Motherhood & Words
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seven!
I will spare you a medical update this week to instead write about my sweet Zoë, who is seven years old today. Last night she snuggled into my lap on the couch and said, “Can you believe I’ve been alive for seven years?” “Only seven years!” I said. “I can’t imagine a time you weren’t…
update
Well, I’m holding steady. The good news is that I met with a wonderful gastroenterologist on Friday and he did not recommend surgery. He said that in cases like mine, gallbladder removal only improves symptoms in *one third* of patients. One third has the same symptoms after surgery and one third gets worse. Hell no.…
holy gallbladder
Last Tuesday I craned my neck to stare up at the monitor above my head. It was awkward because I couldn’t move my body; if I did, the picture from the gamma camera positioned inches above me might end up fuzzy. On the screen, a white star throbbed like a bright lung breathing in time…
smashing our fears
I always encourage my students to write towards vulnerability and explore the things they’re too afraid to say out loud. And always—always—I’m blown away by what emerges when they really do that, when they craft something beautiful from digging deep and confronting the things that scare them most. I love what one of my former…
hello, blog!
Well hello, friends. Once again I’ve been absent for too long, but I’m back and committed to spending more time here this year. I’m not sure what that will look like yet but I hope to post about reading and writing and life at least once a week. It’s taken me a while to check in partly…
done
Well, I did it. I turned in the manuscript on Sunday morning. And I’m proud of it, not only the fact that we met the deadline, but of the work itself. It’s a lovely book. After I hit the send button and announced it was done, Stella asked why I wasn’t crying. “Because I’m too…
the only thing to do
with an impossible deadline: wake up at 4 a.m. and I miss you, my friends, but I’ll back. I promise.
nicu awareness month
September is NICU Awareness Month. The fact that I am posting this on the last day of the month is not lost on me. Between kids being sick and crazy work/writing schedules and life in general, it’s not surprising that I’m behind schedule. But as I lay on the couch this morning, alternately sweating and…
our first mother-daughter book review
I’m sorry for my long silence this summer. I’ve been juggling so many things, and I just couldn’t get here and catch up. I’ll be better this fall, blogging about my ghostwriting gig, and teaching and posting a few reviews. But today I’m happy to revive the blog with my first mother-daughter book review! The…
the small things
I woke this past Saturday morning in my own bed, not needing to jump up and rush to—anything. Donny headed off to golf, a well-deserved break after solo parenting for the week while I was on Madeline Island. So I got up, meditated, made a pot of decaf, and began unloading the dishwasher, waiting for…
motherhood & words podcast
If you missed this year’s Motherhood & Words reading, no worries! You can now listen to the podcast, thanks to Mom Enough! It was a wonderful evening featuring Susanne Antonetta, Tami Mohamed Brown and Brain, Child’s Editor-in-Chief, Marcelle Soviero. You can listen here. And Susanne has a new blog Leave It to Ritalin on Huffington Post, so…
summer
Well, it’s the last day of school. Summer vacation is upon us. I’m grateful for the longer days and the sunshine and I look forward to less-rushed mornings at home. But, boy am I going to be busy this summer. I shifted into “GO!” mode last week, as I prepped for the River Teeth conference, which…