Before things got hairy in the world of pre-term labor scares, there has been a lot rolling around in my head about when this little lady will make her appearance. For a long time I thought her due date was... Continue reading

Continued from Tuesday. I woke up on the Wednesday following my little hospital adventure feeling ... all right. Not exactly well, but much better than I'd felt the day before. John was home, his mother had arrived to help me... Continue reading

On last Tuesday I landed myself in the hospital. It seems I have a special knack for getting myself into trouble at the worst possible times: John was out of town at a funeral and his parents (who live nearby... Continue reading

So in the last month or so something has happened in my brain. I think ... I think this is my last pregnancy. (You'll remember on my post about getting my tubes tied that the jury was still out on... Continue reading

On Monday I experienced the most terrifying moment I have had as an adult and as a parent. I have contemplated how to process through it, gone back and forth about whether I should write about it here. I thought... Continue reading

Oh you guys. This dude. He's in a phase. What? An "Oh my goodness he is SO super cute!" phase? Well, yes. That too. But also? He's doing this thing where he WILL. NOT. EAT. Now wait, before you send... Continue reading

When I visited the perinatologist last week he noticed my belly button ... it has come unattached and kind of teepees out in a weird outie. I used to have a pretty deep innie (and a six pack! But let's... Continue reading

So! Catch up time! IT'S A GIRL!! We found out last week, and as much as I thought I'd be shocked either way, I wasn't surprised to hear it was a girl. It actually made sense because I distinctly remember... Continue reading

I was looking back at my archives, trying to investigate the details of my last pregnancy, and I realized something: This blog used to have one huge topic and her name is Sydney. I spent a lot of time chronicling... Continue reading

Well, y'all. It's my third rodeo. My third time in the 2nd trimester. I'm 18 weeks along this week and things seem notably different this time. Maybe it's my war-torn and useless immune system (a warning to anyone who gets... Continue reading

After I posted about Tide this week my friend Erica sent me the link to this super interesting New York Times article about how Tide is being stolen and has a high street value. Like ... people steal bottles of... Continue reading

By Manda Now that my daughter is in her second year of preschool, she is having more play dates with her little friends and it is SO CUTE! She actually has one today after school and when I told her she was going to her friend's house (and the yogurt shop!) after school she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. When we arranged the play date, the other mom said something magical to me: "And don't worry! We have an extra car seat!" I cannot tell you how awesome and convenient that is for me. My 4-year-old still... Continue reading

I have tried many experiments in my life as a young adult. I once tried to go no 'poo and a few weeks later - with a crusty, oily scalp - went crawling back to Tresemmé and never looked back.... Continue reading

By Manda Welp, here we go again! I'm expecting our third baby this summer, and at 14 weeks pregnant I'm already starting to show. I can still fit into my regular jeans, although most of my shirts (with the exception of my long tank tops) are pulling in all the wrong places. I've gotten out my bin of maternity clothes and most of them are either worn out, the wrong season, or just plain out of style. Thankfully I got some new maternity clothes for Christmas, but I'm going to need to round things out as the months go on.... Continue reading

Lest you think I am lost to dark thoughts as I post them here (I promise you I am not), I want to share this song. It blesses me. There is hope for the future in this house, quiet as... Continue reading

It is no secret that pregnancy is not so easy for me. My body does not tolerate it very well and I am so thankful for the modern medicine that has made the life of at least two of my... Continue reading

My only New Year's resolution last year was "no pregnancies in 2012." And well? NOW I'M PREGNANT. This week is my 13th week. This pregnancy was not "planned" per se, although the plan was to try for a third baby... Continue reading

I sit in a Chipotle alone on a Tuesday night. It is a rare night when I'm headed somewhere alone, and I was hungry so I came inside to eat. I watch the people come in and out. The ones... Continue reading

By Manda It's the time of year when I get overwhelmed. I love Christmastime, I really do! But right about now - mid-December, basically - things feel like an uphill climb. There are presents to buy and wrap, cookies to make, turkeys to cook, parties to attend, so many little details to remember. It's very easy for me to lose sight of what a blessed person I am, which just seems silly. I have an amazing husband who is crazy about me and two beautiful, healthy children. I have such a wonderful extended family and group of friends. We have... Continue reading

Lately I am having some trouble finding quiet space. I have two small children ... so NO DUH my house is just always ALIVE with NOISE! My husband has a home office (and really this should say Garage Office as... Continue reading

By Manda My son, who is now just over two years old, has always been what we call a "special needs sleeper." Even when he was a baby he had to have a perfectly dark and quiet room to get any quality sleep. Now let me tell you, as a parent who has an older (and LOUD) child, two unpredictable dogs, and wood floors all in a one-story home (and not to mention we have to walk past the kids' room to get to our bedroom) and you this was formula for disaster. Even as a tiny baby he only... Continue reading

By Manda After nearly 8 years of loathing, my husband will be overjoyed to find that our stocking hangers are about to meet their end. Minutes after we got out our Christmas decorations this year there was a yanking incident that ended in a nearly-broken face on our 4-year-old. Our 2-year-old, who copies everything his sister does, is determined to injure himself as well! We have these "NOEL" holders, which are of the Target variety and only slightly weighted. Heavy enough to hold an empty stocking, easy to yank off, and yet just dangerous enough to cause injury. GENIUS. Can... Continue reading

Well, Thanksgiving was - in many ways - a bust. Syd got the stomach flu in the car, 6 hours away from home, in middle-of-nowhere Utah. And that was just DAY ONE of vacation! She was fine in about 24... Continue reading

Since we put foot back on California soil after the Chicago Marathon, we have been dealing with sickness at our house. We came home and Syd had a mild case of hand, foot & mouth, which was then overlapped by... Continue reading

By Manda I'm not a huge in-store shopper anymore (unless you include tossing workout clothes into my grocery-laden cart at Target while chasing down my four-year-old in the underwear section and simultaneously trying to wrangle my 2-year-old into the Ergo backpack because he tries to jump out of the cart). Usually when I head out to a non-grocery store with my two children I have a specific item in mind, have a strategy in place ahead of time ("You! In the stroller! You! Get a treat at Starbucks if you stay right next to me and don't wander off!" I... Continue reading