What I Learned in my First Year as a Mother

A list of 100 little things I learned during my pregnancy and my first year of being a first time mom. The road through motherhood is not always paved pretty but I wanted to share my insight on motherhood. All of the highs and lows of our first year are highlighted in this list and I hope that it helps any new moms out there. Motherhood is beautiful journey no matter how messy it might get.

1. Eat what you feel like eating during your pregnancy within reason. I always gave into my little guilty pleasures because it was easier than not.
2. Your weight gains will fluctuate. Don’t compare yourself to other mom’s out there gaining at a different pace than you. Everyone is unique in this way.
3. You will most likely be very tired in the first or third trimester. Rest, relax and enjoy being pregnant. This calls for a lot of lazy Netflix days for you. Don’t worry on binging, it will be rare once the baby comes.
4. Pregnant bellies are the cutest, flaunt it! Everyone knows you’re glowing.
5. Getting “fat” during your pregnancy is the least of your worries. Worry about if you are getting what you need for your baby.
6. Maternity, shmaternity clothes. If you can get around not buying expensive maternity clothes, do so. Trust me; they’re not that comfortable to begin with.
7. Your feet will swell a little or a lot, don’t freak out.
8. During the ultra sound reveal, don’t feel guilty if the baby’s sex isn’t exactly what you were expecting. It will pass and it’s completely normal to feel that way.
9. Documenting my pregnancy beginning through the end was the best thing I did during my pregnancy. I now can look through pictures and blog posts to reminisce.
10. Find a pediatrician early, don’t wait to do this. Pediatricians fill up quickly. Do your research and interview with your top choices and choose at least 2 pediatricians so that you have a backup plan.
11. Find a daycare in advance as well. Take tours and do interviews with potential providers. Daycares fill up quickly and you want to make sure that you choose the best daycare for your baby. Expensive doesn’t always equal higher quality of education/care. They will spend a majority of their time with this provider so choose wisely.
12. Don’t expect that your entire baby’s essentials will be met at the baby shower. Buy the essentials and keep all receipts just in case someone does buy you something better than what you’ve already bought. [:
13. Pack your hospital bag early. I packed mine at 7 1/2 months. Make sure that all of Dad’s and baby’s things are packed as well to make the hospital trip flow with ease.
14. Be prepared to not be prepared for your first birth. No one can tell you EXACTLY how it’s going to happen or what is going to happen until it happens. Trust your motherly instincts.
15. Educate yourself for the big day. It never hurt to read up on c-sections and vaginal births. You never know which one you may have to endure.
16. Your water may not break like the movies. If you’re 99.9 % you didn’t pee and it’s wet, you probably broke your water.
17. Have Dad ask work for paternity leave even for a week to help you out during your first week back home.
18. Labor is hard.  It will take time and it hurts a lot, but remembering that it comes only in intervals helps.  Pack things that calm you and make you happy to help cope.
19. Making the call to do an emergency C-section was the first wakeup call I needed to believe I really was a Mom.
20. Having a C-Section isn’t the worst thing in the world, even if at the beginning it seems like it. Take your time to take care of yourself too during recovery time.
21. Savor the moment when you first see your baby. She has changed your life forever. You will remember everything about the moment forever.
22. You will never be worry free ever again. You will always worry 24/7 but its okay.
23. Remember to cut yourself some slack because you are learning along with trying to be the best Mom you can be.
24. Ask for help from Dad at this time. He’s there to help you too, even if he’s a little lost along with you.
25. Rocking a pony tail is necessary for days home with the baby. You look put together and your hair isn’t going to get caught in all the spit up.
26. Sleeping the first week home with your baby and while on maternity leave is a must. You will be up around the clock until you figure a schedule out for her.
27. Speaking of schedule; get your baby on a schedule so that she has things to look forward to. Remember, she’s coming into your life so she will learn to accommodate your schedule.
28. Holding your newborn all the time will not spoil them in the least bit. There will come a day where they’re crawling/walking that they don’t want to be held so savor this time.
