This year was a strange and eventful one! This was the first year I feel like I came out of my pregnancy/postpartum hibernation that I was in for about 4 years straight, starting from 2021 when we began trying to have a baby. (I reflected on my hibernation in a Substack post in March: The world keeps spinning, and I keep hiding.)
When I created a monthly timeline of things I did in 2025 in preparation for this post, my January through April was completely blank, except that my 2nd child started daycare in April (a huge milestone!). After April, there are a lot of events and occurrences every month, and it’s almost like I suddenly woke up.
I’ve created a few pieces of content though:
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam (CLF-C02) Free Study Guide
- Become AWS Cloud Practitioner with an AWS Hero!
- Thinking Out Lout About ADHD
- Hiroko’s Momusings (Substack)
- Unsplash Contributions (Photography)
Table of Contents
May: Life reboot
Solo Trip to New York City that changed my life
In May, I took an impromptu 2 day, 1 night trip to New York City. I hadn’t left my kids’ side overnight in years, other than to be hospitalized (once for norovirus that became sepsis while I was pregnant with my 2nd baby, and when I was having my 2nd baby).
Taking a non-work overnight trip without my 1 and 2 year old seemed taboo, but that trip made me realize that:
- Being a mom doesn’t stop just because I’m not physically “there” with my kids (though being able to sleep in undisturbed was amazing)… I’m constantly thinking about them, looking for things to buy for them, and wondering what they’re up to.
- That’s just my new “normal,” and I’ll just live this way until I die. There is no “reset” to “going back” to who I was, even if I pick up my life/work in a more regular way.
Until that point, I feel like I was under pressure to “go back to the way it was” in terms of my life and career once the “chaos stage” is over, and that somehow I’ll need to get back into my pre-pregnancy body, mind, and ambitions.
But somehow, that overnight trip made me realize that I’m going to move on with my life as a Hiroko 3.0 (1.0 was pre-brain surgery, 2.0 was post-brain surgery, and now 3.0 is postpartum), and there is no need for me to feel like I have to “go back” to any part of myself from “before.” It’s an evolution. There’s only more to come, but more to come in ways I’d never anticipated before I had kids.
The way I live will be different, my priorities are different, and the way I approach my career will be different. It’s not just about “me” anymore; it’s about how a career, job, my “life works,” and family all meld together to provide us with good quality of life and enough money to live to the best of our abilities. This realization was honestly one of the most freeing moments I’ve had.
Life is progress, life is evolution, and when a set of values or what we thought were important changes… It’s ok to let them change, and see what else is in store!
Osteoporosis scare
In May, I also had an osteoporosis scare. I went in to my orthodontist, who took some scans of my jaw, and told me that I need to go see a doctor ASAP because there seems to be suspiciously low bone-mass density in my jaw. I immediately made an appointment with a rheumatologist (who happens to loveee bones idk man), and did a DEXA scan (bone density check).
The process took a few weeks, but long story short, DEXA scan came back with a thumbs up, and the conclusion was that I just have abnormally low bone density in my jaw (potentially from my rheumatoid arthritis). There’s not much to do except exercise, get my vitamins, and take good care of my teeth.
Osteoporosis is a difficult disease, especially for someone in their mid-30’s with 2 babies, so I definitely had a “reevaluate life” moment during this process as well, reevaluating what my values are, what I want to do with my kids and my life while I’m still able to move freely, and how I need to stop living my life trying to satisfy what other people want out of me so I don’t have as many regrets in the future.
June: Starting my “life work” explorations
Began volunteering at the local food bank
One of the things I’d been wanting to do for years was to get more involved with the local community. I wrote a few posts on my Substack about my thought processes (here and here), but one of the biggest impetus to finally doing it was the osteoporosis scare jolting me to consider how I wanted people to remember me as when I’m dead.
I think we all have a “inspirational view” of a person we want to be (eat well, exercise every day, be generous, good career, rich, etc. etc.), but there’s not much not show for it if we just think about it, and don’t act on it. That’s how I was feeling about all the “good” I thought I should be doing in the world versus what my actual actions were reflecting on me as a person.
