POLKA DOTS + 5 WAYS I’VE CHANGED SINCE BECOMING CHARLEE’S MOMMA

Photography by Shadi Garman

Dress: Asos Heels: INC Brand Purse: Mansur Gavriel Earrings: Nordstrom Rack

Happy Thursday everyone! I can’t believe we are already to Thursday! This week has FLOWN by and I love it! It means we are one day closer to our trip to the Bahamas! Matt and I decided to take our first trip away without baby the first week of May and I am super excited. I am also totally dreading being away from Charlee for 4 days but I know it will be super special and a wonderful and much deserved trip for Matt and I.

How amazing is this dress?! I saw it online and just had to have it. It has everything I look for in a dress! Statement sleeves, flutter skirt, open back, and polka dots! On top of all that, it’s under $100 so it’s a win win in my book ;)!

I have been wanting to write a post about how I have changed since having my daughter for a while but didn’t know how to set it all up, so I figured i’d include it in an outfit post!I have been holding out because I felt that I needed more time to really reflect on what exactly has changed for me since having Charlee. If I were to be honest, I feel like absolutely everything in my life has changed in some way or another due to having Charlee. My relationships have changed, my lifestyle has changed, my body has changed…you name it and it’s changed!! Sometimes it can be overwhelming how much change really occurs after bringing a new life into this world! I think we have no idea what we are really getting into until after the babies arrive! I wouldn’t have it any other way and I know I have changed for the better, but I figured I would share the most impactful personal changes that have shifted since having her.

  1. I am more sensitive: Now this may come as a shock for those of you who know me personally because even before becoming a Mom, I was SUPER sensitive. I have always had a tender heart and felt empathy very easily. Now that I am a Mom it’s totally different though. My sensitivity runs DEEP you guys. Some days I can barely get through a sappy commercial without crying haha! No but really, I am super sensitive to the needs of my daughter after becoming her Mother. I feel such conviction in making sure she is happy and taken care of. I am sensitive to her needs and what is best for her. If she is having a tough moment, I always try and take a step back and realize that this isn’t her fault and my poor baby is just going through the motions. This helps me from getting frustrated in the hard times because I remember that Charlee is just doing her best! I am sensitive to other Mothers around me and have found almost a kinship with strangers. I don’t know about you guys, but whenever I see another Mom on the subway, walking down the street, or in the grocery store, I find myself feeling like I know her somehow. Is that weird?! Who knows! I guess I just feel a deeper sensitivity and I am more aware of it now.
  2. It’s OK to say No: This has been a hard one for me, and even to this day I struggle with saying “No.” I am a people pleaser, and I have been my whole life. I always want to make sure everyone around me is happy and content. I hate inconveniencing others and before baby would go out of my way to accommodate them even if it was an inconvenience to me. Well, after having a baby, that doesn’t really work! My baby and her needs come first, so oftentimes I find myself saying “No” to things. Surprisingly, people are WAY more understanding when I say “No” to things. I used to think I had to really explain myself, but through postpartum therapy I learned that no explanation is ever really necessary. Just saying, “Unfortunately, that’s not going to work for us” is enough! Most of the time, whomever you are saying “No” to is like, “Ok cool, we can figure something else then!” and it seems silly that I felt weird saying “No” in the first place!
  3. My best is enough: There are times that I feel very overwhelmed. There are days where I don’t feel like I am the best Mom, friend, colleague or wife and I can beat myself up about it. In those moments I try to remind myself that I am doing my best and that is enough. Unfortunately it’s impossible to actually do everything 100%, so I have been practicing forgiveness and letting myself do my best without judgement (Easier said than done!). I truly believe as long as I am doing the best that I can, it’s enough.
  4. I care less about what other people think! This is a big one. I honestly, really don’t give a %^^&^ about what other people think. I have a new found confidence after giving birth. It completely changed my perspective. Social media is a funny thing and people are very open to sharing their opinions about me and my child! You would be surprised some of the comments I have received! What’s kind of nuts is that because I know the kind of Mother, friend and person that I am, I really don’t care what others think of me. I know that I am doing my best and I don’t need anyone else to validate that.
  5. My husband is even more important to me. I fell deeply in love with my husband immediately after I met him, but somehow have fallen even a little bit more in love with him every day since. When you have a child together, it really changes your dynamic. I find that I need Matt a little bit more than before we had Charlee. We are a family now, and we have a great team and system that works for us. I really can’t imagine life without him. He is the father of my baby girl, and is pretty much her favorite person. I have a need for him that runs deeper than before now that we have our baby girl. It’s pretty amazing and I feel so lucky to have him as my Husband.

I hope you guys have a wonderful Thursday and a beautiful weekend!

xoxo-J

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