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: FFFC
I just realized, I ALWAYS talk about food on TB. Sheesh.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
1) I got a finder's fee at work for bringing on another employee who made it past 90 days. I am so happy, and obviously any extra money is great, but am I allowed to be a little pissed that over half was taken out in taxes? When I found out I was definitely getting it about a week ago, DH and I made some plans for what to do with the money (and had estimated taking out about 30% in taxes), and now it's quite a bit less than we were expecting. I feel like a complainy a-hole for this one, and it's absolutely a FWP, but whatever, it's true!
2) I finished a box of EL Fudge cookies in 2 days this week. This made me sad. Not because I had remorse, but because now they are gone
Mommy to my sweet boy, JG, born May 15, 2014
Baby #2 due 4/26/16!
This may be more of a UO but, I CAN'T STAND IT when women refer to their daughters as princesses...or when grown women call themselves "princess blahblahblah" I don't believe females should be just pretty/lame stereotypical beauty objects. If I have a girl, I will raise her no differently than a boy-you want to play with trucks in the mud and pick up worms little lady....go for it! Also, I told my husband if we found out we were having a girl I wouldn't want to tell anyone because I wouldn't want a shit load of pink crap and tutus.
Flame away
If our EDD is correct, we conceived the week AFTER our honeymoon. MIL has been posting a ton of old photos on FB this morning for some reason, including some of our camping trip we took with DHs entire family right at the end of summer.
Now for my FFFC:
Call it "honeymoon/wedded bliss", if you will, but the first night there me and DH could not keep our hands off one another. We have a 5 year old (was 4 at the time) and while at home we are always very aware of where she is and just how asleep she is when we decide to get it onnnnnn. We are very conservative when it comes to our sexual relationship around our family, of course. Well uhhh-this camping trip, this particular night, we had our own big tent for our family (myself, DH, DD 4, DS 13 months at the time). We somehow managed to very inconspicuously have ridiculously hot "forbidden" sex while in our sleeping bag. In the same tent as our children... For lack of "supplies" and not wanting to make a lot of movement or noise, there was no pulling out or anything of the sort.
This camping trip took place the week AFTER our honeymoon.
Welcome to the world, little lady!
My favorite color is pink, but I was alway "one of the boys" growing up.
My FFFC: I've had a rough week and I've done just barely enough work to get by without looking like a complete slacker. I'd feel bad about it, but I just don't want to.
DH told me no more new heels unless one of us takes permanent measures because this one happened too easy. We were trying but definitely expected it to take longer.
OH MY GOSH!! I LOVE HER!