Tales from the Mommy Trenches

A definitive guide to marriage and other stuff I have enjoyed while being a pregnant hermit

I’m always thirsty for pearls of knowledge regarding married life, because dedicating your entire life in union with another person is, you know, a hefty undertaking and I feel like I need all the help I can get. I was excited when Mama Nell and company were offering a Scripture study/workshop on marriage (I had Scott on board with doing the worksheets and activities and everything), but the study ran in June during the worst of my pregnancy nausea, so I missed the whole thing. I was so disappointed. read more

(Not So) Cheerfully Suffering through the Morning Sickness

Legend has it that St. Lawrence was slowly burned to death on a hot gridiron for his faith. He was so holy that while he burned on one side he cheerfully quipped to his tormentors, “You can turn me over now. I’m done on this side.”

I have come to the conclusion that I am not that holy yet. This “morning sickness” has me wanting to crawl into a dark recess and wait for the end. But Scott gently reminded me that the morning sickness excuse can only go so far, and the blog must go on! read more

The Great Announcement That Surprised No One

After seeing negatives for a year, but jaw hit the floor. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Ruth was in the bathroom with me (because privacy isn’t a thing when you have young children) and I asked her how many lines she saw. “Two!” she said without hesitation.

“Do you know what that means?” I asked her, my eyes as wide as saucers.

She looked at me quizzically, as if to say, “Should I, Mom?”

“That means there is another baby in mommy’s belly!” I pronounced, and waited for dramatic effect. read more

Weaning is Hard

I think my problem always comes from having preconceived notions about how my breastfeeding journey is going to play out with any particular child. I was fully committed to breastfeeding each child. Not because I subscribe to the “breast is best and formula is like feeding your child rocket fuel!” way of thinking, but because I am cheap. Formula is expensive, man! Like, we’re going to have to cut out some non-essentials and budget for this, expensive. I guess the rocket fuel manufacturers jealously hoard the stuff or something. I kid, I kid. read more

ONE

Like the Beatles album, but chubbier and more giggly.

Today, my baby is one. If you are wondering how that nursing thing went, I am still fighting for one nurse a day. Girl is weaning herself hardcore. But that struggle deserves its own post.

Milestones: She is pulling up to stand, cruising around while holding onto things, walking with push toys, and standing unassisted for a few seconds. She can also climb the stairs and open the door to the baby gate I put in front of the stairs in my futile attempt to keep her from going up the stairs. She knows that I am “Mama” and takes full advantage of it by shouting it at the top of her lungs if I am out of sight until I reappear and give her what she wants. So, she pretty much shouts, “Mama!” at me all day. If I ask her who Dada is, she will point to Scott. She just started pointing, and it is pretty cute. read more

Pentecost Sunday!

Happy Pentecost Sunday! I tried to make sure the girls and I were all wearing dresses with something red(ish) on it. I was excited about Pentecost Sunday Mass. Happily, the girls behaved themselves and we had no mishaps. Rose decided the nice breeze outside was too much for her.

Now Rosie is fine and Ruth is too chilly. I can’t win. Anyhow, I shall satisfy your burning curiosity as to what the girls are wearing.

Ruth:

Dress was a gift from my mother-in-law, shoes were a gift from my Mom. I guess that isn’t very much information. Sorry about that. I have no idea where they got them! read more

Happy Mother’s Day! And What We Wore to Mass

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Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there! I’m sitting here blogging while Scott is vanquishing the endless mountain of dirty dishes, so it is safe to say I’m having a pretty good one. Linking up with Rosie from a Blog for my Mom.

Mass today was a bit of a shock after Scott and I went by ourselves two weeks ago in Chicago and then we were all hit with a horrible fevers/colds/coughs plague last week, so we didn’t make it to Mass. We scrambled in right on time today, but of course the second we crossed the threshold all of a sudden both Ruth and Rose had to use the bathroom. So we ended up sauntering into the sanctuary not until the Gospel reading. Mom and Dad had kindly held some seats (read: an entire pew) for us, so we shuffled in. Wren had put the hymnal in my lap and was perched on my knees, but wanted to move the hymnal and lean back against me, so I had to push her forward a bit (while supporting her, of course) so that I could move the hymnal from my lap. Well, she got startled by me leaning her forward and thought she was going to fall, and started wailing loudly. I got her calmed down pretty quickly by just pulling her in and holding her, but the couple in the pew directly in front of us left the pew in a huff once Wren started wailing. Then, they pointedly made their way to a pew a sufficient distance away from us and sat back down. It was pretty embarrassing and hurtful. That was the only time Wren cried, and it was simply because I startled her and she thought she was going to fall. Oh well, something to offer up. read more

A Hard Hittin’ Interview with My Mother for Mother’s Day

This idea was inspired by my girl Nell, who is struggling with some debilitating hyperemesis gravidarum (is there any other kind?) right now and could use your prayers if you have a moment to spare.

For this post, I interviewed my intrepid mother. She is the eldest daughter of Cuban refugees and also an attorney turned SAHM. My grandmother dropped her off at her first day of kindergarten neglecting to mention to her teachers that she didn’t speak any English. My grandmother took it for granted that my mother would learn English in no time. And that she did. read more

A Weekend in Chicago, Part II

Here is Part I, in case you stumbled into this post in medias res.

Where was I? Ah yes. We had just completed the famed architecture tour. Definitely a must if you are ever in Chicago. After lunch, we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Art Institute before the wedding. The Art Institute was a block away from our hotel and the wedding venue, so we figured we had enough time. As it was with all of our decisions in Chicago, we did not regret it. The art museum was a marvel. Scott dabbles in art himself (if you will permit me to brag on my husband, I think he is an extremely talented artist), so he was really looking forward to seeing some American masterpieces like American Gothic in person. read more

The Weekend I Fell Hard for Chicago, Part I

As soon as I got that invitation for the wedding of my high school best friend, I knew I was attending come hell or high water. She has been living in Chicago for several years now, and I had yet to go visit her over there. Luckily for me, Scott was able to free up his schedule and give me the go ahead to make arrangements for our trip.

I, of course, crowd sourced all of my social media and blog outlets to get the skinny on all of the must-sees and must-eats in Chicago. As usual, the recommendations didn’t disappoint. But, I am getting ahead of myself. read more