What Nobody Told Me About Motherhood

Hey, y'all. Being a SAHM sure is hectic, huh? On that note, I decided to write this as my daughter is taking her morning nap.


When I was pregnant, it seemed like the responses were pretty unanimous.

"There's nothing like motherhood."
"There's no way to describe the love you have for your child."
"You'll never have a hot meal again!"
"You're going to be so tired!"
"Being a mother will change your life."

Those seemed to be the main ones. I often thought to myself; "How cliche. I've heard this a million times."

What they didn't do, was specify the "beyond" part of those claims. Nobody told me that carrying her in my own body and feeling her move would make me feel so empowered. That being kicked by your own offspring would actually make you smile (for those few months, anyway). That listening to her heartbeat on my doppler every. single. night. would become a requirement...second nature...and most of all, her heartbeat would become my comfort.  That the moment she was born, my breath would be taken away (quite literally), and my heart would now be sitting on my chest when they placed her on me. That every day, I'd be so in awe, that it brings me to tears. That I'd spend countless hours staring at her, even when she's doing absolutely nothing.

Being a mother changed my life, for sure. I didn't know exactly how deep that old sentiment really went. I will spend the rest of my days with an overflowing heart. I'll worry, I'll discipline, I'll love deeper than I could have ever imagined, and I'll protect her at all costs...and although I am using the "mother" term here, I can assure you that good fathers like my husband feel the exact same way.

I love this hectic life; every minute of it. It is a challenge, but it is a greater blessing. Once you're a mom, you're always a mom. Being a mother has taught me so many things. It has made me feel emotions that I knew existed, but still had no idea how deeply they ran. My outlook on the entire world has changed. I can't even watch the news anymore without feeling a million types of worry and sadness.

So, with all of this being said, is it really so bad after all if my meals are lukewarm and my nights are short? Not at all. If I could trade this love and this life for an endless supply of hot meals and sleep, would I? Of course not. Would you?

                             The moment they placed my heart outside of my body can be seen here. ;)

Baby Bullet recipe series: Bananas and Spinach medley

When I was pregnant, I  searched the web for recipes using my baby bullet I had received at my baby shower.  To my surprise, there weren't that many. So after hearing back from a few people regarding my recipes, I decided to start a series on the blog dedicated to the Baby Bullet! Please +1 or let me know in the comments below if you like this series, and I will continue doing more!

First, I cut up three ripe bananas, took a handful of fresh spinach, and broke off the stems

I puréed the banana first, since are quite runny when puréed. They're still pretty thick (pudding consistency), so if your baby is a stage 1 eater, I suggest adding a bit of water. You can stop here for a simple banana purée if your baby hates spinach ;)

Once the bananas are fully puréed, fill the baby bullet  the rest of the way with spinach. Blend for about 30 seconds. 

You should end up with something like this!

I was able to fill 7 of these adorable containers with .75 cents worth of bananas and about $2 worth of spinach, which I only used about 1/10th of the bundle I purchased for this recipe! So, it was around $1 for this recipe. 

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Hectic and loving it!

Things have definitely gotten hectic as a stay at home wife and mommy, to say the least. I'm loving every second of it so far! I wish I hadn't missed three months of mornings and afternoons with her when I was working! Honestly, it's almost like I didn't know how much personality she had! About 90 percent of her waking hours were not spent with me during the week. No need to feel guilty and dwell on that now, though. I'm home with this happy girl and that has filled every void!

Nathan's new job is throwing curveballs and adding lots of stress to the insanity of life. Sometimes he's in town, sometimes he's not. Sometimes he's away for a night, sometimes the entire week. Dealing with life with a baby, three dogs, cleaning house, etc, with little or no help when he's gone definitely keeps me busy (which is really okay, because I'm not big on sitting around)! I definitely feel like a super mom sometimes, because when he's gone, I literally NEVER stop going. I wouldn't have it any other way :)

We had Easter pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. So far in life, she doesn't do well with professional pictures, lol. She absolutely can't stand being posed and messed with. Needless to say, she threw a few tantrums. However, Tana delivered, as usual. I have a previous post with Paisley's  Christmas pictures which were also done by Tana. I'll probably add her Easter pictures here too. But if you're on my facebook, you've already seen them. ;)

Moms, tell me how you balance the craziness in your life!

Hey, guys! Remember me?

In my last blog post, I said I needed to do better with posting more frequently. I have completely failed at that! But I have my reasons.

I have recently joined the stay at home mom workforce. It was kind of a surprise, and it didn't go down the way we had it mapped out, but nonetheless, it has worked to our advantage. It's been a busy few weeks for me, staying home, picking my nephew up each day, and dealing with my husband never being home because he travels so frequently for work. I'm one exhausted mama!

But really, I will try to do better once I get settled in to this new life of mine.

This past Saturday, we had our first big Midlands Mommies meet up. It was so much fun! There were about 10 mommies with their kids. We had a really great time, and I'm looking forward to the next one in April.

