A decade later, a lot has changed in the world of motherhood (source: Boston Globe)

Babies don’t change much from one era to the next, but babyhood sure does.  At least that’s how it feels as I compare the arrivals of my two children, more than a decade apart. I gave birth to our son 12 years ago, and this summer my husband and I met our daughter in China, one week after her first birthday. OK, so technically that makes her a toddler, not a baby, and certainly there are plenty of differences between preparing for a newborn and bringing home a 1-year-old. But the two of them are so startlingly similar in temperament and habits – both alert, curious, and cheerful (or, as I say in my grumpier moods, lousy sleepers, into everything, and loud) – that it makes it easier to see that, even with only 11 years between their births, they’ve landed in two surprisingly different worlds. Click here to read full story.

Mom, son graduate together from College of St. Scholastica (source: TwinCities.com)

As about 200 College of St. Scholastica graduates lined up for Saturday’s fall commencement, Laurie Gaudino left the pack to get some tissues.  The 53-year-old business management major from Duluth felt like she was going to get emotional not so much because of the culmination of college, but because she was graduating alongside Matt Erickson, her 25-year-old son.  “I’m afraid I’m going to go cry,” said Guadino, who works as a buyer at St. Scholastica. “It’s just exciting. It’s so nice. I’m proud of my son and I’m proud of myself. I feel like I’m at such a good place in my life right now.”  Click here to read full story.