“I think one of the biggest changes when you become a Mom is that you really have no time for yourself. I have always prided myself on my time management skills, but it becomes that much harder when you are a Mom. I am blessed with an amazing support system, so there are certainly times that I am able to do what I need to but now the time that I do have I need to make sure I am as efficient as possible. And the reason I need to be efficient is so that when it is time for Dakota and Mommy, or family time, I can put everything into it. I find that there are so many times where I am pulled in multiple directions and trying to do so many things at once, that I’m not putting my all into anything. There are a lot of times where I have to consciously force myself to forget about the dishes in the sink, or the laundry that needs to be folded and just play with her. She deserves that and although it isn’t possible all of the time, I want to make sure that I am giving her as much undivided attention as possible. It isn’t fair not to! Craig’s mom told me once that the mess will always be there, but Dakota will always be growing and changing. I try to remember that when I get stressed out about a messy house.”
“My childhood was pretty magical. I got lucky with two phenomenal parents and a pair of great brothers too. I remember playing outside all night and bike rides with a group through the neighborhood, putting on musicals and playing hockey outside with the whole family. I drive the long way to my parents’ house to drive past the school, the park, Erin’s house, and all the memories in between.
Some of my favorite memories take place on a fireplace “stage” and performing some great Disney duets with my brother. I also can still remember walking down to the school playground with a whole gang and playing all night. I used to never want to go inside! We would stay outside forever if we could. I remember the excitement I used to have on Christmas Eve going to my grandmothers, and being carried inside by my Dad to wake up at the crack of Dawn to open way too many presents.”
“My teenage years were great. I have some really amazing friends that made everything a blast. I was always busy during my teenage years but I liked that. I loved going to school, and I loved playing sports and I had some truly inspiring ladies by my side during that time.”
“There is nobody I look up to more than my Mom. She is absolutely incredible, so kind, so hardworking, and a true SuperMom. She is everybody’s rock and keeps me sane. She has done so much for us throughout the years and never wants anything in return. The only thing better than having her as my Mom is Dakota getting her as a Grandma. She loves her JoJo!
I am extremely lucky to have Craig’s mom too. She amazes me in so many ways. She has always been there for me and has helped Craig and I grow and learn together. She is a saint! I couldn’t have gotten luckier with a mother-in law.”
“I have always wanted to be a Mom. My Mom always talks about how when my little brother was a baby she always had to remind me that I am not his Mom, because I wanted to care for him all the time. I have always played that nurturing role and couldn’t wait to be a Mommy.” 🙂
“It is a scary, exhilarating feeling finding out that there is a baby growing inside of you. I had been feeling strange for a little while and bought about 5 pregnancy tests. I’ll never forget calling to Craig downstairs: ‘Babe, can you come up here for a minute?!’ I didn’t even know what to say to him but I knew I couldn’t stop smiling and shoved the tests in his face. ‘What does this mean?’ he replied and we were so utterly excited with the thought of having a child together. There were a lot of questions and we didn’t have all of the answers, but we did know we were going to do everything we could for the little someone growing inside of me and we were going to become a family which is all we ever wanted.”
“Telling Craig is always going to be ingrained in my memory and reminiscing of that day always makes me smile. The same goes for when we told our parents. We found out the weekend before Memorial Day and we were leaving to go to Kentucky to meet our nephew, Liam for the first time on Wednesday at midnight. We were originally thinking we’d wait a few weeks to let the secret out but we knew we wouldn’t make it through the weekend with Matt and Jess and Craig’s parents without blurting it out. So, we decided to make a real “causal” stop over to my parents on a Wednesday night at around 10 PM before we left for Louisville. We sat down on the couch, and I blurted it out: ‘We have something to tell you…We are going to have a baby!’. We were slightly nervous to have this conversation, but both of my parents, and then my brother coming down the stairs were all smiles and hugs and congratulations. My Dad and Craig had a long conversation in the garage with some beers and who knows what, and my Mom and I were left to talk about being a Mom, and the baby that was about to change our lives. Then we hit the road in the middle of the night in a dark truck with Craig’s Mom and Tom. Again, we were expecting to wait until the right time that weekend to tell everybody at the same time, but we both had ridiculous smiles on our faces and were not going to be able to get any sleep without sharing the news. We let them know that they were going to be Oma and Opa again in January and even though the truck was dark we could see and feel the smiles and excitement the whole 13 hour drive.”
