Have you had these days where you are knee-deep in everyone else's needs? When the needs feel like quicksand and you don't know if you'll be able to take another step? It's when your husband gets sick and goes from being your partner in the parenting effort to just as needy as the kids. It's when ...
Parenting
How the new baby made you a terrible mom to your toddler (why it happened and how to make it better)
Somewhere in the fog of those first months after our second baby was born, something happened that I didn't think was possible: I had days where I flat out did not like my toddler. It's a hard thing to admit. But I started admitting it to other moms of two or more children. And you know what I ...
How and why I encourage my toddler to help care for our baby
Becoming a big sibling comes with its fair share of losses--undivided attention, immediate need-meeting, and a world that revolves around his or her nap schedule are just a few. I don't know about you, but I tend to feel bad for my toddler because of all the losses that arrived with his new baby ...
Your baby’s scariest day and the bravery you didn’t know you had
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 ...
Honest thoughts from a mom of three under age three
I don’t know what we were thinking. When my husband and I were newly married we didn't really decide how far to space out our children. We knew most people had children two years apart but we were open to having them close in age. We did not realize how close our children would end up being. Now ...
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 ...
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 ...
How I’ve Devalued the Life of my Little One
I had my first baby two weeks after I finished college. And in the months that followed, the questions just came rolling in from my fellow graduates, child-free friends, older career moms, and former professors: “Do you feel like you’re being challenged in your daily life?” “Are you getting to do ...