Apparently people were afraid to center pictures back in the day...these were originals and they're both veering towards the left. And yes, I know that's a super scary birth picture...I swear babies are coming out cuter these days! Or maybe it's just MY babies that are coming out cuter?? Doesn't it just look like I came out talking though?? "Look Mr. Photographer...first off, you're standing a little too far to the right, my picture is going to be off center, and second, what's up with these bright lights??? It's making it difficult to open my eyes and that is obviously my best feature at the present time!"
I kind of look like I should be in the sound of music wearing this getup below...
Good grief, could I get any cuter mom??? Thanks for passing down the good genes...and thanks for developing a better sense of style by the time I would have been old enough to be embarrassed by it =)
By the way, I'm pretty sure the kids big heads didn't come from me afterall...can you tell from looking at the picture on the right, what child of mine that is??
Look at how happy I was...uninhibited smile and all...
K, now starts the portion of what I wish I'd known before having kids...1) To have relaxed more instead of trying to fit a million things in...when we went to Hawaii we had things planned for every second of our stay (including waking up at 3 a.m. one morning to go see a sunrise...who does that on vacation???) and now having three kids, you can bet if we went to Hawaii, we'd probably make zero plans and instead stay in the room sleeping 75% of the time while eating and laying on random beaches the other 25% of the time. And along the same lines as relaxing...to enjoy the view...it was easy to take for granted the palm trees and the sprawling ocean since we could have moments of silence whenever we wanted but now...times of peace and quiet happen few and far between...
2) That this was as thin as I was ever going to get...that I was in fact thin and not ridiculously fat like I thought I was (I was 5 months pregnant in the picture below)..
And about 7 months pregnant in these pictures--I weigh the same now as I did in these pictures and there is no baby on board =(
3) That actually being pregnant was even more enjoyable than all of the times I dressed myself up to be pregnant (as pictured below...(first picture is real pregnant, second picture is dressed up pregnant) I can't count how many times I would shove blankets under my shirt to see myself with that little belly...even before I'd formed a thought in my head about wanting kids and how many, I loved the idea of being pregnant)
4) That there was no reason to be scared upon finding out I was pregnant. There is absolutely nothing on this earth that could compare to having a child...nothing. We had just found out we were pregnant before this picture of RJ and I was taken...
5) That as awesome as being a mother is, it also sucks major butt sometimes. There's feelings of guilt for yelling too much that day, feelings of inadequacy, feelings of being overwhelmed and probably most of all on my part, feelings of being underappreciated (I know...they're only 4,2 and 3 months...not quite old enough to understand appreciating their mama...my fear though is that they never will realize all of what it takes and means to be a mother...except for maybe the girls...and even then, it'll take having their own children for it to fully come to fruition).
6) That these perfect little human beings that you birth with those big blue eyes, all of a sudden turn on you and start shouting crazy untrue things like "You're mean mommy!", "I love Grandma more!" and "Leave me alone!" but in reality, at the end of the day, you're the most important person to them and they don't really love grandma more. I actually just realized this one today because when Ayris told me she loved Grandma Molly more than me, I told her she could go pack her bags and live with her then because I didn't want her to suffer through living here when she could easily go live with the one she loves more...probably not my most defining moment as a mom but AGAIN, it's that feeling of underappreciation rearing it's ugly head...accckkk! Suffice it to say, Ayris did not want to move out...thank the good Lord himself because I'm not sure what my next move would have been had she asked for a plane ticket??? So the lesson learned here is that children can say mean and evil things BUT, as an adult with far more knowledge and the ability to alter perception, you can get your children back on track in no time =)
7) Siblings love to hate each other. Seriously, I cannot wait to have 4-5 children and see the type of relationships they'll all develop with one another as they grow older together but man, they fight like cats and dogs at these ages...if they're not screaming, they're hitting, if they're not hitting, they're pushing, if they're not screaming, hitting or pushing, they're sleeping...and that's about as far as the daily routine goes...but by golly, when one of those children leaves the house to go somewhere else without the other, it's like their best friend has left. They like the extra attention they get from Chris and I but the time is usually filled with "I miss Ayris" or "When is Asher coming home?"
The picture on the right is one of my all time favorites of Ayris and Asher together.
8) Raising daughters is hard. I don't remember wishing one way or the other for a boy or girl when we found out I was pregnant but once I found out it was a girl, I was super excited to buy all kinds of girl clothes and have girl talks and watch movies together, etc...MAN, I wasn't thinking about how that female psycho gene would actually be implanted into my very own child...seriously though...it's difficult...and no one ever told me that it happened so young...one would think that a girl could wait until she was at least a teenager to develop some attitude...it started at like 3 with Ayris. But I'll say it again...she's in a rough spot...she's the firstborn, she's female and there are more expectations placed on her unfortunately...expectations I swore she'd never have...there's more mom guilt to add to my plate...
