Tag: life

10 Everyday Things I’m Grateful For in 2025

Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting edition of “everyday things I am grateful for!” For those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, every year I have made it a tradition for Thanksgiving to write about 10 things I am grateful for that have no reference to any decor you would find in Hobby Lobby. You know what I am talking about; peace, love, joy, family, friends, happiness, and “don’t forget to flush.” Those are all important of course, but there are so many more things that Hobby Lobby does not recognize. I advise you to go back to my previous editions to help you realize what you don’t miss until it is gone. Sit back, put your glasses on, if you are sitting on the toilet (as most do nowadays) take your last wipe and enjoy reading about the 10 things (perhaps stupid things) that I am grateful for this year.

1. Roundabouts

I am aware that there are mixed feelings about this one, but in Woodbury, MN, which seems to be the land of roundabouts, I have learned just how great they are. On the other hand, some towns that haven’t had any updates since the flip phone, are the land of stop signs. I’m going to be a Karen here, but the whole start – stop deal is really annoying when they are every half mile, especially when you are the only one at the 4 way stop. There have been many times I have wanted to run the stop sign, but have resorted to the rolling stop method, and let’s be honest that you are guilty of that, too. With roundabouts, it is the legal equivalent of running a stop sign. Not to mention, my Rav 4 temporarily turns into a race car going around the smooth curve and revs back up going on my merry way down the road again. No herky jerky or car sickness involved. For those who have no clue how roundabouts work, or are perfectly fine wasting gas on the stopping and starting at stop signs, I suggest you get up to speed with the upgrade of the road.

2. Baby Aspirin

I told myself I was going to try to keep mom related things out of this. Well, this is not mom related still. For those who read my latest posts, you learned that I was in a traumatic bike accident which made my vertebral artery decide to tear. How rude! Because of this, I was on blood thinners for a year. I have to admit, since my Epilepsy medications never are in the limelight; I got excited every time the cheesy commercial for my blood thinner came on of old people living their joyous lives licking an ice cream cone or smiling doing water aerobics while on the blood thinner. I also felt special that I was the only one in my family that could make conversation with my grandparents talking about our blood thinners. Anyways, I have now transitioned to indefinitely taking a chewable baby aspirin every morning to make sure I prevent a stroke. I really don’t mind because the orange flavor tastes pretty good, kind of like the Flintstone orange vitamin I took every morning! I am grateful for this because on Eliquis, I bruised so easily that I had bruises on my legs/arms/stomach/you name it, making it look like every part of my body accidentally slammed into the corner of a table while walking by…although that’s common for me. Now, I get regular bruises from regular bruise inducing things such as wiping out trying to run after my toddler. Now that I finish this paragraph, I’m not quite sure this is an everyday thing, whoops!

3. Brooms

Important enough to make the picture!

Ok, so I am kind of breaking my vow not to talk about mom stuff here, but all people can use a broom, and needs to give them some love for their job. This is similar to the toilet brush point I made last year. As I was trying to reflect on what I am grateful for this year, I asked myself “what are my daily pain points?” One problem came to my mind real quick, and it is the one-sided food fights my son has with the floor every day (we are working on it.) I imagined what it would look like if I didn’t have a broom, and the image that came into my head was being hunched on the floor picking up every cheerio manually, swiping up dried ground turkey with the sleeve of my favorite sweatshirt real quick, or making the Bounty paper towel commercials come to life. I could list a lot more things, but I’ll put it this way; if the floor had a mouth, it would be very full, and I would spend half the day on the floor trying to pick up Teddy Grahams. I understand the concept of toddler exploration and expression of emotions; but why couldn’t it be in the form of setting it down on his plate, making a 3 point shot into the trash can, or hovering out of his high chair and flying it back into the fridge to save for later? I used to put my broom in the closet after I used it occasionally, but now I don’t even bother because my broom has become my ballroom dance partner as we glide across the floor and under the table with long sweeps of said ground turkey, sticky peanut butter sandwiches, crushed chocolate bunny crackers, waffle, or really any toddler food that you made them with love…but it ends up smooshed on the floor just like your heart is now broken on the floor, too. Thank your broom today, or in advance, because at some point, the fact the Vikings can sweep their opponent doesn’t mean they can sweep Spaghetti-Os off your floor.

