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: For those who used to play WoW
You still get some of that. There is a few hundred people per server. So it's not as packed as the olden days. However, there is enough to do random dungeons and have a full 40 man MC raid group. I'm not participating. I have to work on my current characters in MOP, plus you know gestate and birth a child in the next few weeks. So, it will all be interesting.
I also think all the AW girls ruined it. 2 girls per guild was a nice limit. Now it's hard to find dreamy boys anywhere.
I only have been on level 25 guilds. So when people find out I'm a girl I get bombarded with PM's asking if I wanna cyber. Like... no. I don't do more than LFR though for now. We want to work up to getting into a decent guild with a 20 or 10 man roster. It just isn't in the books for us.
Also, I really need to work on MOP. I want my darn Yak! Then I gotta save my pennies or beg DH for more money so I can get a super yak! Then try to get him to help me farm Ashes. I've always wanted that darn mount.
I miss when you actually had to pay attention to dungeons. Things like the Jailbreak quest and the whole Ony attunement chain.
I do not miss the ridiculous amount of running back and forth you had to do in Molten Core.
I haven't tried MOP. My video card died so at the moment I'm working with an old integrated video card from the early 2000s. Just checking mail is painfully choppy.
BFP #2 5/27/12. EDD 2/1/13. m/c and D&C 6/21/12.
I haven't been asked to cyber in years. Even in goldshire on moon guard. There's just too much competition.
I almost cried doing the revised Legend of Stalvan quest line.
My next random alt will be there if you'd like. I sure hope you are horde.
Yup, horde all the way! Got 3 chars on Mal'ganis. My mains a mage. Then I have druid and lock as well. My next alt will be a Panda hunter.
I stopped playing at the end of Cata.. had a warrior prot/arms and a rogue. I enjoy melee DPS and tanking.
Sometimes I want to play again. Most of the time I don't.
No, that game is just the devil. Played the beta (DH works in the video game industry, I've played lots of games). It kind of stunk. So we never downloaded our free copies that came with subscribing to WoW for a year.
DH played until he was burnt out and sick of Whimsyshire but I don't have time to play games and PW it up here. It sure padded my friends list with real friends that are scared to play WoW though.
I personally hate subscription based video games because they strongly encourage addictive behavior in me. I feel like if I'm paying for a service I need to get my money's worth, even if it's not remotely fun for me to play several hours a day, every day. I had that experience the two months I paid to play City of Heroes.
I like D3, although I can understand some of the criticisms of it. I logged over 100 hours playing it but haven't logged on in days and don't really feel much of an itch to play.
I feel ya. We play lots of games though. WoW is just our main MMO right now. We sometimes play some free to play MMO's. Like We've played Tera, DC UO, SWTOR, ect. Plus then there are the other games like Dota 2 and LoL that the guys play. DH tests video games for a living. So when a new game comes out, we try it.
I'm totally coming out of creepy lurkdome to join this conversation :P
I quit after DD was born, just after Cata was released. I went back a few months ago and man oh man am I LOST. Don't even know where to begin... I was a healer back then (when it was fun), trying my hand at DPS now just to play some lowbie content.
It's sad that my greatest achievements was full T2 and a Bear Mount lol. /sigh
Derek - February 2013 Caelyn April 2011
Derek - February 2013 Caelyn April 2011
LOL nice! Did you name any of your pets Barf?
..maybe...
DH of course played with me... he was Lownstar
Derek - February 2013 Caelyn April 2011