34 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Mom

As I have told you guys before, when I found out I was pregnant, I thought I was going to die.  I always liked the thought of being a mom,because kids are so damn cute, but when it hit me that I was actually going to be one, I realized I had no freaking clue what in the heck to do with a baby.  To be honest with you, the first time I changed Denver's diaper in the hospital, I had no clue how to even do that.  I will be sharing a very funny, embarrassing video on my Instagram that my son's father took as I was nearly finishing up changing his first diaper.  Pee went all over me, poop went everywhere.  He pooped 3x while I was changing the diaper y'all... plus with a boy, you gotta be careful about where that pee goes.  I actually can't even believe I am going to share the video, because I look disgusting, I'm cussing, I had literally just delivered my son about 12 hours before it was taken and may have had 2 hours of sleep in 72 hours, and at the time, was still on the prescribed pain medicine.  I am pretty sure I was also wearing those amazingly sexy mesh underwear they give you.  Lol. If you haven't seen it before you got to this point, and you want to laugh, you should go watch. ( @nativeinnashville)

Anyways moral of the story, I WAS CLUELESS on how to actually be a mom.  I have learned SOOO much these last 5 months and thought I would share a few, or 30 some of them with you guys.  I am sure some of you can relate, and some may find it a little informative.  I had to learn some of these the hard way for sure!

1. You don’t have to use 17 wipes to Change a poopy diaper.  And yes I literally used a minimum of 17 the first diaper change, then went to probably 7 the following weeks.  Now I can do it with my eyes closed.

2. I can do this! I never believed in myself before, but I am doing just fine. You can do it too, if I can, I promise you can.  You got this!

3. Babies are expensive ! Outside of formula, diapers and childcare, I buy him every toy, every cute piece of clothing, every kid related thing I see really.  I always dressed ratchet my whole life, and I want him to have better things than I did, even though he stays in little sleepers 98% of the time.

4. I used to say “I’ll never be one of those annoying moms who post pics of their kids each day, we know what they look like", now I’m the worst one of all. Not sorry! 

5. You will be proud of EVERY LITTLE THING your child does.  I repeat, everything. Something so simple, is seriously the biggest accomplishment when they are learning. Last night Denver sat up on his own for he first time, and you would have thought, by the way I was screaming and cheering, that he was winning a Gold medal in the Olympics.  

6. Have someone teach you how to use your car seat and stroller BEFORE it’s time to use it on actual child.

7. Cutting a baby’s nails is the scariest thing ever, next to childbirth, and you have to do it every 3 days.  How in the heck m son's nails grow this fast, I will never know. 

8. Everyone has an opinion about what you should do with your child, ignore them.  You will burn a lot of calories rolling your eyes. If you ask for the opinions of advice, that’s a different story.  

9. You will get sleep!  Maybe I am just lucky with my son, but I feel like I get more sleep now, than I did before I had him.  He does wake me up, but I'm obsessed with him so I don't even mind it.

10. Mom guilt is a real thing.  Anytime I go anywhere without my son, I feel terrible about it,  like he's going to be mad at me and forget who I am or something.  Sometimes you may need a little break though. 

11. Mom brain is also a VERY REAL THING.  I now seem to forget EVERYTHING. Trust me YOU WILL TOO!

12. You will never know a love like this !  It's literally indescribable how much love you can feel.  

13. Everyone will want to kiss All over your kid, NO , just no.

14. The greatest compliment you can ever receive will no longer have anything to do with your hair, makeup, or your outfit, as it might have used to when life was all about you( for me anyways ), it will be that you’re a good mom!!  Best feeling ever is someone telling you this or assuring you that you are doing a good job!

15. Nothing is cuter than seeing a baby stretch right when they wake up, ok except maybe their little laugh.

16. Put them in their cutest clothes, QUICK.  I’ve bought so many things and “wanted to save them” and it became too late! They grow & grow out of them QUICK!  

17. You won’t use half the big stuff you buy them. I've literally never used my bassinet, my rocker glider chair, and numerous other expensive things that my mom brain won't let me currently remember. 

18. Not everyone is going to like your child’s name, and that’s ok! Not everyone has good taste ;) 

19.  If people want to help you, let them !! Especially when the nurses ask if you want them to take your baby for the night while you're still in the hospital.  Just do it!

