A little Library Laura update

 Hey readers! 

It’s been a long time. My last episode was posted almost a year ago now. I’ve missed talking books with you and I really thought I’d be back at it by now. 

Reading Recaps on Instagram Live

For now, I am planning on doing monthly reading recaps on Instagram Live and seeing how that goes. It’s not the podcast, but it’s more book talk than I have done in a while, and I’m excited to get the ball rolling in some way again. Here’s the first one. 

I also made a book list for my January 2023 reading.

Live with Kris about American Library Association Youth Media Awards

I also got to do an Instagram Live with Kris Dersch to talk about the recent American Library Association Awards, like the Newbery Medal, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and many more. We had a wonderful conversation, which you can find here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CoL5sZlIWt0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Life Update 

I really thought I would have the time, energy, and executive function to get back to podcasting quickly. I have the passion! And I thought my expectations were realistic. I know lots of people who have kids and keep creating content, working a job, etc. so why wouldn’t I? But, there’s  some behind the scenes stuff that all went together to mean that podcasting fell off the back burner, caught on fire, and then died. 

This time last year, all three of us got C0V!D and the way the dates of our sickness went, at least one of us was sick almost every day in February. It was scary for our just barely three-month old to have it, but he recovered without any complications. For me, the post-C0V!D exhaustion piled on top of postpartum exhaustion was brutal. By the time I was recovered from that, any forward momentum I had on the podcast was gone. 

I also was still in unexplained pain after having our baby. I knew it was supposed to take time to recover physically, but by 3-4 months later I knew this wasn’t the way it is supposed to be. I ended up doing physical therapy from about March to September and by the end was finally getting to do daily activities pain-free. Being in pain is mentally and physically draining! It was taking all my energy to just get normal life stuff done. 

So by this time it’s the Fall of 2022 and I’m not sick, my body is functioning more normally, and baby sleep is finally starting to even out, and still I feel like I’m barely keeping up with the daily demands of taking care of our son and our home. I’m exhausted and totally drained mentally at the end of the day and it just doesn’t feel like it should be this hard. And it’s hard to prioritize podcasting over sleep, laundry, and food (and maybe a little relaxation) during the precious hours the kid is sleeping or my husband is home. 

Enter the final piece of the puzzle, my recent ADHD diagnosis. It’s a really long story of how I came to the conclusion that I might have ADHD. Apparently it’s super common for people to find out about it shortly after having their first child, when they’re sleep deprived, constantly interrupted, and all the coping mechanisms that used to work just don’t anymore. So long story short, I do! I pursued getting a formal diagnosis and started a medication late 2022 and it’s been making a huge difference. Just having language to put around what I was struggling with, and then having a boost to the right brain chemistry to help a girl out is amazing. And knowing I’m not alone in this experience is helpful too. I finally feel more like myself again and like I’m capable of taking care of my family like I need and want to. And I might even be able to take the time and energy to talk about books with my fellow readers once in a while. 

Life as a mom is wild and if I have learned anything it’s that it is unpredictable and subject to change at a moment’s notice. So I am making no promises about the future of Library Laura. But I do know it’s something I’m passionate about and reading books and talking with readers brings me such joy. It’s not something I just want to let fade away. Life changes, and I want to figure out how to help Library Laura change with it. 

With lots of love from my library to yours, 

Laura