Mommy Contract Part 2

Since writing part 1 of the Mommy Contract my sweet child has reminded me of so many other components that should be added. A few more that came to mind. . .

You are never alone
Whether you are in the bathroom or the kitchen, your child will find you. Why they don't send children in to look for hiding terrorists is beyond me.

Your child will embarrass you
Children have a keen sense of what will send their parents hiding in a corner and love to perform those acts. It may be farting extremely loud in front of the new neighbors or it could be throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the aisle at Target. It will happen so batten down the hatches and prepare yourself.

Your child will behave the worst for you
You'll hear stories of how wonderful and kind your spawn is and wonder if it's the same child who threw themselves on the floor and prevented you from making them the breakfast they requested. It is. Children behave the worse for their parents. Fact.

Your brain will never be the same
I don't care if you have a PhD in rocket science AND brain surgery, your brain will never be the same after having children. Everything you thought you knew becomes mush.

You will memorize the most random things
And while you won't be able to remember why you came into the room and what you were looking for you will have a great selection of children's songs and books memorized and ready to be recited when your child starts to melt down in the back of the car.

You will never look the same again
This goes for more than just your body, folks. Things settle differently after kids and I don't care if you weigh less than you did before kids, it's just different. I'm also talking about the clothes you put on that body. Your child will find the one spot you don't cover up with a burp cloth and ruin your favorite outfit. They will also grab that cute tunic you just bought and smear strawberry juice all over it. Or wipe their mouth on the shoulder of that fantastic new sweater that just came in the mail. Once you have children you suddenly understand why moms only wear bum clothes.

You could watch them for hours
Go ahead and set a timer and then marvel at how long you spend watching them do absolutely nothing. Taking beaded necklaces on and off was never as exciting as it is when your toddler does it for 30 minutes straight.

Mommy Contract

In my short time as a mother I have noticed a few traits that most, if not all, mothers share. I have jokingly come to refer to these as part of the "mommy contract". This contract is one that you unknowingly sign the moment your child is born and your world no longer focuses on yourself, but on that precious little love. A few components of the mommy contract. . .

Your food is not yours

Sorry, friends, but that plate full of delicious food that you lovingly prepared (or ordered if it's been a rough day) isn't yours. It belongs to the mini-version of you in the high chair next to you. And don't even think about trying to give them something of their own (even if it is the exact.same.thing.) because they will want it directly from your plate. Fact.

You will never sleep again

Remember those easy weekend mornings where you lazily puttered around in your pajamas? Or how about those glorious nights of uninterrupted sleep? I hope you enjoyed them because you will never see them again. Or, at the very least until your youngest is out of the house but even then you'll probably lay awake at night wondering how your offspring are doing in the great big world. Even if your child does sleep well through the night, the slightest bump, paci drop, or cough will wake you and send you running to check that all is right in the world.

Caffeine is your friend

Caffeine is amazing. Fact. Whether it comes in the form of coffee or soda, it is a necessary part of child-rearing. See above clause for further explanation. 

You can't do it alone

You can't do this mommy this alone, so don't even try. Find a community, whether it's a face-to-face group or one via Facebook, find a community. These women will be your lifesavers when you feel like you are drowning in spit up and screams.

Books can't parent your kid

I love to read and I love to read about kid stuff and what's coming our way next, but all the books in the world can't teach you how to parent your child. Only you can do that.

You will never figure your kid out

Your kid is constantly changing so just as soon as you think you have them, their personality, and their nap schedule figured out they throw you for a loop. 

You will never love the same

Hold on tight because the love you have for your kid is different than any kind of love you've ever known.

Little Things

Have you ever watched a little one explore? I mean really watched? One of the amazing joys of being able to stay home with Amelia Grace full time is I have plenty of chances to watch this little love explore the world around her and I love every second of it. From watching her feed herself for the first time to picking up piles of mulch and moving it around the playground (her current favorite activity), I have been so fortunate to experience these new things with her. The best part is her over the moon joy and excitement! 

We take for granted so much of what we see and do every day. Littles don't. Give us a pile of pine straw and we just sit and stare at it. Give it to a toddler and they can find all sorts of things to be excited about. Have you ever given a baby the sample cups Trader Joe's gives out with their coffee? Did you know they can be used as hats, music makers, and chew toys? When we went to Florida earlier this summer we didn't bring any toys with us; she entertained herself with coasters and old magazines. 

If only we could take the simple things in life and truly appreciate them too. The ability to feed ourselves a blueberry and not miss our mouths. Or moving a handful of crayons from one hand to the other. Or even the fact that we can comb our own hair! All of these tasks seem so menial, but are so exciting when first experienced and truly appreciated.

I am so thankful for all that I am able to do, but I'm even more thankful for being able to experience it all over again with her! 

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

-Matthew 19:14

A few of our favorite things. . . 6-12 months

A few months ago (6 months to be exact;-) ) I put together a list of some of our favorite things for parenting Amelia Grace from birth to six months. There are SO many lists out there suggesting what to buy to help you parent and even more products to choose from so I narrowed it down again for the next six months! Here are a few of our favorite things. . .

Jog Stroller

We were gifted with this AMAZING tool and we couldn't be more thankful. We use it at least once a day, but most days even more. This thing has gone to the beach, walked to grocery stores, strolled to Starbucks, and helped us explore our new digs. If you are at all active, I highly suggest adding this to your list of must-haves!

High Chair

I fought this for a while. I thought we'd be just fine with a little booster we could just strap to a chair and call it a day. Not so much. We ended up going with the Graco Dubliner 3-in-1 high chair and couldn't be happier. It allows us to have a highchair AND a booster to strap to a chair all in one. Definitely a win!

