Find Me On Substack

Hey friend! Just wanted to drop a note here that I have officially started a Substack (like every other blogger you've followed). I'm still learning the formatting and getting into a groove, but I've been feeling inspired to write again and am excited to see where it goes.You can find it HERE and I would be so grateful if you subscribed. I haven't decided what I'll do with this space yet. I have so many fond memories here and don't want to completely dissolve it just yet. Thanks for being a part of my writing journey.Peace,Sa...

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Dorothy’s Birth Story

Dorothy EmmanuelleOur girl is here!  I started a draft of Dorothy's birth story when she was a month old and could not formulate words to get the experience down "on paper" (typed out), so here we are months later and I am finally crossing the to-do off my list.Much like her big brother, baby girl was super cozy and did not want to arrive on her due date, December 14th. A week over and she was still not budging. I had zero signs of labor and Christmas was days away. Thankfully, I was able to arrange with my doctor to delay the typical timing of induction (41 weeks) so that I wasn't guaranteed to be in the hospital on Christmas. Had she come on her own, I would have been perfectly fine...

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What I Read in January 2022

At the beginning of 2021, I decided to share the books I read (mostly listened to) on my Instagram via stories. At the end of each month, I would post a picture of the cover of the book and include a (very) subjective star rating for the title. I had been using Goodreads for a few years and often gathered new tbr (to-be-read) titles via books I saw shared on other accounts, so I thought it would be fun to share my own reading journey. And it was! I got so much positive feedback, and by the end of the year, I had many friends reach out to say that they hoped I would continue sharing in 2022. Thankful for the encouragement (and assurance that it wasn't annoying), I am happily continuing...

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4 Rules for Seasonal Decorating

I read a new (to me) quote on Instagram last week that said, "in autumn the trees teach us how beautiful it can be to let things go" and I am hoping to bring that mindset into this particular season of my own life as my family and I gear up for some new transitions and new rhythms as a soon-to-be family of four.Like just about every other person out there, I love fall. I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, the spicy scents and tastes, and just about everything this season has to offer.That includes decorating inside and outside with ALL of the pumpkins and other autumnal goodies.  I've gathered quite the collection of fall decor over the years and try to follow a few rules when...

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And Hay Became Holy: Advent 2021

 I still haven't been as active as I'd like on this little corner of the internet. August and September were incredibly full in many ways - some good, some bad. Posts I had been planning involved home projects that did not get done and the time and headspace to think of and create others evaporated. The gears are starting to turn again though, so we'll see what's in store before baby Rose arrives in Dec. . .Something exciting I did want to share here is an Advent Devotional I had the privilege of writing for. It's a project I've been keeping secret for almost a year and I cannot wait to see how it blesses the women who pray with it in the coming season.  For those who aren't familiar,...

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It's been a while . . .

 3 posts. That's all that I managed to create last year - at least in this space.In reality, the past year contained a plethora of creating and learning and growing and just being. The being is my favorite. True, the lockdowns and social restrictions were challenging and just plain hard, but they also created a space of pause and of intentionality between me and my little family, and for that I am grateful.It seems like yesterday we were navigating the newborn life with Matthew, and in less than 20 weeks we'll be entering that space once again with his sweet baby sister. (I think most of you follow me on Instagram, but if not, surprise! We're pregnant!)Michael and I were talking last night...

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Our "Breastfeeding" Journey

It’s World Breastfeeding Week (or Month, depending on what post you see). This is also the month that I have chosen to stop nursing (exclusively pumping / combo feeding) Matthew and I thought I would share a bit about our breastfeeding journey on the off chance that it might bring comfort to another new mama out there with a similar experience while she discerns what’s best for her family.

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Let me preface this with the following: I was formula fed. I was also raised by parents who worked full time outside of the home, went to public school, and was delivered via cesarean (including an epidural). And I turned out fine.

There is no “right” way to raise your baby. As long as you are loving on that sweet child, you are doing what’s best.

These seem like ridiculous statements to have to make, but I know a lot of women who’ve been criticized for the way they choose to raise their kiddos. A friend of mine was stopped by a stranger in the grocery store while buying formula and told that breast is best. Another friend’s sister was criticized by her doctor for choosing not to breastfeed. The comments I hear from people who assume I went to private school about public school education are laughable. And the level of superiority some people feel for birthing vaginally – especially if they did it un-medicated – is sad.

And I know that because of a lot of these stories, I have found myself personally defensive about my choices in parenting and have even felt like a failure – and I’m only four months in!

So, I want to be clear. This is simply my experience. It’s not meant to be a “this is the right way to do it” post. My story may parallel yours, it may not. You may relate to some of my feelings about nursing, and you may not. Either way, that’s fine.

The main reason I’m writing this all down is because the biggest comfort I’ve felt in my parenting journey so far, is friends sharing they’ve had similar experiences. 

When I announced I was being induced, I was shocked at the number of friends who shared positive induction experiences. And when I shared my difficulties breastfeeding, I was similarly met with the solidarity of women I love, some that were right there in the thick of it with me. In fact, when I was deciding whether or not to stop nursing, it was a post from a friend articulating similar feelings that, in a sense, gave me permission to follow my instincts and set an end date.

My hope is that this post might offer some of that same sense of solidarity I’ve been blessed with. Our mothering journeys may be eerily similar or radically different, but in the end, we are mamas aiming to do what is best for our sweet babies. And that’s really all we need to worry about.

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