Yall. I stayed out until 1 am last night. 1 in the morning. An hour past midnight. Can you believe it? I have absolutely no regrets about the amount of sleep I missed out on.

Last night some of my other mama friends decided we all needed a ladies night in. SO- I fed Bennett and put him to bed and then out I went. It was kind of weird driving to my friend Liesel’s house. I don’t drive at night anymore… I have no reason to. That sounds so depressing… ha. Anyways, with Bennett tucked away in bed and Patrick there to watch him, I ventured out for my first ladies night out.

I can’t even begin to tell you how refreshing last night was. I laughed so hard. Like, the I can’t breath laughing. The “My face looks crazy and contorted” from laughing. It was an absolute blast. The conversations ebbed and flowed from funny to serious. It was great though, we talked for 6 hours… until one of us looked at our phones and were shocked that midnight had come and gone. Everyone was there to encourage each other in whatever we are facing as mom’s or wife’s. We are all in the same “trenches” but it does’t feel so lonely or overwhelmingly hard when you’re surrounded by other ladies to do motherhood with.

Friends make the days so much easier. My number one advice to any new mama is to find a group of ladies to have play dates with or ladies nights, or coffee dates. Get out of the house almost everyday. You will go crazy if you stay at home day after day. It turns into ground hogs day. Doing the same things over and over again, day after day just isn’t fun…. BUT mother requires you to do the same things over and over again… day after day. So, what do you do? How do you not go crazy? Friends. Connect with other like minded mama’s. Having friends to laugh while doing everyday life with makes everything so much better.

The best part about these ladies? We don’t need much to have a good time. Actually… all we need is a place to sit. And a place without noise restrictions…. because our laughing can get a little loud 😉

SO! Plan a ladies night if you haven’t had one recently. Lose a little sleep, it will be worth it.

OH and shout out to my hot hunky husband who watched B so I could go out. Thanks babe.

So – How not to go crazy as a stay at home mom? Or even as a Stay at home working mom (as half of us are) – GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Have play dates. Get connected with other moms. Go on a walk. Meet up at playgrounds. Just surround yourself with other awesome mama’s. 🙂 Happy Thursday yall! Now to go drink another cup of coffee… 🙂

Yesterday, Patrick took a picture of me and I thought, “Wow, I look like me again”.

Pregnancy has been a wild and amazing journey of seeing what my body can do. I have never shared a bare belly pregnancy picture, but I just wanted to emphasis that I was…. well…. HUGE. Like… legit watermelon in my stomach huge. The crazy part? That picture was taken at 37 weeks…. he still grew for another 2 almost 3 weeks before coming out!

^ 5 weeks pregnant

^ 37 weeks pregnant

^ A little over 2 weeks post birth.

^Almost 6 months post birth.

When I was pregnant, I saw story after story and image after image about flat bellies by 6 week check ups and immediately fitting back into pre pregnancy jeans. Totally possible, but didn’t happen for me. When I look at the picture of me going for my first ever walk with Bennett at 2 weeks post postpartum, I remember thinking… oh my gosh. I still look huge. Why didn’t I immediately shed all the weight??? What’s wrong with me?!?!

You know what? Absolutely nothing was wrong with me. I just grew a freaking human and pushed it out of my body!!! My body was bruised and battered during my birth. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life but the absolute most REWARDING and beautiful thing I have ever done in my life. Heck, I’ll do it again someday. I still have 14 more pounds on my body than when I started this journey, but again. I’m amazed at this journey. I don’t even want to call it weight loss progress. I just want to admire the journey I’ve been on in the past year and a half. Still on the journey to regain more muscle back and be able to run again but I just have to take it day by day.

Just documenting where I’ve been and where I’m at now. Thanks for reading this somewhat pointless post.

Ps. The two middle photos are photo’s I never thought I would share with the public! HA.

I love blogging because it let’s me look back. A year and a couple of days ago, I wrote this post and was seriously struggling with being so sick from pregnancy….

February 2014. Sick. Struggling. Pregnant.

February 2015. Celebrating snow with my little guy.

As I was rocking Bennett last night before bedtime, I thought, “I don’t remember what I did before I had Bennett.” I know it has only been 4.5 months with Bennett, but every night for 4.5 months I have done the same thing. Night after night, it’s the same thing. I just wanted to dedicate a blog post to what our schedule looks like at this age. It will be fun to look back when he’s a year old and say, “I remember that!” or “I forgot about that!” So, hang in there with me if you’re reading this. It’s nothing profound, just a day in the life of the Relbot Household.

