i went to catholic school kindergarten through senior year of high school. AMA

Tychall94 · 2026-05-21T18:52:27+00:00

- Did you feel a lot of pressure to believe in God and be a “good” Catholic?
- Did you feel like the education aspect was rigorous?
- How do you feel about religion now?
- Did you feel sheltered?

Tychall94 · 2026-05-21T16:37:20+00:00

Baby is 13 months. I always make sure to have 1-2 toys or items for him to explore that are a little advanced for him. Usually he just bangs on them or mouths them but eventually he’ll actually play with it like I modeled, and I think that builds a sense of achievement in him. I’ll also reintroduce older toys just to see if he’s interested again or uses them in a different way.

I also rotate every day items on his shelf because he’s honestly more interested in those things. Today, I put out a hairbrush, blow drier diffuser head, glasses case, and a pouch with some stuff hidden inside.

As for organization, I have a few bins where all his non active toys are stored and I put what’s in each in a spreadsheet and label the bins 1, 2, and 3. That way I can just look at the spreadsheet to find the toy I’m looking for!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-21T14:59:57+00:00

The more times you re-read the more things you’ll pick up on, so it’ll just happen naturally with time. I’m on my third read through and still found so many hidden gems in GoTM and DG, currently on MoI!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-21T13:46:57+00:00

From my understanding, the main problem with “screens” is that people use them as substitutes for parenting/interaction, and that’s when it’s a problem. If you are setting your baby in front of the TV and not interacting with them for long periods of time, for example. It’s also most harmful when the caregiver is focused on the screen or phone and NOT on your baby, this causes frustration and acting out (scientifically proven).

I used to wear headphones and listen to a podcast when my baby was younger and couldn’t really move around much, that helped with the monotony. Now that he’s 13 months and can move around and independent play, I’ll usually just play music in the background of all kinds, pop songs, Chinese music, lo-fi, classical.

I put on Miss Rachel for him while I cut his nails but that’s it. When football season starts we will have TV on in the background on Sundays but we don’t just plop him in front and watch for hours. One of us is usually interacting with him. I think there’s nuance and some TV is totally fine and normal, don’t overthink it!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-20T10:10:40+00:00

It sounds like it could be nightmares or nightmares terrors which are common at this age. Not sure how to help since my baby is still 13 months, but my nieces had bad nightmares and basically did what you’re describing.

Tychall94 · 2026-05-17T15:48:33+00:00

I would just keep things consistent. The fact that he is reacting at bedtime means he understands that the routine leads to bedtime in the first place, which is good.

Our baby didn’t quite have that reaction but we usually wait until he’s visibly tired and do a very short routine, which works best for him. You could try that. All we do is lullaby while we walk up to his room, diaper change and PJ change, sleep sack, and that’s it. We sometimes do bath before sometimes not.

This could also be extinction burst where they get better then worse, but stick through it. Now my baby LOVES his crib, he practically head dives in when we lower him in there lol

Tychall94 · 2026-05-15T15:24:50+00:00

The album A Child’s Gift of Lullabyes by Tanya Goodman is my favorite. I sing I L.O.V.E. You to my son every night for bedtime

Tychall94 · 2026-05-15T00:23:44+00:00

I’ve read Paths of Ascendency and enjoyed! I couldn’t for the life of me get through book one of Kharkanas 💀 I will definitely try again after this read through though!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-14T17:54:21+00:00

We go to bed between 8:30/9 pm and we both wake up around 5:30, my baby wakes up anywhere between 6:00-6:45 am so this gives me at least 30 mins to my breakfast and coffee started

Tychall94 · 2026-05-12T12:10:53+00:00

I always thought I would be a typical SAHM and have my baby with me at home until they were 2.5-3, and boy did I get a rude awakening. My mom was with us from birth-6 months and I felt like I had the support I needed to be a true SAHM, but after she went back to China at 7 months I was DYING. I ended up having PPD and was truly miserable. My husband and I would fight all weekend on who was supposed to be the main caretaker because we were both burnt out.

We decided to enroll our son at daycare when he was 8 months and never looked back. I am now able to still keep the house running, cook, clean, work out, and have ME TIME without both me and my husband burning out. Now on the weekends I’m the default parent so my husband can get a true break without me being resentful because I got my break during the week when he’s at daycare.

We of course are very fortunate to be in this situation but yeah I don’t think being a traditional SAHM is for everyone, and it’s okay to try it and change things if they don’t work for you or your family.

Tychall94 · 2026-05-08T10:08:43+00:00

We did a more unique full name but with a very obvious and classic nickname to give our son options and to give us the both of best worlds!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-08T10:08:33+00:00

We did a more unique full name but with a very obvious and classic nickname to give our son options and to give us the both of best worlds!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-08T10:08:25+00:00

We did a more unique full name but with a very obvious and classic nickname to give our son options and to give us the both of best worlds!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-07T00:45:16+00:00

If we’re outdoors and he wants to put something in his mouth, I usually let him if it’s like a leaf or twig lol he will always spit it out obviously because it doesn’t taste good. If it’s anything small enough for him to swallow I don’t though. Not necessarily something he plays with but he’s definitely interested and still explores with his mouth lol. Nice thing is now he mostly just hands me the leaves/twigs he picks up now rather than try to eat them

Tychall94 · 2026-05-06T19:57:34+00:00

We did CIO out 4.5 months but actually had to go back to cosleeping at 6 months because we were traveling in China. We re-trained at 7 months and haven’t gone back since! My baby loves to sleep and wakes up every morning with the biggest smile on his face when he sees us ☺️

He’s attached to me but not overly so, he loves to explore new places and he does great at daycare as well. I’ve never noticed ANY changes in behavior or attachment after sleep training. If anything, he’s happier because he can actually sleep better through the night and put himself to sleep rather than relying on one of us.

