TOP 6 THINGS I’VE LEARNED SINCE BECOMING A MOM…

July 18, 2017

Kennedy is coming up on her 1st Birthday in a few months, so I have been reflecting on the past year as a new mom. I wanted to share with you some things I have learned since becoming a mommy. I have come up with my Top 6 things I have learned since becoming a mommy! I have more, but baby girl is waking up from her nap now and I don’t want to bore you with a long list 😉 Hope you enjoy reading! XOXO

MY DRESS // SANDALS // BRACELET // LIPGLOSS + LIPSTICK // NECKLACE (Has “Kennedy” engraved on it) // KENNEDY’S DRESS // KENNEDY’S SANDALS // PINK BOW

SHOP THIS POST:

1.Being a parent gives you an immense joy you can never ever imagine!

When people who were parents would talk about how amazing being a parent was and how even though it was the hardest thing they ever did, it brought them the most happiness? I’ve come to that realization many times over in the past 9 months! Nothing I have ever done in my life has EVER brought me as much joy as being Kennedy’s mommy does. When I was in high school I would ALWAYS day dream about being a stay at home mom. I saw myself doing something fun and creative(such as my blog) on the side, but I always knew my purpose in life was to be a stay-at-home mom and I knew that is what would bring me the most happiness in this life. Since becoming a mom, I know this to be so true! I love waking up and going into her nursery and seeing her beam with happiness when she sees me. I love helping her learn, caring for her, and playing with her all day long. I think in today’s world stay-at-home moms get a bad rep, and are almost looked down upon as an “easy” job or an “average” thing for a girl to do. I think it is quite the opposite. I see so many bad things going on in the world, and suggesting that moms are looked down for wanting to be home and raise their children is kinda sad and scary, in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with being a working mom, and I have SO much respect and admiration for them- my mom was a working mom and worked SO hard for us in her career and at home. I have had people say rude comments right to my face about being a stay-at-home mom, but I would never want to trade it for any career in the world! I am so grateful that I am able to stay at home and I know lots of moms are not able to. It is something that brings me so much happiness and joy- something you can never fully understand until you become a parent!!!

2. The world feels like a scarier place.

This is something that has started to creep into my thoughts more and more as Kennedy gets older. I’m not sure if the world is getting more wicked or what, but my daily mental list of things that can go wrong seems to get longer and longer. The world has become such a scary and fast changing place morally. I am scared of the things my fresh from Heaven and innocent little baby will be exposed to. I know she can’t be kept in a bubble her whole life and will see everything with her own eyes and ears one day, but I hope to keep her away from those things as long as I can. I am a naturally anxious person and I tend to get anxiety easily, so even just driving her around I get so nervous with her in the car. You don’t realize how precious life is and how freaking scary the world is until you have this innocent baby who solely relies on you for every single need and to keep her safe.

3. It makes you a better person.

Being a mom has made me a better person. It makes me so much more aware and sensitive to people’s feelings. Also, I am the most confident I have ever been in my life and I finally feel confident to speak up and not be scared to put people in their place when I need to. My little person looks up to me and will continue to look to me throughout her childhood on how to behave and how to act. Just knowing that they learn how to be from looking up to their parents and mimicking them makes me try hard everyday to be kinder, more patient, happier, and more hard working. You HAVE to become self-less and the world no longer revolves around you. From the moment you hold your baby in your arms for the first time, your world will never ever be the same- but it is supposed to change you! My baby’s needs and priorities always come first. You also don’t realize how selfish you were before kids until you have one 😉 and I mean this in the best way! Most of my thoughts day and night are about Kennedy and everything I do ultimately is to make her life better. All the qualities I want Kennedy to have one day, I need in myself first. So I have been making an effort to develop those qualities every single day to be the best mom, wife, friend, and role model I can be for her!