4. Printed Pictures

Call me old fashion but I like to make my many pictures on my phone come to life. Having your pictures backed up to iCloud isn’t the only way to keep your memories safe (ok, they would survive a flood or your house burning down, but give me my shining moment here.) A lot of people love to make Shutterfly books of their pictures, and those are great, but that is not the same as the kind of printed photos that I love! You can’t take those out, move them around, give a picture to someone, or write on it…well you could, but that would require some scissors. Since Casey was born, I started a picture book with all of the memorable pictures and people that he will be able to see someday. Additionally, I have written something on the back of every picture whether that be a date, who someone is, what milestones he has achieved, but most importantly, some witty joke or cheesy remark that will probably embarrass him someday.

You can give someone your phone to look through pictures, but then you have to awkwardly stand there watching them, praying that a text notification doesn’t come through that is about something you really don’t want someone to read from your spouse or gossip from the friend group text. I also love that I can send pictures in the mail to a grandparent or parent that ultimately ends up framed in their house or on the fridge (thanks Mom and Gram!) Something about taking the time and effort to drive ALL the way to Walgreens, put those pictures in Casey’s photo book, or the pictures of Zach and I on the fridge, is a rewarding feeling for me. It is so different than scrolling through my phone which most pictures I will have forgotten and never look at again due to the fact they are a tiny square at the top of my camera roll. Lastly, I am 100% sure the guy at Walgreens knows my life story now, as he has seen Casey’s prints from the day he was born! How do I know this? He always says “you’re the girl with the baby, right?”

5. Air Conditioning

Every year I seem to have a “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” moment. A previous one in years past was underwear. I now appreciate underwear more than you know after forgetting any/all on my honeymoon which was on an island that did not sell any. You really get creative, I will let your mind go wherever it leads you with that. This year is AC. This may seem boring, but when you go a month without it due to your house getting struck by lightning, that makes it a little less boring, right? Because of this method of losing it, there was not a quick fix. There really is a way to stump the HVAC guy! This also happened to be during the hottest time of the year. I turned into someone that sleeps on the top of the sheets which just feels downright wrong, and Casey slept in only a diaper which also felt wrong. The upside? I got to make the joke to my co-workers that I was working so hard that day that I was sweating! So, I advise everyone to think a little more about your air conditioning today, or maybe even give it a name, because it truly is amazing and is a luxury when getting in a hot car and you’re able to make the feeling of sitting in a sauna away.

6. Mentors

A mentor can stem from and mean a lot of things! A mentor at work, a mentor in finances, a mentor at the gym, a mentor in mental health, or even a mentor on making the perfect Blackstone burger. For me? I have found my mentors in previous managers of mine. I don’t know if that sounds odd or not, but now that they are not my managers, I feel a lot more freedom to discuss work related topics. For example, I now have been able to say “hey, remember when you asked me to do this? Yeah, I had no clue how to do that but was not about to admit that to you as your direct report.” Or, “hey, you used to scare the crap out of me sometimes!” I now consider these individuals friends, as I talk to them daily ranging from professional advice, financial topics, advice on how to get your kid to eat anything but cheez its…to sending gifs every morning, keeping up on Facebook, occasionally calling to catch up on life, venting to each other, and now, making the Christmas card list! These people in my life have become so important to me. I am grateful for the fact that being a manager to me; they know me in a lot of different ways, even more than some of my friends do, which make Co-workers and people that have broader experience such great mentors. I wish I had the exact words to portray the feeling of gratitude I have! Think about your mentor right now and go tell them you are grateful for where they have gotten you!

7. Stationary Bikes

This year I have used my spin bike so much! It is so convenient to have it in my home gym, aka my storage closet that is just big enough to argue it is not a closet but instead, a tiny room. (I am surrounded by retired baby equipment, but I am still standing behind my argument.) I can go hop on it while Casey is napping, do the opposite of what he is doing, and then feel so great afterwards knowing that I don’t have to commute farther than walking down the stairs. My bike also survived the lightning strike (I really am going to refer to that a lot because it was that bad.) While the computer part of the bike containing the virtual Peloton-like workouts on the screen died, the bike itself did not…this kind of goes back to printed pictures in a way; some things are just better when they aren’t electronic. I won’t say much more about this topic, but I will end with the fact that it is a way to exercise while sitting down, too!

