Feb 6, 2013  •  In Aerin, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Negative Nancy vs Positive Polly

Gawd, having two toddlers is tough. And trying to be a good mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (and I imagine it will continue to be so for the remainder of my life). These past couple of weeks have been especially trying with J’s parents and my own mother all on vacation (the […]

Jan 14, 2013  •  In Aerin, Claire, Cute, Funny, Motherhood, Personal

A C&A Update

This past week has been hell for me — not only was am I ill with a cold, Aerin has suddenly become super clingy with me. For instance, I’ll be standing behind her and she’ll start screaming because she can’t see me. I can’t even pee in peace because she’ll be trying to climb all over me. […]

Dec 19, 2012  •  In Aerin, Baby, Claire, Cute, Motherhood, Personal

Watching Little Minds Learn

Watching little minds learn is fascinating. Even when you try your best to stay impartial and unprejudiced, you can’t help but notice the vast differences between each and every person. Take Aerin, for instance. Now that she has officially conquered infancy and is starting to really soak in, process, react, and regurgitate what she learns, we have […]

Nov 24, 2012  •  In Aerin, Baby, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

The Baby of the Family

Ever since Aerin got sick last week, she has been super SUPER clingy to me. Before her illness, she was a pretty independent little girl. Now she needs to be held all the time — only by me, no less, and starts screaming her head off if she can’t see me. Even her two favorite […]

Nov 21, 2012  •  In Aerin, Facebook, Motherhood, Personal, Relationships

What Are the Chances?!?!!!

Yesterday was a cool yet pleasant day. With temperatures in the low 50s and the sun shining overhead, I decided to take Aerin for a walk despite my lingering cold. (Claire was with her grandparents.) We walked the 22 blocks to my favorite children’s park and I sat Aerin down on a swing. She hadn’t […]

Nov 1, 2012  •  In Aerin, Motherhood, Personal

Happy Birthday, Aerin!

One year ago today — at 9:20am, to be exact — our Aerin Isabel entered this world. You have taken me through laughter and tears. You have encouraged me to take life less seriously. But most of all, you have  taught me that while there is no way to be a perfect mother, there are […]

Oct 12, 2012  •  In Motherhood, Personal, Relationships

Feeling Sexy as a Mom

As long-time readers can attest, I was a late bloomer. Bullies who teased me for being different, my extremely awkward teen years, and a mixture of social ineptitude and general naïveté — combined with a first boyfriend who would tell me things like, “You’d be hot if you lost some weight” — led to my having […]

Oct 11, 2012  •  In Claire, Cute, Funny, Motherhood, Personal

Pandy’s Puddle

There’s an episode of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan which revolves around Tolee’s relationship with his stuffed panda bear, Pandy. In this episode, titled “Pandy’s Puddle,” Tolee the koala bear is utterly devastated when Pandy falls into a muddy puddle, and as a result must be separated from its owner to take a spin in the washing machine. […]

Sep 30, 2012  •  In Claire, Motherhood, Personal

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Can you believe my Claire Emmanuelle turns 2 today? Earlier this week, I had a flashback of myself dozing off in the recliner, holding her tiny swaddled body as she slept on my chest — because for about a month or so, this was the only way she would sleep during the night. And now […]

Aug 27, 2012  •  In Aerin, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Kicked in the Chest

Yesterday, I experienced one of the deepest disappointments in my experience of motherhood thus far. Yesterday, Claire got physically violent toward her younger sister. Aerin was trying to climb onto Claire’s chair — the seat she practically considers to be her throne — and Claire expectedly became upset. She then proceeded to KICK Aerin. It wasn’t […]