Epilogue

As I predicted, Lily woke happily this morning, chatting to herself, saying “Up!” and, when I came into the room, “Mommy!” in the sweetest, most loving tone you could imagine. Being forgiven so easily is a wonderful thing.

Of course, I was also right about not being able to sleep for a while, so I’m here at work, struggling to stay awake. This single parenting thing, even when temporary, is tough. I don’t know how full-time single parents do it. They’re made of stronger stuff than me…

Yes, it’s 4:30 in the morning as I write this

What a perfect reality check for a first “official” post.

I’m by myself with Lily this week, because Joe’s in Germany on a business trip (this is an anomaly, thankfully). Right now, it’s a little after 4:30 a.m., and Lily’s upstairs screaming her lungs out (and she’s got Joe’s lungs, which produce considerable volume). We’ve both been up for about an hour and a half now. Continue reading

Because being a perfect mom just isn’t a realistic option.

I know, I know. The world needs another “mommy blog” like it needs a hole in the head, and here I am, adding another one to the pile.

But given this new era of supposed “honesty” in parenting – where we all try to acknowledge just how fraught with difficulty the task is – I’m having a hard time resisting the temptation to write about my experiences. New (to me) and thought-provoking moments arise almost daily in the course of taking care of my 17 month old daughter, Lily, with my husband Joe; and inevitably, her appearance in our lives has altered the nature of our relationship, our perspectives, and the ways we spend our time and money. But we’re both trying to hold onto the best of who we were before we were parents, which is no small or easy task.

Continue reading