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.
shoretobe
member
Re: April Randoms
anyone else looking forward to anything?
Edit: words
- Meeting this baby!
- Watching Nora adjust to being a big sister!
- Reclaiming my human body!
- Being on maternity leave!
In no world did I imagine this baby making it to the actual month she's due, but I'm so glad she's still cooking and I'm so excited to meet her.Other looking-forward-to's: long walks with my soon-to-be two girls, being able to spend time in our sunroom again, seeing what Nora thinks of her first aware-of-it Easter, being able to read again (it makes me nausous when I'm pregnant), turning off the heat and sleeping with the windows open.
Also, add me to team lawn maintenance. We moved into our house last April and had no idea what we were doing, so we were THAT house with the ugly, terrible lawn. I don't need it to be pretty this year, I just need it to not be the ugliest on the block!
@ashtuesday so excited for your addition! And thats awesome you made it to term!!!
Vinny cries and clings like it's the ultimate betrayal just to put her down half the time. The other half she is calm until she's naked and then the rolls over, tries to stand up, etc. By the time I get her changed I'm sweating and exhausted. hahaha
Sam hates diaper changes too. It’s a battle.
@mccurleya we have this awful thing in Erie where it's freezing all day!
My pictures from Timehop are so bittersweet remembering how little the baby was a year ago and how much she’s changed.
TW -
sorry everyone just have to get this out
Hope that spoiler thing worked and hope everyone is doing well!
In other news we’re going to an Easter egg hunt on the beach today. Am I wrong for thinking it’s a little silly since LO only crawls? It’ll be great though seeing her with other kids. I feel like I need to socialize her more since she really only sees other kids at swim class. Also I’m not really sure what “hanging out” is like for one year olds 😂
I am trying to find an egg hunt, or maybe I'll set one up myself. She loves to put things in a container. So putting eggs in a basket should be fun for her.
@mccurleya same! She prefers taking everything apart and out to inspect.
Serioualy this kid is testing the limits. Yesterday he took a heating vent out of the floor and was trying to climb in it. I was making dinner and asked my oldest to check on him and he started yelling for help. Declan ended up with a scratch on his leg. He couldn’t actually make it down the vent but why would this be fun?!?
Also, is 1 too young for a tantrum, because she had a freakout yesterday when I stopped reading to her. We'd gone through about 25 books!
LO enjoys helping me with laundry. By unfolding everything and clearing out his dresser. So great lol
He also likes to take everything off shelves and out of drawers. I don't even fold his laundry anymore. Haha I just shove it in the baskets. The other cubbies have books so I had to put board books on bottom and floppy books on top because he's torn up so many books..