Real Parenting Moments Vol. IV + Some Real Talk on the Side

Blogging through this season of life is humbling, as I currently feel waist deep in a season that’s stretching me and challenging me in so many ways. Our daughters are easily the biggest blessings in our lives, but I’m learning that when you love something or someone so much that the difficult times are that much more emotional. I really enjoy sharing so many aspects and stories of our lives with my readers, but sometimes the line is a little blurred between what is appropriate to share and document versus what should stay private. My biggest hope is that my readers know that when they come to this site that they’re getting authenticity. As someone who has been consistently blogging since my oldest daughter was three months old, I appreciate you taking this wild ride with me. I’ve never been on one with higher highs or lower lows than motherhood. I hope you’re enjoying watching Hadley (and now Sadie) grow up right before our eyes.

On with the show. 🙂 Here’s a few select stories from the last couple weeks that make up this edition of “Real Parenting Moments”.

1. A couple weeks ago the four of us went to Home Depot to grab a couple things, and when I went to lift Hadley into the shopping cart I realized she had no panties on. Jamie and I totally froze in shock because she was already in a semi-short dress and could not be out in public without panties. She’d apparently left them on the bathroom floor at home during her last potty run before we left the house. I quickly dug through my diaper bag and thankfully found a spare pair that I slipped on her right in the Home Depot entrance as other shoppers walked by. Good grief.
2. I was awake feeding Sadie throughout the night as news reports came in about the Orlando nightclub shooting, and by 8 a.m. I was pretty wrecked by all of it. Shortly before we left for church I found myself in Sadie’s room nursing her in the total quiet just thanking God for our quiet morning as my heart ached for those in pain at that very moment down in Florida. I was so full of thankfulness for my girls and my husband and simultaneously felt so wrecked for those affected by the sheer horror of the tragedy.
3. Similarly, a couple nights later I was a wreck all over again about the Disney World alligator tragedy. I slipped into Hadley’s room at 10 p.m. to give her one last kiss over her sleeping body like I usually do, but I couldn’t help but give her about 20 more than usual. I couldn’t even fathom that little boy’s parents going to sleep without their two year old that night, like I couldn’t fathom in my wildest dreams going to sleep without mine. Jamie did a double take when he spotted me with tear-filled eyes when I walked back into the living room. I was just overcome with how heavy my heart was for their family and how much I love my girl.
4. We caused quite a scene at our first night at the community pool last week when I whipped out Hadley’s floaty. She refused to wear it, but because I’m the boss in this mother-daughter relationship, I forced it on her. Jamie picked her up (as she kicked and screamed) and brought her over to the pool. Within two seconds she realized she could float and swim on her own, and her smile in the pool that night was worth a million bucks. Now she throws her arms out and begs to put her floaty on because she knows it grants her some independence.
5. Another story about panties. This one is so embarrassing but way too funny not to share. Last weekend we were at Chili’s after a chaotic day of errands in Topeka (an hour away), and we were desperate to get some food in our bellies before our trip home. Dinner was hectic with Hadley energized and wanting to play, and Sadie only interested in nursing the whole time (in a dress that I thought was nursing friendly but totally wasn’t). We quickly ate half of our meals and boxed up the rest. Jamie took Sadie and our to-go drinks out to the car and I grabbed our to-go boxes and took Hadley to use the bathroom. As soon as we walked out of the bathroom I saw a lady at a nearby table get big-eyed when she saw me, and of course my first reaction was to make sure I wasn’t exposed after breastfeeding! I realized I was okay, so as we walked past her she signaled me over to her table to tell me that Hadley’s panties were around her ankles and she was struggling to walk. I was mortified, threw my boxes on their table in the middle of the dinner, and bent down to pull up my child’s panties as a dozen or more tables watched this chaos. I cannot remember the last time I was so embarrassed. It took me 10 minutes to tell Jamie what had just happened because I was trying to sort through it all myself. Let’s just say he could barely drive because he was laughing and crying so hard!
6. We’ve braved going to church three times as a family of four, and Miss Sadie has impeccable timing with her digestive system and the sermon. Each week she’s been out like a light during the worship but has woken up within two minutes of the sermon starting. I kid you not when I say that she has fired away in her diaper loudly during all three sermons. Of course Jamie and I turn into immature 10 year olds and can’t help but laugh as we’re scrambling to grab the diaper bag and run out to change her. If you’ve ever had a newborn you know that their poos are quite loud, so maybe you can picture the scene I’m painting.
7. Finally, it took me four full days to complete this post. Balancing being a blogger and an engaged mommy is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work!

Let’s chat!

Can you relate to any of these crazy stories?! I’d love if you shared some of your own “real parenting moments” from recent days. 🙂