Goodnight Mom

It’s been a while since I posted anything on this blog. When I’m done working and taking care of the kids and cleaning up our mess for the day, getting on my computer to write about my thoughts and feelings is the last thing I’ve wanted to do. Instead, I’ve gone to the gym, had dinner with friends, or watched The Crown on Netflix, or wandered into the rabbit hole of obsessing over & consuming all things Meghan and Harry (I’m done with that though!).  But, I do love this blog. The outlet it’s given me to express myself about parenthood. The impact it’s had on the folks who read it. (Thank you, by the way, for reading and to those of you who have reached out to respond). So, I have returned to write about something controversial but weighing on my mind. Parenting young kids kind of sucks. In my opinion. If I had $1 for every person who told me we were in the “best years of our lives” or the “best time” of parenthood, I would be able to pay for full time childcare until they both ...

As a new mom, one of the things I really struggled with for a while (and I know I’m not alone here) was figuring out how to help Max get the sleep he needed. His overnight sleep seemed to fall into place nicely. The hours between feeds stretched out until eventually he was only waking up once or twice. Finally he could be settled without a bottle. Since about 3 months old he has slept 11-12 hours a night. His naps, however, have been more challenging. When Max was born, I had no idea what to expect in terms of sleep. I was told that he would follow a routine of eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping, etc. And that gradually, as he would get older, he would have more time in there for play and “tummy time.” Eat. Play. Sleep. Repeat. And so it goes. Wake Windows  I looked to bloggers and Instagram moms for advice. Many talk about “awake windows” -- this is the appropriate amount of awake time between naps for your child and it varies by age. When they’re newborn, it’s something like 45 m...