Finding My Tribe

Being a mom is hard. There is no other way to put it. The hardest most rewarding job I have ever had and I wouldn't change it for the world. Finding mom friends is just as hard. Why? I don't know! We are all in the same boat, lets be friends! I have talked before about having support systems and how important it is. I would not be where I am today if I didn't find my tribe when I first got pregnant with Kinley. They have stood by me through it all! There are not many and I am 100% ok with that! I love them!

I have always been the one with not many friends and a homebody. I have my close friends and that is about the extent of it. The majority of my friends did not have kids and I didn't really know anyone that had kids. My sister of course has her first born but it was 11 years ago when I got pregnant with Kinley. She was way out of the newborn, baby and toddler years.

Motherhood can be lonely and isolating at times. I needed support; other mom support! I joined a few Facebook groups when we found out we were expecting, which turned out to be an amazing experience!  There was so much information; from other first time moms to moms that were on their 4th kiddo. I like to do my own research on things but it was great to be able to ask a question and get some feedback on something so new to me.

I will be honest it was hard initially connecting with strangers via the internet, but today some of the ladies from my groups are my best friends! I have even met a few of them in person and the kids have met, the connection we share is amazing! I feel like I have known them forever. I have also met a few moms via blogging and they are amazing as well! I am so thankful! I love that I can text one or three of them with a question about ANYTHING and they will give me their honest opinion. You ladies know that ANYTHING is so true! I have shared some of the most intimate things with these ladies.

Finding mommy friends is hard. I miss that my "internet" friends don't live close to me and we can't hang out all the time, because like I said they are some of my bestest friends and I go to them for everything! Being a new mom or even being a mom for the second time it was so important I had a support system. I needed someone going through what I was going through that could relate to what I was experiencing in the moment. I also love being able to provide that support back to them. The bond is something special that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Find your tribe friends! It is so important and has saved my sanity many many times, probably my husbands too :). I love my "internet" friends and am so thankful they have been apart of this journey called Motherhood.

Zander - 10 Months

And just like that we are into double digit months. He will be one before I know it. We had a rough last month but we all survived.

The monthly pictures are really difficult to get as he is all over the place and does not want to sit still for anything. He is one busy boy! So much busier than his sister. She would accomplish skills and just move on to the next. He is content working on his skill for awhile before he moves on to the next one.

Stats: We did not have a 10 month check up but he did go to the doctor because Kinley was sick and wouldn't you know I forgot to get a weight check. I weighed him on our scale at home and he was about 19lbs. I really feel he is putting some weight on this last month. He is growing out of some of his 9 month clothes and we have officially moved into size 3 diapers. He can still fit into some of his 9 month clothes but they are getting tight, 12 months seem to be a better option for him now.

Sleep: Well we have had some good nights and some bad nights, lets be honest the majority of the nights have been bad.  He has mastered crawling and pulling up on everything. We transitioned out of the dockatot this last month so things have been difficult. He loves laying on his side and will sometimes move to his tummy. He seems to be waking up and having a difficult time going back to sleep. We still nurse or rock to sleep for nap and night. I know we need to teach him to fall asleep on his own but I really love the cuddles before he falls asleep. He is still taking 2 naps a day and going down for the night around 6:30-7ish. Who doesn't want to cuddle that handsome boy!

Eat: He still loves his food. He has seemed less interested in letting us feed him this past month. He really wants to do things himself. We are trying to do prunes daily to help ease his constipation issues which I think is helping. We have tried a few cups and I think have finally found one he loves! The munchkin 360 cup. He still gets bottles of breastmilk while I am working and has no issues with the bottle. We will probably try to get rid of the bottle around 12 months or somewhere around there. We didn't do breastmilk in a cup for Kinley but might go straight to the 360 cup for him, he loves drinking his water out of it. I am down to two pumping sessions a day and will probably wean from the pump after his first birthday.

Play: He has gotten so much more interactive this past month. Like I said he has started crawling and pulling up on everything. He is fast too. This all happened in about a weeks time. He is a pro at getting into cabinets and pulling up on the tables. We really need to baby proof things. He loves to swing and go on walks in his wagon. I am sure by Spring he will be chasing his sister at the playground. Like I said he is everywhere and into everything which makes him so hard to bathe! He does not stay on his butt and tries crawling around and pulls up on the side of the tub. He has slipped a few times which doesn't phase him one bit. He loves the water and goes right back to doing what he was doing, he doesn't miss a beat.

Happy 10 months Bub! I am so lucky you call me mommy and I love you so very much! 

Our Current Situation...Send Wine

Wow things have been crazy lately. We have been so busy with so much going on I wanted to share a brief update. I am sure this won't even include everything that has been going on because my brain is all over the place.

Matt and I got a day date a few weeks ago and had a blast. We were going to go see Hidden Figures but there were only front row seating left when we got there so we decided the brewery was a better option anyways. We will try again for the movie another time, hoping for another day date soon!

We had to find a new daycare provider for the kids. My work schedule changed and we needed full time care and our provider was not able to watch the kids full time. Finding new child care is awful! I hate the process but I think we have found someone great and am very excited for her to become a part of our family. I was a nanny for many years so having a nanny is something special to me.

On that note we might be finding a new preschool for Kinley next year. Her school is only offering Monday - Friday for the 3's class and we know we do not want to send her full time all day long. We are so torn on what to do because we don't want her to have to go through the transition again, it was tough on her and she still has days she struggles.

I have been pumping for 10 months and can not wait to be done! Not done breastfeeding but done pumping! I do not respond well to the pump and feel so frustrated after a pumping session. I will probably stop somewhere after a year but we will continue to breastfeed until who knows when. I breastfed Kinley until she was about 17.5 months when my work schedule changed so it gave us a good time to wean. I had quite the journey with her.

Kinely is sooooo full of sass and attitude! I was 100% expecting 3 to be worse than 2 and it most definitely has been. She is testing boundaries and says the sassiest things. Where do they get these things from? Do not let that sweet face fool you! She has been pretty rotten if I am being honest. On a happier note with her she has been in swim lessons for almost 3 months and she is doing great and loves it.

We have been trying to get Zander to sleep better at night, we have transitioned out of the Dockatot and working on lessening his night wake ups. He really still needs the ounces with his night feeding so I don't mind keeping it for a little longer, I would just like him to go back to sleep faster after. He is cutting about 4 teeth right now so things have been tough. I know eventually it will get better and really each day flies by so I am trying to not stress about things. Though I am tired.

I know that picture of them is blurry but it is too cute not to share. That is all I can think about for right now! Happy Hump day to everyone! This is my first week working 5 days in a row in awhile and I am not excited for it! Hoping these next few days fly by.