Harper Lane

“How do you do it all?” someone asked me the other day. The truth? I don’t. The dishes sit. The laundry waits. The dog sometimes wins. What I  do  is show up. I show up for my stepson when he wants me to play army guys. I show up for my husband when he needs to vent about work. I show up for this baby growing inside me, even when all I can do is rest. Keeping sane isn’t about balance—it’s about grace. And right now, grace looks like paper plates, 10-minute showers, and laughing at the madness...

My husband and I used to go on spontaneous date nights. Now our dates look more like splitting a milkshake in the car while the kiddo is at Karate. Romantic? Honestly, yes. When life gets this full, marriage has to be about the small stuff: him bringing me crackers when I can’t keep food down, me taking the puppy out when he’s already half-asleep. We laugh in between the chaos because if we don’t, we’ll cry—and sometimes we do both. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real. And real is where love...

I thought pregnancy would feel glowing and magical right away. Instead, it feels like I’ve been hit by a bus made of saltines and ginger ale. Ten weeks in, and the only glow I’ve got is from the sheen of sweat after chasing the dog around the coffee table. My stepson doesn’t quite get why I nap on the couch while he builds castles, but he kindly tucks a blanket over me every time. That’s love. There’s pressure to keep it together, but the truth is, I don’t. And that’s okay. Because the body...