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.
2moms2b
member
Re: Books! What's your style?
My favorite genres are lesbian fiction, mystery/thriller, biographies, autobiographies and true crime. I love series as they keep going.
Some of my favorite authors are Ronica Black, James Patterson, Radcliff, Katherine Patterson etc. My favorite book is The Great Gill.y Hop.kins.
I read about 2 to 3 books a week. I probably read one during the work week and one to two on the weekends. I am one of those people who can re-read the same book 1000 times before I grow tired of it.
Currently I am reading a new series by Ali Vali (lesbian crime).
06/12 - BFP!!!!
Beta #1 15dpo - 256
Beta #2 18dpo - 1097
6wk U/S on 07/02 ~ TWINS!!!
EDD 02/21/13
09/10/12 Found out it's two Boys!!!! Sam and Jake
Jacob and Samuel born 1/29/13 at 36 weeks.
Reading is probably my number one hobby, at least it was before LO was born! I've read exactly one book in the past 4 months...it's too hard to focus with limited time, I fine. That book was Saving the World by Julia Alvarez and was for book club (which I started 4 years ago, that's how much I love books). Two thumbs up.
Before Luke arrived, I read 2 or 3 books a month.
My favorite genre is memoir. I'm really inspired by hearing people's stories.
For book recommendations, I recommend these authors:
A.J. Jacobs: The Know It All, The Year of Living Biblically, Drop Dead Healthy
Laurie Notaro: The Idiot Girls Action Adventure club (and anything else non-fiction from her...fiction is OK, but not as good from her)
i like the idea or reading but i am a terrible reader, unless its to kids and a child book and i can read out loud. I LOVE TO READ OUT LOUD.
My attention span for reading is short and i have to really LIKE/LOVE the book - i know this makes me sad... i think because i had issues as a child with reading (astigmatism but a rare one ?) that took everyone so long to find -
i'm on the dark side of things so I like to read true crimes and very odd WHY ARE YOU READING that books that if i were to ever read in public people would just assume i was a freak.
I am on the hunt to read the Jaycee Dugard book just because i caught an old 20/20 of her and her story and I am so so so perplexed and intrigued by this and so annoyed and disturbed that she called her captor/rapist her childs father - and actually M and I had a huge talk about it ( m used to do rape crisis) and was trying to explain to me that the kids knew this man as their "FATHER" to me that us unacceptable ... but now i wanna read ..
My book list is short - but some books i have read are
My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers - Dr. Helen Morrison
Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas by Mike Cox
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers-Mary Roach
Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist-Richard Rhodes
Stone Butch Blues Leslie Feinberg
there are more but ..this is what i remember off the top of my head
our Blog -http://dosbabies.wordpress.com/
I don't really have a "Style" per say, but I do know what I like when I read it. H and I love to read in bed. Sometimes different books, other times she reads to me. My favorite to read together is Stephan King, I get spooked if I read that alone! lol
I love almost any novel. I don't have favorite authors, just piles of books that I cannot part with. I grew up with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Ted Dekker thrillers (he is a christian "horror" writer, but I don't hold it against him!) My favorite books are the Poisonwood Bible, Time Traveler's Wife, and the Red Tent (which I had to read for fem. 101, but ended up loving it.
Also, this might make me weird, but I cannot stand the Twilight series or 50 shades of Gray.. I don't know why, I read all the books but they left a bad taste in my brain! I guess I tend to like books with strong female roles and Bella and Anna annoy me.
I am a non-reader. When I was 3rd grade we lived in Okinawa, Japan and I wanted a kimono so bad. I asked my dad and he said only if I could qualify in the accelerated 5th grade reading program. I asked my teacher what I needed to do and they tested me...I passed...BUT...I could not keep up. It was the first time I ever cheated...We had SRA self-tests. Though I never got caught I was ashamed and embarassed. I shy-ed away from reading and never picked it up again.
C loves to read and I pray the Kiddos take after her.
