Nearly 1! Things I've Learned This Year With My Last Baby

In less than 2 weeks, my baby will be 1 and it has been sitting on my heart for about a month or so.  I've been reminded over and over this past year the sacredness of child-bearing, as it hasn't always been a frolic in the meadow.  When I was pregnant, I wanted him to be here.  When he was newly here, I wanted my body to heal quickly, then for him to sleep through the night, then a consistent nap schedule.  I never wanted him to crawl, but once he was crawling, I thought, wouldn't it be better if he was just walking?  And now he's on the verge of walking and I'm over here waving my hands, 'slow down!'

In between all that, I've basically bought myself a new wardrobe because my body is different and nothing fits like it used to and that is the crux of adding a new baby to the mix.

Nothing fits quite like it used to.

Dinner time, bed time, travel, work, practice, yard work, house work, grocery shopping...none of those things fit quite like they used to.  And while that seems like an obvious adjustment, sometimes I've found myself trying to make it all fit like it used to.  Trying to make our new life fit into our old life.  It seems a bit silly, but I've caught myself on more than one occasion.  Bless Luke for rolling with those punches because he's got the most happy disposition and patiently puts up with me adjusting to baby life again.

So a few things I've learned in this season of growth:

1. Slowing down is the answer.  Life isn't about being busy.  This past year I've spent a lot of time on my back patio feeding a baby watching my older kids shoot hoops or perfect trampoline tricks.  Guess what?  Its better than running around doing any number of things.  It's the simple things that are the most important.  It doesn't matter if you're house is perfectly 'done' (newsflash, I don't think houses are ever actually done) or your dinner is fancy.  Slow down and be together and the magic will happen.

2. Amazon Prime and Grocery Pick Up are literal lifesavers.  End of story.

3. Anything you do everyday is significant, especially changing diapers, making dinner and helping on homework.  I'm of the belief that we are living at our fullest potential when we are in the service of others and as a mother, well, that is a majority of my day.  I've been reminded again and again this year that while sometimes monotonous, they are purposeful for not only my family but for myself too!  It is a good thing to be about the humble chores of running a household. 

4. Podcasts have all the answers.  Between all that back porch sitting and sometimes monotonous serving ;) I've often had ear buds in my ears because honestly, podcasts are the BEST!  If I can keep my mind busy, it's easy to keep my hands cleaning, cooking or playing.  A few favorites this year:

Serial
The Life Coach School
The Tim Ferris Show
How I Built This
Super Soul Conversations

Whatever stage your in, whether growth or comfort, I hope you know you're capable.  Capable of learning.  Capable of changing and adjusting.  Capable of becoming who you need to be with that stage.  With each baby, I always learn this: I'm capable of hard, beautiful and uncomfortable things and hope you know that you are too.