On a visit to Haiti, Barbara Walker noticed that a penned rooster had a better life than children living on the streets and in some orphanages. Follow this ordinary womans journey as she finds homes for almost two thousand abandoned and orphaned children and builds Ruuska Village for street women who had no means of survival for themselves and their children. Those first days were very hard, Barbara said. The women were used to fighting for everything they needed, and they had very poor self-esteem. I separated many wild catfights among the women. Barbaras no-nonsense requirement of adhering to rules of civility and a Christian moral code, though, eventually shaped Ruuska Village into a unit that functioned as a caring family. Barbara built the womens self-esteem by helping them obtain birth certificates, IDs, and voting cards, which was both expensive and time-consuming. She also provided education, training, and start-up resources for the women so that they could start small businesses or find employment. Barbara Walker had no special plans for her life but lived it day by day, serving those God placed on her path. Her tenacious, never-back-down, never-give-up approach to finding homes for children and hope for Haitian street women has made her more than an ordinary woman.

What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know. In his New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina showed us how our brains really work—and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools. Now, in Brain Rules for Baby, he shares what the latest science says about how to raise smart and happy children from zero to five. This book is destined to revolutionize parenting. Just one of the surprises: The best way to get your children into the college of their choice? Teach them impulse control. Brain Rules for Baby bridges the gap between what scientists know and what parents practice. Through fascinating and funny stories, Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and dad, unravels how a child’s brain develops – and what you can do to optimize it. You will view your children—and how to raise them—in a whole new light. You’ll learn: Where nature ends and nurture begins Why men should do more household chores What you do when emotions run hot affects how your baby turns out, because babies need to feel safe above all TV is harmful for children under 2 Your child’s ability to relate to others predicts her future math performance Smart and happy are inseparable. Pursuing your child’s intellectual success at the expense of his happiness achieves neither Praising effort is better than praising intelligence The best predictor of academic performance is not IQ. It’s self-control What you do right now—before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and through the first five years—will affect your children for the rest of their lives. Brain Rules for Baby is an indispensable guide.

"As a mom, I have absolutely found a connection between my stress or calm and my daughter's mood and behavior. Calm Mama, Happy Baby gives moms practical tools for choosing calm over stress no matter what is happening. These techniques have been a lifesaver for me." —Tiffani Thiessen, actress "A fascinating look at how we are neurologically ‘programmed' to think, feel, and act like our parents. This book shows moms how to avoid passing along habits of stress and negativity, setting their children up for good health, optimal learning, and better sleep." —Anjalee Warrier Galion, MD, Children's Hospital Orange County With constant feedings, teary outbursts, and trying to help your baby sleep through the night, it's no wonder that parents of babies and young children feel overwhelmed. Yet eye-opening neuroscientific research shows that your stress directly affects your child's mood, behavior, and health. The good news is that calm mamas have calmer, happier babies who usually feed and sleep better, too. Drawing on their experience in nearly two decades of working with parents in Hollywood and around the globe, Derek O'Neill and Jennifer Waldburger give parents practical tools for choosing calm over stress no matter what is happening with their child. For any mom who's ever said, "I wish my baby came with instructions," Calm Mama, Happy Baby offers a step-by-step approach for helping you parent intuitively, with confidence. • Discover the negative habits that cause stress and zap your energy • Learn how to understand your baby's communication on all levels • Defuse any parenting situation, from feeding problems and sleep disruptions to separation anxiety, fussiness, and colic • Explore why becoming a parent brings up unresolved fears and insecurities—and how to put them to rest. When mama is happy, your child is happy, too—and the entire household thrives.

Happy Baby is the story of Theo, once an orphan in the Chicago foster care system and now a grown man living in California. Theo, saturated with memories of abuse and heartache, and filled with the simple wish to understand more about himself, returns to Chicago to reconnect with an old girlfriend from his troubled youth. Told in reverse order, this edgy and powerful novel slowly and subtly turns mysterious, as we attempt to recognize the root of Theo's plight and the source for his quietly wavering humanity.

Few things in life are more delightful than sharing in the laughter of a baby. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion. Developmental psychologist Caspar Addyman decided to change that. Since 2012 Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project, collecting data, videos and stories from parents all over the world. This has provided a fascinating window into what babies are learning and how they develop cognitively and emotionally. Deeper than that, he has observed laughter as the purest form of human connection. It creates a bond that parents and infants share as they navigate the challenges of childhood. Moving chronologically through the first two years of life, The Laughing Baby explores the origin story for our incredible abilities. In the playful daily lives of babies, we find the beginnings of art, science, music and happiness. Our infancy is central to what makes us human, and understanding why babies laugh is key to understanding ourselves.

YES! This must-have toddler title sheds light on some concepts with a comical flair that will make readers HAPPY. A towering ice-cream cone makes Baby HAPPY. But when that delectable treat goes splat, it makes Baby SAD. And how quickly HAPPY turns to SAD when a favorite red balloon flies away! Even the littlest listeners will relate to this playful look at a pair of emotions that are part of every baby’s day.

Perfect for expecting parents who want to provide a soothing home for the newest member of their family, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the national bestseller by respected pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp, is a revolutionary method for calming a crying infant and promoting healthy sleep from day one. In perhaps the most important parenting book of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an automatic “off-switch” for their baby’s crying. No wonder pediatricians across the country are praising him and thousands of Los Angeles parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna and Pierce Brosnan, have turned to him to learn the secrets for making babies happy. Never again will parents have to stand by helpless and frazzled while their poor baby cries and cries. Dr. Karp has found there IS a remedy for colic. “I share with parents techniques known only to the most gifted baby soothers throughout history …and I explain exactly how they work.” In a innovative and thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not fully ready for the world when they are born. Through his research and experience, he has developed four basic principles that are crucial for understanding babies as well as improving their sleep and soothing their senses: ·The Missing Fourth Trimester: as odd as it may sound, one of the main reasons babies cry is because they are born three months too soon. ·The Calming Reflex: the automatic reset switch to stop crying of any baby in the first few months of life. ·The 5 “S’s”: the simple steps (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking) that trigger the calming reflex. For centuries, parents have tried these methods only to fail because, as with a knee reflex, the calming reflex only works when it is triggered in precisely the right way. Unlike other books that merely list these techniques Dr. Karp teaches parents exactly how to do them, to guide cranky infants to calm and easy babies to serenity in minutes…and help them sleep longer too. ·The Cuddle Cure: the perfect mix the 5 “S’s” that can soothe even the most colicky of infants. In the book, Dr. Karp also explains: What is colic? Why do most babies get much more upset in the evening? How can a parent calm a baby--in mere minutes? Can babies be spoiled? When should a parent of a crying baby call the doctor? How can a parent get their baby to sleep a few hours longer? Even the most loving moms and dads sometimes feel pushed to the breaking point by their infant’s persistent cries. Coming to the rescue, however, Dr. Karp places in the hands of parents, grandparents, and all childcare givers the tools they need to be able to calm their babies almost as easily as…turning off a light. From the Hardcover edition.