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“6 months ago today, you were still in my belly.

“6 months ago today, you were still in my belly. Around 3am you decided to alert me that you were ready to say hi. Every few minutes you made your presence known just to remind me to get ready for our meeting.

So I did. I walked around. I breathed deeply. I focused. I envisioned your arrival. I tuned out the pain and tuned into you. There were times I thought 'I can’t do this' but your father whispered in my ear that I could.

So I did. With one last deep breath and forceful push, you came fluttering out loud and proud, eyes wide open, and in shock by the abrupt departure from your warm, dark home in my belly and into this cold, bright hospital room you weren’t familiar with. You were famished so they laid you down on my chest so you could get your first meal in this strange, new world. I stared at all 8lbs 3oz of you. Beautiful you. Sweet you. Curious you. And in that moment, nothing else mattered."

Just a little snippet from my 6 month letter to Beyond I’m writing to him today on his 6 month birthday. My hubby and I will both be writing separate letters, so one day Beyond can hear the story of his birth from the two different POVs of his parents. I’m not sure when he’ll read these letters, but all I know is I want him to know how much he has always been, is, and will continue to be loved.

Wish a happy 6 month birthday to Mr. Beyond! Maybe one day I’ll show him the comments on this post.

Half a year down, a lifetime to go.

📷: PS. Thank you to my amazing friend @atl.nikkifiya who gifted me with a vegan milk bath maternity shoot. At the time I was social distancing, so I had no plans to hire a photographer. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have any maternity photos to honor this special time in my life 🙏🏽

3 things I said I "wouldn't do" as a mom...but tot

3 things I said I "wouldn't do" as a mom...but totally ended up doing and love:

1. CO-SLEEP:
In western societies, napping with your baby is often framed as a reckless thing to do, which it definitely can be if not done safely. I never thought I'd be a cuddly mom, but my goodness - Baby Beyond just brings out every bit of softness I never even knew I had. There are times when he wakes up early so I bring him in bed with me and breastfeed while laying down. He snuggles up against me and we fall back asleep together. And I have to admit, it's the sweetest thing.

2. ENJOY BREASTFEEDING:
Breasts are so hypersexualized that the idea of using them to feed a child was so weird to me at one point. How backwards is that? That's literally what they're for and it's one of my favorite ways to bond. Laying down is my favorite way to nurse. I love the cuddles.

3. BE OBSESSED with my kid:
I didn't want kids for a long time, so I didn't think I'd be this attached to my kid when I had one. Yet here I am. Utterly. Obsessed. With. Him.

What's something you said you'd never do but turned around and did?

Question for y'all: if you've gotten your shots, a

Question for y'all: if you've gotten your shots, are you still masking up - why or why not?

When I run errands now, I notice there's a very sharp divide now between people who cover their faces and those who don't. From what I've observed where I live in Georgia, that divide has been most visible between different race and age groups.

There are benefits to still covering up. No one can pressure you to smile when you don’t feel like faking it. You get a nice little break from makeup. Introverts can revel in anonymity 😏. And most importantly, it helps keep you healthy.

Every place is different, some cities are more strict or relaxed than others. So I'm curious, what's the vibe like where you live?!

Ayyyy big thank you to @blogher for including me a

Ayyyy big thank you to @blogher for including me as an Eco Impact Warrior honoree! Y'all check it out 😍 Swipe left to read my interview and peep the BlogHer VOTY 100 issue to see more honorees!

Happy First Father's Day to the man who's dreamt o

Happy First Father's Day to the man who's dreamt of being a dad all his life!

In those early newborn days when he had to really step up as a caregiver to both Beyond AND me as my body was recovering from childbirth, someone asked if I was worried our son would bond more with his dad than me. My answer: Absolutely not!

My job is to be a great parent, not a favorite parent. My husband and I are a team and I will always empower him to be the best father to our son he can be.

Beyond is beyond blessed to be in a house filled with this much love.

L Swipe left for a photo dump 📸

SHARE THIS. Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, b

SHARE THIS. Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, but there's still work to do in normalizing it for people. EVERY American should be celebrating today.

If you dont understand it, don't be awkward about it 🙃 Swipe left to learn about Juneteenth, and please do more research to fully grasp it.

Also, watch @blackishabc Season 4 Episode 1 for one of the best explanations of Juneteenth I've ever seen in mainstream television (if you have Hulu, it's on there).

Knowledge is power, so honor this day by learning and educating others!

How are you celebrating?

What did I learn during my 20-Minute Daily Run Cha

What did I learn during my 20-Minute Daily Run Challenge? *Originally* I was only gonna do it for 7 days. But 7 days turned into 14 and 14 turned into 30!

What I Learned:

1. 20 minutes is the sweet spot. Just short enough to feel motivated to run without stopping and just long enough to feel like I did something.

2. I'm outdoorsy and thought I'd love running in the woods. But, the amount of times I almost tripped over a tree root 😭

3. Morning was the best time to do it. It's when I had the most energy + it's also hot AF outside the later it gets 😫 Idk why I thought I could run with a furry husky mid-day in 80-degree weather.

4. Apparently treadmills are lit. I always thought they looked boring, but I did my BEST runs on our treadmill.

5. And finally, even though I'm not a runner, it's doable! I skipped a few days during the 30-day period, but I'm still proud of myself for keeping up with it as long as I did.

Do you think you can challenge yourself to try a new workout for 30 days? If so, what would it be?

Y'all 😫 Our food choices have a major impact on

Y'all 😫 Our food choices have a major impact on climate change and environmental degradation.

Meat and Dairy farming emitting 15% of global GHG emissions is a *conservative* estimate by the UN's Food & Agricultural Organization. Comprehensive estimates say 50% for direct and indirect emissions!

If things don't change, scientists have predicted it will get much worse by 2050.

Some people change their diet for their love of animals (me). Some change their diet for health (also me). If not those reasons, would you be willing to make diet changes to keep the world from falling apart?

Bloop. Fully vaccinated. Got my 2nd dose last nigh

Bloop. Fully vaccinated. Got my 2nd dose last night! If you haven't done it yet, and you're curious about the side effects, I'll share mine and my family's 2nd dose reactions:

Me: Sore upper arm (it's been about 17 hours since I got my shot). I've been breastfeeding too and my son is perfectly fine as well.

Hubby: Fever, headache, body ache for about 24 hours

Mom: Mild fever and fatigue for about 24 hours

Dad: Sore upper arm

Everyone reacts differently, but usually it only lasts about 24 hours and you're back to business as usual 🥳

I'm taking it easy today and resting.

Did you get yours yet? If so, what was your experience?

🥼 Pastel Green suit: Sustainably rented on @nuuly
👟 Sustainable/Vegan Sneakers: @laneeight

Beyond's first solid foods! While I plan to breast

Beyond's first solid foods! While I plan to breastfeed for at least a year as long as I'm able, I want to make sure he's being introduced to the tastes and textures of (vegan) solid foods too.

My hope is that he'll be an easy kid to feed like I was 😅 My mom said I wasn't picky at all and I ate whatever she put in front me.

🍌 Last week we did half a mashed banana mixed with an ounce of breastmilk every morning, and he gobbled it right up. Next, I want to do a veggie!

Which vegetable should I try this week? I'm thinking peas? Carrots?

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