Yesterday would have been my grandmother’s 89th birthday. We would have celebrated with her favorite dinner (shrimp Alfredo, which she liked the best when my father was the one making it). There would have been cake, or maybe milkshakes, depending on her mood. There would have been laughter, and some grumblings about how she couldn’t …
To my grandmother on what would have been her 89th birthday Read More »
Pregnancy, for some it’s a time of glowing and eager anticipation, for others it’s a time of great discomfort and fear, but for almost everyone it’s a time of struggle. And I’m just talking about the dads here… ba-dum-tss. It can be hard to watch the woman that you love the most going through something …
6 tips for helping the pregnant woman in your life Read More »
During your first pregnancy, everyone wants to give you advice. People are bursting at the seams to share their tried and true parenting hacks with you. They will tell you that you absolutely-without-a-doubt must breastfeed, or give formula, or co-sleep, or sleep train immediately, or whatever the parenting trend is at the time. When you’re …
The second labor may be faster, but everything else is a lie Read More »
Becoming a mother has been one of the most rewarding (awful), magical (terrifying), and amazing things that has ever happened to me. I cannot even begin to fully explain the range of emotions that it fills me with every single day. It also gives me a whole new appreciation for my own mother. I see …
I’m sitting in the driver’s seat. My two year old is in the back in her car seat, losing her ever loving mind because her shoe came off. Actually, her shoe didn’t come off, she took it off. Then she threw it onto the floor. Now she’s filled with the burning rage of a …
In 2014 I heard the term “mom tribe” for the first time. Of my very few girlfriends, only a handful were what you would consider close relationships. Even fewer yet were mothers. I’d had no reason to be familiar with that term up until then, because before a cold morning in December, I’d had no …
How I finally found my mom tribe in a Facebook group Read More »
There is a reason why people clean when they grieve. I think part of it is a need to be doing something mundane and normal. Part of it also has to do with wanting to be in control of something, anything, when everything else seems so profoundly out of your control. These thoughts are knocking …
We’re snuggled up on the couch together as I write this. Your head resting on my shoulder, your arms intertwined with mine. You fell down earlier while running through the hallway. I was busy pulling your old bassinet out of the bottom of your closet, as you ran up and down the hallway, yelling with …
To my daughter on her final days as an only child Read More »
I’m sitting on the toilet, pretending to eat a fake carrot as my toddler stands less than an inch from my bent knees begging me to keep going. “Eat more, mommy.” She says, and pushes the carrot back to my face. Again I make the “om nom nom” noise and pretend to nibble on the …
Parenting is not about the wins, it’s about living to fight another day Read More »
We were standing in line at the Starbucks inside of our local Target. I had just returned with two cup holders to attach to our shopping cart (for real, whoever came up with that idea, brilliant). I attached them to our cart while loudly debating which drink I was going to order. I read the …
When love takes you down the path that you never wanted to travel Read More »