20. The epidural is not bad AT ALL! I heard countless horror stories but i didn’t even feel it! 

21. Speaking of... Get the epidural !! There is no prize or Medal of Honor for not getting it.  Trust me on this !  I am really not even trying to offend anyone by this one either, but me personally, I don't see why anyone could not get it.  Mine was mostly warn off by the time I was delivering him, but I couldn't have made it through the day feeling those contractions more than I already did.

22. Your whole world will revolve around your kid !!  Every single decision you make,

23.  If Facebook on this day and time hop didn’t remind you of your old life you would never remember what life was like before having a child. 

24.  When you go out with your friends to eat the only thing you guys all talk about is your kids and how cool you used to be.

25.  When you’re feeding your baby make sure to wipe their neck after you are done, if ANY milk drips down there!  trust me you do not want to find out their neck is dirty the hard way,  it can be the worst smell you have ever smelled in your life  !

26.  Getting yourself & your child ready can be the ultimate task! I was already late to everything before having a kid. I give myself an extra hour of time every day to get ready. I still usually look like crap, and use it doing stuff for my son, but I NEED that extra hour.

27.  Your life is no longer about you it is 150% about them. They always come first.  

28. Taking a shower can feel like a vacation! No, seriously...moms am I right? 

 29. Triple check you have your diaper bag before leaving the house !! I had to learn this the hard way.  Also make sure you always have an extra change of clothes in there.

30.  Running to Target is no longer a simple task.  Nothing really is, for me yet anyways.  Running to Target, baby free also feels like a vacation though.  Lets be honest, some of us would rather be at Target, than an ACTUAL vacation. 

31. Your kid gets cooler by the minute.  It's literally miraculous, and you will look at them with amazement, and in disbelief that you created such a magical person.  I still can't believe I created a person y'all! 

32. They say babies don’t smile until a certain age and when they are, that it's just gas... i call BS! My son has been smiling since he was a week old.  Swear on my hair.

33.  Don't spend time away from your child, for temporary people.  TRUST ME ON THIS! You cannot get that time you spent away from them back.  If you don't know for 100% sure they are going to be in your life for the long run, don't waste your time.  This is going to be tough for me, as a single mom, who is terrified to ever date again, but unless I KNOW, or my son is with his father, I refuse to take time away from Denver.

34. Moms are the shit! Until I became one myself, I never knew how much work they put into taking care of their kids.  When they say it's a full-time job, it most certainly is.  It's so much work, and hard sometimes, but beyond worth every single second.  Most days I legit feel like Superwoman! I am SO PROUD to be a mom!!

There are probably at least 75 more things I could add to this list right now, but I will save them for later.  I literally learn something  new every day.  I already know that this will be a learning process, daily, for the rest of my life. I can only hope and strive to wake up every day and be a better mom than the day before, and the best mom I can be!  What are some things you guys have learned since becoming mamas?  Let me know in the comments.  Thank you for reading!! 

XO- Amber

20 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Turning 30

Well, I literally never thought I would see the day that I turned THIRTY YEARS OLD.  That dreadful monumental moment has arrived in my life, and up until this point I've been very uncomfortable with the idea of being this old.  I have decided now, that I am going to embrace it!  Turning 30 is like a really, seriously big deal.  I believe if you can make it to thirty, you can make it through anything!  Let's face it, by thirty you made it through that awkward losing teeth phase, learning Algebra, high school in general, your teen years, and probably several heartbreaks.  Not to mention having to pay bills for your first time, living on your own, doing your own laundry, and cooking yourself dinner.  I feel like I am officially a WOMAN!  There are so many things I wish I would have known along the way throughout the course of my life so far, so I want to share a few or twenty of them with you.  

1. When people tell you eating bad will catch up to you, it absolutely will.  I swear, in the past month I have gained about 10 lbs.  Nothing has changed in my diet, no, I'm not pregnant, it's just life, I guess.

2. When boys are mean to you IT DOES NOT mean they like you.  It means RUN, and RUN as FAST AS YOU CAN!

3. Tattoos are permanent...no, but seriously, think more than twice before you go getting something crazy permanently placed on your body.

4.  You can't change people.  People have got to want to change themselves.

5.  Building your credit is more important than building your Instagram follower count.  

6.  Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.

7.  If you don't like where you are, move.  YOU ARE NOT A TREE.

8.  Believe in yourself.  You must become unshakable in the belief that you are worthy of a big life.  You got this!

9.  Money does NOT buy you happiness.  

10.  You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce.

11.  You will end up disappointed if you grow up thinking everyone has the same heart as you do. 

12.  Listen to your mom.  Turns out mothers really do know best!

13.  Watch what you say.  Words are free.  It's how you use them that may cost you.

14.  Life doesn't always turn out how you expect it to.  Never, in a million years, would I have ever imagined to be thirty years old, with no husband or children.  

