When you have a baby, you’ll realize very quickly that everyone has an opinion and they aren’t afraid to share it with you. What they don’t tell you, however, is what those first few months of postpartum are really like. This lack of disclosure creates a lot of confusing emotions post-baby. Your emotions are such a roller coaster and you often feel alone, both physically and mentally. My story has several elements that resulted in a fairly tough journey.
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During my pregnancies, I had hardly any morning sickness, no backache, and I worked out up until the morning my water broke with each girl (both of whom decided to arrive at 37 weeks and 2 days, almost to the hour). Labor and delivery with each girl were also straightforward — no epidural, about 10 minutes of pushing, and those stinkers were out. No trauma, no epic story to share. One dissolvable stitch was all I needed. But my postpartum experience with each was very different. Read more
Finding the perfect photographer for your family photos can be daunting — these once in a lifetime moments with the kids pass quickly so it’s important that it’s photographed the way you would like to remember this time. Even as a photographer I find this hard – I am so persnickety! There are so many different aspects to a great family photo that’s different for each family, but there are some simple steps to help you choose a photographer that works for everyone. Keep reading for my top 5 tips for choosing a family photographer. Read more
When there’s little time in the day to get the laundry list of to-do’s done, saving time and money is important. So why not load up your phone with apps that can help with that? I mean we’re not talking time warp stuff, or that you’ll be heaping up massive riches using these, but hey . . . every little bit helps, right? So go grab a cup of coffee and read on for 5 free time-saving apps that just might make your days run a bit smoother. Read more
Most people assume an engineering degree and career just prepares you for a technical job. But when I made the transition from career woman to career mother, I learned that many of the skills I’d established as an engineer had prepared me for the adventure of parenthood. Being a parent, like being an engineer, was more about sticking things through than getting things right the first time. As my son grew older and I became a more experienced parent, I learned to use the skills I had as an engineer to my style of parenting. Keep reading to learn how engineering taught me about parenthood . Read more
As parents, we wake up in the morning thinking about what our kids need for the day. We spend the day making sure they are cared for, hoping they learn something new each day, and go to bed planning for what the next day holds. Somewhere in between breakfast and bedtime, we are also managing to fit in general day-to-day responsibilities. This chaos can be exhausting, which is why these 5 tips for a better day are so important. Give a few of them a try! Read more
Home birth was the last thing on my radar at the beginning of my pregnancy — my prenatal care was through a hospital birthing center. But when we moved to another state for my husband’s new job I was 37 weeks pregnant and none of the birthing centers or hospitals within an hour of our new home would take me so late in pregnancy. In tears and desperation, I Google searched “home birth midwives.” Finally, I found a practice that would take my case! Five days after moving, our daughter was born at home. Home births are now rising in popularity but still remain shrouded in misconception. Can you guess the most common misconceptions people have? Here are six. Read more
My sweet baby girl turned one a few months ago and I’m still in denial that it happened. Time just flew by so fast! It feels like I was in the hospital holding my little baby girl in my arms just yesterday. How did a year creep up so fast?! When it came time to start planning her first birthday, I wanted to make sure it was two things: Pink and girly! After many hours on Pinterest, I decided on a ballerina theme! I chose Pink with Gold accents for the colors, and I have to say it turned out so beautiful— Exactly what I envisioned. Read more
If you’re anything like me the transition to Summer break makes you feel equally excited and terrified — That ever-present question of “What are we going to do today?” looms over my head each morning. To avoid having to add the role of cruise director to my list of mom chores, I’ve deemed this Summer the Summer of outdoor adventure! A time for the kids to go outside for exploration and learning. They’ll have so much fun that they won’t realize that they’re also learning! Keep reading for three top reasons you’ll want to try this out this Summer, too. Read more
