Dear New Mom: Jenny

Dear New Mom,

 “A baby changes everything”.  This phrase could not be truer.  Your life as you once knew it is gone.  No really, I know we’ve all heard this and had sweet little fantasies of the magical ways the baby will enhance your life….but I’m telling you:  A baby changes EVERYTHING!!!

Let’s start off with your so-called-life:

Getting ready in the morning will now switch to the afternoon - if you are lucky.  Three meals a day, yah right.  If I can remember to eat in between feedings, diaper changes and spit ups.  Your once sweet pea smell has now been traded in for sour milk with a hint of poop.  Sleep?  What’s that?  You are truly at the mercy of your deteriorating body in the first few weeks.  So with all this negativity (but truth) there is something wonderful in all of this:  We have an amazing God who equips us as mothers to do this.  We function on a level that only He can lead.  It is truly supernatural the way a mother can do what she does for her baby in the first few month as well as the rest of their lives.  

Take rest in knowing God is pouring into you during this hard time of change.  Stand on His truth that he will never leave you. 

Another change will be between you and your spouse: 

You will find deeper love for one another on a level you didn’t know existed and you will find discouragement on that same level.  You will find great joy in watching your husband become a father and loving this little being that is your baby.  You will also find great faults in him.  Remind yourself that you have great faults too, and that neither one of you are perfect in this parenting journey. You will think the way you “do it” (aka taking care of your little one) is the best and only way.  Let him do things the way he does them and don’t try to control everything (your baby will be fine).  Allow him to grow into the father God is molding him to be.  Remember, your baby is a “guest in your house” and your relationship with your spouse needs to come first and be nourished.  The more support you give each other the more united your parenting will be.  Your baby will pick up on this and you will all be more peaceful because of it.  Enjoy watching each other learn and grow into parents and give yourselves a lot of grace.  All three of you are new at this.

The final change will be this overwhelming feeling of love you have for this little person: 

Your baby will become the most precious possession God has trusted to you.  My sister gave me some of the best advice with my first baby, she said “Dishes in the sink can wait….babies don’t keep”.   This time will fly and you will not know where it went. They will make you laugh and cry and they will surprise you every day.  Snuggle them and love them with all you have, even on days when you don’t have much.  Forgive yourself when you have an off mom day…we all do.

You will learn more from them about yourself in the first year than you ever have.  You will learn how selfish you really are. You will learn the power of loving someone more than yourself.  And you will learn to multitask like a badass!  Take pleasure in it and enjoy the Journey!  

Jenny is wife to Paul and mommy to Malie 6 and her new baby girl Delanie who is only 5 months old. Random facts about Jenny include she just started drinking coffee this year (and loves it!) she has never in 11 years of marriage had a bag of flower or sugar in her house (she doesn't bake) and she is fascinated with any kind of dwarfism (it's the medical side of her). Follow Jenny on Instagram @jennyhooten ! 

Dear New Mom: Michele

Hi, my name is Michele and I am a full time Sahm of 3. A little about me: I dabble in freelance makeup artistry and am obsessed with photography. I have a passion for fashion and interior design. The most important thing, for me, in my life was to become a Mom. This past year was one of our most challenging thus far! Growing from a family of four to five was big, ok....maybe not big...it was HUGE!! We moved from Atlanta, Ga, three years ago to Tampa, Fl. It was a very big transition for our family. My hubby started a new job and so our journey  began. My three littles are my whole world!  Aidan is 10. Aidan loves soccer and has played competitively since he was 7. He has enough energy for 2 kids so playing soccer has helped to tame, "some" of that energy! Ava is 6, my little free spirit. She loves to dress up and has the kindest heart....loves all animals, (even frogs and snakes) yes, SNAKES! Liam is 10 months, and is our little prince. He loves exploring and would rather be outside all day! There is just this one thing......Liam is our worst sleeper....EVER! I am breast feeding exclusively and have been since birth.   He still wakes every 2-3 hrs. And sometimes more often, to nurse. I am beyond exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed, you name it! Did I mention, exhausted?? OH! And the hubs travels 85% of the time!! Therefore, he is now in our bed!
Something I always swore would never happen. His naps have improved somewhat, but I am afraid to leave him alone in our bed so I end up resting with him. He has always associated breastfeeding with sleeping and at this point, I don't see this changing! I know I need to transition him to his crib....but he seems to need me so much! He has severe separation anxiety, even if my husband holds him and tries to comfort him....he will cry/scream until he is in my arms! I honestly don't know where to begin. Even sleeping in our bed is not enough, he wakes often as soon as I put him down, and climbs on me and lays his head over my heart. It literally, is the sweetest gesture .....but this Mama can't sleep!

