I just celebrated my 3rd Mother's Day and I can finally say that I finally have that "real" feeling of being a mom. I could just be that I have finally found my "mom grove" or that my son now actually calls me "Mama" (and MOM very loudly in the morning with he wakes up). All in all I have come to the conclusion that being someone's mom is an on going transformation that takes on many shapes and sizes. I was blessed enough to spend the day with my own mother, she always has the uncanny ability to make me feel like a her child and also a mom of my own all at the same time. I celebrate my mother as well as every other mom I know everyday (always in a little prayer at the beginning of my day). Every "Mother" figure in my life has taught me something and we are forever bonded in the "motherhood".
some inspiration for my fellow moms:
"As is my mother, so is her daughter." - Ezekiel 16:4
"Men are what their mothers made them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"We never know the love of the parents until we become parents ourselves." - Henry W. Beecher
"Love MAMA." - My son
"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are a vacationless class." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." - Lin Yutang
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They cling to me all my life." -Abraham Lincoln
So to all the mom's who have are still waiting to become moms, ones with babies, teenagers, grandkids, and great-grandkids I celebrate you!
From one of my favorite Bloggers Scary Mommy
Motherhood is when, just as you want to curl up into a ball of pure
exhaustion and desperation, one of your children suddenly farts or burps
or does something spontaneously funny. It’s the moment when you
dissolve into a hysterical fit of laughter; the kind that you haven’t
had since you and your seventh grade BFF were caught passing notes about
which boy in your class you’d most want to be stuck in a closet with.
It’s the moment you pause and look at your children, all piled on your
bed, breathless and rosy cheeked, and think that the only things that
really matter in the world are right there in front of you. They are yours, and they are worth every sacrifice and sleepless night.
AMEN
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Stay at Home Mom aka SAHM
It seems hard to believe that I have been blessed enough to able to stay at home with Gabriel (I sometimes feel like I am still on maternity leave though). When Greg and I first talked about having a family having me be a SAHM was what we wanted and we have done everything to make it happen (both of us grew up with SAHM). Making the choice to stay home was an easy one for us, however its the sacrifices that you have to make that get challenging. Coming off of two incomes isn't easy (to say the least) also you are coming off of being a single couple not really knowing just how much money you are going to be spending on your new life. I now know what diapers are the thriftiest (the cheapest without losing the quality), that no matter how many toys we have in the house Gabe would always rather play with a bowl and spoon, and how to get ready in under 15 minutes with a kid under my feet. I miss work for it's predictability (I worked at a bank after all) when you are raising a child there really isn't any thing that you can predict (the only thing that I can predict is that Gabe will sleep good at night everything else is up for grabs).
For example: no naps two days in a row, horrible diaper rash that meant diaper less baby for an afternoon (got good practice using the big boy potty though), when a ball comes flying at your face out of no where, trying to figure out what he asking for (I can interpret most of what he says so he gets frustrated when I can and so do I), trying to get excited about swinging him for 30 minutes (I really try but if you aren't the one swinging it really isn't as fun)
Being at my old job would be easier but personally I don't like easy because it just gets boring and who wants that?
For example: no naps two days in a row, horrible diaper rash that meant diaper less baby for an afternoon (got good practice using the big boy potty though), when a ball comes flying at your face out of no where, trying to figure out what he asking for (I can interpret most of what he says so he gets frustrated when I can and so do I), trying to get excited about swinging him for 30 minutes (I really try but if you aren't the one swinging it really isn't as fun)
Being at my old job would be easier but personally I don't like easy because it just gets boring and who wants that?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Baby No. 2 Cont’d
My baby is a year younger than Annie’s, but her post still totally resonates with me! I feel like I had a baby and for the first 6 months there was no question that obviously I wasn’t trying for a second, and then after that you start getting the inquiries (although things don’t really ramp up until the first birthday).
“So, have you two started talking about baby number 2??”
And it’s just so hard! Here’s the issue. I definitely don’t want 2 babies right at this moment in time. I don’t even particularly want to have 1 baby and be pregnant with a second baby right now. But what about in 5 years? Then will I be glad my kids are close together?
Much like many other areas of motherhood, child spacing seems to be kind of a joke in that no one ever really knows what they’re doing. It’s all just a best guess scenario. I mean maybe you’re convinced you want your kids close together and you just adore changing diapers and fighting about nap times and wiping up the floors 3 times a day (I assume because you have some sort of self-hate issue. KIDDING! sort of…), but it’s not like wanting a second child is all it takes. You also have to actually get pregnant. So what I’m saying is, you could totally try early for a second and then it suddenly takes months or years. Or you could want to wait for a second but suddenly you’re that 0.3% of women who get pregnant on the pill. You just never really know, right?
It all boils down to the fact that I think in 5 years I’ll be happy that my kids are close in age. Which I guess means yes, we’re thinking about baby number 2.
