Navigating new motherhood one cold cup of coffee at a time
Our first duty station was Hawaii, and I gained so much from our time there. I was ambitious, young and impressionable. I was starting my career, pursuing this thing called love; I couldn't have been in a better place for this chapter, where the community leads with Aloha – a powerful outlook that set me… Continue reading What I didn’t know when I married the military
I officially hit the third trimester of this second pregnancy. It's surreal that we will meet our daughter in a few short months. Last pregnancy, there was this constant looming and enormous news that we were going to become parents, and it made us one giant ball of nerves. Now that our days are already consumed… Continue reading Third trimester turbulence
As a stay-at-home mom, the ways in which I use and rely on my smart phone have certainly evolved from when I used it in the workforce as a reporter and online communications strategist. But out of habit, I held onto this sense of urgency that was embedded in my work of needing to have… Continue reading Four traumatic things that happened in 24 hours without my phone
"Remember, you didn't have a normal birth." I was told this in recovery by my care team as I was trying to grapple with what just happened to my body, why nurses were physically punching me to help get my baby out, why my baby wasn't breathing, why my recovery was taking forever, why it… Continue reading My redemption birth: I am enough
I could never be a true minimalist, admittedly, but I have been striving for moderate minimalism – which I define as having *majority* of my surroundings serve a purpose, with some wiggle room for pointless fun ... because, Target. I've been clearing out quite a bit of baby gear and toys in preparation for number… Continue reading Must-have baby items you might not have discovered yet
There are so many lists out there on valuable lessons learned as first time moms, from enduring that first pregnancy, birth to recovery and beyond. But I haven't found anything sharing wisdom specifically for second-time moms. We are kind of the forgotten ones in some ways because we are supposed to be experts or something… Continue reading “What to expect” your second pregnancy
"Are you hoping for a girl this time?" This was a popular question that followed our second pregnancy announcement since we have had the overwhelming joy of experiencing a boy our first go-around. I always felt a tad awkward answering this because there's a bit of shame associated with admitting that you may have a… Continue reading I was hoping for a girl, and that says nothing about the kind of parent I am
Every generation thinks they did it best. It's a classic, comical divide that can be applied to most any topic up for discussion. Insert parenthood, and you have a perfect storm of generational differences pouring into growing families' homes. As wisdom is passed down, science progresses, which sometimes counters family wisdom. New parents balance this with their own intuitions, creating a trifecta of… Continue reading When advice isn’t supportive
This idea that you can have too many baby clothes. Only have a few newborn sizes, and then buy up - but not too much. I tried to abide by this cautionary advice last time. This time, I catch myself checking the baby clothes sections every chance I get. There's something so sentimental about baby clothes.… Continue reading Five things I just don’t care about this pregnancy
I was largely focused on gaining control during my first pregnancy. I wanted control of my body, my labor, my baby. I was probably over-compensating for having zero experience with children prior to getting pregnant, so I found comfort in this idea of becoming an "expert" with the nine months I had before my big… Continue reading We aren’t actually in control until we surrender it
