Happy Thursday everyone!!! Thank you so much for checking out today's From One Mom to Another post....today's featured guest is the GORGEOUS Katie from Chronicles of KT! Katie is a mommy to a precious little boy who is 2 years old and also just announced that she's expecting a little one (watch the video!)!!! I am SO SO SO happy for you, Katie!!!! You can follow along on Katie's adventures in mommy-land on twitter and on Instagram!
Hi ya'll I'm Katie and I blog over at Chronicles of KT. I was so excited and honored when Michelle asked me to be a part of this series. I have one precious little boy "L"who will be 2 in May. He is the light of our life and it's hard to imagine life before him. I work night shift as a nurse which makes our life even more interesting! I'm no pro but I love being a mommy and think we can all learn from each others experiences. I love the community and support that blogging provides especially as I navigate this mommy thing. I blog a lot about our daily adventures, I also like to share my favorite recipes and other fun products or finds Ive tried and love!
Something you wish you knew before having the baby:
I wish I knew how rough the postpartum period really would be. I was a bit shocked to find it so miserable. Nobody ever talks about it because why talk about that when you have a sweet baby to talk about! I loved being pregnant my pregnancy was pretty easy and I really did not have any of the horrible pregnancy symptoms so to have to deal with all this stuff I really was not expecting was awful. It was way more painful, and gross, and my body just did not feel like my own. Your hair falls out the horrible night sweats on top of no sleep. I would be pregnant ten times over if I could just skip that phase of it all!
Most surprising mommy moment:
I think the thing that most surprised me was how relatively normal my life was able to remain and how much easier being a new mom was. I guess I just had this idea that we would no longer be going out to eat, I would never sleep again, no more outings with friends, and how on earth was I supposed to keep this little person happy forever?? It was so surprising to me how everything naturally fell into place. I tried so hard in the beginning to set a schedule and eat-sleep-play yadda yadda. L and I were frustrated and it just wasn’t happening. I decided I would go with the flow. When he was hungry he would let me know and when he was tired he would sleep. We still went out to dinner and L was always a dream! I still was able to hangout with friends just at different venues that previously. Once he turned 6 months we did a little sleep training and some serious nap bootcamp around 8 months and he has been a dream sleeper ever since (I know I am in for it when baby 2 comes along though). I think mommy instinct is a true and powerful thing and if you go with it and listen to it, it will make things a lot smoother.
How has motherhood impacted your life all around?
I never realized how much I could love another human. You always hear it but I will never forget that flood of emotions the moment I first laid eyes on my sweet boy. I find myself worrying about things I never thought I would. My priorities have changed too, I would much rather spend the evening playing trucks with my little guy than be out on the town. Essentially every thought circles back to L and how will it effect him. For example when I make my work schedule I have to think of how many days I am working in a row and is it a day my babysitter is available, is it a day the hubby generally has to work late? So many thoughts for onething that used to be so quick and simple to decide.
Best piece of advice:
My best piece of advice is to listen to your mommy instinct and your baby’s ques. You know what is best for you and your baby. What works for some does not work for others and you should not allow anyone to make you bad for a decision you have made that is best for your family.
Anything else you would like to share?
Be present in the moment. Take time to spend uninterrupted time with your baby. On that same note, its ok for your baby to play independently. L loves to play by himself sometimes and I take advantage of that time to read or watch one of my shows or clean the kitchen. I think it is so important for babies to learn to play independently without mommy or daddy or whoever in their face trying to entertain them.
My last thing would be just to enjoy being a mommy. It is so easy to get caught up in what we are “supposed” to be doing that we forget to just enjoy being a mom. The days of our kiddos being little babies goes so fast I am thankful I took those afternoons to just cuddle on the couch with my boy while he would let me and forget about all the “chores”. These days the moments are few when he actually cuddles with me and falling asleep on my chest…forget it!!
