I put off packing the hospital bag as long as I could. I didn’t want to jinx it. I didn’t want to think about the last time I packed it. Mostly I didn’t know what to put inside. The usual necessities, of course. Pajamas. Hairbrush. Baby clothes. But I was bringing so much more with… Read More
Here’s the big announcement I’ve been saving. (Coming in at a distant second after Benjamin’s birth, of course!) In case you missed it in the brand-new Mothering Spirit newsletter, I have two new e-books available for you and yours: Prayers for Pregnancy was born from the prayers that bring so many to Mothering Spirit. I never… Read More
… Benjamin Luke, born Monday, July 24th. 8 lbs, 3 oz, 20.5 inches. Healthy and here. We are all in love with him. When I think of Benjamin’s birth story, the word that rises up is peaceful. An unexpected induction made for a long, slow labor. (The exact opposite of his brothers’ fast and furious births.) But… Read More
Baby is almost here. We’re waiting impatiently. The kids are clamoring every morning to know if today will be the big day. It’s been a long journey through pregnancy after loss. But today I’m delighted to share with you a few new projects I’ve been working on behind the scenes. First, I’m finally launching the… Read More
Right now are the waning days of pregnancy. Contractions come and go. Intense, then subsiding. I can’t walk without waddling. Sleep is fitful, restless. Comfort is elusive. I wake a hundred times. Every morning the kids ask if the baby will be born today. No one knows. These are my last days to carry. To… Read More
We were brand-new to the clinic, looking for a new doctor after our beloved pediatrician had retired. Our three living children are healthy as galloping horses—a simple fact made astonishing after the deaths of their two sick sisters. But they still need well-checks and vaccines and strep tests and a place to call about rashes… Read More
With laughter from the party still ringing in my ears, I headed toward the coat rack, hoping to grab my jacket and slip quietly away into the early evening cool to make it home before dark. But just as I reached the door, he turned and caught my eye. We smiled. Who can resist the… Read More
I have two items on my to-do list that I can’t get done: Order gravestone. Buy car seat. Every week they stare back at me blankly from my planner. Five simple words. One phone call to make. One purchase to click. Every week I turn away. I can’t tackle either one. (Yet.) Both must get… Read More
This post contains affiliate links. May means Mother’s Day. I’ve written before about the complicated nature of this holiday (and the need to remember all kinds of mothers on Mother’s Day). But it remains a beautiful time to celebrate the women who have mothered us—and the mothers that many of us are becoming. In honor… Read More
Triduum is my favorite time of year. Except when it’s turned upside down. In a house of one spouse with walking pneumonia, one child with pinkeye, two children with stomach bugs, and everyone home sick for Holy Week bringing an apocalyptic return of morning sickness which lands the other (pregnant) spouse in the hospital for dehydration on Holy… Read More