Ten years ago, I never would have thought I would find myself here. With you. Ten years ago, I was a silly, careless girl who was looking for love without even knowing what love was. Our first five years together showed me what love was, or at least what it was for me at that point in my life. You showed me that someone outside of my family could know me and care for me beyond the surface level, maybe even more than I cared for myself. Which is why when you asked me to […]
Today is a Good Day for a Good Day
There are many things in this world that are truly good for a person’s soul. For me, one of those things is the annual Girls Weekend, a tradition important enough to warrant a capital G and a capital W. After finishing undergrad, we all vowed we would never let this tradition end. Over the years, we’ve missed only two: one due to canceled flights and the other due to a dear friend living abroad. This year though, we made it happen. Four of the best friends this world has ever known under one small roof […]
Eloise’s Birth Story
My due date for my second pregnancy was Monday, April 22nd, the day after Easter Sunday and the first Monday after April vacation. Clara was born four days early, so I was hopeful that our second baby, who I was sure was a boy, would arrive sometime before the 22nd as well. In fact, I had been coaching the baby to be born on the 12th for several weeks. I joked with everyone who asked that I thought the 12th would be a lovely day- it was the Friday before vacation and therefore would guarantee […]
An Ode to Daddy
I find it somewhat shocking that I have time to sit down and write today as it’s my first official day of maternity leave all on my own! Matthew took two weeks to be home with us after the birth of our sweet Eloise, but he is back to work today… on his birthday no less. Even though this morning was completely hectic getting Clara to her group class and picking her up on time between nursing, pumping, and ordering birth announcements, I feel the need to take advantage of the girls’ nap time to […]
Motherhood, Part Deux
It feels so lovely to sit down and write again after a short respite that included welcoming the newest member of our pack, Miss Eloise! That’s right, The Nugget’s identity is finally known! And although coming up with a name for her took some time due to the fact that I was convinced she was a boy for nine months, we couldn’t be more enamored by the little one who God sent to complete our family. Her birth story was a somewhat amusing and unique one, and while I certainly look forward to sharing it […]
Long Days, Short Years
Not long after giving birth to Clara, I remember reading somewhere that in motherhood, the days are long but the years are short. Looking back on her almost twenty-nine months of life, I can honestly say that truer words have never been spoken. I honestly can’t believe that I have an almost two-and-a-half year old and we’re mere weeks away from welcoming her brother or sister into our family. Sometimes, late at night, I flip through pictures of when Clara was an infant. The day she was born seems like it was yesterday but simultaneously […]
Welcome to Holland
I’m a crier. Most people who know me well know that, so it came as a surprise even to me that I didn’t really cry as I processed the news of my daughter’s diagnosis of ASD. When the doctor said the words, a few tears snuck out, landing on the keyboard on which I was furiously typing notes. That evening, a few more tears came when I shared the news with my husband. I think it was two nights later that I wept ever so slightly, saying between breaths, I feel like I haven’t had […]
Come What May
Last week’s diagnosis came as a surprise, albeit not a complete shock, I suppose. Had we been truly expecting it, my husband probably would not have sent his 34-week pregnant and overly emotional wife to get the news by herself… He’s too good of a guy to let that happen on purpose. But I suppose on some level, I’ve known for quite some time that there was… something. I just didn’t know it was this. Autism. Autism? What do I really know about Autism Spectrum Disorder? I know it’s a neurological condition that affects a […]