In 2016, I found my faith again. I mean I never really "lost it"-- I still said my prayers nightly and believed, but things definately weren't how they were supposed to be. I didn't set foot in a church and ahd no desire to for a couple of years. My faith, like most people's, grew leaps and mounds at a time when I was most fearful.
Two days after M was born he was transported via ambulance to Chidren's Hospital of WI where he spent two nights in the NICU for what would be diagnosed as "precaution." Before he left to go down to Children's, the hospital pastor came in to pray with us. To be honest when my nurse first suggested it, my first reaction was nearly a giggle. What could he do? I agreed, and I'm so grateful that I did because it was so calming and reassuring. He really helped to ground me in my faith and remind me that God had a plan for our family and a reason he gave us this baby. I took so much comfort knowing he would watch out for our little boy. This was the day I decided fully that M would be baptized, it was the final reassurance to a decision I was already leaning towards. We decided to take M to my grandma's church which was also one I had frequented often growing up. We decided to wait until their new pastor started, and I am forever grateful that we did. This woman greatly renewed my faith and my desire to get back into church. I honestly believe God sent her to us exactly when we needed her. For the first time in years, I was excited for Sunday morning service. I found such a wonderful community in this church and its congregation. Everyone genuinely cared for one another. During our meeting regarding M's baptism, the pastor asked me what I did for a living. At the time I was between school semesters and had literally just accepted a freelance writing job for a parenting/baby webiste while staying home with M. As soon as the words left my mouth, she pitched the idea of me writing a column for the church monthly newsletter in attempt to reach out to more families and young people. Of course, I agreed because I do believe that we should use our gifts and talents to serve. As time passed, I continued to look forward to church on Sundays and look into more ways to get involved. I loved catching up with other members and quickly found myself fitting in to this loving church family. I think that also helped to keep me accountable on those mornings I had gotten up way too early with M. I was also glad that I dragged myself out of bed by the end of the service. I could finally relate to the sermon. I found such calmness and ease after service. It was a great way to start my week with a postive mindset. **DISCLAIMER: This is a reflection of my experience/views and not pushing faith/religion on anyone.
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As moms we still need something of our own. We yearn for that hour or peace and quiet. A time where nobody is calling "mom", getting peed on, and picking up a hundred cheerios off of the floor. It's essential to our sanity that we have some time to ourselves. We need to have something that is just ours. This could be a job, hobby, or even a couple of hours with our girls. But it's ours. While being a mom is seriously the most rewarding job, it is still nice to accomplish something outside of our children. I know I might get some hate for saying that, but it's really true. It can be way too easy to lose our own identities when we become parents so having something outside from our children can help us be our own person. For me, one my most important means of keeping my sanity is working out. I used to be one of those crazy people that would spend like 6 days a week at the gym. It truthfully would have been 7 if I didn't need to catch up on sleep at some point. I loved it. And I still do, but with time restraints I usually make it 3-4, sometimes if I'm lucky or having a really bad week 5, days a week. It's such a stress relief. Seriously, I come home feeling like a happier, calmer person every single time. There were six weeks after I had my C-section where I couldn't do any kind of work out. I was dying. Okay, not exactly, but it was like having an itch you can't scratch. So...I walked A LOT. My neighbors called me "the walking queen" because every day 2-3 times a day I strapped M in his stroller with his blanket and sock monkey and we walked the neighboorhood. I find it important because I also want to teach M about how necessary it is to take care of yourself both mentally and physically. Exercise does take care of both of those. Whether it be a sport, hitting the gym, or going for a run, exercise helps to clear our heads, handle stress, and stay in good shape. I want to be able to keep up with M because I know there will be a day where he can outrun me. 2016 was quite the year. I'm not even sure what to say about it because SO much happened. First of all, I married the love of my life 🤗💕 I think it's safe to say no one was expecting that because even I believed I was going to die alone with 3 chihuahuas and a mountain of shoes 🐶👠👟. I have never been happier though. I thought marriage would be really scary, but it's wonderful. It's not about the rings or the titles, all that matters is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Safe to say, I'm pretty happy with the decision I made. I became a mom to the silliest, most adorable little man 👶🏼. M came a couple weeks early, and we ended up in an emergent c-section which was pretty scary, but I learned how strong I can be. Becoming a mom has been the greatest, most rewarding experience of my life! I can't even imagine what I did with 8 hours of sleep, time to myself, and a purse that wasn't full of Cheerios. I learned