outfit details
matching mommy and me dresses – my white eyelet dress ; olivia’s white eyelet dress // olivia’s bow in white – medium // mama jacket // babe jacket // monogram necklace – XL 16″ // earrings // tan wedges // cuff bracelet (use ‘MORGAN30’ for 30% off!) // curling iron – 1.25″ // pearl hair clips //
photography
megan hobbs photography (my FAVE!) 🙂
Hey y’all! Happy Tuesday! I CAN’T believe that Mother’s Day is almost here. I seriously feel like I was just celebrating my first Mother’s Day – last year. SO wild! This last year has been the best, most challenging year of my life. I wanted to do something a little different today and share a post that’s more personal and hopefully helpful for all of my fellow mamas or future mamas out there! 🙂
Growing up, you always envision your life being a certain way. I always looked up to my mom and she was seriously my hero. She cooked, cleaned, played with us, homeschooled, basically did everything, and was always so happy. She made it look so easy! I remember when I was pregnant for Olivia, I would think to myself, this isn’t going to be bad, I’ve got this! Little did I know all of the things that went on behind the scenes with my mom growing up, that I never noticed or never saw for myself. It has definitely not been easy! Haha. Sweet and precious, but challenging, difficult, and very hard at times!
Sharing my life so publicly on social media, I know it can be so easy to play the comparison game. I find myself doing it sometimes, and I’m like, whoah there! While it is my job to share beautiful photos + content, it’s also so important for me to let y’all know that everything isn’t always perfect behind the scenes.
Being a mom is messy, crazy, exhausting, wonderful, and everything in between. You’re feeling all of these emotions, and you never really know if you’re doing a good job. There is no right way to be a mom or right way to raise your babies. I always laugh when I get sweet messages from pregnant, first time moms asking if there are any books I recommend or advice that I can share. It’s so funny because you truly don’t know what’s about to hit you until it happens and your fully submerged into motherhood. Some days you’ll feel like you’re drowning – I’ve had my fair share of those days for sure.
I also get so many messages saying that I make motherhood look easy, and while that makes me smile because it makes me feel like I’m doing a good job, it is NOT easy. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever done. It’s the job that never ends – even when you go to bed. I’m always thinking about her, wondering if she’s okay, even if I’m just enjoying an afternoon to myself. As soon as I’m away from her, I miss her! Other times, all I want is 5 minutes of alone time lol. It’s seriously the BEST, hardest job I’ve ever had. I don’t ever want to give the impression that it’s easy, or that I’m just skipping through easily haha. Because that’s totally not the case.
I nursed Olivia for 14 months, and the first 3-4 months were definitely the hardest. I felt like I had no freedom and was constantly nursing. Like constantly! After the first few months, it was so much easier, and just became a part of life! She started sleeping through the night more consistently and went longer stretches throughout the day. I felt like I could leave and go get some fresh air or go shopping by myself, without wondering omg is she going to be hungry or am I going to have to rush home? Now that I know this now, I think it will be easier with baby #2 (I’m hoping!), because I’ll know more of what to expect just from experience. 🙂
Asking for help has been on the hardest, but most important things for me as a mom. I’ve always been a go-getter and a I’d-rather-do-it-myself kinda girl. Life slapped me in the face after I had Olivia, and was like, you can’t do this alone! You need help! I’m so lucky and thankful to have Drew and his help, but sometimes you need help when your spouse is gone or when y’all wanna actually spend time together and go on these things called dates. I wish I would’ve cherished all of the date nights before baby just a little more haha, but again there’s no way to know what you’re missing until it happens! I’m so thankful for my mom for watching Liv to let us go on date nights, for me to run errands, while I get work done, and everything in between. We couldn’t do it without here + our other family + friends that are so sweet in helping out.
Working from home (50+ hours a week), makes it even harder for me to be a mom. So many people always say, oh my goodness that’s so nice you get to stay at home with your baby! I’m like yes, I love being here with her, but it also makes my life/job so much harder to get done. I try to get a lot done before she wakes up, during her nap times, and while she’s playing throughout the day. There are many days where I work after Drew gets home from work, and sometimes even after I put Olivia to bed. I work most weekends, and feel like I never get a break! I’m working on this, and again, asking for help isn’t a strength of mine, so I’m still working on how to find that balance! 🙂
Motherhood has taught me an entirely new meaning of patience. I’ve never been a super patient person, but it’s so so important for me to be patient as a mom. Olivia is constantly exploring her world, discovering new things, and is so curious. I would hate for my lack of patience to ever hinder her ability to create and explore, and I’m so proud of myself with how patient I’ve become as a mom. Now when she’s going through terrible 2/3s ask me again and I might be singing a different tune haha.
Bring a mom is tough, but it’s always wonderful, beautiful, and oh so sweet. Now, for the good parts. 🙂 Every stage with Olivia I say is my new favorite. Newborns are so sweet and snuggly, but if I’m being honest, months like 2-5/6 months are tough! They’re 100% needy on you, aren’t able to play/interact, and are exhausting. If you’re going through this age/stage right now, I promise you will make it through! I also loved the age when she started crawling really well/moving around – around 10 months or so!
It’s been so fun seeing her experience new things, and grow, literally, right before my eyes. I’ll never forget the first time she hugged me after I got her out of her crib from her nap. It was seriously the best feeling EVER! For nearly a year I cared for her and loved her, and she never hugged/reciprocated love back to me physically. Now every time I get her out of her crib she always gives me the sweetest, loviest hugs and they seriously melt my heart and make my day every single day. I’ve been trying to get her to kiss me for seemingly MONTHS now and finally last week (I think) she gave me the sweetest, sloppiest, mouth-wide-open kiss ever. Every new stage truly is my favorite.
Hearing her say mama, smiling + laughing at me and Drew, and seeing her light up when I walk into a room – makes all of the hard days/moments 100% worth it over and over again. I’m so thankful that God allowed me to become a mama, and I always hope Olivia knows how loved she is.
Now that I’m pregnant with baby #2, I’m so excited to see how she continues to grow, learn, and experience the whole new world of becoming a big sister. I was the oldest of 4 in my family, so knowing that she’s going to be the big sister holds a special place in my heart. I’m so excited to experience life as a family of 4, and am so lucky to be celebrating Mother’s Day next year as a mama of 2 sweet little babes.
If you’re a mom, I hope that you were able to relate to this and always know that you’re not alone. If you’re a mom-to-be or hope to be a mama in the future, remember to never be too hard on yourself. Like all moms say, the days are long but the years are short! 🙂 Every tough moment is a season, and we always make it through!
To all of my fellow mamas out there, Happy Mother’s Day! I’m giving you a virtual hug! 🙂 You deserve the world and all the thank yous for everything you do – especially the things you do every single day that are unseen and seemingly unnoticed. Here’s to raising the next generation of kind, sweet, thoughtful, and hardworking humans. You’ve got this! 🙂 And remember, even though it may not feel like it at times, you are killing it, you are beautiful, and you’re doing an amazing job! Our kids always see the best in us – so don’t forget that! 🙂
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