Wednesday, July 31, 2013

13 Things Motherhood Has Taught Me

It's amazing how much one tiny person can change your life. You're not given a manual on motherhood. You're thrust into this job the second your baby is born (or even earlier). It's a fly by the seat of your pants kind of job. It's hard, overwhelming, rewarding, messy, stinky, sweet, slobbery, exhausting, eye-opening, joyous....amazing!!

I've put together a list of things that motherhood has taught me thus far.
I could list more, but 13 sounded like a nice enough number to me!



[One] 
The world does not revolve around me after all.
OK, I already knew this one, obviously, but having a child completely changes the way you think.
It's like an automatic mind shift that just happens. Before Hudson, I thought about how certain decisions and situations would affect me. (& Joseph) Nowadays, my first consideration for just about every decision is always Hudson. Where we eat for dinner or what I cook(will he eat this? is it healthy for him?), where and when we go out and about(is that a good time for him? is that nap time?), what to watch on TV (should I expose him to this?). This list goes on and on.


[TWO]
Sippy cups, if left unattended, will walk away on their own. 
It's a conspiracy, I'm certain. One minute it's on the coffee table, the next minute it's been sucked into a black hole never to be found again....at least for about 20-30 minutes, anyway. I'm pretty sure I've spent half my life searching for lost sippy cups.


[THREE]
The pain of stepping on a Lego with bare feet is almost as bad as childbirth itself.
Well...I can't really attest to the pain of actual childbirth, seeing as how I didn't feel a thing(get the meds, people!) but my recovery is something I'd never wish on my worst enemy. OK, moving on. Point here...watch out for the evil Legos!


[FOUR]
It is perfectly acceptable to cry over spilled milk after you've spent half an hour pumping it at 3am. 
You're sleep-deprived, attached to this pump 24/7 to provide nutrition for this tiny person you're responsible for, and in your delirious state you knock over that whole bottle of milk you just pumped. Yes, this is a travesty and it calls for a meltdown. It's OK. Melt away!


[FIVE]
Real words are overrated. 
"Din din", "diapee", "Bry Bry", "wawa"....you tend to forget how to talk like an adult after you have a baby. Just try not to communicate with your bosses or coworkers in such a fashion. Asking the boss if he'd like some ice in his "wawa" is probably not gonna help get you that promotion.


[SIX]
There's no such thing as TMI anymore.
Once you've gone through childbirth and cleaned God knows what off of areas of a tiny person you never even knew existed, you kinda lose your filter. Not much phases you anymore. But your family and friends who haven't recently gone through such glamorous events would probably appreciate if you didn't share every detail about your child's poop schedule, what spoiled breast milk smells like, or how your recovery's going.


[SEVEN]
It's OK to laugh to keep yourself from crying.
But it's also OK to go to your bedroom, scream in a pillow, and just cry it out for a few minutes. Make sure the baby's secure or someone's watching him/her first, though, before you go have your moment of madness.


[EIGHT]
A messy house is a happy house.
The laundry can wait. You can clean those floors tomorrow. Don't worry that all the toys and books are strewn all over the living room floor. Your little one's been learning and playing. He's been engaged. He's had his mind thinking. He's working on those motor skills. Get in the floor and play WITH him!! Building a castle and playing instruments is much more fun than doing laundry!!


[NINE]
Tomorrow's a fresh start.
So today sucked a little. Your child woke up super early, cried all the way through breakfast, wouldn't take a nap, is teething like they surely must be dying, finally fell asleep at 10pm and you barely have the energy to put yourself in bed so you might as well forget about that shower you're in desperate need of. These days happen. Let the dirty dishes sit there, take some Aleve, maybe some ZzzQuil, and go nite nite.
Tomorrow's another day with new possibilities! It will be OK.


[TEN]
Don't wish the time away.
You'll never get these days back. They are fleeting. Take the time to cuddle, read that book(for the 37th time), build that house, and make memories.


