My 100 Things post...but with a twist!
Instead of 100 things about me (which I know you were dying to read), this is all about motherhood and the wonderful, crazy, surprising things that come along with it. As I "tackled" this monumentous feat (over the last few days), I was reminded of my past posts and a few from other bloggin' mamas so check out the linky love!
Once you make it through this LONG list (I promise it won't take as long for you to read it as it took for me to write it), I'd love to hear what it was that surprised you most...and be sure to enter my 1st giveaway!
So here we go!
100 Things Nobody Told Me About Motherhood...
1. mustard poop
2. daily diaper blowouts (usually right when you are walking out the door.)
3. Circumcision care is nerve racking.
4. “projectile” spit-up
5. I’d change the baby’s clothes at least 3 times a day.
6. I would change my clothes at least 3 times a day.
7. never-ending laundry
8. Dreft is overrated. (ALL Free & Clear is good too & half the price!)
9. Clorox Bleach for colors would become my best friend.
10. I would understand why Kate gets so freaked out about stain removal.
11. My belly button would never be the same again.
12. lopsided b00bs
13. Breastfeeding could be so painful.
14. Breastfeeding would become so natural.
15. Some people would be so supportive.
16. Some would be so insensitive.
17. Weaning would be harder for me than for the baby.
18. I’d feel like a walking zombie. (My kids didn’t sleep through the night until they were 9-10 months old.)
19. I would fall asleep standing up.
20. I would fall asleep nursing.
21. There's nothing I'd love more than snuggling my sleeping baby against my chest.
22. There are SO MANY sleep methods. (I probably read all of the books! Jodi Mindell’s book worked best for me.)
23. There’s so much DEBATE surrounding sleep methods.
24. “Nap when the baby’s napping” is great advice, but becomes pretty much impossible when you have a toddler too.
25. I would consider checking into a hotel just to get a good night's sleep!
26. So many people would tell me “You look tired.” I KNOW! Do ya really have to rub it in?
27. Co-sleeping (at some point) is inevitable.
28. I would appreciate my mother so much more.
29. I'd learn to do all kinds of things with one hand like…
30. … eat
31. … do laundry
32. ….go to the bathroom
33. ….type
34. …make breakfast
35. …make lunch
36. …make dinner
37. Some mornings, I’d forget to brush my teeth.
38. Some evenings, I’d be too tired to brush my teeth.
39. A trip to the dentist without the kids could be relaxing (unless you’re getting a crown…)
40. A five minute shower would be a luxury.
41. 2-n-1 shampoo and conditioner becomes a time-saving necessity.
42. My curling iron would collect dust.
43. Make-up application would take less than two minutes.
44. My toenails would be neglected.
45. Pedicures would be so therapeutic.
46. Going to the park would be so exhausting.
47. Going to the grocery store would be so exhausting.
48. Free cookies at the store’s bakery would be a godsend…(distracts the kiddos for at least 5 minutes.)
49. Going pretty much anywhere with two little kids would be so exhausting.
50. I would suffer from The Shoe Shoppin' Blues.
51. Five o’clock is the bewitching hour…
52. …that is, until Daddy comes home. (They love their daddy!)
53. I would break my promise not to own a minivan.
54. I would grow to like my minivan (of course, it’s no Mustang.)
55. My van would be forever littered with Goldfish crackers, Happy Meal toys, empty juice boxes, etc…etc…etc…
56. Removing and washing a car seat cover is more complicated than it looks.
57. There’s nothing cuter than a kiddo zonked out in his car seat.
58. Going to the bathroom alone is a rarity.
59. Having a complete thought is a rarity.
60. Talking on the phone causes mass chaos. (unless you give the kids a piece of gum, but mine are still too young for that.)
61. Sometimes moms just need chocolate (or ice cream or a Crepe Diablotin).
62. A kid will eat anything dipped in Ranch dressing…almost.
63. All chicken nuggets are not created equal.
64. I would let my kids have ice cream before dinner...once in awhile.
65. “Poo-poo” and/or “pee-pee” would be mentioned on an hourly basis.
66. Potty training could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. (for the mama not the kiddo.)
67. Timing is everything.
68. There are such things as blueberry diapers.
69. Poop art may adorn the walls. (Luckily this hasn’t happened in our house yet…ugh!)
70. I would have “Mommy Dearest” moments.
71. I’d watch the Today show maybe 20 minutes a week.
72. I’d be oblivious to the latest news headlines…
73. …or what music is topping the charts…
74. …or who is starring in the latest blockbuster movie.
