I think its about time...

Okay, I've been posting and lurking on Mothering for about a year now. I'm terrible for introducing myself, I have a tendency to jump right in
My name is Tannis, my dd is Shekinah. Who is, Of course, the light of my life. I have a wonderfully sweet, kind, and loving dh, named Paul.
We had tried for many years to get pregnant, and have a baby. Once we realized that this pregnancy was planning on sticking around, we had big plans for her. Plans like, treating her with respect, always letting her know that we love her, and never regretting that she was born. So far, so good.
Even before we had Kiki(thats her knickname) I had some pretty "radical" ideas about how to raise her. We didn't have much money, so I planned from the beginning, to breastfeed(and we are). I planned on cd, wearing my baby in a sling(we do, just not alot ), and having her sleep in the same room as us (though not in our bed! , but that sure changed!)She wasn't going to have jars of baby food, I was(and did!) going to make her own. I had alos planned on a garden and baking my own bread. Sounds idyliic? Not really, it was how my family was raised. We were, how shall we say, frugal? Okay, poor This sort of life was just natural to me.
I had never heard of Attachment parenting until after I had Kiki. I had been doing it already, since all the parenting classes, books, research, nurses and doctors in Alberta advocated most of the principles(except co-sleeping ) You would think that with all my information, I would have heard the term.
I'm still learning, especially with gentle discipline, since my family believed in spanking. It can be very hard, and I really have to control my temper. I'm not giving up though,I'll never give up. My dd deserves to have self-confidence, and respect for herself, and others.
Anyways, thanks to all of you, for giving me insight, inspiration, and direction.