[ELEVEN]
Kids don't miss one. single. thing.
You told your child he can't have a cookie, but you just stuffed one in your mouth? Yeah...they saw that. Just give them the cookie now and be done with it. Pick your battles!


[TWELVE]
Children don't need the fancy, shiny things.
You can spend hundreds of dollars on brand new, shiny toys to entertain your child. This is fine. Toys are good for them. They need play time and there are great learning toys out there.
There's just something about an empty box or water bottle....and they sure are a lot cheaper. Just sayin.


[THIRTEEN]
You will never know a greater love.
It's true what they say....you never knew you could love something so much. It will be instant and you will fall hard for this brand new tiny human in your arms. You'll find yourself staring at them while they sleep, and before you know it 2 hours has passed. You'll worry about them every second of every day, even if they're right beside you. You'll find that even 5 minutes away from them feels like an eternity. You realize that all that matters is their health and happiness.
You know without a doubt you'd give up your life in a second for them.


I've only been a mom for 2 years and 3 months, and I know I have a whole lot more to learn about motherhood. I will learn many more lessons along the way. With twins coming soon, I can hopefully use what I have learned thus far to be better this time around....with the late night feedings, constant diaper changes, teething, etc.

As moms, we are constantly teaching our kids one thing or another. But we should also open our eyes and realize when we can learn something from them! Life doesn't have to be as complicated as we like to make it. Look at things through the eyes of a child, and it becomes a whole lot simpler and joyful.

What has motherhood taught you?
Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Zoo Trip, in Pictures


We had a great time at the Birmingham Zoo on Saturday! It was hot and humid, but it wasn't insanely crowded and there were so many pretty animals to see. Here are just a few of the pictures we took. There's an insane amount on my camera, with TONS more animals. I just picked the most interesting ones. ;)

I told Joseph to do his hair like this guy. Nice.

We found Big Al and fed him some apples. He said to tell all of you Roll Tide, of course!

Poor guy's missing one tusk. It got cracked badly and had to be removed. He's 30 years old!

Mr. Rhino stopped to ponder life for a minute.

I loved this little elephant. I don't know how old he is, but he is obviously one of the younger ones.




My absolute favorite part of the zoo....feeding the giraffes!! It costs $3 but is so worth it. 
I mean, when can you do that again?? (the next time you come to the zoo, I guess!)

This picture is just to prove that Hudson did, in fact, like the giraffes. But he wasn't about to feed them!

I was trying to get Hudson to feed him....the giraffe did not care for waiting. HAHA!

Neatest experience ever, but a little freaky at the same time! That's one slimy tongue!
Did I mention I want a giraffe now?? So sweet!!

"Oh, haaayyy!"

I believe Hudson was dancing for the giraffes here...and check out that wavy hair! 
Humidity has the same effect on his momma's hair!




Daddy was getting the eye here. I've hit the point where I'm anti-pictures...especially when I'm hot and sweaty! Just...no thanks!

 Practicing strolling around his brother & sister!

Fighting over hay! 

Loved the sea lions! SO CUTE!



Geo put on a great show! It amazes me how smart they are!




Riding the train before we left. This guy was exhausted (can you tell?)....and so was his momma!!

Quite frankly, I'm still recovering from the trip!! 
The exhaustion has set back in and doing the smallest things wear me out. I'm back to where I pretty much have to take a nap in the afternoon in order to function the rest of the day/night. I fell asleep yesterday during Hudson's nap, which I haven't done in months. Hard to believe I'm 31 weeks today! I have my 31 week checkup tomorrow and the doctor has also ordered an ultrasound to check the fluid levels. After looking at the specialist's report from last week, she wants to double check them this week. So we'll have that, the non-stress test, and normal appointment. My mother's intuition is telling me that these babies will come early. I've had 36 weeks in my head for a while now, but I think they'll come even earlier. Just a feeling I have. Just hoping and praying they're healthy and ready to come whenever they do come out. They're both practicing breathing (we've seen it on the last 2 ultrasounds), so that means their lungs are developed, which is great news!
This is when things start getting iffy with twins, and they have to be watched extra close....fluid levels, growth, contractions, etc. I'm VERY much a planner and like to be able to have an idea of what's coming, so the next few weeks could completely stress me out. I'm going to try my best not to let them, though. I've just got to rest, get things ready for their arrival, and soak up every second of time with just Hudson until then.
Hopefully tomorrow's appointment will go great, they'll be closer in size and fluid levels will look perfect. Positive thoughts!!

