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From the end of my rope to yours

There’s a time in childbirth when you want to give up. A time when you are certain that you can’t bear the intensity of your contractions for another second and you would actually give a kidney to make it stop and be able to take a nap and eat a bacon cheeseburger (or is that just me?). But as anyone experienced in the road map of normal birth can tell you, that moment when you want to quit so…

My mom is the best mom I know. She’s always been there for all five of us kids – even when I could see that she could barely stand our pain, or to hear of our latest shenanigans. She’s laughed and cried with us, held our hands and taught us to make good choices. She truly treasures her relationship with each individual child, and it shows.

She has taught me by example, the kind of mother to try…

First of all, let me preface with the disclaimer that I think you’re good enough. You’re “mom enough” and all of that. If you’re happy with the way your life is, rock on. You don’t need any help? AWESOME. As long as you’re happy, your kids are happy, and you don’t live in a literal bug infested mold pile, then high five and good for you. But if you’re like me, and you occasionally get behind, and…

“Hold me, mom!”

I hear those words so many times in a day, in so many different ways, that it makes my head spin sometimes.

I typically oblige the asker his simple request, and it often ends up with me at the bottom of a boy pile, because everyone wants a piece of me. It can be overwhelming. It can be frustrating when I’m busy, and in a hurry, and touched out anyway. Sometimes, I admit that I…

Who Wants to Win Audrey?

  I’ve been reading a lot of about this hard to find diaper and wondering how I would keep selling them on our site fair and not frenzied. I don’t like the rushed crazy sales of items like this. Instead, I wanted to reward our customers who we love so much and really like to give them the chance to receive a bumGenius Audrey diaper in one way: FREE! See all the awesome details below.

  #1 Follow…

A Letter to My Daycare Provider

Dear Ms. Robin,

Words cannot describe how much you have meant to me over the past four years. Now, as PK finishes his time with you, my heart breaks that coming to your house and pulling in your driveway will not be part of my daily routine.

When I moved back to Fayetteville to be closer to my parents I had no idea how much I would come to depend on you. I can still remember getting a phone call…

To my friend waiting to meet her baby:

I wanted to tell you that it’s okay. It’s okay that you’re afraid and anxious. It’s okay that you sometimes feel completely unprepared to mother this little human. It’s okay to be worried about how you’ll cope in labor, and when your baby will actually come. It’s okay that you poke and prod at your belly so often that you groan and wish for a “sun roof” so…

Nursing to the Fullest

By no means would I call myself a breastfeeding expert. I have, however, spent a GIGANTIC portion of my time as a mother with my boob in some (small) dude’s mouth. So, I guess I consider myself qualified to hand out a piece of advice or two. The mantra that keeps going through my head lately is this:

Nurse like you were weaning.

Of course in my head, during every let down, I’m belting out Tim…

Here’s the point when I forewarn my squeamish readers (mostly my dad), that I’m going to talk openly about vaginas today. Mostly mine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  When I was pregnant with my oldest son, my biggest fear was that my vagina would be the one in a million that didn’t recover after a birth. That I would forever have a gaping hole where I didn’t before. So, when my baby turned breech…

Ending My Breastfeeding Relationship

I didn’t even want to breastfeed. I was talking with my cousin about my newly discovered preggo status and she asked me. “Are you going to breastfeed?”

“Oh nooooo. There is no way I’m going to have a baby hanging off my boobies. Gross.” Oh yeah. That was me. And if I saw you whip out a boob in public, I would have whispered to my girlfriends how uncomfortable I was that you were doing that right…

Things I Won’t Miss

Anyone who has ever had small children knows that real life doesn’t often imitate a baby shampoo commercial. The laughing tot in the tub probably just pooped underneath the cover of bubbles. I love my children, and I absolutely love being a mother, but there are some things I won’t miss for a split second when they’re grown. Here are five!

1. I scrubbed crystallized pee off of the bathroom floor…

A Letter To My Friend Who Just Lost Her Baby

Dear Friend,

I don’t have to name you. You know who you are. And even though in my head you are a real person, for the person who is reading this, you have a different face. They may see their own face. They may see their sister. They may see their neighbor or their best friend. Some of them may see me. But for now I see you.

I wanted to let you know how sorry I am for your loss. And it doesn’t…

Loving Downtown Fayetteville, NC

If you know me personally, you know that I love Downtown Fayetteville. But maybe you don’t know why. And since I’m always looking for things to write about in my blog, I’ve decided to write a little series about Downtown Fayetteville, the shops, the people, the food and what I know and love about it. Let’s get started.

I’m a military brat but I’ve only ever been stationed three places in my whole…

 “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to hold her like this.”

These words came from a father, spoken through his tears as he gazed down at his baby daughter, snuggled into his chest in a soft structured carrier. I watched him shift to accommodate her weight on his prosthetic leg, and stroke her head with his good arm. I laid my hands on my own child, growing large within my belly, and turned my head…

Dying to be Thin

Image Credit: http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/016/b/c/anorexia____measuring_tape_is_my_best_friend___by_mariemystery-d4maqz1.jpg

  Last week was National Eating Disorder Awareness week. I struggled and worried about what to write. I wrote and rewrote pages of words that I couldn’t stand to share. I reflected on my journey. I cried. You see, I’ve struggled with Anorexia Nervosa for…

Sleep: Getting it, losing it, and learning to deal

I remember as a kid, I used to hate sleep. I always felt like I was missing something. I would sulk, and pout, and drag my feet on my way to bed or nap time, and I would relish waking up early to start my day. I never needed time to wake up and function, and I didn’t need much sleep to feel normal.

Then I joined the Army. There’s nothing like grueling physical labor, crappy food, and 60 of your…