A Baby, A Business, a Blog

Today was a big day. Today we launched the latest beta version of Ouchie, the app I’ve been tirelessly working on for the past year and a half. This is the app that I was developing all while simultaneously running a profitable production company, remodeling our first home, advising another startup, and helping a friend develop a web series. Oh and also while raising a two-year-old girl. But none of these accomplishments matter because more importantly, today was the day I co

Maisie has named her shadow Owl My shadow's name is Maisie Everything I do, she does I brush my teeth, she wants to brush her teeth Every day I love her more and more And my shadow needs me less and less I take a sip of water She spills it all over her face I love her more and more She needs me less and less I walk a few feet She breaks out into a run -- and then a stumble I love her more and more She needs me less and less I ask her a question She eagerly screams a response

Yesterday the snow saved me. You see there comes a point in every man and woman's life where they reach a breaking point in terms of balancing everything. Wednesday was my breaking point. I was walking Nibbler in the hail with Maisie strapped in her carrier, even though Maisie is getting too big for the carrier, and I was close to missing some deadlines and I had an 8:30 p.m. conference call and I had to start dinner. And then it snowed the next morning. A lot of snow. Enough

This morning, Maisie was sitting in her high chair chomping down on blueberries, a distraction as I prepared her oatmeal. As the oatmeal cooled, I gave her a small piece of banana, knowing that like blueberries, it's among her favorite things. When the oatmeal was ready, the tantrum started. I tried to take her out of her highchair. That made it worse. Back into the highchair she went and I retreated to the kitchen. I returned with a banana in my hand. There was an audible so

Dearest Maisie, A year ago, I barely knew you. Even though you were inside of me, my knowledge of you was basic, and not in the Basic Bitch way. I knew you frequently had the hiccups, a trait we would call Maisie-ups when you were born. I knew you went crazy for Taste Nirvana coconut water. Besides that, I knew nothing. I didn’t even know your gender. When you were born, we were strangers. Your cries were hollow. Your smiles random. Merely 11 months later, I realized I know

I used to watch TLC's show "What Not to Wear" and be perplexed by these beautiful women with ill-fitting, grossly- out-of-style clothes, raggedy hair and soft shapes. They must have never been stylish, ambitious or lived in a bustling metropolis, I so condescendingly thought. And then I became a mom. I should confess it took me years to be able to put together an outfit. I was a tomboy for most of my childhood, constantly rocking a backwards baseball hat. My sense of style w

I think I love Maisie most at 10.5 months. That isn't to say I haven't loved her in the past. It's just that now, I love her most of all. This stage of her life is simply amazing. Simply put: she's the most human she's ever been. Maisie now gets humor. She purposely tries to be funny. She imitates Nibbler by putting things in her mouth and then shaking her head back and forth. She pulls my hat over my face to play peekaboo. Her babbles have meaning. She insists on eating real

Rituals and traditions have always been tantamount in my family. We celebrated half birthdays. Had elaborate games waiting for the school bus. Passover Seders always included song and dances, along with a musical number written, directed and performed by the kids. There were Hannukah gift scavenger hunts. And there were even rituals to prevent us from knowing scary stuff was going on; Chemo Wednesdays were occupied with ice cream and library parties. But my favorite holiday,

Between having a baby, launching a business and managing a consulting career, my to-do list is getting to be the size of a Nicki Minaj tour rider. Just organizing the list could be a job in and of itself. I use Google calendar, notes on my phone, project management software, Post-it notes and constant repetition. I could use another 6-8 hours in the day, but unfortunately I'm not close enough with anyone who could make that happen. Coffee and I are taking our relationship to

Last week I wrote about a quasi-negative review I received about my parenting. It came from a disgruntled man on a JFK-bound flight from West Palm Beach. It may have seemed like just a look, but to me it might as well have been a 1,000-word essay. I wrote about the hurt it caused and the lessons I learned. I'm no stranger to receiving negative reviews. In the world of online video, particularly when you run a YouTube channel, you get bombarded with hateful, chauvenistic, raci