Weekly volunteering at the food bank has been that first small step to learning more about the needs of the local county, as well as looking for ways to make meaningful small contributions to this community that raised me, and will also raise my children.
I’ve been writing my thoughts and experiences as I continued volunteering weekly at the food bank in my Japanese blog.
Began re-engaging with my career
I’ve done a few things while I was in my hibernation, including writing and publishing a book and updating my online courses. However, my interactions outside of my home, especially with going to places and actually being with people, have been extremely limited. This year changed that drastically, but it started with participating in the LinkedIn Learning Voices program, and a few other of their “teaching you how to create content on LinkedIn” type masterminds/programs.
I’m not going to get into details on what they were, but just sitting on the webinars made me feel like I was part of “something” again, allowing me to take a small timid step into the world of work and careers again after a long pause.
July: First in-person work event
AWS NYC Summit and another short solo trip
I took another short solo trip for the AWS NYC Summit, this time taking one of my new cameras and taking photos (here and here). I did a massive decluttering of stuff in my house in January/February, and also got rid of my camera equipment because they were collecting dust.
But half a year in, I realized it’s still definitely one of my favorite hobbies, so I purchased a few cameras, and landed with the Ricoh GR III. One of these days, I want to take photography classes again to work on my manual photography, but until I can find good teachers, I’m going the way of “digital cameras.” (I took another camera I had purchased to the May trip too, but it was raining the whole time, so I couldn’t get many photos…)
I had the opportunity again to meet up with and talk to a lot of my friends/past colleagues from my life “pre-pandemic,” “pre-baby,” “pre-marriage,” “pre-AWS,” and it was extremely nourishing for my soul. There were many things that were the “same,” but also many things that were different, and we were all living very different lives than what we were 6 years ago when I left the Big Apple.
It wasn’t like I had any presentations or events to attend at the AWS NYC Summit, but it was good to get back into a real-life event after years and years!
August: Another recalibration, AWS Heroes Summit
Toddler’s eye surgery
In August, one of my sons had eye surgery. It was not a “major” surgery, but any medical procedure is something that shakes a mother at her core. Since it was also somewhat “elective,” I had so many back and forths with myself in the middle of the night, wondering if it was even the right choice, and what I would do if his condition worsened because we decided to go through with it.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success, he was not too traumatized (I don’t think?), and he has recovered beautifully. But this was definitely another one of those “life reassessment” moments that I’ll probably keep with me for the rest of my life.
When shit hits the fan, all that really matters is that your family is healthy and relatively happy.
AWS Heroes Summit in Seattle
August was also the AWS Heroes Summit in Seattle. I considered taking my husband and kids with me, but I felt like at “finally walking” and 2, they were not at the point in their lives where I could have my husband deal with both of them during the day time for a whole week while I spent time networking/learning/eating.
And it would severely restrict my ability to spend “off-schedule” time with fellow Heroes. I decided to leave them at home for almost a whole week, which felt like eternity, and focus on forging real human to human connections, and finally meeting and talking with people I’ve admired from afar for years.
Having the freedom to choose what to do just because I felt like it felt amazing, but I also missed them a lot. When you come home from a week away, the kids seem to have evolved 1 or 2 steps. Their speech pattern is different, the way they play is different, and the way they interact with the world is different. It’s remarkable.
Book Interview
I took an interview to share my career journey with a content creator for a book she is writing, and while everything is [redacted] [redacted], I felt it was worthy of a mention here. Maybe I’ll remember to come update this post with the link to the book once it publishes!
September: Joined local disability group, SF Trip
Joined a local disability support group
One of the things I’ve been considering for my “life work” (work I want to devote my life to) is ADHD coaching for young adults (teens and young professionals) to help transition from the “parents and adults are available to help” phase to “independence.”
And one of the roles I keep on falling into recently is the local resource facilitator, helping friends and fellow moms get in contact with developmental programs in the area or help them navigate potential diagnoses resources or information. This type of resource-searching is difficult, even for people born and raised in the United States, but especially so when you’re from a foreign country with completely different resources and information.
Though my background is in special education, it’s been over a decade since I shifted my career, so I wanted to get updated on local laws/resources, and also to connect with local disability communities. So in September, I found one that I love, and have joined it. I think it’s actually mostly for parents of kids with different disabilities or challenges, but I’ve joined as “self.”