"Stand Up Thing"

I know there is a better name for it, but that's what it was referred in the Mobley house. She spent hours in this thing. First it was just standing and staring, then it was twisting and turning, and finally it was jumping and screaming. She loves this thing and I loved that it kept her trapped entertained.

Bath Seat

This little gem became so helpful as she started to sit up and become more active. We were able to have her sit unassisted in the tub as we cleaned her. Super helpful! 

"Eating Jacket"

This too has a fancier name, but we just referred to it as the "eating jacket". These were wonderful when she was first navigating the waters of food introduction. They helped save quite a few outfits there at the beginning!

A few of our favorite things. . . . Birth-6 months

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

While those things are all wonderful, that's not what we're talking about here today. We're talking about baby gear, specifically the ones that get you from birth to the six month range. 

If you search the internet for what you need for a baby, you're going to be so inundated with information you may end up entering "shut down" mode like I did. I literally had to shut the laptop lid before I shut down from being so overwhelmed. There is SO much information out there! Most new parents end up registering for all this new stuff, and then a week or so in realize they don't half of it. Or, realize they need completely different stuff. Fun times, right? Not that we're professionals at this AT ALL, but I have been pondering the few items that really helped us the first few months. Without further adieu, a few of our favorite things. . .

 As you can see she spends a lot of time in the swing

Swing

Baby girl loves her some swing time! When she was fresh she would sleep in it pretty regularly (gotta love reflux!), but nowadays she just hangs out in it and "talks" to the baby in the mirror;-) We have the Fisher Price "Snug-a-Puppy" and couldn't be happier. It rotates in three different directions so we can turn her based on her preference as well as adjust the speed and music options. 

Playing is tough work

Play Mat

This thing is wonderful! She spends a good 30-45 minutes playing on it every morning. She lays there are gabs with the toys dangling while also trying to grab them and pull. I'm going to be so sad when she finally bores of this because it buys me time every morning to get going on the day! Bonus points for being able to fold up nice and easy.

Noise Machine 

Poor kid was in trouble from day 1 since neither of her parents can fall asleep without this either! It's nice to have when the dog barks or if we have people over in the evenings. There is never any worry about whether she'll wake up or not. I know it'll be a tough habit to break later, but today we're loving it!

Ignore her cranky face, she loves that thing!

Glider

No matter who your kid is and what their personal preference is, they're going to need to be rocked. A LOT. And a good glider is going to make those long nights of rocking a lot easier. Ours was gifted to us by my aunt after her kiddos outgrew it and we couldn't be happier. David has even asked a time or two if we can put it in front of the TV in the den!

Angelcare Monitor
Y'all this thing is wonderful. It has given me so much peace knowing that an obnoxious alarm would go off if she stopped moving after 15 seconds. SO.MUCH.PEACE.

Nose Frida
A lot of people have heard of it and are totally grossed out. Then they have a super sick/congested baby and give it a try. They are then fans for life. At least that's how it worked in our house. Baby girl had her first cold and this momma's heart was breaking in a million pieces-I was willing to try anything! Even sucking my child's boogers out through a tube. . . The first few times she wasn't into it, but now she just accepts it as a part of life. #parentingwin

I'm sure I'm forgetting some items, but these are a few of our definite favorites. What are your favorites??

Motherhood is. . .

I know I'm new to this game, but a few of my thoughts thus far on what motherhood is. . .

. . . getting all your daily steps in walking up and down the hallway to a fussy baby who refuses to sleep.

. . . learning after one poop explosion you always have an extra outfit with you.

Story to come

. . . prepping supper HOURS beforehand because that's the only time your arms will be empty all day.

. . . letting your baby sleep in the carrier no matter how many times you said you would never do that because that's the only place the baby would sleep that day.

. . . sleeping on the floor next to the crib because you would rather get a few extra seconds of sleep on the floor than waste time walking down the hallway and letting the baby get more worked up.

. . . giving the baby a pacy after a week despite pledging that your baby wouldn't have a pacy until she was at least 6 weeks old. Hmph.

. . . deleting all the other pictures on your phone to make room for a million different pictures of the same thing.

. . . thinking about every day down.to.the.minute. in an effort to maximize naps and happy baby time.

And my personal favorite realization

. . . rocking your baby long after they fall asleep because you just love the baby snuggles.

I love motherhood:-)

Shifting Gears

The past three weeks have been a surreal experience. This sweet baby girl has made our lives infinitely better in such a short time, and for that we are thankful. All the months of prayers and have blessed us way beyond our wildest imaginations. But to be honest, it was super tough at first. Don't get me wrong, Amelia Grace has been such a wonderful baby (minus the reflux episodes during the witching hour) and watching her grow has filled my heart in a way I didn't know was possible. In fact all the toughness really has nothing to do with her; it comes from remembering Emerson.

I've been struggling to put this post into words, because I don't know what to say. As we drove  home from the hospital David and I talked about the importance of keeping our lines of communication open and continuing to talk about everything. That led to one of us (I can't remember who) bringing up how weird it was to be bringing home our baby girl. Last time we went to the hospital to have a baby, that precious little one didn't come home with us. All the emotions of being in the hospital, seeing some of our old nurses, talking with the doctors brought both of us right back to last January. 

I mentioned a few times here how anxious I was with this pregnancy and how scared we both were about everything. There was more than one visit to the doctor that was scheduled in haste because I "just didn't feel right". Thankfully, there was also more than one time the doctors hooked us up and we heard her strong little heartbeat reassuring us. 

Since we've gotten home all those feelings of anxiety that came from comparing the two experiences have disappeared. Instead they have been replaced with indescribable joy and happiness. There are moments of "what if Emerson. . .",  but those moments don't cause overwhelming sadness anymore. Instead we are focusing on enjoying every little moment with Amelia Grace knowing that she has a big sister watching out for her every step of the way.