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: Randoms 6/22
@sammierose464 I am a SAHM and used to lose track of how long ago I showered all the time. I’ve gotten so much better about it, but it’s been crazy busy lately. I only know I showered on Tuesday because Monday is shower day for everybody in the house (swim lessons are that day so I make sure the kids shower before bed and I usually do after they’re done) and I was exhausted after dealing with the attitudes from the kids so I waited until the morning.
I have mine tomorrow, specifically asked my OB if I need to fast, she said nope.
I am dreading it though, i despise that orange drink. Last time i nearly vomited in the waiting area.
I said to this woman "but aren't they required to list everything that happened to people in the study as possible side effects, whether they were related to the vaccine or not?"
She responds, "Yes but the mother doesn't need to know that. She just needs to know how scary vaccines are!"
So these people are willing to straight up lie in an effort to prevent people from vaccinating.
I also saw the most infuriating discussion in a birth group on FB the other day. A pregnant mother asked if anybody had gotten the "tetanus shot while they were pregnant? supposedly it prevents pertussis or something?"
First of all, the phrasing of this question immediately shows that you have not done enough research on this question. Number 2, why are you consulting a bunch of strangers on the internet instead of doing that research yourself? And number 3, every single comment on the thread was from an anti-vaxxer trying to convince her that getting the TDAP while she was pregnant would KILL her baby. WTF. Meanwhile, I'm counting down the days to when I can get mine and I'm stressing out about my OB getting flu vaccines in on time so I can get mine before this baby is due.
I just CAN'T with anti-vaxxers.
The pediatrician we just switched to only accepts fully vaccinated patients. We recently took ODD there for the first time to get meds for her strep throat and when we went we found that they had 2 completely separate waiting rooms: one for sick kids, and one for well-child check-ups. Both of these things combined make me feel so much better about taking my NB who will be born in the peak of flu season to the pediatrician.
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
On the topic of posting every single side effect... I was reading the fact sheet on Gardasil someone had posted. It listed that x number of people experienced side effects, x number had died etc. But if you don't read the parentheses, you don't get the whole picture. Yeah, 250 some had side effects (out of 29k), but half of those received a placebo (AKA they got saline!). Yeah, 5 died...but then they list cause of death (motor vehicle accident being the most common). I promise you, the shot didn't cause that accident.
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
@mytrueloves I got the gardasil and have had no issues. Any health problems I have are genetic and were kicking in well before I got that shot. Even if they did jump start my autoimmune issues, I'd rather have those than cancer.
Do they even read the inserts for the other medications they/ their kids take - or do they also skip the antibiotics when their kids get strep throat?
Also, my crib drama continues. Yesterday my friend delivered it! AND I AM SO EXCITED.
Bad news? The base is broken, so I had to call the damn company and have another base shipped.
Re organics - that’s a hard one and since it’s so controversial it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not. Are the organic pesticides really not as regulated as synthetic or is that something conventional farmers want people to believe? I find it hard to believe the FDA would just give organic pesticides a pass without regulating them. I know for a fact that not all organic foods are sprayed (there’s a local farm that’s certified organic and are also no spray), but I also know that not every farm follows that policy and it’s safer to assume grocery store organics were sprayed. Organic pesticides aren’t as effective, but I read it’s because they decompose faster so the food needs to be sprayed more often. If that’s the case, then it still might be better because by the time you get the food the pesticides on it may be broken down more than conventional... but what do those chemicals break down into? Something inert or something worse for you? All of the studies I’ve seen about pesticide levels in humans are conventional levels - eat organic and those levels go down... but they never monitored the pesticides that can be used on organic foods to see how much those increase. Generally we eat organic apples, berries and wheat and the rest conventional, unless we buy directly from a farm and then we will go with conventional (apples specifically I get organic because they don’t put the wax on the organic version, but when you pick them at a farm they also don’t have wax).
I’m feeling really distraught and concerned today about the retirement of Justice Kennedy, and the lasting impact that a Trump nominee could have on this country. I hope that by some
miracle, the Democrats can hold out until the midterms are over, but I feel so hopeless and don’t know what to do.
Um thanks for freaking me out, sis.
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
But better safe than sorry on getting it checked out.
The good news (I guess) is that he doesn't think it's food based, so we can stop the super expensive Rx food he's on. However, we are probably looking at monthly allergy shots.
The bathroom is basically done. Before and after pictures in the spoiler. On the left of the before picture is a linen closet that was removed to make space. Both pictures are taken from roughly the same perspective. (For reference, the bathtub didn’t move.)
(Probably should have turned on the other light for the last pic...)
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
our roommate is moving out over the course of the weekend and today he moved out all his furniture. I moved in after the roommate had been living here a while and I had no idea how much of the furniture was his lol. We're now down a dining table and chairs, coffee table, end tables, trash cans, and litter boxes. On the bright side, the house is starting to feel like mine now and I have ton more cupboard space to work with lmao
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
@krzyriver - sending internet comfort- it’s just the hormones working overtime!