5 More Things I Learned as a New Mom

As the saying goes, you learn something new everyday. This is especially true when you're a new mom. So, here are five more things I've learned as a new mom.

Number 5 - You Never Get Tired of That Smile

No matter how sleepy you are, you never get tired of your babies smile. You could be ready to rip your eyes out from exhaustion, but when that baby smiles, so do you. And, surprisingly, it will make you feel better, sometimes.



Number 4 - Sizes Don't Matter

Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about clothes! The sizes listed on those labels don't mean a thing. Your baby can simultaneously fit in a 3 month onesie and a 9 month onesie, when they're 6 months old. A size 3M in Garanimals is comparable to a 6M in Carter's. Why all baby clothing makers can't stick to the same size charts is beyond me, but this means you can't box up all your baby's 3M clothes just because they're now in mostly 6M. And don't even get me started on 0-3M, 6-9M, they've got all sorts, it's ridiculous. The only real way to gauge is to either stick it on the baby, or compare it to something you know fits well. The other really irritating thing is the ones that say 24M, etc. The baby isn't 24 months, it's 2 for Christ's sake. And what the hell is the difference between 24M and 2T, anyway?

Number 3 - Something that Fit Yesterday Doesn't Fit Today

The picture on the right was taken two days after the picture on the left.

This can be upsetting. You've got an outfit that looks so cute and fits perfectly, and then one day you put it on and it's pulling too tightly in one place or another. Babies grow so quickly that something they were just wearing no longer fits. Then you go through the cycle of looking through all of the other clothes to see what fits and what doesn't.








Number 2 - Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

I change my daughter's outfit approximately 5 times a day. I change my own clothes (due to vomit) probably at least 3 times a day. Then there's towels for bath time, the normal day to day laundry, and whatever else she's pooped, peed, puked, or drooled on in the meantime. That all adds up to about 2 loads of laundry a day, if I don't pack the washer full. If I spend say 30 minutes a day doing laundry, that's what, 3 1/2 hours a week? Wasted. On laundry.




Number 1 - You Can Never Have Enough Wipes/Diapers

If your diaper and wipe arsenal isn't fully stocked, you could be in trouble. There have been a few times that I've thought I had diapers or wipes and reached for empty air. I'll admit, Dahlia has worn one of those little swimmer diapers while I ran up to the store to get proper ones. You really can't ever have enough of either. If you're at the store and you think you need them, you do. Get them.

10 Outfits/Costumes I Must Have For My Daughter

One of the fun things about having a kid is dressing them up. They can't say no, they have to wear whatever you put on them. With that in mind, here are ten outfits and/or costumes I must have for Dahlia.

Number 10 - The Cheshire Cat

I believe this costume is homemade, so I can't buy it, unfortunately. But, oh my god, this is adorable. The baby's expression makes it so much cuter, too. Also, maybe it's just me, but does that look like a giraffe neck in the background?













Number 9 - Chewbacca

This one is probably more suited for a boy, but it is adorable. Bonus points if you can teach your baby to do the wookie call!









Number 8 - Meowth

As a child of the 90's, I loved Poke'mon. I had Poke'mon everything; sheets, clothes, the cards, the games, everything. So, what better than a Poke'baby? Unfortunately, I think this one is homemade, as well.













Number 7 - Alice

Obviously, I love Alice In Wonderland. While Dahlia isn't a blonde, she would still make the perfect Alice, especially in this dress. Now, to find a White Rabbit costume for the cat...





Number 6 - Rosie the Riveter

This one would be a pretty easy DIY and super cute. I've always loved Rosie and I hope to pass that love on to my daughter.









Number 5 - Little Red Riding Hood

Always a classic. And the little wolf is adorable.











Number 4 - Princess Leia

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, so this is right up my alley. So cute, and not as racy as when she's chained to Jabba!









Number 3 - Jackie O

I love Jackie O's style, and this is just adorable. A perfect outfit for a future president or first lady!















Number 2 - Vintage-style Bathing Suit

I love vintage looking clothes, so being able to dress my baby like that is awesome.












Number 1 - Sailor Outfit

Every kid needs a sailor outfit, boy or girl. They're absolutely the cutest. Then, you have an excuse to make them swab the deck!















Have you seen any cuter outfits or costumes? Let me know in the comments below!