We’ll see what happens.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Baby No. 2
It seems to be the question that not only you are thinking but also the question that everyone asks. "So when you thinking you'll have the next one?" and these questions usually start right after you have the 1st one (not unlike people asking when your gonna start having kids after you get married). And of course I believe that when and how you start a family is really no one else's business but you and your spouses. That being said there are literally endless amounts of articles and research on the subject not to mention the way you and your siblings were spaced coming into play.
As for me the first month of Gabe's life I thought one kid was perfect (I was exhausted lets face it, as a first time mom we all know how it is). I thought one was great until Gabe was around 18 months old.... I finally saw the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In a moment I looked at him and said to myself he has so much love inside of him that a sibling would not only be a blessing to my husband and I but also Gabe would be so loving to a brother or sister. Of course this feeling has only grown over the past 6 months and after Gabriel turns 2 I think we are ready to start trying again. We were so blessed to conceive Gabe within the first month of trying however I do know that isn't always the case so the early we start the better.
Sibling Spacing:
In my family we are all really close my brother was 19 months old when me and my twin sister came along. In my husbands family his older brother was only 15 months when he was born. So we are no strangers to close spacing however for us we wanted the time and space between our children (hopefully children: knock on wood).
As a mom I have perfected my french toast which Gabe loves to have for breakfast. I recently left the grocery store with one wet foot because Gabe had dumped have a bottle of juice on it. I get big hugs from Gabe now and they are so random, like when I'm doing the dishes and he comes up behind me and hugs my legs (I call it a butt hug b/c his head hits my backside). Washing Gabe's lovie "Bow" is a task that takes great distraction on my part and meltdowns always happen (considering that Bow does everything with Gabe he needs to be washed pretty regularly). Cleaning with a toddler is both instructive and LONG seeing as he likes to make a mess of whatever I am attempting to clean, on the flipside he understands what cleaning is and mimics all the things I do!
They grow up to fast it's as simple as that and now when I look at my little Gabe I see a "boy" and not a "baby", I cherish every moment and can't wait for each new day to bring new discoveries.
As for me the first month of Gabe's life I thought one kid was perfect (I was exhausted lets face it, as a first time mom we all know how it is). I thought one was great until Gabe was around 18 months old.... I finally saw the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In a moment I looked at him and said to myself he has so much love inside of him that a sibling would not only be a blessing to my husband and I but also Gabe would be so loving to a brother or sister. Of course this feeling has only grown over the past 6 months and after Gabriel turns 2 I think we are ready to start trying again. We were so blessed to conceive Gabe within the first month of trying however I do know that isn't always the case so the early we start the better.
Sibling Spacing:
In my family we are all really close my brother was 19 months old when me and my twin sister came along. In my husbands family his older brother was only 15 months when he was born. So we are no strangers to close spacing however for us we wanted the time and space between our children (hopefully children: knock on wood).
As a mom I have perfected my french toast which Gabe loves to have for breakfast. I recently left the grocery store with one wet foot because Gabe had dumped have a bottle of juice on it. I get big hugs from Gabe now and they are so random, like when I'm doing the dishes and he comes up behind me and hugs my legs (I call it a butt hug b/c his head hits my backside). Washing Gabe's lovie "Bow" is a task that takes great distraction on my part and meltdowns always happen (considering that Bow does everything with Gabe he needs to be washed pretty regularly). Cleaning with a toddler is both instructive and LONG seeing as he likes to make a mess of whatever I am attempting to clean, on the flipside he understands what cleaning is and mimics all the things I do!
They grow up to fast it's as simple as that and now when I look at my little Gabe I see a "boy" and not a "baby", I cherish every moment and can't wait for each new day to bring new discoveries.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Mom-Hair, or “Childbirth-pattern baldness”
One of the perks of pregnancy is that you get this thick, lustrous hair. Well, to an extent. I have fine but sort of rough light brown hair. Unattractively wavy on its own (due to uneven curling and a tendency towards frizziness), but it’s also relatively easy to straighten. Many a day have I lusted after the almost unnaturally shiny, super-thick, dark brown locks of all about half those other girls.
But even MY hair got thicker and more attractive during pregnancy. Not a lot, but some. The reason for this isn’t that you grow more hair, it’s that the hair you already have stops falling out, so you retain more.
This is all well and good until you pop that sucker out and all of a sudden your hair starts shedding like CRAZY. An obscene amount of hair falls out. We had to get someone to come snake our drain every other week for a few months.
But don’t worry. I know it’s alarming, but this happens to most women, and it will stop. Why, here I am myself, nearly a year into motherhood and with half a head full of downy baby hairs just starting to really grow back in. They mostly blend into the other longer hairs, so it doesn’t look too horrible (except sometimes when I try to put it into a ponytail and have this awkward fringe in the back that’s too short for the elastic to grab).
