My oldest is a very special child. From the day he came into existence and for many months afterwards, I felt sick, tired, hormonal, achy. During my pregnancy I ended up in the emergency room twice for dehydration because my morning sickness was so bad. I went into false labor twice. My early labor lasted three painful days. I used to double over in pain regularly when I was pregnant because he would kick me so hard. Everything hurt. Everything. 

I dealt with the stress of moving one week before my son was born. My husband left for four months of military training ten days before I was due. Then the kid was born and I had to scramble to get a birth certificate, plane ticket, passport–everything I needed to take him to Malaysia at three weeks of age. Now I have a beautiful four year old son who demands every second of my attention and continues to be the sweetest mop of blonde curls I have ever laid eyes upon, and he is joined by his two year old sister and (currently) newborn brother. 

They have their own stories and they have put me through their own crazy adventures.

When I found out I was pregnant I started reading. I read the Mayo Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Babywise, and everything I could find on the internet. Pinterest was my best friend, and I quite successfully freaked myself out with all the labor horror stories and tales of colicky babies who cried every second of every day for months. My favorite thing of all turned out to be the mom blogs. Those moms who lived utterly chaotic lives and yet brought joy and humor into every situation.

One thing I kept reading over and over–it is all worth it. 

Did I really believe that? Admittedly, I wasn’t convinced. What could possibly make endless months of sleeplessness and misery during both pregnancy and after delivery worth it?

Kids make for great stories. They’re always doing crazy things, getting into trouble, being adorable, making you want to pull your hair out etc. I started this motherhood thing young. My son was born six days after I turned twenty, so I didn’t have many mom friends to compare stories with or commiserate with or cry and laugh with. You moms out there all know that being alone at home with a child who can’t talk or who only ever talks to you to tell you no or ask for another cookie is a great recipe for insanity.

I can’t promise this blog will be a break from that–it’s pretty insane over here in our home too. What I can promise is a place you can read about the mundane, silly, and frustrating, and know that you’re not alone in your mom-ness. I want to be your friend and share with you what I’ve learned and how I’ve bettered my family. It will be like sitting out on the porch, drinking a cup of tea, and chatting gaily while trying to block out the sound of our kids screaming in the background, because that’s the mom life.

So let me tell you, dear readers: they were right. the crazy little people I call mine made it worth it. Sit down with a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea and get to know me, my story, my family. Welcome, friend.

Read all my posts about life as a mom here: Motherhood