Riding home in a taxi at 9:30 on a Wednesday night, I knew I was in trouble when I heard a voicemail message from Emily saying she'd forgotten her keys and would be waiting for me at the Starbucks near our apartment. What I didn't know was how much trouble.Sweeping into the coffee shop, I offered the breeziest of apologies. Emily was not charmed. I've been waiting here for two hours, she fumed.

While we say it with relative ease in most areas of our lives – “No, we don’t have a position available at this time,” “No, this is not a good time for me to talk,” and “No, I don’t want to go to the gym,” – when it comes to our kids, the word just doesn’t roll off the tongue with as much ease. Paula Spencer, the author of “Momfidence: An Oreo Never Killed Anyone and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting” (Three Rivers, 2006), says learning to say the two-letter word with gusto is easier than you might think.

So, you're thinking about introducing your baby to the world of fine dining (or at least fine baby food). Starting solid foods isn't as easy, however, as setting down a plate. You'll be playing waiter to a whole new world of foods. At any good restaurant, a waiter listens to the messages his guest is sending, and it's the same for your baby. By following a few easy steps, you can make sure that your baby's first solid meals are four star experiences.

Most guys tend to think that they will be able to handle parenthood without too much stress or aggravation. It's the wife that has to go through all of the discomfort of pregnancy and childbirth, right? But once the realities of being awakened every hour and a half by a crying baby, the endless visits from family and friends, the easy slippage into exhausted bickering with your partner, and the very real and very intense anxiety about not doing anything terribly wrong to your newborn all set in, your tune will change.

My wife had a clarifying phrase she began to use early on in her pregnancy when she was hit exceptionally hard with morning sickness: All bets are off. The phrase was shorthand for a more complicated sentiment she was beginning to feel at the time.