4. It is harder than I thought.

I had an image in my mind since I was little on what being a mommy would be like and I only saw the good things about it, and never reallllyyy took a second to imagine the bad parts. Being honest here, no matter what ANYONE says- it is not always sunshine and rainbows and giggles. No one or no baby books can prepare you for that part of parenthood. I always say, God made babies so darn cute so we can’t get too upset when they throw up all over your clean outfit or poop all over your new rug! 😉 No one ever really talks about how truly hard being a new mom can be. That is why I think it threw me for a loop the first few weeks at home with my newborn. I would say why didn’t anyone tell me about how utterly tired physically and mentally I would be? BUT besides how hard it is, it all makes you stronger and after time, you look back and “forget” all the hard moments! We are coming up to Kennedy’s 1st Birthday soon, so naturally the conversation of when will we start trying for a second child has come up. Even though we know it will be hard, being a mommy brings me the most amazing amount of joy and insurmountable happiness into my life. Having a child is something you will want to experience over and over again- which is probably why most people have more kids 😉

5. It makes you realize how blessed you are.

Just having a baby in your arms is a huge blessing in itself. Everyday I thank God for blessing me with my beautiful baby girl. Not only that but that she is healthy and happy. My mommy heart has never felt SO much love and also ached so much since becoming a mom. I cry every single time I see a child who has to go without food, toys, water, or a clean place to live. You see videos or kids on the streets with no clothes or food and in filthy conditions, and it makes you realize how incredibly lucky and blessed you are. When we were in Cabo, Mexico, we passed by a homeless lady with a baby girl around 6 months old sitting on the dirty sidewalk begging for money. We gave her some money, baby food and the water we had. We walked by her later that afternoon in the sweltering heat, and she was still there with her baby. Her baby was drenched in sweat, looked so dirty and had no life in her face. I just wanted to help or do more, but I felt so helpless in that situation. I can’t stand to see helpless and innocent children in those kinds of situations or sick. I wish I can help all the children around the world and just wrap them in my arms and take care of them all. But I know I can start by doing little things such as service projects, giving back when I see other’s in need or asking for help, and not judging others for the situation they are in.

When I was a teenager and in my early 20s, I would worry about and fret over the dumbest things. From a pimple on my face or my weight or if I looked “hot” when I went out on a date. I know I was young and naive, and didn’t know better. But the fact that I wasted SO much of my time, thoughts, and energy on superficial things every day kinda makes me want to cry. I know now lucky I am to even be here and to be healthy, let alone have basic needs such as food whenever I want, a clean place to live and a comfy bed to sleep on, a beautiful and healthy baby, and a sweet hardworking husband. All those superficial thoughts have been pushed back. I’m realizing how precious time is here on earth, and how we need to take advantage of this time and use it wisely. I wish I would have opened my eyes back then and changed my thought process, but I’m grateful motherhood has changed me in that way for the better 🙂

6. You don’t realize how much free time you had pre-baby.

One of the top things I tell soon-to-be moms is you don’t really realize HOW much free time you had before a baby. I would always complain there wasn’t enough hours in the day or some excuse why something important couldn’t get done blah blah blah. Now I laugh to myself how silly I was.  Once you have a baby, trying to get things done during the day is twice as hard! muahhahaha…. Even a quick trip to the grocery store used to be an annoying errand pre-baby, but now it is a big event I need to carve out time in the day for and really pre-plan for!

I have also learned since becoming a mom that planning out your day the night before makes your day go so much smoother and better. I always have a goal to get out of the house and do at least one fun activity for Kennedy once a day. Whether that be her Little Gym play class, swings at the park, a play date, a nature walk, the pool, etc. I notice the days we don’t leave the house, those are usually the worst days. Since I have started blogging again, I have to be more aware of my time and the things that need to get done. I work with Kennedy by reading to her, playing with her, doing a fun activity, feeding her, singing and talking, etc. Then during her 2 naps (she sleeps around 1.5-2 hours each), I use that time to clean and work on my blog! I usually have a (long) to-do list that day of things that need to get done and a weekly one. I also like to set goals for myself, my blog, and for my family each week! I think since becoming a mom I’ve been better able to multitask and be organized to help everything flow better everyday.

SHOP OUR OUTFITS:

MY DRESS // SANDALS // BRACELET // LIPGLOSS + LIPSTICK // NECKLACE (Has “Kennedy” engraved on it)

 KENNEDY’S DRESS // KENNEDY’S SANDALS // PINK BOW