You know you are a Mommy when...

- you seem to never be able to end the day in a clean shirt.

- your car slows down or speeds up and music plays (usually from one or more children's items in the back seat, diaper bag, or tailgate.)

- you never really get a good night's sleep, even if your child doesn't wake you up, because you have a to-do list running through your head or you are just worried about something (usually relating to your child.)

- you enjoy eating leftovers, only because that means that you don't have to cook that night.

- you trade your Coach purse for a diaper bag, or if you choose to one day carry a purse then it typically has at least one diaper, wipes, extra passy, one or more toys, a book, a bib/burp cloth, and a formula packet with an empty bottle (well, maybe not the last part if you are blessed to be able to nurse.)

- you choose to surround yourself with more children just to be able to sneak in a little light, interrupted conversation in with another Mommy or two. (AKA a playdate)

- you get excited about hearing a burp or poop.

- your schedule usually revolves around naps and feedings(and not your own).

- your favorite thing about nap time is actually when your baby wakes up from it and gives you warm, under the chin, sleepy, cuddly hugs.

- you are cooking dinner and you realize that you never actually ate lunch.

- you have nothing breakable in your house from your waist down, including on your Christmas tree.

- you get really excited about being able to take a long shower or bath without having to set a child up with an activity or distraction and without having someone watch you (and I don't mean your husband...lol).

- you spend more money on cute little clothes that are only worn for a few months than your own wardrobe, which you usually wear for a few years.

- your child-less date night somehow seems to end up including some type of errand for your child.

- you call your friends "Auntie" or "Mrs." so-and-so, even when your children aren't around.

- you refer to ages in weeks or months (except your own...that would be SCARY!)

- you call your hubby "daddy" instead of his own name.

You also know you are a Mommy when you love EVERY bit of it and wouldn't change a thing! :)

Be careful what you post on Facebook, someone might just care!

Today was the first day as a stay at home mommy that I found myself asking, can I do this all day every day?! It started off with a bang, so to speak. Grace woke up at 4:15am (which is VERY unusual for her) and after a bottle, finally went back down at about 5:00am, but woke up again at 6:15, ready to go. Grace, Jasper, and I decided to walk Paul to work, and since it was such a nice day, continue our walk around the 2.5 mile loop in our neighborhood. Everything was going great, until we got on the exact opposite end of the loop from our house and Grace lost it. I stopped and held her until she calmed down and put her back in the jogging stroller. It's like she has a sensor in her bottom because she would immediately cry as soon as she landed in the seat, I had not even taking my hands off of her yet. I picked her up and began carrying her while pushing the stroller with Jasper attached to it. This lasted about 10 minutes before my arm started cramping and we hit the up hill streak. I finally just had to put her in the stroller and keep going. She screamed, and every jogger/walker/biker that passed me gave me some judging glance or word about her being hungry or upset or something...NOT helping people. I can clearly see that she is upset, but I am trying to get home. Once home, I fed her and she slept for all of about 45mins, only with me holding her, of course. Well, Grace and I were committed to taking Meg to Duke for a doctor's appointment. Thankfully, Grace was pleasant during lunch, but again, not so much while we walked around the park waiting for Meg...and the entire way home! It took me every ounce of restraint in my body to not scream at my 5 month old to STOP SCREAMING!...why can't I reason with you?...lol. My sweet, wonderful hubby called to check on us, and hearing her in the background, came home and sent me away...anywhere. I went to Chick-fil-a (of course) and sat in a quiet corner both, with a Diet Dr Pepper, finishing my Bible study, childless. It was bliss. Both Paul and my mom (because I just had to call her to commiserate, since she was also once a stay at home mom) convinced me to still go to my woman's Bible study that evening, even though I was mentally exhausted.

So, getting back to Facebook. In the midst of the craziness that was my day, I posted a few statuses, such as, "Walking Paul to work and then walking the 2.5 mile in the neighborhood with Grace and Jasper = great start to the morning. Having to carry a screaming baby while pushing the jogging stroller and wrangling Jasper = not what I expected! Needless to say, it's been a rough morning..." and "I have never enjoyed the quiet as much as I am right now, sitting in a corner booth at Chick-fil-a, drinking a diet Dr Pepper, finishing my Bible study reading, child-free...especially after a day of constant screaming, like today! Thanks baby! (And sorry you had to witness it Meg!)" I walked into the Glover's house for our every-other week woman's Bible study, and had 5 or 6 of the other moms ask me about my bad day, which they knew about only because they read it on Facebook. What a blessing to have such wonderful, concerned friends asking me about my day and giving me such a reassurance, who wouldn't have even known about my rough day if it hadn't been for Facebook.

Being a Mommy is hard

I love being a Mommy, but I would be lying if I didn't say that it was hard.

When Grace was born, her weight was in the 50% percentile. At her 2 week appointment, she dropped to the 10th percentile. And at her 2 month appointment, she dropped to the 5th percentile. Grace's pediatrician had me go off of dairy to see if that would help (I was lactose intolerant as a baby and young child) We went back today, and she has dropped to the 2nd percentile. Paul's brother's girls were both in the bottom percentile as a baby, and finding that out made me feel a little better. The pediatrician said that her height to weight ratio is proportional, so she is not too concerned, but to be on the safe side, she is going to run some tests. Now, I have to get a stool sample from Grace and take back to the lab so they can test it. I also have to get in touch with a lactation consultant who will come over here and test my milk to see if it the caloric volume per ounce is high enough. Even though she has said she is not concerned, I am SO WORRIED! I just keep praying, and if you could too. I know God is in control, but that doesn't always make it any easier when it's your child.

Grace's first trip to Walt Disney World!

MERRY CHRISTMAS...from Walt Disney World! Here's just a glimpse of what we've been up to this week! I think Grace fits right in. :)

A daddy-daughter tradition begins

So yesterday, my sweet hubby Paul informed me that he was getting off of work early today and
taking Grace Christmas shopping for me. How sweet, I thought, and how scary! So, this afternoon, Paul came home about 4:30 and picked up a freshly fed and changed baby, armed with a fully stocked diaper bag, bottle, and gas drops. He got home about 8:15. During dinner, he told me that they had gone to the mall and Target (both of which I usually have to bribe him or trick him to go to), and that he had fed Grace while out and about. What a meaningful gesture. Honestly, I could care less about what they bought together. What matters most to me is that he took the opportunity to spend time with his daughter, even though she is not even 2 months old, and start a traditionn with the 2 of them. I am so truly blessed!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of him and Grace.