I prefer my puns intended

Because life can be punny.

To the soon-to-be mama

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I see you, little mama. You haven't quite gotten used to that name, yet. After all, you haven't met your little one. You haven't seen his or her little nose or kissed each one of his or her little fingers. You feel tired: tired of being pregnant; tired of well-intentioned strangers; tired of the looks directed at your over-stretched belly as if they've never seen something so foreign. You Continue Reading

What I worried about before I gave birth…

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irWe have officially entered Little Bear's birthday week...which means it has been a year since I gave birth to my first child. Part of my disbelief at this year marker is the fact that I...gave birth. And it was a year ago. And I have extremely salient memories as if I live somewhere inside of the delivery room at all times. My husband likes to laugh and suggest that I was like Brooklyn Continue Reading

5 easy steps to go overboard in birthday party planning

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When little Bear was around 3 weeks old, I sat in the cozy gray glider in the corner of his nursery at some God-forsaken hour in the middle of the night. As I rocked with my little guy, I began to think about--his first birthday party. I started a secret board pinning dozens of images for the brown bear theme that I was dreaming about in my head. It all seemed quite magical. And Continue Reading

To my sleep-trained baby

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Ok...ok, so I realize I wrote a letter yesterday. Let me preface with a disclaimer. This particular post is not intended to mommy-shame. It is a response to the shame that has been cast in my--and other sleep-training mommies-- direction. It is a simple response to a very guilt laden letter from a sleep-training baby. And let me tell you--this particular baby is preeetty manipulative. And Continue Reading

Just plane fun: how to survive your first flight with a baby

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As a daughter of a pilot, I know a thing or two about the frustrations of air travel. For starters, my family was never guaranteed a seat as we flew standby to our destinations. The gate agent always had to exercise a little creativity to fit our family of six in some proximity to each other. We learned to pick the early flights; it was best to arrive at Hartsfield Jackson by 4:30 any time we Continue Reading

I don’t want my marriage to look like a romantic comedy; I want it to look like my parents’ marriage.

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Steven and I always laugh about the fact that we never think about my parents lives before meeting each other. Of course their lives began when they married each other, right? If that is the case, then my parents are forty-one years old today. Two spring chickens; still in love after all of these years. And yet, their love doesn't exactly look like the love that I see on romantic Continue Reading

Five things I learned while pretending to be a mom of two for two days.

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Ok. A few things about this week. A. The bed is no place for a bear cub. Turn your back for one minute and the little cub will crawl right off. Our week started with an emergency trip to our pediatrician. I attributed my malaise, weakness, and stomach cramps to the emotional discomfort of feeling like a total failure with your infant son. B. Apparently, the pediatrician's office is flooded Continue Reading

A letter to my son at 9 months

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Dear Bennett, Today is a very special day. Nine months ago today, a group of NICU nurses placed you in my arms for the first time. I looked into your slate blue eyes and I knew I had to eat crow. You see, before you, I didn't quite believe in love at first sight. I guess the joke is on me. The second I laid eyes on you, I was in love. So was your daddy. You have been our favorite gift Continue Reading

The advent of a new season

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I've decided that Christmas is much more fun when there are kids around. I think every adult gets to the point in their twenties or thirties when they realize that Christmas comes whenever they need it to come. What I mean by that is we have a paycheck; we maintain a budget; and we can buy those socks when we need to buy them. Getting gifts is still exciting, but not quite what it used to be. Continue Reading

The problem with breaking the internet…

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Kim Kardashian broke the internet! Did you hear? Yes; sadly, Kim Kardashians epic booty broke the internet. May the information train rest in peace; this caboose just sent it off track. It is a miracle you're able to read this, actually. Thanks a lot, Paper Magazine (and double K). So, admittedly, I've watched a few episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians. I think the last shows I Continue Reading