Mommy Moments: Jabbering in Public

At first glance, you'd think I'm just an ordinary lady shopping in Target at 11am on a weekday. I walk down all the aisles I won't make a purchase from but browse anyway just for fun. If you got closer you would hear one side of a pretty simple conversation - maybe it's just a best friend on the line listening to me talk about Target's many wonders. When you got close enough to get a good look, you'd realize that there isn't a phone in my hand (or a blue tooth in my ear)... would you think that I was crazy? If you looked a bit closer you would see that in my basket my little four month old boy is hanging on my every word while I jabber on about nothing. 

The other day, as I was walking through Target I found myself talking to our son about the colors on the items I was putting in our basket, all the "pretty lights," and all the fun items that he would enjoy when as he gets older (ie Legos with his daddy). Though I might have seemed like a crazy lady from afar, I was in fact experiencing such joy seeing my boy smile as I showed him the striped onesies I was buying him for summer! 

I love that our outings now include interaction instead of being a nap time for baby boy. I love seeing his smiles, watching him react to ladies that want to say hi, and hearing the jingle of his giraffe as I pick items off the shelf. 

Each stage of Motherhood has been awesome so far and boy, do these boys change fast!

Mommy Moments: Turn my way

Baby R is four months old now! Four joyous months have passed since this girl became a momma and it has been wonderful!

Our sweet boy changes on a daily basis! He is in a new size of clothing, he reaches for things, he plays with toys, he's found and chews on his feet, and he smiles incessantly!

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In the past couple weeks Baby R has started to really recognize his daddy and me. When we walk into a room, he turns his head toward us and lights up with a sweet smile! When I get home from work I love seeing his face crinkle up as I say hello to him! There is such pure joy in that smile and when it is directed solely at me, there in lies a Mommy Moment. I am treated by the joys of these Moments that even on those hard days (yes, they do happen) I can rest in the knowledge that I am the only momma Baby R is looking for and I am completely capable of taking care of his needs.

bittersweet feelings

Yesterday, while cleaning around the house, I looked into our son's closet and realized that he has grown out of all his newborn clothes. Some he grew out of quickly, others he was still able to wear around his skinny waist but now he looks like he's waiting for a flood! Seeing as though he's almost 3 months, I decided that it was time to retire all the itty bitty clothes and move fully into 0-3 months. Yes, our baby is a long skinny dude!! 

Packing up his coming home outfit, his first Christmas onesie and many other outfits he wore to experience "firsts" had me feeling some seriously bittersweet feelings. As his mom, I burst with pride with every ounce he gains and every developmental milestone he hits or surpasses, but every day that he grows and learns something new is a day closer to exiting babyhood.

I know we still have a long ways to go before it is over but every single day with our boy is a beginning and an end; there in lies the bittersweet feeling. Thankfully the beginnings are so exciting and breathtaking, yet another great design in God's plan of motherhood!!

Many experienced moms have told me that even though some days can be bittersweet, the best is yet to come. Even after just 12 weeks, I completely believe them! 

   

my opinion on opinions

Over these past eleven weeks I have come to one conclusion: There are way too many opinions on how to raise children. People are so opinionated and even the published "professionals" differ so greatly, how are we supposed to know what's right?

The internet gives countless options for sleep patterns. One pediatrician says that swaddling is no longer "allowed", while another encourages it. Strangers scold you for taking your baby out of the house too soon. Pacifiers are evil to some and life savers to others.

With all these opinions how are confused new parents supposed to make decisions?

I was guilty of doing countless google searches on whether or not things are "normal" about our boy, which of course they were and continue to be. Rob encouraged me to stop the searching altogether. Admittedly, I just minimized the frequency and am more cautious about what sources I read from but I guess that's better than nothing!

After the first two weeks of being home with our boy, we decided that we would just do what felt right and natural for us as a family. We knew the big "no-no's" and we had been to birthing class with a bringing the baby home section. We knew that even if we had a bad day here and there in the beginning, a schedule would emerge that worked best for our family. Well, thankfully we were right and it has!

Personally, I am so glad we went that route! Now, eleven weeks later we have a loose but stable schedule and a happy, easy-going baby that can sleep in a noisy room, doesn't fuss on outings, loves to be swaddled and can take or leave a pacifier.

This is not to say that people haven't had great success with the methods on the internet. All I am saying is that if there seem to be too many opinions to sort through, maybe it's best to set them aside and see what feels natural for a while. Sometimes the research will end up being best or maybe you'll end up with a nice mix of research and natural timing. Just feel it out and please don't ever think you can't do it! YOU CAN!!

