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: Structured Threads Debate
Oh wait sorry... wrong election. Given how long this has been going on I was convinced it was November. Can we be done with this now for the love of all that is holy????
ETA:
Married 6-15-13
DS born 4-9-15
Septate Uterus
BFP 10/12/16--EDD 6/24/17
Sorry that you saw it that way? You just seemed to want this to die, yet you keep commenting on things like this. It's just frustrating. I didn't mean to call you out, but you are being a little immature. Thanks for making fun of me for not being able to read your tone. Not hurtful at all. Don't bother replying because I won't be commenting again, because I really do want this topic to die. Have a nice day, I really do mean that.
As an aside, would anyone be up for something like a Meal Plan Monday? We talked about meal planning once a while back and it was very helpful. Also, I was thinking maybe Thankful Thursday? I think between Monday B*fest, WTF Wednesday, UO Thursday and FFFC we have a lot of negativity and could benefit from making one day positive. Just an idea.
Overall, I think it's early and still hard to tell how relationships will play out, but I think we all have the same goals of making some friends and supporting each other through our pregnancies and beyond, so perhaps we can just all work toward that goal.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
TTC #1 since 9/2015
BFP #1 1/14/16, MC 3/23/16
BFP #2 9/21/2016, EDD 5/30/2017
Any and all group conversation topics have always been welcomed by all members! The list in the guidelines thread is just suggestions, not the end all be all by any means!
I don't mind organized threads, but I also think one-off posts are great too. There are no organized posts and people post random stuff all the time on the TK chit chat board. There's no problem with there being SO MANY that stuff gets bumped off the page fast. It's NBD. I think the worry that the organized threads will get bumped off the page fast is making a mountain out of a molehill.
Here's a thought. Maybe if the organized threads are being bumped off the front page, it's for a good reason. If people aren't posting in them, why should they stay on the first page?
What Ashley.G wrote above made me kind of sad: here's a first time poster here wanting to get involved but afraid because she doesn't want to make a mistake by posting something "wrong". I wish she felt more comfortable. I wish there wasn't policing of threads.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I still think this will organically work itself out with time. I really hope so. My September '10 mamas are still some of my dearest friends and we keep in touch daily. My November '16 mamas are still a huge source of support for me even after my loss. I want everyone to have the same experience.
Seems like the majority of us are fine with structured threads but are also fine with individual stuff. Can't we just roll with this?
I'm reserving my angst for just trying to survive these next two months.
Gavin - 8/27/10
*TW*
Gabriel - 2nd tri loss 5/17/16 Trisomy 18 & 21
Hope - 2nd tri loss 12/7/16 complications from pneumonia
Married 6-15-13
DS born 4-9-15
Septate Uterus
BFP 10/12/16--EDD 6/24/17
The talking to your boss post was a perfect example of a great one off thread that is totally merited.
Nobody is trying to police the board so much as focus the conversations so we can all be as involved as possible with the time we do have to be on TB each day.
Me: 29 DH: 35
Married: 9/29/12
DS #1: 3/8/15Post a new thread or don't. Let's just have some fun and grow some healthy babies!
Married 7/11/09 TTC #1 Since 05/10
BFP #1 09/20/10 Natural m/c 10/05/10
BFP! #2 04/21/11... Beta 16 DPO: 437, 18 DPO:1446 Ultrasound 6w6d TWINS!
Annabel & Sophia Born 11/28/11 at 34w6d
BFP #3 10/4/16... Beta 13 DPO: 145, 15 DPO: 367 12/1/16 It's a GIRL!
At at the end of the day, not a single person said 'don't make individual posts!' It's simply just a preference to keep things organized. Clearly there are still individual posts happening. Those people are either oblivious, or just don't care and post whatever they want. And that's their perogative, people will comment or they won't and that's their perogative.
this is all really kind of silly and being beaten to death. Things will fall where they may and we will all go on to hopefully have healthy babies and laugh about this in 7+ months.
On the bright side, I fell asleep before it was over (thanks, pregnancy exhaustion!) so that took some of the sting out of it.
Gavin - 8/27/10
*TW*
Gabriel - 2nd tri loss 5/17/16 Trisomy 18 & 21
Hope - 2nd tri loss 12/7/16 complications from pneumonia
I'm so sorry for the loss of Game 1 @thatlauragirl! As a Red Sox fan I'm partial to both teams (Terry and Nap vs Tito and Lester) but I have to say I am pulling a little more for the Cubbies.
Edit: Words are a struggle today