The Joys of Motherhood

Maddison, my daughter, is 15 months now. It is crazy how much she has grown and how smart she is. She is actually like a 30 year old in this petite baby body. I am all about being honest with people, so I will give you the 4-1-1 on some of my experiences being a mommy.

Labor

First off, I was the foolish person who went to the hospital a million times, thinking each time that surely I had to be in labor. One of the last false alarms, a nurse was finally honest with me. She said, "Sweetheart, you'll know you're having real contractions and the baby is coming when you feel like you are dying then get mauled by a bear!" How she would know how that feels? I had no clue until my water broke and the real contractions came. Anyone who knows me knows I am dramatic as it is, and delivering a baby would be no different for me. I give kudos to the women who push out ten pound babies or are in labor for days! She came so quickly and so easily, I wished I didn't take the medicine. However, the day before she actually came was the absolute worse. I still have no clue if I was terribly sick due to her trying to make her grand entrance or if I actually had a virus. This was fitting, considering I felt like I had the flu for a month before confirming I was actually pregnant.

Life With Baby

On to life with baby... How can someone not be excited to have their first child? Children are such a blessing. I think for a while I was obsessed with her, like I imagine many new moms are. The first few weeks I would sometimes just watch as she slept, resisting the urge to hold her all day. Then there were days where I could not help her gassy tummy get any better or figure out why she was screaming, so I felt like an horrible mother. I was fortunate enough to have people warn me of the postpartum emotional rollercoaster and possible postpartum depression, but most women don't. Honestly, there were times my husband would come home to find me staring out the window with tears in my ears and I could not tell him why. If this is you get real with yourself and find someone you can be honest with. You are not the first mother on earth and won't be the last. {My advice: take some YOU time!}

My husband and I decided that I would stay home with our baby girl, Maddison, and work on my business. Quite

honestly, I do not know if I realized what I was in for. Having a baby also does not mean I stop being my husband's wife and neglect him for the baby. Hats off to the business women who go get it everyday, spend quality with their spouse and kids, cook, and make sure their house is kept together. Hats off to single mothers who have to do it all on their own. It's just a lot of work, and so many times in this journey I felt and sometimes feel like I'm falling short. You are constantly repositioning and reprioritizing things. I've learn that life is not a balancing trick, you cannot do it all at a 10. Somewhere something will fall short.

Any who, little Maddie has so much personality since she was like 3 months. She knows what she wants and does not like taking know for an answer. Its funny picking out the things that are from her father and from me and are all her. One day she just took her toothbrush out of my hand and stuck it in her mouth, and that's what you can expect that from her most the time. She is a risk taker and likes to step at the edge of the couch and look over. She's also the little girl with daddy's game controller in one hand and her purse, walking towards the door saying bye! Sometimes we joke and say she was on the earth before, because she acts much older than her age. All of her personality alone keeps me on my toes.The one thing she was not so independent about was the BOOB! I thought I was going to have to cut the things off and just give them to her. She sees me dressing and watches as if she is waiting for me to pop it in her mouth until this day although she is done breastfeeding. I pray that it fades soon!

The time passes by so quickly. You finally get adjust to the baby sleeping and napping schedules, just for it to drastically change out of nowhere. One day you're feeding your baby with a bottle and next thing you know, they're eating a whole chicken. Enjoy each stage as it comes. If you do not, you will regret it.

Don't be afraid to try different things. As a first time parent I had to try different things to keep baby girl entertained, to make her eat, to ensure she grows mentally and physically, etc. Everyone has all the advice in the world, but at the end of the day you have to figure what works best for your family and your child.

The Horror Stories (The Ones I Can Remember)

1. The Car Poop Explosion- Okay, as if baby poop explosions are not bad enough, she just had to have one in the car. I knew it when I heard the sound. I told my husband to pull over and I got in the back seat. I was too late! Watching as it seeped through her carseat on to the seat of the car, I realized that her wipes were missing from her diaper bag! Gladly, we were close to a Walgreens.

2. Her First Throw Up- I absolutely cannot deal with throw up! The sight and smell of it makes me want to upchuck! Baby's spit up is gross, but it does not compare. It has chunks of food and whatever else, and it's just disgusting. Imagine cleaning up your child and she goes for a second wind?!?! It' those moments that I say to myself, "You may be the only child!"

3. Her First Bloody Fall- We were at a family function when Maddie trips over my sister's foot and hit the wood floor. I think I was more hurt than her and probably made her react worse than she would have. Along with throw up, I don't do well with blood. It seemed like a non-stop fountain of blood came rushing from her mouth. Family members had to calm me down and stop me from crying. Quite sad honestly. She wanted to just get back down and play, and I was still crying.

Well that is all I have for now! If you have any questions, just leave a comment!

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