My parents can't tell me the story without tearing up. I was 13 months old and it was 23 years ago. But it's still as fresh as yesterday in their minds. "You made this funny cry that I hadn't heard before, I rushed to your crib and when I saw you, your little body was shaking ...
The newborn’s need for nearness [that transcends all relationships]
Babies sure can teach us a lot about life, can't they? My second baby is schooling me on relationships right now, and I'm listening, little man, I am listening. Even when all of his needs are met--full belly, sufficiently burped, dry diaper--he still requires nearness. He cries persistently until ...
Dear Parents in Waiting
Dear Parents in Waiting, It's not fair. Nothing about this mess of a life is fair. And sometimes it's downright cruel. I don't know why the pregnancy tests keep turning up negative. I don't know why miscarriages have to happen. I don't know why you lost your precious baby. I don't know why ...
Surviving post-pregnancy hair loss
Yes. Post-pregnancy hair loss. It is a thing. It's not a thing we talk a lot about. But somewhere between two and four months after baby comes, it'll be the only thing you can think of. Just when baby starts to reach and grab with those perpetually clammy little hands (YOUCH!), you're losing hair ...
Your favorite person in the world may not exist yet
Have you heard about the bride who asked her 89-year old grandmother to be her bridesmaid? What a sweet story! You can just see the joy in their faces. It reminded me of these really inspiring people I met a few months ago. I saw them from across the parking lot. A young guy, maybe in his early ...
The one thing every mom should put on her birth plan
I'm by no means a professional on the topic of labor and delivery, but I've lived through two vastly different births now. So I've learned a thing or two about birth plans. The overdue pregnancy with induced labor that ended in an emergency c-section taught me not to get too hung up on a birth ...
Why this mom is driving like a crazy person
Dear Everyone Else on the Road, I'm driving too slow. I'm driving too fast. My windows have gone up and down 12 times since you started watching my car. The light turned green and I haven't moved yet. You can hear me blasting "Let it Go" three car lengths away. I pulled over without much warning. ...
Six things I’m doing differently with my second baby
1.) I'm cherishing the night feedings. I used to wake up and grimace in my exhaustion as I'd rise to feed my first baby. Not anymore. Infancy goes by too quickly. Now, with all the busyness that being a mom of two brings during the day, I cherish that precious time when it's just me and the new guy ...
My husband live tweeted my birth
My husband is not a writer; in fact, he has one of the worst memory banks I've ever known for someone in his age bracket. But he IS a tweeter. And his live-tweeting of both of my births has been the sweetest thing for three reasons: 1.) It's his birth story. He would never, ever sit down ...
Your adorable nursery makes my heart ache (learning to live well in a waiting season)
"Aren't you excited to take your new baby home today?" said the nurse. I managed a pathetic smile and lied, "Yes." We pulled up to our living space: a 39 foot fifth wheel camper parked on my in-laws' property. And I burst into tears. Bringing my brand new second baby into a camper was the ...