After a long day at work, my husband was greeted by me: a vomiting machine crossed with an emotional basket case. You might think I’m exaggerating, but there are just some embarrassing scenes that are too awful to make up. At one point, my physical distress of morning sickness had peaked to such a humiliating level, I wept hysterically on the floor of our bathroom. As…
The downpour struck fast and without warning. The rain streaks looked like steady shoots of water from the sky. On the inside of the house, the rainfall looked like a little 2-year-old who went from happy to distraught in a few minutes. My husband and I were spending the day with my cousin’s family: mommy, daddy, and three kidlets. As parents-to-be, James and I have a…
Like a wise traveler, I plot my course for days before I begin. I make careful plans, with a clear head, and no rushing. I then board my ship, check my charts, and run a finger along the map’s inked path from my port to the island I hope and pray to reach. It will test the limits of my endurance. The first days go smoothly.…
Push aside blankets in the dark cozy corners and snuggle up to the window. Exchange your black wardrobe (I’m talking to you, Seattle!) for lighter-colored, or at least colorful attire. Allow yourself an iced version of your favorite caffeine stimulant, even if the weather’s only a smidge warmer than usual. Listen to Celtic, Folk, Instrumental, and Swing style music—it will make you want to go outside,…
The pile lies before me in a daunting mountain as I sprawl on the carpeted floor of my office. The papers glitter with patterns and textual swirls the decorate years and years worth of notes. I must face the truth: The time has come to part with precious things I've stashed away. I am a pack rat when it comes to preserving pieces of the written…
James and I have discovered the sex of our baby. Ya’ll ready for this? As I prepared myself for this ultimate reveal—this all-defining moment—I realized the enormous importance my society places on gender. I have a pregnant cousin who’s choosing to not to peek at her baby’s sex. She told me that the question, “Do you know what you’re having?” irks her. She wants to answer,…
Dear Little One, I write this letter early in the morning light. It’s the day when I’ll find out a huge part of you. In the moments before I learn whether you’re a little boy or a little girl, I cradle my tummy and feel the warmth there. You’ve been keeping me up at night. Perhaps you get restless when I am restless. Can you feel…
Sleep, little child, and dream for me Dream me a white-plumed apple tree All a-bloom in the early spring Dream me a song to sing -“Apple Tree,” Songs from Dreamland From lullabies to We-Sing videos, I spent hours and hours of my childhood singing. I never forgot what I sang. There was collection of lullabies called Songs from Dreamland that my parents played on a cassette…
In this second post on my Creative Republic map, I have a few more creative territories of my mind to explore. Canyons-These are the dangerous and blessed places where I can chuck all of my discouragement and worries. I let them tumble into my canyons, then offer up a prayer, and walk away. I know I may never be fully rid of my doubts, but I’ll…
As most of you know, my pregnancy has been knocking the wind out of me—more literally, I’ve been an exhausted clump of hormones for the last few weeks and it hasn’t been pretty. However, I take this giant energy-drain to mean that the Child Within will be an awesome force to be reckoned with…and that still makes me smile. My firstborn isn’t the only thing consuming…