Why I feel bad for Kate Middleton

So there is a new royal in the mix. Sweet Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. I am not shy about my obsession with all things Royal and am so excited for this new babe to come into the world. But, the more I started thinking, the more I realized I feel so bad for Kate.

Now, this didn't hit me as hard when she had George because I hadn't had Caroline yet so while I knew what childbirth entailed, I didn't KNOW what childbirth entailed! Luckily (or unluckily) after close to 48 hours of labor, I ended up with a beautiful baby girl via c-section. I also ended up with practically no sleep for two days, being cut open and incredibly sore, and barely being able to stand up straight or lay straight for a couple of weeks while I healed. So there are downsides to either having a baby the "regular" way or via c-section. I don't think one is better than the other.

So, why do I feel bad for Kate?

1. Kate went into the hospital around 6:30 am. She had the baby around 8:30 am and then went home at 6:30 pm. This timeline only gives about 12 hours to start nursing the baby (if she chose to do so), get some rest, bond (which isn't a lot of time) with the baby, and have her team come in and make her look fabulous. I feel bad for her because all I wanted to do after having Caroline was be with her and Adam. I was too excited to sleep and was completely obsessed with her. I wasn't going anywhere and neither was she!

2. This next part is may be TMI for some of you so I apologize in advance and you have been warned. Most vaginal deliveries involve some tearing and some repairing after. Every delivery involves a lot of bleeding and a lot of soreness for a LONG TIME. The idea of walking out of a hospital two days, let alone 10 HOURS, after having a baby does not appeal to me. The idea of walking out of a hospital wearing heals and yellow/white dress while holding a newborn COMPLETELY TERRIFIES me! Do you know how easily white shows blood?

3. The biggest reason I feel bad for her is because of the pressure. She is pressured to look amazing 100% of the time. Regardless if she just delivered a baby or not. I feel bad that she can't just be a normal person. I don't think any normal person (especially mothers who understand) would blame her for wanting to wear sweats and tennis shoes out of that joint.

As appealing as being a royal is, I will take my normal life over it any day of the week!

P. S. Do you think Will had a similar outfit on when the princess was born?!?!

Today, I cried

No one said being a parent was easy. In fact, I have heard that being a parent is "The toughest, but most rewarding job."

Today, I broke down. In church.

There are several adjectives to describe Caroline-Bright, spirited, energetic, curious, talkative, happy, and the list goes on. Sometimes, though, the only word I can use to describe her is "difficult." It may be the age and it may be her personality and it be may a combination of both.

For a while, when we have attended mass, one of us usually sits in the cry room with her. Today, both of us did with my dad while he was visiting. She was being particularly "energetic" and did not want to listen. Finally, after receiving Communion (and for those unfamiliar with the Catholic faith and the Mass, this is a time to reflect) Caroline wouldn't sit still or be quiet and I just broke down. I couldn't help but cry and to pray for patience and understanding with her.

One of my faults is comparing and envy/jealousy. This has always been a fault of mine. I struggle with looking at other children who are Caroline's age and am jealous of how well-behaved they are in church or how well they listen. But, why am I jealous? I have a daughter who is perfectly healthy, incredibly intelligent, and full of personality.

Every day, I am so grateful that I was chosen to be her mother and there is a reason she is mine. Every day I am so grateful that she is a bright, spirited, energetic, curious, talkative, and happy.

But, there are days when I get overwhelmed and just need a "break" and I think that is perfectly alright.

So we bought a house...

Wait...what?!?! Not a post about Caroline???? That's right, we do have other things going on in our lives besides hanging out with the coolest girl we know :)

When Adam and I moved to Kansas City, we were SOOOO fortunate that we were able to stay with his mom while we figured things out. Our plan was to be out by August. Well, you know what they say, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." So, May turned to June and June turned to July, and so on and so forth. I didn't get a job as quickly as I thought I would. So finally, after having X amount of interviews, I finally landed a pretty great gig at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It is a complete departure from working with fraternities and sororities but I love it!

