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I was struggling. Hard. An old friend from high school (now a brilliant therapist) reached out to me and said, “You are in the fires that form motherhood – and right now the fire is so incredibly hot.” Mommin’ is life changing, and it isn’t easy.
And this is why I’m starting a blog. I can’t and won’t promise it will be better than or different from the 100,000+ other mommy blogs out there.
So why am I bothering?
- Sharing is healthy – There is SO much going on in new motherhood, and I need to get it all out. My poor friends are probably over my constant updates about baby health, lessons learned, etc. So I’m dedicating a space for these thoughts.
- I want to look back and be encouraged – I’ve already learned in the first 3 months that our story isn’t typical. Reflecting back and knowing what we’ve made it through, I feel empowered… the hubs and I can conquer anything. I don’t ever want to lose sight of that!
- If my past can make your future easier, then I want to help! I’m going to share what’s worked for me, what hasn’t, and what I wished I’d known sooner. When my friends start to have their own little ones and these lessons aren’t as fresh in my mind, perhaps they’ll find these ramblings useful. And of course, I’m going to share the happy moments too!
Again, I’m willing to bet there are established blogs covering the things I’ll hit on (and I’m still powering on given my reasons above). But… here are the things that make me unique in case they resonate with you.
I’m in an intercultural relationship.
Marriage isn’t always easy, and adding significant cultural and religious differences throws another layer into the mix! I love my husband tremendously. Recognizing our cultural similarities and differences, approaches to life, and values is key to strengthening that love and having a successful partnership.
Photo credit because I’m so in awe of the women-owned photography studios we’ve gotten to work with and we need to lift one another up!: Keeley Miller Photography- I’m a working mom.
Good or bad, I’ve been described as a workaholic. Design and communication are my jams. Look, I can’t even escape it… here I am writing blog for fun! Balancing a career, relationship and motherhood is new to me and I’m still figuring it out. - I’m breastfeeding a son with a milk protein allergy.
We thought we had the most unhappy, restless baby on the planet until we learned that he has a milk protein allergy (WHICH by the way, he didn’t test positive for… it was a long game of trial and error). This means no dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, nuts or corn for me. I’m finding easy, yummy recipes that don’t break the bank or take hours to prepare and I’ll be sharing them here! - My son hardly sleeps… and we don’t know why (yet).
New parents aren’t supposed to sleep, right? Well… they’re supposed to sleep a little more than we do! Our peanut has off-cycle ultra frequent wakings. We’re trying everything, going to specialists, and praying for our little guy. He often wakes every 15 – 30 minutes at night, with a cry that indicates he’s in pain. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, but I know there are lots of parents out there trying to decode the cries and interpret the body language while insisting to doctors that they keep searching. I feel you, I am one of you… and this is a BIG part of why I’m doing this. Jotting down my thoughts for the next post at 1 a.m., 2:30 a.m., 4 a.m., etc. keeps me alert and safe while I comfort baby.
I’ve named this blog 28 karat life because motherhood is like the process of smelting and refining gold to make it even more pure and precious. And yes, I realize pure gold is 24 karats, but this new life of mine, though not always easy, is even better than pure gold. Plus, I entered it at the age of 28.
Follow along on my journey. Laugh with me, cry with me… I’m sure it will be quite a ride.
So there you have it. That’s me, and this blog, in a nutshell. I’ll introduce you to our darling little nugget in future posts, but for now, here’s a picture to wet your baby-fever appetite!
Photo credit: Ashley Lauren Photography
28 karat life 
Awww good luck dear.
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Thank you! It’s been my favorite journey ever. ❤
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My youngest daughter also had a milk protein and soy protein allergy. The first 8 months were a struggle and we then learned she had an egg white and peanut allergy as well. Once I cut those out of my diet (I was nursing), she felt so much better. It was a journey trying to manage such a restricted diet but thankfully by 2 she outgrew them all! I’m happy to share tips and recipies if you are ever in need! Hang in there!
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Thank you! I’m always looking for new recipes and would greatly appreciate your tips! He’s 7 months now and I’ve been able to add fish and some nuts back into my diet. We’re alternating giving him solids and adding things to my diet at this time. It’s amazing how much better he’s doing now! Thank you for the encouragement!
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So glad to hear you have more options now! It can be tricky, espcially when going out or they get older and want to eat what everyone else is eating. What country are you in? I’m in Canada, so we used a lot of Enjoy Life products (free from top 8 allergens) for quick snacks when we needed something on the go or as a back up to keep in the bag. Finding dairy free alternatives was also a life saver. We have a company here called daiya which makes a lot of alternatives for cheese. It does not taste the same but you get used to it and it helps hold things together (so you can make your own pizza, nachos, tachos, etc.) I also came to love nutritional yeast which adds a cheesy like flavor.
I follow Oh She Glows, she has a lot of vegan recipies which depending on which nuts you can eat, you might find some good recipies there.
In general, I found simple to best. Lots of roasted veggies with olive oil, avacodo toast on vegan bread, hummus. Never trust someone who says it does not have “x” in it unless you can read the ingredient list or feel comfortable thorughly interregating them (I learned the hard way as people often are unaware of soy in products and do not think of things like butter or adding a dressing to something as an issue). I learned to always bring food with me for my daughter and myself! As she got older, I tried to take treat options with me when we went to events or outings as it seems like things like cake and icecream arrive at any occasion (I didn’t realize how much our culture seems to revolve around food until I was so restrictected!)
Good luck on your journey, I hope your little one continues to be able to tolerate more food and gets more sleep (that was the hardest part for me).
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@365daysofaworking mom, that is all great advice! I’m in the US. Enjoy Life products have saved me on more than one occasion, and I love Daiya products when I can find them!
You are completely right about not trusting folks with ingredients. They mean well, but they don’t realize how many products have hidden dairy or soy. I was at a wedding recently and asked if the chicken had been cooked with any sauces or seasonings and they said “no, just salt and pepper.” Five minutes later the chef came running over to me and said, “wait, does soy sauce have soy in it?” Luckily I hadn’t taken a bite yet!
Thanks again for the tips — I will start following Oh She Glows!
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