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.
bakerstreetboys
member
Re: The name thread!
Angelica Faith (DH’s Mom who passed away over 30 years ago was named Angela)
Annelise Hope (my Mom’s name is Ana)
Either would be nicknamed Ellie
Our DD is named after my grandmother, Evangelina Grace, nicknamed Evie
For our 1st pregnancy we had agreed to the name Zakary Josef if we had a boy but DH no longer likes it.
So far we can only agree on Max for a boy but i like Maxwell and DH hates it, and he likes Maximus but I hate it. Boy names are tough for us.
The only girl names that I had on my list were Ava, and Isabelle/Isabella, with the middle name Quinn.
But since we're having a boy, I have floated the name Christopher by DH. We really like the name Finn as well, but we now know two dogs named Finn, so that may have ruined it for me.
This will be boy number four, and I'm regretting using up some of my favourites on middle names!
@bakerstreetboys I had Finn on my list too. It is commonly used on dogs though which is annoying.
@triwellnessgirl Ellie and Evie are cute nicknames
@spawnsvessel I love Micah on a girl!! I’m a fan of using some traditionally boy names on girls. We also tossed around Sawyer for a girl.
ETA- spelling
My list is extensive because H works in healthcare so every name I choose he has a reason not to like it...
I want Theodore, Theo and that's a common dog name as well. I love Finn though.
Others at the top of my list:
Grant
Owen
Harrison
Ian
Dean
Abe
We've pretty much already decided if this one is a girl it will be Ruby, but we've looked at the names from our boy list that we didn't use, and I'm still not really feeling any of them. Boy names were SO HARD for us the first time around, I don't know how we'll manage to find anything we like this time.
Though for girl names I also really loved Emilia (DH hated it), Raina, Liara, and Miranda.
Our older kids are Charlotte Grace and Otto Jacob.
Clara Rose if we have a girl...no family connections, we just love the name. I was originally thinking Clara Jean (Jean is my middle name and my mom's middle name and a great-aunt's first name), but I just keep going back to Rose...I love the sound of it. Looks like we're dropping the family names if we have a girl, haha.
DS - 7.5
DD #1 - 6
~ mmc 7.11.2018 @ 9w ~
DD#2 - born 12.24.19
I think we’ve landed on Charlotte for a name, knowing we will probably call her Charlie. I have no idea about a middle name yet. We’ve not come to an agreement on that one!
@sunshineandlemons and @ladybird_ladybird I love the name Charlotte! I have a Charlie though, so that immediately took the name off our girl list!
@McKBaby I do still really love Finn. My MIL gave us such a hard time over our youngest son, Kai, having a one syllable name, I'm not sure I want to deal with that again! I think I'll be keeping my mouth shut about names this time around until after the birth certificate is signed.
the few names I have liked DH shoots down, and vice verse.
We both kind of like Cecily and Eloise.
A boy we have always struggled DH likes the names from older generations like Reuben, Abraham (not Abe), etc. There is nothing wrong with older gen. names just not my style being our first 2 have more modern names.
boy: - Lachlan Robert (Robert is husbands first name, and we’d call him Locky for short, very popular in Australia)
- Leo
- Luca
girl: Sylvia, but we’d call her Sylvie (our last name is Simcik and I think Sylvie Simcik is just adorable sounding plus it’s my grandmas first name and I am obsessed with her)
- Tessa Lynn
- Nina
- Elizabeth but we’d call her Bee or Libby
playing around with Layla or Charlotte for a girl.
i think we are waiting to find out sex of the baby so we have lots of time to decide!!
So far we like Penelope or Catherine for a Girl. I like Charlotte but DH does not.
For boys we like James, Charles, William, or Theodore.
I wish I liked my side of the family's names -- but I'm stuck with things like Virgil or Barbara, or Rueben or Albert. Not a fan.
Married to DH for 6 years (together for 16)
DS born 12.13.14
DD born 10.15.16
BFP 1.24.18, MC 3.13.18
Married to DH for 6 years (together for 16)
DS born 12.13.14
DD born 10.15.16
BFP 1.24.18, MC 3.13.18
On the plus side we did find a name we both agree on! @CapricaAndrea - Ruby was our second favorite choice and I love that you are going with that if it's a girl!
We are not telling anyone the name until she is born but I do love seeing everyone else's ideas!
@ktmaesim - I love Sylvia nn Sylvie!!! So cute, not overused or uber popular and very retro-feminine!
My last name starts with a D and his with a Z. They sound nice together so flow isnt an issue. I am leaning towards giving her both so she wont be stuck with a Z last name, it would start with a D. Z name kids are always the last in line or to be called in school. Some big employers even go through resumes starting at the beginning of the alphabet so Z names rarely get called in.
Opinions?
Cody Joseph “CJ”
Also speaking from a medical perspective, kids with a different last name than their parents can be a bit of an organizational nightmare in an office, especially if the parent who's calling doesn't actually specify that their child has a different last name. My mom works in a medical office and it's one of her biggest pet-peeves when parents call or leave a message and then get upset when she can't find their child's file. Not that it's a reason to choose one option over another, just something most people don't think about.
Boy- Lincoln, Greyson, maybe Jackson
We have two boys now Hunter and Ryland