Took a trip to San Francisco for an advocacy walk
This was an impromptu trip that included visiting a dear friend we haven’t seen since pre-pandemic. I managed to attend The AVM and Aneurysm Foundation Walk for the first time in maybe a decade, reconnecting with people I have not seen in a decade or more. These are people from my “pre-career” life, who were there with me when I was trying to hang on to dear life pre- and post- brain surgery. This year definitely has been a year where I got to revisit my friends from many “stages” of my life.
And this time, the kids came! They loved it! The zoo was very cool but very expensive.
October: First ever tech talk at DMV Community Day!
I gave my first ever tech talk in October at DMV Community Day. Shout out to the amazing organizers who gave me the shove to try (I always think, “who would even want to hear me talk about my life? lol”).
Now that the first time is done, I’m so much more excited to try more! (Though about what, I’m not sure.) I won’t talk about it much because I’ve already written about it on in this blog post:
November: Volunteering switch with the Federal Shut Down
Switched the food bank I volunteer at
After half a year of volunteering at the county food bank, I switched to a more community-centric food bank that was founded by local moms during the pandemic. It’s a no-ID, no registration, no questions asked food pantry that does a lot of grassroots work within the community. With the government furlough, living in a highly-impacted area, I felt that that model was something I wanted to contribute to.
It’s in Japanese, but I wrote about the switch and the meaning it had for me. So far, with the change in work environment vibes, I’m very happy that I made the switch! And it’s much more flexible, which is helpful for when emergencies happen (like having to my child to an emergency dentist appointment which was happening in 30 minutes, so I went in to the volunteer shift an hour late).
At this point, I’ve been volunteering at the food bank for over half a year, and I’m glad it’s a part of my life now. Making any changes is very difficult for me as a #highlyanxiousperson, so this is one of those “wins” I can keep in my back pocket the next time I’m feeling anxiety about making a decision.
December: AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas
Exhausting yet invigorating trip to the biggest cloud conference in the world
I didn’t realize until I was writing out my monthly bullet points to write this post, but man. I actually traveled a lot this year! This was another one I debated with myself up until the moment I left, because it’s honestly not “necessary,” and it’s extremely anxiety inducing. I wasn’t sure if I could get enough out of it to warrant leaving my kids for another week (I considered bringing them for a hot second, but I didn’t think there was enough toddler-friendly environments for them to thrive in).
I had a lot of ups and downs during this event emotionally, but I think, in hindsight after I’ve slept on my own bed again, and surrounded my kids, it was worth it. Again, for the real-life connections I was able to make, the ability to meet people I’ve known for years “in real life” (some for the first time after working together over half a decade ago!), and to be swept up in the lunacy that is AWS re:Invent as an event.
Definitely exhausted and depleted, but I made connections and plans, and hope they will pan out in 2026! Here’s a blog post I wrote about the experience:
Conclusion
Unmentioned are countless colds and urgent care visits (for a year and a half, every time I catch a cold from one of my petri dishes of germs, it would develop into severe coughs and bronchitis, so I’d have to go in to urgent care with my list of meds I need), frustrations and elations at the kids’ antics and developments, and over 200 books read to nourish my mind.
I’ve been doing 2 times a week personal training sessions consistently, lost 10 lbs in a little over 3 months in the last quarter of 2025, and have poked at many facets of my life to see how I want to live the next few decades. Looking back at this post, it seems like 2025 was actually a year of a lot of discoveries about myself, my values, and recalibrating how I want to proceed, and it was definitely a “required year” for me to have as I venture onwards.
Unrelated, but I do honestly think, with the decision to have children, I’ve completely lost control over my life. As someone with severe anxieties and fears for the unknown and the future, it’s been a tough transition. But as the years amble along, I think this is the development I needed as a human, to begin pursuing what life means for “me” and not what my perception of a “successful life as others would accept me” is. Having kids is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but it will definitely be the most meaningful and impactful decision of my life. And with it, I’m growing into a new evolutionary stage of “me.”
I’ve no idea what the next decade will bring, but bring it!!!