#reallife

One of my favorite things that we do in our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Group is we post photos of our real life.  Even the worst of it.  So often the images we see on social media are people’s perfect self, their perfect life.  We control what we put on social media and we only want to put our best self out there.  We won’t post a selfie when we are having a bad hair day, we try not to show our house when it is not perfectly clean.  We only post pictures of our happy children.  But let’s be honest, that’s not real life.  This is real life:

Sometimes your child spits up on you while you are laying on the couch and then rubs his face in it.  Then, since there is no one at home to help you, you have to sit up, letting it all run down your shirt, in order to get you both cleaned up.  Gross!

Sometimes you just can't get to the laundry and when you finally do, it looks like this.

Sometimes you have to eat dinner on the floor in front of the TV because you can't eat at the table.

Sometimes the dishes don't get done, you can't take a shower, you can't get out of your pajamas.  Sometimes life is just too crazy to be perfect.  Sometimes you spend your whole day rocking your teething child.  Some days you just need to sit on the couch, eat a whole row of Oreos, and watch some TV and neglect the housework.  And that's okay!  It happens to everyone.  Our lives aren't perfect, they are REAL.

Haven't showered since yesterday, still in my PJ's, wearing a sweater that I've worn for the past 3 days, and a crying child who just won't take a nap.  This is my life, it's real, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

 
Comment with pictures of your #reallife!

Please Don't Tell Me

Encouragement and advice can be great things.  I know that people care, but please stop telling me:

1. That most first babies come late.
That’s not what I want to hear right now.  I’m hoping every day that the baby comes.

2. That I need to stock pile my sleep now.
I’m having trouble sleeping, so telling me to sleep more just makes me frustrated.

3. That my life is about to change forever. 
I know and I’m excited about that!

4. All the crazy labor stories that you’ve heard or have had happen to you.
I don’t need to be thinking about everything that can go wrong!  And every pregnancy and labor is different.

5. It’s all worth it.
It’s great to hear this, but I’m excited to figure this out for myself.

6. That I look great.
That’s very nice to hear, but I don’t feel great.  I feel huge and uncomfortable

If you have said any of these things to me, don't worry, I'm not mad at you, but Adam says I'm starting to get snippy, so this is advice for the future ;)


Coming Soon:  Final Pictures of the Completed Nursery!!
 

 

Big Belly

 My belly is so big.  I've actually been bumping it on things because I forget that I have this big belly sticking out.  My winter coat, which I bought 3 sizes too big, doesn't hardly zip any more.  I think my big belly is beautiful but I'll be happy to give it up at any time.  Check out this photo:

 

Now that's what I call growth.  Now you can see the whole owl.  Lately I have had this feeling that the baby just does not have enough room in my already big belly.  It's like my skin isn't stretchy enough.  And sometimes the baby will stretch and it hurts so bad.  It feels like the baby is going to punch through my skin.  This is what I'm visualizing:

 

Only three weeks to go!  Here's a funny video that's getting me through (caution: one bad word at the very beginning).  Enjoy!

Wide Load

Beep..Beep..Beep..wide load coming through.

This is one of the biggest things about being at the end of my pregnancy.  I feel, and I am, huge. 

 

 

The elastic on my maternity pants no longer fits over my belly, so now I rely on leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants.

Rolling over in bed is not so simple anymore, and neither is getting out of bed.

I cannot bend over.  Drop something?  It stays on the ground.  Shoelaces untied? Beg husband to tie them, or switch to slip-ons.

Trying to squeeze through a space that would have been no problem before?  Problem now.

Only getting my winter coat zipped if I don’t have a lot of layers on and can stretch it just far enough.

Wearing husbands t-shirts so that I don’t show my mid-drift in public.

For a few more weeks, until baby Tomlinson arrives, this will be my daily struggle, but at the end there will be a beautiful baby and I’m sure it will all be worth it!

A Suggestion for what to do this Weekend

It’s the weekend!  You know what my favorite thing to do on the weekends is?  Watch movies.  Actually this is my favorite thing to do every day, but especially the weekends.  And even more on cold weekends when I can curly up on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate, and my hubby if he’s willing.  In honor of the movie night I hope to have this weekend, here’s my list of recommendations of movies to watch while you’re pregnant.  Let me know what you think of the list!  Hopefully you will find something that interests you for a movie night of your own.

10 Movies to Watch when Pregnant (in no particular order)

Father of the Bride 2

George Banks finds himself with his daughter pregnant and his wife!  How the whole family deals with these challenges and excitement is hilarious and will make you, and your spouse, laugh, and maybe even your baby too!

What to Expect when you’re Expecting

Such a fun movie about pregnancy.  It has ups and downs, but it’s all about families and new life.

The Backup Plan

Zoe is ready to have a baby, but she doesn’t have a man.  So she decides to have a baby on her own.  Once she becomes pregnant, she meets the man.  This is a funny movie where nothing goes as planned. 

Babies (documentary)

An adorable look at babies from all over the world!  When I watched it I could not get the smile off of my face.

Raising Helen

This movie is not about pregnancy or babies, and the beginning is a little sad, but it’s all about parenting: the good and bad of it.

Baby’s Day Out

Just a cute baby wandering around New York City, what’s not to love?

Knocked Up

This is the only rated R movie on my list, but it’s on here because, if you can find it on TV it is hilarious.  Boy meets girl, girl gets pregnant, and they try to figure out how to become parents.

Baby Mama

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, need I say more?  This movie is about a woman who does not have a man but wants a baby, so she gets a surrogate to carry her baby.  They live together, and find out that they have different ideas on how this pregnancy will be carried out.

Juno

Teenager gets pregnant and has difficult decisions to make.

The Princess Bride

Nothing about pregnancy, parenting, or anything.  This is just a good movie and I will use any excuse to watch it.

 

As I made this list I also thought of some movies that you should definitely not watch when pregnant.

Kill Bill

Pregnant bride loses her baby, and then she seeks revenge.

The Changeling

A mother is sure that her kid was kidnapped, but no one will believe her.

John Q

Child needs a heart transplant the family can’t afford.

Rosemary’s Baby

Just don’t.

Taken

Daughter is kidnapped.

I hope you found a movie that interested you.  What movie do you think should have been on this list?

It is that common, it does happen to everyone, and it’s not a big deal

Pregnancy brain.

It’s real.  It’s a symptom of pregnancy.

All your blood in my body is focused on the baby and not on going to my brain.  And my husband will tell you that pregnancy brain is a total real thing, and I have it, BAD.

I forget everything, even if I write it down.  I can’t remember things, and my brain is not the same as my brain before my pregnancy.

So what do I do?  I laugh at it and I accept it.

Enjoy this comic from pregnancyhumor.com, I like to call it: Your Brain on Baby.