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.
Guennie
member
Re: Check in!
The best thing in my life right now is it feels like the first time my husband and I have truly progressed and despite our recent loss our relationship has continued to improve. I finally feel like we are truly a family. We still have things to work on but I no longer live on that rollercoaster of extreme ups and downs. For the first time since we got married I feel steady and stable. It's so nice to have faith in my marriage again.
My biggest challenge right now is probably a tie between working through this loss and trying to accept that my husband doesn't want to try again, and being a SAHM with an extremely active one year old. I love being with her but I never get a break. My husband does things he wants to do, mainly sailing in our club, but my entire life 24/7 is our daughter. I haven't done anything at all without her since she was born. I'm so tired. I'm really hoping this summer we can afford to pay our neighbor's daughter to babysit once in awhile just so I can have some time to recharge. I really need it.
No plans for the summer other than trying to get us out of the house more when it isn't too hot. I'm excited to set up our baby pool now that she's old enough to enjoy it more.
Ups for me is we are finally getting LO who is 8wks old to sleep more than 3hrs when she first goes down at night. That has helped allowing me to sleep a little more or read before bed. Our first trip with LO is coming up in 2 weeks. Looking forward to how that plays out.
Not a whole lot of downs lately. I think we are finally coming out on top of all the sicknesses going around. And hopefully winter is finally retreating. Being stuck in the house with all the girls was fine at first. Then it wears on you.
I am excited for this summer. In June I am going to a book convention I have had to miss the last 2 yrs. (I am a book blogger and a huge book nerd). I will be taking LO with me.
The challenges. DS2's new independence. He want to do thing himself. He tries to get in his car seat but can't. That's been a fight for a week or so now. He wants to go down the stairs by himself. He can't do that yet.
Other challenge is some upcoming things with DH's work that may have him traveling more starting in a few months. We are in a "wait and see" holding pattern.
No big summer plans. Take a few days off, play in the pool, local zoos, aquariums, and maybe a trip to Storyland in NH.
My blog is called I Read Indie. And if you fb...my fb name is Mandy Ireadindie. Let me know if you friend me so I know who you are. I am always on there. And I am always linking free or 99cent books my friends out out.
https://twimom101bookblog.blogspot.com/?m=1
BEST THING: Little Screamer now only wakes to eat once per night (most nights) which means I can get a little longer stretches of sleep. Yay! Also, ever since she refused to nurse, I've been pumping for all her daytime feeds and - knock on wood - I have more than enough milk for her! Yay!
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: LO is soooo cranky!! I swear she is the queen of cranky, hope she grows out of it soon because I can't stand her shrieking ans crankiness. Some babies are that way I guess. And she just won't nap at all!! She requires SO MUCH WORK to be put down and then at best sleeps 30mins. It's exhausting!
Another challenge - MH is getting laid off on Monday. He knew it was coming and has been looking for something else for a few weeks. He's pretty high up the ladder so there aren't a ton of openings for that and we'd rather not move for a job right now. We'll see. Cross your fingers things work out for us. I really don't want to have to go back to work yet.
SUMMER: this is up in the air due to the job situation. If we're still here, we'll likely spend a week in the mountains in our cabin. Usually we take a beach vacay during my birthday week in late June, but not knowing what the new job will be AND with a tiny cranky baby we didn't feel like risking it this year.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! It's cold and rainy here where I live. We'll try to make the best out of it.