Our Helper

At our birth conference a couple of weeks ago, our midwife* asked Daryl if he wanted to help catch the baby when it’s born. His face went white. “Well, I… I mean… I would love to… It’d be really amazing, but what if… what if I…” “Drop it?” she asked. “Um, yeah,” he said, sheepishly. “I’m not … More Our Helper

When Mind Over Matter Doesn’t Matter

There’s a line in Jhumpa Lahiri’s (quite good) newest novel, The Lowland, that resonates with me lately. “The child was beginning to overwhelm her.” Lahiri writes about Gauri, a pregnant Indian woman newly arrived in America who struggles with the bodily nature of carrying a baby. The way her unborn daughter takes ownership of her womb-space, … More When Mind Over Matter Doesn’t Matter

Six Rough Weeks, Three Long Months, and It’s All Good

While I was at the dermatologist having a mole burned off my arm last week (See? California isn’t all palm trees and Disneyland. After living here for more than a year you get inaugurated into an annual dermatologist skin-burning appointment no matter how old you are…), the doctor asked when I was due. “Six weeks or so,” I said. “Congratulations!” she … More Six Rough Weeks, Three Long Months, and It’s All Good

What We’re Doing for Valentine’s Day

I have always hated Valentine’s Day. Hated it. Hated it with a burning passion. Why? Because after the grade school festival-of-sugar parties (which, honestly, were pretty great), it’s all downhill. When I was dating in high school, it always felt like running this gauntlet of pressure-filled unspoken expectations. Here’s a gift card for Pizza Hut because I know … More What We’re Doing for Valentine’s Day