Tuesday Talk!
Hi!! Happy Tuesday!!
How is your week going so far?? I sure hope it is off to a great start!
I wanted to give everyone a friendly reminder that next Wednesday, May 4, Leigh, Erica and I will be hostly our monthy "Pinspiration Wednesday" link-up! Our topic for May is: Getting Bathing Suit Ready! We would love it if you would link up with us and share your favorite healthy recipes, workouts and even motivational quotes related to health and fitness that you have found by "pinning" on Pinterest! I am especially excited about this topic as I have a solid amount of baby weight to lose and I am going to need all the motivation and inspiration I can get!
And now onto a little something I wanted to share today :)
So- I am (hopefully) just days away from welcoming my 5th precious baby and SO many people have asked me if I feel nervous about having "THAT MANY KIDS." I have also had multiple, albeit, well-meaning, individuals insinuate how "crazy" I must be to want to have so many kids. HA!
And I totally get it! 5 kids is A LOT. BUT- there are many families out there with even more kids than that! My mom is one of 8 GIRLS. Now that is A LOT of kids- HA! One of my best friends has 6 kids and she is from a family of 10 kids! We know a family from church who has 9 kids- 4 of them being 2 different sets of twins! Anyway- my point is- 5 kids is A LOT- but I also don't think it is THAT many. Does that make any sense?!?
Okay- getting back to my point. I promise I have one :)
I am NOT nervous at all to have a 5th child. My husband and I are seriously just SO darn excited. And you know why we aren't nervous and totally just super excited??
Because we don't have blinders on. We know for SURE things are going to be crazy. hectic. SUPER loud. We are going to have even less time for ourselves as a couple and as individuals. We know I am going to be feeding the baby A LOT in the first few months and that Aaron is going to have to pick up in areas I usually "cover." We know the kids are going to smother the baby, love the baby SO much and probably never leave the baby alone- which is super precious but can also be quite, ahem, annoying- HA! We know getting out the door to go somewhere as a family is going to be a circus.
The key words here are: WE ALREADY KNOW THIS.
And by knowing this and having done it 4 times already- it prepares us in a different way than how a first time or second time or even third time parent might feel (I know- because I definitely felt differently when I was expecting my first baby!!). We have totally found our groove as parents- as a couple with many, young children and we know what works for our family. We really don't care what other people think of our parenting style or how we do "things." We also know that for every burst of absolute CRAZINESS- think house alarm going off and no idea of how to turn it off, Aaron stuck in crazy bad traffic-AND NOT HOME, pot on the stove boiling over water, all 4 kids crying and me with a horrible, crazy headache (happened last week :)- there are many more moments of CALM, EASY and just plain FUN. Experience and perspective allow us to get through the crazy moments without freaking out- because we know they are short lived and usually within 10 minutes- everything will be just fine again :)
We learned awhile ago- I think it was right after we had our 3rd daughter, that it was SO much better to lean into the crazy versus trying to fight it and control situations that were just NOT worth controlling. Babies and kids just don't make sense sometimes- you know!?!
Anyway- I am not sure if I making any sense- but here's what I hope you take away from all of this. Number 1: Please don't think I am acting like I am some awesome parent because I have had a lot of kids and therefore have a ton of wisdom and experience and am just SO amazing. Because I am NOT. On a daily basis- I am in a constant conversation with Jesus- begging him to help me be the best mom for EACH ONE of my kids- because I surely can't do it on my own! Number 2: If you are feeling overwhelmed with where you are as a parent- whether that be as a first time mom, you just welcomed your 2nd or 3rd baby or maybe you are expecting your 7th- just take a deep breath, look around you- even if that is a screaming infant and melting down toddler and just SMILE. Even if you feel like you are going to lose it :) Force a smile. Look at your precious babies screaming- they are healthy! Their lungs work so well! HA! The screaming and meltdowns will stop- pretty quickly if you just give your toddler that cookie he wants and put on an episode of Bubble Guppies ;)
An attitude of gratitude- (it sounds SO cheesy- I KNOW)- goes SUCH a LONG way when you are in the thick of parenting precious, young little babies and kids.
I really don't know much when it comes down to it. But I do know that :)
Hope you have the BEST day!!
Linking up with these FABULOUS ladies today:
Girl you make being a mother of 4 look super easy! I know the 5th will be a breeze!
