extremely opinionated. And I am right 100% of the time, and he is right 100% of the time. So, you know, we have a fight or two. But we really do love working together. And we both

love business. Sometimes people say, “When do you ever turn it off and just have ‘you time’?”

Well, we don’t want to turn it off. We’ve had several offers to buy our company and we turned all of them down because we’re like, Well, then what are we going to do? Stare at each other all day?

No, we like to hustle and we like to do business, and we sure love doing it together.

How has the pandemic affected The Biscuit Bar, now that we’re almost a year out here in North Texas? The pandemic drastically impacted our business, but we did our best to pivot our model to online ordering and third-party delivery while safely reopening our dining rooms.

We still really push the online ordering and third-party delivery.

Those are certainly ways people ordered before, but the pandemic really accelerated those platforms, I think, probably by five or six years. And those are ways people are getting their food that will not go away.

In terms of the dine-in aspect, we have a lot of patio space at all our restaurants, and our area has patio weather for the most part—so we have still had options for people to eat outside and socially distance, or socially distance inside the restaurant.

Another thing that has worked in our favor—something that was strategic for us from the beginning but really paid off during 2020—is the fact that we are a fast-casual business model. It’s the type of restaurant where people feel like it’s a place they want to go hang out with their friends or even have a special lunch or a special dinner with their family, but it’s also something that they are willing to order on DoorDash or Uber Eats just for something quick. Fast-casual is really the next wave of growth, probably at least for the next 10, maybe 20 years in restaurants.

What’s it like having three little kiddos to care for while managing a growing business? First of all, I do have help. Our nanny lives with us; she moved in during COVID. At the beginning, we really didn’t know what was going to happen with the virus, and she had roommates, so I said, “Why don’t you move in and we’ll keep all our

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THE OTHER MOMS ARE DOING… THE KIDS DON’T NEED ALL THE EXTRA SPECIAL THINGS; THEY JUST LIKE THE ATTENTION.”

Lessons offe red a c h e rs h a v e g r a d u t o a l l a g e s e t l l A ate deg re e s i n m u s i c

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germs together?” But she still has set hours. Most days she’s 9am to 5:30 or 6pm. So I’m getting up with the kids in the morning and putting them to bed at night. Once a week, though, Jake and I have a date night, so she puts the kids to bed that night.

Something else that helps balance work and home is that we now have corporate offices a block from our house. It made it convenient for me to go home several times a day to breastfeed Byron, and it really has helped us have better quality time with our kids. I leave my computer at the office and am able to more fully focus on my kids when I am home. And I am more productive working at the office than I was at home.

For working moms, my biggest thing is having grace with yourself—you don’t have to do all the things the other moms are doing on Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest. The kids don’t need all the extra special things; they just like the attention. So I try to set myself up to give them as much of my attention as I can, outsourcing things like the grocery shopping—if I can order it online instead of go to the store, I do that. And so the hour or two I have at night, I’m really focused on the kids, not doing errands or things like that.

You mentioned your weekly date night. It seems like one-on-one time would be hard to come by in your busy life. We just started that a few months ago, and it’s been game-changing for us, even though we work together and we’re together all the time. I’m so busy, he’s so busy that sometimes we don’t talk about anything, not even stuff we need to talk about for our business. And then certainly not like, “Hey, how are you doing today?”

How did you and Jake meet? I met him in church in third grade. And his mom was my eighth grade Sunday school teacher, and his dad ran sound and lights for my dad at the church, and his little brother was my little brother’s best friend. And Jake took my sister to his senior homecoming. You know, that’s not weird. (Laughs.) But we had really kind of lost touch over college. After we both graduated, I saw his mom at a baby shower. And I was like, “Oh, how is Jake doing? I haven’t seen him in forever. Here’s my number. He needs to call me.” And he called me, and we went on a date. And we’ve been together ever since.

I understand the road to parenthood wasn’t easy for you. We had been trying for seven years to get pregnant, then we thought we’d see some fertility specialists. I had my first round of [intrauterine insemination] and got pregnant with triplets. We lost baby C in the first trimester of pregnancy, and then both baby A and baby B had umbilical cord defects. At 24 weeks I went into the hospital, and at 28 weeks we had to deliver. Brycee Jo was doing well in the NICU but developed a severe infection, and she passed.

Since Blake was born quite a bit early, she still has some slight developmental delays in her speech, but it is getting better. Banner was born premature at 35 weeks and has had more significant delays due to poor eyesight and moderate hearing loss. Since we’ve had his eyesight corrected with glasses and the hearing corrected with ear tubes surgery, he is really catching up! Our little guy Byron was also born premature, at 36 weeks.

Did you go through fertility treatments to get pregnant with Banner and Byron? With Banner, yes. Byron is here to tell me that I’m no longer infertile. It was a very, very big surprise. To all the moms reading DFWChild, know that you can get pregnant while nursing.

What is it like having a little one again when you have the two older ones running around? It was scary because I was always worried that our middle child, particularly, was going to jump on him or something!

Banner is much gentler with Byron now, but he wants to high-five Byron all the time—and lots of times he misses and hits him in the face! Poor baby! There was also an instance when Banner tried to stand on the baby in order to get on the couch. So you’ve really got to keep an eye out.

Never a dull moment. It is a circus, for sure. I was kind of scared of having this baby; I didn’t plan for him and I was like, “Oh my gosh, three under 3? This is impossible.” I think my expectation was low enough that it’s not been that bad. (Laughs.) It’s controlled chaos.

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BREAD & BUTTER

FAV E FA M I LY PRO D U C T

janie burkett’s must-haves and favorite things INTERVIEW

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C AU S E CLOS E TO H E R H E A RT

MOM H ACK

November, we do a big fundraising campaign called ‘Biscuits for Brycee.’ People can round up their change or donate a separate amount, but

that month, 100% of the price of all Biscuit Nuggets is donated to March of Dimes.” MARCH OF DIMES // marchofdimes.org

FO R MOV I N G A N D G RO OV I N G

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“For post-pregnancy workouts, I got the Peloton bike and love it! They have workouts that are only 10 or 15 minutes long. I don’t really have time for more than that!” PELOTON INDOOR EXERCISE BIKE // onepeloton.com/bike

ANGELCARE BABY BATH SUPPORT // angelcarebaby.com

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“We feel so passionate about March of Dimes. Every

our main fundraiser is selling our Biscuit Nuggets dessert. During

“TRY THE ANGELCARE BABY BATH SUPPORT. IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE BASIN KITCHEN SINK, THE ANGELCARE WILL FIT RIGHT IN. IT IS MUCH EASIER ON YOUR BACK TO BATHE A BABY IN THE KITCHEN SINK!”

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ALEXIS PATTERSON

I LOVE THE UPPABABY VISTA. YOU HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO PUT THREE KIDS ON THE SAME STROLLER. THEY HAVE A STYLE CALLED BRYCE, THE NAME OF OUR BABY WHO PASSED IN THE NICU. UPPABABY VISTA V2 STROLLER // uppababy.com/vista

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S LE E PY TIM E

B I SCU IT BA R M E N U ITE MS S H E LOV E S g “My favorite is The Hoss. It’s our best seller and features fried chicken, sausage gravy, bacon, jack cheese and honey butter inside our fresh and fluffy biscuit. My kids love the Chicken Nuggets Kids Meal!

It comes with tater tots or apples, a drink and rainbow sherbet. The sherbet is their favorite, but they love dipping their chicken into our house-made ranch.”

THE BISCUIT BAR // Multiple locations; thebiscuit.bar

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“Neora Wellness Chews Sleep Formula helps me fall asleep quickly while still being able to get up with the baby in the middle of the night if he wakes.”

NEORA WELLNESS CHEWS SLEEP FORMULA // neora.com

JANIE: THE BISCUIT BAR; BABY BATH: ANGELCARE; STROLLER; UPPABABY; BIKE; PELOTON; CHEWS: NEORA; SANDWICH: THE BISCUIT BAR

real moms /

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/ ROUTINES

a monday in the life of

TONI RANDLECOOK Toni Randle-Cook thrives on creativity. The Arlington resident is a freelance writer and a photographer, and she has proven pretty skilled at keeping her three kids—Cody, 10, Ansley, 7, and Teagan, 5—busy and happy despite many months of social distancing. Randle-Cook and husband Mike moved here 12 years ago for his job with NBCUniversal.

These days, Randle-Cook is balancing work with overseeing virtual school lessons for her older children—while trying to keep the little one out of (minor) trouble.

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AM We haven’t used an alarm clock since becoming parents. Our children do a fine job of waking us up every day (even weekends and holidays). Our youngest, Teagan, is the first to greet us in the morning, and of course, she promptly wants “Milk, cereal and a movie!” Our oldest, Cody, is already awake and retreated to the media room for some tablet time; our middle child, Ansley, joins the rest of us after hearing the commotion. I feed and let our dog “Natty Boh” out.

Now it’s time to make sure the kids are dressed, fed and ready for (virtual) school.

8:10AM Our first Zoom meeting of the day. I make sure Ansley (first grade) is logged on, and with video and audio. Check. Cody (fourth grade) and I start with his school assignments. Teagan (our preschooler) is being entertained—at least for the next 10 minutes—by Peppa Pig. 9AM Zoom meeting No. 2 for Ansley. Cody and I are making progress on his work. While most fourth graders can work independently, Cody has dyslexia and ADD, and is in need of constant supervision throughout the school day—or else he’ll find more interesting things to do. Teagan is

now “cooking” us a meal in her play kitchen.

10AM Zoom meetings No. 3 (Ansley) and No. 4 (Cody). I set up Teagan at our kitchen table with some paint and a blank canvas. Whew! All three of them are occupied. I take this opportunity to pick up the mess we’ve made so far in the kitchen and throw in a load of laundry (or let’s be honest, rewash the load that I forgot I had started!).

10:30AM Zoom meeting No. 5 (Cody). I ask Ansley to start on her assignments or help Mommy by playing with her little sister. I check some work e-mails and respond to client texts.

While freelancing is flexible, I put in more than 40 hours many weeks. But my hours are not consistent. I work at night, on the weekend and during small windows of quiet time I can get out of the kids!

11:30AM Brain break! This is usually the point in our day when we all could use a break. We incorporate some physical activity like jumping on the trampoline, biking or taking Boh for a walk.

12PM Lunch! I try to include a protein, starch, fruit and vegetable at every meal. I also try to be creative in my food choices and in the presentation. My kids may not like everything I put in front of them, but if it’s in the shape of a flower or a silly face, they will eat it!

12:30PM TV time! I’m not going to win any Mother of the Year awards for this, but while we let our food settle, I usually let the kids watch television—even though it’s the middle of our school day. I’ve found that if I give them (some) small allowances during this unprecedented time, we are more productive and get along much better! During this half hour, I’m back to the grind, typing up my latest magazine story or editing a recent photography session.

1:20PM Zoom No. 6 (Ansley). I work with Cody on his assignments. Teagan is … WAIT! Let me go check!

1:30PM Zoom No. 7 (Cody). Teagan is safe. I sit with her and play a peg board game to help her learn numbers and counting.

2PM Zoom No. 8 (Teagan’s speech therapy). I sit with her during this session, because 30 minutes is a long time for a 4-year-old to pay attention to and interact with a computer screen.

2:30PM Finish any remaining schoolwork. I swear, between bouncing back and forth between the two older kids and their school needs, I’ve already gotten in my 10,000 steps for the day!

4PM School is out! Kids are allowed to use electronics. The older two usually chill out. I clean up (more) mess we’ve made from being in the house all day. Then I throw that load of clothes in the dryer and figure out what I’m going to pull together for dinner.

4:45PM I log onto our office computer and send e-mails to check in with all of my kids’ teachers. Cody is having trouble with fractions.

Help! When is Ansley’s small group meeting this week? I write up our schedule for the next day. If it’s not written in front of me—I’m old school—

Diaries are penned by moms (and dads) in the North Texas area. The authors volunteer to share a day of their choosing and are not paid or endorsed by DFWChild. Send your diary to editorial@dfwchild.com. All submissions are subject to editing and may be cut for space.

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COOK FAMILY: DESTINY MALONE PHOTOGRAPHY

real moms

the fine

print

WHAT SHE’S READING Aside from children’s books? Umm. FAVORITE CHEAP MEAL WITH THE FAMILY Pizza YEARLY DESTINATION The beach HER CELEBRITY DOPPELGANGER Bridget Fonda. I’ve also heard Jennifer Grey, pre-nose job. MOST USED EMOJI Grimacing face DREAM JOB I’ve had it!

Television reporter. LOOKING FORWARD TO Being able to travel home to Maryland and hugging my loved ones again. IF SHE COULD WRITE A BOOK, THE GENRE WOULD BE A children’s

ALL: ©ISTOCK

book! My hubby and I have several ideas; we just need to get them on paper. BEVERAGE OF CHOICE I am really trying to drink more water this year! FAVORITE ADULT DRINK Rum and Coke HOBBIES Writing, photography, brush lettering, biking and theater arts SHE WISHES SHE HAD MORE TIME TO Clean and organize my house SHE’S REALLY GOOD AT Party planning. I love themes and decorations! SHE’S REALLY BAD AT Asking for help FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN ARLINGTON It’s centrally located. Both Dallas and Fort Worth are short drives!

it will not happen!

5:30PM Dinner!

5:50PM Hubby walks in the door from work. We exchange quick rundowns of the day.

6PM I go into the office (close the door) and log into work. One of my freelance gigs is with KXAS-TV. I am a writer for the 10pm and morning newscasts.

6:15PM One of the kids comes into the office. (They want a drink. Or “need” my help to go to the bathroom. Or they ask where is that particular toy?)

