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.
tgortney
member
YouTube him if you're curious.
Re: Game of Thrones, the show: Spoilers
Agree 100% about the High Sparrow.
I I was so excited to finally see Sansa reach "oh fuck it all" status.
Oh and how sad is it that Osha's death was the least terrible thing Ramsey has done to women yet?
I cant wait for Ramsey to get what's coming to him, he is one of the most evil characters of all time!
I'm not really in to Arya's storyline these days. I really want all of the Stark children to make it back to winter fell even though I know it is highly unlikely and we're bound to lose at least one more of them by the end. Im so curious about what Bran's up to and how it will connect to everything.
I also don't care about the high sparrow! I am interested to see what will happen with the Lannisters now that Jaime and Cersei's love affair is out in the open.
Love this show and love this thread!
@sorarose yaaaas! I totally ship it!!
ETA: I'm honestly rooting for the Lannisters to take out the high sparrow at this point.
My favorite scenes are Varys and Tyrion by far!
Sort of random but I can't believe how different Bran looks since the last time we saw him! Holy puberty! They really space the seasons out...
Bran's flashback scenes make this season way better though. Especially the tower of joy stuff. I'm really interested about Lyanna Stark.
I'm so excited to see what Sansa and Jon do!!
I agree with others though, this season is really great. I'm so excited Sansa and Jon have reunited, and I think the writers have done a great job with developing Sansa's character from the shallow teen first season to who she is now. Arya, however. I used to love her story line back in the Hound days, but yeah, I am so bored by it these days. I'm hoping everything comes together and makes more sense.
My UO - I really don't like Daenerys. Every season she has this big moment where she conquers and takes on more soldiers, but then it always fizzles in some way into showing she's not really that great of a queen/ruler. Then we get the strong Daenerys again until the next fizzle. When she walked out of the flames this past week, I just rolled my eyes. Are the writers going to actually keep her as a strong female ruler - have her go back to Meereen with her new army and get rid of the sons of the harpy? Or will she just get eaten by one of her dragons?
And HODOR NOOOO WTF I AM HEARTBROKEN! STUPID BRAN YOU DONE F***** UP SON!
this seems appropriate...
and poor Yara...Theon came back and effed things up... Now, they have no home.
This is hilarious
But
Omg this episode is called The Door and my heart just broke a little more :'(
Me right now
this one specific purpose.
but maybe that's the pp hormones talking...
He knew how awful Ramsey was. He married Sansa to him so there would be a greater reason for her to seek revenge on the Boltons (besides killing her brother and mother). He probably convinced the Umbers to give Rickon to Ramsey, as a catalyst for the battle. He wanted to look like the guy that saved day and show Sansa she still needed him. So the outcomes he probably wanted was: Starks reclaim winterfell, Sansa rewards him by marriage (and sex), and he becomes Lord of Winterfell because she's technically the only Stark left (unless Bran returns).
Therefore, getting to marry the daughter of the only woman he's ever loved and sought revenge on/owning House Stark because of what Brandon Stark did to him (a dual for Catelyn's love, Little finger lost). Just piecing it together because I've listened to the history and lore of GOT. So it made a lot of sense.
Poor Wun Wun. BFG did not have to die. Just glad my favourite ginger is still alive 'cause him and Brienne needs to get together and have cute (big) babies.
And I really hope Sansa is not pregnant @LadySamLady although she probably is.
but it my niece texted me and said he's back?!?!? I've missed so much!!!!
Just throwing it out there, poor Gendry is still rowing.
oh oh and can we talk about the first 15 minutes of the episode where Dany showed how badass she is? And Tyrions epic words to that Master? Finally the dragons are doing SOMETHING!
Hey, maybe that's where the direwolf and Giants CGI money went, to more dragon time this season