Ahhh...finally!

Wow!  I can't believe I'm finally sitting down to write my first blog post.  My little man is almost six months old, and the idea for this blog came to me in the first days of his life.  I knew what I wanted to call it from the beginning.  Who needs a clean shirt anyway? was something I said to myself over and over in those first days and weeks.  The notion of changing my shirt after every time one of many bodily fluids came my way was something I had to give up quickly or lose my sanity.  The letting go process has been ongoing, really beginning with the birthing process.  We did not get the home birth we envisioned (that story will be coming soon), and I had to let go of literally years of preparation and expectation.  What an amazing, humbling experience, though.  My first true lesson as a new mother- I KNOW NOTHING!  I can read and research and prepare until I am blue in the face, but the reality is that I am unique, my child is unique, and our needs as a family are unique.  Sure, there is value in reading about the experiences of others, but one can never truly prepare for something as intense and life-changing as parenthood.  I loved to read birth stories and watch birth videos, and I loved to study the opposing sides of the debates on vaccinations, circumcision, co-sleeping, and on and on.  What I didn't understand at the time is that when your little one arrives, you have to do what works for your child, yourself, and your family.  It is an intuitive process, and one that I would say is difficult to describe and understand until you are experiencing it.  My hope with this blog is that I can share what has worked for us along the way, not to propose that our way is the best way, the only way, or the right way for you, but simply one of many ways to travel this amazing road called parenthood.

Peace to you and yours,

Ellen