Little Penelope Gwen

My daughter inspired this blog.  She is only two and a half weeks old right now and having the most profound impact on our lives.  You think you know love until you have a child, but you also think that you know what failure and disappoint are until you have a little one.  Let me tell you, I am learning that I know nothing about any of those!  Penny is teaching me about love all over again and I am glad that I am coming to more fully understand what that means.  Failure is another story.  I have had moments where I have felt as though I failed myself or someone else, but it pales in comparison to failing your child, but more on that later.  I am learning about being disappointed in myself as well and from this I am learning how to forgive and grow from my failings.

Not to get all doom and gloom on you in the first post, I promise there will be tons of bright moments, but my goal is to be as honest as possible and to maybe, hopefully, help someone else who might be struggling.  Motherhood is a beautiful and terrifying thing.  I think it is through being a mother that I will truly come to know myself and I am greatly looking forward to that.  On top of it, I get the blessing and challenge of raising a beautiful baby girl.  We, as women, don't like to talk about how we've struggled because it means that we are failing in one way or another.  Well I'm here to tell you The Struggle is Real!  and normal and wonderful, and difficult all at the same time.

I can’t wait to delve deeper into what motherhood is and I am hoping this blog helps keep me semi-sane. 

I will start with my labor story, not to quote The Sound of Music or anything but it seems “a very good place to start.” 

-Steph