By Veronica Yesterday a windstorm blew through our midwestern city, the last gasp of Hurrican Ike. We had no rain, no thunder, no tornadoes. Just hurricane-force winds (so they tell me), shaking the trees and rolling up the roofs like scrolls. My husband is now outside, gathering the dead branches that litter our yard. After…
Category Archives: Veronica
My Mother and the Military
By Veronica This weekend my darling fourth daughter was born (you can read about the drama of the birth here), and my mother drove up from her Texas home to help me for awhile. Her visit has reminded me of all sorts of stories about her, and I thought I would share one of my…
Ex Substantia Matris
By Veronica I lie in the half-light, a pillow propping up my back. My baby lies on her side, suckling, her head cradled in the crook of my arm. Her eyes, an undecided color, are wide open, looking into mine. She is curious and uncertain of the world around her, but certain of me. I…
The Rowdy Daughter
By Veronica Yesterday I was sitting in the bathroom at church (I’m pregnant – I spend half of church sitting in bathrooms) when I overheard two ladies talking about my daughter. I think it was about my daughter. They never said her name, but it certainly sounded like my daughter. It wasn’t a spiteful conversation…
Something I Do Right
By Veronica When Az the Husband and I married, along with our wedding vows we had a handful of private, informal agreements with each other. Some were simple: if we are dinner guests anywhere and I am served custard, he will quietly eat it for me, so I don’t look too rude (I hate custards….
A Pregnancy Fear I Never Expected
By Veronica I am the over-reacting type. I know it, and through sheer force of effort I avoid hysteria, but by nature I am a worrier. My sister calls me “functionally paranoid.” My natural parenting style is one I privately call Fearful and Clutching, and it is only the exercise of my reason and the…
Potential
By Veronica When I was a kid, I absorbed a less than sparkling truth from the kids’ movies and cheerful teachers around me: I could be anything I wanted to be. There was no limit to my potential. As long as I had big dreams and worked hard, the possibilities for my adult life were…
If Every Mom Were a Stay-At-Home Mom
By Veronica If every mom were a stay-at-home mom, the public schools would shut down due to a lack of teachers. If every mom were a stay-at-home mom, giving birth would become much more dangerous. All those mothers who are midwives and OBGYNS would disappear. The hospitals could not staff enough nurses for basic patient…
Marriage and Cherry Pitters
By Veronica Mitchell “Honey, what’s my most annoying quality?” He blinks at me. “I thought I could turn it into a post for the new parenting blog.” He considers for a moment. “Definitely the midwestern mumble when you are walking away.” This has bothered him for years. When we are in public, I don’t want…