on motherhood

i've been a mama for a year. i've learned a lot in that amount of time--like sometimes you can't prevent a melt down. and people will judge you for it if you're in the target checkout line.

 i've grown so much more sympathetic to other moms. your babe is their own person, learning to discover the world around them. it's all so new to mama and babe. new behaviors are learned, new sights and textures, new environments, new hands to hold, everything. every day, liam is experiencing something new. one thing remains the same--his sinful nature. and i've learned a lot about myself and my own sins because of liam. times when anger is quick and my temper flares. feeling dissatisfied or inadequate.

some things i've learned ||

make time for yourself. sometimes, it's just locking yourself in the bathroom and painting your nails that lavender color you've been eyeing. some days it's taking a coffee break in front of how i met your mother. most days, for me, it's going to the store by myself. i find myself wandering to the beauty aisle trying out new blush shades, or matte lip gloss (my latest obsession). these are the things that keep me sane. that rejuvenate me and breathe a little life into my soul. you WILL get burnt out other wise. happy wife, happy life. =)

some days, i lack creativity with liam and on those days especially, we go outside. we go for walks, to the park, the backyard. vitamin d makes me so happy. liam takes after me in that way. he'll lean back in the stroller and let the breeze float over him. now that he's walking, it's brilliant. leaves running on the sidewalk excite him and will stop him in his tracks. birds, well he loves them. i'm gonna try to keep this obsession at bay. he opens his mouth and sucks in those texas gusts of wind. the outdoors medicate.

take pictures. document everything. there's nothing i love better than looking back over this past year and seeing how much liam has grown.

some days, you lose. don't stop 'em either cause they can't be won. you'll have days where everything seems to go wrong. stains on your shirt, you've run out of coffee or milk for the baby, fits are a dime a dozen, he wants to be held every second and cries if he's not, diaper explosions, they've been in your bathroom cupboard and pulled out all your nail polish, the list is endless. the good news? it starts over tomorrow.

you are your child's mother.everyone seems to know how to parent your child better. but nothing is ever better than their own mother. your mother's instinct is there for a reason so listen to it. you know what's best for them, you make the rules, and you have the final say.

laugh with them. be silly with them. one of my favorite things to do with liam is make up silly songs. it's therapeutic for me and him to laugh at one another. getting on the floor with him and wrestling with him, while is usually short lived, is wonderful because liam laughs constantly. and now he will come over and just lay on top of me and hug me. i die slowly.

allow yourself to shower and put makeup on. you'll feel 1009376543 times better about yourself.

make exceptions. sometimes it's ok to bend the rules. push bedtime back if you're out for ice cream. bath time? let him go another day. a little dirt never hurt anybody.

pray with them. i have a verse i pray with liam every night; that he would grow in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) what better way than for him to be more like Jesus?

being a mama is hard. it's tough to balance it all. but you're doing better than you think. and just remember, it all starts over tomorrow.