I’m moving into a different stage of motherhood. My youngest will be two years old in June and she’s well into toddlerhood: talking and walking and feeding herself. She’s even expressed some interest in potty training and dressing herself, likely the byproduct of having two active older siblings.

It’s therefore bittersweet to read old essays I wrote while in the throes of new babyhood, that foggy state of sleep deprived motherhood, body and emotions still recovering from the ravages of pregnancy. I’m thrilled to have one such piece published in this year’s issue of Mom Egg Review, focused on play and work in motherhood. My piece, “Back to Work,” is a snapshot in time, returning to work after my last maternity leave. Everything feels uncomfortable in that transition: leaving your children at home, putting on ill-fitting work clothes, pumping at work, waking at night to hold your restless babies.

You can find the Play & Work Issue of Mom Egg Review, full of literary poetry and prose, here. You can order this, or other insightful MER issues, online.