6:45 PM Same as above. Why is it children will literally walk right by their father to come to Mommy for a want or need?

7:30PM Hubby begins bedtime routine, so the kids run in for hugs and kisses.

12AM I log off of my work account.

12:15AM I go into the living room and fall onto the couch. I open Netflix and allow myself 30 minutes of mindless television.

12:45AM Wash face, brush teeth, walk in each of the kids’ rooms to check on them.

As I walk back to my bedroom, I thank God for choosing me to be their mom. I climb into bed and hope that none of them wakes up in the middle of the night. But who needs sleep?

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NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE PEDIATRICIAN PLUS BE ENTERED TO WIN A $250 VISA GIFT CARD

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RESULTS WILL BE LISTED IN DFWCHILD’S MAY ISSUE

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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MOM AT THE DOOR: ©ISTOCK

BALANCING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF WORK AND HOME HAS NEVER BEEN EASY. BUT THE PANDEMIC CREATED AN ALMOST INTOLERABLE SITUATION FOR MOTHERS IN THE WORKFORCE— AND THE CONSEQUENCES WILL LIKELY BE FELT FOR YEARS TO COME

W O R D S A S H L E Y H AYS-W E AV E R

BECKY FETTE

watches wistfully from a metal park bench as her boys play on their neighborhood jungle gym just outside north Fort Worth. It’s a chilly December evening, right before sunset, and the single mother appears pensive. She has spent the last nine months carefully balancing her job as a cardiovascular sonographer with the schoolwork of her sons Covy, 9, and Gunnar, 7, and she sounds tired as she answers my questions.

“Was I able to be a good teacher, employee and mom to my kids at the same time? No way,” says Fette, reflecting back to when schools first closed. “I am in no way qualified to be a teacher, much less a dyslexia teacher,” she says, referring to the learning difference experienced by one of her sons. New to the North Texas area and recently divorced, Fette was forced to take 12 weeks off from her job during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 back in March to homeschool her children. Her employer kept her on payroll, with two-thirds of her pay, under the Emergency Family Medical Leave Act (EFMLA) during that time. “They gave me the option to go on unemployment and get the extra $600 per week—some of my friends actually did this and were making more than me—but I wanted to make sure that my job was secure and chose the EFMLA route.”

School closures were the first of many obstacles that families all over the world encountered as the number of COVID cases grew. And as unemployment rates continued to rise to numbers similar to the ones the United States saw during the infamous 2007–2009 recession, an obvious gender imbalance was thrust into the public eye. This imbalance, where women were dropping out of the workforce (or seriously considering it) at a more rapid and consistent rate than men, led to the coining of a new phrase: the 2020 “she-session.”

A chart provided by economic consultant Thomas Roney out of Dallas shows data gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dallas Federal Reserve and Texas Workforce Commission. It demonstrates how men and women in the workforce have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In the three years leading up to COVID-related job loss, the unemployment rate of Texan men and women stayed pretty similar, with men at 3.8% unemployment and women at 4%. Based on the current data, men in Texas are currently sitting at an unemployment rate of 6.6%, while the women have jumped up to 7.3%, which is still pretty close.

While Texan women may be faring “OK,” the nation as a whole can’t say the same. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the number of women in the workforce from October 2019 compared to October 2020, revealing a startling fact: There were 2.2 million fewer working women in just one year.

Could it be that the jobs women typically hold were the first to go?

“There are certain areas like teaching and hospitality that have a high proportion of female employees, and those positions have been extremely hard hit,” says Roney. “The problem is, if you’re a waitress and you lose your job, no other restaurants are hiring right now. It almost demands a career change, which is always difficult but even more so right now.”

Fette is just one of many mothers who struggled to manage the situation. Vanessa Bailey, owner of Farmgirl Gardens & Market in Collin County, had to significantly modify her business model in order to stay afloat. “Everything plummeted in the spring,” says the mom of three, who specializes in edible garden coaching and permaculture homestead consulting. “Then I went from an on-site, boots-on-the-ground model to exclusively virtual. Instead of clients 15 or 20 miles from my house, I’m now on the phone with someone while they stand in their yard using dfwchild.com / february 2021

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Google satellite maps to help them virtually. I started seed sales because so many places were closed, and I had to create content that didn’t exist before to make up for the lack of physical interaction. The changes definitely took some getting used to.”

Kristi Kelly works as a proposal and document manager at a civil construction company in Fort Worth, and says that overall, her company has been as accommodating as possible regarding her obligations as her family’s caregiver and as one of their vital employees. Still, it doesn’t take away her insecurities of how she may be perceived by her coworkers (predominately male) when she has to miss work.

“My company has been pretty great about letting me work from home,” says Kelly. “They have been extremely understanding, but it makes me feel incredibly guilty because I hate missing work. I don’t feel like a part of the team.

It’s harder to communicate with my coworkers.

It’s very hard for me to do my job.”

WHY WOMEN?

The struggles that working women are experiencing compared to their male counterparts appear to boil down to good ol’ traditional gender roles.

Kelly said that there was never a question of whether Mom or Dad would stay home while schools were closed. “Moms always get the shaft, you can put that,” she says with an exasperated laugh. Kelly, who had been exposed to COVID-19 through work, was home on quarantine with her 6-year-old son, Paxton, at the time of our Zoom interview.

“I think moms end up being put into this category where, even if we have a partner to help, it’s up to the women to stay home from work,” says Kelly. “It’s just expected of us, and it’s very frustrating.”

Bailey agrees. “I think the narrative for women has always been that we take on the extra load no matter what environment we are in,” she says. “When the world was on fire and we didn’t have answers, it was the women who stepped up to try and make things better, and we still had to have dinner on the table at 5pm.”

She also believes that this pandemic has exposed the contribution of women in our communities. “We don’t speak about it, but society expects so much more out of moms,” Bailey says, in reference to the cooking, cleaning and child-rearing duties that women typically assume. “This pandemic made sure that our hard work is no longer a societal secret. It’s out for everyone to see.”

Casey Osborn-Hinman, senior campaign director for the nonprofit MomsRising and a mother of two, says she knows from personal experience that there is a default expectation that moms are going to hold it all together and make everything OK. “I think we’re actually really good at doing that, but the problem is 24

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that the people around us, including our leaders and decision-makers, don’t necessarily see the fallout,” she says. “Meanwhile, we are impossibly overwhelmed. We feel like we are failing our kids who are trying to learn remotely or are coming at us with 50 different requests a day that we have to say ‘no’ to—because we’re either working or trying to find work.”

She emphasizes that women in this situation are not alone—and that’s becoming increasingly apparent. “The value of being open about that is we can see that this is not a series of individual crises,” says Osborn-Hinman. “This is a systemic problem. There’s a reason that so many moms are struggling with the same issues right now.”

Although school is not designed to be a babysitter, many working women depend on the time that their kids are in class to balance home with career. Sudden statewide school closures caused panic for many mothers in the

“MY COMPANY HAS BEEN PRETTY GREAT ABOUT LETTING ME WORK FROM HOME …

BUT IT MAKES ME FEEL INCREDIBLY GUILTY.” workforce, who were faced with the decision to either pay for childcare that equaled over half their salary or to quit their jobs altogether.

And this is assuming that childcare could even be found; child care centers were not allowed to operate from March through May, and upon reopening were set at 25% and later 50% maximum capacity. Women were placed on the spot overnight to “prioritize” either family or work—an unfair position from the start.

“Moms are being put in an impossible situation where every day they are having to figure out what they’re going to do with their kids

while they are working, and COVID has been the straw that has broken the camel’s back,” notes Osborn-Hinman. “Childcare providers were already operating on poverty wages themselves. Now add to that decreased enrollment, since a number of families are keeping their children at home temporarily because of public health concerns. They’re taking in less tuition each month, and yet they’re having to pay more for required PPE and other safety and health measures to keep the smaller ratio of kids who are still going safe.”

Osborn-Hinman adds that meanwhile, parents are being stretched thinner than ever.

People are losing jobs, homes or unemployment benefits, but they are actively looking for work and have nowhere to put their children. “They can’t pay for child care without a job, and they can’t have a job without child care.”

So is there anything that working moms can do to secure our jobs and our pay while continuing to meet the needs of our families?

FOCUS ON EDUCATION

Roney says that the key to staying relevant in your field is education. “The major factor in the level of earnings is education,” says the economic consultant, stating that the wage gap between someone with a GED and someone with a four-year degree can be a difference of up to 50%.

“Within the last 30 years, people without a four-year degree have barely been able to keep up with inflation as far as their earning capacity.

In comparison, those with more education have seen their wages stay 1–2% above inflation,” says Roney, which he explains means that those with higher education aren’t only making more money, but their wages are also increasing at a faster rate.

“If a young woman with young children is trying to maximize how much money she can make over a lifetime, the best thing she can do is to seek an education,” he advises. “Match yourself up with what you like to do. Once you make that career decision, the more education you can get in that field, the more desirable you make yourself to prospective employers.”

While this is good advice, it’s not an immediate solution; education takes time to complete. It doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the workforce, either. Let me give you a little of my own backstory: I recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree in communication and public relations from the University of Texas at Arlington. Before I knew just how debilitating this pandemic was going to get, I had sent out my resume and cover letter to a few different PR firms scattered across Dallas-Fort Worth in anticipation of graduation. The responses that trickled into my inbox were all similar in tune: They couldn’t afford to bring in any new staff right now but had some unpaid internships available if I was interested.

RISE UP & GET CONNECTED MomsRising is a resource for women across the country who want their voices and opinions to be heard by local, state and national leaders. The website momsrising.org creates a platform for concerned citizens to tackle civil and social issues by providing a straightforward way to contact those who make the decisions affecting you.

The organization works against injustices such as pay disparities between genders, expensive childcare and non-paid sick days for the working mom. The MomsRising site was named one of forbes.com’s Top 100 Websites for Women four years in a row and appeared on the “Best of the Net” list in Working Mother magazine.

Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (dfwjobs.com), Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas (wfsdallas.com) and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County (workforcesolutions.net), assist those in our area seeking a job, with services ranging from workforce training and educational workshops to child care and virtual career fairs. Get information online, or visit a workforce center to get help with career coaching, resume preparation and interview skills.

Now, let the record show that I am not above an unpaid internship. Not to toot my own horn, but I do have a pretty impressive resume already, including internships. However, it was impossible at this time for me to accept a position where experience was offered in lieu of pay, because of a pandemic-induced decline in business on my husband’s side of things. He owns and operates a barbecue business in Fort Worth, and the constantly changing state and local policies and restrictions caused our sales numbers to drop significantly. Like other restaurateurs, we adapted and began to run a to-go service. We are a small, family-run company, and this is our only source of income.

In the face of desperation, our restaurant quickly became my full-time job. It was the only place I could bring all four of our children (ranging from 4 months to 11 years old) to work with me—even though it was extremely

difficult, since I was still the one responsible for them. Even with my newly acquired degree in a completely different field, I felt obligated to take the job where I could contribute to our income and not have to deal with the stress of scrounging around for work and paying for childcare to do so. I feel extremely blessed to even have a job ready for me, but like many, I am unable to use my degree in this economic climate. And while I will never regret getting my bachelor’s, I have a feeling that it will be a while before I’ll be able to use it.

event of contracting COVID-19; however, there are several slightly unclear stipulations listed for employers. Then there is the question everyone is asking: are these orders legally mandated, or just strongly suggested? Alexis Craig, an associate attorney at Freeman Mills, a law practice with offices in Dallas and Fort Worth, says businesses need to take note. “Executive orders do have the same weight as a law or a statute and it is illegal to disobey them,” she says.

POLICY PROBLEMS

I wish I could provide a “how to” section here with multiple resources to help working moms cope, but the truth is, I can’t. This is all too new.

While there are some statistics made available to us, there simply isn’t a wealth of data yet for us to analyze and fully understand to what degree our economy and families have been affected by COVID-19.

“I think that the impacts of the pandemic and the ‘she-session’ are going to be long lasting,” says Osborn-Hinman. “The impacts of COVID right now have been so devastating that it feels kind of insignificant to talk about earning potential and employment potential, but the truth is that at some point, our economy is going to hit a ‘new normal’—and women are not going to be situated in that new normal the way that they were in our old normal.”

Perhaps the best thing working women— and men—can do right now is to speak out to lawmakers. That’s a good way to not only educate yourself on what resources are made available to you, but also to advocate for what isn’t in place. “There’s a lot of work to do, particularly at the state and local level, regarding paycheck fairness and job protection for working moms,” says Osborn-Hinman. “But if we don’t pressure our lawmakers to proactively put policies in place that promote equity and opportunity, then women are absolutely going to be behind when we get back into the workforce.

Just because public health is thriving again doesn’t mean that women will be able to return to work. Our public policies need to rise to the occasion and set up that infrastructure now rather than later in order for women to return to the workforce.”

As difficult as it’s been for the moms out there navigating these unfamiliar waters, Fette reminds me that the pandemic isn’t only our burden to bear. She says that although she has encountered her share of struggles (and continues to do so), it infuriates her to hear that this time is being referred to as the “she-session.”

“The elderly and immunocompromised people, the already mentally unstable who are suffering even more, the small business owners who have invested and then lost everything, the frontline workers who fear death everyday—I mean, the list could go on and on,” says Fette.

“There is no need for any gender to claim it as its own. This is everyone’s pandemic.”

