Why I'm Here

I went back to work in August when Emerson was 10 weeks old.  One of the hardest parts about this transition (besides, obviously, leaving him with someone else all day), was getting used to all the pumping.   

 THE HOURS AND HOURS OF PUMPING, OH MY GOD.

I promised myself before Emerson was born that I would try to breastfeed for a year.  It's been a long, bumpy road over the past eight months, but that's a discussion for another post.  The point is, if you are breastfeeding and working, you quickly realize how much time in your day goes into pumping (for me, it's at least an hour, sometimes an hour and a half).

The other maddeningly frustrating part of pumping that is that, at best, you have one hand free. Unless you have one of these amazing devices, but since I don't, I'm stuck balancing one side of the pumping stuff on my desk and the other in my hand.

 
Sometimes, if work is really busy, I use that one hand to clumsily type emails or do whatever work I can without full use of my hands.  It's annoying...and slow...and did I mention annoying?

Right around the time I went back to work, a friend turned me onto Google Reader.  I was skeptical, figuring that I didn't really read enough blogs to need something like this.  Let's face it, I only read Perez Hilton and a few random personal blogs written by my girlfriends.  Luckily, a few days later I got an email from The Bump with their Mommy Blog Awards.

I always love something new to read, so tried out EVERY SINGLE ONE that was nominated.  I read a post or two on every site and added the ones I liked to my new friend, Google Reader.  I figured I needed something to read while I pumped away at work every day.

Then, as someone mentioned a blog they loved, like The Pioneer Woman that everyone is so obsessed with (with good reason!), or someone linked to a blog post that looked interesting on Facebook (how I first came to love Smitten Kitchen), I added them too.  I kept perfecting my reading lists, testing out new blogs, keeping the ones that really spoke to me and unsubscribing from the rest (even Perez eventually got the boot).

Eventually, I started really looking forward to my Google Reader time.  It was like opening a little present in the morning and it made the pumping time a little less frustrating.  At least I was entertained while I was held captive at my desk feeling like an overloaded milk cow.

Quite the visual, huh?

There were a few sites that really captivated me.  I think some of it has to do with the fact that they are all moms, but more of it has to do with the fact that they seem like genuine, funny, beautiful, honest, inspiring people. The kind of women that I'd like to be friends with.  The kind of mommy friends that are hard to find in real life.

That's not to say that I don't have great mommy friends outside my computer, I do.  But being a few months apart in baby time means going through really different things.  It's nice to go through the same "stages" with people, knowing that others are dealing with the same baby gems like teething, colds, sitting up...it can do a lot for morale.

It's because of these women and their blogs that I started this little corner of the internet for myself.  I'm not the kind of person who chimes in often on blogs, usually I just read posts, smile to myself, maybe star something to enjoy again later, and move on with my day...and my hours and hours of pumping.  I don't often comment or take part in the "community" and I wanted to change that.

I wanted to say thank you to those people who brighten up my morning by sharing their lives, their marriages, their beautiful babies.  But also for sharing their mistakes, embarrassing stories, and rough patches.

I'd like to share with you my two very favorite blogs so that you can enjoy their blog-y goodness too.  And if either of them ever stumble onto this site, THANK YOU!

Confessions of a Young Married Couple
Katie's posts are always funny, honest, and poignant.  Plus her little Bean is adorable and her pictures are gorgeous!  I'm saving up to buy the camera she uses.  

The Glamorous Life of a Housewife
Whitney's site is great.  I love watching her little Weebie in all his stylish duds.  I wish I had her homemaking skills.

There are other great sites that I love.  If you need something new to read, check out the recommendations on my sidebar.  Or if you know of something great, leave it in the comments.

Also, in case you were wondering, these pictures have nothing to do with this post really.  I just happen to love these shots of my little Bink when he was only three weeks old.  The fact that he's eight months old, never sits still anymore, and just pulled up to standing while I was typing this has made me a little nostalgic.