Navigating new motherhood one cold cup of coffee at a time
I have graduated so many parenting chapters in the last three years. Big ones, like childbirth, recovery – not once but twice. Newborn-hood, teething, colds, tummy bugs, crying, whining, tantrums, toddlerhood – you name it. Everything from "I need you to do everything for me" to "I need you to let me do it myself."… Continue reading What I didn’t see coming about the first day of school
You know what drives me crazy these days? When people can't take a joke. In parenthood, this happens all the time. There was a viral post that a wife left for her husband who was tasked with watching their kids all weekend. It was filled with the most fantastic dose of sarcasm I've read in… Continue reading The thing that drives me crazy, and also makes it all worthwhile
Survival mode: when everything is going wrong that could go wrong, we give ourselves permission to ride out the chaos. It sounds silly, but this was one of the most transformative lessons in my first year of parenthood. I remember the first time I was introduced to "survivalist parenting." We were in the early weeks… Continue reading Parenting style: survivalist
I'm proud that I followed through with many of my resolutions for 2017 – well, most of them. My biggest goal was to minimize the clutter in my life, which has transformed our home. It has helped me cut down on wants vs. needs, find a style that I actually like – both in my… Continue reading I failed last year’s resolution and uncovered something better
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
Thanks to Facebook's "On This Day," feature, I saw a blog I had written on this day one year ago countering all the negative warnings that people innocently give to expectant mothers, as if we are doomed for a life of "never agains." These innocent warnings are intensified with comments of how much we stand to lose… Continue reading The one warning that we should be giving to expectant mothers
Is it just me, or is there negativity associated with being a protective mom? It's a label that I would certainly give to myself, though mama bear is much cuter sounding. I'm that mom who requests visitors be up to date on their shots - and even though I could feel the eye rolls by some, it matters so little… Continue reading Protecting Mama Bear for a change
This month has felt like the biggest leap yet. He smiles over the simplest things, giggles, holds toys, grabs and turns the pages of books, turns and looks for us - lighting up and squealing with joy when our eyes meet. He loves music, conversations and being "thrown" up into the air. He is enthralled with screens (oh boy), and… Continue reading On Parenthood: five months old
Don't make the same mistakes I did ... Rompers are not mom-friendly: I thought these would be the perfect summer nursing wardrobe. They don't require the same amount of thought as putting together a two-piece outfit, and they allow me to easily transition from topless milk machine to somewhat-put-together. That was until I realized after… Continue reading 10 Very Important Lessons for New Moms
Fatherhood looks so different from one family to the next, but if there is one annoying generalization most moms can agree on it's that their partners are just the "fun ones," or, the "babysitter dads." Dads are so much more than this surface-level figure in a child's life, and we don't honor this deeper side of… Continue reading Dads: so much more than “the fun ones”
