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: Feeding thread
Strawberries ( well most of the berries really aside from blueberries) . I have read in several places not to introduce them until 1 year but I also see them in the prepackaged foods for 8 month olds.
Peanut butter, again not for a year but other places say the earlier the better now. I haven't given it directly but also haven't been avoiding it around her either.
I know this is because they are big allergy risks. I ment to ask all this at the 6 month appt but of course forgot ( really need to bring a list next time). Just curious what others have been told from their doctors.
We gave LO peanut butter and strawberries at 6 months and recently a little bit of scrambled egg.
This article has links to some of the studies.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/05/508348588/new-guidelines-tell-parents-when-to-introduce-babies-to-peanut-products
She has good nights and bad nights now that I know what the problem is. Lots of teething toy time, soft solids, and Tylenol when it's really bad. I'm hoping she goes back to sleeping easily once the teeth are out more and not bothering her so much!
I haven't cut much of the milk, just added more solids. I don't remember what I did w my older kids (ha!)
We haven't started whole milk yet, but I think we will next week. My plan is to put one ounce of whole milk in his bottle and each week increase it by one ounce.
Lo lo gets a small bottle after meals...but we also give him a small bottle right before nap and bed. I feel like those will be tough to transition out of.
Bryce has a dairy protein allergy so we will probably stick to breast milk for a little while longer. Can't wait until he out grows that. I am so over pumping!
We tried a straw one, but I feel like it's too hard for him to suck water up.
On another note, what is everyone feeding their LOs? We are having a hard time figuring out what to give X. We were doing baby food but he is showing disinterest in those, mainly the veggie ones. He loves the fruit ones. He only has two teeth but is a master at eating pretty much anything you give him. At dinner he gets whatever we are eating and breakfast is usually a banana or cereal bar. Lunch is hit and miss for us. I'm just not sure what to give him.
For foods, I try to do as much veggies as possible and healthy fats. I've been making eggs "muffins" in the mini muffin tin for daycare. Usually put puréed greens and veggies and cheese in it. We do a lot of pb on stuff, like bananas, tortillas, English muffins. Tons of eggs, over easy, boiled, whatever. Full fat yogurt, add in fruit purée or even veggie purée. Add in baby oats. Roasted veggies, pastas w butter, beans, re fried beans w cheese... those are all my go to's. As well as meats, kid loves protein.
Heres an egg muffin recipe. Tons on Pinterest
https://creativeandhealthyfunfood.com/easy-breezy-super-healthy-breakfast-egg-muffins/
Even though it's breakfast-ish, I frequently will make him scarambled eggs with hashbrowns for lunch or dinner. Other things he typically eats are spinach/potato nuggets (Dr. Pragers brand) pasta or mac and cheese with added veggies, polenta, butternut squash or sweet potato spiralized into noodles with a butter sauce and some veggies.
I feel badly, but LO does not eat meals with us all the time. I tend to like to eat my breakfast and lunch during his naps-times, and he's sleeping by the time H gets home, so his dinner is much earlier than ours. On the weekends we eat together (mostly) just not so much on weekdays.
Id like to get better at giving LO what we eat for dinner. He only eats with his hands (not spoon fed), and many times I feel like what we eat isn't easy to pick up, or it might be too flavorful (spicy, garlicky, saucy).
With L, we just skipped over purees. He never had any interest in them. He now gets to practice his spoon/fork skills with them 1-2 times a day, as a 2 yo. He had issues with learning the sippy cups. So we took away all bottles for 3 days. He learned really quickly.
Remember babies will NOT starve themselves. They will learn, it just might take a bit.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
@BabyBoyH92016 I wouldn't worry about things being to spicy or bold of a flavor. We still give stuff like that to our son and he happily eats it all. In fact, at this Burmese place we like, there is a chicken dish that my husband loves but I won't eat because it's too spicy. We gave some to Bryce and he could not get enough. He loved it.