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.
RedZee
member
Re: Updates?
Congrats on TTC!
We expanded our family on Sept 27, Everett was born. We didn't know the gender so it was an amazing surprise to find out he was a boy. DD loves having her baby brother, except I can see sharing to be an issue. Some how all his Christmas gifts are hers!
I've also been looking for a job since having DS. There isn't alot in our area so it may take a while. I've applied to a few but nothing has come of them. I need to be more aggressive. Hopefully 2013 is the year!
DD acts like a teenager! She wants to do everything herself. She also has a serious shoe obsession. Everyday she tries on all of her shoes at least once. She is talking more & more everyday. Her new favorite saying is "Actually it's mine". I was telling her every time she said DS's toys were hers that they were actually brother's.
Congratulations on the new addition! Your DD sounds hilarious. I can totally imagine an almost 2 year old walking around saying, "actually it's mine". I'm sure she'll figure out the sharing thing, even though she'll probably always hate sharing with her brother.
What kind of work are you looking for? Good luck! Job hunting is the worst.
MarSam, it's awesome that you're enjoying being home with your LO so much. I also think this age is super fun, though also challenging. I hate that I feel like so much of the time I'm telling her not to do things. But still, all the new experiences are so fun.
Not sure exactly what I'm looking for. I did Marketing for 7 years at my old job. It was okay. I also have customer service & admin experience. Pretty much everything in our area is medical related, and I have zero experience with that!
What a year it was! I took over ownership of my families real estate company in the spring. We moved from the town I work and grew up in to 45 minutes away which puts my husband closer to his job, in June. We are slowly making the house our own. We spent most of July on a road trip across country which was alot of fun.
DS is so much fun to be around, he talks up a storm, he recently has taken interest in singing and dancing to us. He is very curious and explores everything, he is also very independent and wants to do everything himself.
Our other big news is that we are expecting again! I am due July 27th, 2013 so that will bring about a whole new set of adventures for 2013!
Congratulations!
Yes, there is a lot of "No" at this age, isn't there. Im trying to find the right way, its so tricky. A funny exmple with the xmas tree, she kept trying to unplugg it. I said "If you unplug that tree one more time, im putting it away!" I was concerned because she kept trying to plug it in and i didnt want her to get zapped. She attempted this at least 20 times and i wasnt getting through to her.
Finally she unplugged the tree again and i said something like "Ok, i warned you! Now whats gonna happen?"
She goes "Bye tree! Bye!!"
omg. seriously. lol
I'm still a SAHM to our two little girls and wouldn't have it any other way. DD1 will be 2 here shortly and DD2 is just about 7 months old. DD2 is a total handful and if she'd been the first born, she'd have also been the last
We just got back from an amazing family vacation (to the Florida Keys, where most of my family is). It was extra awesome since it was our last really chunk of time together before DH deploys here shortly. Once he is gone I will definitely be busy, but I am up to the challenge.
Redzee - Good luck with the baby making!
and
deb - Congrats on your baby making
Good idea!!
We expanded our family as well this year with the addition of Timothy 9/13. He is the happiest baby (most of the time), looks just like me and nothing like JT. JT is the best big brother ever and loves him to pieces. Timmy smiles, coos, and laughs now.
JT is a rambunctious child and sometimes I find it hard to keep up with him! I always worry that I am taking away from him by having Timmy so I really try to keep him active (we do an art class, The Little Gym, I also joined a MOMs club and we go to those outings on occasion as well). It gets harder now that Timmy is more aware of his surroundings and won't just sleep the whole time we are out! I can still do it but it's getting harder.
JT is repeating words all the time now, no sentences or phrases just yet. He's not as independent as others seem to be but I like a Momma's boy so I'm ok with that for now
I will say our house looks like Geoffrey from Toys R Us threw up in it, but the trampoline was the best investment ever! He no longer jumps on my couches!!
Life with 2U2 is difficult and being SAHM I feel like I'm going crazy sometimes! But all in all I know we'll be in the easier stages in no time so I will just enjoy them being little now.
Congrats Debperdoo and GL Redzee!!
Hey there ladies! Just happened to hop online for a moment. It's been awhile since i have posted anything.
We are expecting our DD anyday now. Little nervous about adding another child, but I know everything will be fine.
DS is a handful, into EVERYTHING! I have been taking him to a half day preschool a couple days a week so he can get out and use up some of his energy and I can get a little bit of a break and do errands without him. DS is starting to talk more as we are figuing out what he is trying to say. It took us a while to catch on.
DH has accepted a new job locally which is AWESOME, as most of the positions he was looking at we would have had to relocate out of state.
Congrats Deb on the job and the BFP!
SweetH - good luck with H's deployment. Are you going to have any help while he's gone? You don't have family nearby, right?
Lynny - Sounds like you're finding a lot of fun things for JT. Do any of the local libraries or bookstores have story time? We did a lot of that when I was home with DD and we made some friends that way too, which was nice.
suzann - congrats! have an easy labor and good luck with 2.
MarSam - That's hilarious that your DD just said bye to the tree. I hate it when DD doesn't give a crap about the threatened consequence.
My family is a state away. They could drive here, but it's pretty much a full day of driving so it'd need to be an emergency.
I have a sitter who comes once a week so I can have some time to myself and also grocery shop in peace. We also get a certain amount of free hours of childcare on base, but I'm not sure how much I'll actually use that. I don't want them exposed to all those germs if I can help it.
Became a SAHM after losing my teaching job to budget cuts. I have twin girls that come to daycare everyday and DS loves to play with them. He calls them "sissy". I also have one kindergartner who comes for afterschool care. Some days I really miss teaching and other days I'm so glad to be a SAHM.
We bought our first house in May and moved into the backyard of DH's grandparents. DS loves living close to them as I'm having to chase him back into our yard and out of theirs. Great-grandma Bev comes over at least once a month to read a story to the kids and brings them a treat.
We are due with #2 in June and I think all the G-parents and Great-Gparents want a girl now. I'd be happy with either. DS would love a brother to rough house with as right now he is surrounded by girls who don't like the wrestle. We are not finding out what we are having this time so it will be fun to call and let everyone know if we had a Colin Robert or an Evangeline Ann.
Create Your Own Visited States Map
Wow! It seems everyone has had job changes in their updates. I'm included in this group.
So... we expanded the family 11/21 with a little boy. He has been such a laid back baby, and Iz seems to really like him. (Except when she's really tired.) I was on a temporary contract that was month by month and they kept me on until Henry's arrival and then I took the month of December to look for work. I just started as a CNA which is great because I'm going to school for nursing. I only work weekends and then during the week I have class. It works out well for now. The kids have been very busy, but I love every minute of it.