Osborn-Hinman believes that a lack of any real public policy has also hindered the working mother’s rights within the workplace. “From our vantage point, women are being forced out of the workforce because we don’t have a public policy infrastructure that supports the caregiving responsibilities of parents, and we all know that most of these responsibilities default to mothers,” she says. “There are a number of policies that we’re noticing the absence of, mainly paid family medical leave. A national unpaid family leave policy is in place right now that is limited in terms of who is eligible, and while it’s important to have that policy in the books, what we really need is a paid program so that all workers can afford to take time off to be with their families when their families need them.”

Roney also says the pandemic hasn’t sparked a policy that has provided major support for working women. “I haven’t heard any discussion of public policy regarding women in the workplace since COVID … State officials have been very quiet on that issue,” he says. “I consider myself a pretty well-informed person, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of debate on how to help people, especially from our federal government. I have a feeling that these stimulus bills will be ‘too little, too late’ in helping our economy, which affects both men and women but especially working mothers in this case.”

Kelly sees confusion among businesses.

“There’s just general direction for employers to follow,” says Kelly. “It seems like the details are really up to each individual company. I’m very thankful for my company’s response, but it still doesn’t change the fact that no one knows how to handle it. Some workplaces say that if you get exposed, you need to stay home until you can produce a negative test. Others, like my husband’s, say you have to work unless you can produce a positive test. I’ve heard others say that if you have been exposed to someone that tested positive, you have to stay home for two weeks no matter if you get tested or not. It’s really just a free-for-all at this point.”

Texas Health and Human Services has issued several executive orders signed by Governor Greg Abbott, and those orders are regularly amended to stay current. They do provide protocol for missing and returning to work in the

DEMAND CHANGE

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DFWCHILD EDITORS PRESENT

DALLAS COUNTY

That’s the belief that guides certified nurse-midwife Taylor Houser, our readers’ Best Midwife for Dallas County. Houser, who holds a doctorate of nursing practice, has eight years of experience serving women and babies. Along with her mother Carla Morrow (Tarrant County’s Best Midwife), Houser founded Dallas Midwife Associates, where she offers boutique-style prenatal, labor, birth and postpartum care.

Additionally, the practice provides well-woman services, including preconception counseling and family planning options.

3611 Swiss Ave., Suite 200, Dallas; dallasmidwifeassociates.com

MOM + BABY: ©I ©ISTOCK; MELISSA ESPEY-MUELLER: DANI ADAMS BARRY

BEST HOSPITAL TO HAVE A BABY We have two winners!

Baylor University Medical Center + Medical City Dallas

At Baylor University Medical Center, welcoming a child is a unique experience. The team specializes in providing quality care, education and empowerment for families through every stage of pregnancy (including postpartum). Some of the notable amenities Baylor offers include wireless fetal monitoring, aromatherapy during delivery, lactation support, a take-home meal (for four), placenta processing and donation. The hospital is also a doulaand midwife-friendly environment.

In fact, Dallas’ Best Midwife, Taylor Houser, works with Baylor often.

Do you have a high-risk pregnancy?

Baylor’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine services provide access to testing, support and treatments. As an added plus, the hospital was recently designated a Level IV maternal care center—the highest possible designation—so you’ll be in good hands.

3500 Gaston Ave., Dallas; bswhealth.com/dallaschildbirth This year’s other Best Hospital to Have a Baby in Dallas County is Medical City Dallas. Moms love the Medical City Dallas delivery experience. There are 24 spacious labor and delivery rooms and 12 VIP suites, with amenities including a separate room for family’s overnight stays, easy access to the nursery, refrigerators in each room, gifts for mom, Tempur-Pedic Murphy beds for partners and much more.

Medical City Dallas also offers lactation consultant services and other breastfeeding resources. This hospital also stands out as the only North Texas hospital with a full-service children’s hospital, a Level IV maternal designation, a Level IV NICU and an adult hospital on the same campus. 7777 Forest Lane, Dallas; medicalcityhospital.com BEST BIRTHING CENTER Origins Birth and Wellness Dallas

Our readers repeatedly choose Origins Birth and Wellness Dallas for its outstanding midwifery care.

On top of labor and birth services, Origins Birth and Wellness offers nutritional counseling, maternal and fetal health monitoring, educa-

BEST CHILDBIRTH CLASS Rosemary Zinser, Medical City Dallas

tion, lactation counseling, newborn care and more. That means Origins will be there for you during every step of your journey into parenthood! Moms love that the Origins team takes care of not only their physical needs but also their emotional and spiritual needs. They’ll talk to you about stressors, family dynamics—anything that needs to be discussed in order to make your birth experience the best it can be.

Birth suites are designed offer the

comfort of home while providing exceptional safety and security. The Origins Birth and Wellness Dallas staff includes certified professional midwives, certified nurse-midwives and even a chiropractor.

3100 Swiss Ave., Dallas; originsbirthdallas.com BEST MIDWIFE Taylor Houser, Dallas Midwife Associates

Every woman deserves choices.

Melissa Espey-Mueller, North Dallas Doula Associates

Melissa Espey-Mueller is a regular winner in our Best: Moms & Babies survey. The owner and director of North Dallas Doula Associates, EspeyMueller recognizes birth and the postpartum period as a rite of passage that is profoundly impacted by the guidance, information and support you’ll receive from her. She and her staff work with all birth preferences (medicated, unmedicated, C-section, VBAC) and provide postpartum doula support, parent education, placenta encapsulation and lactation support. Espey-Mueller—marking her 21st year as a doula—is a DONA- and ProDoula-trained, master-level, certified elite doula; certified childbirth educator; certified lactation counselor; and a gynecologic teaching associate (GTA) through Texas A&M Health Science Center. 107 Murray St., Dallas; northdallasdoulas.com

Rosemary Zinser’s goal is to provide expecting moms and their partners education and confidence about their baby’s birth. In the classes she teaches through Medical City Dallas, Zinser covers pain management (medical and non-medical), the labor process, positioning techniques and postpartum recovery, among other topics. She has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of pediatrics and women’s services. For the dad-to-be, Zinser offers Tool Time for New Dads, teaching them how they can be part of the team during labor, delivery and even breastfeeding. You can also check out Breastfeeding 101, Baby Care Basics and Infant CPR and Childhood Safety. You’ll finish class feeling empowered about the experience ahead—knowing you can handle everything as a family unit.

7777 Forest Lane, Dallas (classes currently being offered online); bit.ly/mcdclasses or 972/566-7153 BEST INFANT SLEEP CONSULTANT Live Love Sleep

Being sleep-deprived goes handin-hand with new parenthood, right? Not necessarily! Our readers in Dallas County (and throughout DFW) know they can trust the experts at Live Love Sleep to develop a sleep plan tailored to their needs.

Founder Kaley Medina and her team craft around-the-clock plans, including feeding time recommendations, nap troubleshooting, new bedtime routines and strategies for dfwchild.com / february 2021

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helping kiddos fall asleep and stay asleep. While Live Love Sleep’s baby program takes about two weeks, you can generally expect to see some big improvements at bedtime by the third or fourth night. And if you have an older child who could use a better sleep schedule, Live Love Sleep can help you there too. Their consultants also work with sleepdeprived families who have toddlers and elementary-age kiddos. livelovesleep.com BEST CHILD CARE CENTER FOR INFANTS Primrose Schools

Our Dallas County readers recommend Primrose Schools when they need child care for their babies.

There’s so much that impresses them: the Primrose curriculum— which combines teacher-guided learning with child-initiated play— and the school’s long history of serving families, with Primrose launching in 1982. Our readers also love the convenience. There are multiple Dallas County locations (and 62 private preschool campuses throughout the Metroplex—it’s the

infant care provider of choice in Collin and Denton counties as well), so quality care is close by. Primrose offers early childhood education for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, and an after-school program for children up to age 12, so little ones will have consistent care throughout childhood. All Primrose teachers have experience in child development and are trained in CPR and first aid.

Multiple locations; primroseschools.com BEST PARENT & BABY CLASSES Kindermusik

Dallas County moms rave about Kindermusik, a childhood development class that encourages infants (and older kiddos, too) to learn through music. In weekly classes, experienced and licensed educators offer a unique blend of musical activities that help stimulate physical and cognitive development. Parents are encouraged to join in on the fun as their child learns through vocal play, object exploration, instruments and creative movement. Newborns (4 months and younger) enjoy their first month free. Many Kindermusik studios are currently offering virtual classes; check with your location about COVID protocols for inperson classes.

Multiple locations; kindermusik.com

Sitting Made Simple

When a night off is necessary, or work keeps our Dallas County readers busy, they turn to Sitting Made Simple—a membership-based babysitting service that prides itself on being safe, affordable and convenient. Serving Dallas for the last four years, Sitting Made Simple (owned locally

by Ashley Huston) helps parents manage competing responsibilities or get some Mom-and-Dad time. Whether you need a last-minute sitter, before- and afterschool care, virtual learning assistance, daytime or nighttime care, or an ongoing sitter, Sitting Made Simple has you covered.

Its professional sitters are all certified in CPR and first aid, in addition to completing background and driving checks. sittingmadesimple.com/dallas

BEST INFANT SWIM CLASS Emler Swim School

Swimming isn’t just for big kids!

Dallas County moms and dads trust the professionals at Emler Swim School to introduce their babies to the water and build the comfort little ones need to develop future swim skills. Emler Swim School has two locations in Dallas—Preston Forest as well as Walnut Hill—and another in Sachse (plus in other cities across the Metroplex—Emler

is our reader favorite in all four counties). Classes are available for infants as young as 2 months, and experienced instructors guide kiddos through swim fundamentals as they grow. Lessons take place in 90-degree saltwater pools that have a max depth of 4 feet, with classes kept small for individualized attention. There are enhanced cleaning and safety protocols throughout the schools, including UV water purification systems and advanced air filtration. And there are classes for big brothers and sisters too, so everyone can get splashing.

Multiple locations; emlerswimschool.com

COLLIN COUNTY

A water birth is one of your options at Origins Birth and Wellness Dallas.

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It’s no surprise that when the big day arrives, moms trust Medical City Plano as the best place in Collin County to bring their little ones into the world. The hospital offers modern amenities to make your stay comfortable (and safe)—memory foam beds, a gourmet post-delivery meal for your celebration, and an enhanced infant security system.

During your labor process, Medical City Plano professionals can provide a variety of options for pain management, from an epidural to nitrous oxide or aromatherapy. Postdelivery, you have access to on-site breastfeeding support through the Texas Ten Step Program and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) just in case your baby needs

ORIGINS BIRTH CENTER: TRICIA MARIE BRIDGES; SITTING MADE SIMPLE: ASHLEY HUSTON

BEST HOSPITAL TO HAVE A BABY Medical City Plano

2021 DART STUDENT ART CONTEST This year’s theme:

Everyday Heroes Ride DART Let’s show the world what a real hero looks like.

Enter by March 23, 2021 for a chance to win cool prizes!

DART.org/ArtContest

THE ART OF WINSLOW HOMER AND FREDERIC REMINGTON

ON VIEW THROUGH FEBRUARY 28 CARTERMUSEUM.ORG/MYTHMAKERS #MYTHMAKERS Images (details): Winslow Homer (1836–1910), West Point, Prout’s Neck, 1900, oil on canvas, Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1955.7; Frederic Remington (1861–1909), The Stampede, 1908, oil on canvas, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gift of the Thomas Gilcrease Foundation, 1955 0127.2329 Mythmakers: The Art of Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington is organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Portland Museum of Art, Maine. The national tour sponsorship is generously provided by Bank of America. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities; by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor; and by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. The Carter’s presentation of Mythmakers is generously supportedby the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Alice L. Walton Foundation Temporary Exhibitions Endowment.

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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some extra medical attention. Moms also feel safe because Medical City Plano is keeping up to date with the latest COVID-19 protocols and testing to minimize exposure.

3901 W. 15th St., Plano; medicalcityplano.com BEST BIRTHING CENTER Allen Midwifery & Family Wellness (Formerly Allen Birthing Center)

For a birthing center experience, our Collin County readers choose Allen Midwifery & Family Wellness.

Located in a fully renovated, historic home with two birthing suites—each with a private bathroom and birthing tub—AMFW provides moms and partners a comfortable setting for labor and delivery. When it opened in 2003, AMFW was the first birthing center in Collin County. As of last fall, the center expanded to offer primary care and family wellness, holistic fertility and hormone therapy. With four nurse midwives on AMFW staff as well as a family nurse practitioner and a traditional Chinese medicine specialist, the team at Allen Midwifery & Family Center offers a variety of services to care for your family.

406 W. Main St., Allen; allenmidwifery.com

Stacy Hutchins of Birthing…

Naturally has had a passion for birth education since the birth of her first child in 2004. Serving Collin County and the entire DFW Metroplex, Hutchins created Birthing…

Naturally with fellow doula and childbirth educator Shelly Brittain to ensure that families are always supported on the amazing journey of bringing new life into the world.

Hutchins works in a variety of birth settings, including home, hospital and birthing center. Now a mom of four, she wants to empower and educate other parents so they can have the most positive birthing experience possible. birthingnaturallydfw.com BEST CHILDBIRTH CLASS Prepared Childbirth at Medical City Plano

For first-time parents in Collin County, there is no better class to gear up for a hospital birth adventure than the Prepared Childbirth Class at Medical City Plano. Due to the pandemic, classes are currently being held virtually, but each class still includes a tour of the labor and postpartum units—so you can check that off your list as well. The three-hour class covers an array of childbirth topics, from the signs and symptoms of labor to what to pack for the hospital and postpartum care for moms. The free Prepared

Dr. Teri Mitchell of BundleBorn Midwifery

Collin County mamas who use a midwife are sure to know about Dr. Teri Mitchell of BundleBorn Midwifery. Mitchell felt called to midwifery at an early age and spent 20 years getting the education to help families through the process of childbirth and the postpartum period. After earning associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing, Mitchell became certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. She went on to earn a doctorate in nursing practice degree in midwifery in 2014 before becoming certified as a midwife by the American Midwifery Certification Board.