Have a great Tuesday!

Friday, July 26, 2013

5 on Friday!

Wooooohooo for Friday!!!

{ONE}
Have you tried this stuff??? I've been looking for it EVERYWHERE and cannot find it!! Luckily, I have a sweet mom who found some at Food World in Gadsden and brought me one. It is so good, I understand it's out at every store.


{TWO}
I'm super happy to report, that after 2.5. weeks, my plants are GROWING!!! Not dead, but growing, people!! There's hope for me yet!!
Before
After


{THREE}
Also, the hydrangeas in the backyard are blooming more and are just beautiful! I can't wait until they're fully bloomed so I can bring some in the house.


{FOUR}
I've been pretty good about restraining myself from buying too many baby clothes (especially for Miss Raegan, because she doesn't have that much and I'm tempted to buy, buy, buy), but every now and then I see an outfit I just can't pass up. 
Like today....
  
I die!!
Although I'm kinda thinking maybe I should exchange it for size 0-3 mo. The pants are pretty tiny and in Alabama it'll probably be warm enough to wear this outfit until at least early-mid November.


{FIVE}
Tomorrow we're taking a day trip down to Birmingham to go to the zoo!!! Even when we lived in Bham we never went, so I'm excited to go check it out. We were torn between Bham and Nashville, but after finding out that Nashville is SOOOO big and spread out(and I'm like 57 months pregnant) and reading some reviews that the animals are a little too far away, we decided on Birmingham. Hudson loved the aquarium, but I think he'll love the zoo even more. I'm stoked!
I'll be sure to post all about our visit!

Have a happy weekend!!!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nail Polish Junkie

You may or may not already know this....but I'm a hoarder....of nail polish.
*Note: this is NOT my picture, but my collection has looked this ridiculous at some point or another. :)
I've never taken the time to count the number of bottles I've had, but at one point just closing the top drawer of my nightstand (where I keep them) would take a good bit of shuffling around of nail polish bottles.
I'm proud to say that I've culled down my collection a good bit. It's amazing how many of those babies were waaaaayyy passed their prime and had all but hardened.

Being the nail polish junkie I am, this also makes me somewhat of a nail snob. The first thing I notice about someone is their handshake (limp handshake? work on that!)...the second thing....you guessed it, their nails! Men, women, it doesn't matter. I check yo nails out! Next is eye contact, then smile...because I just know you were wondering. 

More random nail-related Lauren facts:
~ I'm super picky about my nails and I only do them myself. No manis/pedis for me.
I just prefer to take care of them on my own. I had a pedicure once and hated every single second of it. I guess I have tender toes, 'cause I was in pain from start to finish.

~ My nail shape of choice is a cross between square and oval.(more oval/rounded on the corners)
The pointy, Fergie-esque nails freak me out!

No.
And to answer the question in the picture......umm, NOT!!

NO!!

Getting better with the nude color, but still....NOOOOO!!!!!
File your bird talons into a natural nail shape, woman!!

~ You'll never find my nails bare. Like, ever. 95% of the time they're a nude shade, but NEVER bare.
I just hate the way my nails look with nada on 'em.

~ If I DO venture out and paint my nails a color, I usually get bored with it after about 3 days...max. Then it's back to nude for a while. The majority of my nail polish collection is made up of nude shades. I guess I prefer the classic look like that.

