My postpartum room was eerily quiet as I held up one of the tiny preemie onesies and name placard up against the streaming sunlight of my window, snapping a photo. A photo without my baby. My body had labored through the night and desperately craved sleep. But all I could think about was that my... Continue Reading →
Sloane’s Birth Story | {part I}
I can’t write about your birth earthside without first writing about when I first recognized your sweet presence. There I sat in the balmy dark front yard under the light of a full moon mere days away from your “embaby” transfer date, and I prayed. In the welcoming quiet of the night sky, I closed... Continue Reading →
IVF {on being the Mother of Embryos}
About two years ago, I began REGULAR, counseling sessions both with and without David present. Yes, to talk about our marriage (especially at the beginning). Yes, to process the emotional impact of leaving my career to stay at home as a mama. And, yes, most recently, to process the trauma that years of infertility +... Continue Reading →
Splendid Spoon {and a splendid Mae}
Somehow, 2020 is closer to its halfway point than to its origin, and most of us have spent the springtime months staying home as the pandemic has swept across the United States. March and April feel like a blur in my memory. And while I can only share my own perspective as a doula and... Continue Reading →
A Friday Favorite {the spring causebox review}
The rains just keep coming in this new land of Texas where we arrived two weeks ago, and I'm 90% sure that we will all jump into a raft and float out into the Gulf this weekend. The month of May or not, "April Showers" still seem to be here with a vengeance. It is... Continue Reading →
Mental Health, CBD, Oils, Coping Tools & Grace {this is me. this is us.}
It's Mental Health Awareness month. And I wish I could sing over so many of my fellow #mentalhealth sufferers the song of Keala Settle "This is Me" with the same bold bravery: When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised... Continue Reading →
Our hearts in two places {a goodbye and a hello}
I knew this day would come. The day that we stripped our walls bare. Our home is just a house now. Ready and quiet and waiting for its next occupants. And, unfortunately, our buyer backed out, so I don't know who will hang art next on the big vaulted walls by the front window or... Continue Reading →
The sweetest princess party {and all the details on sustainable decor}
Abby has been talking about her 5th birthday party for AT LEAST six months, probably more. And even though my introverted-self doesn't naturally love to host parties, I am learning to love my children in the ways that they crave. In the ways that make them know that they are seen and known and understand... Continue Reading →
Practicality meets sustainability {let’s chat bamboo, biodegradable diapers}
Those first 10 months of my experience of motherhood...you know when Abby was still inside my growing belly and contained...were rather idyllic. Cons included morning sickness, high-risk-pregnancy monitoring, heartburn, and the permanent end to my reliable sleep. However, the pros list stretched on and on, including the fact that my child didn't talk back or... Continue Reading →
A letter to the woman growing up in my nest {xoxo, mama}
If you haven't watched Sarah Kay share "If I should have a daughter..." as part of her TED talk, then grab the Kleenex, chocolate, and the women in your life and click HERE to remedy that. Stunning. Tender. Powerful. And brave. ....And she’s going to learn that this life will hit you, hard, in... Continue Reading →