Hello, let me introduce myself first..
For the first 30 years of my life, everything was smooth and worry-free. I was my parents’ most beloved child, found my true love in college, and happily married him after graduation.
At work, I was my boss’s most valued employee. Whenever I was in charge of a project, colleagues would inevitably say, “Oh, then I’m totally at ease.” I was constantly named “Employee of the Year,” with generous bonuses every year.
Later, I started my own business. Within just three months, I had broken into the market and started making money. By the fifth month, I was earning twice my previous salary. Growth was steady month after month. Right when the business needed more hands, I serendipitously met an amazing partner, and the company reached a whole new level.
Really, it seemed like at every step, whatever I needed, a pair of hands would always place it right in front of me, just in time.
My Two Girls: Ellie & Mia
Meet Ellie, My Firstborn
In 2020, my husband and I decided to have a child. After trying for over a year, we finally got the news in 2021 that a little one was on the way. In 2022, we welcomed our first child, Ellie. She made me a mother.
She is utterly adorable—big eyes, rosy skin, chubby little hands. Every time I look at her, I can’t help but give her a kiss. She is pure joy, and I love her more each day.
But as a first-time mom, I faced unprecedented difficulties. The postpartum tearing wouldn’t heal, and the pain was excruciating. Clogged milk ducts made my breasts hard as rocks. The severe sleep deprivation… And what was even more crushing was that, with zero parenting experience, I was clueless when faced with her unexplained wailing, night terrors, refusal to nurse, constipation, diarrhea, fevers… I desperately searched online, longing for one accurate, truly useful answer!
It was during this time that I thought, once I make it through this “dark” path, I must leave a light on for other new moms.
And Then Came Mia
Ellie had just turned one when I got pregnant again. In 2024, we welcomed our second daughter, Mia.
Completely different from Ellie, Mia is a great eater and sleeper. Although she had her fussy moments in the first two months, starting almost from month three, she became super easygoing. She feeds on schedule, gradually sleeps through the night, loves her solid foods, and adapted quickly when I had to stop breastfeeding due to mastitis.
This made me realize just how vastly different babies can be! It made me even more determined to write about my experiences.
Why I Had to Start This Blog
The Catalyst: A Life Pivoted
After Mia was born, my business also began to decline sharply. I had no choice but to close it and become a full-time mom. My work no longer involves Excel and Word, but instead revolves around changing diapers, washing bottles, making baby food, and managing household chores…
This has been a monumental challenge for me. All my past achievements seem irrelevant now. Managing two young children has brought me a sense of frustration I’ve never known before.
The Daily Reality
They are always fighting over things. When one is in my arms, the other immediately demands to be held too. When I try to cook, Ellie wants me to read her a book. When I attempt to load the washing machine, Mia has a diaper blowout, and I must drop everything to change her…
By the time I finish all that, I see the cup of hot coffee on the table has gone cold again. And it’s not until evening that I remember, “Oh my goodness, the clothes are still in the hamper, unwashed!”
Of course, being a mom is filled with happiness, but that doesn’t negate how hard it is.
My Promise to You
Because I’ve walked this path myself, I won’t just tell you how joyful motherhood is, like many websites do. I want to share my real, unfiltered experiences so every new mom can find a “companion” here.
I want to tell you: you are not alone. What you’re going through, I’ve been there too. Your breakdowns, your helplessness, your moments of losing control—I’ve had them all. You don’t need to feel guilty. This is just a small, necessary stretch of the journey for every mom.
My Hope for This Space
I really want to share my parenting experiences—not just the warm, glowing moments, but to honestly document the pitfalls I’ve stumbled into, the tears I’ve shed, and the “survival wisdom” I’ve scraped together in utter exhaustion.
The Goal: A Mom’s Toolkit
I hope this blog becomes a “mom’s toolkit,” filled not with vague theories, but with:
- Practical Tips: Like how to quickly figure out why a baby is crying, tried-and-true methods for dealing with clogged ducts, or how to efficiently manage the daily grind with twins (or two under two) solo.
- Pitfall Avoidance Guides: Sharing the baby products I regret buying the most, and those “game-changer” parenting hacks. Letting you know which parenting anxieties you can let go of, and which principles are worth holding onto.
