May was our second full month of self-isolating at home, our second month of having Maeve/three kids, and the end of an unprecedented school year for the boys. In May I started to getting antsy to reclaim some time to myself and some predictability; that’s just what happens to me at about three weeks postpartum. As we head into June I’m happy to say that we’re seeing progress on both. I started this post during a few hours to myself at my parents’ house in Chandler. In the past couple of weeks Chris and I have both used the house... Read more →

How are you, friends? Cities and states are starting to open up. Some people, in masks and not, feel comfortable venturing out while others are staying home. In our house, for now, we’re planning to stay the at-home course. For us this includes having only Chris go to stores and only going when we really need to although we’re still on a weekly grocery shopping schedule. In terms of socializing we have been getting together with Chris’s sister and her family. We started this a few weeks ago after we had all been self-isolating for several weeks. We’re taking turns... Read more →

Despite having had a newborn twice before, for the first few nights after Maeve was born I found myself wondering, "How does this newborn sleep stuff work exactly?" Thankfully, over the past month the best practices for newborn sleep and handing night wakings have come back to me as I've also developed a sense of what works for Maeve. These nights of being awake so much and of helping a baby adjust to swaddling and sleeping on their back is ultimately a very short time. But when you are in it those dark hours can seem to stretch forever. So... Read more →

I wrote most of this post shortly after Maeve arrived when I was experiencing the evening blues that I'll describe here. I'm happy to report that around two weeks postpartum I started to feel my emotions even out and I'm not experiencing bluesy evenings any more. Since giving birth to Maeve I’ve found myself having a particular feeling: I feel really nostalgic for now. Can you relate to that feeling? Is there a word for it? What I’m feeling isn’t postpartum depression — I don’t have feelings of anxiety, wanting to withdraw, or other indicative symptoms — although I’m open... Read more →

When the boys are bored (plenty of opportunity for that lately) they'll often say "no" when I suggest an activity I want to do with them: Can I read you a book? Want to do a puzzle? Play a game? No, no, no. But something they are always up for is an activity they first did at my sister-in-law's house: no recipe baking! As the name implies, no recipe baking is mixing up ingredients to your heart's delight, putting it in the oven, and seeing what you get. They are thrilled by it every time! I will admit that as... Read more →

I have a little pocket of time to write this while Chris is wearing Maeve as she takes a nap so time is of the essence! I'm excited that little windows of time are opening up like this. I talked to Chris about feeling restless and eager to create some time for myself to write and exercise. So he's been trying to take Maeve for a nap or two during the day. We're also trying to lay her down in her crib for at least one nap each day. It's been helping me feel more balanced. (Update: this ended up... Read more →

At first I titled this post "March Wrap Up" and was so confused for several seconds to see that I've already written that post. What day is it? What month is it? April 2020 was a month of significance: Ten years of marriage. Welcoming our daughter, Maeve Elizabeth. Becoming a family of five. A full month of self-isolating because of a global pandemic. At times life has felt the happiest it’s ever been but then also hard and weird. I felt a range of emotions last month from impatient waiting for Maeve; overjoyed to finally be holding her; nostalgic for... Read more →