What I did with 2 Months

     Ever wondered what a mom on nine weeks of maternity leave does? Yeah, me neither. I had anticipated two months of hell as I struggled with the trials and tribulations of being a young, new mother with a screaming baby. I expected colic and acid reflux because it seems like everyone's baby had that. I expected eight weeks with hardly any sleep. I expected endless days of messy hair, no makeup, and sweatpants every day. I expected that by the end I would be so ready to return to work I couldn't stand it....

     What I got was just over two months of absolute bliss with the sweetest little baby I'm pretty sure there ever was. Seriously, this child is so calm. Clearly, he's taking after me and his dad. I had one rough week (the first one) that I can barely remember now, but I'm so in love I'd do it all over again. I got a baby who sleeps and sleeps well and has been since he was about a month old. I got a baby whose belly isn't at all sensitive; I've used Similac Advance, three different generic brands of this formula, and the Enfamil version. He takes all of them well and has had no tummy troubles. I got a baby who loves bath time. I got a baby who practically only cries when wet or hungry. Case in point: I have whacked him in the face twice with my humongous purse (accidentally of course); he scrunched up his nose, gave me a dirty look, then went right back to sleep. I got a baby who has been my saving grace, my reward for all the heartache I've experienced this year. I strongly believe that when we experience hard times and keep our faith in God through it all, He rewards us. I know I'm not perfect, but I also know that Vaught Charles was God's very special gift to me and my husband. Vaught is God's way of saying I told you I would pull you through. And I'm so grateful that He did.

     Okay, back to the point of this post. It took me a while to realize that all the bad things I'd heard about new babies and being a new mom were probably not going to happen to me. Just as with pregnancy when everyone was telling me to wait until I was miserable (I never was), none of the new mom stress has really applied to me. So with all the time I've had on my hands (and the time left--less than two weeks until I return to work), I've gotten really clean, really creative, and really... cultured??

1. Cleaning. You could eat a meal off my floors at any time during the day. I've kept my house that clean. I even completely cleaned out our garage during one of Vaught's long naps one day.


Basically, our garage doubled in size. There's still junk, but it looks much better!

2. Laundry. We are never in need of a matching sock or t-shirt; the laundry stays done! It doesn't always get put up right away, but at least I know we've always got clean clothes!

Laundry stays done, but I still look like this every day. So attractive!

3. TV. I have probably watched more TV in the past eight weeks than I have in my entire life. I have fallen in love with TLC, particularly 19 Kids & Counting. I've come to love the Duggar family! They're such a sweet, wholesome bunch with a family and faith-centered TV show. It's hard to watch it and not love them. My new favorite show is Extreme Cheapskates, and we watch it every Wednesday night (our one night without football). It's such a horrible guilty pleasure, and I laugh the entire time. I have watched the entire series of Sex and the City at least three times on E! Is it even possible to tire of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha?!

4. Blogging. I never know when inspiration for a blog post will hit, but when it does I get right to it! So I found myself blogging from my phone when feeding and rocking Vaught and from my laptop during his naps. Then one day I suddenly had the urge to give it a complete makeover--I think it looks much more professional now. I've enjoyed blogging about my workouts and the Fourth Trimester Project. It's the perfect way to hold myself accountable.

5. Target. Ohhhhhh my gosh I can never get enough of Target. I take Vaught in his car seat, put him in a cart, and just walk around, sometimes for up to two hours. And I always stop by the Starbucks for a latte or iced coffee while we stroll around. We probably do this two or three times a week; I feel like the employees should know our names by now.

They say "sleep when the baby sleeps," but fortunately, I've not really had to. Vaught has been such an amazing baby, it makes us nervous to even think about Baby Pace #2!

I am, however, enjoying some good afternoon naps and LOTS of snuggles with Vaught Charles. Less than two weeks until I return to work, and we are going to make the very most of them!