I am sad to say that after going through two or three phones, a lot of the cute things that Lily has said or done have been lost. I am probably the most disorganized person in the world, in hindsight I should have actually gone the old-fashioned route, by writing things down. My sister got us a cute quotes book that we could have used the past year. Sigh, well, as I think of things, I will be updating here. Which of course means my writing will be terrible and probably difficult to follow. ;)
It has been too long. I don't even remember how to add those fancy tickers on here, or anything of the sort. I will just type.
It's hard to believe our Lily will be three at the end of September. I am not going to lie, parenthood is exhausting, and it is hard. It is easy to compare your life to other moms, and think that they have it together but for all I know, they share the same struggles. I don't have an issue vocalizing the realities of motherhood. Yes, I am grateful, happy, and completely in love with my offspring, but it comes with huge responsibility, one that I do not take lightly. I should probably point out that I am sick and tired of the mommy wars. While I am normally a pretty positive, confident person, it isn't difficult to start doubting or questioning myself. I read a lot of blogs, and I have to say that I am tired of people walking on egg shells as to not offend anyone with their own thoughts or experiences. We all parent differently, whatever works for your family may not work for mine and vice versa. I have not experienced anything negative among my fellow mom friends (in real life), but I see a lot of negativity and animosity online, from complete strangers. I feel badly for these women that are so nasty to other moms, it just makes them look angry and incredibly insecure. The lack of respect as they hide behind their computers makes me genuinely sad. It takes bullying to a whole other level. So, on that note, I will admit here that I will stay honest, and if anyone disagrees with my own ideas, it is okay but just as I hope to raise my child to be respectful of others, I hope that that is what other moms want for their children as well, therefore they will be role models and behave as such.
Goodness, where do I begin? I left off with somewhat of a small political rant but I have decided not to discuss my thoughts on that here. The state of our country at the moment is an utter embarrassment, and further rants would more than likely take ALL of my free time. I think would only be appropriate for a different platform.
What we are currently up to:
We are expecting baby Rhoads #2 in December. It came as a surprise, because we had "planned" not to begin trying for another baby until after our Hawaii trip. It is funny, isn't it? That life does not always happen as one plans. I am beyond excited that my doctor has confirmed that it is a boy! We have painted the nursery, and have random misplaced furniture in there for now. Lily is in the process of a "big girl" bedroom, in which we have just moved furniture around and added a couple of things. We are in the market for a bunk bed, in hopes of using the top for storage, and bottom for her bed. As she gets older, the bed can go up and a desk would go at the bottom. So far, that is the plan.
We want to see Toad the Wet Sprocket at the Boardwalk on Friday, so I want to paint our room on Thursday. Lily will have her second sleepover at the Rhoads' house. The first was about a year ago, and needless to say it did not go very well. Why no one ever warned us that even at two years old, the possibility of them going to sleep at a decent hour and sleeping through the night is a slim one, is beyond me. I whine and complain to my non-mom friends about this, only to let them know what they are really in for if they decide to have children. It should be noted that we do get a few nights here and there where we get more than 6 hours of sleep at a time, but it does not happen frequently. I can understand now how some parents can have one kid after the other, sleep is essentially obsolete anyway. :)
We want to see Toad the Wet Sprocket at the Boardwalk on Friday, so I want to paint our room on Thursday. Lily will have her second sleepover at the Rhoads' house. The first was about a year ago, and needless to say it did not go very well. Why no one ever warned us that even at two years old, the possibility of them going to sleep at a decent hour and sleeping through the night is a slim one, is beyond me. I whine and complain to my non-mom friends about this, only to let them know what they are really in for if they decide to have children. It should be noted that we do get a few nights here and there where we get more than 6 hours of sleep at a time, but it does not happen frequently. I can understand now how some parents can have one kid after the other, sleep is essentially obsolete anyway. :)
I also talk about how smart and funny she is, how she surprises me and makes me laugh daily. She is a sensitive kid, just like I was. Hell, I am still a sensitive person. She is absolutely wonderful, and it has been awesome getting to know her. The difficult part about parenting for me is that I hope I can help her achieve her full potential. I am nervous about letting her down somehow; all I can really do is try my very best. I obviously know that we are only human and will make a lot of mistakes, but her stability and happiness is what matters to me the most. I am very proud of her so far, and the father that Matt has become. Since day one, he has been amazing. I could not have asked for a better partner.
More to come later.
