Tag: writing

A Drippy

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I say I’m not into the Substacks/articles of influencers who outline their day but I always find human relatedness in reading about someone else’s routine. It’s validating and reflective as if to say “I see you, mama and I raise you one bowl of spaghetti on the white sofa” or “you’re doing too much, do you see how I read a couple pages of the latest Em Hen before bed instead of watching the anxiety-provoking The Pitt?”

So in my not-an-influencer fashion, I wanted to document a day in the life. For me mostly but for you too to let you know that if you’re trying to do the most whether by choice or pure circumstance, I see you, you deserve to be gentle on yourself, and you can have a sense of humor even in the wildest, packed days.

7:00-8:00am: Breastfeed baby girl, change, dress, pack up all the things including currently a red bead necklace and her favorite pink Croc-like sandals with cherries on them. Understand that “no” means “yes”, complete a few rounds of walking practice around the house and then give her a big kiss bye to which she replies “buhhh byeee”.

8:00-8:30am: Get myself ready. Don’t forget deodorant, do remember to pencil in your right eyebrow. Drink an already cold cup of coffee, vow to get another one later as a treat yo’ self moment later.

8:30-10:00am: Drive to Sacramento and Guy Raz’s How I Built This with the founder of Slack gets interrupted by 2 calls on the way there. Feel moderately productive and important and then catch the Stuart Butterfield bug and decide in that moment to start my own company (I’ve been watching too much Shark Tank).

10:20am-11:20am: Get to office and in need of a breast pumping session, I am met with a locked door. Hate thoughts of the patriarchy bubble up but I nervous laugh vent to some colleagues about needing to relieve my boobs before my client lunch meeting. HR eventually walks out on a Zoom call, apologies profusely, and I get to go sit in a dark floral room for 15 minutes and check email.

11:30am-12:15pm: I was told I had “one shot” at this particular client in meeting with him. He rolled up in a motorcycle and a leather jacket, ordered a salmon salad and a sparkling water (make that 2), and left after 45 minutes. It didn’t have the pressure cooker vibe I was expecting but it did leave me with some time to grab a coffee.

12:30-12:45am: Stop at favorite Sacramento coffee shop and the barista affirms my drip coffee order with a “just a drippy?” Henceforth drip coffee is known as a drippy. I chuckle a little equipped with my new vocabulary fav and revel in the lightness of this interaction and how this barista has no idea that she made my afternoon.

1:00-2:00pm: Feel oddly relieved that the lunch is over and that I didn’t blow my “one shot”. Check email and play my favorite game “Put the Inner workings of Your Head on Your Calendar”.

2:00-3:00pm: Commute back to the East Bay and take 2 more calls en route. One from a colleague and one from mom. Mom stays on the phone with me until I’ve arrived to my destination safely. How do they always know and time this just right?

4:00-5:00pm: Take class at the gym. Feels good to stretch and work these legs after the haul. Man, I miss my stick-shift.

5:15-5:40pm: Chat with a fellow mom who has her daughter in a daycare we’re considering. I happened to work with her over a decade ago and we catch up on life since and now as moms. Wild.

6:00-7:00pm: Feed baby girl dinner, bath, and start bedtime routine, one of my favorite parts of my day. She gets what I like to call “warm cereal milk”, we cuddle, and she’s at the age now where she likes having my fingers run through her hair, soft fingertips over her back. I like to tell her something I love about her, what I did that day, ask her what excited her about her day, tell her I missed her and that I love her so much. I get her cozy, and slide her excited squirmy body up to the pillows for story time. She flips pages faster than I can read and when we get to the final page, she says confidently and sweetly “night night”. We grab her babydoll, turn out the lights and I feel her lotioned cheek against mine and I can almost hear her eyelids getting heavy and she nuzzles into my shoulder, adjusts her feet in her sleep sack, and does her final come-down from the day. I sing her “My Girl” by The Temptations, a song that reminds me of my dad, and add an extra verse I truthfully do not know so I can have another 15 seconds with her. I kiss her, lay her down gently, and make sure her doll and rattle are within reach. I remind her mom and dad are here and that we love her bunches.

The next day, we do it all over again. I truly wouldn’t want it any other way. My baby girl is a light, my North Star, a curious, excited, playful and sweet soul. She reminds me of the power of gentle strength, of keeping an open mind, of always being in a state of discovery and awe and how most things can be solved with a little levity and fun.

So, we wake and make a drippy. We laugh a little whether we slept or not. We enjoy the first sip of hot coffee knowing it will get cold, we hold our baby’s hand and walk, we humor her in pulling out all her shoes, hair ties, and bathing suits all before 7:30am, we scramble to get ready, we laugh, we get on her level, we play, we pick her up and give her the biggest hug and kiss. Where every morning feels brand new, we come back to the good old faithful drippy. This steady old friend meets this new magical human, this new and evolving us, every single day.

*this post was written 4.9.26 on a couch with two of my most cherished mom friends who are also writers. I can’t even begin to describe the alignment my body and soul felt tapping into an old hobby and love while in this new and most beautiful new identity as a mom with other moms.

Teach ’em well

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You know you’re a mom when you now drive a Volvo and wear Birkenstocks. It me.

I was the passenger in a minor fender bender while on a work trip and I promptly returned home and deemed my tiny manual vehicle unfit for caravanning a newborn. It simply did not feel safe. Did I need to go top-of-the-line-safety-vehicle? Probably not. But this crossover is sexy AF, caters to my design-obsessed Scandi-loving soul and blends function and beauty. The decision did not come lightly but it did come fast! Within two weeks, I test-drove, researched, negotiated, and purchased the SUV of my growing family desires. Sure, I miss my pistachio-colored zippy stick-shift a whole lot but it’s funny how quickly the mindset changes to meet a new life chapter. When you’re so ready for aspects of your life you never thought would change, change, it feels like they’re more aligned with a new part of you. It’s like getting a business casual outfit to dress the part of a client meeting when you’re a tee-shirt and jeans kind of girl.

Oh yes, I also got Birkenstock clogs. Who am I even?! Sharing this to further paint my picture of new motherhood. I previously tried on Birkenstock sandals and found them vastly uncomfortable for my flat feet but thought I’d give them another go – this time in my right size, width, and a different footbed. I’m hooked. I rolled up to a new mom meet-up in my Volvo, Birks, baseball cap, and tote bag and had a moment where I felt like a mom (but like, a cool mom). I needed these slip-ons in my life a few months back when I could barely bend over my pregnant belly to put shoes on and then again two weeks ago post surgery but hey, better late than never! The ease! The comfort! The (divisive) style!

Anyway, all that to say times have changed in more ways than one! I’m a safety and comfort girl who likes to think she’s still chic! Who’s still got it! My mom identity is evolving (even though a guy on the street today was convinced I was a teacher and yelled after me “teach ’em well”. If by that he means show the good people of Oakland how you can be functional and cool, I will do, good sir.