About a month ago in August, after a three-day work trip to Boston, I stopped breastfeeding my son. He was 17 months old, and my husband and I thought this trip was a good opportunity to wean him. Prior to the trip, he comfort nursed twice a day, in the mornings and evenings. I dropped … Continue reading How I coped with weaning my son
Hilarious. Frustrating. Joyous. Alarming. Welcome to our adventures in toddlerhood. Ever since our son Jack turned one it seems time--and Jack himself--is in overdrive, slowing only for the occasional skinned knees, tantrums and snuggle sessions with mama or daddy. At 17 months, Jack's scaling furniture, testing boundaries, chasing the dog and uttering words ("No!" and "Daddy" … Continue reading Adventures in toddlerhood
"I wanna be one of those summer moms who makes bucket lists and pool trips and spoils dinner with ice cream,” I lament to Jay while putting groceries away on Saturday. I envy the summer moms. I see them strolling the neighborhood in their top knots and tank tops, babies in tow, seemingly schedule- and … Continue reading Summer mom
It’s 2:21 a.m. and I’m wide awake, snug in my bed. My toddler son, who is fighting a cough, finally nodded off an hour ago after a never-ending interlude of cuddling, shushing and patting. Eyes squeezed shut, I try and will myself to join him in peaceful slumber. But half a dozen worries crowd my … Continue reading Counting the joy
For so many—myself included—Mother’s Day is complicated. The day I became a mother was ... complicated. After hours of labor and an emergency C-section, I almost lost my son. He wasn’t breathing when the doctor delivered him. I kept waiting to hear his cries, but all I heard was silence. Then nurses calling for backup. … Continue reading The boy who lived
Usually when we come home from work and daycare it’s straight indoors for dinner, bath, stories, bedtime. But tonight the May showers broke, the air was warm and it smelled like daffodils and sweet, wet grass. Tonight we lingered outdoors. You toddled around the sidewalk, marveled at the growing plants and dug in the garden, … Continue reading A change of forecast
It happened on a Tuesday morning. I stepped on the scale and it there it was, the number I’d been longing for—my pre-baby weight. Seven months had passed and finally all 50 (yes, 50…) pounds I’d gained via pregnancy were gone. This moment I’d built up in my head, this goal achieved felt strangely anticlimactic. … Continue reading Making peace with my post-baby body
It is 11 a.m. and I am laying on the floor of my newborn's room, covered in a cold sweat. My teeth chatter as I wrap my oversized bathrobe tight around my body and watch my baby play. He is well but I am not. I am overtired and running a fever and the only … Continue reading Motherhood is messy