The day started out like any normal day but by the time all the kids were down for their afternoon naps my stomach wasn't feeling quite right. Thankfully my husband was home and not working at the fire station this particular afternoon. The house was quiet and peaceful but my insides were anything but. And soon I found myself making a mad dash to the bathroom as my stomach heaved up everything I had eaten that day. As I lay curled around the toilet I was so thankful I had given the bathroom a good scrubbing earlier. It is truly the little things friends. After I had expelled what I assumed was the entire contents of my stomach another round of cramps, spasms, and intestinal distress hit my body. After it was over I slowly lowered myself back down to the cool tile floor. This happened for another two hours. My husband entered the bathroom to check on me and discovered me in the fetal position hugging the toilet with my pants around my ankles. Basically the most flattering position … [Read more...]
The Mama Confessionals: What No One Tells You About Motherhood
I can remember the summer before our oldest went to preschool. I continued to second guess myself in the weeks leading up to his first day of the twice weekly class he would be going to for a combined 5 hours a week. Were we making the right choice? Would he be ok? Would I be ok? And many more anxiety filled questions that were very similar. And here is a little spoiler alert for all you parents with little babies. These questions, at least in my experience, continue to happen for each new milestone. I don't think you can really understand this emotional roller coaster if you aren't a parent. At the time I was just 6 months out of counseling for postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth to our daughter. During the second week of preschool, I entered a room of 30 women+ women who I had never met to attend a weekly bible study that was held at the church where my child attended school. Clutching my Bible, I felt scared, my anxiety was choking me, but I knew I needed to be … [Read more...]
The Mama Confessionals: My Baby Swallowed a “Foreign Body”
Well here I sit at my laptop and resurrecting my series The Mama Confessionals. What is funny is that 8 hours earlier today I had decided it was time to do this. My plan had originally been to write about how horrific postpartum periods can be. I seriously feel like I am in junior high again, and really, who wants to relive that awkwardness. Lets just say that my washing machine has been doing double duty lately on my jeans and I am saying thank you for dark washed denim. Additional Reading: I Locked My Kid in the Car & Opps..I Peed My Pants. But instead of writing about all that, life decided get interesting last Tuesday evening around bath time and gave me some new material. Bath time is usually one of two things. A celebratory event that cultivates imagination and fun for 10-20 minutes before the full on bedtime routine starts or a rushed 5-10 minute wash up that usually ends in tears, most of the time it is the kids crying but sometimes I can feel like shedding a few … [Read more...]
The Mama Confessionals: I Locked My Kid In The Car
Well, it happened. The day I never thought would happen. At 10:52 am this morning I locked my kid in the car. After buckling Caden into his carseat and shutting his door, I placed my hand on the door handle fully expecting it to open like it always does but it didn't budge. Searching my diaper bag for my keys was pointless because I could see them inside the car on the my seat. After attempting to open all the other doors, including the trunk, I called 911. The 911 operator told me the more relaxed I stayed the better it would be for my 19 month old. Umm...I just locked my baby in the car! I was ready to bust the window open with my diaper bag if needed to get him out. But instead I said a quick prayer and begin to play peek-a-boo with him. Thank goodness for that sweet 911 operator reassuring me I was not a bad parent and that if I was ever going to lock my child in the car the weather today was ideal for such a dilemma. With the fire department in route to my location the call … [Read more...]
The Mama Confessionals: Oops…I Peed My Pants!
For the past 7 days I have been sick. Stuffy nose, oh so very tired, and on Friday I developed a horrible cough. I am finally starting to feel better, but being pregnant and having to pee all the time, on top of drinking glasses upon glasses of water to flush out whatever was making me sick caused an interesting weekend. Now for all you mama's out there you know where this is going and if you read the title of this post you know where this is headed. When I was pregnant with Caden I did everything I could to maintain a healthy body post baby, including kegal exercises. There are even several breathing techniques in yoga that work those of so special muscles down below. I thought I was going to be covered in the leaky bladder department. Post baby when I resumed teaching my group fitness classes I realized that no matter how great your efforts are things just aren't quite the same after a baby has come out of your body. My first indication that my body had changed was during a … [Read more...]
