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: ***POTW Entry Thread***
I thought for sure it would be a baby picture or a birthday picture but my friend just took this picture on Christmas Day and I have fallen in love with it! Her eyes and I love that it isn't posed - it is just natural! I captures my big girl so well!
I still think this one is my all-time favorite. It was taken at the beginning of May. I was cooking dinner and she was playing on the floor in the kitchen. I got down with her to take a few pictures b/c I loved the outfit that she was in. She was SO happy! It was also her first week in daycare.
This was hard!!! My son is so happy at bathtime so I chose one I took after his bath- still in his towel.
IUI- BFN IVF #1 -BFP! Allie is our 2nd IVF baby. Born at 36 1/2 weeks after pre-e again
I guess since it's our favorite pic of 2008, it's ok to use something older than 3 months right? Here's one of mine. This is from when DS was just a few days old in the NICU with his daddy. I think it's pretty self explanitory
There is NO WAY I can do this easily, but I'll try. I'm going to have to do one for each boy...
Linus:
Oliver:
Miles:
How to tell my boys apart
The different types of twins and triplets
Jack, Sydney and Carynne, Annaleigh, JW, Eden...forever in our hearts.
My blog * We made the national news!
The girls were always touching each other. This is at the beach, on our 5th anniv. May 24, 08. Molly in the green hat, Lilly in the white.
This is one of my all time favs!
BTW, she is a little girl LOL
I know she looks kinda like a boy but the photographer cut off her little Pebbles-style ponytail (see her part up top?). LOL!
This is one of my favorite all time pictures. Parker was 9 months old. I love how sweet he looks.
This is one of my favorites of Payton. She's 10mo old here (June 2008).
Baby website / My blog
DS will be 1 on Wednesday!!!!
Join our wiki and tell us what your baby eats for finger foods.
It's so hard to choose just one favorite! This one from June (when DD was six months) always makes me smile:
This pic is from this month at the mall riding the Christmas Train.
Sorry about the size of my photo I tried to delete and resize it, but says time has expired for deleting.
sara -- try editing your post instead of deleting it. I usually change the length to 350 and delete the width.
well this was extremely hard so I just randomly picked one lol
This picture was taken May 26 (a day away from 6 months). I walked out of the room and when I came back he had rolled himself up in his playmat. I forgot just how adorable he looked in his DOC band
)
This is when she was 13 months. We had just put the gate up and she told me how she felt about it.
This photo was taken in June 2008, DS was almost 7 months old. It was his reaction to seeing the fish at the Aquarium for the first time (in upper left corner)
"OMG Mom, LOOK! It's bigger than me!"
Who knows what she was trying to say to us, but I have a feeling it wasn't very nice!
??
Who wouldn't pay 40 cents a pound for this pumpkin? Seriously, that's some quality kid for about eight bucks!
Here's Katie in January. Just a few weeks old and one of her first smiles.
This is the pic we used for her birthday invitations...it totally looks posed, but I was playing peek-a-boo with her and I just happened to get this pic of her giggling and looking coy:
Kiwi Fruit, 10.2.06 & Ellie Bug, 4.5.09
My blog: Bear With Us
Ideas on Teaching Your Toddler/Preschooler at Home
This is my favorite picture of Patrick from 2008 it was taken on South Padre Island on Thanksgiving.
This picture was taken on Thanksgiving with Eva's cousin- I think she was done with all the snuggling and photos!?
Photo by Tracy Routh Photography
This was hard... but this picture was a big hit with family/friends throughout the whole year:
Hmm, should I watch the Sci-Fi Channel with Daddy or Absolutely Fabulous DVDs with Mommy?
This is from Logan's first trip to Sesame Place this spring. This was watching the parade go by and I caught this smile. He was in heaven Cookie Monster had just hugged and kissed him.
he was 9 months here. shows his bright blue eyes and bottom two teeth. love this pic!
My photographer had her in the perfect sunlight for this picture. I love the way her eyes look.
Katie: 1/16/08 2lbs. 15oz.
Abby & Emily: 12/31/10 6lbs. 2oz. & 5lbs. 7oz.
My favorite pic. 6 months old, from Picture People.
Love it!
Sabine modeling her winter gear. I LOVE this pic!
Do you want some birthday cake? It's yummy.
He was exactly one year old when this picture was taken. It was his first taste of cake!
This from when she was two months old. I think the face she is making is so funny...plus I loved that outfit.
Courtesy of Sears. She won their cutest beach baby contest with this picture!