And for those of you who believe in CIO....I honestly am not a fan, however, we tried it, but I couldn't go past a week and he didn't get any better!

It is my wish to start a blog sometime soon and continue to chart, "The sleeping chronicles of Liam." I hope to hear back from you, Mama's! Any helpful tips or encouragement would be appreciated.;-)

Much love Xx,
(Ig) Lanamichele

Michele Moczarski

Michele Moczarski is a full time stay-at-home mother of three. She loves fashion and interior design and is a photographer and makeup artist. Follow Michele on Instagram @Lanamichele and look for her new blog, "The Sleeping Chronicles of Liam" coming soon.

Dear New Mom: Courtney

Dear New Mom,
Are you tired yet? Whether you are still expecting or have already brought that bundle of joy home, it’s likely you are no longer sleeping like you did before. I remember complaining to my husband in about month 14 of my pregnancy of how uncomfortable I was, and how tired I felt because I wasn’t sleeping! HA! I should have enjoyed that stage, because once my son Hudson arrived I really found out what “not sleeping” meant. Having been blessed with a great sleeper in my daughter four years ago, and completely unfamiliar with this new night owl of a baby, I seriously was Googling, “how long until my baby sleeps through the night” about four weeks into this gig. I kept questioning EVERYTHING!
“Am I feeding him enough during the day?”“Am I stimulating him enough?”“Is he going to bed too early?”“Is it because he’s not in his own room?” “Should I play ‘white noise’ in his room?”
Seriously, I have asked myself all of these questions. Now, eight weeks in, and I can tell you that I still don’t know the answer to any of them. I assume I’m feeding him enough and playing enough. We have added a sound machine, and he does lay in his own bed. That said, I’m still not certain what has helped him sleep better if ANY of these things at all. He’s still not a great sleeper, but every day gets better.
Why am I telling you this story? I know you don’t care about my son’s sleeping habits or my exhaustion...we all have our own to deal with.
I tell you this because if there is anything I can prepare you for on your journey through motherhood, it’s the questions.
You are going to wonder about everything: his poop, his facial expressions, when he should start smiling at you, when he should start holding his head up, how often you can bathe him, how much he can eat at what age, etc.You are going to ask other moms, and probably have Google set as your homepage. You are also going to hear a lot of different answers. You will read things that tell you, “put rice cereal in his bottle at -2 days old” followed by comments like, “NEVER feed your baby rice cereal...even if he’s 20”. Okay okay, that’s extreme, but for real… everything you look at will have an opinion out there to contradict it.
My advice: hone in on that Mother’s instinct. Wrangle it, wrestle it, and own it! Questioning everything is normal. Afterall, we all just want to know our children are normal and healthy, and that we are progressing. BUT don’t let the questions own you. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “right” and “wrong” way to raise a child (just Google ‘breastfeeding vs. formula feeding’ if you need a good example, ha!) But, there is not a “right” and “wrong” when it comes to this. Every single child is an individual, wired divinely different, and in need of completely individual things. Every little one is “custom made”. There is ‘pre cooked’. There is no recipe. There is no winner in this challenge.
So if you want to formula feed, do it. If you want to put him in his own bed from day one, go for it. You want make your own baby food? Cool. You think he needs that extra ounce? He probably does.  Parenting is an extremely tough job physically and emotionally all on it’s own. Don’t contribute to the crazy by driving yourself insane with the textbook answers. Try things, and if they don’t work, try different things until something DOES work for you. This is all just a process of trial and error, and one person’s error can be another’s triumph.
Don’t compare yourself. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Don’t question yourself.
Love God, Love your littles, and enjoy every darn minute of motherhood. Stop worrying about the opinions. The questions will come, but you and your little one get to write your own answers.
Love and Best Wishes,

Courtney Jo FryThe Pink Porch

Courtney is author of the blog The Pink Porch.

