I stared at the contents of a toddler's diaper in disbelief. He had passed a quarter. What on Earth? Throughout the two years that I had an in-home daycare, I both figuratively and literally saw some "weird shit.” The kids that I cared for ranged in age from six months old to four years old.... Continue Reading →
Our child was missing, and the world has never been a bigger place than it was that Sunday morning as we stood in our doorway looking out into it with terror in our hearts. "GO to the neighbors'. Maybe they saw something, or she's there. You know how friendly she is." It was true. At... Continue Reading →
With an E and Two R’s
I can't say, for certain, what I read in the wide hazel eyes of our first-born, Maggie Ann, as she stood just inside the doorway of the hospital room -- curiosity, excitement, fear, a hint of betrayal. It was as if she knew, on some level, that her world had changed. It had. She, alone,... Continue Reading →
Juggling and Struggling
With our second baby on the way, the mister and I decided that this would be a grrrreat time for me to pursue higher education. There was an abundance of aid available, I was told. I wanted, more than anything to go to the University of Mary and major in English. I knew I wanted... Continue Reading →
Boomerang
Between the time we had gone to the hospital to have our first baby and the time we were ready to leave, my husband and his sister had moved us out of our apartment and into my parents' basement. (Sigh) I suppose this was our first of several very pride-swallowing experiences. With me out on... Continue Reading →
“Hello” and “Goodbye”
My first husband had the most remarkable wing-man in his three-year-old nephew. From the moment I laid eyes on the little tyke, he had me wrapped around his little finger. He was such an unexpectedly integral part of our courtship. If there was ever a rough patch or a moment of doubt, somehow he was... Continue Reading →
Ready or Not… Not Even Close
As March drew near, our heads came out of the sand. Our due date was upon us, and baby seemed perfectly content, not the least bit eager to leave the accommodations my body was providing. We were barely out of high school, still newly wedded, jobless, and soon-to-be insurance-less. Yes, I know, in a word,... Continue Reading →
Snapshot
There truly are moments in time that stand still and stay preserved as snapshots in our minds. I sat in the recliner nursing my infant twins simultaneously in "football hold", just as I had learned it from the books I had read in preparation for mothering these babies. A playpen full of clean clothes sat... Continue Reading →
Love My Messy Life 