Thursday, April 9, 2015

Girl Mom Series: Emily, Morning Motivated Mom

Emily3

I am Emily and am excited to be a part of Beth's Girl Mom Series. I am incredibly blessed to be the mother of two daughters. For two years and four months it was just Annabelle and I. The first few months of her life, we spent much of the time outside. I was walking. She was hanging out (usually sleeping) in her stroller or baby pack. I have fond memories of being exhausted, yet happy walking for hours of the day. Both of us enjoying the fresh air. I was especially enjoying the sleeping baby. She would accompany me on my errands. (She spent hours in Target!) I would put her in the jogging stroller and she would join me on my runs. We would go to the park. We could meet up easily with friends or family. Until my husband came home from work it was just her and I, every day. All day. I cherished having my girl as my little buddy, my sidekick.

smelling the flowers

When I was pregnant with her little sister, we could not have been more excited. We were looking forward to having another little one to love and giving Annabelle a sibling. We had nothing but joy in our hearts. I knew that Annabelle and my relationship would change when her little sister was born. I had spent practically every minute of every day with her, usually just the two of us. She was my company. This did not consume me in anyway, but I thought of this change a few times while pregnant. It made me sad to know that our relationship would change. I would have to ignore her at times while tending to baby. We would not be able to cuddle on the couch reading for hours, because the newborn would be consuming our lives. (Side note: I do think there are valuable lessons to be learned from not getting 100% of mom's attention, 100% of the time.) One night a few weeks before her little sis was born, I was rocking Annabelle at bedtime. The changes had already started, as she could not snuggle up on my lap with my large belly in the way. As I sang to her, I could not stop the tears from flowing. I cried as I knew that I would not be able to have this uninterrupted time with her. I would not be able to sit and rock my little darling whenever I wanted. I could not sing to her and cuddle at any hour of the day. I knew that life would change shortly. YES, for the better! But I gave myself that one brief moment to mourn the fact that this would change.

Girls Moms

A few weeks later, our sweet Lydia was born. Having Annabelle visit me at the hospital was so strange. She was typically glued to my side, so for her to be my visitor was odd. When leaving the hospital with baby Lydia, I made sure we were home in time to rock Annabelle and put her to bed. I then allowed myself to mourn this change once more. I sang one line to her and the tears came again. It felt so wonderful to cuddle my girl after being away. Oh, how I cherish her! I just needed one more short moment to struggle with this change. After crying and rocking her that one evening, I can say that I have not felt this sadness over our relationship changing. I see my daughters grow to love and enjoy each other's company. My Annabelle now has a sister! She clearly loves her little sis. She looks out for her and even tries to mother her at times. It's so dear to watch this relationship grow. How could I be sad that Annabelle and my relationship changed?? She has a new best friend for life. 

Sisters holding hands
Sisters holding hands.

 Beth, thanks for hosting the Girl Mom Series. I enjoyed stopping by to share about my life as a mom of daughters. I blog at Morning Motivated Mom. I write about striving to find balance in being a wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, neighbor, child of God. And also keeper of the home, money manager, grocery shopper, deal-finder, runner, fitness-lover, sweets-maker, reader, declutterer, somewhat striving minimalist (not really, just trying).


I would love to have you stop by and connect with me!


Thank you so much for sharing your girls and your story with us today Emily.
Be sure to go check out Emily's blog and say hello while you are there!

If you're interested in sharing your story about being a girl mom fill out this survey and I will be in touch.

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28 comments:

  1. I'm the mom of two girls too and I get what you're saying! I was a bit wistful before baby was born but now they're such great friends!

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  2. My daughter's name is Annabelle too (spelled the same way and everything)! I also stay at home with her, so it's usually just her and I (Target is an often trip ;). I am currently pregnant with my second (but do not know if I am having a boy or girl yet). I too am a bit worried about how things are going to change when the new baby comes. We have told Annabelle that mommy is going to have a baby, but since she just turned two I'm not sure how much she actually understands. Thanks for sharing your story, I will make sure to treasure these moments I have alone with her (even when she's throwing a tantrum for who knows why ;).

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  3. So beautiful Emily!! You will most surely enjoy watching them grow together. <3

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  4. so sweet, It's definitely different when the second joins the world, but seeing my kids interact is just too sweet and I love that they have each other.

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  5. It's so dear to watch the friendship grow!

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  6. Thanks for sharing about your Annabelle. Yes, treasure the moments with just the two of you!


    Have no fear, you will still be able to do Target with 2...just train them in early. ;)

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  7. Yes, it's very sweet to watch the siblings together!

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  8. I love reading these Girl Mom posts! So much to relate to, its great knowing others have done the journey, too.

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  9. Aaahhh that makes me so happy to hear! I couldn't possible agree with you more.

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  10. I love this! This is exactly how I felt when we had our second. There is no greater gift we could've given any of our 5 kids than each other.

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  11. Yes, siblings are a wonderful gift!! Friends for life. :)

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  12. HI. I found you at the Saturday Soire. I shared this valuable post on Twitter. I'd love to have another baby to give my youngest son a closer sibling. We are a blended family so the age range is really spaced out. You have a really nice way with words as you describe the changes in you relationship with your first born. Thank you for giving me baby fever all over again. =) Blessings~

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  13. I needed this. We're welcoming a little brother into our home in July and I have so many of those same feelings I'm fighting. G is my everything and I can't wrap my brain around the changes to come. We are elated but like you, I just don't know what to expect. I pray for a smooth transition and I pray that our relationship will remain strong and all the while I hope she connects well with her new little brother.

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  14. This is so precious and definitely reassuring to me. My second will be born in the next couple of weeks and I have been so sad about my son not being the only child any more, but excited at the same time. haha Got to love pregnancy hormones.

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  15. Aaaahhh, that is so sweet. Emily's story is definitely one that I feel so many moms can relate to. Thanks for reading along.

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  16. First off congratulations! Emily's story is definitely one that I could easily relate to as well. Praying that the changes and transitions coming go smoothly for your family.

    Thanks for reading!

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  17. So exciting. It is such a huge change and you are so right, those hormones make it an even wilder ride. Praying you would soak up these last few week with your son and the excitement of a new baby would continue to grow.

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  18. I finally gave my first, a girl, her sister 8 years apart. I so wanted her to have to a sister close to her age, but she has two brothers in between her and her sister. I'm still excited that she has a sister, I know how close my sisters and I are. My two girls adore each other though. I hope your transition goes smoothly. Two can be hard!

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  19. I'm happy I gave you baby fever... :) Thanks so much for reading and for sharing the post!

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  20. Congrats to you! Even if there are tough moments, 99% of adding baby #2 is wonderful!


    Oh, I'm sure the relationship will remain strong! If you are worried, try to plan occasional one-on-one time with your oldest. It can be hard to do. It's rare for me! But I think it's wonderful to spend a little one-on-one time after baby is born. Even if it's just a quick 30 minute walk & playtime at the park.


    Even through the transition of adding daughter number two, Annabelle and my relationship didn't falter one bit! We are still very bonded. :)

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  21. I am happy that it's reassuring!! Enjoy meeting baby #2 and watching the sibling relationship grow.


    Yes, blame it on the hormones. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  22. That's exciting that your daughter now has a sister. Enjoy watching the relationship grow!

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  23. I felt the same way before my second child was born. Everyone in a family is like a spoke in a wheel, and when you add another spoke, you have to rearrange all of the others to accommodate the new one. It takes some time to figure out what the new normal is, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

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  24. My girls are also 2 years and 4 months apart so I know what you mean! I love them both so much, and each has had a chance to be my buddy. :)

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