ReplyDeleteI have 2 kiddos and try so hard to soak it all up because like Darius Rucker's song "it won't be like this for long"
Im praying for a smooth delivery for you!
Heather
Oh Heather! Thank you for your kind comment!! I can guarantee you I adopt the "fake it 'til you make it" attitude most of the time! HA! And I love that song by Darius Rucker!! Thank you for your prayers- I appreciate them!
DeleteYes, to all of this! We are having a heck of a time with Mr. Wyatt. Wyatt & Cash are completely different babies. I knew that they'd be different, but I didn't think they'd be night & day different, so that has taken a lot of getting used to. I like to think that we are finding our groove...almost 8 months later. haha! I sure hope I just didn't jinx myself. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you to welcome this new baby & to watch your family grow!
I love this. I am excited for you. And I know the attitude of gratitude is clutch is happy motherhood! Your kids are so blessed to be yours! 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you Linsley!!! Being grateful, no matter what, keeps me going on the toughest days!
DeleteI love this post!!! I only have 2, but there are times when I feel completely overwhelmed especially because Brian works nights so 90% of the time it's just the girls and I home. And I do force that smile and thank god every single day for healthy girls. You are going to be amazing with this new baby Justine! I am beyond excited for you, Aaron and the kids!!! Happy Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteOh Johannah...2 is just as exhausting as 4 or 5 when you have to do the majority of the parenting yourself!! It is so evident in the way you talk about your girls how grateful you are to be their mom- and it shows in your smile and the joy you have about motherhood!! Thanks for your sweet comment friend :)
DeleteI love this!!!!! I am the oldest of 6 and my husband the oldest of 7. Big families are such a joy! We have 3 right now and would love to have a big family someday. (Please pray for us as we struggle with our infertility?)
ReplyDeleteI just love everything you said that it's hard to pick my favorite, but I love how you said "lean into the crazy vs. trying to fight it". That is so incredibly true. I need to work on that more (says the perfectionist!). God bless you as you await #5! You're in our prayers!!!!
Jessica, Sweet Little Ones
P.S. Thanks for sharing this for Tuesday Talk! This is the first one I've read so far and I know for sure that this will be one of my features for next week! I just love it :)
Jessica! Thank you for your kind response to my post! First and foremost- I read your blog and you have been in my prayers regarding your journey with infertility. I will continue to pray that God paves the way for your husband and you to have the large family you so desire! And yes- leaning into the crazy has been a learned behavior for both my husband and myself. I have really had to learn to LET GO of so many things- that while they matter to me- DON'T really matter in the grand scheme of things. My children have taught me so much about the person I don't want to be as well as the person I NEED to be!
DeleteThank you so much, Justine! You are so kind! Your prayers mean the world to us!
DeleteI'm glad to hear it's a learned behavior, and that it can be done! I really need to work on this. I love how you said your children teach you about who you NEED to be. That is so beautiful. Girl, you are on a roll with the motherhood advice :)
I can't wait to hear about your new little one and see pics, of course! You're all in our prayers!
Jessica, Sweet Little Ones
Honestly, I could not NOT read your post with that adorable family picture in the thumbnail. Thanks for these words about gratitude. No matter what phase of life we are in, Thanksgiving will change everything.
ReplyDeleteMichelle! You are so sweet. and I couldn't agree with you more- being a person who can be Thankful- in all circumstances is the type of person I am always striving to be!
DeleteLove this post. Thank you for always keeping it real! Parenting offers new lessons every day. Just when you think you have it figured out, life throws you a new challenge. I love how you say to lean into the crazy instead of trying to fight it. We are learning that the teen years can bring a whole new set of challenges. I am slowly learning that just "going with" the various phases is much better than trying to understand or change them. Right now we are in the "I want to wear black all the time" phase and I just remind myself that things could be much worse!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing article! Healthy, happy children are a HUGE blessing and we have much to be grateful for (despite the insanity in certain moments :)
ReplyDeleteSo sweet! I laughed at your advice to just smile through the tantrums and thank the Lord for healthy kids with healthy lungs. haha I'll definitely be doing that in this season of raising littles :) Taking things one day at a time and looking for the sweet spots in every day. Thanks for the reminder :)
ReplyDelete