This weekend, we are going to Georgetown to visit my family. They're so excited to see miss Paisley! The weekend after that, we are getting Paisley's Easter pictures done by Tana Goodwin,who did Paisley's Christmas pictures. They are going to be so cute!

I'm currently recovering from having my four wisdom teeth removed yesterday. Go figure, after I make the appointment,my husband finds out he will be gone ALL week for work. Thank goodness for my mama. She has helped take care of Paisley and me SO much.

I think maybe I'll be posting a Mudpie & Mommywise haul as my next post.

Also, check out my makeup and beauty blog. I am going to be doing my winter hits and misses!

Valentines, earrings, and bows, OH MY!

So, after a small hiatus from blogging, I’ve finally returned! I promise I am going to try to do better!



Life has been hectic with this sweet little four month old. She got her shots last week, and her ears pierced this week! I was so surprised at how she handled both of them with little to no crying! I know there has been a lot of negativity regarding getting her ears pierced so young, but trust me; I AM NOT the first parent, nor will I be the last to do such a thing. I had my ears pierced at age 9, and I remember how much of a tomboy I was. Those things were infected and had to be surgically removed within a couple of months.



I also have several friends who say they’re so glad their parents did it because they would have been too scared to do it at an older age, even though they would have wanted them done. Not that I feel the need to defend myself with the choices I make for MY child, but for other moms who are worried but thinking about getting their child’s done…Don’t worry, just do it. If it’s not your thing, that’s fine. Again: MY child, MY choices. You can rest assured that I would never make any choices that would harm her in any way, shape, or form, whether in the present or future.



On to the next! Friday was Valentine’s Day, and I made a few things for my daughter’s class. Bowties for the boys and a hair bow for the other girl. I clipped them to a card that said “You’re BOW-dacious, Valentine!” I’m so glad everyone loved them! I thought about making burlap bowties, but I went with blue seersucker to be on the safe side since it’s more universal.



Whitney and I made some bows the other day…Well, I made one, she made two. I think we’re both just a little excited for our babies to be wearing their super cute summer and spring clothes soon. Could MudPie make their stuff any cuter? I just don’t think anyone can top the cuteness level of MudPie. I just wish her stuff would hurry up and get here and that the warm weather would just make up its mind to stick around.

 Here are some pictures of her earrings and the Valentines I made!

Until next time, y’all.

Something to blog about

I haven’t blogged in over a week because believe it or not, I have been busy. Busy with a 4 month old? Who would’ve thought, right?

 
This weekend, I actually had a mommy date with my friend, Whitney. We went to Starbucks, Target, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath & Beyond, and even had a lunch date with a couple of other moms at Wild Wings. It was such a nice day! Even though every time we heard a baby crying in a store, it was like a flashback that made us stand in silence while thinking of our little ones! Saturday night, Nate and I had a couple of friends over to eat pizza and play board games. So, I’d say my Saturday was pretty much a success.

This weekend, I think Whitney and I are going to do it all over again. Except this time, lots of makeup will be bought, babies will be spoiled, and us two mamas might even get a little bit of pampering time! Heck, I might actually buy myself something nice for the first time since I found out I was pregnant!

 
It just doesn’t seem as satisfying to shop for myself as it is to shop for my little girl. I find so much excitement when looking at clothes and toys for her. Thinking of how stinkin’ cute she’s going to look in this outfit, or how her face will light up when playing with this toy…You can’t buy ANYTHING for yourself that makes you that happy!

Sunday I sat at home and relaxed until later in the evening. Our friends Kayla and Jay came over to have dinner and watch the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead. Kayla even snapped a few Valentine’s Day pictures of Paisley while she was there! I am so ready to see how they turned out.

That’s all I’ve been up to lately! How about you?

A little bit of everything!

Well this week sure has been hectic to say the least! Paisley's diaper rash had cleared almost one hundred percent by Monday, and by Wednesday, it was back to wreak havoc! Now this may be TMI for some of you out there, but the poor baby is so raw! Her skin is split open in several places, and she is beet red from front to back. We've done literally everything, so I finally caved and took her to the doctor when she began to scream in pure agony Thursday morning. She's on two special creams, and I have to give her 2-3 baking soda baths per day.

Other than that, this hectic week hasn't been so bad. She got to see her first real snow, and it was a blast. She kept giggling at the snowflakes. It was way too cute! The only part she wasn't fond of is how bright it was outside. Here are some pictures:

I just love that snow suit from her Aunt Blakely!

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm ready to get out of this house and go back to work Monday. I was only supposed to be out Tuesday-Thursday, but of course I ended up having to take today off to take her back to the doctor. The doctor actually said that she is extremely intellectual and makes great eye contact. She's very focused, which means she is already showing signs of high intelligence levels. Her exact words!! (YES, I'm bragging! Hehe.) I am looking forward to watching her continue to grow. As much as I hate that she is getting bigger, I absolutely love watching her discover new things. For instance, she has recently discovered that she has delicious fists!!! ;) She's teething, which I'm not looking forward to her being in pain, but I just know how cute those little nuggets will be! Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this way!

Enough of that, though. I'll talk to you guys later. Have a great weekend!