“I think that there is only so much you can do to prepare yourself to be a mother for the first time. I loved reading about how much Dakota was growing inside of me and knowing that one week she was a size of a peanut and before we knew it she was an avocado (and then a melon!). I would find myself daydreaming of what that day would be like when I was finally able to meet her and what would change when I became a Mom. I would get so excited for all of the little things: going to the grocery store with her, giving her her first bath (which was actually so difficult!), and washing the first load of her laundry. I am lucky to have such supportive and knowledgeable mothers in my life and they helped me prepare more than any books or classes could. My mental preparation was mostly being on the receiving end of some great advice and daydreaming about how amazing it would be to hold my child for the first time. Physically, I was a crazy woman. I was washing the floors a week before giving birth, putting together IKEA furniture with Megan, constantly shopping and on Pinterest for baby necessities, and trying to have perfect and in everything in order for when she would arrive.”
“Life is different in so many ways but I think the biggest thing that has changed is that I have a new #1 in my life. That #1 is not my husband, nor Dakota, but the two of them and the family that we are together. I have never felt so much love for and from any others, and it is so real and pure and everything I will ever need. Seeing the two of them together is such an amazing sight and it warms my heart when they are crawling and racing all over the house, playing hockey, or snuggling on the couch both intently watching Elmo. No matter what type of day I have had, I am always coming home to those two which makes it all worth it.”
“The biggest surprise to me about having a child is watching how quickly she is growing. You always hear parents talk about how fast the time goes by, and it really is so quick. It feels like just yesterday Craig was rushing home from work to bring me to the hospital and we were holding her for the first time (I’ll never forget that feeling before we left). She is growing and picking up on so much and I can’t believe how quickly the past year and a half has gone by. Every day she is saying a new word, or doing new things (like climbing on the couch by herself!), and being more and making me smile and laugh more and more. Her personality has definitely been more and more prevalent; she is such a little toddler now! She is so smart and funny and caring. While time is passing so quickly, the bond that we share makes it feel like she has been here forever. I have no idea what we did before her. ”
“I want to remember how sweet she is. She is such a lover and is always hugging and snuggling with her stuffed animals, and running across the room with her arms spread to give “squeezy” hugs to all of those who love her. Although, she does give the best “squeezy” hugs to Daddy! ☺ She has such an amazing personality and she is very independent. And, I love that. She can do anything she sets her mind to right now and I hope she knows that for the rest of her life. There are times where she can be stubborn but I think that is important. I want her to always know what she wants and what she deserves and fight for it (as she certainly does now).”
“I hope that Dakota can admire how much she amazes me. I would do anything for her and I will always be there when she needs me. I want to make sure she can take care of herself and manage her own emotions, but I also want her to know that she will always have me on her side. There is nothing that can keep me from making sure she is safe, happy, and has everything she may need. We have so much fun together and I hope Dakota can remember how much fun we had and will have together. I will always be willing to jump in the puddles with her, tear the living room apart to make a fort, and make the extra trip to stop for ice cream. I want her to know that she is my sunshine on a cloudy day, and I hope that she can not only know that but feel it.”
“Craig and I have always been complete opposites. I think that is how we work. He is everything that I need when I need it. He is the calm to my crazy, he is the quiet to my loud, and although no marriage is perfect, he is the perfect man for me.”
“Being that we got married 5 months after Dakota was born the first few months were hectic! Regardless, Craig has always been an amazing Father and seeing him with Dakota has made me love him more and more. There is just something about watching the two of them run around that has me so enamored with them both. It is hard to keep your relationship going after a baby because it changes everything about it, but I know that we can stick together throughout the challenges, and that is something that I am so grateful for. We really are best friends and I feel so lucky to have somebody like him as my husband. To me, marriage is about sticking through it when life throws you curveballs and when you don’t have all of the answers. We have had some curveballs, and we will always have some unanswered questions, but we will also always have each other, which makes a world of difference. I can’t imagine waking up without him by my side.”
“I love waking up on weekend mornings and having time to ourselves. We stay in PJs a little bit too long, spend most of the morning on the floor playing, and have lots of laughs.”
“Love is something hard to define because it is an experience, it is such a part of my everyday life because I am lucky to have so many family members and friends whom I love so very much. Love is such a powerful word but when it comes to Craig and Dakota it doesn’t do the bond that we have justice. We show love every day in the small actions that we do; be it wiping boogers, cooking a favorite meal, or just being there to listen and share. But the way I see it, we have something more than that. Together, our bond is stronger than anything else and I don’t think there is word for it, but I can feel it!”
