Friday, May 22, 2015
THREE-NE
Nene is three. THREE. And boy does this firecracker act her age...
Happy birthday, my mini me & bff.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
REAL
Alright, guys. Prepare yourselves for an existential post; I'm about to pour out some heavy.
Have you ever had one of those days that was just so... positively beautiful that you felt like everything in life had finally aligned? Today was one of those days for me. It wasn't perfect. Oh no. The littlest boy decided to walk/tumble down a slide. The wee baby choked on the arm of her sunglasses. The second oldest screamed for a good fifteen minutes over a rock. Typical day. But something else happened throughout all of this: I found my balance. I learned that I am capable of taking a day-long trip to the zoo with my six on a total whim. I learned that I don't really care what others think when I [discreetly] nurse my baby while watching my other little ones play. And I learned that I am happiest when I am present with my children - not just "there". It's ridiculous that it took so long for me to discover this. It really is. But I haven't been in tune with myself lately because I've been suffering from postpartum depression. Luckily, I knew what was happening soon after my sweet baby girl was born. I had such a difficult recovery and she had such rough beginning; those first two month were miserable. I had a hard time adjusting and it honestly felt like I was drowning. For what might be the first time in my life, I swallowed my pride. I told my doctor. I began taking antidepressants when Olivia was six weeks old. And they changed everything. My attitude. My perspective. My direction. The stigma surrounding postpartum depression makes it something not often talked about, but the struggle is real (I'm not even joking). I was suffering and, as a result, so was the rest of my family. Once things started to improve, I made the decision to not only be open and honest about it, but to share my experience with others. While it hasn't been an easy journey, it has allowed for quite a bit of growth. I feel like I am finding myself - like I am finally able to be my best self for my family. And that is a beautiful thing.
Have you ever had one of those days that was just so... positively beautiful that you felt like everything in life had finally aligned? Today was one of those days for me. It wasn't perfect. Oh no. The littlest boy decided to walk/tumble down a slide. The wee baby choked on the arm of her sunglasses. The second oldest screamed for a good fifteen minutes over a rock. Typical day. But something else happened throughout all of this: I found my balance. I learned that I am capable of taking a day-long trip to the zoo with my six on a total whim. I learned that I don't really care what others think when I [discreetly] nurse my baby while watching my other little ones play. And I learned that I am happiest when I am present with my children - not just "there". It's ridiculous that it took so long for me to discover this. It really is. But I haven't been in tune with myself lately because I've been suffering from postpartum depression. Luckily, I knew what was happening soon after my sweet baby girl was born. I had such a difficult recovery and she had such rough beginning; those first two month were miserable. I had a hard time adjusting and it honestly felt like I was drowning. For what might be the first time in my life, I swallowed my pride. I told my doctor. I began taking antidepressants when Olivia was six weeks old. And they changed everything. My attitude. My perspective. My direction. The stigma surrounding postpartum depression makes it something not often talked about, but the struggle is real (I'm not even joking). I was suffering and, as a result, so was the rest of my family. Once things started to improve, I made the decision to not only be open and honest about it, but to share my experience with others. While it hasn't been an easy journey, it has allowed for quite a bit of growth. I feel like I am finding myself - like I am finally able to be my best self for my family. And that is a beautiful thing.
