Author: Holly A. Fisher

I hate major, life-changing, career-impacting decisions. Without going into too many details at this stage, Clint and I are facing a big decision. He has an opportunity, I have an opportunity, and, of course, we always have the “do nothing” option.

It’s tough.

I’m continually asking for God’s guidance and hope to hear a response soon — yes, no, call back later — anything would do.

What’s your advice for dealing with big decisions?

What exactly am I supposed to do with this stuff?

Yesterday, Katherine had her first foray into solid foods. By the way, why do they call it “solid” food when it’s really runny, liquid-like food? Anyway, she sat in her new high chair and sampled some rice cereal.

Although a good amount ended up on the bib and her face, she did great. I personally adore cereal and could eat it for any meal and as a snack, so I have a suspicion Katherine feels the same way.

Last year for Clint’s birthday I ordered this dress for our yet unborn baby girl. It seemed appropriate for Katherine to wear it on Clint’s first Father’s Day.

Happy Father’s Day, sweetie! You’re an awesome Daddy!

I could go the rest of my life without another week like the one that just ended. My entire family has a stomach virus that settled on our house like the plague.

A week ago Saturday Katherine was vomiting and had some diarrhea. She’d just had her 4-month vaccinations so we thought it was a side effect of those. But Sunday afternoon, I was hit with some serious nausea. I went to bed early but woke up about 10:30 and ran for the bathroom. I spent the night and the better part of Monday hugging the toilet.

Clint started feeling yucky Monday afternoon and by Tuesday he was sick too. Even one of our dogs, Mocha, was throwing up. Had it not been so awful, it might have been comical.

We kept Katherine home from daycare on Tuesday because she still wasn’t feeling well either. We managed to drag ourselves to work on Wednesday. Probably a mistake because I felt worse on Thursday and missed work that day and Friday. That goodness we could send Katherine to daycare. I could barely get out of bed.

Katherine perked up on Friday, and Clint and I are just starting to feel better this weekend. We hope never to repeat such a hideous week.

I did learn a few things:
1. It’s awful when Mom and Dad both are sick because someone still has to feed the baby.
2. It would be great if a grandma lived nearby.
3. Nighttime daycare would be a blessing in situations like this.
4. It would be terrific if the dogs had opposable thumbs and could hold a baby bottle.
5. While you might think your body should work in your favor, your stomach can turn on you at any minute. Sort of like when a tame tiger eats its master.

One of my favorite authors is Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, former New York Times reporter and now a professor at the University of Alabama. Last spring, I had the chance to meet him when he came to the Society of Professional Journalists spring conference at the University of Florida. He spoke about storytelling and his experiences as a journalist and writer.

Bragg’s ability to paint a picture, tell a story and craft a phrase is remarkable. If you haven’t read his first book, “All Over But the Shoutin’,” I highly recommend it. It’s an autobiography of his life growing up in rural Alabama.

His latest work is “The Prince of Frogtown,” another book about his family. This one focuses on his father and Bragg’s relationship with his stepson. I’m just a few chapters into it, but so far, it’s great. I also used a collection of his newspaper stories when teaching at the College of Charleston last fall. The students really enjoyed it.

Bragg did a book signing last week at a bookstore here in Charleston, so I took my family and went. Plus, I wanted to catch up with him about possibly speaking at the SPJ national convention in September in Atlanta. He is always so gracious and kind. He spent plenty of time answering questions, signing books and was genuinely interested in what people had to say.

If you’re looking for some good summer reads, check out Bragg’s books. And, here’s a link to his book tour schedule.

I knew this day was coming. I was dreading it. I feel a sense of sadness mingled with pride and admiration.

My baby birds are gone.

Yesterday morning two of them were toddling on the edge of the nest. I could see them contemplating if this was the day to spread their wings. Apparently their third sibling had an independent streak because he or she was already gone. Clint said they would be leaving that day. I secretly hoped they would stay – just a few more days. I’d so enjoyed our time together, peering through the windows to catch a glimpse of their tiny heads and hungry beaks.

By the afternoon, they had ventured from the nest and were perched amid the Confederate Jasmine on the front porch. You had to look hard to even see them. They were probably thinking, “OK, we made it this far. I think we can do it. I think we can fly.” (I thought it was neat how they stuck together, giving each other moral support.)

In the time it took me to go upstairs and put in a load of laundry, they were gone.

I couldn’t help but note the irony: the birds had left the day before Mother’s Day. I wondered if the mother bird was sitting in a tree top watching her babies take flight and feeling proud of the job she had done. She had perfectly fulfilled the role nature had for her as a mother. Would I do the same with my daughter?

Just as my little birds flew away while I was loading laundry, I have no doubt one minute I’ll be loading the washer with tiny socks and bibs and in the next instant washing armloads of clothing dropped on the laundry room floor during a visit home from college.

What matters is what I do in those moments between. The responsibility of parenthood has not been lost on me these last three months. It is an awesome task, one to be cherished, celebrated and feared.

Clint and I often study Katherine, as I’m sure most parents do, and wonder where life will take her. Will she be a doctor, an artist, a politician, a writer, a lawyer, an engineer, a chemist? We’ll do our very best to mold her into the best person we can. In fact,our job isn’t so different from that mother bird’s: to nurture our children, teach them how to fly and then step aside.

Yesterday my friend Shelia called posing a tricky Mother’s Day question. When it comes to Mother’s Day gifts, which is better: a gift that lets you escape motherhood (spa, manicure, passport and plane ticket to another country) or a gift that makes life as a mom easier (cleaning service, closet organizers, wife)?