8. Playgrounds

I can’t tell you the last time I played on a playground. Oh wait, yes I can, last week. I’ve told people that one of the best things about having a kid, is that part of you gets to become a kid again. Going to the park with Casey is a socially acceptable way for me to run around going down slides, doing monkey bars, and going on swings just like I did when I was in elementary school. Some things don’t change even when becoming an adult (or maybe this means I am not an adult yet.) I am grateful for parks because they are a great outlet for a toddler that likes to run around the house and climb tables. In addition, as a parent, it can get really hard trying to figure out what to do with your child that isn’t the same thing over and over again after dinner. In our house, it is take everything out of the cabinets in the kitchen, run around the house with usually a bucket or potholder, drag them up the stairs, and hide them somewhere that I will not find until a later date. Little boys have so much energy, and I do not, so a playground is the perfect way to channel their energy while I can sit back and watch him almost go head first down a slide until I call out to turn around (he actually does turn around, he’s a good boy!) Lastly, playgrounds nowadays have gotten a huge glow up and have so many cool contraptions and activities! Zach and I love to discover new playgrounds to take him to. Instead of looking up restaurant reviews like most people do our age, we are critiquing the components of new playgrounds!

9. Bluey

Before having a kid, I heard all the hype about this show called “Bluey” and thought it was so overrated. Now? I have a sincere connection with Bluey’s whole family. I can tell you her whole family tree including her sister Bingo, cousin Muffin, Dad Bandit, Mom Chili, and all Bluey’s friends. I love going down the Bluey aisle at Target just as much as Casey now. I am also grateful for Bluey because this show keeps Casey entertained when I need it, such as on a 3 hour plane ride to Texas (thank goodness.) There is so much talk about keeping kids away from screens and being “screen kids,” but I fully believe that sometimes, it just needs to happen, and there is nothing wrong with it! The 7 minute episodes (another version of 7 minutes in heaven,) give me a little bit of time to clean up the dishes from dinner, comforts when they are sick, reply to an email, I can fold a load of laundry, or simply, have a break! In order for me to parent at my best, I need to take a little time for me to just decompress for a bit. I can’t believe how much scrutiny is out there, and telling another parent that your kid watches TV sometimes feels like you are telling them that you just backed into their car, aka, embarrassed, nervous, and ashamed. I grew up watching my cartoons that I loved, and they brought me so much joy and memories, and I think I turned out ok! Anyone remember Dragon Tales or Blues Clues? (Maybe Blue is Bluey’s ancestor.) Lastly, Bluey is an Australian show, who doesn’t love an Australian accent?

10. Street Tacos

Nothing lengthy here, I am just grateful they exist as they bring me what Hobby Lobby would say: “joy, love, happiness.” To be specific, the street tacos from Centro. Do I have a street taco ranking list on my phone? You betcha.

Full disclaimer: I am starting to get tired of typing, and don’t want to use my brain anymore as it is transitioning to thinking about sweet potato casserole instead. For those of you still on the toilet, I’m almost done and you should have been a long time ago.

Well there goes another year’s list of everyday things that need a little more attention. I mention every year that I have a daily gratitude practice of writing down 3 everyday things I am grateful for. Today’s were snow boots, large coffee mugs, and placemats. Weird? Maybe. True? I think so. We can get so wrapped up in the never ending roundabouts of daily life that we forget the little things (see what I did there?) The psychology of gratitude is so prevalent when looking at mental health, and finding joy in the little things is a muscle that everyone should start training. Lastly, I am grateful that I had the time to write this blog!

Happy Turkey Day, folks!

~Lauren

10 Things I’ve Learned in My First Year of Parenting

In honor of my son’s first birthday (tomorrow!) I thought it was fitting to do a post about him and all that we have experienced together! But first; I feel like I need to introduce myself again since it has been a year long hiatus from touching this blog. I am sorry to all of you that have been deprived of my “life-changing” reading material that you probably read when you need to kill time. It is very suiting that this blog is titled “Life of Lauren,” because the life of Lauren has changed significantly since the last time you read anything from me. Sitting down to use my brain for fun has not been appetizing as of late.