IVF Oct/Nov 2012
Beta #1 = 77, Beta #2 = 190, Beta #3 = 1044
Cautiously optimistic.
our Blog -http://dosbabies.wordpress.com/
I love to read! I was an English major, have an MFA in poetry, and taught high school English and college writing at one point. The one upside of my long, frustrating commute is that it gives me reading time every day. I average about a book a week, though of course it depends on what I'm reading.
Favorite authors: A.S. Byatt, James Baldwin, William Faulkner, Don DeLillo, Lorrie Moore; I also really like Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen. (I don't read poetry regularly anymore, but I have always loved Seamus Heaney). I tend to choose/enjoy writing that is beautiful (I spend a lot of time thinking about sentence structure) over good plots. I read a lot of fiction, and non-fiction on pretty much anything I'm interested in: writers/writing/language, travel, gardening, botany, sustainable agriculture, and FOOD. I read a LOT of food writing (favorite: John Thorne), and lots of cookbooks. I have a very active public library account.
I just finished Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone by James Baldwin, am now reading Truth and Beauty, a memoir by Ann Patchett, and up next is Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction is Changing Men, Women, and the World by Liza Mundy.
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*
I used to be an avid reader, but really have slacked off as an adult. By the time I get to bed, I am exhausted and my attention span lasts about the length of a magazine article. :P I would like to get into reading more.
But on vacation, I tend to read more (I just read 1 book in 3 days and 1/2 through the next.) For vacation, I like mindless fiction - I just read Jennifer Weiner's books - decent enough and doesn't require intense concentration.
I am interested in some lesbian fiction...who are some good authors?
Do people buy their books? I bought the 2 books for vacation and it was $30.
I LOVE to read. I have a 3 degrees, used to work at a couple independent bookstores and come from a family of readers.
I usually read literary fiction (and some fluff), but also enjoy non-fiction on a variety of topics (often food, health, and of course pregnancy, birth, babies and parenting). I have tons of books I can't part with, a stack to-be-read and a Kindle Fire that I don't know how I lived without. I get books from the library (we have a great digital selection I can "check out" on my Kindle), and from used bookstores. I rarely buy new books.
I used to read some lesbian fiction when I was 18-19 and just came out, but most of it was bad. I'll have to look at some of the suggestions.
Love fiction/ fantasy. Reading Patrick Rothfuss, Name of the Wind right now. Love Game of Thrones am partially through book 4 but EV and I were sharing, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and many of Brandon Sandersons books, David Eddings, Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc...
For some fluff, fast read (under 250 pages) romances you can look at Karin Kallmaker, Peggy J Herring, Lynn Dennison, Frankie J Jones
For fluff fiction that are a little more involved check out Georgia Beers, Marian K Martin, Kenna White, Megan Carter (actually Frankie J Jones under alias), Radclyffe (most of her books are medical field or military but amazing)
For crime, thriller or suspense: Gerri Hill, Ronica Black, Carson Taite, Ali Vali
For the lesbian 50 shades of gray: Meghan O'Brien, Ronica Black (non-crime)
Some of my favorites are Gerri Hill as they are less about the lesbian romance aspect and more about just a strong lesbian main character. She has some amazing general fiction novels and even better crime/thriller. Hers are a little longer but very easy reads. I absolutely also love Ronica Black but a few of her books get very sexual and are very psychological in nature. She has an amazing series called In Too Deep that I am currently waiting on her release of the third book. With some of the Gerri Hill and Ronica Black books you get more realistic endings (they don't always get the girl, and aren't always completely happy endings).
One of my fav books I forgot about is Winds of Heaven by Kate Sweeny. It deals with a stubborn single woman who is suddenly asked in a will to help care for the woman's pregnant partner and child. This book will pull at your heartstrings and have you laughing out loud.
If you have a kindle most of these books are $9 and you can even find some for $4. If you buy them online or in the store then you will probably pay closer to about $15. I order generally directly from the publishing companies (Bold Stroke Books or Bella Books) if I don't want it on my kindle.
06/12 - BFP!!!!
Beta #1 15dpo - 256
Beta #2 18dpo - 1097
6wk U/S on 07/02 ~ TWINS!!!
EDD 02/21/13
09/10/12 Found out it's two Boys!!!! Sam and Jake
Jacob and Samuel born 1/29/13 at 36 weeks.