Hello everyone! I am so excited and honored to be guest blogging here at A Better And Magnificent Mom. Sarah's blog is one of my favorites and come on, how cute is Maggie?!
To introduce myself, my name is Lindsay and I blog over at You Are The Roots.
I am a 25 year old first time mom living in southeast Florida. My son, Ethan, was born on June 22nd, 2011. As I type this, it's hard for me to believe that he's actually closing in on 7 months.
I have definite issues with time flying all too quickly these days. My husband and I began dating when we were 15 and 16 years old and as we rake in ten years together -- a decade! -- I'm trying to figure out where all that time went! We were married in May of 2009.
In October of 2010, we found out that we were expecting. I had a pregnancy that started off going swimmingly (aside from terrible morning sickness) and soon took a turn for the worse. Between being put on bedrest and being so swollen that I couldn't really walk without assistance, I couldn't wait for the pregnancy to end while still hoping that Ethan stuck it out long enough to be full-term. He was born at 36 weeks, on June 22nd, 2011.
Being a mom is an adventure. As routine as your days eventually do become, you never really know if they'll stay that way. Actually, it's a safe bet that they won't be staying that way. Despite whatever plans I have laid out for our days, there's always that bit of gray area ensuring you don't really know how that day will go. I've always been kind of a control freak, someone who cowers in fear at the mere thought of spontaneity. Being a mom not only keeps me on my toes, but it's an introduction to being impulsive and living in the moment. It's taught me that no matter how diligent my plans are, they're still just blueprints that Ethan and only Ethan can approve or scrap at the end of the day!
There are those days where I make plans for first thing in the morning, knowing that Ethan has never in his 7 months slept past 6:30 a.m. Yet on that day where I have said plans, Ethan is sure to sleep in past 8:00 for the first time ever and throw my entire morning off! Being a mom has taught me to be unapologetic. It's okay if we're fifteen minutes late to a playgroup. No mother expects us to be right on the dot. Anything within a half-hour window is seen as on time when you come with little one in tow. It's also okay if my house is a mess, if laundry stays folded on our coffee table overnight, still begging to be put away. At the end of the day, an extra ten minutes to sing lullaby songs to your half-asleep little one who is curled up in your arms on the couch is more valuable than knowing your clean clothes are hung contently in your closet.
Personally, I'm learning to like these little adventures and the way transitions happen without warning. One day Ethan went to sleep with a gummy smile and the next day he woke up with two bottom teeth; one day he went to sleep wobbly and relying on his hands for support to sit and the next day he was able to sit unassisted. Being a mom has been a lesson in never expecting certain things out of life, of going with the flow and learning to take in the laughter of each fleeting moment. No matter how many sleepless nights we go through as we transition Ethan from crib to bassinet, there will always be a day I wake up and try to figure out how my little boy is already almost 7 months old.
Thanks again Lindsay! Hope everyone is having a great day!