75. But I would know all the characters and the theme song to Blue’s Clues…
76. and Dora…
77. and Wonder Pets…
78. and Backyardigans…
79. and Max and Ruby. (My kids LOVE this show!)
80. Nick Jr. and Noggin would become my two favorite channels.
81. I would avoid Barney like the plague.
82. I’d listen to the Baby Genius Nursery Rhymes CD probably 100 times.
83. My CDs would collect dust.
84. I’d sing karaoke with my kids.
85. My two-year old boy would wail out 80’s love songs…”Baaaaaaaaby, yeah, yeahhhhhhhhhh, yeah, yeah.”
86. There would be an obstacle course of toys, blocks, balls, etc…in my house.
87. Some days it could take an hour and a half to unload the dishwasher.
88. Little boys travel at the speed of light.
89. I would seriously contemplate how to nail the chairs to the kitchen floor to keep my boy from scooting them over to the counter 15 times a day. (Any ideas?)
90. I’d use WWF moves while trying to change a diaper.
91. My kids would climb on me like a human jungle gym.
92. I would give in to my daughter’s pleas for a pet…against my better judgement. (yes, we are getting a fish.)
93. I would laugh more than ever before.
94. I would cry when my kids got their shots. (I make Daddy come with us.)
95. I would cry when signing Abby up for preschool (just signing her up…she hasn’t even gone yet. I’m such a sap.)
96. I’d get weepy packing up outgrown baby clothes.
97. Time would fly by so fast. (People did tell me this, but I didn't realize...)
98. It was possible to love so deeply and selflessly...a kind of love I could have never imagined.
99. I'd lose my mind….
100. …but I would find my soul. (adapted from quote by Lisa T. Shepherd)
As much as I would love to treat you to a Crepe Diablotin for your heroic efforts as a mom (and for reading this post), I don't think it would fare too well in the mail so instead I'm giving away this inspiring book...
Moms need a little "chicken soup" once in awhile to lift our spirits and remind us how important our roles are as mothers.
So leave a comment and share your biggest motherhood surprise by Saturday the 30th and a winner will be announced on Monday, September 1st. Wow...it's September, already?
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30 comments:
Wow! I think you hit all of my surprises head-on! I will say that #11 was shocking. I'd hoped to have one of those cute preggo-outie belly buttons, but I didn't. But my once formerly cute belly button still doesn't look the same. Congrats on the 100th post! Excellent idea for the post, BTW.
Great post - I'm working on my 100th as well (and it's hard to make a list that long!). I think my biggest motherly surprise was how you could love so fully so instantly. I was smitten the moment Riley was born (ok probably well before I actually saw her, but when I did it was love at first sight!)
Awww... Good list.
I was surprised that sometimes I really, REALLY wouldn't like my kids. And that other times, I would think they were the coolest in the world.
oh wow honey!! what a great list!!
i can't even imagine how long it took to type!!
so besides the memory loss and the blueberry diapers - pretty sure the total sap in me is going to win out. i truly had no idea that the instant she was born i could feel such "primal" instincts to protect her always. the love goes deeper than i ever thought possible.
ps - love the last pic :)
Okay. So I didn't come to motherhood the natural and progressive way. However, since I am a Mommy, I will contribute to this -
I never expected to love someone so completely and fully that didn't come from me. I didn't expect my little boy to so completely grip my heart that it hurts sometimes to realize just how much I really do love him. I didn't expect there to be days when just when I thought I couldn't love him any more than I already do - he hugs me or calls me Mommy - and I realize that with each passing day, I love him just a smidge more.
But, perhaps the biggest impact on me that I didn't expect - how much emotion the word "MOMMY" would evoke from such a sap like me.
It was a great post, Kel! I am going to have to do my own 100 things list.
Such a wonderful list! Motherhood brings a LOT of surprises.
My biggest surprise was how bruised up I'd be. I'm covered in bruises from head to toe from being jumped on, pushed about and kicked while I'm sleeping.
Just had to say, my daughter loves Max and Ruby, too! Even though she's an only child for now, she's alredy followed Ruby's lead and made NO ENTRY signs for her door so her little siblings won't come in.
That's the one I forgot! I have bruises everywhere. My kids seriously use me as a jungle gym.
Love it! What a great post.
Though my belly button remains the same as ever. I guess I am lucky and never knew.
Circumcision isn't an option here unless medically necessary which I am super grateful for as a mum of two boys. Don't think I could handle dealing with that.
My biggest surprise has been that having a baby wasn't as hard as I imagined it would be, but toddlers?? They are another story.