15.  Everyone's true colors will eventually show.  Trust me on this.

16.  Stop saying "yes" to sh*t you hate.  If you don't want to do something don't.  

17.  Never chase love, affection or attention.  If it isn't given freely by another person, it isn't worth having.

18.  In 30 years, I have never gotten Salmonella by eating raw cookie dough.  EAT THE RAW COOKIE DOUGH. (ha)

19.  What doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.

20.  The best is yet to come.  I always wonder how one year could be better than the last, but it seems these days, that almost every single day is better than the last.  

I'm ready to see what these next thirty years have in store!  I have had a great life so far.  Has it been perfect? No.  Has it been ideal and what life is "supposed" to be? No.  Has it been challenging? Heck Yeah.  Would I trade it if I could?  NOPE.  I plan to make my next thirty years even better than the last.  Life is short, do the things you have always wanted to do, and make it amazing!  Tomorrow is not promised. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

HELLO 30!!

PC: Brasspenny Photography

PC: Brasspenny Photography

Thank you, as always for reading!!

Brutally Honest: Most Annoying Things Ever

If you personally know me, you know that I am one of the most blunt and honest people there are.  Some people love that and some people hate it.  There is not much in between.  But, I will say honesty really is the best policy.  I have always been that "go-to person because I know you will tell me the truth" type.  This, again like my last post, has nothing to do with Nashville at all, but there are some things I just need to get off my chest.  That's why I have added this to my "LIFE" category.  I am going to be brutally honest with y'all on this one.  I have compiled a list of the top things that just really annoy me in life.  I think several of you can probably  relate to most things on this list!  If any of these offend you, WHOOPS.

• Announcing you are cleaning up your Facebook friends list..... why do you feel the need to do that or that you are deleting your Facebook? 

• PLEASE, for the love of God, don't ask me 3x if I want to buy the product(s) you're selling.  Trust me, if I want to buy it, or sell it, I will let you know!
• Couples who talk to each other through Facebook wall posts.  Once in a while, like say an anniversary or something, it's cool, but who are you really trying to prove your love to?
• Unfollowers on Instagram....I can tell y'all I roll my eyes about 60 percent of the time I am scrolling through the 'gram, but you have to just be awful for me to go outta my way to unfollow you. 
• People who HAVE to back into parking spots.... WHY do you feel the need to do that?  
• People who wait for 5 minutes for an up close parking spot... Gah I would hate for you to have to take 20 extra steps to get to your destination.  If you are handicap, this doesn't apply to you, so nobody needs to start popping off. 
• People who chew with their mouth open or smacking their gum. I do NOT want to hear that.  It literally makes me cringe. ​

• Your child is not 24 months old, your child is 2 years old!!  I will never understand people who talk about their kid's ages like this past 18 months.  Stop that, just NO.
• When people reply with the letter "k", and the letter k only, I CANNOT DEAL WITH Y'ALL.  There is nothing that gets my blood boiling more than when I spend time and energy texting someone and all they text back is one letter.  When this happens I normally text them back "LMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" and finish that alphabet right on up for them.

• Having to press "1" for English and being transferred to someone who STILL doesn't speak English.  
• Going out to eat with someone and they spend more time looking at their phone than talking to you.  
• When people don't adjust the toilet paper roll properly.  There is a correct way and this is it.

• Passive agressiveness.   If you have something to say, SAY IT.
• Liars.  I don't think I need to go into any detail on this one.
• Parents who don't do everything in their power to spend time with their kids.  There are a lot of people out there, myself included, who would love to have a child.  It makes me absolutely SICK to see and know deadbeat parents. I know how I feel about my nieces, and I make it a point to see them EVERY single time I get the chance.  They aren't even my kids.
• Unsupportive "friends" or family.  We always assume friends and family are going to support us no matter what, but what happens when they don't?  It can surely suck the happy and excited feeling right out of you.  Support your friends people so you don't ever have to go from a friend to a "friend"

There you guys go!  My brutally honest list of things that genuinely annoy me.  I know I'm missing a few things, here because rolling my eyes is definitely my cardio. Haha.  What kinds of things annoy y'all, be sure to comment below.  Speaking of the last item on my list, thank you guys for supporting me!!  If these things annoy you too, please share.