2016 has been a big year for Charleston Moms Blog! We celebrated our first birthday, hosted several events, and created countless valuable resources & guides for our local moms. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey in motherhood!
We wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the highlights of 2016. Below are our top ten most popular posts of the year.
#10. The Outtakes
“These are the outtakes. These are not the filtered moments. These are not your children, holding hands, walking down a pier toward a perfect sunset. This is not the rainbow, and this is not exactly the storm. This is the mud.”
#9. One is The Loneliest Number?
“There is an unspoken, or maybe not so unspoken, taboo about having an only child. I am always asked if we will have another, and I can see it in someone’s eye when they are trying to figure out why on earth we havent yet. You will hear how it must “be so easy for you” just having one. Well, I’m not so sure about that.”
#8. Hot To Kid-Proof Your iPhone
“Even Lincoln, my one-year-old, knows how to swipe and tap enough to find my photo album on my home screen. But with that seemingly built in ability, comes the ever-growing threat of accidental deletion of pictures or in-app purchases. I just want my phone to entertain my kids so I don’t have to…is that too much to ask?”
#7. Childhood Battle Scars: A Survival Story
“I love the woman I am today, because I fought to become her.”
#6. How Scheduling Sex Saved My Marriage
“Then the concept of scheduled sex entered the scene. I’ll admit it sounds unromantic and somewhat cold. My husband visibly recoiled when I suggested the idea. I believe his exact words were something like, “couples who have to schedule sex are one step away from divorce.” Ouch. (Did I mention this was an emotionally charged time for us?)”
#5. Grieving With a Grateful Heart
“We had already had a normal ultrasound at 9-weeks and could hardly wait to see our baby again. Rob and I laughed and made small talk with the technician as she began the ultrasound. There he was again! “Aw he’s so tiny!,” I said, as she hovered over the image on the screen for a little too long. He wasn’t moving. “Is he sleeping?,” I asked like an idiot. Her face said it all, and all she said was “I’ll be right back” as she quietly slipped out of the room. It seemed like an eternity before our doctor came and looked again. “There’s no heartbeat, Megan. I’m sorry.””
#4. Mom’s Guide to Diggers, Dozers, and Rollers
“I’m hoping other moms-of-boys will be able to relate to an internal struggle I’ve been having as I attempt to parent my almost-three-year-old son with honesty and integrity.
I don’t know the proper names of construction trucks.”
#3. The Grief Associated With Adoption That I Wasn’t Prepared For
“As our son was wheeled into the room in his clear hospital basinet, I held back tears, and not happy tears, but the tears that fall when sadness consumes your heart. The nurse smiled and said, “congratulations, here is your son” and asked if we wanted to hold him. She placed him in my arms and then left the room, allowing time for the three of us to celebrate our union. I had envisioned this moment to be the happiest and most joyous moment of my life, but instead I was overwhelmingly sad; all I could think about was our birth mother.”
#2. “Take the Mesh Panties”: Obscure, if Not Weird, First-Time Mom Advice
“If you have ever had a baby, thought about having a baby, gotten married in which it is assumed that some day you might have a baby, then you have probably started receiving advice. Some of it is good; other thoughts you could do without.”
#1. Time Out, Mom!
“There is a technical medical term for it – it is called adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is most common in CEOs, medical students, and moms (yes, MOMS). The symptoms of adrenal fatigue can include chronic exhaustion, general body aches, low libido, salty food cravings, low blood pressure, back pain, and a weakened immune system.”