It’s just another one of those things that people forget to warn you about. There are SO MANY of those.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Being a MOM
Being a MOM.... makes you love your parents in a whole new way, most importantly it helps you to appreciate your mother in a different way (in a stronger way). I still find myself needing my mom, when I can't find the patience, need guidance, or just reassurance that I am feeling all the normal things that every mother feels. My mom gave me the greatest gift any mother can give, she showed me her humanity, meaning she let me see that she made mistakes and sometimes said the wrong things. In short so let me know that she was human (not perfect) and in doing that she showed me that it's ok to fall down, do the wrong thing, or not know what to do. And for that I thank her because it allows me the gift of being able to pick up the phone when I need her extra prayers this week for patience. My mom wasn't perfect but she was PERFECTLY my mom. She is my constant while I navigate this new world called MOTHERHOOD (she's been working in the hood for 28 years). So if you haven't called your mom this week or even today then call her/text/email her and let her know that you are always loving her because after all she is the one that taught you what LOVE means.
Memories of my mom (take time to think of yours):
waking up to the sound of my mom filling up the pool in the summer sunrise. dancing around the living room acting silly (I always loved that my mom would look silly just for us). when she would let me in her bed after I had a nightmare and then would run her hands through my hair until I feel asleep. for teaching me to pray when I was afraid, there are still times I fall asleep saying the rosary. listening to her read trivial pursuit cards to my dad while we were on road-trips (and she thought I was asleep). the fact that she made family dinner a priority in our home. how she never let me and my siblings say any mean words to one another. she always took the time to explain why she was doing something (whether it be teaching or disciplining). we always felt loved and cared for. she worked hard everyday to make our family everything that it was and everything that it still is TIGHT KNIT. manners were always expected from us and I am so thankful for that because now my son says please and thank you and I taught him without even realizing that I was doing it b/c it was so ingrained in me as a child. my father worked everyday and my mom worked everyday they made sure that we knew that nothing is handed to you in this world and you are the only one that can take care of yourself.
"We know that birth takes a woman from one place in her life to another. The birth of a child certainly does change her viewpoint of herself and I believe her viewpoint of the world."
- Sameerah Shareef
"We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves."
- Henry Ward Beecher
"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."
being a mom is an important job that never ends if you doubt this just call your mom.... she is still mothering you!
Memories of my mom (take time to think of yours):
waking up to the sound of my mom filling up the pool in the summer sunrise. dancing around the living room acting silly (I always loved that my mom would look silly just for us). when she would let me in her bed after I had a nightmare and then would run her hands through my hair until I feel asleep. for teaching me to pray when I was afraid, there are still times I fall asleep saying the rosary. listening to her read trivial pursuit cards to my dad while we were on road-trips (and she thought I was asleep). the fact that she made family dinner a priority in our home. how she never let me and my siblings say any mean words to one another. she always took the time to explain why she was doing something (whether it be teaching or disciplining). we always felt loved and cared for. she worked hard everyday to make our family everything that it was and everything that it still is TIGHT KNIT. manners were always expected from us and I am so thankful for that because now my son says please and thank you and I taught him without even realizing that I was doing it b/c it was so ingrained in me as a child. my father worked everyday and my mom worked everyday they made sure that we knew that nothing is handed to you in this world and you are the only one that can take care of yourself.
"We know that birth takes a woman from one place in her life to another. The birth of a child certainly does change her viewpoint of herself and I believe her viewpoint of the world."
- Sameerah Shareef
"We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves."
- Henry Ward Beecher
"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."
being a mom is an important job that never ends if you doubt this just call your mom.... she is still mothering you!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
World's Best Mom
Motherhood is a choice YOU make everyday to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own. To teach the hard lesson's. To do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is..... and to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong.
First and foremost there is NO worlds best mom, we are all just in the trenchs doing the best that we can day in and day out. Constantly feeling like we aren't doing enough or doing to much or doing the wrong thing or not feeling any validation for all we do. Motherhood is a struggle to say the least take solace in the fact that you are not alone in feeling any of the a fore mentioned things. As I write this I am staring at my 22 month old eating grapes out of the fridge bare bottomed (he has a diaper rash and the best thing for it is diaper free time) I am trying to distract him from the fact that his lovie (a blanket dog Woofie that never leaves his side) is in the dryer because he thought Woofie needed a drink. This is the perfect example of what fills most of my days like many other mommies out there we are just living moment to moment, the best part is that the good moments out weigh the bad and when those little eyes look into yours and he says lobe you ('v' is a hard letter) it makes all the tantrums worth it.
The truth about terrible 2's: they actually happen when they are in the second year of life so month 12 thru 24. I read this somewhere (don't ask me where I read so many articles that they start to run together) and it makes total sense I just thought my little guy was starting it early turns out this the time that it actually happens. All I can say about this is learn to love the word "no" it holds a great power, tantrums may follow but if as you gain your motherly strength you will know to just ignore them because they do end and then they are on to the next activity.
what are some of your special moments that make the bad ones seem to disappear?
The truth about terrible 2's: they actually happen when they are in the second year of life so month 12 thru 24. I read this somewhere (don't ask me where I read so many articles that they start to run together) and it makes total sense I just thought my little guy was starting it early turns out this the time that it actually happens. All I can say about this is learn to love the word "no" it holds a great power, tantrums may follow but if as you gain your motherly strength you will know to just ignore them because they do end and then they are on to the next activity.
what are some of your special moments that make the bad ones seem to disappear?
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