First Months' Lessons

Hey everyone!
Ashton is one month old today! I thought it was appropriate to document his first month of life with what I learned my first month being a mommy! Because it's my first post, this will most likely be the longest, so soak it up while it lasts! :)

Lesson 1 : Sleep is Beautiful
     Now, if you know me at all, you know I love to sleep. In fact, I would make it a career if I could and on occasion, I've attempted to do so! Well, that's over. For those of you who don't have kids yet, or your kids are grown, think of me when you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and know that I'm most likely awake saying "Please, Baby...go back to sleep!!!" According to other new moms I know, I'm actually lucky my little nugget sleeps about 3 to 4 hours at a time at such a young age and I have to say...Ashton is pretty darn good when it comes to sleeping. But as a severe lover of beauty rest, it doesn't make that 4am feeding any easier!
     The upside is that I am also a nap lover and so is Ashton. This means we get to take naps together during the day and honestly, I wouldn't trade cuddling with my baby for anything! We are also quite the connoisseurs of late night TV! Home Improvement at 3am is quite the treat :)

So here's my glam-mommy tip #1: Sleep when you can...take naps when he does! You'll look a lot more rested but more importantly, you'll feel a lot better. If you're anything like me, I feel like I have the flu when I don't get much sleep and Baby doesn't want a cranky mom.

Lesson 2: Puke happens...alot...and a lot of times, it's hilarious
     I honestly never realized babies throw up as much as they do! In case you were unaware, they also poop their weight daily and little Ash is the belching and farting (sorry but true!) king! Now, I know I'm only a month in so I still occasionally find this hysterical : two instances in particular.
     The other day, I was Skyping with my friend Ashveena and I was holding Ashton so she could see him. Right in the middle of our conversation, he thought it would be a cute little show to vomit...EVERYWHERE. It went all over me - down my shirt, my stomach, onto the couch, all over him...you get the picture. All I could do was laugh. Like I said, I'm a month deep...it's still funny.
     Today, we were in the doctor's office for his check-up and I had just fed him while we were waiting. I put him on my chest to burp him and while answering the doctor's questions, I idiotically neglected to put a burping cloth on me first. Little man puked straight into my hair. It was sexy to say the least. I'm sure Jordan has never wanted me more than in that moment!

     So moms, here is my glam-mommy tip #2: Do your hair the second you have spare time (i.e. babykins is passed out) and make your hair last as long as possible. Most new moms have a scary tendency to chop all their hair off right after their baby comes but let me tell you, that will SO not be me. Ladies ~ a bowl-cut straight out of the shower is so not cute. Here's what I do: after I feed Ash in the morning, I get him down for a quick nap and hop in the shower to get ready for the day. I've got my hair routine down to about 15 minutes (honestly, I obsess over my makeup way more so this makes it easier). I use as little product as possible (this prevents greasy hair on day 2) and that night, keep it down when I go to bed. The next morning, I can do my hair in about 5-10 min tops AND I spend less time in the shower because I don't have to wash it. My hair can still look cute because I didn't shlup it into a ponytail and if Ashton happens to vomit in my hair that day, no harm done cuz I didn't spend any time on it (but no one knows that part!!)

Lesson 3:  Babies are the best shopping excuse
     I have to admit, although I was ecstatic we were having a boy, I was a little sad about the clothing options. When it comes to baby clothes, I was under the impression that boys were completely shafted in that department. I think I initially thought that boys could never have cute clothes because most moms I've seen usually suck at making them look cute....not because the options aren't out there. Nearly every boy I've seen is in some kind of monster truck t-shirt with dirty shorts and some ugly Sesame Street shoes.
     Honestly,  I've recently learned that you just have to look a little harder if you have a boy and who doesn't want the great excuse to shop constantly. This is the time when you can say to your husband, "I have to get this because it's so hard to find cute stuff for him!" and as long as he likes it, he will most likely never say no because he knows it's true!  (Bonus lesson I learned: guys secretly like shopping for their sons as much as we do)

So here is my glam-mommy tip #3: Do not settle for ugly boy clothes unless you like that crap. Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Kate Hudson = cute mom & son duos. Not so cute? Britney Spears and her dirty-looking little monsters. Cute babies are the best accessory and I don't know about you but I would much rather look up to the first three than Brit. I've found that getting Ashton ready for the day is more fun that picking out my own outfit! :) One danger - do not do matching outfits. Creeps.

Another option is to do what I've been doing recently - making your own cute stuff! I've recently learned to knit. I know...granny hobby, right? WRONG. I taught myself right before Ashton was born because I'm majorly against bandwagons, posers, & copycats; therefore,  I wanted him to have things that no one else has and look cute as heck in the meantime! Glam-mommy tip #4: If you want your baby to have things no one else will have, make them yourself. However, beware of the fine line of putting he or she in yucky stuff. Just because it's homemade doesn't always mean it's cute...sad but true. Luckily for Ashton, I'm incredibly picky and won't make something for him if I'm realizing halfway through that it's going to suck. It happens! You just have to know it happens and stop yourself before shoving him into a knitted garbage bag.

Lesson #4: He may get cranky but if all he wants is to be held, that's not so bad right?
     I've been so lucky in that, Ashton is a great baby and hardly ever cries unless he's hungry. But some days, he whines for what seems to be no reason. Suddenly, though, you pick him up and he's good to go. And although it's not the most convenient thing in the world, it's pretty dang cute!! I'm learning to enjoy those precious moments when all his wants is his mama. I know one day, he'll be a teenager and roll his eyes and whine at me when I demand a hug and a kiss from him so I'm soaking in the love now and always want to remember him like this. Some days, he frustrates me (like I said, I'm still new to this!) and I could just scream when he doesn't want to settle down but I try to remind myself that this is an opportunity for us to interact and bond :) THAT is the best part of my day!
  
These are just four short little lessons I've learned over the last month about being a new mom and trying to keep my life together. Every day is different and lots of days, I get nothing I planned on done. But, on the days when the laundry is done, dinner is made, dishes are done, Ashton is bathed, fed, happy, and my hubby is content...I feel pretty darn good. Like I said, I'm striving to be Martha Stewart. If I get a MS moment for just a second in the day, I feel one step closer :)

Until next time, I'll be up to my eyelashes in diapers <3