this is my motherhood

I'm a mother. 

And I have a beautiful almost-8-month-old daughter named Finley.

I'm a stay-at-home mom.

I'm a formula feeding mom.

I'm a sleep trainer mom.

I love to laugh and play and sing to my baby.

I love to read to her.

I love to cuddle her (if she'll let me).

I love to teach her new things.

I love to sit and observe her.

I love to watch her explore and discover the world.

We don't leave the house much.

Our living room is her kingdom.

Most days I just let her roam around and play with her toys

while I sit and watch her.

And watch Netflix.

Or surf the internet.

Or do the occasional impromptu photo shoot.

Sometimes it's all quiet

apart from the birds chirping

or the loud garbage truck

or Finley blowing raspberries. 

But I like it like that.

While Finley naps,

sometimes I nap too.

Or sometimes I watch lots of makeup tutorials on Youtube

(even though I only wear makeup two to three times a week now).

Sometimes I get things done

like the dishes 

or the laundry.

Sometimes I play video games.

Sometimes I bake.

Sometimes I honestly do nothing.

And I like doing nothing sometimes. 

My house is usually cluttered with toys

(something I swore I would never let happen).

A lot of days I don't shower.

Most days I stay in my pajamas.

I like being in my pajamas.

I like being cozy and comfortable.

Sometimes we do go out.

We go to the store.

We go to the doctor.
We go for a walk.

We get something to eat.

We visit with people from church.

And it always makes me laugh how quiet Finley is around new people and places.

And how loud she is when we get home.

In the late afternoons I cook dinner--

something I've really learned to love doing recently.

Finley sits in her high chair while I pretend I'm Giada de Laurentiis

and talk her through the whole cooking process.

Then Zach comes home.

We eat dinner.

Play with Finley.

Give her a bath.

Put her in her PJ's.

Sing a song.

Read a scripture.

Say a prayer.

Give her kisses.

And put her to bed.

Then Zach and I get in bed

and watch our favorite TV show of the moment.

We talk.

We laugh.

We tease each other.
We discuss celebrity gossip and the latest Marvel movie trailer.

We cuddle.

Sometimes we argue.

But we always make up.

We sneak peeks of Finley while she sleeps.

And we look at countless pictures of her because we miss her so much.

We're always tempted to wake her up.

But we never do.

Then we go to sleep.

And it all starts over again.

This is my life.

This is my motherhood.

This is what works best for me.

You probably like to do things differently.
And that's just fine with me.
So you do you
and I'll do me.
And we'll both try to be the best mothers we can be.