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Month One: Settling In
E is out with Grandma and M is asleep in her swing. It’s hard to put her down but there’s more to get done these days than there was with her sister. I’m slowly accepting that second children spend a...
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Month Two: Holding On Tight
I find myself clinging to moments. Her tiny body curled up against mine, her little smile greeting me in the glow of our nightlight. Our stolen time together, our time alone. Glimpses of the laughter...
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Three Months & Three Years
Instead of keeping a regular baby book for the girls, I’ve started compiling my written memories for them, including these posts. I’m catching up today on both three months and three years. *** Three...
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Month Four: Patience, Mama.
I worried, maybe because that’s what moms do. I forgot how my love for her sister intensified with time, a cumulative effect. Instead I looked back on three years and saw all the moments condensed...
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Month Five: Good Morning, Early Bird!
Each morning as the sun rises, I feel her little body start to squirm beside me. Soft, chubby hands pat against my back, followed by stubborn, kicking feet. I stay still for a few minutes, hoping...
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Month Six: The (Sometimes Wild) World Around Her
She sleeps in her big red stroller as we navigate the city crosswalks. I’ve learned to look ahead for curbs so I know where I’ll be able to get off and on the sidewalk before the walking man stops...
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Months Seven & Eight: Home & Forever
“Can we stay here forever?” Her sister asks. She’s obsessed with the idea of forever lately. “Can I keep you forever?” is her daily, heart-wrenching request. Three and a half years, and eight months....
View ArticleMonth Nine: Never Say Never.
I let M cry herself to sleep this month. It was both hard and easy, if that’s even possible. Co-sleeping hadn’t been working for weeks. I’d noticed she slept more peacefully during the day, alone, than...
View ArticleMonth 10: Holy Croup!
Poor little M. She seems to be getting sick every month. October was roseola, November was croup, and now another cold. I’m not sure if it’s just the plight of a second child with an older sibling in...
View ArticleMonth 11: Almost…
Almost walking, almost talking, almost sleeping through the night. She’s all lashes and a toothy smile. She’s all over the place, in everything, pulling all the clothes from drawers and grabbing all...
View ArticleHappy first birthday, little M.
As I hold you in the darkness, I think of my doula’s words. “Labor prepares you for motherhood.” You won’t sleep. Neither soothing nor crying is working. I’m barely powering through. I thought at...
View ArticleAlmost 21 Months… Or Something Like That
It’s so easy to lose track of time. Often I don’t even know the date on the calendar, let alone the number of months it has been since M’s birth. Of course, it doesn’t really matter, but I used to...
View ArticleFive Years Of Motherhood: A Cat, Co-Sleeping, And Mortality
It’s 4am and I’m awake because the stupid cat was at our door, mistakenly left out. The words are there, too, keeping me from sleep. I return the cat to her room, across the house, and shut the door...
View ArticleOur Next Leap: Homeschooling Because We Want To (Not Because We Have To)
Foolishly, I thought I was done taking huge leaps as a mother. Maybe that’s an oversimplification. I knew there’d be big decisions in such a changing world and that homeschool loomed as a possibility...
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