Hiya!

This is a blog about attempting to make your own humans (and failing miserably at first, but eventually succeeding), parenting, marriage, working mom life, aging parents, and being an imperfect human. 

Why Facebook gives me anxiety

Why Facebook gives me anxiety

Why does Facebook feel the need to bombard me with reminders of all the horrible things that could befall my children? I did not ask for this information, so STOP TELLING ME, because I’m going insane.

Point it down, son

Point it down, son

Squeak will be three years old next month, and he’s nowhere near potty trained. I might have conceived both my kids at the same time, from the same set of eggs and sperm, but when it comes to potty time, they couldn’t be more different.

To the mom in the trenches: it gets easier

To the mom in the trenches: it gets easier

When you feel like you cannot go on another minute, because it’s all just too much, remember this: you’re in the trenches right now. You won’t stay there. And it does get better. Here’s a story to explain how it did so for me.

My new gym routine: an update [with pictures!]

My new gym routine: an update [with pictures!]

It’s been four and a half months since I started a new workout regimen, and a lot has changed. My moods, my sleep, my mental state, my weight, and most definitely my confidence. At the risk of being “that girl who won’t shut up about working out,” here’s what’s happened since I kicked off a re-dedication to my own health.

A sheltered [food] life

A sheltered [food] life

I made it 37 years before trying a brussel sprout. It was easy to avoid them. The first 19 years of my life, a brussel sprout never once entered the doors of my childhood home. My sheltered childhood diet is at the root of many of my food aversions (and I have lots). But I’m determined to break the cycle, right here and now.

Air travel with babies & toddlers: car seats and the CARES harness

Air travel with babies & toddlers: car seats and the CARES harness

When it comes to airplane travel with kids, there are two options: Take the easy way out with lap-baby or no car seat (and take your chances with your child’s life and safety), OR do it the hard way, even though it’s a bit more inconvenient, and take along a car seat or harness. For the parents who choose the no-brainer “keep my kid alive” option, here are some tips to survive a flight when your kiddo needs a few more buckles.

World War Food: An Update

World War Food: An Update

We’re one year into Operation Picky-Eatin’ Toddlers. Using strategies from the feeding specialist, we’ve made huge strides over the last year. But not without some major roadblocks along the way.

My four-and-a-half-year gym hiatus

My four-and-a-half-year gym hiatus

From 2011 through 2015, I paid almost no attention to my physical health. I was completely absorbed in the task of making and raising tiny humans. It’s time to rebalance and find some semblance of fitness again.

Hard-working, picturesque, racist rural America

Hard-working, picturesque, racist rural America

After the stunning election results came in, analysts mentioned “racist rural America” over and over again. Equally, rural America (people I knew growing up) insisted that rural does not equal racist. My own experience shows that it’s not quite that black and white.

About Me

Hiya! I'm Lydia. I live in Iowa with my husband and two children, both the result of iVF. I started this blog in 2011, so everything here's a wee bit... old. I don't do a ton of writing anymore... but I'm leaving the blog up, in case it's helpful for those who stumble across it.

Skip to the iVF

If you're going through infertility and want to see our journey, start in June 2011 (first two cycles) or January 2014 (third cycle). Hopefully reading about our rollercoaster with assisted reproduction brings you a little hope, and more than a few giggles. (Keep in mind that this information is over a decade old in most cases; please don't take anything you read here as medical advice. Consult your doctor for facts.)

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