Hello! I am Lauren Haugen, formerly Lauren Casey when I started this blog. I am a psychology graduate nerd, former gymnast, Epilepsy warrior, wife to my husband Zach, self-awarded best sister & daughter ever, handstand expert, taco enthusiast, and now I can add Mom (hint: that is the new Life of Lauren part) to my son, Casey, to my list of identities! If anyone wants to know more nitty gritty details on my list such as being allergic to kiwi, or that I am still scarred by misspelling “bandage” during my 5th grade spelling bee, feel free to reach out. (The proctor had an accent and it sounded like “bandish.)” Becoming a parent has been the feeling of a 5am alarm on a Monday, but also the feeling of that first sip of coffee in the morning. With that, here’s a few things that I have, in my opinion, found to be important since becoming a parent!

1. The importance of functional fitness

I am an avid fitness fanatic and always have been. The reason I have worked out in adulthood was to look great at the pool. Now, I work out for a totally different reason because it would be so hard if I didn’t train certain movements that I actually need to do as a parent. It’s also my stress outlet which I definitely need as a parent, too…and I still want to look good at the pool (don’t we all? Come on now, folks.)

Long walk home in Kentucky!

Functional fitness is using hamstrings to bend over and pick up your laundry basket. It is cardio to run after your kids before they use a ballpoint pen to draw sheep on hard wood floors (guilty.) It is getting down and dirty to wipe pureed peas off the floor. It is crawling behind the couch to grab a toy that was chucked across the room. It is simply going up the stairs. Imagine slowly starting to not execute tasks because those muscles aren’t being trained! I will tell you that before having Casey, I didn’t consistently train squats because I had no reason to. I was humbled the first time I dropped something while holding a 5lb baby because I could barely squat to pick it up (I advise new parents to test out which pacifiers bounce the most, and then avoid those at all cost.) I really needed to work on my leg strength, or we’d have a problem. 15 lbs later and I am easily able to do squats while holding a 20lb baby because I train to do so. (I was also able to stand back up in the picture above- wide leg ballet squats are no joke.) It’s amazing seeing the progress I have made, and it feels like when I achieved a new skill in gymnastics “back in the olden days.” Every muscle in my body has had to gain more muscle strength to be used in a lot of different ways, such as holding a newborn and using the bathroom at the same time. That was a proud milestone! Functional fitness truly is important because as it says; it helps you function so you are able to show up for your kids, and for your own health. I unfortunately had to experience what it was like not being able to function for myself, Casey, or quite frankly anyone in paragraphs to come.

2. The floor creaking isn’t the issue

Do you remember watching in movies where parents put the baby to sleep and they tip toe out of the room super quietly so the floor doesn’t creak to avoid waking the baby? Yeah, well this is not the only real issue here. I have stepped on the magic creaking spot in our nursery so many times and Casey does not stir. I have body slammed furniture in the dark and he is fine. I have dropped bottles, tripped over a rug, and more things that you think would wake a baby up, but not him. I started thinking, hey, maybe I just have a heavy sleeper! Awesome! But no, I found the weakness, and that is the weakness of my joints. The problem is when I tip toe out of the room; my ankle pops, a toe joint doesn’t like me in that moment, or a wrist pops even though I somehow am not using it. I never would have thought being a gymnast, or perhaps getting older once I hit 25, would be the culprit. Even at one year old, Casey still wakes up when my big toe pops louder than the high schooler revving his engine near the house thinking he’s cool.

3. A music career is made

Mr. Sun is a fan favorite at ECFE

I am not the kind of gal to sing out loud with others around me. Singing happy birthday was (kind of still is) a struggle, and singing in the car was a no-no. I didn’t even sing in church growing up because that was somehow embarrassing for no reason at all. Now that I am a mom; I sing worship songs to Casey during the service, I can’t wait to be the loudest in the room to sing happy birthday to him (mom duties.) I belt out the songs at the top of my head in the car to try and keep him entertained even if they are not child appropriate . I sing the Barney theme song daily, Zach and I perform duets, we sing the songs at ECFE together, and I kind of sing nursery songs. By kind of, I mean I pathetically realized I forgot the words to the most common songs including Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. But what I have come to realize, is I began to write my own singles on the spot without any thought of what words are coming out of my mouth. It is like filling a space with sound to entertain Casey, just like it is talking about the weather to fill space when joining a work call. Let’s hope I don’t mix those up sometime. If that were the case, my coworkers would hear my album including my hits Put your Pants on Song, That’s My Little Man, Change the Poopy, What Are We Going to Wear Today, and Bath Time Bath Time. Stay tuned for my next album dropping soon!