Once I accepted, we really started looking-and we looked EVERYWHERE. Johnson County, North Kansas City, Kansas City, MO and then finally Lees Summit. Like most first-time home buyers, we needed to establish our priorities. We knew what we wanted but we didn't REALLY know what we wanted. Was an additional 5 minutes added to the commute worth the extra 500 square feet? We really needed to start asking ourselves those questions.

Out of all the houses we looked at in North Kansas City and Johnson County (probably close to 30), we looked at 2 in Lees Summit and found a pretty great house.

So I am sure you want to see some pictures. These are from the listing so this isn't our furniture. We have a lot of shopping to do but I have realized that we will be in this house for longer than 2 years (the longest Adam and I have been in one place since getting married) so I can take my time making i the the home I want it to be.

Front of the house

Living Room

Kitchen

Guest Bathroom

Guest bedroom

Caroline's Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Basement (This will be redone further down the road)

Non-conforming 4th bedroom in the basement

Back Deck

Patio off of deck

Backyard with shed and a vegetable garden-I am going to have to grow a green thumb!

Back of house

All-in-all we think it will be a pretty great first house. What sold me was the backyard (that was my one deal breaker) and all of the great updates the main floor has. There is also a separate dining room off of the kitchen that has french doors on to the deck. Eventually we want to do some work to the basement and there is another bathroom down there that needs to be updated.

Moving day is on Saturday for those who want to help :)

I don't have a baby anymore...

So, I didn't do an eleven month post which I feel kind of bad about. I started one but realized I hardly took any good pictures of you. It isn't because I didn't try, either. You are just ALWAYS on the move! And, not much has changed in your 11th month!

Apparently, when a child turns 1 they are no longer a baby and are officially a toddler. I refuse to believe this. As I am sure many parents have said, you will ALWAYS be my baby! Becoming a parent is harder than I ever thought it would but more rewarding than I ever thought it would. I still look at you in awe thinking, "I can't believe you are mine. I can't believe I made this perfect little person. I can't believe how smart you are." It is amazing how your definition of "brilliance" changes after having a baby. After working with you to learn a new skill such as putting toys away and when you finally grasp it I can't help but feel overwhelmed with pride. It is almost ridiculous but I don't care.

So, in the last month you started talking more. You now say "Mama" and you actually say it in reference to getting my attention. You say "Arf" when you see a dog or you hear us say the name Marley or the word doggy. You know more process. For example, if I say "Let's change your diaper" you will start walking to your room. If I say, "Let's go upstairs" you start walking to the stairs. Such a smarty!

Just a few (ok a lot) of my favorite pictures of you over the last year!

Struggles:
-Right before your birthday you cut your first two molars! This would explain your terrible diapers, your crankiness, and lack of appetite at night. Hopefully, you will start feeling better soon!

Successes
-You are learning new skills and processes all the time and I am trying to include you in things. For example, the other night I was filling the dishwasher and I had you help me put the silverware away.
-We started teaching you how to feed yourself with a fork and spoon. It goes as well as I could have hoped :)

What we couldn't live without
-Aden and Anais diaper rash cream. You have never really had bad diaper rashes until the past week with your bad diapers. This stuff is amazing!!!!
-Pampers overnight diapers. You have been drinking more water during the day and your regular diapers just weren't cutting it in the middle of the night. Some mornings you would soak through your jams and onto your sheet so we upgraded to nighttime diapers and haven't had many problems since!

Favorite Foods
-Watermelon, grapes, bananas, peaches, pineapple (see a trend?). Pretty much all fruits!
-You also like yogurt, applesauce, animal crackers, and waffles
-You used to eat vegetables but now you are showing some stubbornness and turning your nose to pretty much all vegetables.

What makes you, you!
-Sometimes you "read" books on your own. You will sit by your toys, flipping through pages, and make noise as if you were reading them
-You are becoming strong-willed and have developed a bit of an attitude. I have NO IDEA who you got that from :)
-You like to "explore." You are fascinated by every cabinet, drawer, door, nook, and cranny.