- A Community for Moms: I hope my stories connect me with more moms like you. We can cheer each other on in the comments, share our own tricks, turning the storms we face alone into a journey we walk together.
The Bigger Vision
My previous career taught me to analyze data, solve problems, and optimize processes. Now, I’m applying all those skills to this new “position” of Mom. I want to prove that a mom’s value is absolutely not confined to the home. The mindset, resilience, and creativity we built in our careers can shine just as brightly—perhaps even brighter—in this more complex, long-term “project” of raising humans, and can even be transformed into a force that helps others.
My hope is simple: that every mom who opens this blog can let out a sigh of relief and say, “So it’s not just me.” Then, she can find a bit of practical info, a dose of comforting solidarity, and return to her sweet, chaotic mom-life with a little more confidence and a little less weight on her shoulders.
This road? Let’s walk it together.
Re: Ear Piercing
I agree with daveshell. I'm not going to choose to put holes in someone else's body (for non-medical reasons) without their permission.
My dad made me hold out for years but finally let me have them done when I was 12. It was not bad at all, and I had no issues. I might not make DD wait THAT long if she's interested, but I definitely want it to be her choice.
Those are just my feelings. Not flaming anyone who chooses to do it younger
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
I'm so torn on this one. On one hand, I want to get DD's done around 1 year, but then again, want to wait until she can decide. I don't see an issue with it, it's preference and parents' decision IMHO. I have one friend who did it as young as 3 months, another who did it around 1yr, and a couple more that are waiting until age 3-4 or until they can decide.
This is one issue that I can see all sides, so I say do whatever you feel is right for you & DD
We had DD's done at her 9 month appt. She hasn't had any problems with them, no infections, for the past 3 months. She doesn't even notice them. That was my main reason for wanting to do them early. I didn't want her to have the scary memory (that I had at 6) or the care and maintenance necessary.
It's your choice, but it worked well for us. :-)
we did Sydney's at La Lobe when she was around 5 months (i think) - the lady that does them is AWESOME - she's been doing it for about 100 years (she's old!) and is great - she pierces them with a needle, not a gun - she took a lot of time to explain all the ins and outs and we've been very happy with them - i wasn't thrilled about the idea of having some teenager pierce them at Claire's plus the idea of that loud gun at that age freaked me out - it freaked me out when i got my second hole when i was 18!
Sydney went through a period where she was pulling the earrings out but i finally found a pair with a more secure back and now she never touches them
I remember my 10 birthday... my mom took me to our local jewler and let me pick out my first pair of pierced earrings. They were cute pink cubi hearts (which I lost 2 weeks later while swimming at the ocean
) and I got my ears pierced. I felt so much more grown up LOL.
Anywho, it's a memory I would like to create with my DD. So that's what we, DH and I, have planned.
Thats my memory too!!! My dad said I had to wait until I was 'double digits' ... lol.
For those of you who frequented the tri/month bump boards ... who am I?
"We do not cosmetically alter our children"
LOLZ/::gigglesnort::
The Mouse ~ 06.12.08 | The Froggy ~ 02.23.11
Thank you for this post! The only thing holding us back is finding a place to pierce DD's ears that I will be comfortable with that isn't Claire's. Thanks, labellagirl for that link!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
So freakin' hilarious!
Umm I think I got Katie's ears pierce when she was like 3 months? If she was even that old. I had her ears done at Claire's - and it was an experience piercing on staff and not some teenager...and there was no issues...she cried for maybe 2 minutes....I cried for like 5 minutes...lol...
She was looking at me like whats wrong with you!!!!! HA
Similar situation but our LO was 2 1/2 months old. We had hers done at Icing (similar to Claires), my sister works there part time and would only let her manager do them. She was great w/ Sophia!
I want to wait not because I'm against it or anything at a young age, but because I want it to be her decisiona and a fun mommy daughter thing to do.
Leah had her done's at La Lobe too at 6 months. She hasn't had any problems.
Now that one is from darling Kateysomething, I'll have to remind her of that one, hee!
I'm like Lizzy - we're waiting for a mommy/daughter day to do it, just because I think it will be fun and she's my only daughter to do this with. I just have to keep reminding her grandmother (MIL) of that fact, or I swear she'll take her to have them done.
I would be both disappointed and LIVID if my MIL did that LOL. And the only reason I don't think she would is because she doesn't have her ears pierced.