29. The shower is your new day spa. Whenever you have the chance to get a good shower in, take it. Washing your hair is must, while makeup is now optional.
30. Learn how to use the bathroom efficiently. You will understand how quickly 30 seconds pass when you need to care for a baby and go to the bathroom at the same time. Your days of going to the commode solo are gone.
31. Get rid of the need to always have your house clean and spotless, having a clear floor path is all you need.  Your house will never be clean clean again it’s nearly impossible.
32. You must plan everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Your schedule will be filled with people wanting to see the baby, time with the family and time with yourself.
33. Letting my baby cry it out doesn’t mean that I doesn’t mean I love her any less. Babies have to learn how to soothe themselves.
34.  She doesn’t care about my expectations of being a mother. All she cares about is how much I love her.
35. Not being able to breastfeed for as long as I’d like doesn’t mean I failed. What’s more important is that my baby is healthy and thriving.
36. Have a schedule for feedings for yourself. Plan around feedings so that you’re prepared to wake up when they need you.
37. Prepare for nightly feedings. Do not SKIP this; you will never regret being over prepared when they wake you up at 2 am.
38. Babies still need to burp even if they aren’t newborns anymore. It will take time, so give it time.
39. Babies go through growth spurts. Be prepared. My girl would inhale 6oz , fall asleep and repeat 2-3 times a night during this time. It happens from time to time for about a week a time. This is what we called our “no sleep” weeks.
40. Learn to love meal planning/prepping for the family. The Crockpot will be your life saver when you’re in a time crunch and need to prepare dinner. You will always have better tasting home cooked meals than take out.
41. Returning to work from maternity leave is rough, but necessary. You can always call your provider during the day to check up on them for an update.
42. Savor the times that she will fall asleep on your chest. This time will be the one of the few times that you think to yourself that you are a successful parent.
43. Doctor visits to get shots are never fun for them or you. Make sure that is the day that they get lots of TLC from you and Daddy.
44. Tummy time may seem impossible at first, but they will grow to love it. It is necessary for their development.
45. Once babies learn how to roll over, it is all they will do. Make sure that you’re always with them.
46. Making sure that your babies’ bottles are always warm is prepping your baby to be a picky bottle feeder. You will not always have a bottle warmer with you. We always used room temp water.
47. Brand name formulas will tend to make babies constipated. Use generic brands (we love the Target brand!) No constipation and a hell of a lot cheaper.
48. Teething can start early and will happen quickly, painfully – you must be prepared even if you don’t know what is going on. Always keep checking for new teeth and old symptoms. We bought all natural medicine for her to take.
49. Hylands All Natural medicine works WONDERS. Do not be fooled by the fact that it’s natural. It works.
50. Teething necklaces do work. It gives you the assurance you need that your baby is okay and you will see the difference when you use one.
51. Don’t be set on them eating exactly at six months. Let them explore, have fun and learn from eating. Start slowly, but introduce them to all different kinds of food.
52. Giving up the bib during eating times (with solid foods) was the best decision we’ve ever made. We strip her down to only the diaper to let her plan and explore with her food.
53. You will cry at every milestone for your baby. Embrace the happy, bittersweet tears.
54. Allowing her to explore is a lot more valuable than having her clean and tidy.  There is never a day she doesn’t come home dirty and happy from a day at school.
55. She will continue to grow and learn just as long as I help her along the way.
56. Baby laundry piles up quickly. Doing more than one load a week will help.
57. Speaking of laundry, babies love a nice warm pile of laundry to crawl into. Don’t get too attached to your folded laundry.
58. Music always helps; for car rides, cleaning up and for dancing to be silly. It’s the biggest stress reliever.
59. No matter how awful you sing, they will listen too! They will try to even sing along with you.
60. Reading with babies is almost impossible, but they are interested so you must keep reading!
61. Sleeping in her bed will always be more comfortable than anything else.  Don’t even try to think otherwise.
62. Making your own baby food (rice cereal, fruits and veggies) isn’t hard. Take the time and just do it. It saves you a lot more money than you think.
