Pause Pages: Cultivating Calming Rituals, Dipping Our Toes into Solids, and Books Worth A Read

a monthly care package of thoughts, faves, and little joys — plus some prompts for a little mom self-care woven into your day.

Welcome to the first-ever monthly roundup! Think of this as a little care package of all the things I’ve been loving, thinking about, and obsessing over lately—books, baby stuff, articles, and random life joys that deserve a shoutout. It’s also a time to pause, reflect, and nurture yourself—a little mom self-care woven into your day.

Kiwi playing, me writing this roundup right meow

February Intention: create a calm foundation

With so much newness around me—Keira’s milestones, new work projects—I’m craving predictability. Keira is changing every day, and it feels like I’m learning new things all the time. There’s a constant flow of newness and firsts, and it can be overwhelming. From never quite knowing what the night holds, how long of a stretch we’ll get, to starting solids, there’s always a sense of learning on the fly.

It’s a weird kind of power—everything’s new, but at the same time, I know Keira better than anyone, and that somehow makes the unknown feel a smidge easier.

This month, my intention is to cultivate calming rituals that bring stability, allowing me to navigate the ever-changes with a steady foundation beneath me. I want to flow with motherhood without forcing or overthinking the small stuff. I want to focus on the things I can control—my morning routine, mindfulness practices, and taking a moment to reset my nervous system if I’m feeling activated.

I’m hoping these little grounding rituals help me find more ease through it all, so I can feel more inner peace and outer calm.

💭 Prompts to Ponder:

• What’s one small habit you could introduce to help you feel more centered each day?

• How can you embrace moments of stillness, even in the midst of change?

• Where in your life could you bring a little more rhythm or predictability this month?

Reflection: 6 months into motherhood

• I survived my postpartum hair loss and still have hair on my head—woohoo!

• Kiwi’s naps have been getting longer: 1.5 hours for two out of three (or four) naps a day! Scratch that… it only lasted two days now we are back to 30 minute naps. 😅

• We have dipped our toes into starting solids. It’s been overall exciting, but for me, overwhelming?? Like… her belly is a completely blank slate and I don’t want to mess her up? It’s another lesson in trusting my intuition and not overthinking it all. (This is coming from someone who has had decade-long gut issues & adulthood food allergies… so, I’m also holding space for self-compassion.)

🧠 Mom Brain Moment: Andrew was making cookies, and my brain completely glitched. Instead of asking, “Did you bake the cookies?” I confidently said, “Did you cook the bacon?” He just stared at me like… what bacon? 🥓

Life Lately: things worth sharing