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.
laclyn
member
Re: Mommy and Me Monday- The Revised Edition...
Right before Cooper was concieved...
From our Target Protraits fiasco!
Me and exSO...had to do some digging to find a pic of us together, he hated having his pic taken.
The love of my life.......
lol
You crack me up!
212 Facebook Admin.
LMAO!!!!
hahahaha! YOU are the love of my life right now!
TTC #2 since 10/2013
BFP #1 (4.14.14) ~ CP (4.18.14)
BFP #2 (6.27.14) ~ EDD 3.7.15
Did you do something different with your hair?
Hubs and I on a cruise for our anniversary a few months before Aria was conceived.
One of my very favorite pictures of hubs.
Edited to fix obnoxiously huge pics
212 Facebook Admin.
You are awesome!! I think you have become my favorite person ever!!!
Asher was actually conceived this day! Hahahah!
DH and I at a wedding in October, great night just us!
Here is a picture of us after a wedding on Saturday. It was Skyler's first wedding and our first Indian wedding. It was so beautiful, we had such a great time!!
Here is the whole family, the lighting isn't great on the front facing camera on my phone.
I had no idea you guys are pirates!
212 Facebook Admin.
Thank you! You might be the only one....
212 Facebook Admin.
DH and I when I was 9 months pregnant. We don't have very many pics of us together because I'm always behind the camera.
Great rack!
Mommy, Daddy, and Ava yesterday...Ava's first snow experience:
At one of my BFF's weddings last July, I was 12 weeks pregnant:
One of my favorite pictures ever, taken for picture frames on the table's at our wedding:
My Ovulation Chart
Same here. My advice... start being that annoying tourist who asks random people to take your picture. I looked back on the first year of Logan's life in pictures and was so sad that I was barely in any! Now I make DH get pics of me and the kids and strangers get ones of all 4 of us.
We don't have many pics of us together, but I think this one really captures who we are. Poor Ben.
And here is why my husband and I get along so well and why Ben has such an awesome dad:
FACEBOOK FEB 12 BUMPIES ADMIN - POST & PM ME TO JOIN
This pic is right after DH graduated basic training. I know it's our backs but I just love it. We were married for 3 days when he left. After basic, he left for 6 more months of training. He was playing our wedding song on his guitar that he wrote for me when he proposed which was also our 1st dance song
Right after he popped the question
This is so sweet! I am a sucker for military guys seeing as DH is Army
.
one of my all-time favorites, just minutes after he proposed. OMG, this picture is 4+ years old...
L was 3.5 months old on our first visit to Colorado to see the grand parents.
DH's unit formal (also around the time L was conceived)!
Visiting DH on a trip this October
Family Photo done in September.
BFP #1 1/11/11 M/C 2/4/11
BFP #2 6/13/11 Baby E born 2/18/12
BFP #3 12/3/12 C/P 12/5/12
BFP #4 2/10/13 Baby R born 10/19/13
This is such a pretty picture!
212 Facebook Admin.
Thanks! FWIW I also think Aria looks like you. I think she is a good mix of the two of you!
BFP #1 1/11/11 M/C 2/4/11
BFP #2 6/13/11 Baby E born 2/18/12
BFP #3 12/3/12 C/P 12/5/12
BFP #4 2/10/13 Baby R born 10/19/13
This was in mid-October when MIL took us to buy us stuff. For those of you who are wondering, Hubster is drinking a solo trenta light ice unsweetened iced coffee. The people at Starbucks have it ready for him when they see him coming, he gets it so much.
Melodic Insomniac
I haven't been able to post one of these for so long, but my school updated it's web filtering, and tinypic isn't blocked anymore, so hopefully I will be able to post more, now.
The lighting is lousy, but here we are at our city's Christmas tree lighting right after Thanksgiving.
MrsGlaedr- Your SD looks exactly like your FI!! Nice to not have to look at his ex's face all the time
Lancy- Um, people are nuts... Aria looks exactly like you!
Megahof- You look so different in your avatar than you do IRL! (I realize I have never met you IRL, but I assume this picture is more IRL than your avatar... if that makes sense!)
This is from Thanksgiving (also my facebook pic right now)
www.theclothmenagerie.com
A couple months before DD was conceived
Sorry the quality may not be that well, I had to steal one off FB
But I love this pic.
<a href="http://lilypie.com/"><img src="http://lb2f.lilypie.com/Bbotm4.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie Second Birthday tickers" /></a>
<br>
<a href="http://lilypie.com/"><img src="http://lb1f.lilypie.com/dt6Dm4.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie First Birthday tickers" /></a>