Sarah of Her Sea of Love

hello there! i'm sarah, mama to lottie grace and wife to the most handsome fellow i ever did know, kyle. i blog over here at her sea of love. many thanks to sweet ali for having us take part in keeping her little blog home up and running while she enjoys her first few weeks with her little one! such an incredibly joyous time!

   

there was so much i was expecting of motherhood that didn't happen, and much i didn't expect that did happen. i could write novels on this journey after only being six months into it. i decided i'd share some of what i feel was the most helpful advice i heard along the way, and other things we learned on our own!

one things many mama's don't realize in this stuff-obsessed world is that baby doesn't need much! we live in a 700 sq ft home and still have plenty of room for the little lady to roam and wander. we have never found the need for a changing table (the bed and waterproof pads will do) and we didn't even consider a dresser for her  (our closet and boxes under the bed work just as well!). as time moves on, these things and others will become a priority, but for now, buying only the necessities have been both kind on our wallets and the cleanliness of our home.

trust your mama instincts. after charlotte got here, many friends (and even people who didn't know us personally) were pushing their parenting skills on us, and we were even told some of what we were doing was wrong. i firmly believe that the best way to learn your parenting skills is by parenting on your own. of course, kind advice is always welcome! but the critical words do sting. if your way of parenting is unlike someone else's, it doesn't mean they or you are wrong! we all have our own ways of raising our little ones. we learn by succeeding and failing on our own. always do what in your heart feels right and what you believe it's best for you and your family.

one thing that has been been a struggle of mine, is letting go of the mess. i usually try to clean up the burp cloths & onesies that we've gone through that day after my kyle & charlotte are asleep. sometimes i get carried away and get in 'cleaning mode', and start scrubbing and wiping out everything, finding myself crawling in bed hours later. let me tell you, cleaning it all doesn't feel half as good as jumping into bed with the ones you love most and letting it wait. it is so worth it.

lastly, bring on the baby talk. kyle and i were the couple who swore never to do the whole 'goo-goo ga-ga' ordeal. we are now the couple making the most absurd sounds and faces, about fifty times more ridiculous than 'goo-go ga-ga'. but charlotte's response is hysterical, and i can now proudly talk baby talk to her wherever we go. our cool-level may be a bit lower in strangers eyes, but we're pretty awesome in our little lady's eyes.

being a mom is such an incredible and rewarding journey. thank you to ali for letting me share here!