i’m busy watching violet move. i’m busy in disbelief as she discovers her body. her elbows. her knees. the way things fold and bend. the way she can spin on her stomach. the way it feels to spit her applesauce and sweet potatoes. she laughs. she smiles bigger than i have in months. she’s delighted. [...]

henry called me “mom.” it was over lunch. i think he was having cheesy shells. i was probably propping the baby and trying to spread peanut butter at the same time. he turned to me and said, “thanks, mom.”

and, you know, it was anti-climatic. once i heard the word “mom,” i realized i rather liked [...]

i’ve been looking for ways to motivate myself to do housework. i never used to be a messy person. in fact, i was sort of type A about my bedroom as a child. i knew when my sister came in and moved the teapot or tipped over a bear or broke the leg of my [...]