Tuesday Topics this week is on “four things I learned outside of school”, so here goes:
1. Be kind to others because you really, truly, never know what someone is going through.
2. Do what you feel is right for YOU. People are always going to tell you how they think you should live your life (especially once you start a family)! Only you know what is best for yourself and your family, so stick to what you know is right in your heart.
3. Your self-worth isn’t equivalent to how big (or how non-existent) your paycheck is.
4. Taking time to pursue and improve upon your talents is so important. Michael has always encouraged me to follow any interest I’ve had (and believe me, I’ve drifted between a lot of different activities, from photography to sewing to cake decorating). I’ve loved seeing myself improve over the past few years.
I’m doing Tuesday Topics again this week (with Lauren and Tiffany), and the subject is “five songs that bring back memories”. I might not have been born in the south, but I am a country music junkie through and through, so here we go:
“Never Grow Up” (Taylor Swift) – When this song first came out, I was at an age I’d label as “new adult”. I was newly married, about to finish university and trying to figure out how the world works. I was stuck between wanting to still be a “kid” (although in many ways I still am), and being forced to tackle the challenges that come with growing up. Now when I hear it, I think about how fast my baby girl is growing. This song can make me cry every time I hear it, without fail.
“Drive” (Alan Jackson) – The first verse of this song brings me back to when I was a little girl and we’d take the boat out on the lake in the small town where I grew up. Those were the days before my brother was born, so it was just the three of us. I remember wearing that little fishy life jacket and watching the boat break up the waves. (I was 4 years old in this photo.)
“Farmer’s Daughter” (Rodney Atkins) – I’d say this was one of Michael’s first “favorite” country songs, and it was also the song that Lelia had as her alarm when we did foal watch together a couple of springs ago. (Foal watch means that you sleep at the barn and wake up every couple hours to check on the mares… so I heard that song a lot)! It was dark, chilly, and even a little scary trudging out into the fields all by our lonesome. None of the mares foaled that night, so they just gave us these sleepy-eyed stares every time we checked on them. I always think of that night whenever I hear it now.
“It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” (Travis Tritt) – I kid you not, this song comes on the radio every single time I’ve been going through a trial or just having a bad day. It’s such a good reminder that today can be a good day if we make it one, and this life really is something special.
“Wanted” (Hunter Hayes) – I first heard this song last year when I was pregnant with Kaya, and it made me cry my eyes out because it perfectly described the tiny princess I was so eager to meet. She was and is so wanted and I always want her to feel that way. Some of my favorite lyrics: “You know I’d fall apart without you…
I want to wrap you up…
I want to make you feel wanted
and I want to call you mine
Want to hold your hand forever
And never let you forget it
Yeah, I, I want to make you feel wanted”.
And now that I’ve gone all sappy on you… here’s a cute picture of Kaya to make up for it!
I wake up early (some people might even say it’s the middle of the night)!
I’m always on call. There are no vacations, and no sick leave.
Giving cuddles and kisses is in my job description.
It can get messy.
I have the world’s cutest boss.
I’m a MOM. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Linking up for Tuesday Topics!
I saw this “Tuesday Topics” link-up, and it sounded pretty fun, so why not join in? Here ten things that make me happy, in no particular order… 🙂
1. falling asleep cuddling with my best friend
2. waking up to my sweet, smiling baby girl
3. my pets (and really any animals in general)
4. photography
5. running
6. baking (and eating!) sweets
7. weekends (because that means family time!)
8. writing in my journal (I do it every single night)
9. visiting the temple
10. my whole crazy family
I’m doing something new today and linking up with Kaitlyn for her “Preparing for a Little One” series. It’s meant to help moms-to-be get ready for their little bundles, so I wanted to contribute some of my new-mom experience!
Registering for baby items can be very overwhelming- you feel like babies need a million different things, and then there are a billion different brands of each thing to choose from. Well, truth be told, babies don’t NEED all that much! As long as a baby has love, warmth, food, and diapers, she’s probably going to be just fine. That being said, there are some items that definitely make life with a baby easier!
When I made my registry, I meticulously tried to to calculate how many outfits of each size we’d need. What I didn’t know was that people LOVE to buy baby clothes (and a LOT of them), so if I had to do it over, I wouldn’t have worried about putting clothes on there at all. You also tend to get a lot of blankets, towels, and washcloths without having to ask for them. Here are a lot of the “bigger” baby items I’ve found useful!
1. Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper– This little seat came in so handy, especially in the early days. It reclines into 3 different positions and will vibrate if you put a battery in it (don’t be fooled though, it doesn’t rock by itself). Before we had Kaya, I thought I wanted her to sleep in her own room from the get-go. However, once I brought that tiny princess home, I wanted her to be close by so I could hear her better if she needed me. Thanks to my mom, we already had this seat, so we used it in the “napper” position at night for the first three weeks. I also put her in it and drag it into the bathroom when I shower so that I can keep an eye on her.
2. Boppy pillow– I actually sewed my own boppy pillow, and it’s held up really well in its six months of constant use. Even if you don’t use it for nursing, it comes in handy for helping baby sit up later on. Kaya also preferred using it for tummy time as opposed to just being face-flat on the floor.
3. SwaddleMe blanket– This worked like magic when it came to helping our baby sleep. It has velcro to secure the swaddle, so it seems a lot safer than just swaddling with a regular blanket (and it’s harder to break out of it!).
4. Diapers- We use Bumgenius 4.0 cloth diapers (which we love), but even if you’re using disposables, go ahead and register for them! You can never have too many diapers.
5. Pacifiers- You might be unsure of whether or not you want to use a pacifier with your baby, but it doesn’t hurt to have them. Motherhood is surprising, and you may find yourself doing something you didn’t think you would (like using a pacifier when your baby is only 2 days old)! All babies are different, but we like the Nuk pacifiers.
6. Infant tub– I know a lot of people are pros at bathing baby in the sink, but I have just never felt comfortable enough to do it myself (even now that she is bigger and stronger, I still feel safer using the infant tub).
7. Ergo baby carrier– We didn’t get one of these until Kaya was about 5 months old, but I LOVE it and wish we’d had it sooner. It’s so comfortable to wear, and I prefer it over using the stroller. When Kaya was younger, she would only nap if you snuggled her, but I bet she would have napped if I wore her, and then I would’ve had my hands free to get some other things done!
8. Exersaucer- Kaya got this one from her grandma for Christmas. It is one of her favorite places to play! She loves jumping in it, and I think it’s definitely helped her legs get stronger!
Hopefully this helps someone out! If you have anything to add, leave it in a comment 🙂
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