Rachel Del: May 2014

9 (even more) surprising things about becoming a mother

it's been a while since i shared one of these lists, and truth me told i probably could have listed twenty more. that, my friends, is the thrill of motherhood!

everyone and their sister has an opinion about how you should be raising your child. my rule of thumb? i have 3 mothers whose opinions i trust and whom i admire who i go to for advice. any other unsolicited advice goes in one ear and out the other.
cutting my hair to above my shoulders was one of my biggest time savers yet. i highly recommend it.
there will come a time where the second you put your child down on the change table he is wailing and fighting you the entire time. i cannot wait for this phase to be over!
mealtimes are exhausting, especially with a picky eater. then there's the dishes to clean, the high chair and the floor around the high chair. three times a day. just sayin'
smoothies are a great way to sneak in veggies and other goodies. my son is addicted.
it never really gets easier. your biggest worries change day to day, and some things do get easier, but something else will always become harder at the same time. i used to always turn to my mom friends and say "please tell me it gets easier?" i've learned it's a flat out dumb question.
any time a stranger comments on how cute your kid is, you will an immense sense of pride. yes: you helped create that cute kid.
don't even bother putting anything your kid can't get into at his level, because he will get in to it, no matter how many times you tell him no. speaking of no. while he's just now old enough to understand the meaning of the word, he still thinks its funny and laughs before running away.
the first time you realize it's too quiet, and turn to see your kid sitting quietly on his little couch, playing with a toy will be one of your proudest moments as a parent, especially if you have a very busy boy like i do.

make sure to check out my first and second "surprising things about becoming a mother" installments, and as always, let me know what you're learning these days!

xo,
rdg

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Project Life 2014 | may four + five

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, by Unknown

life

it stays in my head even when i'm away from it

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, by Unknown

i just can't shake the feeling that i'm meant to live somewhere with open, green fields and dark, chipped wood under my feet. open cupboards and mismatched clay coffee cups stacked on the counter next to a day old pot of coffee. a place where wooded trails are just around the corner and you know all of your neighbors by name. a house with wooden window panes and sheer white curtains, and a yard full of tall grass for dj to roam in. the sparkle - the newness - of las vegas is beginning to wear off.

all i wanted was a few more moments.

okay, that's not entirely true:

i wanted a few hundred more.

i'm not sure why i've suddenly thought of this but i'm recalling - with a smile and a warm heart - helping my best friend go to the washroom on her wedding day, gathering the fabric of her dress in my hands and holding it, with my head cast downwards and my eyes closed, as she peed. i remember at the time thinking of how it reminded me of all the times, while getting ready to go out, all my girlfriends would gather at one of our houses and get ready together, an event that more often than not meant we would have to pee while the others gathered around the mirror. it's something so silly, but looking back it makes me long for those moments when my closest friends were just a fifteen minute drive away instead of thousands of miles by airplane. so many of my thoughts these days begin like this one did: with fond memories, yet they end with utter loneliness and longing.

i want to be the kind of woman who never lets the fruit bowl go empty.

during pregnancy i had all these ideas about the kind of mother i was going to be. i would possess endless patience. i would play when he wants to play, make silly faces all day long if they would make him smile, and hold him in my arms for as long as he will let me. i guess sooner or later you have to accept that sometimes things don't turn out the way you hoped they would, and that maybe doing the best you can is better than being perfect.

i'm at such a loss as to how i feel about this. this morning, as i laid in bed it occurred to me that what i might really want is for them to give me a reason to say no.

xo,
rdg

Excerpts from my journal, inspired by Ronnie.