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: A bunch of questions (Poll perhaps?)
When did your LO start to crawl? - 8 months
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? -not yet
When did your LO start cruising? - 6 months
When do you move to stage 3 foods? - not yet
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? - 6 months
When do you stop giving your LO purees? - not yet
When did your LO start walking? - not yet
Crawl: 7 months
Pull up in Crib: 6 1/2 months
Cruising: 9 months?
Stage 3 foods: We stopped purees at 9 months and went to finger foods (whatever we ate, for the most part, cut up tiny)
Feed self finger foods: 8 1/2 months
Stop Purees: 9 months
Walking: He walks with his push toys (doesn't shuffle feet, actually walks), but super close to walking alone! Any day now!
When did your LO start to crawl? 9mo.
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? Almost 10 mo.
When did your LO start cruising? Just starting now.
When do you move to stage 3 foods? I rarely buy baby food.
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? 9 mo.
When do you stop giving your LO purees? When she started feeding herself I stopped making purees. I still feed her yogurt and applesauce though.
When did your LO start walking? Not yet.
When did your LO start to crawl? 5 months (1 week before turning 6 months)
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? 6/7 months-ish
When did your LO start cruising? 7/8 months-ish
When do you move to stage 3 foods? 9 months
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? 7 months
When do you stop giving your LO purees? still giving purees in addition to table foods
When did your LO start walking? not yet, still cruising
When did your LO start to crawl? 7 months
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? 8 months
When did your LO start cruising? 8 1/2 months
When do you move to stage 3 foods? Never went to stage 3, we transitioned to table food with puree and we are now on table food only as of a few weeks ago.
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? started giving him puffs at 6 months.
When do you stop giving your LO purees? a few weeks ago.
When did your LO start walking? Starting taking solo steps at 9 1/2 months, still not full out walking but taking more and more each day.
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? 10 months
When did your LO start cruising? 10 months
By the way, crawling, pulling up, and cruising all happened within the same week...it was crazy!
When do you move to stage 3 foods? We went pretty much from stage 2 to finger foods & adult foods only.
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? DS had an excellent pincer grip by 7 months. We did puffs/yogurt bites/cheerios at 6 months. Sweet potato fries, steamed veggies, fresh fruit at 7 months. Dairy and all other foods at 8 months.
When do you stop giving your LO purees? We sometimes offer a puree if DS does not eat well with everything else...but he doesn't really like them any more.
When did your LO start walking? Not yet.
I honestly, really, truly don't get why it matters if your pedi isn't concerned (assuming you trust your pedi). But, I'll humor you.
When did your LO start to crawl? hasn't yet.
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? hasn't yet
When did your LO start cruising? hasn't yet
When do you move to stage 3 foods? hasn't yet
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? just started with banana slices last week (6 1/2ish months)
When do you stop giving your LO purees? we do noth right now, and have been since we started solids at 6m
When did your LO start walking? hasn't yet
This!
When did your LO start to crawl? Not yet
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? Not yet
When did your LO start cruising? Not yet
When do you move to stage 3 foods? Just now.
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? at around 8 months I think.
When do you stop giving your LO purees? ABout a month ago.
When did your LO start walking? Not yet.
When did your LO start to crawl? Just this past weekend, but she hasn't mastered it at all yet.
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? Saturday morning.
When did your LO start cruising? A few weeks ago.
When do you move to stage 3 foods? I make all her babyfood, so I'm not really sure what stage 3 is. But she started finger foods around 8 months and now pretty much eats whatever we're having for dinner.
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? Around 8 months.
When do you stop giving your LO purees? About a month ago.
When did your LO start walking? By herself, not yet. With me holding her hands, about a week ago.
When did your LO start to crawl? 6 months
When did your LO start pulling up in crib? 7 Months
When did your LO start cruising? 7 1/2 months
When do you move to stage 3 foods?We skipped and went straight to figer foods
When did your LO feed his or her self finger foods/puffs etc? 7 months
When do you stop giving your LO purees? 7 motnhs
When did your LO start walking? Almost there