A few episodes ago, I told you about two strange interactions: one man asked me if my baby was real, and a woman at Petco told me she could never imagine running errands with a baby.

Well…there’s an update.

I ran into the same woman at Petco again, and this time we actually talked.

What she shared got me thinking about how many women spend years saying, “I could never,” while also carrying a real desire for children somewhere underneath that.

And I get it, because I used to be that woman too.

In this episode, I’m talking about changing your mind about motherhood, how much our expectations shape the way we experience it, why I think the version of motherhood we’ve been shown is often more frightening than motherhood itself, and what it can look like to honestly ask yourself what you actually want.

If you’re on the fence, this isn’t me telling you what decision to make.

It’s just permission to examine the desire honestly.

Is my baby sleeping through the night?

Kind of.

She still wakes to eat, but she doesn’t really have long wake windows in the middle of the night and that distinction has made a huge difference for us.

In this episode, I’m sharing what sleep actually looks like in our house at almost three months postpartum, how my definition of “tired” has completely changed since becoming a parent, and why bedsharing became part of our nighttime rhythm after I originally planned to use a bedside bassinet.

I’m also talking about the importance of realistic expectations around newborn sleep and why I think parents should learn about safer sleep practices even if they never intend to bedshare.

This is not a “how to get your baby to sleep through the night” episode.

It’s just an honest look at what’s working for us and why I’m not chasing some perfect version of baby sleep.

This episode is a little more niche than usual, but if you are planning a Little House on the Prairie birthday party, I truly think this one will be everything you need.

My niece grew up loving the books and show just like I did, and when she asked for a Little House-themed birthday, I wanted to make it feel like more than just prairie decorations.

So we built the whole party around the world of Little House.

The girls decorated galvanized lunch pails, packed old-fashioned lunches, went on a farm scavenger hunt, bartered their findings for access to Olsen’s Mercantile, shopped for party favors, ate cake, visited a petting zoo, and took pony rides.

We also got completely rained out at the last minute, which meant shifting almost the entire party into the barn—and somehow it still turned out better than I imagined.

In this episode, I’m walking through exactly what we did, what worked, what I would change, what the girls loved most, and a few backup ideas we never even needed.

If you’re planning a prairie, pioneer, homestead, or Little House on the Prairie birthday party, save this one.