Author: stefanie

I just returned from a full Labor Day weekend at my parents’ lake house. I should be feeling pretty relaxed — and I am — after spending the last few days enjoying the warm weather, boat rides, and an extra couple pair of hands helping keep the girls occupied.

But something happened on Friday that hasn’t happened in over a decade: I got stung by a yellow jacket. Margot was taking a nap, and I sat on a lounge chair out on the deck ready to relax with Crazy Rich Asians. I didn’t even see the little jerk; I only felt the sting on my inner arm, and quickly swatted it away from me before it landed on the deck. Its stinger was still stuck in my arm as I stomped on him with my sandal.

I quickly went inside to find something to scrape the stinger off of my arm; I remembered learning as a kid that you should use something blunt like a credit card to scrape it out instead of using tweezers. I also remembered that time is of the essence to make sure the stinger doesn’t stay in too long, so I grabbed a magazine and used one of the cardboard inserts to scrape out the stinger.

It stung, of course, for a couple of hours. Then the area started to get swollen and red. I put ice on it to help with the pain and swelling, but ultimately this was just the beginning. I posted updates on my Instastories throughout the day (and kept making this face obviously).

While the pain of the sting subsided by the end of the day Friday, the area on my arm seemed to be getting redder, itchier, and warmer. I had a hard time sleeping that night.

Continue reading “When a yellow jacket sting leads to cellulitis”

Stella had her first day of kindergarten on Monday, and I’ve had several people ask me about how I’m feeling about all of this. I still remember the first day Zack and I dropped her off at her sweet little preschool when she was a spunky two-year-old girl; my eyes welled as we walked back to our car, and she was only going to be there for a couple of hours two mornings a week.

I thought I would be a goner as kindergarten approached. This would be the first time in Stella’s life that she would be at school for a full day, five days a week. From this point on, things weren’t going to be the same.

Yet Monday arrived and honestly, my mind was racing with all of the things we had to accomplish before getting out the door, the thoughts of making sure we arrived early so we could get a parking spot, all of these details, that I didn’t get emotional. And to be honest, Stella has been under such a sassy spell lately that the thought of her getting back into a school routine and not having her be my responsibility for a few hours felt like a weight being lifted.

Does that make me a bad mom? Because it’s hard to admit that I wasn’t clinging to her Monday morning, giggling with her over breakfast, and then gently doing her hair with ABBA’s “Slipping through my Fingers” playing in the background. Continue reading “The emotion and elation of the new school year”

Back-to-school commercials are flooding our television, and the back corner of Target is stocked with notebooks, glue sticks, and lunch boxes. It’s sad to say, but we’re already somehow on the fast track to fall — and a new school year.

And soon, our Stella will be starting kindergarten. Excuse me while I spend the next few weeks trying to fathom how quickly this day snuck up on us. It feels like I’ve been mentally preparing for this day for the last couple of years, ever since the term “kindergarten roundup” first entered my parental orbit.

Earlier this year, we registered Stella for kindergarten, and signed up our family to attend kindergarten roundup in the spring.

Along with filling out a questionnaire about her skill levels and personality, we also needed to make sure we brought some very important pieces of documentation:

• Proof of residency (in the form of a utility bill, for example)
• Proof of birth (an original birth certificate)
• Proof of vaccinations

Fortunately for us, Stella’s early spring birthday meant that we were already scheduled for her annual wellness checkup prior to roundup. We were able to make sure Stella was up-to-date on her vaccinations and request the paperwork her school would need from us. I Vaccinate provides several helpful resources for immunization schedules and Michigan school requirements, based on information from the CDC and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Making sure our daughters are up-to-date on their vaccinations is something that my husband and I agree is one of the most important things we can do as parents. Not just for their health, but also for the health of others.  Continue reading “Getting ready for the brand new world of kindergarten”

I think that one of the biggest fears parents can have is thinking that they can’t possibly love another baby the way they love their firstborn. It can seem unfathomable. Of course, everyone who has been there says that the heart grows and expands in a way you didn’t think was possible. And, of course, they were exactly right.

When Margot was born, Stella had been an only child for close to four years. We knew she was old enough to remember what it was like to be the center of attention, and it would be a big change of pace for her. Fortunately for us, she was so excited to welcome her new sister that she took everything in stride. And she loves her so darn much.

Still, their age difference is enough that there are many things Stella is wanting and able to do that Margot can’t do quite yet. And that’s why we’ve made it a focus to do special one-on-one things with Stella. About a month after Margot was born, Zack took Stella to a special daddy-daughter dance event at play. in East Lansing. He also took her to see Paw Patrol Live at Wharton Center.

Once Margot was big enough for me to be able to leave her for short periods of time, I would do things like take Stella to get her nails done at the salon, or go see a dance performance. Most recently, we had our special date to see “The Lion King” musical together.

And this week, Margot and I are now getting our turn to have a lot of special one-on-one time while Stella is up north with my in-laws.

A year and a half after becoming a mom of two, I have realized that while I love doing things all together as a family, there is really something to be said for this one-on-one time.

Continue reading “When one-on-one time is a win-win”