Save Yourself

Step Two: Trust Your Gut

A twenty-somethings kid came to the door a few months after Amelia was born. Clipboard in hand, kindly requesting my utility bill. I had barely arrived home from the grocery store – slightly frazzled but holding steady. He stood waiting amongst the mountain of food still on the porch listening to my leg-clinging toddler sing …

Science & Progress

My Father’s Stroke {Grieving for Someone Who’s Still Here}

Six years ago this October, my dad was found unconscious one evening after my mom returned from work. We had no idea what happened or how long he had been down. A few frantic 911 and family calls later, the ER determined it was a massive right brain stroke. He had a Traumatic Brain Injury …

Toddler Wars

Stand By Me

I’m not sure about any of you but the older I get the more I cry. Remember that “crazy world” post where the 38-year-old me is balling her eyes out on the hardwood floor? Yeah, well it turns out, not so crazy, after all. As I was shaking & crying in my own existential breakdown …

Toddler Wars

Game Changer

Before I had the clarity to just hug my son when he’s crying & whining I tried saying things like, “settle down, use your words – can you ask more politely?” But I only ever saw his little body go further into overload. “Um, actually no, Ma. I can’t. I’m not thinking clearly – I’m …

Save Yourself

Step One: Lower the Bar

When I was a kid we played limbo at the Flippo’s skating rink in Morro Bay. I loved the place. Dreaded the game. The claustrophobic concept of lowering the bar until you either crash into it or fall on your ass gave me anxiety. I like my conditions stable. Predictable. Scheduled, organized, prepared & on …

Toddler Wars

He’s not usually like this.

It seems we’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting….wondering if my mellow-even-tempered-gentleman of a son might magically skip over the quintessential tantrums and preserve our dying sanity. But no. He’s decided to try crazy on for size and just like his hand-me-down Buster Posey shirt – he’s not taking it off. I’ve seen other kids with the …