We have a 9 month old ♡
He went on his first plane trip this year, has been really liking more and more food, and is the busiest little guy I've ever met, lol.
While he's busy putting everything in his mouth and never sitting still, I've been thinking about things I once thought and how I feel about them now. In honor of Luke turning 9 months, I want to share 9 things that he has shown me differently on. I hope they bless you today!
#1 - Life will never be the same -
But pieces of it are the same. This always scared me when I thought about having kids. I didn't want everything to change. But I can see now how that's not completely true. Sometimes we (understandably) just want some things to remain the same for familiarity and comfort. At least I do. Yes....there are a lot of changes, but there are things that can stay the same too. You can get back to doing your favorite hobby. You can have that quality time with your husband that you look forward to. You can still have your favorite cup of coffee on your favorite couch, you just might have little hands trying to grab the mug too, lol. With all the transitioning, I still found my favorite pieces of my old life and fit them into the new crazy and beautiful puzzle.
#2 - They just get more difficult as they get older
And other things get easier. And other things get better. This part gets left out. Every new stage brings new challenges, but it also brings new things to be thankful for, excited about, and relieved for. My least favorite thing about this stage is feeding Luke food because it's messy, it's more work, and I do not enjoy being on edge to make sure he doesn't choke, lol. But he recognizes his mom and dad and lights up when he sees us, he sleeps really well, and he's so fun to play with. There are always things to look forward to, be hopeful for, and be excited about, don't let anyone let you think differently. ♡
#3 - Moms do it all
I mean, we do kind of rock ;) But the dads are superstars too. We see the moms running errand after errand, but we don’t always see the dads that get home from a long day of work jump in and play with the baby too. We see the moms making dinner, but we don’t always see the dads cleaning up the messes and listening to how our day was. The dads rock and the more we remind them, the more they light up and serve our families immensely.
#4 - Parenting will be a strain on your relationship
Or it could be a major (I have to use major any chance I can get, lol) upgrade. You're both making sacrifices and sometimes you're both at your wits end. But you're also seeing the sacrifices the other person makes and loving them more for it. The love gets deeper, richer, and better.
#5 - You won't have time for anything else
Time is always a hard one that I struggle with feeling like I never have enough of. But here's what I have found: when I make time for Jesus and put Him and my family first, He makes time. There is time for the things I love. There is time for me to enjoy being present. With the hustle and bustle of the day to day life, I think having kids helps you appreciate slowing down and really helps you be thankful for the quiet moments, lol. Time goes faster, but our souls learn how go slower.
#6 - I never _______. You don't need _____.
Every kid is different, every family is different, and every one of us is different. That's what's so beautiful about life. Nothing goes to plan - often from birth, LOL .But thank goodness it doesn’t. God’s plans are always a million times better than anything we could even think of. Try not to compare and try not to worry if what you do or need is different than what they do or need.
#7 - Enjoy each day
There have been hard days that I don't enjoy as much, and that's okay. Each new day is God’s way of redeeming. A hard day or a hard week doesn’t equate to a hard life. And a hard season doesn’t equate to you not being a good parent. There's been some days where I've said, "I'm ready for a new day!" But with each hard day, there's usually a better next day.
#8 - You have no idea what you're doing
This might be partially true? LOL. But in all seriousness, my favorite thing I've learned in my short 9 months of being a mom, is that we were given an intuition and leaning into that 'knowing' is a beautiful gift from the Lord. There is no instruction manual, but He is with us in everything we do. Sometimes moms just know what our babies need or want and that's no coincidence.
#9 - You’re worried about ____? You’ll have bigger problems later.
When a season feels hard, it's probably because IT IS HARD. Just because something later on might also be hard, it doesn't take away from the challenges that the current season is bringing you. You don't have to downplay the current struggles because someone else has more kids or because someone told you it will be harder when they're toddlers or teenagers. Remember, every season brings challenges, but it also brings new things to look forward to.
We are so thankful for 9 months with you, Luke.
Much love,
Brittany ♡
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