I don't need to mention how long it's been since I posted or how badly I feel about that—I'm sure those things are obvious. I've had lots of ideas for posts and zero time to write them out: we were in England for a week, visiting family; two days after we returned, we hosted family...
Family
Announcing Pregnancies and Talking About Miscarriages
A dear friend is in the early stages of pregnancy with her second (and third - twins!) child, and she's not sure when she should begin telling people. She really wants to start talking about it (because twins!), and she's starting to show (twins!), but she hasn't yet crossed that unofficially official threshold of when...
On Overwhelm
In 2014, we moved to Sweden and we had our second child, Leif. Having a baby and moving internationally in the same year was incredibly stressful, and I vowed not to do it again. Well, it's 2017, I had a baby a few months ago, and we're preparing to move back to the US. That thing...
A Huge Announcement
So, I have something to tell you.
Raising Gender-Neutral Kids in Sweden
Last Thursday, when I arrived at school to pick up the boys before the long weekend, Leif was wearing a hot pink skirt over his pants. They'd done some dress-up for Easter and he hadn't taken off the skirt yet. When I commented on it ("I love your pink skirt!"), he seemed pleased and proud, then continued to...
The Baby Sleep Situation
Sorry for my brief hiatus from this space. As you may already know or might have guessed, life with a newborn is no joke. While we're actually getting along quite well as a new family of five, it's still hard. Zoë sleeps well once she finally settles into a good sleep but only if I stay...
Great Parenting Books That Don't Make Me Feel Like a Shitty Mother
I have to admit: I'm a fairly confident parent. Not confident that I do everything perfectly, or that every decision I make is Right, or that I couldn't possibly be raising my children any better, but confident that I'm mostly doing the best that I can do and that my children are emotionally and physically healthy. I generally trust my...
Using My Superpower: Donating Breastmilk
The closest thing I have to a superpower is lactating. Making food that another human can eat—and thrive on—from my own flesh (well, technically my blood) has always been and always will be absolutely miraculous to me. And like any true superpower, I can use it for the highest good: saving lives.
Baby Girl Gets a Name!
Baby girl is three weeks old today, which makes it high time for her to get a name! We've been having a hard time making a decision, as our final contenders all seemed to fit. But, after three weeks of delaying and trying out the finalists, and then a couple days of calling her just one of...
A Great Thing Sweden Does For New Babies (and Their Families)
I remember the first time we went to the pediatrician when August, our first, was born. It was within the first week of leaving the hospital, and it was our first excursion out of the house with the baby. It took us at least thirty minutes to get ready—we had to pack the diaper bag, get...