I love surprises. Big surprises, small surprises, I’m not picky. I love the adrenaline-hype build-up and the oxytocin rush that follows. The most startling surprises to take in, I think, are the types when we discover new characteristics about ourselves. Take, for example, this year when I learned a new fact about myself: I enjoy style.…
Read MoreWhen Ben and I announced our third pregnancy, we were met with the usual host of congratulatory responses. And one particular sentiment I’ve heard over…and over…and over again, “I hope you have a boy.” Family, friends, random strangers in the cereal aisle, it’s come from all sides. What’s been equally surprising is my visceral reaction to…
Read MoreThis idea that mothers bear the ‘mental load’ of the home has been floating around the Interwebs lately. (See here.) Basically, the thought is that even if the father in a household contributes a fair share of house maintenance, the mother is the one with the constant to-do lists swirling in her head. She is weighed…
Read MoreI’m long overdue a post! My last writings came from a harder place of life, and first I want to give you an update as to how I’m doing. Through a winding process of medical detective work (which we’re still on!) I discovered that I have a vitamin deficiency. At least for now, that’s the…
Read MoreBefore this post will make sense, you need to know what a Lily Jade bag is. Quite simply, it is the most perfect bag on the planet. They are full leather, designer-quality bags, with inserts to carry all of your baby items. And they are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. Early on in my blogging days I started hearing…
Read MoreDear Working Mom Who Feels Guilty She’s Not a SAHM, I see you. I see your posts. I see your teary-eyed selfies kissing your sweet ones goodbye at the babysitter. And I want to give you a big ol’ bear hug. Mama, you want good things. You want to love your family well, to put…
Read MoreA New Year’s Day tradition I’ve carved out for myself is to process the goals swirling around in my head. As an ENFJ I can be overly idealistic. I get excited over leading myself and others into new territory, but I have a great tendency to bite off more than I can chew – which…
Read Morebelly born. science slicing windows into nature’s womb, a kind of miracle. hours clocked – long days, longer nights. by design i cannot, for the life of me, remember the work it took to raise me. only when i look at my daughter, tucked into her own bed, do I know how my mother…
Read MoreMy goal in writing is to be ‘gut-honest’. That means I tell tough truths, hopefully in loving ways. Not because I think I’m all that and a bag of chips, but because I know the human experience is a common one and we learn from each other. In that gut-honest spirit, I need to say…
Read MoreBen and I always joke that first birthday parties are just as much a celebration for the parents as the children. “We all made it!” We certainly felt that way when Nora Heather’s first birthday rolled around. As much as we have enjoyed our little light, she’s thrown us all sorts of new challenges! Just…
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