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.
Mom2Mack1
member
Re: Birthday Parties
We're having a family birthday party on the 27th. I bought Minnie Mouse plates & napkins to use, and I'm going to make these MM cupcakes. That could be interesting!
So far we got her the Leapfrog Scribble & Write toy. I want to get her some toys that will teach her, and I've heard Leapfrog has great toys for that. She has so many play toys already.
Awww such a cute idea! And it save a lot of prepping & planning!
We had a party here at home. If I had it at a restaurant I would have to say No the whole time (No, JT we don't go in the restaurant kitchen, no JT you can't drink out of my soda cup, No JT you can't play with the ketchup bottle, etc.) so I thought allowing him to play at home with all his favorite toys and people would be best and it was great! I had about 40 people here and we had chips, pizza, salad, and cake. He cries when we sing Happy Birthday so by the time we got to the second "Happy Birthday to you" we had to abort mission. He was in hysterics!
I didn't really buy him anything specific. We threw the party and I added some games and videos on his Leap Pad2. I pretty much told anyone who asked NOT to buy him any toys cause we were bombarded from Christmas so he got a lot of clothes, money, gift cards. He did get a cute chalkboard easel that he likes, some books, dinosaurs, that's about it. Oh, and a coat hook with his name and it's so cute! I also ordered this doll from One Step Ahead that has zippers, snaps, buttons you can take his clothes on and off but it's now on an even extended backorder.
Happy Birthday January babies!
That's about what we're doing but less people. Does JT know how to use the Leap Pad? I was looking at them as a gift but wasn't sure Makenzie would know how to use it.
We had about 20 ppl, imediate fam only. I went with the Yo Gabba Gabba theme, and she wore a YGG dress and I made a foofa cake. Did meatball subs, cheesy potatoes, veggie pizza, chips and punch.
Just like the year before, although it was less people, its still so much prep work, its exhausting. lol. Who ever asked what to get her, I said 3t clothes, because she got all toys for christmas. She did mostly get clothes, woohoo! H and I got her a recliner, and a melissa and doug mailbox, because she loves to check the mail. It was a fun day, but I was sooo pooped!
We had the family (2 sets grandparents, my two brothers - one with a wife) over the night of his birthday and had pizza and cake. I bought Jake & the Neverland Pirate plates and that is what was on the cake. It went well. He cried when we started singing Happy Birthday so we had to stop.
My parents bought him a little table & chairs set - he liked that. We got him a toy for the bathtub and a my Little Leaptop. He seems to like those things. His favorite thing was the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday card that sings the theme song - he could have cared less about opening other gifts after that.
Happy birthday to the Jan babies!!
DD's birthday is Saturday. On Friday, we're bringing cupcakes to her daycare class. On Sunday, we're having a Dora-themed birthday party in a little gym and serving mini-bagels, chips, pre-cut fruit/veggies, juice boxes, and store bought birthday cake. My sister is making cake pops (possibly ones that look like Dora). She makes really incredible ones. I'm a terrible mom, but I'm just not really a DIYer.
My MIL bought DD the LeapPad for Hanukah. There is one part where you can wash and play with a pet dog. She loves that. She gets really annoyed if I try to put on one of the games. I haven't gotten any apps. I think she's still a bit young for it, but she does enjoy it.
DS's birthday is tomorrow but his party will be this weekend. Mostly just family but two of the four friends we invited are coming too. No big theme as every thing is white. Same for the cake, just chocolate with chocolate frosting. I may make some royal icing and draw some vehicles on the top. Nothing to big.
He loves any type of vehicle so for his birthday he's getting a Cars dish set, a Cars busy book and a vehicle quilt I made for his new twin bed (gift from both sets of Gparents). He's also getting two new bed sheets with Cars on them from the aunts. Not sure about what else yet. He's moving up-stairs to his new "Big Boy" vehicle room so I can get the nursery cleaned, painted, and organized for the new baby.
Create Your Own Visited States Map
That's exciting, a new big boy room! Our nursery is gender neutral so it was fun doing a girly room for DD before DS arrived.
Our nursery is gender neutral also but I don't like the wall color. It's a green color but doesn't match the green in the nursery. We are planning to paint a warm brown color instead. I planned to paint it before we moved into our new home but didn't have the time since our closing day was moved back and we had to live with my in-laws for a week.
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