Questions greet the arrival of a baby

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:50

“What are you doing, Mommy?” “What do you see, Mommy?” “What’s that, Mommy?” Life with my toddler, Gracelyn, brings about all sorts of inquisition—all day, every day.

But life with our newest addition, a 1-month-old daughter named Jemma, brings about another line of questioning—resulting in multiple, individual conversations that follow a very similar pattern.

First, the obligatory congratulations, followed by, “And how are you doing?” “Fine,” I reply. At least for the most part. I don’t feel like I’m walking around in as much fog as I did with my first, so if that’s any measurement, the second has been a little easier.

Sleep deprivation is still an issue, but I’m more practiced at dealing with it...

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May marks end of birth countdown

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 18 May 2010 18:35

Editor’s note: Malinda Just gave birth to a daughter, Jemma Elise, on Wednesday, May 12. She, daughter and family are doing well.

 

It’s finally May! And while I generally wouldn’t put an exclamation mark behind such a dull and obvious statement, I want to convey how excited I am that I can now put those words together.

You see, I’ve been waiting for May for 38 weeks and counting. And it wasn’t until the calendar flipped to May that I really got the urge to count down the days until May 18—my official due date.

I’m sure some are thinking, “But you’ve made it 38 weeks, what’s a couple more?” To them I would say, “You’ve never been pregnant, have you?”

Sure, I want this baby to be healthy when she arrives...

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Writing urge has spilled into a blog

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 20 April 2010 18:38

Once upon a time. That’s how great stories begin. And that’s how I began my very first blog post.

Yes, I’m officially blogging. I probably should have started three years ago during our first pregnancy. Or at least after our daughter’s birth. Or maybe after we spent time in the hospital with our daughter right after her first birthday. Instead, I started March 13—for no particular reason other than the fact that I had some time to sit down and write.

And so far, justswritehere.blogspot.com has been a great outlet for me. As you may have guessed (considering my bachelor’s degree is in journalism, I work for a newspaper and I write a newspaper column), I am passionate about writing.

I’m fairly certain my love for writing...

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March is great for multiple reasons

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 16 March 2010 18:44

Even though at the moment I write this, the sky is gloomy and the wind is blustery from the north, March is a great month.

For some of you, March is great because of the ensuing Madness. I don’t tend to get hyped because of basketball, but I will fill out a bracket. My strategies—pick some underdogs, pick some cool-sounding schools (i.e. Gonzaga), pick some top-ranked teams for good measure—may be laughable, but I somehow manage to do just as well as many folks who put a lot of thought into it. But as entertaining as bracketology is, it’s got nothing to do with my love for March.

St. Patrick’s Day is a March perk as well. No, I’m not Irish (at least that I know of), but green is one color I can sport with the best of them...

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