The other day, I was visiting with a friend who just gave birth to her second daughter. She told me that when she doesn't quite know what to do she just asks herself, "How would the pioneer women have done it?" As we laughed it dawned on me: although I am SO thankful for modern medicine and all the advancements that have been made since the pioneer days, I know that if they could do this so can I!

For all you moms feeling like the first weeks are "the worst," I promise that they go fast! We are almost to the three month mark (which I can't believe!) and while I'm no professional, I feel confident in saying that things "normalize" more quickly that it seems they would!

But hey, don't take it from me, this is just another opinion after all!

Mommy moments: One Long Hour

This past Sunday was the first time that we had a truly inconsolable baby on our hands. Usually when our son is cranky it's for a normal baby reason: he's hungry, he's tired, he's got a dirty diaper or he's uncomfortable. Normally it's a quick fix to get a smile back on his face, all we have to do is directly address the problem and it's solved.

Sunday was not a normal day. Baby Rebhan, having not slept well on Saturday night, just barely made it through his Great Grandma's 92nd birthday party on Sunday afternoon. By the time we got home our boy was not a happy camper. We tried all the "tricks" we have learned in the last two months but nothing was working. 

It was the first time that Rob and I looked at each other and actually said "what do we do now?" For a moment it felt we would never be able to satisfy our boy and that not knowing how to help him right away made us less capable as parents. One long hour later, I was cuddled with our sleeping son on the glider in his nursery feeling like the most capable mommy in the world. 

This mommy moment came when I felt the least like one. Even when I was feeling incapable and none of my tricks were working, I was able to calm my son. It took an hour of singing, rocking and cuddles that, looking back, I wouldn't exchange for anything.

It seems crazy to be thankful for the rough parenting moments but they put the rest of our days into perspective. We live a life with the sweetest, happiest baby and I couldn't be a happier mommy. 

Do you wanna see the nursery??

Before we even found out I was pregnant, I had visions of what I hoped our little one’s nursery would eventually look like. I had the Pinterest board and the sketches; essentially just a dream of what a sweet baby’s nursery could be even when he was no more than a prayer. When we found out that we were officially going to be parents in the Spring of 2014 my dreaming turned into planning: weeding through the pins, picking out paint, and making decisions that would make our sweet boy’s nursery a comforting space just for him. 

The vision was to have grey walls, white wainscoting, natural wood accents, with orange detailing scattered throughout. Thankfully, that is exactly what we ended up with! We mixed modern furniture with rustic accents and simple solids with bold patterns. We wanted some interest without the room feeling too busy because before we know it our little boy will have toys strewn about and that will be busy enough!  

Rob and I had such a blast taking my sketches (which at one point were taped all over the nursery door!) and making them into reality. We built the side table for the glider, re-crafted the floating shelf, installed the new closet system, and made the wooden arrows above the crib. We had so much fun working on these projects knowing that they were for our little boy!

     

All the furniture was either imagined and made by Rob and I or was handed down from our childhood bedrooms. The white crib and glider (though reupholstered) were Lindsey's as a girl and the chest of drawers was Rob's. We are so thankful for our awesome Moms (and Dads) who took such care of these pieces for so long! 

   

This nursery has turned out to be my favorite room in the house for two reasons: it came out exactly how we imagined it would and it's our son's room. We are so thankful that our prayers were answered and he is now here with us! It's an amazing feeling to love someone so deeply that you haven't even met yet, I wanted things to be perfect for him. It struck me that as we were building a place for our son, so is Christ preparing a home for us in Heaven (John 14:1-7). Heaven: how much cooler is that!

Currently, Baby Rebhan (only one week old in the picture above) doesn't sleep in his nursery overnight but we spend time in there every day and we love to rock together in the glider. As I type, our son is smiling and cooing while he sleeps in his bassinet in our bedroom. We aren't sure when the final transition will happen but we are so thrilled that he has such a cozy space to call his. 

Where is it from??

>>> Area Rug: Home Goods

>>> Toy Basket: TJMaxx

>>> Fox and Alphabet Pillow: Tootie and Tallulah's

>>> Sheepskin Rug: IKEA

>>> Crib Sheets: Target

>>> Bedskirt: BuyBuyBaby

>>> Love You To The Moon and Back art: Tootie and Tallulah's

>>> White Frames: Target

If I missed anything, or you have any other questions feel free to comment below or send us an email!!