so many valuable things from this year. Laugh. Seriously, laughter is so important in life and in a relationship. Laugh at yourself, laugh at your mistakes and short falls. Don't take life too seriously or you'll constantly be filled with regret. Laugh at least once a day, even if your day is sucky. I can promise it will help. Hint: I use these silly pictures of M with food ALL OVER his face because no, I wasn't laughing when it happened, ok I kind of was, a little, but it sure makes me laugh now. M refused to let me feed him because he's a little stubborn and likes to feed himself. In the end, he basically finger painted peas all over his highchair and himself. I learned the importance of perseverance in a big way. When I found out I was pregnant, I decided I still wanted to finish my degree so I switched my schooling to online. I was determined to complete it on time. My advisor suggested being a part time student because many failed only 2 online classes a semester, but that would slow my progress so I tried my spring semester with 12 online credits and got a 3.0-- not my best work but pretty good for having a newborn and taking a week off for a surgery/recovery. This spring I will graduate with an Associate degree in communication and complete my 3rd 12 credit online semester! 🤗Yay! I also learned that communication is essential to any healthy relationship. It's especially necessary when parenting. We had to figure out how to communicate incredibly well as soon as M was born otherwise we found ourselves wondering what time he was changed, how long he ate, and when I needed my pain medications. We had a chart, but my organization skills are like a 2 on a good day so after staying up for 48 straight hours, having surgery, and being on pain medication they were like a negative 5. If you can't be honest in your relationship, you aren't in the right relationship. Seriously, don't hide your feelings. You should trust your partner enough to be honest and open with them. You should want to communicate with the person you're in a relationship with. It's the only way things work and how problems get fixed. Becoming a mom helped me find a new confidence and inner strength. I applied for and got my first writing job. YAY! I also am trying to make a career out of blogging— stay tuned how that goes. Finally and most importantly, I learned to believe in myself. Being a mom means that I am 100% responsible for another human being. In order to do that well, I have to trust myself and my instincts. I learned the importance of perseverance in a big way. When I found out I was pregnant, I decided I still wanted to finish my degree so I switched my schooling to online. My advisor suggested being a part time student, but that would slow my progress so I tried my spring semester with 12 online credits and got a 3.0-- not my best work but pretty good for having a newborn and taking a week off for a surgery/recovery. This spring I will graduate with an Associate degree in communication and complete my 3rd 12 credit online semester! 🤗Yay! It's safe to say 2016 was quite the year for our family. It was filled with many surprises, challenges, and blessings. I couldn't be more thankful for how incredible this year turned out. I can't even picture a better year. I love my two boys with all of my heart, and I would be lost without them. This year has been fillled with tears, laughter, and so much love. 2017 will have quite the challenge trying to top 2016. Happy New Year's everyone! Some say that moms who have husbands who work 2nd shift are "married, single moms." When J first started working a second shift job I figured it would give us MORE time together because he would start work at 3 P.M. and be home around when I go to bed. We'd have day time to spend with each other, and I'd just tackle dinner and bedtime with M by myself. Sadly, I was wrong. Working second shift greatly throws off a person's sleep schedule. Unfortunately there are days when we really only see J awake for a couple of hours due to his wacky sleep schedule.
This is difficult on our family and our marriage. I stay-at-home with M so I spend nearly my entire day with him and taking care of him. I really love it, but that doesn't mean there aren't days where I feel like I'm losing my mind. Some days I find myself speaking like the mom from Daniel Tiger and saying "aga maga." I'm so used to the lack of adult or alone time that I talk to myself in the grocery store thinking M is sitting in the cart the few times I'm alone. Anyways, due to nearly opposite schedules it can be really difficult to communicate first of all or get any quality time together. We use Facetime more than I ever imagined so that M can have some Dad time. It's been a total hit because he also likes looking at himself in the selfie camera. LOL-- Who would've thought? This is one challenge we've faced in our rather new marriage. It's difficult. We don't have family dinner obviously so we try to substitute for family lunch. I use those leftovers for J's lunch/dinner at work and usually eat some for dinner myself. It can be pretty difficult and rather lonely. In the end, we are making it work the best we can for our family. We are still learning and adjusting as we work out the kinks in our schedules. |
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Megan is a stay-at-home mom to a stubborn and charming toddler and adorable baby girl. She is a freelance writer who hasn't slept in way too long.. She survives off of the pot of coffee her wonderful husband makes her FRESH each morning and any snack she can grab while keeping up with her little ones. Archives
October 2019
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