Confessions of my 3rd Year of Motherhood

 Three! For 3 wonderful years I've been a mother and gracious they've been as joyful as can be! 

I shared with you my 'confessions' of my first year of motherhood and my second and now here I am writing about my 3rd. Babies don't keep gals! 

They say nothing can truly prepare you for the journey of motherhood, but after this past year we can all agree on how true that really is for everyone.  Unprecedented circumstances covered our world and certainly reshaped our plans but I'm grateful for it.  God allowed it to happen and the blessings that came out weigh the negatives. 

A lot of things have stayed the same since the beginning, I still abide by a VERY strict schedule, wake up at 5am for 'me time', coordinate our outfits every Sunday for church (and any other occasion I can), constantly capture her beauty and I cover her with kisses all day every day.

Confessions of My 3rd Year of Motherhood:

1.  I Sometimes Skirt the Rules

    I've tried to choose joy over perfection to allow for more fun in our days. So, once in a while I lay out a blanket on our living room floor and we have a picnic dinner. I allow her to eat things I swore I never would like sweets, prepackaged food and chick-fil-a (she loves 'carpool chicken nuggets'). I also let her wear costumes to the store, play with non-toy items out of drawers/shelves so that I can get something done and watch just one more cartoon.  Turns out, no harm was done and laughter was had by all!

2. I'm Not Above Bribery

    A gummy candy, sticker or wearing one of Mommy's necklaces in order to produce pee in the potty, so be it! 

3. I've Created a Mini SL

    Imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery.  Seeing her do the things that I do is so sweet and entertaining.  Vivian is her own girl, but I admit my heart smiles seeing her be girlie playing dress up, pretend makeup, accessorizing and exercising just like Mommy does! 

Go ahead and add Ryan to your prayer list.

4. I Delegate

    There are things that come with mothering that I don't enjoy (truth for each and every one of us) so I delegate those as much as I can. Crafting and bathing are two in particular. For her entire life she's been bathed at most once a week (don't even judge me). It's an extra chore and it's great time to spend with Daddy :)  I've never liked arts and crafts. It's messy, requires supplies/storage and I'm anti 'stuff' in my house. I don't have the patience. You won't see me creating busy activities, although there was that one time I made a sensory box. So I leave all the pretty art work for her teachers at school to make with her.  Although, this Summer I did try to do some ... outside!

5. Preschool is My Best Medicine

    I shout Praise for our preschool!  I was on pins and needles this Summer hoping school would be in session for us. Thank the good Lord for the blessing that it is. Vivian goes 5 days a week from 9:15-1 and it's a short 1 mile from home allowing for me to optimize every minute. And that I do! 

It's a physical and mental gift that truly has me feeling my best.  I can be alone and productive. 

It's also a wonderful time of fun and learning for her.

6. I'm a Carpool Circus Act

    While she does get to go to school, it is different in its policies. One being mandatory carpool for all students and as I just shared though we are only 1 mile away we leave 15 minutes early to get a front spot in line for drop off each morning. Those 15 minutes can be really long! So I've become quite the entertainer singing songs like a chorus girl, jamming out to music with a little dance, making sure we're primped with lipgloss and occasionally a FaceTime or youtube video. More thoughts on carpool on this post.

7. I Go to Time Out

    In addition to the time I get from school, Vivian still takes naps every afternoon.  During that time I am in 'Do not disturb' mode.  I will rarely answer the phone and focus on doing the things I can do at home that I can't do while she's awake. I also take a time out and leave town for a long weekend with my gal pals several times a year. Thanks to my sisters who help care for Vivian (Ryan works every single weekend #marriedtomedicine) I pack my bags to enjoy a few days of adult conversation, cheers and lots of laughs. I come back refreshed and usually with a present or two for my darling.  As much fun as I have I miss her every moment I'm away. #momlife 

8. I'm a Team Player

    Vivian has become my partner, sidekick, assistant or buddy. Whatever you want to call it, she's alongside me for my workouts, cooking, cleaning, primping and errands. She counts my exercises and tries to do them alongside me. Let's be real I'm anti-cooking but since Ryan's home maybe 4 nights a month I must and she will help me by stirring and pushing the buttons on the microwave (that's the extent of my culinary skills). She can dust, make piles of laundry, pretend with makeup brushes and happily sits in the buggy as we shop the aisles of Target and the grocery store. 

She's great company with her sweet smile and helpful hands.

9. I Do it All Outside

    As long as there's not a drop in the sky or temps below 50 I take our activities outside. We have a very large patio and backyard that we can pretty much take any indoor task out to. Whatever we do inside: reading, toys, coloring or even computer work, are much more fun under the sun.

10. I'm a Creeper

    During nap and at the end of the day I always have her video monitor by my side. I watch her snuggled up with her bunnies sound asleep.  I also capture her beauty constantly, because to me she's the prettiest thing I've ever seen, and scroll through my photos each night in admiration of her. I also share them with my IG & FB world and I'm not sorry about it. I cherish each image and hope as she grows older she will too. 

It's hard to put my life as a Mamma into words but I hope these 10 fun facts from this past year gave you a giggle or two whether it's in solidarity or entertainment. Life is to be enjoyed. And that my friends is what I am aiming to do each and every day. I may not be a cool Mamma and I'm certainly far from perfect but I am a happy Mamma.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you God for the blessing of being a Mother, Amen.

Thank you to Ryan for loving me, supporting me and being the very best Daddy!

Thank you to my sisters and gal pals for encouraging me every step of the way.

A very special thank you to my Mamma, for being my Mamma.

Dress Beautifully in Motherhood

XOXO Sarah-Louise