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The Mom Behind the Counter

One mom. Eight kids. A baby store. Subscribe for stories, product drops, and the occasional emotional spiral (with a coupon code). Part retail update, part real-life journal. Always slightly unhinged.

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Smiling couple standing outdoors together in a mountain landscape beneath a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

JM#30: I was never supposed to be enough

Entry #30 • July 28th, 2026 Just Me - That's What This Is I want to write, I want to write, I want to wriiiiiiite. I think about writing often now. It feels engulfing. But sometimes I ignore the urge because I tell myself I don’t have time right now (it really does take time to commit to it if I’m going to turn it into a Just Me entry), or that I don’t really have a direction or theme for it. Really though, those just become excuses to push it off. I don’t know why. I think part of it is that...
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One of my young sons holds a round glass Pyrex dish with a blue lid filled with a homemade meal, moments before we walked it across the street to our elderly neighbor.

JM#29: While I wasn't looking

Entry #29 • July 7th, 2026 "He didn't look like the grumpy old man I had remembered." Come with me down memory lane. Disclosure: This is my raw, unfiltered email series — part journal, part story, part processing out loud. You’re stepping into something personal here and just semi-polished for readability. My faith is a big part of my life, so you’ll often see it woven into these entries alongside everything else I share. If you’d like to catch up on past entries, you can find the full...
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A laptop displaying a blank draft of JM#28 sits on a table at Kiln coffee bar, with a nearly empty drink beside it and a teenage boy working on a laptop in the background. The photo was taken on the one-year anniversary of his Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, a

JM#28: What Ordinary People Can Do

Entry #28 • June 16th, 2026 An Unordinary Year JM#28 has been open on my laptop and sitting empty for over a week and a half. I’ve thought numerous times about sitting down to write but would manage to immediately fill my time with other menial tasks. Quick hits on the to-do list. Send some emails. Run some reports. All the while, sitting right there on my to-do list was “JM#28” just staring me down day after day. Disclosure: This is my raw, unfiltered email series — part journal, part story,...
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A family selfie at an outdoor western-themed wedding, featuring a smiling mom in a tan hat and denim jacket alongside her husband and three children seated together under a large tree. The family is dressed in western-inspired attire, with sunny skies, gr

TMBTC: After 20+ support tickets, I lost my cool

Issue 10 • June 3rd, 2026 Behind the Counter, Literally “Sorry, our card reader is being finicky today…I’ll have to take your card and type it in.” ‘Oh no worries, I can just tap it if that’s easier?’ “nervous laugh No, haha, the whole thing isn’t working. I’ll just have to type it in. It’s not you, it’s us.” ‘Oh, of course, that’s fine! Here you go.’ Have you experienced this recently at Colorado Baby? How about, say, the last 5x you’ve been in? Literally me for the last 6 months. The amount...
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A softly lit cabin interior with tall windows overlooking pine trees and distant mountains. In the foreground, an open journal rests on a floral blanket, showing a hand-drawn sketch titled “Cabin Stay — Pagosa Springs” dated 4/19/2026. Warm wood tones, sc

JM#27: An Eventual New Home for Just Me

Entry #27 • May 26th, 2026 There's Art in Storytelling Too Dear Reader, Before I tell you about the future of Just Me, I think it’s important to first tell you how it all began. Back in high school, I took a photography class that I absolutely loved. What that class really awakened in me was the ability to see art in ordinary things. I’d look at something as simple as a sidewalk or curb and suddenly see beauty in it. I became fascinated with the realization that art is everywhere, absolutely...
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Two women sit across from each other at a rustic wooden patio table outside on a sunny morning, holding coffee cups and smiling mid-conversation. A small succulent sits between them on the table beneath a large umbrella, with downtown buildings, trees, an

JM#26: When God checks boxes you didn’t even know existed

Entry #26 • May 19th, 2026 The Friendship Deficit When my son received his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in June of last year (how has it already been this long and yet also so short?—and we still have a lifetime ahead of us), a prayer formed in my heart almost instantly. Disclosure: This is my raw, unfiltered email series — part journal, part story, part processing out loud. You’re stepping into something personal here and just semi-polished for readability. My faith is a big part of my life, so...
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A navy blue journal and light blue pen resting on a wooden table beside an iced matcha latte and a brown AirPods case — a quiet little snapshot of writing, reflection, and slowing down.

JM#25: Maybe writing really does connect people

Entry #25 • May 12th, 2026 The Quiet Work of Writing I’m itching to write even though I’m not quite sure what about. I’m still just riding the wave from that last entry I shared (JM#24). Starting this series has been such an interesting addition to my life. I’ve loved writing in my personal journal for years. It’s a powerful way to process circumstances and reflect back on past experiences. Journaling doesn’t have to be pretty or fit into some sort of system. I quite literally just write what...
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Hospital billing screen showing a $0.00 balance due after months of ongoing billing complications and uncertainty.

JM24: From the floor...to this

Disclosure: This is my raw, unfiltered email series — part journal, part story, part processing out loud. You’re stepping into something personal here and just semi-polished for readability. My faith is a big part of my life, so you’ll often see it woven into these entries alongside everything else I share. If you’d like to catch up on past entries, you can find the full archive here (each one is labeled JM#[entry number] so you can read them in order). Entry #24 • April 21st, 2026 ...Sits...
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Woman flashing two peace signs while sitting in a chill state

TMBTC: This was supposed to send yesterday

Issue 9 • April 1st, 2026 Late Night Thoughts from Behind the Counter Well, well, well… It’s 11:11pm (which feels oddly important, haha) on Monday, March 30th, and I’m starting a newsletter that I plan to send to you in the morning. Like…Tuesday morning. That’s bananas. I know. I never start a newsletter this late with the intention of finishing it and sending it the next morning. It’s just not reasonable. But here we are. I might be feeling a little unhinged. I feel like I haven’t yapped at...
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