My Not-So-Tearful End of Maternity Leave

Other moms had warned me “it goes by so quickly!” And though I believed them, I planned on using every single day to the fullest. I’d be productive on my maternity leave, enjoy visits from friends, luxuriate, dote on my family… you know, the works.

In the beginning, I stayed in bed a lot during the day. Maya was getting up every two hours at night and though Yahve was always available and willing, I did most the night feedings because he had to go to work in the AM and I didn’t, so I make it a point to let him sleep. I watched all the shows – Wendy, Rachel, The View, The Real, Dr. Oz, Page 6, that day time talk show on E, Ellen…. I cozied with Maya, watched and dozed. But soon Maya would start to sleep for longer periods of time and I was more rested so I started using the time to clean, organize and purge. It was cold out and I had no desire to brave the elements. At one point, I think Yahve was worried about me because I hadn’t left the house in two weeks (thanks Amazon).

Continue Reading

9 Items That Make Me Feel Like Super Mom

Before Maya was born, I read dozens of articles about things I had to purchase or put on my registry. Some of these lists were helpful but what was most helpful was advice from moms I knew. I got such great tips so I thought I would compile the things that I found most helpful. I wanted to especially share the things or tips I didn’t commonly see on other lists.

Big thank you to the ladies who shared advice, answered my anxiety laden questions and checked on with me over the past year namely – Natalie, Katie, Nadine, Michelle, Teefa, Sendy, Marjorie, Tracy, Melissa, Amanda and Kelli. This post is a combination of their genius mommy know-how and some things I learned over the past few months.

SOCKS – I buy my kiddo white socks – same style. I can barely keep my own sock paired up so I knew that searching for a 2 inch piece of fabric was bound to be problematic.  Same style, same color – no matching. Grab any two socks and done!

MOTION SENSOR LAMP – Truth be told, I registered for this lamp because of how it looked. When it arrived and I realized it was battery operated, I was a bit annoyed but I kept it because it allowed me to place it anywhere in the nursery even if there wasn’t an outlet near. Now I think everyone with a newborn should have one of these! Experts say not to use bright overhead lights when doing late night diaper changes, so when Yahve or I would get up for bleary-eyed diaper duty, we didn’t have to fumble for the light switch while handling the baby and we didn’t wake her. As soon as we stepped foot into the nursery, the light came on an provided just enough light for us but not enough to disturb the baby.

Continue Reading