She is passionate about supporting growing families and specializes in home births, water births and house calls.

8501 Wade Blvd., Suite 630, Frisco; bundleborn.com

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Childbirth class takes place about once a month, but for a fee of $45 you will receive access to an online class you can watch anytime.

3901 W. 15th St., Plano; medicalcityplano.com BEST INFANT SLEEP CONSULTANT Live Love Sleep

Our Collin County readers choose Live Love Sleep to help their little one get on a schedule that minimizes tears and maximizes rest—for babies and parents. Live Love Sleep’s baby program lasts two weeks, and founder Kaley Medina says it’s amazing how quickly infants learn sleep skills.

Her team of sleep consultants will come up with a detailed, aroundthe-clock plan to help your family better adjust. From changes to bedtime routines and strategies for helping littles fall asleep to handling early wakeups and developing a feeding schedule that promotes good sleep, Live Love Sleep’s plan will have you covered. And if you run into bedtime troubles with an older kiddo, Live Love Sleep can help there too. livelovesleep.com BEST CHILD CARE CENTER FOR INFANTS Primrose Schools

The Primrose name has become synonymous with excellence in child care, so it makes sense that our Collin County readers (and those in Dallas and Denton counties) turn to Primrose Schools to care for their little ones. With multiple private preschool locations in Collin County (and 62 throughout the Metroplex), parents have high-quality care just around the corner. Primrose prides itself on its balanced learning curriculum, which combines teacherguided learning with child-initiated play. Primrose offers early childhood education for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, and an after-school program for children up to age 12— providing a consistent environment throughout childhood. All Primrose teachers have experience in child development and are trained in CPR and first aid.

Multiple locations; primroseschools.com BEST BABYSITTING SERVICE Mom’s Best Friend

With virtual learning, increased cleaning and more meals at home than ever, parents have a lot on their plate. Add in a new baby and

moms are swamped. So it’s no surprise that they turn to Mom’s Best Friend for help. Our Collin County readers and their Denton County neighbors recommend Mom’s Best Friend when you’re looking for a professional babysitter (anyone need a date night?)—and to give parents extra peace of mind, all of Mom’s Best Friend caregivers are screened in a 10-step process and are certified in CPR and first aid. Need other household help? Mom’s Best Friend is a full-service agency that connects families with full-time or part-time nannies, housekeepers, personal assistants, cooks and senior care specialists. Contact Mom’s Best Friend for details on COVID-19 protocols. momsbestfriend.com BEST PARENT & BABY CLASSES The Little Gym

Collin County readers tell us The Little Gym is their favorite place for parent-and-baby classes. You can start your little one at 4 months, with other classes available for kids up to age 12. The Little Gym (with locations in Plano and Frisco) provides a great environment to build confidence and strength. Infant classes are 45 minutes and include music, movement and and a variety of age-appropriate activities that change each week. Babies develop strength, balance, special awareness and social skills. The Little Gym has virtual and in-person class options for Collin County families. It’s also the Best Parent & Baby Classes winner for Tarrant County.

7151 Preston Road, Suite 123A, Frisco; thelittlegym.com/friscotx 5813 Preston Road, Suite 574, Plano; thelittlegym.com/planotx BEST INFANT SWIM CLASS Emler Swim School

Our readers in Collin County (and across the Metroplex) say Emler Swim School is the place to get baby splashing. With locations in Allen, Central Frisco–McKinney, Frisco– West, Plano and Sachse, Emler has Collin County parents covered.

There are offerings for infants as young as 2 months (a free semester called Bathtime Babies). As your child grows, they’ll learn to kick and submerge under an experienced instructor’s guidance. Some classes are designed for Mom or Dad to join their little in the water. You won’t mind: The saltwater pools—with a max depth of 4 feet—are always 90

TERI MITCHELL: LAUREN ROSE

BEST DOULA Stacy Hutchins of Birthing…

Naturally

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TARRANT COUNTY

BEST HOSPITAL TO HAVE A BABY Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth

When it comes to hospital births, our Tarrant County readers love Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. From tub births to gentle cesareans, Texas Health Fort Worth will work with you to achieve the birth you want while keeping you comfortable and safe. The hospital features uniquely designed, private maternity suites that comfortably accommodate families. Each spacious suite includes a flat-screen TV, full-size private bathroom, a bed for mom’s support person and the ability to control your room’s temperature. To help celebrate baby’s arrival, parents can enjoy a complimentary celebratory meal during their stay. And if little ones need extra support after birth, Texas Health Fort Worth also has a Level III NICU on-site. Whether it’s your first or fourth baby, each birth is unique, and Texas Health Fort Worth is committed to providing support and care for a safe, memorable childbirth experience.

1301 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth; texashealth.org/fw-baby BEST BIRTHING CENTER Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center

Our Tarrant County readers who prefer a birthing center wholeheartedly recommend Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center (FWBC). Located in Cowtown’s Medical District, FWBC offers comprehensive certified nurse-midwifery care and a safe birth experience in a modern, relaxing, beautiful homelike environment. (You’ll want to borrow some design tips!) The FWBC team also provides prenatal, postpartum and well-woman services, and strives to build a strong bond with patients and families.

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BEST MIDWIFE Carla Morrow, Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center, Fort Worth Midwife Associates

For more than two decades, Carla Morrow has been providing personalized care for women and their families. A certified nurse-midwife with a doctorate in nursing from Baylor University, Morrow has attended more than 1,800 births.

In 1993, she founded Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center, the only CABC (Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers) accredited birth center in the DallasFort Worth area and a repeat winner for our Best Birthing Center in Tarrant County. Midwifery seems to run in the family: Morrow’s daughter Taylor Houser is our readers’ choice for Best Midwife in Dallas.

They collectively own Fort Worth Midwife Associates, Arlington Midwife Associates and Dallas Midwife Associates. Morrow is committed to empowering women and helping them make the best decisions for their families. fwmidwives.com/carla BEST CHILDBIRTH CLASS Your Best Birth, taught by Barb Davis with birth | Fort Worth

To prepare for childbirth, our Tarrant County readers love the Your Best Birth class, taught by Barb Davis (also voted Best Doula in Tarrant County). Your Best Birth gives soon-to-be moms and dads the information, confidence and skills to have—you guessed it!—the best birth experience possible. It’s not all business, though; Davis (better known as Doula Barb) cultivates a fun and laid-back atmosphere to put expecting parents at ease. There are in-person and virtual options, and Your Best Birth is recommended between 30–35 weeks. You’ll be totally prepared (well, as prepared as any new parent can be), with the class covering everything from the countdown to your due date to settling in with baby.

Barb Davis with birth | Fort Worth

Support without judgment: That’s what you get when you choose Barb Davis, founder of birth | Fort Worth, as your doula. Our Tarrant County readers love Doula Barb—a repeat winner in this category—for her extensive knowledge of all things birth and her ability to emotionally connect with the families she serves. Davis is a dual-certified birth and postpartum doula, a certified childbirth educator (check out Davis’ Your Best Birth Class, another Best: Mom & Babies winner) and Texas Department of State Health Services lactation educator, with a background in early childhood education. Her goal is to educate, inform and inspire everyone she works with—so they find the strength and beauty in their birth experience. birthfortworth.com

birthfortworth.com BEST INFANT SLEEP CONSULTANT Live Love Sleep

When our readers in Tarrant County find sweet dreams hard to come by, they turn to Live Love Sleep for a personalized plan for their family. And it’s not just about the nighttime hours. Founder Kaley Medina and her team of professional sleep consultants put together around-the-clock plans that will maximize rest and minimize tears.

Live Love Sleep will help you determine optimal feeding times, develop a new bedtime routine, handle overnight wakeups and troubleshoot napping. Within days, parents typically see some big improvements, and you’ll be resting much easier by the end of Live Love Sleep’s twoweek baby program. There are also services for older kids so that everyone can reap the benefits of a good night’s sleep. livelovesleep.com BEST CHILD CARE CENTER FOR INFANTS Premier Academy & Premier Prep School

Our readers in Tarrant County entrust their precious little ones to the experts at Premier Academy and its partner campus, Premier Prep School. Premier Academy (with locations in Trophy Club and Sendera Ranch in Haslet) and Premier Prep (in Keller) provide a nurturing atmosphere for infants as young as 6 weeks old. Babies enjoy a stimulating environment, large class-

rooms with natural light, and toys and activities that build strength and understanding. Teachers are trained to evaluate progress, and infants advance to the next classroom based on development—which ensures surroundings and programs continually meet their needs. Premier Academy and Premier Prep, which are Christian-based child care centers, are committed to working collaboratively with families and delivering the same level of care and safety of home.

915 Trophy Club Drive, Trophy Club 14081 Willow Springs Road, Haslet premieracademy.com 4040 Heritage Trace Parkway, Keller; premierprepschool.com BEST PARENT & BABY CLASSES The Little Gym

With multiple locations in Tarrant County (Southwest Fort Worth, North Fort Worth, Keller and Arlington-Mansfield), The Little Gym provides a fun, active, educational experience close to home.

Classes at The Little Gym run 45 minutes, with parents helping their littles through developmentally appropriate activities—with a new theme, music and gym setup each week. You can start when your baby is 4 months old and continue on through toddlerhood, helping them develop strength, balance, spatial awareness and social skills. And each location of The Little Gym has plenty of scheduling options that will work for any busy mama. Have an older kiddo? The Little Gym has

DOULA BARB: BARBARA DAVIS

degrees. And Emler is committed to a safe environment, with UV water purification systems and enhanced cleaning protocols.

Multiple locations; emlerswimschool.com

Then there’s the state-of-the-art equipment, such as the Neopuff infant resuscitation machine. In the rare case that a mom or baby needs to be transferred to a hospital setting, it’s just two blocks to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and to Cook Children’s Medical Center, where FWBC midwives have privileges.

622 Hemphill St., Fort Worth; fwbirthcenter.com

Vetro’s Glassblowing Valentine Help Creates!

Help Create Flowers: Friday, Feb 5 Help Create Hearts: Saturday, Feb 6 Hot Date Night: Friday, Feb 12, Saturday, Feb 13 and Sunday, Feb 14 Come ready to try new color mixes and patterns! Join Vetro’s team while we do what we love best … playing with fire!

Online Registration is Required for All Events

vetroartglass.com | 817.251.1668 & F IN E ART GALLE RY

701 S Main St, Ste 103, Grapevine, TX 76051

New Museum in Irving has it all!

STEM, Invention Lab, History and so much more!

We’re open! Bring your bubble to experience the new award-winning Irving Archives & Museum. Open Wednesday–Friday, 10AM–4PM. Reservations required. Call or visit our website to make reservations.

Visitors have the opportunity to explore Irving’s pioneer past and multicultural present. IAM’s primary goal is to connect with the community in an environment that welcomes every one, IAM also brings a first-of-itskind to Texas, a Smithsonian Spark!Lab. In Spark!Lab, we believe everyone is inventive. Every day we provide opportunities for children and families to explore their inventive creativity—to create, innovate, collaborate, and problem-solve—because these experiences empower kids to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed today and in the future.

Irving Archives and Museum 801 W. Irving Blvd., Irving, TX 75060 972-721-3714 irvingarchivesandmuseum.com

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gymnastics and sports skills classes as well.

Multiple locations; thelittlegym.com/fortworthsouthwesttx; thelittlegym.com/northfortworthtx; thelittlegym.com/kellertx; thelittlegym.com/arlingtonmansfieldtx BEST INFANT SWIM CLASS Emler Swim School

Moms and dads in Tarrant County build their babies’ comfort in the water at Emler Swim School. At Emler’s locations in Fort Worth and Southlake (and across the Metroplex), you’ll find 90-degree saltwater pools with a max depth of 4 feet, experienced instructors, UV water purification systems and a shiver-free ambient air temperature. Classes are designed for babies as young as 2 months, and as your infant grows, they build their skills and confidence in the pool.

In Emler’s program for kiddos 6 months to 36 months, for example, they learn to kick independently for 10 feet and hold their breath underwater for 8–10 seconds. Emler has a long history of serving local parents,

DENTON COUNTY

BEST HOSPITAL TO HAVE A BABY Medical City Lewisville

At Medical City Lewisville, dreams are born—with our Denton County readers touting the care they’ve received through pregnancy, labor, delivery and beyond. The hospital provides a safe and supportive environment as well as comfort and privacy. There are luxurious birth and postpartum suites, and the hospital has a Level III NICU if baby needs special care. Medical City Lewisville patients also have access to high-risk pregnancy services, breastfeeding support, on-site lactation consulting, cord blood donation and more. And of course, you’ll receive top-level care no matter the situation: samesex partners, birth mothers, adoptive parents… Everyone is in good hands at Medical City Lewisville—whether this is your first baby or your fifth.

500 W. Main St., Lewisville; medicalcityhealthcare.com BEST BIRTHING CENTER Inanna Birth & Women’s Care

Inanna’s Birth & Women’s Care is a mainstay on our Denton County

Best: Moms & Babies list for good reason. The center’s registered nurses and midwives have seen over 5,000 births in the last two decades, and our Denton County readers appreciate their medical expertise as well as their outstanding care.

The quaint and comfy birthing center features two spacious birthing suites, an exam room and kitchen.

Childbirth classes are taught by Inanna’s midwives; the center also hosts postnatal fitness and CPR classes. Take a tour and get ready for your baby’s big day.