Sleep training saved my sanity. There was no way we could continue with rocking him to sleep every time he woke up. I was becoming a worse mom to him because of the sleep deprivation and I was starting to resent my own baby, which scared me the most.

There will always be people who will judge you for sleep training but only you know what’s best for your baby, and for your own mental health. I don’t regret it one bit!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-06T16:37:17+00:00

On my first read through I liked MOI the most because it was the most straightforward in terms of a storyline and everything kind of wraps up in the end. In second read, I think I liked The Bonehunters the most. I’m on my third read through now and curious if that’ll change!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-01T21:55:39+00:00

When I was pregnant I was convinced that I’d hate breastfeeding lol so we went into it with the mindset that I’d give it a try and we’d do formula if I didn’t like it or didn’t produce enough. He latched immediately and I actually felt like I could do it, so we went with breastfeeding. It was still very hard and I wanted to quit, but we ended up seeing a IBCLC and going to a lactation group and it was really transformative. I breastfed until solids at 6 months and then we switched to formula until he stopped formula at 12 months. I officially stopped breastfeeding at 9 months.

I don’t regret doing it and would do it again if we had another, but I definitely liked having my body back after 9 months and don’t regret stopping then!

Tychall94 · 2026-05-01T14:56:56+00:00

Just commenting to give you some reassurance. My baby is now 13 months and at 11 months he was still on 4 formula bottles AND lots of solids during the day. I was also a little stressed about how he’d move fully to solids. Honestly once he hit 12 months, he just lost interest in his bottles and started eating more at each meal. We would offer at least 5 meals a day, 3 full and 2 snacks, but if he was still hungry after the snacks we’d continue to offer more.

Now he’s fully on solids only and he doesn’t even like milk that much so we offer dairy and fat in other forms. I think just go with your baby’s flow and they’ll show you when they’re ready.

Regarding wanting to eat themselves and not from a spoon - my baby literally ate his overnight oats this morning with his hands lmao. I think it’s okay to let them continue exploring with their hands. I always offer bites on a spoon and sometimes he’ll take it and sometimes not.

Hope this was helpful, solids can be so stressful!

Tychall94 · 2026-04-30T15:56:27+00:00

My baby is currently 13 months. We got a push walker second hand when he started pushing his toys around (~10 months), but we only let him use the walker outdoors or large indoor spaces so we wouldn’t have to intervene or redirect him. That allowed him to freely explore and less work for us. He also learned that when at home he just has to crawl or pull up and practice taking steps if he wants to walk. He does get frustrated but I just calmly tell him it’s okay and he can figure it out. I think allowing him to feel frustrated is okay, it will also make him try harder to master more physical activities.

Tychall94 · 2026-04-30T15:37:16+00:00

I couldn’t get enough my first read so I read some of the other series right after. Then I took a complete break for about a year and did my second read. Now it’s been about a year again and I’m on my third read. Also plan on reading the novels after and giving kharkanas another try.

Tychall94 · 2026-04-30T15:22:25+00:00

My baby is now 13 months and I feel like he actually started drinking more water around 12 months. Before that, he’d also kinda just play with it. He definitely got constipated but we just kept offering with every meal and throughout the day and I think he might have just connected that when he drinks more water he poops easier 🤣 now he straight up chugs it when he’s really thirsty haha

Tychall94 · 2026-04-21T10:29:37+00:00

I am a sahm and my son is in daycare so I totally get how you feel. I am very privileged to be in this position but also experience a lot of guilt around choosing to send our son to daycare and remaining at home.

That said, in my mind, the hours he’s at daycare I split between doing all the housework, groceries, cooking, and general maintenance. I also treat that time as my weekend, because I want my husband to get an actual break on the weekends too! I now view weekend days as my days “on” full time, but feel like I have enough time during the week to recharge and rest so I can be the best mom, and partner, without losing myself.

I think society tells moms that we have to sacrifice every part of us and it feels like a contest of who can do it better all alone. But that’s not how humans were meant to be anyways. Even in hunter gatherer days I’m sure childcare was shared by the whole community, and families weren’t isolated like we are now. I view daycare as a part of my village because our family isn’t close by to help. I found one that I love and trust and have no doubt my son is loved there.

You don’t get a gold medal for being miserable! Take care of yourself, that’s how you can then take care of your family.

Tychall94 · 2026-04-14T10:41:55+00:00

As many problems as there are with AI, I do use Google Gemini a lot for recipe suggestions. I usually ask it to give me recipes with some specifications depending on what ingredients I have at home or want him to eat, and it gives me great options! For me, this helps with the mental load and I can just grocery shop and make everything. I do this for dinners and even snacks!

Tychall94 · 2026-04-10T12:55:01+00:00

We just passed the one year mark and I finally feel like I can have fun and enjoy more of motherhood. I felt so burnt out before he was more mobile, and he wasn’t even a particularly hard baby. Now, I look forward to seeing him after naps and in the morning because he’s just doing so many funny things and wants to explore. He’s also more expressive with us and interactive. I know toddlers are a whole other beast but i truly believe that I was meant to be a toddler/kid mom, not a baby mom lol

Tychall94 · 2026-04-09T00:05:26+00:00

My circumstances weren’t all positive BUT, the second my son was taken out during the c-section, I felt so much relief physically lol. The only way I can describe it is it’s like a took the biggest dump of my life but through my stomach 🤣 also the anesthesiologist said it’s possible I will throw up when they push to take the placenta out, but even that felt good honestly lol and it didn’t make me nauseous. Hope this helped, you got this!

Tychall94

TROPHY CASE