~ The majority of my collection is also made up of Essie polish, AKA: best polish ever.

~ Short nails are the nails for me. I have a certain length I like and once it gets passed it(which doesn't take long. I have some quick growing nails), it's time to file them down! I have a deep hatred for toenails that are too long. Eww.

~ I seriously have to file my nails down at least twice a week. (sometimes 3 while I'm pregnant. hormones kick the growth in overdrive)

~ I have to literally talk myself out of buying a new shade when I'm at the store...especially when I'm at Target. They have the best Essie selection ever. Another reason Target really is no good(yet absolutely amazing) for me.

Some of my absolute favorite Essie shades...

Come Here! is a beautiful pinkish-coral color that just really looks great on all skin tones. This is one of my favorite colors to put on my nails during the Summer.

Turquoise & Caicos  - the name is a little misleading here, but I still love it. It's more minty than anything and looks really pretty on tanned feet.

Mademoiselle is my new favorite nude shade. I've tried them all, and I mean ALL!! I like Ballet Slippers and Limo-scene as well, but I really like how natural Mademoiselle looks. It's not too white, and not too pink. It's a little sheer, so I like about 2-3 coats of it to give the perfect light pink nude color. It'd be a great base for a french manicure as well.

E-nuf is E-nuf is another great coral color. It has a little less pink to it than Come Here and is a little darker. It's a favorite colored shade for my toes during the Summer months. Super flattering shade.

Merino Cool is hands-down, my absolute favorite Fall/Winter shade and I just had to share it. I'm not big on dark shades during the Spring/Summer so I do save this for strictly Fall/Winter. I'm not really comfortable in the black polish that's become popular and this is a great alternative when you still want something a little dark, without running the risk of looking gothic. It shows up slightly purple/plum, and it's really flattering.

In case you were wondering....I've currently got Mademoiselle on both the fingers and the toes. Might spice it up with a little E-nuf is E-nuf on the toes soon. :)

So, is anyone else out there a nail polish junkie? Please tell me I'm not alone!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Midweek Minute - Thoughts on The Royal Baby

Sound the trumpet, the royal baby has been born and it's a "half-blood prince". I'm not a Harry Potter fan..I just saw a bunch of tweets about that the other day so I decided to use it.

The new little family made their first appearance yesterday and introduced Prince no-name to the world.  (work on that, you guys. give that boy an identity!) I have to admit, I did get a little teary seeing the new parents so overjoyed by their new bundle. I know that feeling and it's amazing. I also know what I felt like the day after I gave birth to an 8+ lb baby and I'm sure Kate is super thankful for the "good meds" she's still getting right about now.
How presh....they've already taught the babe how to wave!!?? (notice his little hand pop up after William waves. HA!)

Watching them speak to the public for a minute reminded me how kind and humble they seem to be. They may be royalty, but they still seem down to earth and I loved how William couldn't get that big smile off his face.

I mean, let's mentally compare his winning personality to the multiple personalities of Kanye West for a minute....
Never-mind...don't put yourself through that.

Also....am I the only one who was waiting for him to bust up in there and steal their thunder?


 Kate looked absolutely stunning, not the least bit swollen, and I might hate her a little bit for that. (ok, I don't) But after watching yesterday's debut, I've decided that when we televise our introduction of the twins to the world for the first time, I will hire a "debut stand-in".

Perhaps Olivia Munn?
I mean, she's hawt!

Or maybe Selena Gomez....so "I" not only look amazing after giving birth, but somehow also look 10 years younger?? 
Sounds like a plan to me!

I make some jokes, but I'm seriously happy for the royal family. It's nice to see something positive and worth celebrating on the news. I'm good now, though. Let's not have royal baby overkill, mmmk?(probably not the best choice of words there)

Y'all look for our Puckett twins debut on TV in a couple months and see who I chose to be my stand-in. ;-)