Since having Gwen, who is now one year old (I can't believe it!) I have gained a whole new appreciation for Ms. Rachel. Girlfriend has the magic touch when it comes to speaking to our little ones and captivating their attention.

My sweet cherub could be screaming her head off one minute, and then I flip on "Hop Little Bunny" by our lord and savior Ms. Rachel, and her face immediately lights up. Whatever was bothering her becomes a distant memory.

I just recently learned that Ms. Rachel is a New England native, which makes me love her even more. I knew we had a connection!

She was born in Biddeford, Maine, and raised in Sanford. Wikipedia says she attended Sanford High School, where she did lots of theater (shoutout to my fellow theater kids) before attending the University of Southern Maine.

It was her own son's diagnosis of speech delay which inspired her to start her Youtube channel. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Ms. Rachel sometimes feels like the third parent in our household, and I know a ton of other parents feel the same way.

I am thrilled to see how much success our girl is getting. She deserves every bit of it, and has a way about her that makes children feel seen, heard, and special.

She recently experienced a "full-circle moment", as she put it. Apparently, some of her classmates in Maine used to bully her for wearing sneakers from Walmart to gym class. Well, Ms. Rachel now has her very own merchandise available at Walmart:

There was not an ounce of pettiness in her tone, and I love her for that. She was simply  acknowledging the moment and its significance to her. She's a class act!  Her bullies from back in the day must be feeling PRETTY silly right now.

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