1823 N. Locust St., Denton; inannabirth.com BEST MIDWIFE Heather Caudell

Looking for a midwife? Our Denton County readers recommend Heather Caudell, a certified nurse-midwife and five-time DFWChild Mom Approved provider with Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates and, now, Medical City Lewisville. Caudell has been serving women for more than two decades, and her patients greatly value her professional acumen and her compassion. She completed training at the Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Obsterics and Gynecology Associates, 4001 Long Praire Road, Suite 150, Flower Mound; fmobgyn.com Medical City Lewisville, 500 W. Main St., Lewisville; medicalcityhealthcare.com BEST DOULA Ashlyn Biedebach, By The Brook Birth Doula

Babies get introduced to the pool with classes at Emler Swim School locations.

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Want to welcome your baby with grace, peace and joy? Doula Ashlyn Biedebach can help you do just that.

Our Denton County readers recommend the founder of By The Brook Birth Doula because of her reassuring experience and knowledge (Biedebach earned a bachelor’s of nursing at Texas A&M University Health Science Center); her kind, nurturing personality; and her passion for birth. She’s been caring for moms professionally for almost four years, assisting at 150 births and establishing her own practice.

Biedebach fosters relationships with clients at every stage of pregnancy, and she is working toward her midwifery license. From creating your birth plan to support during active labor and delivery, Biedebach will support you every step of the way. bythebrookbirthdoula.com

BEST CHILDBIRTH CLASS Paula Hanna’s Prepared Childbirth, Medical City Lewisville

Before it’s time to head to the hospital, Medical City Lewisville’s Prepared Childbirth class will make sure you’re ready. You’ll get an overview of the birth process, options for controlling pain, labor support, relaxation techniques and more. And you’ll learn in the comfort of your own home; Prepared Childbirth is currently being offered online due to the pandemic. Our Denton County readers love the reassurance and knowledge they get from instructor Paula Hanna, who has been honored as one of DFW’s Great 100 Nurses; Hanna is also a certified childbirth educator and a lactation consultant who strives to be an “experience changer” for patients. With Prepared Childbirth under your belt, you’ll be calm and confident heading into the home stretch of your pregnancy. medicalcityhealthcare.com BEST INFANT SLEEP CONSULTANT Live Love Sleep

When do you let baby nap? What are optimal feeding times for the best sleep? How do you get a baby to sleep through the night? New parents have a lot of sleep questions, and Denton County readers trust Live Love Sleep for the answers.

Founder Kaley Medina and her team of consultants create personalized plans for each family they serve. The baby program lasts about two weeks, and Medina says most parents are seeing big improvements within three or four days. The Live Love Sleep team also works with toddlers and elementary kiddos. Better rest is within reach for the whole family. livelovesleep.com BEST CHILD CARE CENTER FOR INFANTS Primrose Schools

Our Denton County readers love Primrose Schools for its experience and outstanding reputation in child care. And then there’s the convenience: Primrose has multiple private preschool locations in Denton County (and 62 throughout the Metroplex—Primrose is a favorite of our readers in Dallas and Collin counties, too). Teachers provide early childhood education for kids from 6 weeks to 6 years, and an after-school program for children up to age 12. Primrose prides itself on its balanced learning curriculum, which combines teacher-

BOY SWIMMER: EMLER SWIM SCHOOL

with the first school opening in Tarrant County in 1975.

6250 Southwest Blvd., Fort Worth 280 Commerce St., Suite 180, Southlake emlerswimschool.com

Nannies On the Go

Nannies On the Go is upping the babysitting game, according to our Tarrant County readers. To make sure your kiddo is in good hands, the agency uses an eightstep process to vet nannies prior to their employment (think full background check, sex offender check, criminal record check, driving record check and more). The agency offers a board-certified psychiatrist to provide assessments for parents looking for a live-in nanny. Plus, there’s a 24/7 answering service, so someone can always be reached if there’s an emergency. If you hire a permanent nanny, your membership comes with complimentary backup service—so if your nanny is late, on vacation or on maternity leave, you don’t have to worry. Talk about service! nanniesonthego.net

guided learning with child-initiated play. Parents love that all Primrose teachers have training in child development and can provide CPR and first aid.

Multiple locations; primroseschools.com BEST BABYSITTING SERVICE Mom’s Best Friend

BABYSITTING CALL: NANNIES ON THE GO

Need a night out? As much as you love your little one, it can be nice to reconnect with your partner. Our Denton County readers (and those in Collin County) use Mom’s Best Friend to find a professional babysitter. Mom’s Best Friend caregivers are screened in a 10-step process and are certified in CPR and first aid. Need other help? Mom’s Best Friend is a full-service agency that connects families with full-time or part-time nannies, housekeepers, personal assistants, cooks and senior care specialists. Contact Mom’s Best Friend for information on COVID protocols. momsbestfriend.com BEST PARENT & BABY CLASSES Win Kids

Win Kids comes out on top among our Denton County readers and their littles. During 45-minute classes, kiddos as young as 6 months get the foundation for gymnastics. As they grow, they’ll graduate to everything from rolls and trampoline

skills to handstands and cartwheels. Have a budding ninja on your hands? Win Kids is also offering Ninja Tots class for toddlers, which still focuses on basic gymnastic skills while incorporating obstacle course activities.

Call for a free introductory class.

3000 Waketon Road, Flower Mound; winkids.net BEST INFANT SWIM CLASS Emler Swim School

Emler Swim School has a long history of introducing little ones to the water (the school was founded in 1975), and for the past five years, Denton County parents have had an Emler school of their own in Flower Mound. Our readers love Emler’s trained and experienced instructors, 90-degree saltwater pools, shiver-proof air temperatures, enhanced health and safety measures, and the classes designed for babies as young as 2 months. Your kiddo will progress from getting comfortable in the pool to kicking independently and holding their breath under water and more.

Classes are semester-based and held all year long. And Emler offers parents the “Emler Sure” guarantee that their child will learn to swim.

3000 Waketon Road, Suite 102, Flower Mound emlerswimschool.com dfwchild.com / february 2021

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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION

Mom Approved 2021

MOMS & BABIES WORDS DFWCHILD EDITORS

HEY, BABY! PREGNANCY COMES WITH A LOT OF FACTS AND FIGURES. HERE ARE SOME TO PONDER:

• BIGEYE TUNA • KING MACKEREL • MARLIN • ORANGE ROUGHY • SHARK • SWORDFISH • TILEFISH

MOST BABIES

born between

37–40 weeks typically weigh between

LBS. 88 OZ. OZ. 55 LBS. AND AND LBS. 13 13 OZ. OZ. 88 LBS.

TEXAS HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST NUMBER OF BIRTHS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2019:

377,397 ABOUT

70-80% OF MOMS EXPERIENCE “BABY BLUES” AFTER BIRTH. 36

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

Average life expectancy of babies born in 2021: 82 YEARS OLD. That means they could see the year 2103!

WHAT’S THE C LEVEL?

Texas has the 4th highest C-section rate in the country, with 35% of babies born by cesarean.

U.S. C-section rate: 31.9%

SYMPTOMS OF THE

BABY BLUES:

• WEEPING OR CRYING FOR NO APPARENT REASON • IMPATIENCE • IRRITABILITY • RESTLESSNESS • ANXIETY • FATIGUE • INSOMNIA (EVEN WHEN BABY IS SLEEPING) • SADNESS • MOOD CHANGES • POOR CONCENTRATION

SOURCES: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; NEMOURS KIDSHEALTH; CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION; AMERICAN PREGNANCY ASSOCIATION; UNICEF

FISH TO AVOID DURING PREGNANCY:

mom approved

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION

W

e asked our readers to share their favorite health care providers for women and growing families—and you delivered! Read on for our annual Mom Approved guide of OB-GYNs, midwives and fertility specialists. The providers listed here don’t make it on our list by advertising, and they’re not recommended by colleagues in the industry. The doctors and midwives listed here have earned the trust and respect of local moms like you. Each provider was in good standing at press time. For all our Mom Approved health care professionals, visit dfwchild.com/directory.

FLOWER MOUND

MIDWIVES ADDISON

Lively, Cori LM, CPM Barefoot Midwifery Walcott, Kassia LM, CPM Singing Tree Midwifery

ALLEN

Giles, Amy DNP, CNM Allen Midwifery & Family Wellness

ARGYLE

Grames, Kassidy LM, CPM All About Babies Argyle Birth Center See ad on page 43

ARLINGTON

Braudaway, Meredith LM, CPM Birth & Wellness Center of Arlington Jackson, Leslie APRN, MSN, CNM In His Hands Midwifery at Birth & Wellness Center of Arlington Stricker, Bethany LM, CPM Bethany Stricker Midwifery Care

DALLAS

Hines, Becky LM, CPM Dallas Birth Houser, Taylor DNP, CNM Dallas Midwife Associates Hovinen, Susan MS, APRN, CNM UT Southwestern Medical Center, William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital

Caudell, Heather RN, CNM Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates See ad on page 42 Monday, Matika CNM Caring for Women Smitherman, Cheryl CNM North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates

FORT WORTH

Diamond, Hannah MSN, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives Hartwell, Alison MSN, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives Hicks, Candis MSN, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives Hopkins, Katie DNP, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives

Lawrence, Laura MD Dallas-Fort Worth Fertility Associates

LEWISVILLE

Skora, Daniel MD Fertility Specialists of Texas See ad on page 41

MCKINNEY

Thomas, Mika MD Dallas-Fort Worth Fertility Associates

Smitherman, Cheryl CNM North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates DeStefano, Robin LM, CPM Legacy Midwives

GRAPEVINE

Daly, Kim LM, CPM Grapevine Birthing Center

DENTON

Jones, Kennasha LM My Sister’s Keeper Birth & Midwifery Services

HURST

Behan, Joseph MD Joseph P. Behan, MD, PA OBGYN

Goldstein, Jerald MD Fertility Specialists of Texas See ad on page 41

Blewett, Kavitha MD Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas See ad on page 40

Ku, Lowell MD Dallas IVF Frisco

Brodsky, Charles MD Women’s Health Alliance

Skora, Daniel MD Fertility Specialists of Texas See ad on page 41

Brothers, Sandra MD Women’s Health Alliance

Portis, Emily CNM Craig Ranch OB/GYN

PLANO

Silberstein, Lindsay MSN, APRN, CNM Plano Birthplace Hammack, Kristy LM, CPM The Birth House

ROCKWALL

Skora, Daniel MD Fertility Specialists of Texas

Sartini, Anissa LM, CPM Metroplex Midwifery

Reno, Monica MSN, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives

Wallis, Margie LM, CPM Frisco Birth Center See ad on page 16

DALLAS

Mayorga, Kathleen APRN, CNM Bella Births

ALL DFW

Sokunbi, Yinka (Adeyinka) CNM, RN Caring for Women

Chellappan, Chandra MD Miracle OBGYN See ad on page 42

Bertrand, John MD Walnut Hill OBGYN

Okimoto, Summer DNP, CNM Acclaim Nurse-Midwives

Mitchell, Teri APRN, CNM, IBCLC BundleBorn Midwifery

Butler, Stacy MD Women’s Health Medical Group

Barnett, Brian MD Dallas IVF Frisco

WYLIE

FRISCO

FRISCO

BURLESON

Marley, Liz CNM Adriatica Women’s Health

Morrow, Carla DNP, CNM Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center

Sloan, Emily APRN, CNM East Dallas Birth & Wellness Monday, Matika CNM Caring for Women

Massey, Michele LM, CPM Gentle Beginnings Birth Center

ADDISON

Elkins, Linda MD Aspire Fertility Dallas Wu, John MD Aspire Fertility Dallas

BEDFORD

Doody, Kevin MD The Center for Assisted Reproduction (CARE)

DALLAS

Goldstein, Jerald MD Fertility Specialists of Texas See ad on page 41

Ebrahim, Marianne MD Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas See ad on page 40 Forbes, Joanna MD Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Park Cities

OB-GYNS FERTILITY SPECIALISTS

Dullye, Tara MD OB-GYN Dallas

ARLINGTON

Morgan, Jeffery MD, FACOG Omega Ob-Gyn Associates Oladell, Charmaine MD, FACOG Omega Ob-Gyn Associates Udell, Kimberly DO Women’s Care of North Texas

BEDFORD Parikh, Manisha MD USMD Mid-Cities OB/GYN Clinic

Foxworth, Kecia MD Kessler Women’s Healthcare Gunby, Jr., Robert MD Swiss OB Haddock, LeAnn MD Magnolia OBGYN Heintges, Michelle MD Advanced Women’s Healthcare See ad on page 43 Hyslop, Alvin Thomas MD Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Park Cities

dfwchild.com / february 2021

37

mom approved Light, Natalie MD Health Central Women’s Care Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility Littrell, Christina MD Swiss OB

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION

& Gynecology Bradford, Laura MD, PA Eighth Avenue Obstetrics & Gynecology

Monti, Lauren Beth MD Baylor Scott & White Health

Bradley, Taylor DO, MS Fort Worth Obstetrics & Gynecology See ad on page 41

O’Connell, Anthony MD Women’s Health Care of Texas, PA

Breedlove, Lindsay MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14

Oliveira, Marcia MD Marcia Oliveira, MD PA

Burkett, Danielle DO Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14

Parnell, Wendy MD Carlos & Parnell, MD PA Pero, Roxanne MD Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas See ad on page 40 Peveto, Joy MD Women’s Health Alliance Roth, Casey MD Magnolia OBGYN Silver, Kyler Elwell MD Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Park Cities Woodbridge, Ann MD Health Central Women’s Care Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility

