It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about this topic, and my how things have changed. If we thought Cha Cha was strong willed before, then we absolutely, without a doubt, and whole heartedly know this to be true now. But here’s the thing. At what point did “strong-willed” become synonymous with “bad-behaved,” or “stubborn,” or even worse – “problem child?” My child is anything but a problem. My child is strong-willed, Yes. But she’s also mind-blowingly perceptive, and what if some day she wakes up and starts perceiving that this world isn’t meant for her? That her strong will is yet another thing society tells us we need to correct for her to “fit in.” Well screw fitting in (pardon my French). I honestly think we need more children like Cha Cha, and here’s why…
This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
It’s been exactly one month since Charlotte decided to stop breastfeeding. And when I say she “decided”, I mean – one minute she’s happy nursing, and the next she’s like “meh, I’m over it.” ? Girl has a mind of her own that’s for sure, and I’m just thankful I got to nurse her for longer than I did her big bro. It’s never easy letting go of that “baby phase” though and watching them go from being so dependent on you, to all the sudden over night gaining this new found independence. I can’t tell you how many times I get asked at the Chick-Fil-A playground how old she is, followed by “Wow, she’s a climber.” Uh yah, tell me about it – you ain’t seen nothin’ dude. I love her curiosity, but sometimes I just want her to slow down just a tad – because before I know it she’ll be talking, and then going to school, and then graduating, and…ok, deep breaths.
I get it now. I mean, I realllllly get it now. I thought I got it before, but until you have a strong-willed child of your own – you never truly get it, do you? Who knows, maybe you were like me once – before we spawned a child like ours. Watching those other poor moms with their hands full, literally, not understanding how they could allow a child to behave that way. But before I get into exhibits A, B and C – I first want to say that I am strict. Like strict, strict. My first born knew how to say yes ma’am, no sir, thank you, yes please and follow instructions like a soldier fresh outta boot camp. But that’s just the thing – he’s what you call a “rule follower.” My second born – she’s what you call “the strong-willed child.”
This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Our little Cha Cha just turned one, and for months leading up to her first birthday, I wasn’t thinking about what theme I wanted for her party (cuz cactus, duh, hehe). Nope. I was thinking about the dreaded “four-letter word” that every breast feeding mama loathes: wean. Thinking, how in the heck am I going to wean this “perfectly content to breastfeed her whole life” baby? This baby who touched a bottle for less than three seconds and decided I might as well be putting some foreign contaminate in her mouth. This baby who nurses with such ease that I honestly wonder if it’s cuz she’s my strong-willed child and there ain’t nothing she won’t tackle like a champ.
This post is sponsored by Huggies, Pull-Ups, GoodNites but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
So much changes when you have another child, and not just in the conventional ways. Sure there’s always a period of adjustment, especially when you wait almost 4 years to have another. It’s like just the right amount of time to get used to having an only child, and then wham – everything changes with the birth of a new baby. I still remember my hubs having a little heart-to-heart with me before the baby came, after I expressed some insecurities and anxieties I’d been feeling in one of my more honest pregnancy posts. And like always, we tackled this new phase in life as a team and figured out ways he could start helping out more with Garrett. One way we knew we had to tackle was bedtime. I’d gotten into the habit of laying with Garrett in his bed every night until he fell asleep – and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that was not gonna fly once a baby was in the picture. So Grant started taking over with Garrett at night which at first I was sad about, because it was just another thing to remind me that he was growing up and didn’t need me as much anymore. But then a funny thing happened – I got to witness the most special bond developing between a father and his son right before my eyes.
This post is sponsored by Gerber®, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
If you read my last post, you might have gathered we’ve been at the doctor’s office quite a bit lately. Poor lil Cha Cha was sick so many times I had to keep moving her 9 month appointment. It’s pretty bad when you’re on a first-name basis with the ladies at the front desk, and they all rejoice when you actually come in for a “well” visit. Let’s just say, the end of the school year aka “germ central station,” couldn’t come fast enough – if only for the pure fact that my kiddos (and the hubs and I) can now enjoy the next three months of summer sick-free.
This post is sponsored by Evivo, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
By now you’ve probably seen the Luvs diapers commercial showing the first-time mom totally over-reacting and sanitizing everything, and then the second-time mom hands her kid off to the dirty mechanic. Yep, that pretty much sums up the neurotic things that go through your mind as a first-time mom. No matter how many times or how many moms tell you not to worry about said things, nothing can control the overactive mind of a woman who’s just given birth to a tiny human. Not even my well-intentioned husband who I trust more than my own self half the time, can curb the nonsense that came out of my mouth after our first was born. Let’s take a quiz shall we? And be honest, how many of these twelve are you guilty of?
p.s. Don’t worry, a 12 out of 12 just means you’re just as nuts as the rest of us 😉
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the links in this post. I received a complimentary product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve already had a sneak peek into what the last week and half has been like for our little Murray clan (oh, and for the foreseeable future I’ll be referring to my family as “The Murray Clan” – not because we’re part Scottish, but because that’s what happens when you binge watch Outlander for the first months of a child’s life). So long story short, my mom (who stays with us and helps me with the kiddos a couple times a week), ended up going to my oldest brother’s in NC to help out with his little one the week after Easter. I kid you not. It never fails. Anytime she’s gone, Grant gets told he has to travel for work. The first time it happened actually spawned my very first ever “Mom Jean Confessions” post where I so lovingly referred to myself as a Momaholic. But you wanna know the even more ironic part – it was literally three years ago to the day that they both left me hanging ?. I’m convinced it’s a sick joke they like to play on me, just to test me. Not funny guys, not funny. Especially because this time around, Garrett and Charlotte both came down with the stomach flu – need I say more? No, but I will for entertainment’s sake. Oh and just in case you’re wondering why we all look so happy in these photos – this was literally the one day of reprieve we had. The hubs had just gotten back into town the night before at like midnight, Garrett had finally felt good enough to go back to school that day, and little did I know Charlotte would come down with what Garrett had exactly 24 hours from the moment these were taken. Hence, the title “Subliminal Messaging” ?
There are always so many unknowns when you have a baby. But the biggest unknown for me, especially having gone through a lot of anxiety those first few months with a very colicky Garrett, was not knowing if Charlotte would have the same stomach and feeding issues. I remember vividly when they handed Charlotte to me in the hospital and asked if I wanted to try breastfeeding her. I immediately had flashbacks to Garrett and what a hard time he had latching. But I honestly have never breathed such a huge sigh of relief when I realized how much easier breastfeeding was with Charlotte, and I knew I wanted to do everything I could to keep her healthy and happy. Which is why I was so excited to learn about Evivo, a once-daily baby probiotic that is clinically proven to restore the good bacteria called B. infantis to baby’s gut, while reducing the potentially harmful bacteria linked to colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes and obesity by 80%.
If someone would have told me – like, truly told me – just how different it would feel being a second-time mom to Charlotte (aka Cha Cha), I honestly don’t think I would have believed them. My first-time mom self was so sure of her sanctimommy ways, and yet at the same time so insecure. I guess that just comes with the mommy territory – we all try so hard to know everything for the sake of these little ones, that at times we forget that we’re grasping at the impossible. When it comes to feeding our babies, there’s so much information at our fingertips that it can seem overwhelming at times. Luckily, Gerber® Cereal gives your baby the perfect first food that helps you rest assured you’re providing them with the right nutrition, like iron to help support healthy brain development.