She is a wife to her super supportive husband, Ryan, and full time mommy to Caroline (4 years old) and Hudson (2 months). She loves the Lord, photography, writing, blogging, and playing with her little ones (including her fur babies, Ewok the Pomeranian and Lola the cat). Please check out her blog for more! www.thepinkporch.com 

Jack's 4 Month Update!!

I feel like a complete cliche when I say the time flies with a baby. But boy have I learned that's true! Jack is already 4 months old and it's incredible to see how much has changed. If I could offer any advice to a mom-to-be it would be to keep a journal! Or maybe even just start a blog! It is so neat to go back and look at all of the different changes because I have forgotten so much and I love going back and reading all of the different things Jack used to do. Something I have decided that I miss is the weekly updates because it just seems like they change so much over the course of a month that I enjoy the little things from week to week. I've been inspired by another mommy blogger (freshmommyblog.com) to start doing Wednesday Hump Day Dump Day! Basically what it is is I will take the photos that I have taken that week from my phone (or camera if I venture to get it out and brush the dust off) and post them with a short description of highlights from the week. It is not only a neat way to keep photos organized and remember what they're from but to again have an opportunity in the future to look back on all the fun we have :)

So back to Jack!! My little man is growing growing growing! He went to the doctor on Monday and he weighed just under 15lbs but is only a little over 24 inches tall. He is in 9month clothes with the exception to a few 6-9 month outfits. But let me tell you his poor legs get lost in how long they are! Good thing rolling pants up looks cute ;)

Another super fun update is that Jack is now starting his first step towards solids! His doctor recommended we start feeding him 2 tbsp of baby rice a day with a spoon to get him practicing eating for when the real stuff comes (around 6 months according to his doc). It is so precious watching his eyes get huge when the spoon is coming his way he just grabs it and shoves it half way down his throat. I think it's safe to say that he is enjoying it!

Jack is also FULL on teething now. Holy moly he puts ANYTHING and everything in his mouth. He has learned to put his pointer finger and thumb in his mouth at once to get both sides covered. He is also drooling a ton. It's super funny sometimes he will just look at me and yell (not scream) a loud yell and just chomp down on his hand. Poor thing is in pain but I can't help but smile because it is super precious.

Sleeping is going really well for the most part. We still have him in his bassinet but the weight limit is 15lbs so he will be making the move probably in the next week (yikes!). He typically will sleep from about 9pm-6:45am which makes mommy and daddy very happy!

He is talking away more than ever lately and loves to hear his own voice. We like to have "conversations" all the time. He is also super close to being able to sit up on his own but he's still a little too wobbly to fully master that.

Jack had 2 holiday's since his last update! Thanksgiving AND Christmas! Thanksgiving went super well he got a little fussy though towards the end. We are learning that he doesn't do super awesome with tons of people and noise. We've noticed this a lot when we go out to eat-- major over stimulation! Christmas was good too but like most parents we learned that Jack loved the tissue paper and wrapping paper more than his gifts. He got lots of clothes, a new high chair and a few toys. He is eagerly anticipating his last Christmas stop at other Grandma and Grandpa's house! :)

His acid reflux is almost nonexistent now with the help of his new medication and he usually only cries if it's time to eat (we do our best to get his bottle before this time) and if he's getting tired. Our normal routine is to eat, play for about an hour and then he's ready for a nap which typically lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the time of day.

After rereading his 3 month update I can confidently say this past month has been a lot better. We, like all first time parents, are learning the tricks of the trade and what Jack needs to thrive. It's hard because no book or article can prepare you fully because every baby is different. You just have to stay calm and learn on!

Here are our pics from the past month.