A fun way to figure out what’s unique about your child

  When Beatrice was little, people said to us all of the time, “She’ll sleep well tonight!” And we always laughed, but inside we thought, “Nope, she’s going to sleep the same as she does every night, because she’s always this active.” Since then I love to ask other parents what comment they hear most […]

To do: Get yourself a real swimsuit

When my oldest was 13 months, we took her on a family vacation to the Bahamas. Upon arrival we headed out to the zero-entry pool. While another tot sat calmly and splashed in the shallows, Beatrice ran in full force until she was over her head and couldn’t breathe. We yanked her up so her […]

Vitamin Mama

Some days I am amazed by the huge, intense, real, deep NEED my girls have for me. I can love them up so hard, snuggle them so tightly they feel like part of my body again, and they come back the next day, ready for more. Sometimes I check to make sure it’s not just […]

What preemies need most — thoughts on World Prematurity Day

November 17 is World Prematurity Day and today — like every July 22 and every time I learn that someone I know has just had a preemie — I remember the days of denial, terror, tears, and emotional exhaustion as we waited eight weeks in the NICU for that elusive day when things would be “normal.” Our first […]

On trail and on the town

This summer my oldest son turned 13 — a momentous occasion for all of us. He is officially a teenager. I am officially a parent of a teenager. They weren’t kidding about that “the days are long but the years are fast” thing. It was truly a blink of an eye. But he underwent a […]

Getting back to the starting line

  Last weekend I did my first race in THREE YEARS. It’s not like I haven’t been running. Aside from the three months I missed around Blythe’s birth, I have been running 2-4 times a week the whole time, and far enough to pull out a 10 miler on any given Saturday. There are a […]

Clothes you can feel good about, and in: Tumblewalla

Baby clothes — and let’s face it, babies — totally intimidated me before I had one. I had no idea what I was doing, so I didn’t purchase any baby clothes before my first was born. (Except for a guilt-induced run to Pacifier two weeks before my due date to grab two Dwell Studio footed […]

Mama’s big adventure (Guest post)

My friend Heidi is mama to a toddler and travels the world doing original research for her doctoral thesis in anthropology, while teaching and presenting around this country too. To say she’s leaning in is an understatement. I’m so proud of her and in awe of her courage — one trip involved several days’ travel on […]