63. Having her watch a little TV won’t kill her. In all actuality it’s not that appealing to them compared to spending time with you.
64. Allowing her to explore and not giving into every little cry/whine will make her independent. She will find a way to entertain herself.
65. Read up on Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ’s ) if your pediatrician doesn’t readily have them available for you to check up on your baby’s development learning. We complete ours every two months with or without doctor check ups.
66. They don’t always need new toys. They would much rather play with pots, pans and Tupperware.
67. They always want to be with you. Give them a break, they haven’t seen you all day so make a little time for just the both of you.
68. Never leave the house for an overnight/long trip without her favorite doll/thing. Mowglie must come with us everywhere we go.
69. Poop does not kill you. If she has a diaper rash- wash her butt! Most of the time wipes only make it worse.
70. Learning how to multitask and quick. You will need to do 2-5 things all at once and you need to be quick and master them all.
71. You will have to be superwoman more often than not but all you have to do is plan and prepare for S#%^ to hit the fan at home.
72. When she is sick, you will have to take a sick day. You will worry, you might get sick too and you will have to just spend time with her in her time of need.
73. Bath time isn’t always relaxing for babies, but you should do your best in trying to do so regardless.
74. Errands will never be the same. It will take you 2x as long to get through the store.
75. You must find shoes that are comfortable and practical for them to wear once they start working. Cool, expensive shoes don’t always fly with the little ones.
76. Don’t get attached to new clothes. They will get ruined no matter how hard you try.
77. Hand me downs are perfectly acceptable. There is nothing wrong with a great set of hand me down clothes.
78. The moment that they run up to you when picking them up from daycare will always be the best part of your day.
79. Sensory is a huge thing with them. They need to touch and feel everything, let them- just make sure you have the wipes/sanitizer to help them out after they’re done.
80. Always over estimate the change of clothes they will need where ever you go. Blowouts puke and etc. will always surprise you.
81. Talking to your baby will not make you look like a crazy person. It will make you look like a parent that actually cares to talk to your baby. If you talk so will they.
82. You will cry at when she says her first words, even if it so happens to be “Dada”.
83. When she finally speaks more than a few words you will be so proud and when she finally says Mama your heart will race and melt all at once. There’s no other better feeling than that.
84. When walking letting them fall isn’t the worst thing that can happen to them. Allow them the freedom to explore what to do and what not to do.
85. Do not compare your baby’s development to others. Every baby is different. But making sure their development is moving along is important.
86. Crying and frustration is allowed as a mother, just make sure that you know you’re doing the best you can for both of you.
87. Join a group of mothers or befriend new mothers for support during this first year.
88. Going to work doesn’t make me any less of a parent, but you bet your ass I love my daycare provider for loving my child while I’m away.
89. Baby proofing outlets was the only thing we did to baby proof. They will learn what not to touch/get into even if it means more work for you.
90. Don’t stress about having them suck their finger/thumb/binky they will stop when they’re ready.
91. Take all the help you can get. It will not kill you or make you any less of a mom.  Support is support!
92. Your friends will change as your priorities change. You will be busier, but they will understand that your life has changed for the best.
93. Your sole priority is your baby now. Everything is done for their best interest and not yours.
94. Moving them over from bottle to sippy for milk is a harder transition than you think, you will have to give in to this one. That transition will happen when they’re ready. However, starting them on a sippy cup is essential and no time is too early.
95. They will mimic you. You have been warned.
96. You will get smacked, kicked, hit by an almost toddler tantrum. Be aware and learn how to counter it gently.
97. Take too many pictures of your little one. A year passes by quickly and you don’t want to miss a thing.
98. There are no hard and fast rules on parenting. Go with your gut and you will do just fine.
99. Even on your toughest days, it will get better.
100. I will always be known as “Haidyn’s Mom” and there’s nothing else in this world I’d rather be.

