The things that surprised me about motherhood

Becoming a mom is a life-defining move. You study up while you’re pregnant, hoping, praying, and trusting you’ll be a good parent and handle with grace all the things that come your way.

But even if you took notes on motherhood from the time you were 10 years old, there would still be a few things to catch you by surprise.

Here’s what got me. Tell me what surprised you in the comments below!

How much I liked being a mom

I didn’t always have a rosy image of motherhood. When I actually became a mother, I was shocked to find that I really liked being a mom, despite all the difficult things that go along with it. I loved being a mom so much that I didn’t want to do anything else, including working.

The things I gave up that I hadn’t planned to – and that I didn’t even mind

I figured I would play tennis while the baby rested in the stroller on the sidelines. Yeah, right. I haven’t played tennis since I first got pregnant over 4 years ago. My husband and I didn’t go on a date night until our first son was 2 years old. It’s safe to say our travel life has been all but extinguished for the next unknown number of years, too, until the kids get old enough to make it easy for us (and we make enough money to buy airline tickets for FOUR!)

I’m so caught in the moment of everyday life that I can’t even feel bad about something I might be missing.

The unfathomable amount of stuff you can buy – and hence want to buy – to help you take care of a baby

As far as gear went, I figured we’d need a crib, a high chair, a diaper pail, and somewhere to change the baby.

Then I learned about bouncy seats, car seats, Bumbos, play mats, baby carriers, play yards, exersaucers, cute cloth diapers, monitors, sleep sacks, wipes warmers, unimaginable amounts of toys, not to mention all the cute clothing options (and of course darling baby hats!)

Have you heard of the bathinette? A changing table and bathtub all in one – I got one this time around.

People view you differently once you have a kid

I am treated differently when I’m with my kids, whether it’s the old ladies walking their dogs, the A/C guy who comes to our house, or the checkout lady at the supermarket.

That having a baby would be the key to wonderful, new friendships

Kids are a great conversation starter.

I’ve met new friends thanks to having a kid, other smart, beautiful moms. I don’t know why, but I always thought that once you became a mom, you became boring and frumpy. I would have loved these other mom friends whether they had kids or not. But I wouldn’t have met them if I didn’t have a baby myself.

How much you can fall head over heels in love with a tiny being

It may be cliché, but it’s true. You just don’t know love until you have a baby. You would do anything for that teeny tiny person, and you do. Every breath, every thought belongs to them, and there’s no going back. You’re changed forever.

Now, your turn, what surprised you about becoming a mom?

Why my heart is singing on this glorious morning

When you have kids, the things you celebrate take on a different hue. Today I’m bursting with joy, and I couldn’t wait to share with you all the things that have me sitting here feeling great right now. Let me know in the comments below something you’re celebrating right now, too!

My baby went down for his first nap with minimal fuss – and no pacifier.

He’s six months old, and we had pushed the pacifier on him lately, more than usual, to help with lessening night feeds. But then the pacifier became a monster, with us up all night putting the dang thing back in.

Oh how he cried when it was time to sleep the last two days, even when we were holding him! But it looks like payoff is right around the corner.

A new dress came in the mail. And I think I’ll keep it.

I had credit with one of my favorite online retailers, and I ordered myself a dress with high hopes. It turned out to be beautiful – and stretchy – so I think it will work now and also when I’m back to my pre-preg weight. Hello summer!

Another pound less on the scale this morning.

Only 17 more to go, ha! But, hey, there hadn’t been much progress lately. Baby Number Two has produced much more stubborn mommy fat, it seems.

Two hours to myself at Starbucks.

The hubby is home today, and I’m out of the house with no kids in sight. That never happens. It’s the stuff of fables and fairytales, right? Major reason to celebrate!

Wearing my hair down.

No little drool-covered fingers to torture me by yanking it so hard it feels like what’s left of it is going to all come out.

A bright pink pair of peep toe heels.

Well, not so cute next to that forest growing on my legs. But oh well, from a distance… (at least it’s blonde).

Anticipation of seeing my babies again in just a couple hours…

I have plans to dress up my two little boys in their favorite Beanie Designs little boy’s hats later on and take some photos for you. Number Two just hasn’t benefited from the same camera action as his big brother, and it’s time to catch up!

What’s got YOU smiling today?

Could you lift a car off your child?

I don’t know if I could, despite anecdotal evidence that people can summon superhuman strength under extraordinary situations.

Today I was hanging out my cloth diaper stash, and I heard my son begin to cry hysterically. I saw him on the ground by a folded lounge chair that had trapped one of his fingers. I summoned my superhuman strength to run to him – and fell flat on my face in the grass.

