I’m so beyond thrilled to be PREGNANT again! I feel indebted, overjoyed and just generally psyched. But… Something happens to me when I’m pregnant. Something I completely forgot about, which I can only attest to God’s miraculous erasing of certain memories so that women continue to procreate. ... View Post
On Getting Real, Getting Hugged & Getting Pregnant
It’s Thanksgiving morning and it’s early, Doug golfing and Emmy still sleeping. Today will be so much fun—creamed corn to make, desserts to bake, siblings in town to squeeze. Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. But this morning, I pause, because this year, I’m stunned to stillness with gratitude. Not only at God’s faithfulness, provision and grace, but at his whimsical, immaculate timing. It happens to be ... View Post
10 Books That Saved Me in My First Year of Motherhood {Part 2}
Continued from last week, here are the second five books that saved my sanity in the year I became a mama. You’ve got quite the variety here! A parenting book, a book for mom’s soul, a kids’ book, and my two favorite baby sleep books. Enjoy! ... View Post
10 Books That Saved Me in My First Year of Motherhood {Part 1}
I’m a pretty ravenous reader. It’s one of my number one hobbies. But today, I was thinking about just how many books I read in my first year of motherhood. Probably more than in any other year of my life. Including second grade with the Reading Race Track around our classroom, the year of AP English Literature, even college and graduate school. When Emerson hit Earth, I inhaled pages like an absolute ... View Post
Dear Work: I’m Not Coming Back from Maternity Leave
A few weeks ago, I received this message from a precious fellow mama I’ve known since we were both little girls, and who now reads my blog: Hi Stephanie! I have a funny question to ask you. I know you were planning on returning to work after Emerson was born, but then you decided to stay home after all. I'm curious how you told your boss? I feel like staying home is what God has for me now. But I'm TERRIFIED of ... View Post
Mom on the Move: Top 10 Lessons in Relocation
EXHALE. At last!!! At last all our stuff is moved into our new house. At last I am (mostly) unpacked. At last I have internet and cable again, after 10 long days in the dark. It’s been such a wild two months of transitioning, traveling, task-accomplishing and toddler-managing that this rare moment of stopping to soak in my new surroundings feels like a small retreat. As much I’ve loved our recent adventures, it feels ... View Post