- What are your secrets to surviving these first beautiful, heinous, exciting, exhausting, blessed, glorious, hellacious few months?
- For seasoned moms battling the inevitable set of new challenges and new joys that come as babies grow bigger, what do you wish you would have known? What would have made it easier?
- And for new moms, what makes you tick (or rather, keep ticking?) What is most helpful at getting you through the day with a smile on your face?
- If you are staying at home, what are your tricks for finding joy in the seemingly mundane tasks (feed, burp, throw your clothes and baby's in laundry after said burp, unload the dishwasher, put baby down to 'not' nap, repeat x 17) ?
- Have any of you found your marriages changing, in good ways or difficult ones? Any thoughts on how your marriages are affected by this new, fantastic person in your life?
- Any tricks for making your home a place of real joy? A place your husband looks forward to coming home to and one you feel proud of?
- For any of you who have left a career you liked or didn't like, how has the transition been? (my new boss over here in smyrna is kicking my butt...)
- If you don't have kids, what did you learn most from your mom? What did she do well that you want to emulate one day or encourage others to do?
Many thanks friends~~
oh gracious keri...i don't have time to answer all those questions at once! ;) wish i lived in atl so that we could just get together and chat. motherhood is the hardest job you'll ever have..but also, such a privlege. will try to send you e-mails and answer your questions one at a time. i have learned so much about being a mother and wife...would love to share my trials, joys, and advice. for now, just remember that this is the greatest job you can ever have, and always find the joy...even in the things that make you crazy. all about perspective, my love :)
ReplyDeleteKeri, I just had a baby boy 3 1/2 months ago so we are going through the same thing! I have lots of tidbits of advice, but in a nutshell the thing that has kept me sane is keeping him on a schedule (or trying at least). We don't stick to it everyday and there are days where he takes 2 hour naps 3 times a day and then the next day he won't nap at all! I keep reminding myself to go with the flow and don't get upset when the day is thrown off and he is fussy. Generally he really does respond very well to a schedule though. Now he gets tired when its naptime and wakes up when it's time to eat. I read all the books, but nothing can prepare you for what motherhood is really like. All babies are different and respond to different things.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of Mom's on Call? They are based out of Atlanta and there is a nurse here that was trained by them. She came over one day for a couple of hours when he was 4 weeks old and taught us how to get him on a schedule and gave us good tips on naps, feeding, soothing him, etc. Now we have phone and email communication with her and she has been my savior. As Hawkins has grown and his schedule has changed she has walked us through it. At 3 months old he was not sleeping through the night on his own, so she told me what to do and within 3 nights he finally slept through the night and has ever since! It has really been worth every penny. Look into it!
It's therapeutic to discuss these things with other Moms even if there is no magic answer!!!
Keri - first of all, I know you are a great mom. But now with a toddler of 14 1/2 months and another one on the way, I might be able to give you some advice. :) As you know, I stay at home. As much as I love my baby girl, I used to struggle a lot in finding significance in what I was doing. Every day was the same and most days it was way after lunch before I got out of my pjs. Now, I put my energy in focusing on what I am doing - raising my daughter - and being glad in it. I really believe you have to do everything for the glory of God or there will never be true happiness (finding good in the mundane everyday tasks). I have stopped giving myself a hard time when I am not "productive enough" and check enough off the to-do list. When I go to bed at night if the only thing I have done all day is take care of Hannah, then that is enough. There is a lot of pressure on stay at home moms...pressure we probably just put on ourselves!
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I find that if I take care of myself - doing my yoga dvd while she sleeps, putting on real clothes, taking a shower - I feel happier and the house is a more joyful place when Joe gets home. It is also very important for us to have our time together - even if it's just for an hour or two after Hannah goes to bed.
I could go on, but perhaps you should just call me sometime! :) I'm praying for you.
Hey girl--loved this post. My 3 tricks to surviving new motherhood: percocet, prune juice, and the entire 3 seasons of Arrested Development. I am serious. But that was pretty early on...later it was just sneaking off to run or get outside, or just do something by myself.
ReplyDeleteAnd with the work thing, I'm still working. But, working from home sometimes feels like a blessing and a curse, as AG is the most demanding boss I've ever had! I've had to get perspective on how much I can handle work-wise, and say no to some things that I wouldn't have said no to before AG. Which probably can even apply to life in general!
I love your blog and your honesty, girl! Would love to see you sometime, soon. : )