A couple days ago I announced to my Facebook friends that our family is anticipating a precious baby. I’m only six weeks along with this pregnancy and, by announcing, I’ve broken the unwritten rule that we don’t go public until we’re safely into the second trimester. Only two days before our announcement, I’d planned on waiting too. Because I’m all about protocol. I’m a rule follower. And because ... View Post
Noah’s Road…From The Beginning
Last Wednesday the word seizure shot back into our vocabulary. In an instant the normal of the morning vanished when Noah, in the middle of breakfast, wandered confused and lost. Mike and I stood dumbfounded, and Avry began to cry as the neurons in Noah’s brain misfired for the first time in nearly two years. If you’ve visited Noah’s Road to learn about our journey, or you’ve followed us from the ... View Post
That Time I Stalked Lisa Harper…
I shouldn't brag about this, but I have some experience as a stalker. As a teenager my friends and I would do "drive-bys" together: driving past the places where our crushes were, with the hopes of catching a glimpse. I was never ashamed. Until once we were caught - by MY crush. It was embarrassing. But I got over it. (He was THAT cute!) That tradition died in high school. Until this past weekend. ... View Post
How to Survive Pregnancy Loss as a Couple
How can you and your spouse survive the grief and loss of a pregnancy as a couple? Here is what I learned. I lost my first baby only hours after I’d first heard the thump-thump of his heart during an ultrasound. Just six weeks along, our baby was all heart and yolk sac. When my body expelled that blip of baby I was alone. I remember the confusion of the pain, the cramping I thought was a ... View Post
Bring Your Light to the Fight
My seven-year-old is a natural athlete. Whatever he attempts, he does well. And Avry wanted to learn to surf like the kids on YouTube. My husband is a radical cheerleader when it comes to his children, and so he bought a thick, short surfboard. Avry carried the board down to the surf, full of excitement, certain he'd look like those young surfers on YouTube in just a matter of moments. He strutted ... View Post
Be the First
Do you sometimes feel invisible? Have you stood in the hallway of church, work or a social event and felt your heart harden as women walk right past? Have you seen a friend and suddenly you feel like you're both strangers? Have you ever felt like if it weren't you reaching out, you'd never be invited to anything? Have you wondered why you're like teflon for friendships? I have thought and felt ... View Post
Faith to Pray (When You’re Not Sure Your Have It)
I gave birth to the most perfect, pink barrel-chested baby almost nine years ago. The doctor called me a rock star for lasting past 9 CM for my epidural. (Natural child birthers and other Wonder Womans, please give this win to me.) Four months later I dropped him off at daycare and kissed that precious face goodbye, walking into the drizzle of a gray April morning. The next time I saw my son he ... View Post
Breathing Lessons: Hope When You’ve Lost It
Last night my seven-year-old son, Avry, couldn’t find his breathing medicine (his inhaler and spacer). It’s a daily struggle for him, even though we’ve given him his own container for it and a storage place in the family room. But he’s seven, and sometimes he’s acts like it. By losing things. We were late for bed so I added a few comments like, “How can I trust you if you can’t take care of it?” ... View Post