Four simple words. That’s all it took to start the tears streaming down my face this morning at the end of my weekly grocery run with the kids. Read more
Why the f*%k are there two? My (not so glamorous) story of having twins: Part 2
It was at my second appointment with Dr. Larson that she delivered the dreaded news that my babies were at high risk and would need essentially constant monitoring. I had 1 ultrasound every week, sometimes 2 from 12-30 weeks. She told me why and it sounded like it was a precaution, better to be safe than sorry kind of thing, but all SO heard was “High Risk Pregnancy” and was immediately emotionally stunted. Read more
What I REALLY Want for Mother’s Day
I googled “how to ask for the Mother’s Day you want,” and you know what came up? “10 Questions To Ask Your Mother Now,” “15 Questions to Ask Your Mom So You Two Can Become Close Friends,” and “Questions To Ask Mom Before She Dies.”
Nope.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Mother’s Day in my house growing up always seemed mostly the same: Let Mom sleep in, bring her breakfast in bed with a handmade card. Dad always bought her a beautiful piece of jewelry, and we would spend the day frolicking in the California sunshine together. I have no idea what my Mom’s expectations were, but to me it sounds pretty great. Read more
Well, I’m Not Going Back to Sleep After That….
It’s Sever
e Weather Awareness Week here in Minnesota, so it was somewhat appropriate timing for an unintentional activation of the tornado sirens in Hennepin County at 6:10 am today. It turned out to be a software malfunction, not an actual threat, but what a way to start the day! I have a bit of an obsession with tornadoes after living through the Night of the Twisters in Grand Island, Nebraska, when I was three; our house was spared, but hearing the sirens go off always gives me a little flashback to that night and the storms’ aftermath.
While I am not excited to have been so abruptly awoken from a deep sleep in my warm and cozy bed, after I calmed down I did realize that I learned a few things this morning: Read more
Review: Pouch Sling by BlueBerriest
One of the baby-related items I have used the most over the last six and a half years was actually a gift from my doula after the birth of my first baby. At the time, I naively thought that a Baby Bjorn was the only hands-free baby device anyone would ever want or need, but I am so thankful that Megan introduced me to the simplicity of the pouch sling, especially the Minnesota-mama-made ones by BlueBerriest. Read more
Emily Pike: Margaret’s Birth Story
It was early morning of February 17, and, at 38 weeks 3 days, I was one day more pregnant than I had ever been. I had fully expected to have a newborn in my arms at this point; I had assumed that the last of my progesterone shots would have worn off nearly a week earlier and was shocked when I wa
s still pregnant into the Valentine’s Day weekend. I was uncomfortable and very ready to be done, though I hadn’t quite hit the mental brick wall of *needing* to be done with pregnancy. I just really wanted to be able to sit with my knees together again and to be able to sleep without some limb falling asleep.
How to Give Your Partner Agency as a Parent
In most parental relationships, there is one parent who defaults to “primary” parent. Usually it’s whichever parent ends up spending more time with their child. Because this parent spends so much time with their child(ren), they know a lot of the ins and outs of what the little one(s) want or need at any given moment. It can be very rewarding to stay at home with your kids, or just spend every moment you can with those adorable little people, but this comes with some challenges. Primary among these challenges is making sure that your co-parent has parental agency. Read more
8 Things it’s Okay to Want for Your Kids
“I just want them to be happy and healthy” is the de rigueur answer to a number of polite(ish) questions about our children, and it’s really never the truth. There are so many things we want for our kids.
The problem is, there are a lot of things it’s really not okay to want for your kids. Read more
Mama Mantra of the Moment: “I am letting go.”
“I am letting go.”
“We can use this mantra to help ourselves let go of the things in our life that hold us back from being where we would like to be and who we would like to be. Sometimes when we notice the things holding us back they look like external things. For example, my financial situation Read more
Why the f*%k are there two? My (not so glamorous) story of having twins – Part 1
We were pregnant. Didn’t think it would happen but knew it could, and it did. I had to fight and plead to get a doctor’s appointment because I genuinely was surprised (pleasantly) I was pregnant (see From the Bitter Mom, Pregnancy Happens) and apparently they don’t do pregnancy tests or early checkups at the doctor anymore. When I convinced them that I was very confident that I was between 3 days and 3 months pregnant they let me have an appointment. Read more