When James and I were first trying to conceive, I was a bundle of nerves, crying at every turn, especially when getting pregnant didn’t go how I had (meticulously) planned it. We stopped using contraception and proceeded to “try” for the next year. When about 14 months had passed and I still wasn’t pregnant at … Continue reading IVF – The Second Time Around
Our first trip with the baby was not the complete disaster we expected it to be. It was less than optimal, but I was proud of us for finally hitting the road as a new family with a child. We learned several important lessons about how to road trip more efficiently and more comfortably for … Continue reading Our Second Road Trip with Baby (Now a Toddler)
My family and I are very fortunate. My husband and I are both college-educated and had the opportunity to start our professional, corporate careers during the post-Great-Recession economic boom. We each spent nearly a decade climbing that ladder before finding out we were expecting our first child. For a number of reasons, I was already … Continue reading I Became a Stay-at-Home Mom During COVID-19 Quarantine
I admit it. Our first road trip with Louise was not optimal. But we really learned a lot that should help us travel more easily down the road (ba dum bump). We had Louise mid-2019, and decided that we were staying home the following holiday season to keep our life as simple as possible. So, … Continue reading Our First Road Trip with Baby
Preparing for Louise's arrival was so much fun -- the shopping, the friends and family recommendations about the best type of baby items, the research about how to save money. Along the way, I discovered the mix of new, used, and borrowed that has worked (so far!) for our family.
Routines help me have more productive days with my daughter. If I can efficiently take care of the chores, it frees up other time to enjoy playing with Louise or relaxing while she's taking a nap, helping our family feel more relaxed day after day.
Happy Optimizing 