These were the pictures below that got me started with my trip down memory lane...look at how cute and full of life she is...you just don't realize how crazy difficult it is to be a parent before you become one...constantly trying to figure out how to be the best parent you can be and like the quote above...basically having your heart walking around outside your body at all times...I'm far more afraid of bad things happening now that I'm a mom...things that could potentially take my children away from me...
Look at how blonde she was!! Now she's borderline turning into a brunette...All of my little blonde haired children are going to the dark side =(
Ayris will always be this little girl to me...spunky and so completely in tune with herself...she knows exactly what she wants and has a knack for putting together some of the most uniquely fashion forward outfits I've seen for a 4 year old. She is my determined/strong willed little girl...just like her mama...which is probably why she knows exactly the right ways to get me going.
This is a picture that came out a few years ago that I found in my box too...I thought it portrayed motherhood quite well on more days than not...
and THIS is one of my alltime favorite emails/forwards:
What Do You Do All Day
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in
their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers
strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and
there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even
bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded
against one wall.
In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the
family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was
spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled
on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand
was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of
clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that
something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the
bathroom door.
As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn
over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been
smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed
in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked
how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened
here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you
come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'
'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.
She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.
THE END
Oh my goodness, this cracked me up too (I found it online when I was trying to find the above passage
Upon telling people we're stay-at-home moms, we SAHMs have all heard (or heard others thinking) the question, "But what do you do all day?" In an attempt to shut those people up -- I mean, explain -- I have created a cheat sheet for you to whip out the next time someone asks this question.
Note: Detractors may point out that the following figures add up to more than 100 percent. This is no accident. In addition to no pay, there is no vacation or weekend from this job, either. But the benefits .... ah, they last forever (just ask any accidental SAHM who's a former corporate achiever). Anyway, here's the time breakdown:
•Picking things up -- 25 percent
•Putting things away -- 20 percent
•Pleading with other people to pick things up and put them away -- 10 percent
•Taking kids to playgrounds, playdates, music class or other activity to prevent them from destroying house -- 10 percent
•Doing paperwork (school, doctor, daycare, etc.) -- 2 percent
•Wiping bottoms, washing hands or otherwise assisting in the bathroom activities of other people -- 4 percent
•Dressing and undressing other people -- 6 percent
•Teaching other people to dress and undress -- 4 percent
•Preparing food -- 10 percent
•Helping other people eat food -- 10 percent
•Cleaning up after food preparation and consumption -- 10 percent
•Doing laundry -- 90 percent
•Worrying about money -- 15 percent
•Picking up and dropping off other people -- 22 percent
•Getting gas (for car) -- 2 percent
•Getting gas (from eating hot dogs and mac & cheese) -- 1 percent
•Paying bills, clipping coupons, talking to various "service" people on the phone -- 6 percent
•RSVPing, shopping for, and going to birthday parties -- 13 percent
•Reading stories -- 15 percent
•Making up stories -- 12 percent
•Grocery shopping -- 50 percent
•Making lists for grocery shopping -- 45 percent
•Doing things for self (showering, eating, going to the bathroom) -- 4 percent
•Threatening others -- 2 percent
•Bribing others -- 3 percent
•Answering questions (i.e., "Do dinosaurs have birthdays? What color is bear poop? Do fairies wear helmets? When a skunk bites you, does he say sorry?") -- 24 percent
•Repairing household objects that husband can't or won't fix -- 2 percent
•Indulgently ordering unnecessary child gear and toys online -- 3 percent
•Feeling guilty about the fact that you don't work "outside the home" -- 7 percent
Hahahaha, Do fairies wear helmets, do dinosaurs have birthdays...if those questions alone don't excite you about becoming a parent, I don't know what will...honestly, it's things like that that make the million loads of laundry a week and ridiculous amounts of attitude worth it all...seeing how these little miracles that YOU yourself made learn and grow everyday...and that I, as a stay at home mom get to witness it...well again, there's not much else I'd rather be doing. I feel so fortunate that I have the ability to stay at home with my three beautiful kids...so thank you to Chris for making that possible!
Alright, after the 100+ hours I put into this, I'm going to click publish post...I should be good now for a couple of weeks right??? =)
I loved the old pics of YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Michelle, you are an amazing woman, wife and mother!!
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