** SEE ORIGINAL POST HERE ** 

DIY| No Sew Baby Sushi Costume

I love creating our own Halloween costumes! We started brainstorming on our costume ideas for months before Halloween which helps us get the great deals from every store before Halloween. We love it that much! We save a lot of money in creating our costumes every year and we get to be creative as a family! ( Seriously, can you believe how expensive the costumes are now?)  I know that I only have a couple years until Haidyn doesn't want to be what we chose, but until then I get to have fun!  Last year we dressed up as sushi and soy sauce and it was a huge hit. Here's how I created the cutest baby shrimp nigiri ever and we spent under $20 for all of our costumes. Can you say win? 

MATERIALS 

• Shrimp template ( you can use this one ) 
• Iron
• Felt (orange, cream, black, green, neon green, and light pink)
• No Sew Glue / Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
• Scissors
• Baby bodysuit 

• 
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Create your shrimp template. 
   
2. Take the orange felt piece and cut our your "shrimp" . Cut out all pieces of the shrimp.
3. Taking the cream felt piece lay out your shrimp pieces and start to glue them down to create your shrimp. 
   
   
   
4. Once the glue is dry cut out the excess cream felt to reveal your shrimp and set aside. 
   
5. Take the darker green felt piece, fold in half , create your grass bed decoration and cut in half. (This is what the sushi will lay on.) Glue each grass decor to the back side of the body suit and let dry. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6.  Once back side is dry flip the body suit around and glue the shrimp on top of the body suit. ( This will take most of the time. Make sure that the shrimp adheres to the bodysuit or everything will fall apart. ) 
7. While the shrimp dries onto the body suit cut out a black strip from the felt ( to create nori ) and set aside, 
   
8. Create your wasabi and ginger by gluing together pieces of green and pink/cream felt. (Get creative with this step, it doesn't have to be perfect. ) 
   
    
   
   
9. Once shrimp is secure on body suit glue on nori and let dry. 
10. Once nori is set in place glue on wasbi and ginger pieces and let dry. 
    

We loved our costumes last year! 

Check out our last Halloween here. 

Haidyn Eighteen Months| Happy 1/2 Birthday !

HEIGHT & WEIGHT

Haidyn is growing like a weed! She is standing at 30 inches and weighing in at 23.4 lbs. I swear to you that she’s going to be bigger than me! She's already half my size [:

HEALTH

Haidyn is as healthy as can be other than the recent stomach bug she went through.  However, when she gets sick all hands are on deck. She’s not one to fuss or whine when she’s not sick, but if she starts to you know that she’s not feeling well. When she’s sick she’ll do whatever it takes for you to take her to school, which is the sweetest thing in the world.  

TEMPERAMENT

She’s the kid that will say “Hi” and “Bye” to everyone just to make them smile. She’s opinionated when she has to be and most of the time she HAS to be.  She’s friendly and very kind and polite, but very sassy when she wants to be. She’ll give you the “sass” stare if she’s not feeling what you’re putting down. She’s the sweetest kid you’ll ever meet and will always let you know how much she loves you with one of her amazing hugs.

DIET

The only time she’s a picky eater is if her teething is getting in the way of her eating.  During teething she’ll only eat; rice, eggs, colbie jack cheese and noodles. Could she be anymore Filipino? [: But when she’s not teething she will eat just about anything from sushi to roast to veggies and all fruits. You name it and she’ll eat it.

SLEEP

She sleeps through the night and has been since she was 2 months old. We got extremely lucky with her in the sleep department. However, she does wake up before I go to work because she’s hungry or just wants to say “Hi”. I still like to think she wakes up just to see me in the morning. So every morning at 4 am I get a wakeup call from her saying “Mama” and I jump out of bed to get my morning cuddles and she lays back down. She’s always been a good sleeper at set her own schedule. She sleeps from 7:30/8:00 pm to about 7:30 am.

CLOTHING & SHOE SIZES

 It’s no joke that she’s growing. Haidyn is fitting into 2T,24M and 3T in both shirts and pants now. Her pants are finally catching up to her body. She stopped fitting into 18M by 15ish months, talk about sobbing Mommy over here.  She’s in between 5-6 now in shoes. :[ We can never get her the right shoe at the moment. As soon as we buy her a pair she’s already out grown them!

LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION

Her language skills are through the roof. She can say up to 30 + words. I’ve combined Tagalog, sign language and English for her because I want her to be bilingual. ( When she gets older I hope for her to learn Paiute as well). She says some words and understands in Tagalog, but most of it is in English. And even though she can’t say a specific word she has to sign it to us. Everyone from grandparents to us understands what she’s saying. She’s having a tough time putting together words to form sentences but I’m sure that will come with age. She babbles in her own little way (especially if she wants to sit and argue with you).

