Mom Guilt

Mom guilt...I've got it.

This pregnancy hasn't been easy on me. The first trimester was plagued with morning sickness that hit me hard in the afternoon and I would spend most evenings crying because I felt it would never go away. Then that went away (with the help of life saving pills) and I was in the second trimester which I was hoping would be this magical time of feeling great with more energy and an awesome glow. 

Unfortunately I skipped over that part and I've been in constant round ligament pain with a clicking pubic bone ever sense. Walking, sitting, laying, rolling over....it's all excruciating. I'm nearing the end of this trimester and I found out I have gestational diabetes again and I'm just over here like, wah, wah, poor me.

But even more disheartening than my own issues is feeling like I'm a crappy mom because Norah has so much energy and I do not. She goes from one activity to the next at lightening speed and I just can't keep up. We do a lot of crafts where I can sit and watch but she needs more. There are days where we can run all of our errands, go to the park, and go for a walk/bike ride and days like today where I'm counting down till bedtime.

I know once the baby is here I'll physically be able to do more but it will be a different type of guilt while I have an even tinier human who depends on me for every need.

So, hey moms! What are your tips and tricks for being the best mom you can be while pregnant/caring for a newborn.

I want to make this transition as smooth as possible for all of us and keep my wild girl stimulated and happy all day.

P.S. Shout out to Tim who, when he isn't working, kills it at being a Dad <3 p="">

Are You Kitten Me? Norah's Cat themed 2nd Birthday.

Today we had a small family birthday lunch for our (almost) 2 year old!

This girl is obsessed with kitties so the theme of her party was, "Are You Kitten Me? Norah is Two!"

She loved her kitten party dress and ears!

With the exception of some store bought paper goods, I made the decorations for the "pawty" ;)

I had so much fun making this cake!

She partied so hard she passed out on the couch at 5:30!

Kitten Dress: H&M

Paper Plates, Table Cloth & Cat Bunting: Party City

Cat Ears, Cake, and Centerpieces: DIY

The Sweetest Outcome

       "I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now"

I saw this quote on Instagram recently and I couldn't stop thinking about it. 

How often do we pray fiercely for something our heart desires and when we get it, we forget and can take those things for granted. 

On this day 3 years ago I wrote in my prayer journal..

"Lord, Thank You for our many blessings. Health, Family, Friends, and Each other.

I pray, if it is Your will, that You bless us with a child of our own. I so desperately want to be a mother. Lord, help me to trust in YOUR timing"

Well, we all know how that ended up!

             I highly recommend journaling your prayers so you can look back on them and see how 

God has worked in your life. It's usually not how or when you'd like it, but once the storm has settled, you see that there may have been a reason for it and my outcome was pretty darn sweet.

Toddlers: Big Drama in a Little Body

Today has been one of those days. 

The type where the minute you open your eyes your toddler is just being all toddler-y and the sun isn’t even up. Before 10 am she’s already thrown several tantrums in public all because she wants to wear another moms Ugg’s at her gym class or I won’t let her type on the cash register at Target. 

The type of day you so look forward to the plans you have while she naps like making Toddler muffins before that banana you’ve been saving grows mold and maybe watch that show that’s been recorded and waiting for you.

But toddlers usually have different plans. Like screaming until they finally fall asleep in your arms and every time you try to make the transfer, it’s met with a blood curdling scream. 

So I gave up.

 It’s okay if she doesn’t nap today and the muffins aren’t baked. It’s okay if I eat a handful of chocolate chips even if I had been so successful on my diet. 

It’s okay because “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” . Thank goodness for that!

 

2017 Highlight Reel

I didn't realize how fast this year flew by until I looked back through my photos and saw how much we did and how much Norah changed!

We celebrated Norah turning the big Wild One!

These two finally became buds

First Pigtails

First Selfie

Babychella

Playdates

First time on the jumbotron

Discovered the Ipad and Youtube

Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood

Celebrated Grandpas birthday with a BBQ and fun games

 Beach Days

Swim Lessons

First Bike

First trip on a plane to the East Coast

First Girls Trip to Washington

Orange County Fair

Palm Springs birthday trip

Discovered the awkward smile

First beach bonfire

Zion sister trip

Disneyland with Cousins

First time at the dentist

Discovered Beauty and The Beast and became "Beast" obsessed

Pumpkin Picking

Halloween

VIP experience at the Kings game

Spent lots of time playing at Gram and Grandpas

New York

 First Thanksgiving in our home

Last Disney day before our passes expired

Said, "Ho Ho Ho" whenever she saw anything Santa

Took about 600 Christmas card photos and got about 4 decent ones

Introduced the potty

Lots of park days

And totally became a real live, talking, joking, ridiculously silly little girl.

 What a difference a year makes!