First Post Ever: 10 Things I Learned as a New Mom

To start my blog off, I thought I would make a top ten list. My daughter, Dahlia, is 5 months old and I'm a first time mom. I've learned many things about myself and life in general since I donned my first pair of mom jeans; some sappy, some funny, and of course, some scary. Here's just a few:

Number 10 - Immunity to nasty things

Having a child raises your gross tolerance exponentially. I can change a diaper, get poop on my finger, wipe it off, and move on. Before, I would have immediately went to wash my hands. I've become so desensitized, I actually caught cat vomit in my hand once (he was going to puke on the bed). Having baby puke in your hair will change your outlook on life.







Number 9 -  Girls have adorable clothes 

Truth time. I wanted a boy. So, it was hard for me to get into girl mode when it came to clothes. The first couple of outfits I bought for Dahlia could've been considered unisex. When I went to the store, I would automatically gravitate towards the boy section and have to remind myself that the baby was a girl. I thought I would never like anything that she could wear, but surprisingly, that changed, too. While my tastes have a more retro vibe, I've came to terms with Dahlia's gender and the clothes that go with it.




Number 8 - No sleep? No big deal.
 I LOVE sleep. In Life Before Dahlia (henceforth known as LBD), I could sleep for 14 hours and still want to sleep longer. The first night after she was born, in the hospital, I realized just how little sleep humans need. After the 20 hours of labor, silly me didn't want the nurses to keep Dahlia in the nursery. I had to have my new baby with me. I think I got two hours of sleep that night. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned thus far? Sleep when the baby sleeps. I heard people tell me that in LBD and I just shrugged it off. But, it is the best piece of advice I have received.

Number 7 - Paranoia is a real thing

I think this is one of the worst things about being a new mom. You'll be lying there in bed, the baby in the crib, but you can't sleep because you are absolutely certain that the baby quit breathing. So, you get up, check, and of course, baby is still breathing. Whenever someone picks her up, I think they're going to drop her. Everyone is sick and contagious. There are kidnappers everywhere. Moms are paranoid about everything. I think this is one of those things that eases off with time, but never completely goes away.



Number 6 - The ability to tune anything out

You've seen this before. You're in a restaurant trying to enjoy your meal, when some set of asshole parents are just letting their little spawn scream. You think, " Don't they hear that?" The answer? No. They don't. As a stay at home mom, if I didn't learn to tune out screaming every once in a while, I would never shower or eat. Sometimes, babies cry for pretty much no reason. If there's nothing that can be done (i.e, feeding, diaper changing), you learn to tune them out to keep your sanity.

Number 5 - How much fun you have

If you would have told me a year ago that I could have fun with a baby, I might have laughed at you. But, sure enough, babies are fun as hell! Watching them discover all the new things around them is pretty entertaining. Making them taste things like lemons is also equally hilarious. I could spend hours making funny faces at her and watching her laugh. That's another thing, babies have THE cutest laughs.

Number 4 - Becoming Betty Crocker

In LBD, I wasn't exactly considered domesticated. Sure, I could cook and clean, but I wasn't in the running for Housewife of the Year. I had a job and worked 5 days a week. When I got home, I didn't feel like cooking dinner. But, becoming a stay at home mom changed all of that. Now, I want to look for new recipes and color swatches for new drapes. I could see myself being on the PTA and making Halloween costumes, ones that are more complicated than cutting two holes in a sheet. Becoming a mother makes you look forward to all of those little things like tying shoe laces and throwing birthday parties that don't feature liquor as the main course.


Number 3 - Paying attention to current events

I was never one for the news. I've always felt that I shouldn't become upset about something that I have no control over and the news is almost always upsetting. But now, I find myself reading articles about kidnappers and the recent string of hot-car deaths. Having a child made me more aware of the terrible things that happen to children in the world. Of course, watching the news also lends to the paranoia!




Number 2 - Patience

I almost made this number one because if there is anything I have learned, it's patience. In LBD, I wouldn't have tolerated someone screaming at me, puking on me, and then making me clean up their poop. But, patience is a virtue that I have finally gotten a little of.







Number 1 - Love

I never knew that I could love someone as much as I love Dahlia. Of course, I love my family and Dahlia's father, but that's a different kind of love, somehow. To love someone as fiercely and almost insanely as I love Dahlia is an entirely new experience. To be willing to give your life for another, that's some intense love.





Well, this concludes my very first post! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it enough to share it (hint, hint)! If anyone has anything to add to the list, feel free to comment below, and please stick around for more posts!