GROSS MOTOR & FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT 

 

She is my sneaky explorer. She’s one to climb on just about anything and doesn’t care about how far the fall might be. She can climb up stairs all by herself (even though it still terrifies me). So the playground is her thing! She loves to run, jump, play catch and play basketball! As far as it goes for sneaky, she loves getting into little things and digging things out of places you never thought were possible. She loves drawing and “coloring” for all of us to hang up on the fridge.

PROBLEM SOLVING

She’s starting to become more independent and learning that she can do more without us. She’s having a fun time learning how to activate all her toys and sit to play with all her complicated toys.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL

Haidyn is still trying to figure out how to not hit/bite others when she’s frustrated, but it’s a work in progress. When she’s not frustrated though, she loves to show you how much she loves and cares for you. She’s not shy in showing you at all. If you get a hug from her, you know you’re in her inner circle. She loves playing with others even though sometimes it is rough for her to share. She does through tantrums. The terrible 2’s started early for us, but we’re not that shocked. She’s not much into dolls, other than Mowglie, but she loves her stuffed animals and pretending she’s a doctor to fix them up.

LIKES

-swimming in the lake

-play the drums

-play basketball

-dancing and singing

-mowglie

-playing telephone

-grocery shopping

-colbie jack cheese

-going to school

-going to grandma and gramps’ house

-pow wows
-dressing up

-shopping

-doc mcstuffins

-rice/eggs

-imitating animal sounds

-all animals

 

DISLIKES

 -water being poured on her head

-when ppl don’t understand her

-being told “no”

-sitting “in the hallway” (timeout)

Milestones

- 8 teeth and 4 more on the way! Unfortunately, she's an over achiever in the teeth dept and likes to cut more than one at a time! :(

-         No more bottles!

-         Eats with a spoon ( rare but she can do it)

-         comprehends directions and rules ( knows right from wrong)

-         “reads” on her own

-         Tries to undress and dress herself

-         Speaks clear to where ppl understand

-         Tries to brush teeth by herself

-         Can walk up and down stairs

-         Running everywhere!

MAMA'S FAVES

-Haidyn is the best sous chef. She’s always helping me with the food and trying to cook it herself. It makes it easier to keep her entertained while I’m in the kitchen.

-When you pick her up for school/come home she gives you the biggest hug she can give you just to say “Hi”.

-Her hugs and kisses cure any stress you have on you btw.

- Learning/ comprehending Tagalog is one of the best things I can teach Haidyn. It’s a part of me that I love passing down to her.

-Watching her dance is something else. Her hips start going and she can’t control them!

- She’s a social butterfly and I love the fact that she can fit in wherever she goes. She played with her cousins right off the bat right after we introduced them.

- She’s traveling machine! We’ve traveled a lot this past year and did so well! We might even have to take her to Disneyland! [: But don’t tell her.

Check out her last 1/2 birthday, here.  Sometimes I miss my itty bitty baby girl. <3

DIY| Baby Shower Gift

A family friend of ours just had a baby boy. There is so much love to be shared with them now as new parents. My husband and I have been excited for their new addition since they announced their pregnancy. The latter is an understatement as we started to collect things we thought would be adorable and function for the little guy. I wanted to make a gift that would mean more than just a pack of diapers. Now don’t get me wrong diapers are great, but I wanted them to know how much we love them and their beautiful baby boy. I felt like it would be a lot more meaningful and personal if we put some of things that we knew parents want as well as what you actually would need for your first baby.

We stuffed a baby bathtub filled with goodies for them. We had so much fun prepping for this present and showing how excited we really are for this baby boy to join us. It was also great reliving our “baby” shopping days with Haidyn. She loved going through the baby sections at the stores with us.  Haidyn even got in on the action by picking out a little book and stuffed animal for him. Are you getting baby fever yet? I know, I was when I handed over our bathtub to our friends.

BATHTUB GOODIES

Stuffed Hippo

Hippo Book

Wash Cloths

Onesies

Pants

Pajamas

Rattle

Desitin

Car Seat Mirror

Baby Cologne

Baby Lotion

Bath towels

Wrist Rattles

Blanket