4. Wear a bike helmet

This is going to be long, folks. As I previously mentioned, I got a taste of what it was like to not be able to do anything for anyone, let alone hold my son. It was awful, and it woke me up to see that I need to think about all the situations or danger I put myself in, because I need to always be there as a wife, and a mom. Here’s what I mean- I signed up to do the 36 mile Tour De Tonka bike ride in August 2024. I hopped on my road bike and put my helmet on that morning with no idea I would be proving the point that helmets save lives as we all heard from every grown up when we were kids when we didn’t want to wear them because they didn’t look cool (me.) I think you all know I’m about to say I crashed my bike, but this is so much more than a bike crash.

I was a few miles in going down a hill when I looked at my speedometer, and it flashed that I was going 25mph. I looked back up and the girl in front of me suddenly braked real hard causing my instincts to kick in. My instincts told me that smashing into the girl was not the best option, but turning my handlebars sharply to the left and bracing myself for a lot of road rash was the next best thing. I remember as I was on the way down being more concerned about crying in front of strangers rather than the fact I’d probably have no skin left on my body. Seconds later, I hit the ground, but it didn’t hurt because the light switch in my head turned off. I woke up to paramedics standing over me, asking me what the date was, in which I responded “I don’t know, but I never know anyways.” They were happy I still kept my bad humor. I was impressed no one else was lying in the road considering I smacked the pavement in the middle of the pack. I guess everyone else’s instincts were better at avoiding running someone over. My bike’s chain came off, but other than that, it was fine. I also looked fine on the outside, I only had one scratch on my finger, but that is because I hit the concrete so hard that I didn’t slide. I was told my helmet sacrificed itself and cracked inside to save my head from cracking instead (have you ever seen a cracked inside of a helmet? Yeah, me neither.) But just like my helmet cracked on the inside, I was cracked on the inside, too.

Holding Mom’s hand when I visited her

It only took me a few seconds to break my hip, 4 ribs, my collarbone, become concussed with a small brain bleed, bruise a lung, and tear the artery in my neck that supplies blood to my brain. Go big or go home am I right? The next few days were an absolute blur between all the scans, neurologists, TBI docs, orthopedists and anyone else that thought I got hit by a car. You’d be surprised how many times I had to tell someone that this was indeed, a one woman show. I left the hospital with some party favors to commemorate this experience being a hot new ride to wheel me around while I was told I couldn’t walk for up to 6 months. I also brought home 2 new plates and 14 screws to hold my collarbone together. They assured me it would be ok, because I wouldn’t be setting alarms off in the airport for the rest of my life since they were fancy Titanium. #boujee! Lastly, I was prohibited from lifting anything over 10lbs so my artery would not tear more. Because of this, I could not pick up my 3 month old son, go up the stairs to his nursery unless my wheelchair could sprout wings, get up to feed him when he needed me, and play with him. All I could do was just be present, and I hoped that was enough for him to feel like I was his mom. I struggled with this deeply, as I was already struggling with postpartum thoughts of how I truly believed he didn’t like me as much as everyone else.

I had to move to a more wheelchair accessible home, aka my parent’s house. I time traveled back to what felt like high school again, and my boyfriend would come over to visit and hang out and then leave at night; except it was my husband. Zach brought Casey over after work, and took him home later. I joke that it felt like Zach and I were separated with 50/50 custody over Casey. I really wished that bad joke I made was actually a bad joke, but it was my reality at the moment. I was so motivated to get back to good health for both of them, that I worked hard to get out of the wheelchair in one month instead of 3-6 as predicted. I skipped to crutches (my pride refused to use a walker), and I was able to walk fully on my own within 2-3 months with no help. I will say, I was sad to see the shower chair go because that was kind of relaxing. The gnarly scar on my collarbone is the tattoo that will be on me forever to remind me of the most memorable year of my life! So, long story that wasn’t short: be more aware of what you do, and think of those who depend on you…and of course, wear your bike helmet.

