I started this post back in late September, when motherhood was approaching but I thought I had a few weeks left to finalize it. I planned to get this live before I finished packing my bags for the hospital — but a certain little boy had other plans!
In reading these ideas, some of this I’ve done. Some of this is in the plans. And some of this — well, let’s just say that this is a good reminder of all these important things to not lose sight of along the way.
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Now that we are counting days and not weeks, it feels super real — well that, and my “basketball-esque” belly at the moment that serves as a constant moving reminder of just how close we are to our little boy’s arrival.
I remember writing a post what feels like not too long ago, though it was 8 years ago at this point, when I brought home my dog. At the time, I was excited yet terrified. Such a fun new addition to my world, yet so many new responsibilities, many of which I couldn’t begin to imagine answers for. I know that’s only a tiny touch of what we have in store for us with our upcoming addition.
We’ve been reading books. So many books. And taking classes. Long classes on feeding and infant CPR. A Cliff’s Notes version of childbirth (about as much as I could stand on the topic.) I’ve been doing a weekly expectant mom’s group through The Moms Groups just to talk through all of the ongoing things we’re sorting through. In general, we’ve been spending as much time as we can to prepare, but none of it seems like enough.
We’re realistic enough to know we don’t know it all. We can’t, but oh we will learn along the way. As for the things I do know, I know that I promise you…
To be your Encyclopedia. Growing up, I thought my parents knew the answers to everything. I’m sure at times, they didn’t feel so confident in some of their answers, but I never knew. And to be fair, they know a lot. Somewhere along the way, I realized they didn’t necessarily know it all, but they never steered me wrong. If I needed to know what to put on grease stains or wine stains on my clothes, I knew Mama Ruth knew the answers (flour/Sweet ‘n Low and club soda, respectively). I want to be that for you. Your resource. Your go to.
To try to always give you a reason to smile. So much of life is in your perspective — making a concerted effort to focus on the positive when you could easily choose to do otherwise. When you wake up in tears, we’re there with a hug. When you slip in attempts to stand up, we’ll be there to tickle those feet until you forget that small tinge of pain. And sure, there’ll be some exceptions along the way — but may those be few and far between and the smiles far outnumber the tears.
To put down the phone. Documenting every millisecond of our life for everyone else often means we miss what’s right in front of us in the moment. I work in social media. I really enjoy so much about social media. But my plan post Baby Z is to be less about that little screen and more about the people in my life and really being present. I promise to make you feel like my focus. Once I’m back off NJTransit and inside our home, I vow to make the most of those hours … those precious minutes …. to spend with you, see what you’re up to (since it often changes daily) and take in every second of that infectious smile I can.
To take real photos of the real moments. As much as I love my phone, it’s not the same as having those high resolution photos that come from a real camera. Photos get lost on your phone and never get printed out to be shared. We just bought a Nikon D7200 to take all of the photos, so we can catch every single amazing moment. We had a professional photographer do a maternity sessions with us (and update, a post-delivery newborn session with Q) — and want to make sure we continue to capture those important moments in a high quality version along the way.
To know the line between public and private. Everyone has their parenting style, but as I’ve been watching others share along the way with their children, we both agree a lot of what happens with our family needs to be private. Q is such a part of our lives that I can’t help mention him. I’ve been sharing a very edited snippet into our life on Instagram because I’m so excited about our journey that quite frankly, I can’t not share at all. But all his photos aren’t going to be online and those very personal stories that he might find embarrassing? They won’t be here either.
To never let you go a day without knowing how loved you are.
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It has been such an adventure these last 12 months. I think I’ve learned more from you than you’ve learned from me. It’s such a blessing being your mommy and I can’t wait to see what the next 365 days with you bring.
This is lovely. It is great to have a reminder of what is important once in a while. We can all get so caught up in daily life that we can forget the little things that are so important.
This is lovely. It is great to have a reminder of what is important once in a while. We can all get so caught up in daily life that we can forget the little things that are so important.
I absolutely love this post! I think every mother should strive to do the things you’re doing in order to make sure you don’t miss a thing as babies grow fast! And if only more people took real pictures these days–the idea of an actual camera seems like a lost art so I’m glad you’re implementing that. And someday, this little one is going to look back on this post and it will warm the heart like nothing else. I’d suggest you print it for the baby book, as mine is such a treasure to look back on 47 years later. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a lovely post. I enjoyed reading it. Documenting every milestone is awesome. It’s fun to be able to one day go back to look at them.
I am especially impressed by your final resolution. It is SO important to afford our children privacy in the 21st century – everything we put out there for the world to see/read truly is there forever, in some format or another, and they all deserve the right to curate/create their own stories when they’re old enough.
Awe, this is such a sweet post. I love it! Every mom should aim for these things that you are promising to do. They are all such important things.
This is so incredibly sweet. I think this will be great to not only keep for your son, but for you someday. To look back and remember exactly what you were feeling during his arrival. That will be really special.
That last promise is always the most important one. As long as a child knows they are loved and adored, that is all that really matters.
Having a DSLR camera was the best thing when our son was born too. The DSLR is also great when the baby starts moving really fast! My iphone just can’t take those nice photos!
How beautiful to read this. I felt the same way when my baby was turning 1. A lot of us bloggers live our lives in the public domain and as much as we love our readers, it can still be scary out there. So its important to keep somethings very private.
Loving this post, it’s so very cute and touching. Are you printing out the photos you take with the Nikon.
Such a sweet post. I think we hope to be this kind of parent to our children. If we strive to do our best, then our kids will know they were loved and cared for.
As my kids have gotten older I share less because I respect their privacy and i don’t want to embarrass them or put all their business out there.
How super sweet! Family decisions about social media aren’t to be taken lightly. It sounds like you have a solid plan.
So sweet and lovely! You have a great plan, Putting down the phone and shutting my computer is something i have been doing a lot more of lately and plan to continue to do for a long while! So important to cherish the moments while we have them!
This is so sweet! I love your thoughts on putting down the phone and really just living in the moment. I think we could all benefit from doing that more often.
I think it is so important to stop and live life. With all of the modern comforts we enjoy, including technology, it is easy to be distracted and not savor precious moments. It seems like you have realized how to find balance in this area.
How sweet! I love all of these resolutions, especially the one about putting the phone down. So many people get caught up in social media that they miss out on what truly matters the most.
This is so lovely! I hope you’re enjoying motherhood so far. I can’t wait to have a baby.
Such a lovely post! It seems like just yesterday I was welcoming my kiddos into the world, and now they are in college, and married, and having babies of their own. It really does fly by. Try not to blink, little mama. ♥
What a beautiful letter to your future child! I like writing things down like this, as it helps me hold more firmly to my promises. I love all of your commitments.
This is such a great heartfelt post. It’s amazing how we grow through our children and strive to be our very best.