I can relate to all of those! Motherhood is a challenge and such a blessing. Thanks for the linky love--it made us feel special :-)
I think something that I didn't know until I became a Mother was how I could go from such a selfish person to such a selfless one now. I would give my kids and my husband my last bite or take the burnt grilled cheese and make my girls a nice cheesy one. I passed up an scoop of ice cream to make sure Journey and Faith could savor the yummy-ness. But I feel that everything I give up for them is so worth it and I wouldn't go back to my selfish self no matter what.
Great post--and pat-on-the-back for typing all of that out for us to enjoy!
Kalisha
hahahahaha,kelli i LOVED that. oh so true and so funny.
ps. my biggest surprise was how quickly my children would become smarter than i am. examples could range anywhere from being locked out of my room, bathroom, van, house, etc. all the way to having the boys paint the bedroom, carpet, walls and bedspread the night before my open house.....or the various locks that have been unlocked, child safety latches that don't stay latched, and what have you. of course don't forget times of forgetting to put ALL your clothes on, grab groceries from the car before they melt, and strap everyone's seat belts before going onto the interstate.
all in all i guess i'm surprised at how easy it is to make a fool out of mommy.
LOVE the list! So so true...and thank you for the linky love :)
For me I would have to say the following:
Nobody told me I would love her this much. They may have told me, but I never understood until I had her in my arms.
Nobody told me that she would eat anything and everything she could find. It may not be food to us, but to her it is :)
Nobody told me that I would want to talk to anybody who listened about breast feeding, poop, milestones, sleepless nights, teething...
Nodody told me how hard it is to clean anything red sauced off of a highchair.
Nobody told me that I would melt anytime she had a conversation with me, giggled with/at me, held onto my finger.
Okay, that's all I'll bore you with :)
What a fun idea for your 100th post, honey!
Such a clever idea Kelli!
Love it!
I agree with most of your commenter's...I never knew how much I could love one little person.
When I had Claire I was so fearful I would not be able to love her as much as Chase.
I had nothing to fear.
The love just comes...instantly.
The same with Cole.
I wondered how I would ever spread my love between three kids?
I did.
I do.
And I hope they know just how much I love each of them.
No one told me about... the pains of colic, sleepless nights, multiple bed partners for 12 years, musical beds, potty training,and the insurmountable laundry that would come.
But like you...I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Congratulations on your 100th post!
What a great list!
What a great post!
I'll add that nobody told me, and if they had, I wouldn't have believed it, that I would get to the point that I would not freak out when my daughter eats food off the floor.
Also, nobody told me that my hair would fall out for approx. 4 months.
I just sat here and laughed because you said it so well for all of us mommies. My only addition would be that no 2 kids are created equal. Holy cow!! I thought with the same parents my kids would all be the same...NOPE!! They are all so different and require different things.
I loved reading that list. You are so funny!
Oh this was reallllly good. Especially the Crepe Diablotin. Can I get a piece of THAT? Wowza.
What a fantastic post! Happy 100! I am amazed at all the work that you put into this, thanks for the great list.
Great post! I think you got it right all the way around!
Oops. I forgot to leave my biggest surprise about motherhood...
Finding out you could get and were pregnant when your firstborn was only 6 months old. But what a blessing it was!
Congrats on your 100th post. I think you summed it up pretty well. I think my biggest surprise in motherhood was that I would in fact have a child who was just like me!
I think you hit every nail on the head! I especially concur on #s 18, 56, 62, 66 and 79. And I only have 1 little girl!
What a great idea for your 100th post and Congrats on getting there!
No one told me that baby talk would become my favorite language or that "signing" with my baby would work out so well!
...that I would check my rear-view mirror about 10 times per trip just to make sure that I REALLY put the car seat in the car.
THAT is quite a list! I think you pulled out all of my surprises. Especially, the breastfeeding ones and time flying past. Time speeds up as they get older...take it from me.
Fantastic idea!
I'm having difficulty thinking of what has surprised me most about becoming a Mom. I'll have to get back to you on that.
What a great post. I'm forwarding this to my sister in law who is due in 3 weeks for her first baby. I just started blogging so I am blown away that you have 100 posts. Congratulations!!!!
That was a wonderful post!! My most surprising moment was how I could still function on NO sleep.
Can I say that is the coolest 100 things I have read in a while :)
You are a very quick learner. I have had four and I started ten years ago BUT I learned stuff on your list ;)
I know I'm late and that doesn't bother me, but I never dreamed that I would fight so hard for someone else to realise their dream. :)
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