Image credit: Photo by Travis Jon Allison on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "I don't like Agnes much," said my mother, "She's definitely no Aunt Gerty. But it's because Gerty was so wonderful that I think Uncle Fred is marrying Agnes." "What do you mean?" I asked. Uncle Fred and Aunt Gerty had been married [...]
Posts under ‘newborns’
A Problem Is a Problem
Image credit: Photo by Esther_G on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Eight years ago, in spite of the fact that we were both exhausted by caring for our infant son, I found that my husband Mark was staying up later and later at night. He had to be up at 5 a.m. to get ready [...]
The Leisurely Life of a Stay-at-Home Mom
Image credit: Art by georgia.g on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons When my son was first born, I actually spent some time doing that thing that we stay-at-home moms supposedly spend our lazy, bon-bon eating days doing: I watched television. Now, I know, folks who haven't actually been stay-at-home parents to a colicky infant -- [...]
Caring for Myself
Image credit: Photo by hyperbolic pants explosion on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons There's a picture of me somewhere, when my son was a few months old, sitting at the computer and uploading pictures of him to share. I got lots of advice to sleep when the baby slept. I was told by plenty of [...]
I’m One of Those People
Image credit: Photo by Sarah and Mike ...probably on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Before my first child was born, I swore to friends and family members that I wasn't going to be one of those people. You know the kind. The ones who would pull out pictures of their newborn and expect me to [...]
Feeding the Emptiness
Image credit: Photo by Djuliet on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Many years ago, before we had children, my husband bought me a small fish tank for my birthday. At the time, I wanted a car. I didn't really think he could buy a car, but I was relying on a very iffy public transit [...]
Isolation
Image credit: Photo by H@Ru on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I feel very comfortable in written words, in the virtual world, but relating to people face-to-face has always been more difficult for me. I'm an introvert (meaning that time around people drains me, even when I enjoy it) and although no longer noticeably shy, [...]
Confessions of a Bad Mother
Image credit: Photo by Jill Greenseth on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I have a secret. I have been grieving over my children since, at times, before they were even born. Now that's not the way it's supposed to be, is it? I'm a mama, and mamas are supposed to be joy and love and [...]
Wearing Away the Stone
Image credit: Photo by lfaisco on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons As I was brushing my hair recently, I noticed a few strands of gray. My mother's hair seemed to turn white nearly overnight in her late forties. She said it was the grief of losing two close family members within less than a year [...]
3:30 a.m.
Image credit: Photo byF.S.M. on FlickrLicensed under Creative Commons I've calculated the precise moment at which mothering instincts kick in, and that moment is 3:30 a.m. Actually, I'm extrapolating a little. I'm not sure that it was actually 3:30 a.m. the very first time my own mothering instincts kicked in. I'm not sure what time [...]
