Hi Amul, I am Lori Melton. I knew you when you lived in Pittsburgh. 😊

Not at all.

Long story short, we won!

Pittsburgh is a great town to get sick in. I survived, the tumor is almost ten years gone. I look forward to celebrating that one next year!

And after, we finally were blessed with a child in 2019. She’s amazing, and I love her with everything I have. I’m very grateful!

I started to finally tell the story of our daughter, and why I am still so grateful to be her mom.

Turns out I need to take more time than I had tonight. It’s a long story of wanting a baby, unexplained infertility, and then a freaking benign brain tumor derailed our plans completely…(1/2)

I got my Master’s, started teaching 3rd grade. I loved my job and my kids. Spending your day with a pack of 8 & 9 year olds is pretty great! But I yearned for the day I would have my own. Ten years later, we decided I’d take a year off to really focus on my health & getting pregnant at last. (3/?)

She’s the top of my list because she turned five earlier this year, and 5 years of doing anything feels worth marking. But we wanted her for a long time, and there’s still times I look at her and am just so glad she’s here. I will share the whole story later this week 💗

What are you thankful for this year?

I have a long list, I hope you do, too. But one person tops my list this year…our five year old girl, known as the Chaos Fairy on social media.

I cried reading this, because I am so happy for you and because I have my own story of why a crying infant at 3 am was a beautiful thing.

Happy Thanksgiving. I am so glad he made it and that he has YOU for his Dad!

I made an account over here and am slowly figuring it out.

I hope we can all find some resilience too. We’re going to need it. 💙

Also, our girl thought that Mama throwing laundry and yelling at the TV was hilarious! 😂

Now I am 54, my girl is 5, and I have mostly forgiven Elmo! 😉

Here’s a funny story:

I was folding laundry and watching Sesame Street with my then-1 year old. The episode was for their 50th. At one point, Elmo says “Wow, 50 is REALLY old!”

I immediately chucked some unfolded laundry at the tv and said “Hey Elmo, I am 51, and you are NOT my favorite muppet!”

I couldn’t agree more…and thanks for being easy to find! I’m slowly figuring out new-to-me social media! 😂

I was a book kid too. It’s pretty wonderful!

So, if this sounds good to you - let’s be friends!

I’m liberal, empathetic, fairly introverted, and care a great deal about our world & our climate, and…I’m depressed about our most recent election. More about that, music I love, and the occasional funny story about the ins and outs of being the oldest mama in the PreK pickup line will follow!

These days, I volunteer at my girl’s school, I’m an amateur artist (very amateur), and I love to read and to bake. I’m also a former theater kid, I did it through college and still love to see shows & talk about them. (3/4)

Before becoming a semi-disabled stay at home mom (arthritis & a bad lower back), I was a caseworker for kids with serious mental health challenges, and then I taught third grade for 10 years. I loved both jobs, but the burnout factor is real. (2/?)

I’m 54, married to my love for 24 years, and mom to our amazing 5 year old girl. We had a tough time with unexplained infertility, and a laundry list of other health problems for me, but thanks to medical science and a couple good people, we finally are a family of three.💗💗💗

To be continued…

I feel this in my soul.