Bennett,

You’re waking up after a solid night’s sleep anywhere between 6 and 7:30 am. You rarely wake up before 6 anymore which is welcomed with open arms.

Your dad and I drink our coffee at 5:45 until you wake up and then we hear you talking which means you’re ready to eat! Sometimes I creep down the stairs trying not to hit every creaky floor board in hopes of snagging a few extra minutes before having to go feed you.

Your dad and I jokingly fight over who gets to go into your room to get you up in the morning or after a nap! It’s one of our favorite things to do! As soon as you see us your face lights up and you squeal. It’s one of the sweetest things. Let’s not forget your “Achoo” syndrome. We noticed at around 2 weeks old, you always sneezed twice when the lighting drastically changes. Now it’s comical. I can bet money on the fact that you will sneeze when I turn the lights on. I can hear your dad laughing from our room every time.

You wake up, eat and sometimes go back to sleep until 8 or sometimes you decide you want to stay awake and hang out.

You’re taking 2 long naps and sometimes an additional cat nap throughout the day. Your first nap is between 1-2 hours and starts somewhere between 8 and 9. Your second nap is typically 2-3 hours sometime in the early afternoon. You then sometimes need a 30 min to 1 hour cat nap in the early evening depending on what time you woke up from your afternoon nap.

During the day we play in front of the fire, in the exersaucer, on your play mat. We run errands or have play dates. I’m itching for warmer weather so we can have picnics outside and I can take you to the park. We aren’t outside a lot because it’s so cold. Come on Spring! We are ready for you!

You love water. Bath time is so much fun for you!!! Your dad and I are going to buy a kiddie pool for the back porch for you so you can splash away! We are so excited to take you to the pool and beach this summer as well!

You are a rolling machine. You rarely spend time on your back anymore. As soon as we lay you down, you flip to your stomach and start grabbing everything around you like a little raccoon. You are learning to scoot and reach for things on your belly.Like an inchworm you move forward an inch at a time. You also decided that you’re ready to sit up on your own this week!!! It’s been so fun to see you hit these huge milestones. We are a little worried though about you becoming mobile so soon! The days of laying you down to walk away and do something have come to an end.

You love to smile but sometimes we have to work to get you to really laugh. You sometimes give us a sympathy chuckle… like, “Good try mom… but you’re not really funny.” When we do get you laughing though, it’s the absolute best!

I kiss you at least a hundred times a day. I love to smother your face in kisses and you’ll grab my cheeks and try and push me away while giggling. You’re extremely ticklish, especially on your back. You know when we say, “I’m going to get you” that you’re about to get tickled. You squeal and start frantically figuring how to back away, all with a huge toothless smile on your face.

You’re calm and love to observe everything. Large crowds and noisy atmospheres aren’t your favorite. You really really REALLY aren’t a fan of loud sudden sounds. Even when in the womb, you would get startled by loud sudden noises. We can’t help but chuckle when we unexpectantly startle you now. You love to be held and absolute love everything about music/singing. It captivates you!

By evening time, we have started to put you in your high chair during dinner time. We have started letting you lick a few foods because in a month we will start introducing solids! I’m a little nervous but overall excited for you. 🙂 After dinner, we spend most of our time on the floor with you. A couple of months ago we would start your bedtime at 8. You have showed us in the past month that you like 7:30 better now. We make sure that the last 30-45 minutes before your bedtime, your daddy and I give you undivided attention. No TV in the background, no cell phones, no computers, only us and you. Daddy will often play and sing on his guitar, we do super baby, tummy time, tickle fests. You’re very content on your own, so this way we make sure that you are getting some quality time with both of us every day. Even though your dad and I are both tired at the end of the day, our lives are so rich in love and joy with you in it. We talk about how awesome you are ALL the time. We can’t imagine our lives without you even though you were just a thought a little over a year ago.

Our bedtime routine started out of necessity but has grown into a fun family routine every night. No matter how fussy you have been prior to bedtime, you’re all smiles during the process. It’s like you know you’re about to go to bed! I do your diaper and creams then daddy puts on your pj’s while I get ready for bed myself. He might read you a book, walk you around upstairs or sometimes just rocks you. We then both pray for you, daddy gives hugs and kisses goodnight and then the lights go off and it’s time for bed! You nurse for close to 45 minutes at night even though during the day it’s only 1/4 of that!  It’s a nice way to wind down the day even though the rocking and darkness sometimes makes me want to fall asleep!