5. You need more bottles than you think you do

I was a firm believer that I needed maximum 3 bottles, because they could just be cleaned in order to use them again! I saw videos everywhere about how annoying it is to clean bottles, and all I thought was geez, it’s really not that hard. Boy, I sure take my words back and agree with those videos. Before becoming a parent, there was no way for me to realize how dreadful of a task cleaning a bottle would be. It isn’t just because I didn’t do any research or perform google rabbit hole sessions; it truly is a “you don’t know until you know” feeling. I quickly learned after a full day of sleep deprivation mixed with pumping, normal human activities, remembering that you have to take care of yourself, taking time to eat, and total justified laziness; cleaning a singular bottle is the last thing I wanted to do. A top 5 worst feeling is going to grab a bottle for a feeding in the middle of the night, seeing there are none, and having to clean one while holding your cranky tired baby in hand (also why upper body functional fitness is needed.) Even having a one year old, it still makes my stomach sink when I am FINALLY about to go up to bed for the night, and there are all the sinister bottles that need to be cleaned sitting at the sink staring at me. The little teddy bears and rainbows on the bottles turn into grizzly bears and thunderstorms. Invest in more bottles, and tag team with an amazing spouse like mine!

6. Burp cloths are a new decor item

Peas please!

This is more for the earlier months, but I learned that burp cloths are not just for the instances of burping post feeding. They need to be everywhere you can think of, especially when you have an infant with bad reflux. Casey would hit me with spit up when I was least expecting it which was always instances when there was no burp cloth within reach. This included at a grad party while neighbors were meeting him for the first time. As someone who is a neat freak, this was not acceptable, and no drop of spit up, or puree, belongs on any article of clothing or upholstery. I now have alpaca themed burp cloths sprinkled all over the house that have become one with our modern decor. Burp cloths really should be named something else that eludes to the fact they are made for more than they get credit for, and I wish I had the tip of asking for ones that compliment my decor. If that is not a thing, you may be finding me on Shark Tank eventually.

7. Nap jail is real

Newborn naps on my chest are the best. There is nothing like looking down at a cute little baby that you made, knowing that you are a new mom and life is so good. Finally, the baby is sleeping and you can get some R&R. Life is good until you realize you need to go to the bathroom, your phone is out of reach, the doorbell rang, your coffee is on the other side of the room, or my personal favorite; you need to sneeze. Contact nap jail, or sick baby snuggles jail, is a very real concept that I never thought would be an issue. About 2 months in, I felt I was past the feeling of never wanting to put my baby down. I now realized the importance of utilizing precious time when the baby was sleeping. I now faced the predicament of not wanting to disturb a peacefully slumbering baby to go put him in the crib and risk waking him up, or getting things done. It is the feeling of playing Jenga trying to get up as slowly as I could to transfer to the crib. All I want is to go clean the whole house while I could (sleep when the baby sleeps wasn’t a thing for me). I ultimately decide to stay in nap jail most of the time, but it always is the best and wholesome jailtime.

8. Days fly by, unless you miss a nap

This is not the same as “time flies” in the sense where your child grows up right before your eyes (although that is still true.) It is amazing how short days feel when living them out in 3 hour chunks, when usually watching the clock makes it feel even slower. Running on a schedule of nap, feed, play adding up to 3 hour chunks really does make for cyclical days. Some days it is great because it makes time with Zach, bed time, or anything I am looking forward to come faster. On the converse, it is not enough time in the day for when there’s so much I need to get done. As Casey has gotten older and we have actually ventured out of the house now that we have come out of winter hibernation, we are doing a lot more things! It is so fun getting to take him places, but the one drawback? The leash we are on connected to nap time. The ripple effect that comes from missing a nap turns into a windy day on Lake Superior (bad.) The day goes from short, to the never ending day as I eye the clock and it is midnight due to an off schedule crabby baby. Thankfully now that we are at one year old, he can last so much longer in between naps, reducing the probability of the day from heck (insert double hockey sticks at your liking.) Time management is so important as a parent, and we are becoming so good at it. A year later, we can now stick to a schedule, dodge and weave activities to incorporate naptimes, and tag team to juggle any curveballs!

9. Toy rejection

His favorite for a while!

