Luke & Suzanne: from Muppet wedding to writing and grad school
The past three years for us can be summed up in one word: writing. I finished my doctorate at USC, recently accepted a job as an Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at ASU, and I’m working on my transforming my dissertation into a book. Luke was accepted to the Clarion Writers Workshop last summer, and has been writing his first science fiction novel. Personally, things remain pretty much the same as pre-wedding. The bliss is now officially categorized as “marital,” but we’re still living in Echo Park with our cat, Penny, and getting into spirited debates about all things geek culture.
My son simultaneously wears a Dora apron and fights sexism
It started when my son decided he wanted cupcakes. I figured we’d make cupcakes and take them to work for our friends. I gave him one of my aprons but it was too big. The next week at the local farmer’s market I spied homemade kid-sized aprons. They had some robots and some flowers, but what really caught my eye was, of course, a Dora apron. It is bright pink and lacy but whatever — that’s not something that would register for Isaac.
Is it too soon to try to conceive?
My husband and I got married last month, but we have been living together for two years. We both have part-time jobs, we own our own coffee business, and we rent a nice apartment. I am 22, but I have always wanted kids. A lot of our friends and family tell us to wait a few years before we have kids. Wait til we have more money, wait til we have a house, etc. I see where they are coming from, but I also think we could manage having children now too.
The catch-22 of working motherhood
Now what’s the catch-22? Typically, the kids are so desperate for my attention when we are together that they resort to whining and crying and just generally being awful in order to get that attention. Surprising absolutely no one, that kind of behavior only annoys the shit out of me and makes me irritable. Which means I’m short-tempered. Which does absolutely nothing for my ability to properly deal with their whiny behavior. Which means it only gets worse. Which makes me tell them to just leavemealone! And the cycle starts again.
A tale of food, confidence and a 37-hour labor
Whenever I would tell a fellow Southerner about my plan to have a drug-free water birth, I would always receive the same reaction: skepticism and a lecture about how painful it would be. Although I would always answer their criticism with the same reply, “I have never been in labor so I know it may be too painful — I am just going to try.” What can I say? I am people pleaser. It is not in my nature to challenge those who seem more experienced. In my heart I knew I could do it. I could only think of one thing that might shake my confidence: a long labor.
5 back to school lessons learned by a LGBTQ family
We are mere weeks away from our little one returning to school. Back-to-school supply ads and lists are dominating our dining table. Conversation about which backpack to use for school, which past classmates will be in this year’s class and how we prioritize homework and soccer are taking place daily. For our family, back to school also means that our family has another opportunity to come out, be seen and expand our circle of friends. Our little man is a remarkable soon-to-be second grader. He’s curious and friendly. He’s independent and playful. And he’s proud to his two mamas.
An adoptive family welcomes their newest addition with a Red Thread Session
Today we get to share a flawless family session with you guys that’s straight outta California. East coast photographers Val and Sarah hooked with Harmony and her family through Red Thread Sessions, a service that connects adoptive families with photographers interested in documenting their growing families.
Struggling with telling infertile friends that you’re pregnant… again
I recently found out I’m expecting my FOURTH baby. We’re getting ready to tell our family and friends, and there are two people I’ve been avoiding telling so far: my brother and my very good friend.
My brother is gay, and he and his partner keep hitting roadblocks on their journey to having a baby. My friend is struggling to conceive and has been for some time…