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: Thoughts on non-standard spellings of names
I guess it depends on the name. I have an Elisabeth (with an s) and my son is named Loukas - Greek spelling, and not Lucas.........
Abso-fuvcking-lutely no funky spellings here!! The name has to pass the resume test. Our daughter's name is pretty, feminine, and won't get eye-rolled at when she's in her 30s. Read Freakonomics, people!
Also, as a teacher I've seen: Cristal for Crystal, Cerenity for Serenity, and a menagerie of horrific names.
ETA: typos, grammar
This is an interesting point. I think with so many you-neek names these days cultural spellings are overlooked. We were briefly consider Piotr for a boy (Polish Peter) but decided it would be too much of a hassle (luckily I don't like the name Peter that much anyway).
I guess it depends on the name and how common it is... and how annoying it would be to have to correct people on the spelling for your entire life.
We named DD Trista, but had toyed with the idea of Trysta.. it's not a common name anyway so we didn't think it would be bad, but still stuck with the "regular" spelling.
I love your names!
I don't think there's anything wrong with traditional, ethnic/cultural spellings. I LOVE the name Zosia, which is the Polish form of Sophie (my grandma's name). But DH won't go for it.
Traditional spellings here as well! DH and I both have names that can be said and spelled two different ways, both are the correct spelling.
Cara which is said Care-a, NOT Car-a
Stephen which is Steve-en, NOT Steph-en
I wouldn't want to intentionally make things more confusing than they have to be!
I am glad you used Trista! Hahaha! I like the name too (wouldn't work with our last name).
I, too, think it's silly to misspell a common name. Aiden, Ayden, Aidon, Aaden... hello, they are ALL Aidan! When the teacher calls the name out, you've still used a common name. Intentionally mispelling it does not make it more unique, it simply makes you look like you don't know the correct spelling.
I don't feel this way for legitimate alternate spellings (Catherine, Katherine, Kathryn).
not that there is anything wrong with a unique name, It just isn't for us. I watched freakonomics on netflix (very interesting) and yes there is a huge correlation between the type of names that we give our children and the type of person they become.
We're going with traditional spelling. I work in administration for several insurance carriers and it really is a nightmare spelling names that are unusual (their ID cards are messed up quite often!)
We're sticking with traditional spellings...Creative spellings of names is actually a huge pet-peeve of mine, because as someone who grew up having to constantly spell my last name (luckily it was my maiden name, and that's over with), I know it gets old super fast. But that was a last name...
My neighbor named his son Zachory, and the misspelling in his name is because his dad seriously didn't know how to spell Zachary. So now he gets to walk around with a funky spelling of a name because his dad had a brain fart in the delivery room...
That being said, I am not a fan of misspelled names.
I remember reading the Birth Announcements in my local newspaper and was shocked to see that someone had named their daughter Quartney.
I couldn't believe it and felt so bad for her!
I am mad judgey when it comes to made-up (NOT ethnic or religious) names.
They drive me crazy!!!
Interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing.
I agree that a name has nothing to do with who you are as a person. But I think that a person with the name "Katherine Jones" is more likely to get a second interview than a person with the name "Catharynne Jones". It portrays a preconceived notion of less education. I'm NOT saying that is true of you! This is what the book Freakonomics discusses and devoted a great deal of research to.
This. I've butchered way too many kids names on the first day of school and hurt their feelings by doing so, that I will never misspell a child of mines name intentionally.
I am not a fan. My cousin named her baby Adeline, finally, but was originally going to name her Addylyyne. No joke.
I hate what I call "dart board" names- like where it seems the parents just thew darts at an alphabet board stuck with whatever letters came up.
I've lurked on baby names and that board drives me crazy lol.
I have an irish boys name and I love it! I've never been mistaken for a boy (clearly) lol but yes people misspell my name all.the.time. It's spelled "correctly" but it doesn't stop me from having to correct people. So you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I gave DD a boys name and with a "y", she was named after a female family friend but that doesn't stop people on here (general) from assuming I did it for youneek purposes or I'm uneducated or I'm a teen mom lol
Another traditional fan, here. However, our top choice for a girl is Giuliana, the less traditional spelling. We're planning on using that version for the Italian roots & the G is to honor my mom (whose name starts with a G, also).
I just don't get the unique spellings. If you want your kid to stand out, use a less popular name. You're not doing them any favors by making their name difficult to spell!
This is exactly what the book did! They put out the exact same glowing resumes to the same companies, just changed the names. The more traditional names were called for an interview more often than the non-traditional names.
Freakonomics is a great and easy read, I HIGHLY recommend it.
My maiden name was Miles... I couldn't agree with you more!! People would not only spell it wrong, but PRONOUNCE it wrong!! Mill-ays, Mills,... You name it.
However, if LO #2 is a boy, his name will be Miles- spelled the same just as your DS. I believe it to be the 'traditional' spelling as well
Big sister meeting little brother for the first time-
<a href="http://s326.photobucket.com/albums/k409/YellowMiles/?action=view