Before Casey arrived, I was so excited to add all these new toys to the registry and imagine how we would play with it and use it. This also includes how I was excited to play with it myself…having a baby is a socially acceptable way to do kid things again (I have been having a blast going on playgrounds again.) I can report to you that he did not care at all about the fancy new pacifiers I got him due to rejecting them at 2 months (I now realize this is a blessing). I also got cool teethers -literally and physically-that can be put in the fridge for when he started teething. He is now teething, and he does not like said teethers. Babies just sometimes don’t take what they get, in our case would prefer playing with a package of wet wipes and a cardboard box. I am sure if he understood the concept of receipts and how they are used to return things, rather than chew on them, he would be taking some back. I guess babies have the courage to flat out reject what they get instead of smile and act like they like what was opened on Christmas, but know it will be returned discretely.

10. I am never “fine this one time”

I have this issue of thinking I am immune to things. The phrase “I’ll be fine just this one time.” Or, “I won’t need it, I won’t be out long,” is now out of my vocabulary. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way leaving me panicked and helpless. Let me set the scene. It was a nice Sunday afternoon, and Casey just did great during the service at church. A perfect gentleman some might say. My family goes out to brunch every Sunday to the same spot, so I thought hey, might as well keep the good times rolling. My luck was soon to end in the next hour. Casey had on his new khakis that day, his first time wearing anything other than Carter’s cotton stretchy pants, so he was a big fashion boy now. Zach was at his soccer league game, so I ventured to church myself that day which means I packed the diaper bag. I thought I would be in the clear for not including a backup outfit in the bag, when usually I do. Diapers in the diaper bag is all I needed! Halfway through lunch, I hear grunting, and then a big smile. I knew what this meant, so off we went to the bathroom, come to find that either Casey did not like his new khakis, the universe was teaching me a lesson to always bring a backup outfit, or both. I think we can put two and two together with what happened here, and needless to say, if any of the above phrases pop into my head no matter how old he has gotten, I do not believe whatever my brain tells me, and remember how not-immune I am to the “just this one time” concept.

11. Get out of your bubble

I lied, I have 1 more thing I wanted to talk about that I realized by reflecting on this first year, it has enriched my life more than I thought it did. Hindsight is a great thing if you use it! When moving to the suburbs and being a new mom, especially the first mom in my MN friend group; it’s lonely! I have wanted so badly to find people in my same stage of life, so I decided to do something about it. I extended myself and now have joined a MomCo. group at a local church that meets on Mondays. It has filled my cup so much just hanging out and laughing about things only moms can relate to over coffee, crafts, weird baby things, and terribly cheesy Hallmark movies that we bond over by mocking every single thing. It’s been a great resource for things such as referrals for the best place to get Casey’s first haircut, hand me downs, feeding tips, and all the mom type things you can probably conclude on your own.

Zach and I also signed up for ECFE (it is like pre-pre school for those who don’t know.) We love going every Tuesday night as Casey gets to learn new skills, meet other babies, and all the parents get to connect on all sorts of topics. This week Casey touched jell-o for the first time, and all of the parents got to laugh together at his response of being freaked out. Oh how heartwarming, right? It is really great bonding over seeing what weird things babies do. Highly recommend! Lastly, I go to Mom’s Evening’s nights at my home church every once in a while, which has been great getting to meet other moms in the church! I never would have guessed I would be in 3 groups and while I may be spread thin at times, I am totally ok with that!

While I could extend this list significantly; I hope this brought you some joy, laughter, tips, secondhand embarrassment, or a walk down memory lane. A lot has happened this year if you did not pick up on that, but it has all had a purpose. Becoming a mom has made me more understanding, appreciative, created closer relationships, helped me learn to ask for help (well…maybe 3.5% increase,) makes me regulate hard emotions better as they come, and has shown me that Zach and I are a great team. Being a great team together is the home base of all of this, and absolutely crucial as new parents. I am incredibly blessed for Zach and the way he rubs off on Casey in the best ways! Casey is the happiest handsome little man that has improved our lives significantly. Life without him would look mean a lot less terrible tone deaf songs, a life with less blowouts in one stall bathrooms, less early mornings, less highly caffeinated drinks, less neon baby toy tornadoes, less pureed chicken rice stains, less hair ripped out of my head, and less wrestling over trying to get “boogies”… but I would not trade it for anything on this earth. I love having the privilege to be his mom, and always will cherish this first year of his life! Happy birthday to my sweet Casey Boy!

Have a great week, folks! I hope to write again before a year from now!

~Lauren