shoes are for puddles

 Hello again! This weeks topic is all about a lesson I learned today. It's about not always trying to be the "perfect mom" 

You know those kids you see in the grocery store still in their pj's, with some sort of sticky substance on their face? Yet the mom is nicely put together. I always hated that it was my biggest pet peeve. I try so hard not to be like one of those moms that I'm the exact opposite when it comes to my son. So much so that I realize I stop him from being a toddler because of it. Today as we were stepping off the curb there was a puddle of mud. He wanted so badly to splash in it but I didn't want him to ruin his Nikes he was wearing. Then I thought "do I really care that much?" I realized I was stopping my son from discovering new things and, well, just being a kid. 

 

I guess the real moral of the story is don't  care so much. Now a days with social media there is a lot more pressure on moms to "keep everyone updated" all the time. So with that comes always having them in cute outfits purchased for a ridiculous amount of money off of etsy and always getting those picture perfect moments to post on your social media account. I find myself so worried about documenting everything he does that I don't even live in the moment with him. 

So if you're reading this and are a soon to be mother, mom or will be one day then remember what I'm saying. I've missed out on so many moments trying to make the moment perfect. Don't do that. Be there with your child, I mean really there. Let them jump in puddles and eat on their own. Let them learn, discover and play. Shoes are for jumping in puddles and life is for living in the moment and not worrying about getting it "picture perfect,

Bear with me

Hi guys! This is my first official blog post so bear with me here. First I want to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Haylee Branch, I am a twenty year old mother to an amazing little boy. I was born in California and lived there for seven years before my family moved to Washington. I love being outdoors, writing, crafting/diy, reading and moming. So I thought why not start a blog. I'm not the best with words and I'm still trying to figure this whole thing out. Still, since I found out I was pregnant it was something that I wanted to do. I want to talk about the things that very few mothers do.

When I found out I was pregnant at 18 my whole world stopped. I was invincible and "that kind of stuff" didn't happen to girls like me. But it did. I contemplated abortion every single day until it was too late. I'd be lying if I told you I was excited to find out I was pregnant. At first the father told me to get and abortion and didn't talk to me for three months. Then he showed up on my door step. Soon after that I found out the gender and for the first time I felt a little spark of joy. 

September 16, 2014. The best day of my life. Before Hudson came into the world I saw things a different way, I was scared. The moment I saw my son I felt a love so strong that I knew I would do anything for this little boy. I became brave. I became a mother.  

He was a good baby. Never cried; slept a lot. Things were easy and we had a lot of help. Hudson was the light of my life. Then things started to change. Me and his father grew distant. All he did was work and I was a stay at home mom. He worked night shifts and twelve hour day shifts so I was pretty much the only one taking care of Hudson who at this point was waking up every two hours at night. We were exhausted. He turned 21 and that was the straw that broke the camels back. We were done.

I moved in with my grandparents. And time passed. Things were horrible as far as co-parenting with his father went and I felt hopeless. Why was he doing this? It wasn't fair. Then I met him. He was so different. He cared and listened and never judged me for one second. He was the most beautiful person I'd ever met. But things were hard between Hudson's father and him. That only made things worse as far as coparenting goes. 

Things still aren't perfect but I'm just doing the best I can. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want other young mothers out there to have a place to hear the true realities of being a single mother,  what its like to be in a new relationship after having the baby, Co-parenting in complicated situations and all of the above.

I want to talk about the fun stuff too! My favorite products, registry dos and donts, diy nursery decor just to name a few. I'm so excited to see what this new adventure becomes! I hope (since you've already read this novel) that you'll continue to take it with me. Happy reading! 

*First offical blog post coming soon*