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Laura

Laura
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Graduate school brought Laura from her beloved home state of Colorado to Texas (hard to beat the Rocky Mountains!), and meeting her beloved husband Jonathan convinced her to settle here. Now the two are overjoyed and exhausted parents to sweet Christopher (2015) and a little girl on the way (2017). In addition to her role as a mama, she also works full time as a clinical psychologist working with military veterans who continue to amaze her with their strength and humor. When she’s not busy juggling career and parenthood, you can find her cycling, enjoying local culture (and food!), baking, “hiking,” and embracing her love of travel.
working moms on computers

An Ode to the Working Mom During Summer

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We have nothing but love for our stay-at-home mama sisters (who most definitely deserve an ode of their own), but sometimes it just helps to know you're not alone.
2400 x 1364 Healthy Mama (1)

What It Actually Means to Be Mentally and Emotionally Healthy

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Sometimes this expectation can feel like just another thing we're failing at, like showering every day. I'm here to share a professional perspective on this question. (And, full disclosure: Today was a dry shampoo day.) Because when I'm not momming, I'm focused on helping others improve their mental and emotional wellbeing as a clinical psychologist. 
Mother and Son

The One Key Concept to Know About Healthy Attachment

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Our children "serve" us a message verbally or nonverbally (e.g. I'm hungry, I'm happy and want to play, I'm bored, or I'm angry) and we "return" it with our response (e.g. feeding, playing, changing activities, or comforting). Sometimes our responses are right on -- score! We get the message, read it accurately, and lob it back with the perfect amount of oomph and spin.
bad day

Mommy and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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At dinner time, I fed my kids frozen peas because I was too tired to heat them. My baby's shirt . . . pants . . . socks . . . and hair ate all her mashed potatoes, and I had to bathe her while the preschooler made some sort of suspicious noise doing some sort of suspicious activity in the adjacent room. I was right to be suspicious.
giving up breastfeeding

The Hardest Practice I’m Having a Hard Time Giving Up {Breastfeeding}

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When I count it up, I've nursed for two and a half years so far. It's one of the hardest commitments I've ever made, and I made it twice. At times I fantasized about quitting multiple times a day -- like desperately wanted to, mostly in the first few weeks and months. And now I'm having the hardest time giving it up.
untreated trauma in parents

The Hidden Effects of Untreated Trauma in Parents

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Trauma can change our brains. It can change how we see the world and how we perceive danger. It can also shift how our emotions work and how we manage them. And it can certainly change the way we think: about people, about ourselves, and about relationships. These changes often seep into the way we parent. And most of the time we're not aware of it.
scrapbooking

Baby Book Guilt? No, Thanks!

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I was the girl who spent hours working on scrapbooks of childhood photos, artfully accenting with stickers, quotes and mementos. It's entirely possible that I still have my ticket stub for the 1997 film Titanic, because that certainly needed lifelong documentation. I'm a sucker for the sentimental. But I learned quickly after the birth of my first child that this working mom wasn't quite living up to her baby book expectations. Not. at. all.