New Book! Mothering as a Work of Art

(Originally written February 11, 2024)

Yup, it’s been about a year (a little over) since my last blog post! Right on time and I am officially (still) the worst blogger ever. Yet, I always come bringing good news! Who knew all these years later after having Selah I would turn my reflections on my childbirth experience and becoming a mom into a book?!

I am so grateful for the phenomenal 14 other mamas who chose to embark on this journey with me. These mamas have bared their souls in the pages of this book. This book is guaranteed to make you smile, laugh, and cry. It is not easy to share such intimate moments of our lives with strangers. But, that is the beauty of this book - it is for everyone. Young mothers, season mothers, spouses, family members, and other loved ones. This book provides a glimpse into the world of Black mamas as told by them.

Thank you for being a part of my community for all these years! Join me on the next leg of this journey!

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing a copy for you or a loved one, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Mothering-Work-Art-Black-Anthology/dp/B0D575ZWXF

130 Weeks Ago...

Okay, I’m the worst blogger ever! Haha! My last post was literally 130 weeks and 5 days ago. If you were following, I was counting daycare weeks, which turned to pandemic weeks, which have literally turned into years!…Anyways…since that time (my last blog post), I moved, had a baby, opened my private practice, and changed jobs. Needless to say, life is different.

I had a whole pandemic baby! Looking back at my earlier posts, it feels like that time was so long ago. I’ve changed, life has changed—the world has changed.

I did pass that exam and am a licensed psychologist. I haven’t taken the other exam yet to become certified in that speciality area (but that will be coming soon). The process has taken a bit longer due to things like moving and having a baby! Nevertheless, I am enjoying the path that I’m on.

Becoming a mama, hands down, is my greatest accomplishment. I wasn’t expecting to write this tonight, but when the time comes, I’ll share more about what it’s like being mom to two. For now, I’m taking in the moment of “silence” I have going into the weekend while one is sleeping and the other is on the way to sleep! ~ Selah

Week 19

It’s been a minute but what can I say!? The whole world has changed! I started tracking Selah’s weeks at daycare and stopped at what would have been week 11. So, if you see the dates and noticed the title, this is week 19 of the pandemic aka COVID-19. I can’t believe that COVID has been going on longer than Selah was in daycare! It has been the most complicated simultaneously incredible, amazingly difficult time EVER. Words can’t describe!

Balancing full-time mothering with teleworking is not easy. I think the hardest part is Selah’s age. At 22 months, she’s so full of energy and she needs just about every minute of my time. Moments like this (almost 3 am) when the whole house is quiet, I actually have time to reflect and think that the biggest worldwide disaster ever turned out to be my greatest blessing. I have a chance to be home with my baby and see her grow into a whole human. She has her own personality and everything. She also has a bit of a temper (working on it). She can identify her letters (see previous post), blow and catch bubbles, her vocabulary is growing daily, she uses the big girl potty (except #2 help!) and she loves singing and dancing! Her newest favorite thing is helping mommy cook (sometimes daddy) and clean. Oh, and she likes fingernail polish and she has learned to get out of going to bed to just say “I gotta go potty” or something “hurts.”

Mommy update: if you’ve been keeping up, I’m still studying for my psychology licensure exam. Like with most things these days, it got pushed back but I’m on the home stretch. I’m also learning a new skill that comes with a certificate and everything. I won’t ruin the surprise but will update you once that is complete. After my exam, I’m looking forward to some much needed rest…but then again I’m not so sure about that. ~ Selah