I got to him despite what turned out to be superhuman clumsiness. And he was fine after a good cuddle.

But my fears were confirmed. If he were in trouble, I was afraid my body would not let me respond with the speed and strength that mothers of lore have been able to summon.

Or perhaps the situation was just not dire enough. Let’s look at some of the documented cases when people have seemed to exert extraordinary power (according to Skeptoid):

• In one case in Colorado in 1995, a police officer arrived at a single-car accident where a Chevy Chevette ended up on top of a baby girl and sank into the mud. The officer lifted the car and the mother pulled the girl out.
• In 2009, a man in Kansas lifted a Mercury sedan off of a six-year-old girl who had been trapped underneath when it backed out on top of her.
• In 1960, a Florida mom lifted a Chevy Impala so that a neighbor could pull out her son, who had become trapped when he was working on the car and his jack collapsed.
• There’s even the case where the MD 500D helicopter from Magnum, P.I. crashed in 1988, pinning the pilot under shallow water; and his burly friend (nicknamed Tiny) ran over and lifted the one-ton helicopter enough for the pilot to be pulled out.

Skeptoid points out that a couple things are usually helping in these dire situations. First, the adrenaline of the fight or flight response boosts your strength beyond what you would normally be able to lift consciously.

But since the maximum weight your body can lift even with this boost cannot exceed the structural capabilities of your body without causing it to collapse, there is usually another force assisting in the superhuman feat. Perhaps the car is only partially lifted while weight still rests on the suspension, the helicopter was simply rocked, and so on.

I didn’t see any anecdotes mentioning moms temporarily gaining lightning fast running abilities, so maybe my physical failure can be excused for now. I hope I never have to test it out with a car.

Do something nice for another mom today

I had a rotten night last night. The sleep deprivation of having a newborn in the house is really starting to get to me. But as I looked through the ideas I’d jotted down for blog posts today, this one jumped out at me. It reminded me just how uplifting it is to do something nice for someone else, even (or perhaps especially?) when we’re feeling miserable ourselves.

Moms often go unappreciated. They work hard at a job that’s even more important than the most influential politicians or CEOs of big companies. They’re creating the next generation of people, shaping and growing little minds and bodies that will one day grow into the world’s future.

A mom’s work lives on long after she’s sent her kids to college and indeed after she welcomes her grandchildren.

But in the meantime, every mom faces tough challenges, hurdles, potholes, and bumps in the long and winding road of raising her family. She has ups and downs, never gets enough sleep and always wants to do more things than there is time for in the day.

So do something nice for another mom today.

Maybe give her a call before you head out to the supermarket to see if there’s anything she needs. Or just randomly pick up a treat you know she likes and drop it off on her doorstep. If you’ve made cookies or muffins, take her a couple. Offer her the coupons that you’re not going to use. Email her a link to something you think she might find funny online.

It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Just something to let her know you’ve thought of her.

Now, the question is, which wonderful mom am I going to do something nice for today?

Our Summer So Far…

The ladies at Beanie Designs have had a very busy summer!  Apart from designing new styles for our Fall/Winter hat collection, we have started blogging more, running fabulous weekly and monthly giveaways, sending newsletter promos to our subscribers and of course keeping busy with our families.

Customer Love

For some time we’ve wanted to show our customers how much we appreciate their loyalty and feedback.  Beanie Designs’ customer’s rock!  Seriously we love interacting with you and wanted to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

So many of our customers have uploaded pictures to our blog’s ‘Customer Photo Gallery’ we decided to start running a ‘Photo of the Month’ contest.  What better way to show off the cuteness of our fave customers?

Blog Love

Since we have started blogging more lately we’ve noticed all the comments being left in response to our posts.     We love any excuse to give away a hat  s we  decided to start a ‘Comment of the Week’ giveaway too.  One more giveaway couldn’t hurt, right?

Summer Favorites

Our new line of sun hats have become fast favorites among our customers.

Beanie Designs customers really seem to love our classic white bucket hat.

It has a slightly shorter brim than our sun hat and is hand crocheted from 100% cotton making it perfect for all seasons. It keeps your little girl protected from the sun while the material and style keep her head nice and cool.

I got this hat as a present for my niece’s 8th birthday and it has turned into her favorite beach hat.  Well let’s face it my sister makes her wear a hat outside in the summer and this is the only one she will wear… ‘if she has too’ !

In this photo:Buckey Hat:  White with green and pink crocheted flower

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