DENTON

Cummings, Frederick MD USMD Denton North Clinic

EULESS

Wang, Jeffrey DO MacArthur OB/GYN

FLOWER MOUND Fliedner, Thomas MD North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates Luts, Diana MD North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates

FORNEY

Nelson, Jeffrey MD Lake Pointe Women’s Center

FORT WORTH

Atkins, Lori MD, FACOG Fenom Women’s Care See ad on page 39 Bevan, Catherine MD, FACOG Fenom Women’s Care See ad on page 39 Bleich, April MD Obstetrix Medical Group of Texas Booth, Hilary WHNP Eighth Avenue Obstetrics 38

Butler, Stacy MD Women’s Health Medical Group Cammack, Kathleen MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14 English, Cynthia DO Fort Worth Obstetrics & Gynecology See ad on page 41 Erwin, Jamie MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14 Gehlot, Ashita MD, FACOG Fort Worth Obstetrics & Gynecology See ad on page 41 Glenn, Sunny MD, FACOG Fenom Women’s Care See ad on page 39 Guerra, Martha MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN See ad on page 42

Maas, Emily MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14 Manning, Madeline DO Grace Obstetrics & Gynecology McLeland, Jennifer MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14 Palmer, Andrea MD, FACOG Fenom Women’s Care See ad on page 39 Pico, Alyson DO Grace Obstetrics & Gynecology Rex, Elise MD Grace Obstetrics & Gynecology Robbins, Cynthia MD, PA Eighth Avenue Obstetrics & Gynecology

GRAPEVINE

Chen, Barbara MD Heritage Women’s Health Center Flowers, Julia MD Obstetrics & Gynecology of North Texas Lopez, Monica MD Women’s Integrated Healthcare Marshall, Kimberly MD Grapevine OBGYN Wai, Robert MD Obstetrics & Gynecology of North Texas Wang, Jeffrey DO MacArthur OB/GYN

IRVING

Dominique, Colette MD MacArthur OB/GYN Fanous, Elia MD MacArthur OB/GYN

Rogers, Rebecca MD Vivi Women’s Health See ad on page 14

Livingston, Jeff MD MacArthur OB/GYN

Snead, Jonathan MD, FACOG Alliance Women’s Health See ad on page 43

White, Michael MD North Texas Women’s Healthcare Associates

Tate, Darren MD Fort Worth Female Health Associates Tse, Gladys MD USMD Medical Clinic of North Texas - Alliance Fort Worth White, Michael MD North Texas Women’s Healthcare Associates

KELLER

LEWISVILLE

Fliedner, Thomas MD North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates Luts, Diana MD North Texas Ob-Gyn Associates

MANSFIELD

Westerholm, Erin DO Women’s Health of Mansfield

Hooper, Mickey DO MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN

Wiley, Ruth DO, PA Eighth Avenue Obstetrics & Gynecology

MCKINNEY

Jones, Timothy DO Fort Worth Obstetrics & Gynecology See ad on page 41

Zwernemann, Robert MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN

Chan, Renee MD, FACOG Comprehensive OB/GYN

Kohlmorgen, Ingrid MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN See ad on page 42

Allen, Jennifer MD Frisco Obstetrics & Gynecology, PA

Kutzler, Beatrice MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN Larsen, Alicia MD, FACOG Fenom Women’s Care See ad on page 39

FRISCO

Elliott, Tracy MD Health Central Women’s Care Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility Ellis, Malathi MD, FACOG Nurture Women’s Health

Lopez, Monica MD Women’s Integrated Healthcare

Harn, Jason MD, FACOG Northlake Obstetrics & Gynecology

Lusby, Rachel MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN

Patterson, Carrie MD, FACOG Nurture Women’s Health

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

Banks, Tracey MD, FACOG Adriatica Women’s Health

Halderman, Lori MD, FACOG Adriatica Women’s Health

Peveto, Joy MD Women’s Health Alliance

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS Kohlmorgen, Ingrid MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN

PLANO

Coronado, Elizabeth, MD Women’s Specialists of Plano Dang, Quyen MD Women’s Specialists of Plano DaVolio, Julie MD Plano Women’s Healthcare Garner, Garrett MD, FACOG Northlake Obstetrics & Gynecology Joseph, Ralph DO, FACOG North Texas OB/GYN Means, Jacquelyn MD Plano Women’s Healthcare Leveno, Joseph MD Joseph K. Leveno, MD, PA Obstetrics & Gynecology Nguyen, Nguyen DO Contemporary Women’s Care Parker, John MD John M. Parker MD PA Reisler, Keith MD Dr. Reisler, M.D., P.A. Robins, Darrell MD OB/GYN Associates of North Dallas Trylovich, Courtney MD, FACOG Northlake Obstetrics & Gynecology Walker, Christy MD Christy Walker, MD, Gynecology & Cosmetic Surgery

RICHARDSON

Kidd, Christi MD, FACOG Adriatica Women’s Health

Khan, Yasmin B. MD Yasmin B. Khan, MD, FACOG

Robert, Sara MD Craig Ranch OB/GYN

ROCKWALL

MESQUITE

Brodsky, Charles MD Women’s Health Alliance Brothers, Sandra MD Women’s Health Alliance Constantine, Sami MD Texas Regional Women’s Health Center Odogwu, Maduka MD Holy Cross OB/GYN

Ward, Jenaya MD Baylor Scott & White Obstetrics & Gynecology See ad on page 43

ROWLETT

Nelson, Jeffrey MD Lake Pointe Women’s Center

WILLOW PARK

Lusby, Rachel MD MY Texas Health Care OB/GYN

mom approved

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Lori Atkins, MD, FACOG Catherine Bevan, MD, FACOG Sunny Glenn, MD, FACOG Alicia Larsen, MD, FACOG Andrea Palmer, MD, FACOG Obstetrics & Gynecology 7x Mom Approved FENOM Women’s Care is not just a practice in medicine, it is a practice in female humanity. We combine the finest general obstetrics and gynecology with care that extends beyond check-ups and physical wellness. Our all-female physician team offers real woman-to-woman insight in order to create a true continuum of health throughout the lives of our patients.

The OBGYN’s of FENOM are so proud to have been recognized as “Mom Approved.” You Moms, you FENOMenal females—YOU are the reason why we do what we do. Our mission at FENOM is to take care of women throughout their lifespan, meeting them where they are every step of the way. We are committed to empowering women to take charge of their health through personalized care, insightful education and expert service.

We are passionate about our patients and strive as a team to be there for you in every capacity. From the nervous time of preconception, to possible struggles with infertility, the uncertainty of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and tumultuous postpartum period—we are here for you through each step.

As a physician team, our commitment to the women we serve allows for the added benefit of consistency of care between physicians.

Whenever a health need arises, we will be here for you. This includes our amazing clinic staff, a vital part of FENOM, and we thank them for taking such great care of our patients (and of us!). Together, we form a community of women who are empowered by a deeper understanding of their bodies and womanhood, and that is FENOMenal.

Recognition from our patients means the world to us, it lets us know you see us like we see you. Thank you for being part of our FENOMenal family. #weareFENOM

Fenom Women’s Care 1250 8th Ave. Ste. 320, 322, Fort Worth, TX 76104 817-924-2111

Willow Park 134 El Chico Trail, Ste. 103, Willow Park, Tx 76087 817-441-1644

Girls To Women 4200 S. Hulen St., Ste. 450, Fort Worth, Tx 76109 817-524-1811 fenomhealth.com dfwchild.com / february 2021

39

mom approved

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Jonathan Brough, MD; Angela Angel, MD; Kavitha Blewett, MD; Marianne Ebrahim, MD & Roxanne Pero, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 7x Mom Approved Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas is a seasoned Obstetrics & Gynecology group proudly serving women of all ages for the past 40 years. Our team of board-certified OB/GYN physicians offer a wide range of services to help women through their pregnancies and maintain optimal health, from puberty through menopause. We strive to provide a personal, trustworthy, and superior experience for all our patients. As a comprehensive stop for women’s care, and with convenient locations in Dallas and Rockwall, the practice offers the best technology, treatment methods, and medical knowledge women need to navigate almost any female medical concern and remain healthy for years to come. All of our physicians specialize in high risk obstetrics, minimally invasive surgery, infertility evaluation, and full spectrum gynecological care.

Dr. Brough was recognized as a Physician All-Star by the medical staff at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for his expertise in OB/GYN, and his track record of public service.

He lives on a small ranch in East Texas and he is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Dr. Angel earned Living Magazine’s Best of Reader’s Choice award for her work as an OB/GYN in Dallas and Rockwall, Texas. She lives in Rockwall with her husband and four children and is a leader in community service in her hometown.

Dr. Blewett has consistently been recognized for her exceptional patient care. Top 1% in Nation for patient satisfaction, and a DallasChild Mom Approved Doctor since 2015. Dr. Blewett, originally from New York, moved to Plano at young where her family now resides. She enjoys a very active lifestyle with her husband and two daughters Dr. Ebrahim, who started her practice in Beverly Hills is now thrilled to serve the Dallas community that she grew up in. She is conversational in Spanish and fluent in Arabic. She enjoys volunteering as a women’s health advocate in her community and traveling with her husband and two children.

Dr. Pero is board certified in Lifestyle Medicine, a branch of medical care that teaches patients how to augment western medicine with evidence-based lifestyle interventions. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children and traveling back to her hometown of Baton Rouge.

Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas strives to provide trustworthy, superior healthcare for all of your female-specific medical needs through all your stages in life. We are accepting new patients at both the Dallas and Rockwall locations and look forward to serving you.

Women’s Health Specialists of Dallas, PA 8160 Walnut Hill Ln., Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75231 1020 W. Ralph Hall Pkwy Suite 101, Rockwall TX 75032 214-363-4421 whsdallas.com 40

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

mom approved

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Taylor Bradley, DO; Cynthia English, DO; Timothy Jones, DO; Ashita Gehlot, MD & Katie Burnett, PA-C Obstetrics & Gynecology 6x Mom Approved Drs. Taylor Bradley, Cynthia English, Timothy Jones, Ashita Gehlot and Katie Burnett, PA-C, are so thankful for their patients nominating them for the “Mom Approved” award by DFWChild for a 6th year in a row.

Thank you to all who voted! We are truly honored to care for you and your family’s needs and humbled by your continued confidence in us. Providing care that is empathetic, individualized and directed by you, our patients, is a key component of our philosophy. We strive to create relationships that will span decades.

All of us at Fort Worth Obsterics and Gynecology look forward to seeing you again or meeting you for the first time.

Call today to schedule your appointment with our team!

Fort Worth Obstetrics & Gynecology 6317 Harris Pkwy., Ste. 400 Fort Worth, TX 76132 817-423-2002 • fortworthobgyn.com

Jerald Goldstein, MD & Daniel Skora, MD Fertility 5x Mom Approved Fertility Specialists of Texas (FST) has been proudly growing families across the country and around the globe since 2005.

Our six specialists draw on more than 130 years of combined experience to create personalized treatment plans that provide each patient with the greatest opportunity for success.

Jerald Goldstein, MD

Daniel Skora, MD

Rebecca Chilvers, MD

Dr. Jerald Goldstein, FST medical director and founder, and Dr. Daniel Skora, reproductive specialist, are honored to have been awarded Mom-Approved status by their patients.

As our thank you for the continued trust and confidence in our team, we’re offering a complimentary screening through the end of National Infertility Awareness Week, April 24, 2021.

For details, call 214-618-2044; use code: DFWChild.

Satin Patel, MD

Janelle Dorsett, MD

Ali Guerami, MD

Fertility Specialists of Texas Frisco | Dallas | Rockwall Southlake | Fort Worth 214-618-2044 FertilityTexas.com

• Success Rates Above the National Average • Thousands of Babies Born • World-Class IVF Lab • State-of-the-Art Technology • In Vitro Fertilization • Genetic Testing

dfwchild.com / february 2021

41

mom approved

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Ingrid Kohlmorgen, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 4x Mom Approved

Ingrid Kohlmorgen, MD is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After graduating from UT Austin, she earned her medical degree from UT Health Science Center at Houston. She completed her OB/GYN residency at OU. Following residency, she practiced in Atlanta, GA for eleven years. She was excited to return to her native Texas in 2005, having grown up in Richardson. Dr. Kohlmorgen considers it a great privilege to care for the women of Tarrant County and strives to provide personalized care in a professional and caring environment.

Dr. Kohlmorgen would like to thank all of her wonderful patients who entrust her with their care.

Texas Health Care

1250 8th Ave., Suite 445, Fort Worth, TX 76104 (Tues) • 817-923-0022 1250 8th Ave., Suite 435, Fort Worth, TX 76104 (Thurs) • 817-923-0088 4300 City Point Dr., Suite 202, North Richland Hills, TX 76180 (M, W, F) • 817-284-1152 • mytexashealthcareobgyn.com

Heather Caudell, RN, CNM Midwifery

6x Mom Approved Since 1989, Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates has proudly served the women of our community.

Our doctors provide compassionate care throughout all phases of a woman’s life. From a young woman’s first gynecology visit, through family planning, child birth, infertility, menopause, and everything in between, we have a diverse group of providers to meet all of our patient’s needs.

This year Heather Caudell, RN, CNM, has been nominated by our patients and readers of DFWChild magazine as Mom Approved Midwife. We are honored by this recognition and thankful for the opportunity to continue caring for the amazing women in our community.

Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates 4001 Long Prairie Rd., Ste. 150 Flower Mound, TX 75028 972-420-1470 • fmobgyn.com

Martha Guerra, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology

2x Mom Approved Dr. Martha Guerra is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist practicing in Fort Worth, Texas. She brings significant experience and an excellent bedside manner to serve the unique needs of her patients.

