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.
KirstinH88
member
Re: Baby Names
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
If we have another boy, he will be nameless until Kindergarten!
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
For a boy, I'm with @KirstinH88 as we used the only name we both liked for ds.
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
For a boy, I like Louis Jackson because I'm from St. Louis and husband is from Jackson. For a girl, I like Jacquelyn (and call her Jacque, after husband's grandfather) or I'd love an Irish name, but we shall see.
Married: 12-04-06
Annabelle: 1-1-08
Patrick: 8-15-10
EDD: 4-20-17
We love the first name and the middle name is DH's middle name, which is the same as his dad's middle name (DD's middle name is the same as mine)
Girl name: Anna Marie
DH fell in love with the name Anna for its biblical significance shortly after DD was born so we never really talked too much
about girl names since we have had it in mind for a while now, but we picked out the middle name the other day, for my sister who's middle name is also Marie
Edit; missing word
I think if it's a boy we are leaning towards Nicholas, although I am not a huge fan of Nick which I'm sure he'll end up going by at some point. So it's still undecided.
He likes older/traditional names. I like more modern names. So we are having a hard time. Picking names is so hard!!!!!
As for boys, I have no idea. I like Charles ("Charlie"), Julian, and Graham, but none really works for us for various reasons. Our son is Oscar.
Thank goodness we've got time.
DH vetoes my #1 girls name, Evelyn. I am super bummed but it is what it is.
We like the same boys names so that is a huge help
IF Specialist | November 2015
Provera | November 2015 | 179 Days since last AF
HSG | December 2015 | All Clear
Provera | January 2016 | 46 Days since last AF
1st round of Femara 2.5mgs | January 2016 | No response
Provera | February 2016 | 44 Days since last AF
2nd round of Femara 5mgs | March 2016 | O CD18 | AF 3/28/2016
3rd round of Femara 5mgs | March/April 2016 | No response | AF 5/6/2016
4th round of Femara 7.5mgs | May 2016 | BFP June 4, 2015
EDD: 2/15/2017 | Loss Discovered: 6/11/2016 | NMC: 6/15/2015
Gonal-F 75 IU upped to 100 IU | June 2016 | IUI June 29, 2016 | Beta: July 13, 2016 | AF 7/12/2016
Gonal-F 75 IU upped to 112.5IU | July 2016 | IUI July 27, 2016 | Beta: August 10, 2016 | + Beta 171!
BFP on Digi 8/8/2016 | Beta #2: 396 = 39 hour doubling time | Beta #3: 1659 = 34 hour doubling time
First ultrasound: August 17, 2016; 5 weeks; Gestational Sac and yolk
Second ultrasound: August 25, 2016; 6W+1D; Heartbeat 105bpm
Third ultrasound: August 31, 2016; 7 weeks; Heartbeat 136bpm
Graduated from RE: August 31, 2016
EDD: April 17, 2017
We are starting from scratch with this one. The names we liked our first go round (we were team green!) have lost their appeal in the two years since they were initially discussed. Our boy name was going to be Brooks but my coworker ruined that one for me. We ended up using our second choice girl name (Cora) to name DD's Cabbage Patch doll at Babyland General. I love Finn but DH keeps vetoing. Ah well, we'll find something!
Baby #2 due April 2017
For a boy, it's so hard to pick one name! We have a long, LONG list of boy names from the last pregnancy. We ended up naming our son Jaxon, after my great-pawpaw Jack. Gunner is his middle name. (Maybe he will be a football quarterback. Then, Gunner would really fit. Ha!) But, the list of names we are still considering are Greyson (again, after my grandma), Jayce (Jayce and Jax would be so cute for sibling names!), I still love the name Oliver, but dh hates it. I also like Timber (I like this one for a girl, as well), and River (going with our southern heritage haha). It's so hard to decide!
Boys:
Philip
Cameron
Theodore
Clover
Girls:
Lillian
Josephine
Eleanor
Elizabeth
Penelope
Fern
Those are the names I've picked out so it's a pretty rough list. My FI hasn't really put much thought into names quiet yet. Every time I mention names he seems to be agreeable. I'm sure that will change the closer we get. Middle names are still up in the air.
