Dear past Tom: So your toddler found a bird in the garden
Dear Tom from last May. You're currently standing on the patio in your dressing gown, holding a lukewarm mug of instant coffee while watching Maya and Lily enthusiastically poke at a pulsating lump of grey fluff on the lawn, so...
The Day a Fuzzy Yard Invader Taught Me About Triage
I was holding a lukewarm cup of chai, watching my toddler try to eat a fistful of Chicago dirt, when I saw it. A tiny, masked face peering out from under our cedar deck. It looked like a stuffed animal...
Dear Past Priya: What You Got Wrong About Pond Wildlife
Dear April Priya. You're standing at the edge of the Humboldt Park lagoon with a fistful of stale sourdough, a hyperactive toddler balanced on your hip, and a burning desire to create a core memory. The sun is out, the...
That Time A Baby Possum Taught Me Everything About Infant Sleep
I was standing in my gravel driveway at two in the afternoon, sweat pooling in the small of my back, holding a literal shoebox containing a shivering, bald little creature while my oldest toddler screamed so loud the neighbors probably...
Why That Adorable Baby Bunny Is a Terrible Idea for Your Toddler
I was elbow-deep in a basket of mismatched toddler socks last night when a post in my local county Facebook group made me drop my phone right into the laundry basket. Some sweet, incredibly naive mom had posted, "Looking for...
What to Do When Your Toddler Finds a Baby Finch in the Grass
It's 2:14 PM on a Tuesday and I'm staring at what looks like a hairy jellybean on my concrete patio. My 11-month-old daughter is currently operating in her standard 'Roomba mode,' rapidly crawling toward the jellybean with her mouth wide...
How to Survive the Baby Blue Tuxedo Phase Without a Meltdown
There I was, standing in the vestibule of St. Jude’s Catholic Church at exactly 1:42 PM on a sweltering Saturday in May, trying to peel a 100% rigid polyester jacket off my screaming eighteen-month-old son, Leo. My own dress—some floral...
Choosing an Easter Outfit Baby Girl Twins Won't Immediately Destroy
My index finger was entirely trapped in a web of cheap, synthetic tulle, and Florence was screaming with the specific, piercing pitch of a kettle that has been left to boil for far too long. We were exactly twenty minutes...
Surviving Our Twins' First Spring Holidays in Tulle and Panic
It's the second Tuesday of March, and I'm sweating profusely in the middle of a high street boutique, holding a hanger that looks like it was designed for a slightly malnourished doll. I'm trying to decipher if a garment optimistically...