Honestly, the bigger issue for me is withdrawing her name from Emmy consideration because she "did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination". Seems like such a slap in the face for the writers of Grey's Anatomy. I could see how that would make any potential employer nervous to work with her, lest she turn around and say the same thing of them.

To be fair, I believe they're still considered "royals," just not working royals. They still go by Duke and Duchess of Sussex for whatever reason.

Good on her. It takes a village and sometimes you have to pay for some of that village. 

Hope Ybarra was interviewed in 2022 for the podcast Nobody Should Believe Me, which is about Munchausen by Proxy. At the time she was living in Idaho. The podcast focused more on the abuse of her daughter and the investigation into her. It’s fascinating and horrifying at the same time. https://www.nobodyshouldbelieveme.com/theres-hope/

The podcast Nobody Should Believe Me, which is about Munchausen by Proxy, covered this trial. Interestingly, the judge wouldn’t let the hospital provide any evidence of medical child abuse, which is the technical term for the abuse suffered by a child whose parent has Munchausen by Proxy. Her mother also was seeking to have Maya labeled “terminal,” among other very concerning behaviours. There’s a reason medical professionals are mandated reporters of child abuse. Maya hadn’t eaten in 5 days when she came to the hospital and she began improving once the shelter order was in place. I’m honestly of the view that the hospital probably saved Maya’s life. 

I appreciate that you had a particular timeline in mind to become a mother but I’m not sure how having one parent with a part-time income brings in more than having two parents, where one works part-time and one is full time — even if the father earns less. Reading between the lines, it seems like you might have had other issues with the men you dated and how they would be as fathers to your child, not just their salaries? At the end of the day, this situation seems to work for you, so I wish you and your family all the best. 

I love short, square nails. I've kept getting them regardless of the trends. Glad to hear they're official in style again!

So excited to see that she likes Olay. I've been using their moisturizer with sunscreen for over 20 years. I've also been using SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic but I recently discovered Dr. Brenner has a serum with identical ingredients (slightly different ratio) and 1/8 of the price. I've been using it for about a month and it's been great.

I love this. Thank you so much for sharing.

“But, there is absolutely no denying it – and no going back – now.”

Gorgeous and clearly so special to her. I loved when she said you should keep your favourite colour around you. I so agree. Also, I think there was a dishwasher but the door is attached to one of her cupboard doors, so it’s sort of hidden. 

Unpopular opinion: I think she looks great and happy and if she wants to post a nude photo to celebrate her life at 50, all power to her.

Okay, I’ll try again to leave a comment that meets the guidelines. It’s a bit odd to say that Gillian Anderson “really only played in British roles” given she’s probably most famous for the American series, The X Files.

Thank you so much for posting this piece. My situation is different to yours - I live in the U.S. and my parents are in 'fortress Australia'. I realized, when reading your piece, that I hadn't felt that my feelings about how much I missed my family were valid. That they were unique to me and that I needed to just get on with it. I can't tell you how profound of an effect it was to read your words and acknowledge to myself the grief I've felt at having my parents safely stuck halfway around the world. I got to spend a month in Australia in February 2020 with my daughter when she was two months' old and I am so incredibly grateful for that and for my parents being in such a safe place. But I miss them terribly and it has been very hard. They will be fully vaccinated in August and I'm hoping that they will be granted permission to visit us. Until then, I'll just keep on trucking and looking forward to the day when my daughter, who looks just like her Nana, can see her grandparents again.

Okay, I think this sounds like a terrible idea and if you were my friend, I would try to talk you out of it. But given that's not an option, I will sit with bated breath, waiting for the next installment!