I lay you down in your crib, cover you up with the blanket that your (great) Aunt Debbie made you and if you’re not already asleep, you put yourself to sleep. It still blows my mind that you’ve always been that way. You shake your head back and forth and within a few minutes, you’re out for the night! Even though you sleep with a paci during your nap times, you never have wanted or taken it at night.

You’re constantly changing, growing and learning. It’s amazing to see your personality come out. We are so in love with you Bennett Journey! You have changed our lives forever and we couldn’t be happier. 

I remember the first month that I had Bennett. What a hard month that was. Becoming a first time mom is such a learning curve. You’re physically trying to recover from birth, sleep deprived, and on an emotional roller coaster as your lovely hormones are regulating. Oh those lovely hormones.

It’s funny, when you have a kid you start thinking of things that you would have never thought about before. Like, who are going to be my kids friend? Will anyone come to  his birthday parties? Will I have any mommy friends?

When I got married at 19, there weren’t many people my age going through the same stuff. There were a lot of times I felt lonely at first. Patrick is my best friend but women need other women. There is beauty in the bond that happens between women when you know that they are going through the same thing you are going through or have gone through.

I eventually made married friends but I still struggled with the fact that most of my married friends were starting families or already had kids.  I just wasn’t there yet. It didn’t mean I didn’t have amazing friends but I just couldn’t relate to what they were going through. I just didn’t understand what life with kids looked like.

Fast forward four years. Hello Bennett! He arrived and in sheer exhaustion I only had 2 and a half days with Patrick before he HAD to return to school and I was on my own during the day. Not only was this terrifying simply because I was being left alone with a tiny newborn who I wasn’t sure what to do with, but physically I was in so much pain. I was on pain killers, unable to walk up or down the stairs without my legs trembling, unable lift a car seat…. it was rough. My labor was hard. My body was doing the best it could to recover but I struggled in the beginning.

When Patrick returned to school, I was lonely. Here I was physically unable to leave the house, terrified to leave the house and so I stayed home. By myself. With a baby who didn’t talk back to me. I had visitors, yes but I was still lonely. My hormones made everything more intense but the first month or so I struggled with anxiety and loneliness. After the first couple of weeks, I remember going to target for groceries and finding conversation with the cashier to be so refreshing. I didn’t care who you were, I was just happy to talk to someone and be out of my house. I was so in love with Bennett but I was also so so lonely. I needed friends.

Fast forward to 4 months. These past few weeks, I look and see how different my life is now. I’m so thankful for my birth photographer Amanda who kept inviting me to play dates, group get togethers/events, mommy night out. Even when I declined, she kept inviting. I remember my first play date. The sheer excitement I had from sitting with a group of women who were like minded and just talking was the best.thing.ever. Thank you Amanda for bringing me into such a beautiful world of friendships. I am so thankful for you.

I find myself surrounded with beautiful women and moms. The best part? We are all like minded. Being able to relate to other moms rather that be on cloth diapering, essential oils, chiropractic care, our babies age, WHATEVER the topic… there is so much comfort in those friendships.

Just yesterday, I sat on the floor of a new mama friends apartment and we talked for hours. HOURS! My heart was so full. We actually bonded over facebook because I knew her husband. I sent her a message because I found out she was cloth diapering and a friendship blossomed from such a simple common factor. This was close to a year ago! She just moved to NC, we just officially met in person for the first time and I couldn’t be more thankful! Catherine, you’re a gem.

Moms need mom friends. Motherhood can be lonely. We get caught in the routine of day to day life and trying to stay on top of laundry, our kids needs, grocery shopping, work and all the other tasks of a mom and then we find ourselves lonely. Husbands are great but there is something about having friendships with other women.

We find ourselves craving comradery with other women… at least I did. The definition of comradery couldn’t be more accurate to my views on having mom friends.

1. Comradery is the spirit of friendship and community in a group, like the comradery of soldiers at war who keep each other upbeat despite the difficulty of their circumstances.

Motherhood is hard. Surrounding yourself with other women to keep you upbeat despite the difficulty of your circumstances is beautiful. You shouldn’t do motherhood alone. Don’t let loneliness overwhelm you. I pray that you are surrounded by other mom’s and women who can love on you and encourage you on the hard days of being a mom. Or rejoice with you on the not so hard ones.

I found a village. Four months ago I was painfully lonely. Today? I am blessed. I am so thankful to be surrounded by such lovely ladies to do this thing called motherhood with.

I pray you find your village. It’s a beautiful place to raise children. If you need a village, my village is always open.

Hello Monday.

I am in the middle of a marathon week of appointments, sessions and life. It has literally been non stop.

I took this video last week and just wanted to post it to the blog.

Happy Monday y’all.