Since 1998, Dr. Guerra has practiced in Fort Worth providing patient care for women of all ages and specializes in up-to-date treatments for all aspects of a woman’s reproductive and physical health. She was one of the original doctors who was instrumental in the development and affiliation with the state-of-the-art Andrews Women’s Hospital located at Baylor All Saints Scott and White Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.

My Texas Health Care Obstetrics & Gynecology 1250 8th Ave., Ste. 435, Fort Worth, TX 76104 • 817-923-0088 6200 N. Beach St., Ste. 101, Fort Worth, TX 76137 • 817-847-4600 4760 Barwick Dr., Ste. A, Fort Worth,TX 76132 • 817-346-9533 mytexashealthcareobgyn.com

Chandra Chellappan, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology

7x Mom Approved Dr. Chandra Chellappan is a board-certified and award-winning obstetrician/gynecologist known for her thoughtful care. After earning a medical degree at Texas A&M University, she completed residency at John Peter Smith Hospital with special training in minimally invasive surgery. As a physician, she offers the full spectrum of women’s health and shows compassion to all her patients. This past year also included the addition of Marci Anthony, NP, whose presence allows us to better serve our community.

Part of Texas Health Medical Associates

42

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

11803 S. Fwy., Ste. 208, Burleson, TX 76028 817-551-9339 TexasHealth.org/THMA

mom approved

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Amy G. Sigman, MD; Amie Napier, MD; Michelle Heintges, MD; Heidi Harms, MD; Maria Reyes, MD & Emily Eye, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 8x Mom Approved AWH is a top-rated OB/GYN practice featuring an all-female physician staff, located across from Medical City Dallas. Please join our practice in welcoming our 6th physician, Dr. Emily Eye. Dr. Eye shares all of our physicians values and is dedicated to the best possible care for her patients! Visit awhdallas.com to learn more.

Advanced Women’s Healthcare 12201 Merit Drive, Suite 350, Dallas, TX 75251 214-238-7888 awhdallas.com

Kassidy Grames, LM, CPM Midwifery 3x Mom Approved At All About Babies our philosophy rests in our understanding that we are all God’s creation and childbearing and birth is a natural process, and yet nothing less than a miracle! Our team always strives to serve women and their families to the best of our abilities and provide exceptional care for everyone. Our midwives are both Certified Professional Midwives and Licensed Midwives in the state of Texas. Give us a call for more information!

All About Babies Argyle Birth Center, LLC

305 E FM 1830, Argyle, TX 76226 • 972-653-BABY (2229) Anita@AllAboutBabies.net • AllAboutBabies.net

Jonathan Snead, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 6x Mom Approved Jonathan Snead, MD, and Angela George, WHNP-BC, of Alliance Women’s Healthcare are accepting new patients. We have served the north Fort Worth area for over fifteen years. Dr. Snead won Keller Best of the Best OBGYN (2012–20), Living Magazine Best of the Best OBGYN (2014–19) and a DFWChild magazine Mom Approved Doctor (2015–21). Come see why so many patients and physicians alike trust our practice!

Alliance Women’s Healthcare

10600 N. Riverside Dr., Ste. 100, Fort Worth, TX 76244 817-741-9663 • alliancewomenshealthcare.com

Jenaya Ward, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 5x Mom Approved Quality obstetrics and gynecology care in the heart of the Rockwall Community. Jenaya Ward, MD of Baylor Scott & White Obstetrics & Gynecology–Rockwall is committed to women’s health and provide obstetrics and gynecologic care for women through all stages of life. Our team is devoted to medical specialties of obstetrics, childbirth, and gynecology.

Baylor Scott & White Obstetrics & Gynecology—Rockwall 1005 W. Ralph Hall Pkwy. Suite 115, Rockwall, TX 75032 469-800-3030 • bswhealth.com/OBGYNRockwall Physicians are employees of HealthTexas Provider Network, a member of Baylor Scott & White Health ©2019 Baylor Scott & White Health

Mom Approved Want more health care resources?

Visit our online directory:

dfwchild.com/directory PEDIATRICIANS | COUNSELORS | THERAPISTS | WOMEN’S HEALTH DENTISTS | ORTHODONTISTS | WELLNESS PROFESSIONALS

dfwchild.com / february 2021

43

DFW’s #1 parenting resource for over 30 years THAT’S A LOT OF BIRTHDAYS! Our newsletters are full of the latest parenting trends, mom favorites, and a weekly list of DFW’s best family-friendly events.

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people+places.

MOROSYUK/BURIKO FAMILY: MARINA KAY PORTRAITURE; STATUE OF LIBERTY: LIBERTY NOUN PROJECT

Tatiana Morosyuk and Dmitry Buriko are natives of Russia; they’re raising Nathan and Natalie in DFW.

families of dfw /

TATIANA MOROSYUK an immigrant’s perspective

WORDS

AS TOLD BY TATIANA MOROSYUK

M

Y HUSBAND DMITRY BURIKO AND I MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES

in the ’90s from different parts of Russia. We met in Detroit, where our son Nathan was born in 2007; we moved to the Dallas suburbs in 2008.

Our daughter Natalie was born two years later in 2010. (It was on 10-1010, at 10:10 am, and she turned 10 this past October!) We could not have been more fortunate to have our kids raised not just in this country, but also here in North Dallas, a family-friendly community with a booming economy. We consider our kids fully “Americanized”—public schools, multiple sports, a shortage of vegetables in their diet (unfortunately) and freedom to choose their extracurricular activities.

It’s hard to talk about yourself in times of a global pandemic, natural disasters, social controversies and political uncertainties. My background and family history fade away and dfwchild.com / february 2021

45

people + places / F A M I L I E S

YOUR FEEDBACK!

Take our reader survey and be entered to win a $250 Visa Gift Card!

Please take a few minutes to participate in our reader survey and we’ll enter you in a drawing for a $250 Visa Gift Card!

Survey open through March 31, 2021. Drawing to be held by April 5, 2021.

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46

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

someone else’s kids as your own. You are the world’s most under-recognized philanthropists. To all coaches and assistant coaches who touched our children’s lives over the year, thank you!

You allow your kids freedoms to choose activities. This promotes creativity.

Remember what made the United States the No. 1 economy in the world: inventions and creativity. Kids should be allowed to make their own decisions, when possible, and learn from the consequences of their decisions. Obedience does not promote decision-making abilities that will distinguish leaders from followers later in life.

Despite what some say about America, there’s no other place on Earth I would rather be raising my children! I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished here.

They struggled through the pandemic but adapted to the situation faster that we did. They have good grades in school and, on top of sports, continued their studies at Russian School of Math (RSM) in Plano.

Nathan was able to skip seventhgrade math and is taking Algebra honors now, and Natalie had a very successful year competing; she received a perfect score and ranked No. 1 in the state of Texas and nationally in Math Kangaroo; received two Noetic Learning Math Contest National Honor Roll medals and was the team winner in both the fall 2019 and spring 2020 competitions; and was a member of a MOEMS (Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools) team that ranked in top 20% nationally. We are so glad our children will continue to have wonderful opportunities as they grow up here in the United States.

We love you, Americans. Stay who you are, stay true to yourselves. Don’t believe everything about this country you read and hear. Critics, obviously, haven’t lived on the other side of the fence.

“DESPITE WHAT SOME SAY ABOUT AMERICA, THERE’S NO OTHER PLACE ON EARTH I WOULD RATHER BE RAISING MY CHILDREN.”

NATALIE: MARINA KAY PORTRAITURE

WE WANT

seem insignificant. All families and parents are the same right now: fighting to survive and stay sane, counting the days until this pandemic is over, questioning their decision about remote or face-to-face school choices, and trying to stay healthy.

There is no shortage of criticism on American parenting in the media. Everyone else seems to get it right, from Tiger Moms to the French, so I wanted to remind DFW parents about things Americans do right.

First, you are generous, hardworking, positive and kind. My husband and I had to build our lives and careers here from scratch. Everyone was very supportive—our employers, coworkers, neighbors, friends, college professors and fellow parents. You’ve believed in us, opened doors to your homes and your hearts, and helped with whatever you could. And good people mean capable parents with high values to pass on to their children.

I get upset when I hear (no matter the content) someone suggesting Americans are insensitive, biased, greedy, discriminatory or ignorant.

U.S. citizenship wouldn’t be so sought-after if these things were true, would it?

You love sports. So do we!

Sport teaches our kids teamwork, discipline, commitment, work ethic and, most importantly, it teaches our kids to handle a loss in a way that makes them stronger and more resilient. It’s rewarding to see our children grow and develop emotionally in a way they cannot develop inside a classroom. Sports should not replace academics, but at the end of the day it comes down to parents’ own definition of success. For us, emotional intelligence, resilience and leadership skills are on the same level as academics. I also want to recognize an American phenomenon known as parent-volunteer coaching. You contribute the most valuable resource—time—and spend countless hours teaching kids and devoting as much time to

OF DFW

CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL G U I D E

Want more information? Find these child care centers and preschools on our website. dfwchild.com

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Our campus is open.

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Challenger School offers uniquely fun and academic classes for preschool to eighth grade students. Our students learn to think for themselves and to value independence.

Legacy (PS–K) (469) 573-0077 6700 Communications Parkway, Plano Independence (PS–K) Coming Soon 10145 Independence Parkway, Plano An independent private school offering preschool through eighth grade © 2021, Challenger Schools Challenger School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.

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dfwchild.com / february 2021

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CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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Child chooses own work Child discovers own concepts from self-teaching materials Child is allocated time to work on and complete lessons Child sets own learning pace Child spots own errors from feedback on material

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february 2021 / dfwchild.com

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CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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CALL OR VISIT US ONLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION 1215 Turner Ave. Dallas 75208 | 214.942.2220 | TheKesslerSchool.com dfwchild.com / february 2021

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CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

FAITH | ACADEMICS | COMMUNITY

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Educating students ages 3–8th grade

Prince of Peace Catholic School Influencing the World for Christ 5100 West Plano Pkwy., Plano, TX 75093 972-380-5505 | popschool.net

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Christ-Centered Small Class Sizes Teacher Involved Family Friendly Choice of: • Traditional 5-day • 2/3 Day Collaborative Learning Program

Preschool: 2-4 years old Grammar School: K–8th grade 1308 Whitley Rd., Keller, TX 76248 817-431-5486 | mlcatexas.org

Tuition Assistance Available 52

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

DFWChild.com Directory Helping parents successfully navigate the childhood years is kind of our thing. Explore our not-so-secret weapon, the online directory, at dfwchild.com.

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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E D U C AT I O N R E I M A G I N E D .

ACTON ACADEMY SOCRATIC – PROJECT BASED – LEARNER DRIVEN Fort Worth actonacademyfortworth.org

Irving/Coppell thehumanistacademy.org

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McKinney/Allen actonmckinney.org

Providing Lifelong Learning through Community Experiences Serves all people with different abilities from ages three through adulthood. We strive to support all families through connections to resources as well as facilitating lifelong learning and long term successes. We accomplish these goals by teaching the skills that are necessary for all individuals to become contributing members of society.

H.E.R.O.E.S. Academy

H.E.R.O.E.S. Academy is a community-based, year-round day program for adults who have aged out of the school system. H.E.R.O.E.S. Academy provides the much-needed opportunity for individuals to become active and contributing members of the community.

The focus for our young adults is to embed ourselves into the community working on job training opportunities, volunteering, shopping and recreational activities. During their time on campus they will be cooking, and learning life skills such as money management, social skills and more.

Other programs offered: • • • •

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Fun activities for siblings of brothers and sisters with disabilities ©

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For further information or to schedule a visit, email info@heroesdfw.org Like us on Facebook: HEROESCamp

Weekend retreats and sleepovers Parent and family support Continuing Ed courses Seasonal day camps: Summer, Spring Break, Winter

people + places / G R E E N

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than your average swings and slides—your little one will stay busy with a teeter-totter, metal cars, games, drums, bells, tic-tac-toe and much more.

At over 250 acres, Kiest Park is one of the largest in Dallas, so bring along a ball and let your little one enjoy the open space.

Good to know This park is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. Restrooms are located throughout the site.

Les Lacs Park in Addison offers fun for all ages. BELOW // Enjoy slides galore at South Lakes Park.

South Lakes Park // Denton Location 556 Hobson Lane; The park entrance

is just west of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Why it’s great The castle-like Eureka 2 playground will keep your children occupied for hours on end. We’re talking built-in educational toys, spinning toys, music stations, an accessible merry-go-round, slides—plus zip lines, a climbing wall and rope bridges if a big brother or sister comes along. The dedicated area for littles features an Old West town, and babies and kids who need extra back support will find a row of swings just for them.

Good to know Restrooms and water fountains are a short walk from the play area. And there’s much more to enjoy in the 187-acre park: a picnic pavilion, fishing pier, basketball and volleyball courts … there’s something at South Lakes Park for everyone in the family.

Tillery Park // Fort Worth Location 2200 Rockridge Terrace, off Forest

PARKS & REC JR. playgrounds we love for littles LES LACS LINEAR PARK: COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF ADDISON; SOUTH LAKES PARK: COURTESY OF SYDNI ELLIS

WORDS

E M I LY Y E A R W O O D

W

ITH OUR AREA’S LONG LIST OF PLAYGROUNDS, it can be tough to know where to find fun spots for really little ones.

Here are some playgrounds that are great for babies and toddlers—with bug-theme play features, an adventure park and more. Please remember to social distance, avoid groups and follow other COVID-related guidelines.

Les Lacs Park // Addison Location 3901 Beltway Drive; Use the adjacent

lot or park in the Addison Athletic Club lot.