Edit: Oh, and Theodore is cuuuuute.
We also love Charlotte (with Anne as a middle name) but it's too popular right now.
I think we're trying to keep the name secret (except from you internet strangers LOL and my mom--which means we might be SOL since she has a big mouth) until birth but I don't know if I'll be able to do it.
DD #2: May 2020
Baby #3: EDD May 2023; MC October 2022
@catem07 I love the name Charlotte as well but I agree it is too popular. It is such a sweet name though.
Our first two are actually literary inspired names, but it looks like we're letting our Catholic fly on this one.
My DH: French guy, car fanatic, best husband ever.
Our baby boy: Due on 17 April, currently 37 weeks. I can't believe it - I made it to full term!!!!
Last measurement: 3150 gs at 37+1! This is going to be a big baby
We're Latino and only my immediate family (plus a cousin or two) live in the US. All of DHs family is in South America along with the rest of mine. Soooo, that means we have to find a name that works well in both English and Spanish and we don't want a common Spanish name because DHs last name is common.
DS is Liam Piero. Liam was the only boys name neither one of us actively hated. Ugh, if it's a boy this is going to be hard.
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
However, we don't agree on any boys names. Everything I like he has something to say about, and vice verse. So I'll just list the names I like and call it a day.
Finn
Grant
Reid
We're team green, so I'm super excited to meet our little one and align a name to a sweet face all at once.
For a girl, we have Della Lynn (Della sounds good and southern and similar to the popular Bella without being Bella and Lynn was the name of the woman who practically raised me)
For boys, we are having a harder time. We like Oscar and Maverick. I actually prefer any and all Biblical not names, but hubs vetoed every single last one of them.
Past Treatment: Clomid + Metformin x 3 BFN
Letrozole 5 mg + Trigger shot + IUI = BFP!
Beta confirmed 8/22
EDD 5/1/17
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
We know the name fore sure for a girl.... Sylar Noelle. Boys names are proving much harder for us!
We have been kind of playing around with some names but nothing specific. I think we will have a harder time this time around. But it may help us focus more once we find out what we are having.
One name we like for a girl is Mila and Hayden for a boy. But we'll see. No middle names come to mind yet. H's family tradition is to give the first son the mother's maiden name for a middle name. But I'm from Europe and I have a "weird" maiden name so we'll see LOL
Married: 5/30/2013
DSS #1: 5/25/2007
DSS #2: 1/22/2011
DS #3: 7/8/2012
BFP: 3/14/2016 ~ MC: 3/19/2016
DS #4: 4/21/17
IF Specialist | November 2015
Provera | November 2015 | 179 Days since last AF
HSG | December 2015 | All Clear
Provera | January 2016 | 46 Days since last AF
1st round of Femara 2.5mgs | January 2016 | No response
Provera | February 2016 | 44 Days since last AF
2nd round of Femara 5mgs | March 2016 | O CD18 | AF 3/28/2016
3rd round of Femara 5mgs | March/April 2016 | No response | AF 5/6/2016
4th round of Femara 7.5mgs | May 2016 | BFP June 4, 2015
EDD: 2/15/2017 | Loss Discovered: 6/11/2016 | NMC: 6/15/2015
Gonal-F 75 IU upped to 100 IU | June 2016 | IUI June 29, 2016 | Beta: July 13, 2016 | AF 7/12/2016
Gonal-F 75 IU upped to 112.5IU | July 2016 | IUI July 27, 2016 | Beta: August 10, 2016 | + Beta 171!
BFP on Digi 8/8/2016 | Beta #2: 396 = 39 hour doubling time | Beta #3: 1659 = 34 hour doubling time
First ultrasound: August 17, 2016; 5 weeks; Gestational Sac and yolk
Second ultrasound: August 25, 2016; 6W+1D; Heartbeat 105bpm
Third ultrasound: August 31, 2016; 7 weeks; Heartbeat 136bpm
Graduated from RE: August 31, 2016
EDD: April 17, 2017