My first instinct was to say “escape!” I mean, what new mommy doesn’t need a break?

Shelia said she was on the fence about this one. After some more discussion and thought, I see this is a tough one. Certainly, items that make the job of Mom a little easier are great. In fact, I already have a lawn service and get my meals from Dream Dinners. I’m kicking around the idea of having someone clean my house a couple times a month. I’m actually trying to eliminate all domestic duties from my life, so any gift that furthers that goal is perfect.

But, on the other hand, a break from motherhood certainly benefits a Mom’s sanity.

Seems to me the only solution is two gifts! Share your thoughts …

My baby birds are growing fast. I finally discoverd there are indeed three birds in the nest. I have no idea how they all fit. I managed to snap this new photo. One downside to having a bird nest on your porch – lots of bird poo.

Hard to believe Katherine turned 3 months old last Friday. She is really growing and doing a great job of holding up her head. See more pictures here.

Our front porch is covered with Confederate Jasmine – the perfect place for a bird’s nest.

A few weeks ago we noticed a mother bird had built a small nest in the Jasmine growing on the column next to our front door. I have been monitoring the progress each day.

Last weekend, while working in the yard, I grabbed the step ladder and climbed up to peer into the nest. Baby birds!

This weekend they are big enough to pop their fuzzy little heads (I think there are two) out of the nest. I managed to capture this picture. It’s not too clear but you can tell we have a bird family living at our house.

I really hope I’m home when they attempt to leave the nest.

Here we are at my birthday dinner — my first birthday as a Mom!

Well, here I am: turning a ripe ol’ 32 years old today. I was trying to let this one slide by quietly but have to admit I do appreciate all the warm wishes and my fabulous family and friends. My dear friend Tiffany posted such a sweet item about me on her blog.

Yes, I’ll be 40 in a mere eight years, but I have to acknowledge all the wonderful things in my life and feel I have accomplished a great deal in my 32 years. Who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing when I hit the big 4-0 but I feel certain I’ll be counting my many blessings.

People who work from home must fib about the amount of work they actually accomplish. About four years ago, I spent a few months doing freelance work before going to graduate school and taking a part-time job with my current employer. I hated working from home. I was too easily distracted – dishes, laundry, surfing the net with no chance of anyone walking up behind me, a magazine, an episode of Murder She Wrote.

I could be lured away from the computer by just about anything. I quickly decided I needed to physically go to an office outside my home where other people were working alongside me.

Four years later, things have not improved and now I have a major – and legitimate – distraction in a 9-week-old baby.

Because my company doesn’t offer paid maternity leave, I needed to start back to work when Kate was 6 weeks old. So for two weeks, I “worked” from home. Last week, I was scheduled to head back to my office where I could actually work through a full day without having to stop and change a diaper. After three days in the office, Clint was called away to San Diego for a business trip. He was scheduled to stay home all week with Kate because she can’t get into the daycare center until April 14.

This week, Clint and I planned to trade off stay-at-home duties Monday through Wednesday until my mom arrived to keep Kate on Thursday and Friday. Well, Clint’s trip to the West Coast sort of through a monkey wrench in our carefully laid plans.

Now, I’m back working from home until Thursday. A typical day goes something like this:

9:30 p.m. Put Katherine to bed
4 a.m. Katherine wakes up to eat. Change diaper, feed Katherine
4:45 a.m. Put Katherine back to bed
4:47 a.m. Consider heading to the computer to get some work done before she wakes up again in a few hours.
4:47:30 a.m. Crawl back into bed … for a just a few more minutes.
7:30 a.m. Katherine wakes up to eat. (See how easily a few minutes can turn into hours.) Change diaper.
7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Feed Katherine, bathe and/or dress Katherine, attempt to eat some yogurt and brew some coffee while juggling baby in one hand. Take super fast shower while Katherine is occupied in her bed with some toys. Put makeup on and dry hair in record time (although these are optional if day doesn’t require leaving the house).
9:36 a.m. Put Katherine on toy mat, grab coffee and sit down at computer.
9:37 – 10:18 a.m. Work
10:18 a.m. Katherine fusses. Pick her up, maybe read her a story or walk around for a few minutes.
10:25 a.m. Put Katherine in swing next to desk.
10:25 – 11:15 a.m. Work
11:15 a.m. Katherine is ready to eat.
11:20 – Noon Feed Katherine
Noon – 1 p.m. Eat some lunch and watch TV. Clean out bottles, throw in a load of laundry. Check on dogs or let them out to use the bathroom.
1 p.m. Pick Katherine up and head back to office and toy mat. Katherine spits up and covers herself and me with a milky mess. Change clothes. More laundry.
1:15 p.m. Work while Katherine naps (yeah!)
2 p.m. Check laundry
3 p.m. Katherine starts to fuss. Read Katherine some stories and sing her a song. Try to check e-mail before time for a feeding.
4 p.m. Change diaper. Feed Katherine. May as well see who’s on Oprah today.
5 p.m. Feed dogs. Check work e-mail and catch up on a few things.
6:30 p.m. Eat some dinner (most likely cereal).
7 p.m. Change diaper. Feed Katherine. More laundry.
10 p.m. Change diaper. Feed Katherine and then put her to bed.
Start all over again.

OK, that’s not exactly how my day goes but it’s awfully close and gives you a good idea of how tough it is to work from home with a zillion distractions. Not to mention, it’s draining to be the constant caregiver with no husband to share the duties. Just wait until he gets home. I may get called off on a trip too.

I couldn’t resist posting this photo of Katherine. She was dressed up and ready for church this morning.