Ellen Girl

I met Jenna, of the Call Her Happy blog, just a few weeks ago. I knew we could be friends when she shared that she gets out the "good snacks" when her daughter takes a nap. With three , I rarely have a united nap time, thus I tarry in the pantry when looking for "something". Same difference. Jenna asked me to post on her blog, but I am even more excited that she was willing to post here. She's about to open a new chapter on motherhood...she's pregnant with her second. 

My Ellen Girl,

We've got a good little schedule going right now, don't we? You climb in my bed around 8am - for the love of everything holy, thank you!, and we "nuggle nuggle" (your words, not mine). You ask for an "awful waffle and milk" and we get our day started. You play well alone and always let me know when you need mommy playtime. We even have a great thing going when I shower: you watch me (we clearly need to work on modesty), and then hand me my towel when I'm done. Thanks for that. We sing, we wrestle, we color, we learn about not picking our nose. We've got it good here right now. And, in May, things are going to change...just a tiny bit.

Subscribe to Call Her Happy

I've got to be honest, kid; I'm a little scared. I want you to know what I'm thinking so someday, when you're a mommy, you will know all of these things are normal. And, since I am so ridiculously high anxiety and slightly to a lot hyper-organized, here's a little list:

Getting Out of the House: I admit, I have a hard time with this already. Just today, I wanted to go to Target to return an item. Just one item. So, I got all of our things together, put your shoes on, got you in the car, drove to Target, got out the stroller, put on your coat and hat, got all of our items, carried you and the stroller into the store, put you in the stroller while you yelled, organized all of our things, and THEN went up to the counter to return the ONE item. Then we did everything in reverse to go home. Phew. How am I going to do that with two of you? Especially when you are always trying to run away from me in the parking lot.

Being Too Lazy: I get this way sometimes. When I am overwhelmed or I feel like I can't get organized or focused, I start to do nothing. (Does anyone else do this? Say yes.) I pray about this a lot so I can get over it, but it's hard. It is so easy to not do anything when it isn't mandatory. But, you know what, just getting up and doing something, anything is good for the soul. I will work on this. At the very least I will make a thousand sticky note lists that make me feel productive...

Not Giving You Enough: You know I'm crazy about you. I try to find a balance between you playing on your own and me playing with you. Still, I go to bed most nights wishing I had even more time to be with you. You're such an easy kid...when you're sleeping.

Not Giving Your Brother Enough: I can't imagine loving someone else like I love you. But, the cool thing about love is that it doesn't divide; it multiplies. I know I will love your brother just as much. And, because of that, I know I will feel the same thing about giving him attention. Can you help me out and play with him too - gently.

Losing Me-Time: When you nap, I get out allll of the good snacks, watch tv and play on the computer. Sorry to tell you that, but I do. It is so fun to have time to myself while you sleep. When your brother gets here, who knows when he will nap? I doubt it will be at the same time as you. How am I going to find me-time without feeling like I am neglecting someone who is awake?

Does it sound like I am worried? I am. But I am also really excited for you to have a sibling. I think you're going to be a phenomenal big sister. So, with all of these worries out there in the open, I will tell you that I will be praying about them. I will be aware of them. And nothing will ever happen to our family, good or bad, that will change how much I love you. New things happen in life all the time, and we will tackle them together, admit and face our fears and pray, pray, pray.

So, let's take the exciting with the scary and do this, ok? Ok!

Jenna is a former high school English teacher turned stay-at-home mom and freelancer from the Midwest. She spends her days taking care of her daughter and her uterus child while creating content for her blog, Call Her Happy.