I already wrote about postpartum depression once before, but I want to mention it again for two reasons:

1. I have a lot of friends who just recently had babies (not their first), and let me just tell you PPD is a whole different beast with subsequent births for a myriad of reasons.
2. In dealing with my own depression, I have relearned the value in speaking up and showing up.

It’s that time of year again! The last 5 years I have been on a roller coaster of emotions on and around Mother’s Day. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with it. On the one hand, I’m like “stay home, this is a stupid Hallmark invention!” On the other, I’m feeling all the feels about my kids, moms without living children, and folks who’s moms have passed already.

Have you ever heard of May Day? It’s celebrated a lot of places, but I think in the USA it’s somewhat of a dying tradition. I celebrated a few times growing up and now that my girls are 4 and almost 2, and we have spent the last few years actively trying to build relationships with our neighbors, I figured this year would be the perfect time to start and continue the tradition with them.

It’s finally consistently warm here, and the worst of the pollen is over. If you didn’t know, NC pollen in April is brutal — the pine trees puke a foggy yellow dust on everything, and it is virtually inescapable. My whole family is allergic to that much pollen, and so it’s just a really tough time for us. But, thank God, we are over it, yes and amen, and just in time to enjoy Spring before the heat of Summer bakes us to a crisp.