3 1/2 Months of Motherhood

It definitely hasn't been easy, not that I was expecting it to be, but I love my little boy to death! This semester hasn't really gone the way I planned, in the sense that I'm busier than I wanted to be. At the beginning of the semester, I started out with 9 credits - 2 classes online, and 2 classes on campus (one of them only meets once a week). A week or two later, I decided I wanted to join Sports Marketing so I could fulfill a practicum credit that was part of my major which put me up to 10 credits. I then decided that I wanted to ref soccer on campus so that I could help bring a little bit more money in. A week after reffing, I learned that I needed to be a full time student (12 credits) in order to ref and get paid. So, I added another class, Floral Arrangement (which I'm really looking forward too, and will definitely be beneficial in the career I want to get in-Event Planning), and that put me up to 13 credits! Plus, I still have my job at the hotel, which I work anywhere from 4 to 12 hours a week, depending on when they need me. So in summary:

I am a full time mom
I am a full time wife
I am a full time student
And I work part time

Ok, maybe it doesn't seem like much to you, but I am beginning to feel the effects of everything. My days usually consist of taking care of JD (obviously), and while he takes his naps I try and get some homework done, sometimes while he is sleeping on me because he won't sleep long if he's in his crib or swing during the day. I have one class on Monday, Wednesday, and two classes on Friday. The second part of the semester I will begin my floral arrangement class on Tuesday and Thursday nights. JD will usually take about 2 major naps during the day, otherwise when he's up he's not very happy when you sit down for too long. He is constantly wanting to be moved.

I ref on Tuesday nights, I have a meeting or two during the week (this week I have about 3), and work at the hotel on Monday nights, and sometimes Saturday nights. JD goes to bed at 9 every night, sometimes earlier, and that's when I try and get as much as I can done from the day. Homework comes first if I didn't have the opportunity to get it done during the day, then I wash the dishes, if there's laundry to be folded I fold them, and I try to clean the house as much as I can. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff, such as putting away the laundry or cleaning the house goes undone. There's always some sort of homework to do at night, and I am left with three options to choose from before it's time for bed: cleaning the house, putting the laundry away, or doing the dishes. I don't remember the last time I went to bed before 11pm, and I can't remember the last time I slept in past 8am.

JD has been sleeping very well though. He falls almost instantaneously when we put him down in his crib, he'll wake up once to eat, and then wakes up anywhere from 6:30-8, it's usually about 7am. We have been told many times that we have such an easy, and good baby. We don't know the difference though.

Being a mom is challenging, but I know the Lord won't give us a challenge/trial we can't handle. There are days where I will feel so overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. I stress out about homework, I stress out about not getting anything cleaned in the apartment. However, I am beginning to learn that spending time with JD is more important than anything else. He is going to grow up before I know it, and if I let these moments pass, I know I will regret it. I'm still learning how to balance my life. I am definitely learning time management all over again. I'm trying to get as much done as I can while JD takes his naps, or is asleep in bed. There's little time to myself these days, but I know there will be plenty when I'm old and become an empty nester. I feel blessed that we have the opportunity to get to be parents, no matter how hard it can be sometimes, and that we get to know JD. We're so excited to see what he'll become, but at the same time I want him to stay cute and cuddly forever. :) I'm so excited to be done with school and have one less thing to worry about.

In Summary: I love being a mom. :)