Encouragement

I'm sorry to say that this post doesn’t have any magic tricks or super tips that will coax your child into dreamland, but I am here to say that you WILL get through the rough patches and your baby WILL eventually nap or sleep. You are tired, drained, defeated, and sleep-deprived.  I was there—for 13 solid months. Despite all the encouraging advice from my friends with sleeping babies, Judah just did not want to nap.  The ONLY thing that seemed to put him to sleep during the day was the car (or nursing), but the problem with that was I was still attached.  There were no dishes I could clean from the car or clothes I could fold.  I was...

*Note: This article was written for people who are trying to help someone who WANTS to breastfeed. Please do not pressure a mom or make them feel guilty about their choices. My goal is to give you ways to help a mom in need! When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I took all the classes and read all the books. Still I just assumed it would all happen naturally. She would come out, latch on, and instant bonding would occur. Well it didn't go according to plan. In fact, she wouldn't latch on at all. It was 6 weeks before she latched. Through all of that, I had lots of well-meaning people offering...

It's that time of year again. Moms everywhere are driving themselves crazy trying to create the perfect gifts, the perfect family photo, the perfect holiday party. I'm here to tell you: it's okay (even desirable!) to be imperfect. By keeping things simple and low-key this holiday season, you can save yourself so much stress and create opportunities to connect with friends, family, and community. Here are some ideas for simplifying your season: Consider giving gifts of service rather than material things. For example, you can plan dates, offer to lend a skill, or give a bottle of wine with the condition that you enjoy it together. If you just can't give up giving real, tangible gifts (I can't) focus on quality over...

Growing up, I wanted four children.  Two boys, one girl, then another boy.  I distinctly remember the day I changed my mind.  I was in college and working as a cashier at Lowe’s.  A woman with four young kids came through my line.  The baby was crying.  The other three were either whining or running around causing chaos. That mom didn’t have enough hands. The thoughts running through my head were, “Why can’t this woman control her kids? When I’m a mom, my kids will NOT act this way in public!” Fast-forward a few (okay, more than a few) years to today.  I’m in Target begging my fifteen month old to sit down in the front of the cart.  She’s...

My journey to become a mom hasn't been the easiest. The most painful moment so far was on April 4, 2011. I was being prepped for emergency surgery to remove a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (also know as tubal although mine was not in the tube). Not realizing I was going to need surgery, we brought our only living child with us to the hospital. The nurse asking me questions said, “So, this is your second pregnancy?” It was a knife to my heart when I had to answer, “No…sixth.” When Daniel and I got married, we wanted to wait 3-5 years before having kids, so we could just enjoy married life. Well, one thing lead to another, and we knew...