Why it’s great This bug-themed playground is surely one of the cutest in the park lineup. It offers swings for tots (as well as for big kids), spring riders, a music play station, monkey bars, a braille educational panel and lots of climbing structures and slides.

Good to know The Les Lacs Trail circles the playground, so you and your kiddos can take a good afternoon stroll, too. There are plenty of picnic benches and tables for a snack but no bathrooms on-site.

Kiest Park // Dallas Location 3080 S. Hampton Road; The

more tot-friendly playground is next to the tennis courts at the north end of the park at Perryton Drive (not visible from the street).

Why it’s great This playground has three large play structures for all ages and abilities. It’s more

Park Blvd.; The parking lot is directly in front of the Fort Worth Zoo’s entrance.

Why it’s great If your tot has endless energy, burn it off at Tillery Park. The separate infantsand-toddlers area features slides, bridges, swings and a merry-go-round. There’s even a small rockclimbing wall for your Spiderboy or Spidergirl.

Good to know There are two grassy areas for your family to spread out and play freely. Benches and trails surround the park, but there is no bathroom or changing area.

Trinity Park // Fort Worth Location 2401 University Drive; Park

along Trinity Park Drive or in small parking lots near the play area.

Why it’s great The playground intended for tots and preschoolers sports three slides, a tunnel and several panel games to keep them busy. There are four baby swings and a stegosaurusshaped mini climbing structure. For older kiddos, a separate, bigger playset offers a merry-go-round and ropes course. Take a break to feed the ducks at the nearby pond.

Good to know There’s a drinking fountain nearby but no full bathrooms on-site—just portable toilets. For families with kiddos who have special needs, Dream Park is located within Trinity Park and designed for all abilities and ages. dfwchild.com / february 2021

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Coomer Park // Garland Location 534 Apollo Road in the Coomer

Creek neighborhood; Park in the small lot where Willowcrest Drive meets Apollo Road.

Why it’s great Little ones will exercise their bodies and imaginations in this jungle-themed park. The play structure is on the small side, but it packs a punch with built-in toys, a single slide, double racing slides, triple racing slides, swings and a climbing wall.

Good to know Coomer Park has a large open field and a half-mile walking trail. There are no restrooms on-site, though, and only one bench and two picnic tables.

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A progressive curriculum • Small classroom ratios

Preschool: 6 wks – 5 yrs School Age: 5–12 yrs

Carey Cox Memorial Park // McKinney Location 1611 N. Stonebridge Drive; A small

parking lot can be found next to the park’s administration office.

Why it’s great Two play areas—one for the younger set and another for older children— are connected by a covered pavilion and allages swing set. Tots and preschoolers can enjoy small slides and spring-loaded rides, while big brothers and sisters can climb walls and boulders or play in the open field. The playground does not have big-kid slides.

Good to know There are no changing tables in the public restrooms—which are located in the nearby administration building, open Monday through Friday, 8am–5pm.

817-246-1448

501 Academy Blvd., Fort Worth 76108

Adventure World Playground //

Ads with © are © of Lauren Publications, Inc. 2021.

North Richland Hills Location 7451 Starnes Road; Park in the lot off Starnes.

Why it’s great Adventure World Playground definitely lives up to its name, offering more than just swings and slides. Kids will be transported to their own clubhouse in the woods, with log slides, mushroom tables, tree stump stairs, a climbing boulder and a (faux) raccoon peeking out at you. With so much to climb, crawl through and explore, your littles won’t want to leave.

Good to know This playground is located within Cross Timbers Park, which has its own baseball fields, walking trail and picnic spots. If you have bigger kids, there’s a playground for them too—but it’s just far enough away to make it difficult for moms to have their eyes on both play areas.

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North Park // Southlake Location 200 E. Dove Road; The playground

is a short walk from the expansive parking lot.

Why it’s great The woodsy, fenced-in play area has a structure designed specifically for ages 2–5, with rubber padding that’s perfect for crawlers and clumsy kiddos. The playground features several tunnels, ladders and four

ABOVE // There are spots to run, slide and hide at Adventure World Playground in North Richland Hills. BELOW // Southlake’s North Park is a sort of woodland wonderland.

swings (plus two baby swing seats) and four slides total for each age range. And if you have older kids too, the designated playset for up to age 12 has a hollow tree design with multiple play sections.

Good to know There’s a restroom facility (with a family restroom) and a partially shaded picnic area for your convenience.

Coffee Park // University Park Location 3400 Northwest Parkway near Hill-

crest Avenue; Parallel parking is available along Villanova Street and Turtle Creek Boulevard.

Why it’s great Kiddos ages 2–5 will enjoy their own petite playset, decked out with a little slide and climbing boulder. The surface of the park is solid rubber, and the covered play structures help keep it from getting too hot in the warmer months.

Bigger kiddos will get their energy out on climbing structures, spinning handlebars, slides and more.

Good to know There are no barriers or fences around the park, so keep a close eye on your little ones. Portable bathrooms are available.

Birmingham Farms Park // Wylie Location 725 Odenville Drive, at the corner

of Odenville Drive and Bessemer Road.

Why it’s great Although this may seem like a small neighborhood park, the distinct, partially shaded playsets are spacious enough to entertain your littles as well as older siblings. On the baby playground, there are four slides—including a double racing slide—a built-in matching game and two steering wheels on top so kids can pretend to drive.

Good to know Benches and a small walking trail surround the park. There are no bathrooms, so go before you go!

ADVENTURE WORLD PLAYGROUND: BRITTANY DUCKWORTH; NORTH PARK: CITY OF SOUTHLAKE

Ages 6 weeks through PK

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Ask us about One-on-One Therapy, the Behavior Exchange Early Start program, Social Skills Groups, Telehealth, insurance, and more.

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dfwchild.com / february 2021

57

BEST EVER 2021

CAMPS • TRAVEL • CLASSES

VIRTUAL FAIR MARCH 26

Your ultimate summer plans start here.

Explore the virtual booths for summer options, hear from experts about navigating this summer safely, and find a few new ideas that will thrill your kids.

Register today at

dfwchild.com/BSE

BEST SUMMER EVER / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

BEST

Summer EVER

Has there ever been a summer where kids needed camp more than this year?

Childhood summer memories and camp go hand-in-hand. Explore these safe and fun camp options that will make this a summer to remember.

Additional camps online at dfwchild.com/directory

Ann & Nate Levine Academy Summer Camps offer fun-filled learning opportunities for children ages infant to 12 years old!

Campers may enroll in one or more weekly sessions, facilitated by professional staff. Themes vary weekly throughout the summer and are open to the community.

Camp Shemesh Ages infant-care through rising Kindergarten. Early care/aftercare available from 7:45am–6pm (5pm on Fridays) Summer@Levine Ages 6–12. Weekly camps embrace arts, sports, STEM, and much more!

Camp Clayton 2021: June 1 to August 6 At Clayton Youth Enrichment, we prepare children for great lives. Clayton offers traditional summer day camps in Fort Worth that are located on a school campus near you. Designed for ages 5–12, these full-day camps are perfect for your childcare and enrichment needs. Our kids will experience new friends and amazing activities each week—while practicing social emotional learning skills.

Registration for weekly themes open by March 1. Financial assistance and CCMS also available. Join the fun and invest in your child’s summer today!

18011 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TX 75252 972-248-3032 levineacademy.org/camp

Multiple camp locations serving Keller ISD, Birdville ISD and Fort Worth ISD 817-923-9888 • claytonyouth.org

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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BEST SUMMER EVER / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Camp El Tesoro overnight camp is READY to welcome campers ages six–16 to achieve whatever they set their minds to this summer. Archery, canoeing, horseback riding, nature studies, dance and more!

Kids go to camp because it’s fun, but what they find are friendships and magic in themselves.

See for yourself what makes El Tesoro a special place!

Come to a FREE Camp Preview. Details online.

7710 Fall Creek Highway Granbury, TX 76049 817-831-2111 • CampFireFW.org

Good Shepherd Episcopal School’s Summer Program 2021 shatters all expectations!

We provide students (ages 1 through the 6th grade) the opportunity to explore engaging activities in a safe and nurturing environment! We offer a unique blend of dynamic and academically-rich classes, June 7–August 6, 2021.

For a great summer, visit gsesdallas.org/summer for class descriptions and to register!

11110 Midway Road, Dallas, TX 75229 gsesdallas.org/summer Contact: Whitney West, Director of Enrichment 214-357-2968, Ext. 283 wwest@gsesdallas.org

SUMMER CAMPS SINCE 1926 Kanakuk is a premier summer camp experience for boys and girls ages 6–18 with locations in Branson and Lampe, Missouri. Its five overnight camps provide children with age-appropriate, fun, safe, and professional outdoor youth camping experiences that grow them spiritually, physically, emotionally, and socially. Kids have fun with friends while participating in more than 70 sports and activities, and at incredible themed parties.

Kanakuk’s professionally trained staff is committed to their mission of “Equipping Next Generation Leaders.” Sessions run from May 29 to Aug. 6 with 1, 2 and 4-week options.

Learn more about customizing your child’s summer camp experience at gokanakuk.com or by calling 417-266-3000.

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february 2021 / dfwchild.com

Ballet Basics introduces young dancers, ages 3 to 6, to the fundamentals of ballet. The camp experience also includes crafts, story time and choreography correlating with the theme of the week.

The Junior Intensive Program broadens the perspective of 7–14 year old students with a variety of classes including ballet, modern, jazz and musical theater.

Dallas County: 214-377-8576 300 N. Coit Rd. Suite 231, Richardson, 75080 Fort Worth: 817-763-0207 1540 Mall Circle, Fort Worth 76116 texasballettheater.org/summer-programs

BEST SUMMER EVER / SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Kids need camp! Join Kidventure, where for 26 years, we have provided the most dynamic and rewarding camps in Texas. Several Day Camp locations in DFW for children ages 3–5th grade. Opportunities for athletics, art, archery, rock climbing, camp games, learning, and so much more. All-adult teams, low ratios, and designed to build character and confidence.

Kidventure’s Camps: Preston Hollow • Grace Lutheran • Frisco St. Marks • Overnight Camp 214-303-9789 kidventure.com/dallas-summer-camp

Summer, the Shelton Way, on its brand-new campus. Something for everyone: academic and enrichment classes EC–Grade 12, some for credit; Shelton Scholars tutoring program for help with reading, writing and spelling; speech/language/hearing program; sports camps Early bird registration date and rates: April 15th. Don’t take a vacation from learning and enrichment just because it’s summer!

17301 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75252 972-774-1772 shelton.org/summerschool

Spring Fitness Activities for Kids at Cooper!

Want more camps?

Keep your kids and teens active while having fun at Cooper Fitness Center.

Play the Cooper Way This Spring!

Ages: 5–16 Connect in person: Socialize and interact in a secure setting Play safely: Indoor and outdoor physical activity without screen time Have fun: Enjoy interactive activities led by trained professionals

Check our our SUMMER CAMPS DIRECTORY dfwchild.com/directory

• Junior Tennis Clinics • Polar Bear Swim Training • Spring Break Football and Quarterback Camps • Cheerleading Camp • Kids in the Kitchen • Beautiful Fit Academy • Triathlon Training Register today at cooperyouth.com/Dallas.

Cooper Fitness Center 12100 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75230 972.233.4382 cooperyouth.com/Dallas

dfwchild.com / february 2021

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confessions

MOM TRUTHS ILLUSTRATION MARY DUNN

CO M P I L E D BY E M I LY Y E A R W O O D

“My 7-year-old son can be a little dramatic. He was mad at me about something, but I still made him practice his weekly Bible verse for me. He stared me down and pointed at me as he recited the words ‘the wicked’ and ‘sinners.’ We were cracking up.” —ALEXIS, GRAPEVINE

I WAS PREGNANT LAST YEAR. ONE DAY, MY 10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ASKED ME, ‘MOMMY, IS THE BABY NAKED IN YOUR BELLY OR DOES SHE HAVE ON CLOTHES?’ I COULDN’T STOP LAUGHING!” —DEVON, DALLAS 62

february 2021 / dfwchild.com

“My husband and son are both hard of hearing and don’t want to wear their hearing aids. One day, my son was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand him over the noise of the TV, toys and tablets.

He said, ‘Mommy, maybe you need to get hearing aids!’”

—KATRINA, MIDLOTHIAN

Got a funny or sweet parenting moment you’d like to share?

We’d love to hear it. Contact us at editorial@dfwchild.com.

“My 21-month-old is obsessed with Minnie Mouse, so I got her a Minnie-themed toilet training soft potty ring. This morning, she was holding it and didn’t want to let go. She was throwing fits every time I tried to take it away. She ended up bringing it with her to daycare.”

—GOSIA, EULESS

WHEN MY SON WAS LITTLE, HIS DAYCARE TEACHER TOLD US HE SAID A BAD WORD. WE SOON FOUND OUT THE WORD HE WAS TRYING TO PRONOUNCE WAS ‘FLOCK,’ AS IN A FLOCK OF SHEEP.” —IRIS, ARLINGTON

On a road trip, we stopped to use the bathroom.

I took the boys in the family bathroom. Both boys went, then it was my turn. As I squatted over the seat, I explained that girls have to sit to pee. My youngest replied, ‘Mom, you’re just not trying hard enough. Do you want me to show you how?’” —REBECCA, ARGYLE

LET ME NAVIGATE YOU

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I can confidently lead you through the process, advocate for your best interests and lovingly guide you home. As a member of the Turner Fortune Real Estate team, I am backed by one of DFW's most successful boutique agencies, who place our Client's satisfaction above all else. Contact me today so I can guide you and your family to your next dream home.

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