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.
bearsandbeets7
member
Re: Randoms: 5/23-5/30
Any creative ideas on how we can get the flights moved without paying so much? Wait till the day of and plead with the gate agent?
I feel like it's perfectly fair that MIL doesn't get to take her whenever she wants or even as much as my parents do. Not only is my parents house a lot healthier, but DD is not allowed in MILs car (I caught her once smoking as she pulled up to pick DD up for a day visit and said never again) so I have to take her the 45 minutes one way back and forth. Usually dropping her off at 7pm and picking her up around 1 the next afternoon. DD sleeps almost 12 hours so she spends most of her time there sleeping.
I have no problem with her coming over or meeting me halfway to go to lunch or shop, yet her and DH are making it out to be like I'm being overprotective and unreasonable (though to MIL DH sticks on my side so there's that and overall he agrees with me that her smoking is bad.)
I have mixed feelings about induction.thoughts and/or experiences with induction?
Eta my previous two deliveries were vaginal.my daughters weighed 8'3 and 8'5 at birth.
@Hannah0726 Totally not silly. I dreamed of doing my first load of laundry and folding the tiny baby onesies on my growing bump during my first pregnancy (like Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up). I took a picture of it when I finally got a chance to do it!
Baby #2: Emmeline Grey - August 2016
Baby #3: BFP 9/7/18 | EDD 05/24/19
@snaps816 we have one that will go in the boys room, but in our room, we're just getting a pad that we will snap onto the dresser. It's totally not necessary to have the topper, especially if you get baskets to have next to it on the dresser to hold diaper cream, wipes, etc.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
I asked my OB for an alternative because I am high risk due to auto-antibodies that can attack the baby's heart. I extensively avoid corn based sugars because they give me autoimmune symptoms and glucola is corn based. So, my OB is letting me off easy with just a fasting glucose - maybe partly because I already am being tracked with growth scans every 4 weeks for other reasons.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
We had an all day team retreat today in our office so I had dreaded going in! Knowing we'll be sitting all day, I made sure to wear leggings, shirt, and a cardigan to be comfortable. I woke up with two big pimples on my forehead but I didn't care to cover them. The team retreat started out with an agenda and it said from 4-6, there will be a team surprise activity. I sighed thinking it would be another team building exercise.
Well, I was totally surprised and blown away by the event because it was a surprise baby shower!! I'm only 6 mths into my company that I still consider fairly new so I wasn't expecting anything at all!! DH squeezed in all the gifts and the balloons from the shower and we placed them in our half done nursery.
I am beyond touched and grateful so I plan on sending a few photos to the team as a thank you:
Do you guys have any good ideas on cute little thank you gift bags?! Ideas much welcomed!
If you wanted to do something for the group as a whole, maybe you could make some treats or a dessert and bring it to your break room one day with a card telling everyone thank you.
1. My Snoogle came in yesterday and it is freaking magical.
2. I got an email saying my breast pump was shipped! Whoop!
3. The new ticker countdown on the main page really freaks me out. Counting down rather than up seems so much more real.
@bookhousegirl I am still in total denial too! I keep going on like there isn't another child coming. My co-worker had to remind me that I need to start assigning back-ups from my projects soon. I keep waiting for this to hit me. Maybe as it gets closer.
And @AliKay20 you could make something or send a fruit basket or some Sherris berries to work for everyone. What a sweet thought for them to do!
@Hannah0726 I am jealous of your snoogle. I debated on getting one but ended up with just a regular body pillow for ten bucks. I'm kinda wishing I would have bought the snoogle because I have heard it's great for breastfeeding in bed in the middle of the night.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
My cousin is on the verge of having baby #2 (any day now!!!). For the first one, I visited in the hospital and then dropped off food when they got home, but we just moved 3 hours away. Any ideas for food I can send? I know I could do a whole foods gift card or pizza delivery or something, but I wish there was a casserole delivery service! Also considering an edible arrangement--easy to snack on? Let me know if you have ideas. Baby #1 is 2 years old, and my cousin's hubby is mostly on a vegetarian/vegan diet due to health issues, but my cousin is not, and I'm mainly concerned with feeding her, so I'm not too worried about it.
Married May 2014
DD born August 2016
Baby #2 due December 2017