The hard work of liking our kids, not just loving them

Thumbnail image for The hard work of liking our kids, not just loving them November 21, 2011

There are frayed edges of motherhood that aren’t often talked about. Those places where we’re holding onto our temper with one hand and the belief that things have got to get better eventually with the other.
One night that place rocks me hard as I rock my baby girl in one arm and cell phone cradled [...]

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Because somedays everyone feels covered in ick

Thumbnail image for Because somedays everyone feels covered in ick November 17, 2011

Don’t worry, this post isn’t about potty training. Or about gastro intestinal bugs. You don’t have to be a mom to relate to this post.
Because some days, I think, we all feel covered in ick.

There’s the slimy goopy ick of worry that I feel my feet squishing around in.
There’s the impossible-to-scrape-off ick of constantly being [...]

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The truth {about “fine”} will set you free

Thumbnail image for The truth {about “fine”} will set you free November 14, 2011

I’m seven months since the last baby was born and still fighting with my jeans.
She’s wearing hers like a perfect fit and I can’t help but say what I’m really thinking, “Man, you look great. You just look so good. How’d you do that? How’d you get back to the pre-baby shape so quick?”
And I [...]

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When you’re not sure what comes next

Thumbnail image for When you’re not sure what comes next November 9, 2011

The back yard looks like a place where toy cars come to die.

Fall in all its beauty is dying too.
I sit outside with the baby girl in her socks and me in the sneakers that aren’t quite on properly because we rushed outside to try and catch some of the late afternoon light before it [...]

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Things our parents could have told us about parenting

Thumbnail image for Things our parents could have told us about parenting October 26, 2011

How heavy a baby is.
How that tiny, new human being can cripple a back with endless nights of swaying and leaning and crouching over a crib to listen to her breathe. They could have mentioned the ache you’d feel at the pit of your heart when she smiles or burps or rolls over.
Perhaps they could [...]

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Because parenting is an exercise in adapting to change

Thumbnail image for Because parenting is an exercise in adapting to change October 24, 2011

The boys know our block well and, like homing pigeons, once we hit it they fly the rest of the way. I see their new khaki pants patched etched against the sky – smudges of speed and delight at the sound of their own hammering feet and hearts and breath racing the sidewalk home.
A passing [...]

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On resisting the itch of social media

Thumbnail image for On resisting the itch of social media October 20, 2011

It’s an itch.
That desperate need to keep desperately checking email, twitter, Facebook.

And if there’s no new news, I can scratch myself raw with all the clicking over and looking and wondering why no one’s noticing.
It’s the itch that gets no real satisfaction through scratching.
Because if the inbox is full, my heart feels heavy and [...]

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Why is love so much easier for grown ups to give than to receive?

Thumbnail image for Why is love so much easier for grown ups to give than to receive? October 18, 2011

We play this game, my kids and I. A game of extravagant, one-upmanship designed to color in the vibrant shades of how we feel about each other.
We use our favorite word crayons, markers and finger paints to spell out our feelings.

I love you more than pizza.
I love you more than dump trucks.
I love you more than tractors.
I [...]

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For the days when you want to quit motherhood

Thumbnail image for For the days when you want to quit motherhood October 13, 2011

This post is for my little cousin, Bronwen, who’s at the one year mark of motherhood.
And it’s for you.
This post is for those days when “getting over yourself” is the last thing an exhausted, I-can’t-take-it-anymore, run down mother needs to hear.

Can I just take your sweet face between my hands and look into your tired [...]

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How to be successful at anything

Thumbnail image for How to be successful at anything October 10, 2011

And I get her out of the bath and wrap her up in shiny, skeins of softness that compliment her still brand new skin. I burrito her into my arms and we both laugh and the air smells like baby lotion and love.
These are my big moments. No one sees them but me and her.

I [...]

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