Because. . . I am the MOM

Let me start by saying that I love my mom and all she has, does and will do for me. Which is a lot, I mean come on who can remember a recipe when you have your mom on speed dial!

I also have to thank Michaels mom, without her and her example and teachings to him, I would not have HIM! 

I have dreamed of being a mom since I was tiny (not that I have really grown but you know, I have gotten older). I have loved babies, children, kids, they are so fun! I became a teacher, hello!

It was not until April 3, 2014 at 5:59PM that I understood the true meaning of a "Mom". That was the exact moment my son was laid on my chest, no longer safe in my tummy, but out in this world, breathing the same air, seeing the same things, and doing exactly what I was. . . crying! I would like to think he was crying because he was as happy to see me as I was to see him.

Awe my little Chinese-eyed baby, yup he is mine :)

Then a few minutes later they took him off of me and across the room . . . . Now I was crying because he was away from me, nine months of constant contact and then like that he was gone. . . that was hard, it hit me that now he was shareable, other people could share him, hold him, play with him, love him, etc.

Since then I have had my "mom fails" and my "mom wins." When I was pregnant I received a lot of advice. And I LOVED it all! I am not one of the first-time moms that is convinced "nothing like your story will happen to me", "I will be better than that", "I would never make that mistake", "I know what I am doing"

Nope I was an absorbent sponge for any and all advice. Do you know why? I never had a baby before, I didn't know what kind of baby I would have colic,  fussy, gassy, happy, screamer, crier, etc. I had no idea if there would be tantrums, blowouts, breakdowns, etc. Any really what if something didn't work, isn't it better to have back-ups than to freak out at the fact that the one thing you try isn't working? So I welcomed it all! And let me say, it has been great! Not only have I used some of that advice, I now have mom friends that I can ask questions, get more advice and have someone to talk to.

So here is some advice I received that was super helpful and helped this first-time mom: (in no particular order)

1: Vaseline in your Hospital Bag:  My sister-in-law told me this a little before William was due. If you use it on the babies bum for the first few diaper changes the meconium will wipe off their bum so easily and wont feel like sandpaper. TOTALLY worth it!

2: Parenthood is not PERFECTION: I have learned this throughout my life and it was an easy realization for me. I was NOT going to be the perfect mom, I was going to make mistakes, I was going to have breakdowns, I was going to fail. But I was also going laugh hard, love more, live in the moments, and enjoy memories with my children. I accepted this before William was born and it has really helped. When I do make a mistake (and I make enough for probably 10 moms) I know that it will be okay. I know that William loves me through my mistakes, Michael loves me through them and they both make me better.

3: You don't have to have a name when you leave the hospital: We did not find out what we were having with William, and I LOVED that. We had some names, but really I have to see and hold my baby before I will know the name. An aunt told us we could leave without a name, there is no timeline, they will not keep your baby, YOU are the parents, YOU make the choice. We took 3 days after he was born to decide on a name. Yes they hounded us, delayed our release from the hospital, and made plenty of suggestions. But in the end we took our time, named our son and it was perfect. With this one we do know its a boy, but really do you think I have a name for him?!? Not even close!

4: Teach baby to sleep through things EARLY: My parents always told me that when baby is asleep you do the dishes, vacuum, laundry, movies, etc. You have noise, not silence. It is so much easier when your baby can sleep anywhere. We took William to his first movie, Captain America: Winter Soldier when he was a few days old. He slept through it, he still sleeps through movies. Its a BLESSING! When he was a baby I would let him sleep in the living room with the TV on, dishes going, etc. There was never peace for him and it has worked, he sleeps.

5: Schedules save lives. but they can be flexible: We worked to be William on a schedule and he is much happier when he follows it. However, we are not so strict that we don't do things because of it. We still hangout with friends, go to movies late, play at the park longer, and sometimes we miss a nap, sometimes we stay up late to play with daddy after school.  But you know what, Life goes on! We are flexible in this house.

6: Enjoy the little moments:  I think we all know this, but sometimes it is really hard to remember that in the moment. Like when you are in the middle of dishes, making dinner and your son wants you to read a book to him. So you stop everything and read a book in the middle of the kitchen floor. These are the moments I love, after all I am a wife and mom, before a house keeper and cook.

7: Laugh it off: This has pretty much been my life motto. I have had my share of injuries and laughing just helps to lighten the mood. So learn to laugh it off. So what if you and the kids are in your pj's all day and your husband asks why, who needs to get dressed when you are in the house playing all day. When your son makes a mess after you clean a room, its his job lol. You have to wash the clothes twice because you forgot and let them sit wet overnight, you didn't put soap in the dishwasher, you didn't turn the oven off, etc. Things happen, getting angry doesn't help, laughing makes it easier :)

8: Love: Love the baby, love your spouse, love your family, love your fiends, but most of all LOVE YOURSELF!! Trust me post baby is not perfect, (I had a wedding to attend just weeks after) but you know what is PERFECT that sweet baby you just carried and gave birth to. The fact that YOU were able to do that with YOUR body, LOVE IT! Begin negative never helped any one. Positivity will get you far, and some great support is always a must!

All in all enjoy the seconds because they become minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years and years to memories. Time is skipping by and I say if you are not enjoying it, no one will, because it is gone. We are all human, we love, we cry, we laugh, we make memories. Don't you want yours to be happy ones?

I DO. . . .so since I am the mom, we will have a sugary breakfast here and there, we will stay up late watching a movie, we will read a book in the middle of cooking dinner, I will make mistakes, I will have victories, I will love and enjoy life to the fullest because it is gone all too soon.

Love, Wyoming Way Momma

Those eyes, can you tell he is mine!