Things I learned in the first month

I haven't been doing this mother thing very long, but during the short month and a half that I have been a mother I've noticed.

1. Give yourself a break. I don't mean sleep when your baby sleeps. I mean definitely try and do that, but don't be so hard on yourself. When we first brought little Ezra home I was trying to do the most that I could. I was doing my best to be the perfect mom because I had an idea of how this whole motherhood thing should look in my head.After the first 3 weeks I had to do some serious soul searching and I realized that I could not continue putting so much pressure on myself to be the best. I just had to be what Ezra needed.

2.It is okay that your house does not look like it is out of a pinterest picture. Sometimes social media sets these unrealistic expectations of what a mother and homemaker should look like. I must say, that as I sit here typing this. There is laundry in our bedroom right now that has been siting in a basket waiting to be put away. There are Christmas decorations still sitting in the box from 3 days ago that need to go up, and our bed hasn't been made by me since Ezra came home from the hospital. Ladies, it is okay to not have everything cleaned, put away, or looking perfect all the time. You're a human being and you get tired.

3. Treat yourself! This one is my favorite. I would definitely say that since having a baby I've spent less money, but at the same time I have treated myself to coffee (I quit coffee while pregnant). Do not be afraid to do something nice for yourself!

4. Accept help. My mom stayed with us for 2 weeks after Ezra was born and I have to say it helped us out a lot!!! My recovery was rougher than I thought so it was nice to have her here to help us out. Ezra wasn't sleeping and at first he wasn't eating. Having her here for support was exactly what we needed. Ezra had his first evening away from us so we could see a movie and as hard as it was, it was needed. When someone offers to help take them up on it!

5. Don't forget that you are married. Ladies, it is so easy to forget about your husband once that baby comes home. Especially if you are a new mommy. Take a date night, watch a movie he loves, or play that video game he likes. Just don't forget that he is there!

Enjoy some cute one month pictures of little EZ (Tim calls him this).

Isn't hr handsome?

Hard to get a good picture with him because he is always moving. I look psycho!

Parenthood

Parenthood...
Is a job. The one job where you don't get paid in money but in moments and memories, because if there was a salary it would be an obscene amount! Anyways, its been almost a month and I feel that Tim and I are finally making our way off of the struggle bus and are about to board the insomnia train. This first month has been filled with so many struggles and I know that there are more to come. The biggest struggle so far has been the lack of sleep. Baby Ezra enjoys being up at night just like any other baby. But my baby started this practice in the womb. Yesterday, I got the baby carrier out and put on Zumba music and danced him around the kitchen just like
he used to do when I was teaching, he fell asleep. So the baby carrier is a must!

Ezra is one month old! Time please slow down!!!!

Sweetly Broken

There are some times where it just seems like this life is a joke. Some things happen and they just make you laugh. Not because of humor but disbelief. That is basically how the last couple of months have been. I laugh, I cry, I smile, and with the Lord's help I pick myself back up again. Throughout all of the chaos that has been happening I've had the support of my sweet husband, my family, and my sweet co-worker who has become a great friend. The other day I laid in bed crying because I felt as if I didn't know who I was anymore. I don't cry randomly, my spirit isn't easily broken, and I've always been able to know my emotions. As I was crying to Tim in the kitchen tonight he kindly reminded me of the story of Job (Job 1-3) and how his faith was tested. He amazes me sometimes. Tim is pretty quiet when I vent and when he does talk its always truth!
There have been specific times that I can remember where circumstances have humbled me and I held my faith. This time has been different. This time I was broken differently.I was broken sweetly. The Lord took all my plans that I had for my life yet again, and showed me, slowly, that He is in control and no matter how much I try to handle things alone. He is the only one who ultimately lays the plans. This past year has been a struggle for me and I am so happy that my husband has been so patient. You see I've always had a plan and if I didn't I always had something for backup. I take comfort in knowing that the Lord will not place anything in my life that He knows I can't handle.

I snapped this picture last week when we got home from the gym. The grass has made an appearance!! Thank the LORD!!! But just like this how the grass has made an appearance God has definitely done the same with me these past couple of months. Sometimes I believe that we need struggles or to be sweetly broken to be reminded of God's love and that His plan is better than anything that we could even imagine.

I hope this post gives you hope and I hope that this song encourages you as much as it has for me.

Click the words below for the song

sweetly Broken

The Post About My Hair

So for friends who have known me for a while, you can obviously tell that my hair has most definitely changed over the past few months. This has a lot to do with the fact that I was fed up with my old hair and needed to do something different. For years I have been trying to grow my hair. I can honestly say that I have been obsessed with growing long hair since I was a little girl. Maybe it was all those princess movies that had girls with long flowing hair ( Pocahontas, Princess Jasmine, Ariel).

I was on a visit to my parent's house after spending a summer in Ohio. I had just gotten another perm and noticed how much shorter my hair was. I was so fed up and mad! I just knew that there had to be a way to solve the issues I felt I was having with my hair. So I got on my mom's tablet and started searching for ways to grow hair, and I happened upon BlackGirlLongHair.com. I noticed how healthy the hair was on the women who were on the site. I spent hours pouring over "natural hair" and happened upon videos on YouTube. It was then that I noticed that there was nothing wrong with my hair and should not longer continue trying to hide what God gave me. So, I decided on a day in Early August that I was no longer going to perm my hair anymore. I was going to be happy with what God gave me. I can honestly say that I have never been so happy with my hair, and it was all because I was willing to accept what God gave me.

I am now a year and a half perm free and I feel so much healthier. The change in hair health has also lead to me wanting to change my health in general. I just thank God for getting through to me and helping me see that I am beautiful the way He made me. So, with all this being said I plan to do posts about natural hair, and sharing some of the sites that I have found that have helped me. But for now enjoy these photos of me and my hair :D

What is your hair story? Share them with me!!!