Favorites
Registry Revisited
Winter 2010 Issue Four years after giving birth, I’m still pregnant with all the useless junk I received at my baby shower. Pathetically, most of this stuff I actually asked for. Yep, that was me, waddling aimlessly through the aisles of my local baby store, laser gun cocked, attempting to blast away my parenting insecurities. (…) MORE »
Breathing Room
Winter 2010 Issue Catherine Newman, author of the award-winning memoir Waiting for Birdy, is a contributing editor at FamilyFun magazine and a regular contributor to O: The Oprah Magazine. She writes a weekly food and parenting column, “Dalai Mama Dishes,” at family.com, and wrote “Bringing Up Ben and Birdy” for four years at babycenter.com, where (…) MORE »
Waiting Room
Spring 2007 Issue Recently, I arrived at one of the many appointments that have become a part of my life over the past four years. I drove a half hour out of my way for a blood draw that would only take approximately 2 minutes. The earliest appointment I could schedule was at 7:45, the (…) MORE »
Let Down Mary
Spring 2007 Issue Mary had her breasts strapped down breasts strapped down breasts strapped down Mary had her breasts strapped down to dry up all her milk maid easy stayed sixties-sterile Lewis Carroll lactophobic formulaic helter-skelter mother’s helper never asked her simple matter how she fed me doesn’t matter how cow come now I am (…) MORE »
Getting Out of the Way
Fall 2007 Issue Supplement? Did she say “supplement?” “Maybe you’re just not making enough milk anymore.” Or perhaps she said “inadequate.” When our pediatrician suggested that my 6-month-old was not fattening up—and not sleeping well—because she wasn’t getting enough to eat, I took it personally. After all, I had been the sole provider of her (…) MORE »
A Grandmother’s Litany
Fall 2007 Issue Cradling her warm and solid weight tests my arm, and blesses it. Rising Maggie-laden from my chair tests my knees, and blesses them. Closing her sleeper’s little snaps tests my fingers, and blesses them. Dreaming ahead to when she’s six, nine, eighteen – tests my future …and blesses it.
The Spaces
Summer 2007 Issue Several months ago, my nine month old bit me on the shoulder. Hard. Having gone through three toddlers before her, I expected a biting phase. Just not quite yet. It was past her bedtime, she was extremely tired and fussy, and I had the nerve to try to finish a conversation with (…) MORE »
Department of Insult to Injury
Summer 2007 Issue Today I got my first job offer since moving to California. I am sitting in the mall’s kiddie playland, watching Eleanor toddle about, when the mom near me starts up a conversation. In the beginning, it’s normal mall mom conversation, “How old is your girl,” “What’s her name,” “Gosh she’s a cutie,” (…) MORE »
Shedding My Skin
Spring 2008 Issue One highly invasive surgery to remove a uterine tumor. Five years of emotional turmoil and infertility treatments that cost over $15,000. Six artificial insemination failures. Twenty-four plus months of painful ovulation drugs and shots. Three miscarriages. One tubal pregnancy. Three D & C’s. Nine months of counseling to keep depression from pregnancy (…) MORE »
I Don’t Think I Can Do This
Winter 2008 Issue Squatting, head down, hands stretched across the bed holding my husband’s so tightly I could hear the bones crackle, grunting with the effort of riding wave after wave of tsunami-like contractions I hissed, “I don’t think I can do this” – give birth, I meant. But of course several hours later with (…) MORE »
The Whistle Stop Tour
Winter 2008 Issue For a “stay at home mom” freelance journalist, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Momseasychair.com, a national Atlanta-based web-zine asked me to come aboard as one of their writers during their national “Whistle Stop Tour”. My job would be to interview moms across the country, asking them their opinion on the (…) MORE »
Sushi
Fall 2008 Issue I am sitting at the sushi bar. My sinuses are on fire. As I casually reach for my glass, I surreptitiously wipe the tears from my watering eyes on my shoulder. The sushi guy building a beautiful caterpillar role with carrot eyes smirks. I ignore him, which is harder than it sounds (…) MORE »
Special Ed Mom
Summer 2008 Issue Every day all the other parents drop their kids off near school and the kids run to their classroom doors. Every day I herd my slightly late brood through the front door to drop off my seven year old. We’re slightly late because otherwise the internal doors are locked inside the school. (…) MORE »
My Little Garbage Collector
Winter 2009 Issue Maggie and I walked hand in hand down the bumpy dirt road in Djibouti. “Wait, mommy,” she said and bent to the ground. A flock of crows burst from a Neem tree, filling the air with hurtling black bodies and curdling caws. I didn’t look at what had attracted Maggie’s attention for (…) MORE »
Truths
Fall 2009 Issue Sometimes I don’t like my child I hated breastfeeding I never breastfed I drank wine regularly when I was pregnant I bribe my kids with sugar I give my toddler soda in a sippy My kids often go 2 weeks without taking a bath I had an epidural with all of my (…) MORE »
Going to Prison
Fall 2009 Issue It’s rough at home so I think I’m going to rob a bank. I won’t use a gun, just my hand in my pocket. I’ll check out where all the surveillance cameras are and make sure that they’ll get a few good close-ups of me being handed the money by the teller. (…) MORE »
Happy and You Know It?
Summer 2009 Issue I’m sitting in the gymnastics waiting area with a glazed look on my face. I’m so bored and lonely. I decide to strike up a conversation with an interesting looking woman. She’s reading a scientific magazine (score one for intellectualism); she’s eschewing the competitive mommy-talk about who’s signed up for what activities (…) MORE »
Waiting for Ella
Spring 2009 Issue Dispatches from Mars is the story of parenthood told by get born dads. In this, our first photo essay, photojournalist, Todd Newcomer, documents the first two years after his daughter’s much too early arrival. A nurse took this photo about 45 minutes after Ella was born as my wife was en route (…) MORE »
I Said Goodbye to Nana
Fall 2007 Issue Today, I said goodbye to Nana Breathing slows down I kiss her forehead gently Skin baby soft, sweet. I massage her foot with gentle strokes trying not to tickle Right foot cold, blue. I hold tight to still manicured hands Palms sweaty, reacting to touch. Nervous, I talk about my eyebrows. Face (…) MORE »
Courage to Cry
Summer 2007 Issue The year I got pregnant began with a lot of crying—none of which was related to the pregnancy itself. I had always considered myself a strong, confident and independent woman and suddenly, for reasons primarily precipitated by a juncture in my career, I had to admit that I often felt insecure, anxious (…) MORE »
Hollywood Hooters
Spring 2007 Issue I just paid $3.99 plus tax for the January issue of Vogue Magazine. Because I’m obsessed with Angelina Jolie. Except not because of Brad. And not even because I’m strangely impressed by her two international adoptions and substantial humanitarian work. Oh, no. I’m obsessed with her whole baby making machine of a (…) MORE »
