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: Announcements
@blairbecky78 we did the same thing with my son and a shirt and it took everyone forever to notice! We were so anxious for people to say something and we had to direct my dad like 3 times before he actually read what was on the shirt haha
DX Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Factor V Leiden Mutation, Secondary Infertility
MFI (SA #1Count 11mill, Motility: 18%, Morphology: 1%)
AMH .328 | FSH 13.2
@vvitchhazel yeah u could do a sippy cup version!
ETA - we just announced this weekend, had the picture for almost 2 months!
Married: Nov 2015
Team Pink!
Married 4/22/16
**TW**
BFP 2/1/16 I MC 3/21/16 (11w)
TTCAL 6/15/16
BFP 3/23/2017 Team pink! Quinn Leigh EDD December 1, 2017
We havent shared yet yet with anyone, but my daycare lady and DH told his brother (ugh!).
from Seattle(ish)
5 years married
FTM and PGAL
EDD is 12/23/17
-- It's a BOY! ---
My husband and I hadn't told anyone we were pregnant until the other night. We ended up going out to eat with our very best friends- the couple that introduced us. I said, "I just got the cutest picture the other day," and pulled out an ultrasound picture. My bff appropriately freaked out and is so excited for us. Got me even more excited! We'll start telling family this weekend. It's so strange knowing the gender before even telling our parents. I'm thinking we'll tell my MIL we're pregnant, let her freak out, calm down, then turn dinner into a surprise mini-gender reveal for more excitement. We'll see, though!
Is it weird with the rainbow? It's our rainbow baby so part of me wants to acknowledge that but then IDK if it seems a little random there.
from Seattle(ish)
5 years married
FTM and PGAL
EDD is 12/23/17
-- It's a BOY! ---
DD - 12/28/17
TTC #2 3/2019
BFP 5/2019 || MC - D&C 5/2019
BFP 2/2020 || EDD 10/10/2020
2 Dogs / 2 Cats
IUI #2 10/2016 BFN
IUI #3 11/2016 BFN
IVF #1 03/2017 - 23 Retrieved / 22 Fertilized / 11 at Day 3 / 1 Beautiful Embryo tf on Day 5 / 7 Frozen on Day 6 - Beta #1 4/5/17: 104 Beta #2 4/7/17 224
We finally told our parents this weekend. We were going to do it two weeks ago for Mother's Day, but then my grandma passed away, etc, so we waited. We stopped by my mom and dad on Friday night at like 9, so they figured something was up (my mom thought maybe we fINALLY got engaged, ha) and she was drinking wine and was like do you want a glass. I said no I'm good, she looked at me funny and was like do you want a beer or something (obviously my family likes to drink) and I laughed and said no I'm ok. She was like what?? So I pulled out the ultrasound photo and was like I probably shouldnt... She squealed. My dad was like what's that?? My mom at first thought their were twins again, because there were two pictures and I was like NO NO JUST ONE!!
I told SO if he wants to tell his parents and his sister (she was home for the weekend and lives a few hours away) that he could, but if he wanted to wait that was fine too. I didn't think he was going to and right before we were ready to leave it somehow came up in the convo that come December we are going to be pretty busy and he pulled out the photo. Everyone was shocked and happy. No one asked when we were getting married! I call that a win.
We also told my brother and SIL that night and I didn't say anything just declined a beer and cracked open an O'Douls. haha. They figured it out. Between the two of us, we currently have 4 boys under the age of 2, so I'm kind of hoping this one is a girl to break the streak.
We will do a facebook annoucement in a couple weeks, we are having professional photos done for my boys one year birthday and family photos and I got them cute little onesies for under their plaid button ups that say "I'm going to be a big brother."
We shared this on social media last night after the NT scan went beautifully
PS. I put November because my original due date was 11/21, though now it is 12/2. I was induced at 38 weeks due to gestational diabetes with low fluids, and I expect similar this time... so although I will probably have a Nov. baby, developmentally I feel like I fit better here in the December board!
*courage because I'm still afraid of a loss, not because of my mom!
So she opens it and can't tell what it is right away, "Is this pajamas? Wait what? This is too small! Is this for a baby?" I laughed and said "yeah mom, I'm pregnant!" She goes, really dry, "Oh that's nice. I can't wear this." I guess my mistake was not getting her an actual gift! She felt a little shafted
April 2016 - AMH, FSH, Progesterone normal
June 2016 - HSG clear
*TW* BFP - Aug16, demise confirmed Sep16, incomplete m/c, D&C Nov16
BFP 3/27/17, edd 12/7/17
DS - 12/9/17
TTC #2 December 2018
BFP 2/22/19, edd 11/4/19
DD - 11/1/19
My Chart
We were already thinking of telling our close friends in person and holding off on a facebook post until about 16 weeks or later....
Do yall think there is a reason not to tell before 12 weeks (I'll be 11 tomorrow) even if what I know between now and 12 weeks wont change... Should I wait for one more appointment just to be safe?
Clearly there is no such thing as completely 'safe'...
Any words of wisdom or things to consider that I havent thought of?