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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Always


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"Always"

Oh my little ones, I beg you please stop growing!
Each day that passes is so bitter sweet

If I could stop time, I would stop it on today

I would have you two forever fit perfectly in my lap
And forever cradled against my chest


Because I know...

One day you will not need me to kiss your little boo-boos
There will be no more cuddles in my bed at 6:00 a.m.
You wont always want Papa and I to tuck you in at night
No singing silly little made up songs just to see you giggle
No need for bibs and burp cloths

Someday you wont want my happy potty dance
There will be no more need for a time out spot
You wont always want to have a tickle war with Papa
No spilt sippy cups or pretzel crumbs to clean up off the couch
No searching for tiny missing socks

One day there will be no cars to rescue from under the TV stand
There will be no more Sesame Street on in the background
You wont always want me to smother you in kisses
No tripping over toys I know I've already picked up a hundred times before
No more need for me to tie your shoes

Someday you wont fall asleep in my arms late at night
There will be no more pitter patter of little feet to fill this house
You wont always want us to pull you in the wagon
No little voice always following behind me asking, "Mama, what's that?"
No more tiny hand print smudges on the windows

So many things I know will someday be no more
But I take joy in knowing not everything will change
I will always be your proud Mama
You two will always be my babies
I will always love you to the moon and back
And I will always follow you anywhere

Forever loving you two,
Mama

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Does This Baby Make My Butt Look Fat?


Thanks to a fantastic metabolism, I've managed to always be naturally on the thinner side. I credit my metabolism with this mostly because, lets face it,
I am a stranger to exercise. Like in the gym with weights exercise. On the treadmill exercise. Going for a run exercise. Not going for a hike or something done for fun which I actually do all the time. :)

We weren't always strangers though! We first started out as friends. Thanks to a condition called scoliosis, (a condition where there is a curvature in the spine), I was going to physical therapy 3 times a week all throughout my last year and a half of high school. This was to strengthen my core muscles and help alleviate back pain. It also did well to tone me up a bit. Much to my surprise, I continued to do so after I made my grand move to WA. Way to go me! But like in some cases, for whatever reasons, you may start to drift away from your friend. Exercise and I eventually became just an acquaintance. I would go for the occasional iron pump....maybe if I happened to be bored or felt guilty about eating a piece of triple layer chocolate cake. Eventually though, exercise and I became strangers. If someone were to say, "Hey, there goes exercise." I'd respond, "Who's that?" But as I said before, I had a great metabolism. I was just lucky like that. So I decided I didn't need exercise. I was only doing it in the first place to help with my back. Exercise can go be friends with someone else. I'll sit in the corner with my triple layer chocolate cake and let my metabolism do all the work. Perfect!

Until I had a baby. Yes, it is no lie that cradling a baby in your womb damages more than your ability to laugh without peeing your pants. Post delivery, after the excitement mellowed and high wore off...after the visitors had gone for the night...after my beautiful new baby boy and wonderful husband settled in for a nap...I dared to lift my gown and peer down at my body. What the heck is this? Why does it look like I am now housing a giant bowl of jello where my sweet little boy once was? Why does my once perfectly smooth belly now resemble the many folds of a shar-pei? *Sigh* I mean my common sense told me I was going to look a little funky. I just had a baby, what did I expect? But that common sense did nothing to stop the shock I felt when I actually saw just how terrible I looked. I wish someone had warned me....just so I could have been a tiny bit more prepared. Still, as ugly as this thing called my body was, I knew it wouldn't always be this way. You always bounce back, right? So I basked in the joy God had blessed my husband and I with that day. I concentrated on the tiny life that became my whole world...the little guy we named Anthony Carl. And I vowed to let my body repair itself and not bother my pretty little head about it.

Months pass and I realize while my body and metabolism had done a spectacular job dropping much of the lingering baby weight, I continued to be unhappy with the way I looked. Enter exercise. But don't get too excited! Our friendship once again was short lived. I'll blame it on being too busy with my sweet little boy to work in the time. I'll blame it on not liking to work out in front of others. I'll blame it on not seeing enough results to warrant all the time and work it took to get a baby sitter, get ready, drive there, drive back, etc, etc. I'll blame it on being lazy. Yeah, I'll blame it on that. Farewell exercise once again! Why is it I would rather feel I look awful than put forth the work to do something about it? Why? Because eating triple layer chocolate cake is way more fun than working out. And it tastes much better than sweat. I continued on with my not so up to par view of myself. I told myself I just had a baby 6 months ago....I just needed more time. A longer grace period. Why the rush? Things will eventually fall back into place. I'll feel like my old self again. I'll look like my old self again. Maybe even better. Yeah! Even better.

A year after that I was finally down to a few pounds above pre-pregnancy weight, but for some reason I never did loose my love handles. I still had a little pooch. Cleverly sucked in whenever a camera was in sight though. Thanks, metabolism. You failed me! I read all about how you can change as I age...how you can change after childbirth. Was I just in denial? Yes, yes I was. I quieted my sadness with the news of a new little one on the way! HOORAY! Now I can eat all the triple layer chocolate cake I want without the guilt! Hehehe

Once again, post deliver, after the excitement mellowed and high wore off...after the visitors had gone for the night...after my beautiful new baby girl and wonderful husband settled in for a nap...I dared to lift my gown and peer down at my body. Hello jello bowl full of shar-pei wrinkles. Nice to see you again.

It has now been 7 1/2 months since the birth of my precious little Molly Lynn Elizabeth. Exercise is still not my friend. But surprise, surprise, guess who is? Love handles and little belly pooch. Still cleverly sucked in whenever a camera comes around. Coincidentally as my image over my body gets worse, so does my scoliosis pain. I like to think it is just a little nudge from my body reminding me of what's really going to get me back to my old self. So now all I have to do is heed the message and reconnect with my old friend exercise. Possibly staying best friends forever. Sadly, I don't think I can rely on my "fantastic" metabolism for too much longer. I'd hate to be forever asking, "Does this baby make my butt look fat?"


With Love,
Mama Hauck

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Introducing This Mama!


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It's hard to make a long story short. I'm very good at remembering every little detail and spinning it into my writings. But I will spare you for the sake of keeping this true to what it is, an introduction. Details can come later. So here goes...

Hello! My name is Mama! I was born and raised in upstate New York. During the fall of 2004 at the age of 18, I packed up and moved to the beautiful Pacific NW and planted new routes on Whidbey Island, Washington. If you've never been, it is well worth your time to make a visit. I began work at a local popular deli called The Pot Belly Deli. Let me tell you, I could make a mean sandwich.

Shortly thereafter I met the man who would become my husband. A Navy boy 5 1/2 years older than I. What was I told about those navy boys? Stay away from them? Haha! In a Navy town they'll just be on the prowl for young gals like myself. Or so I was told by everybody and their mother. Luckily for me Mr. Samuel was as sweet as they come. And if anyone had been on the prowl, it was me. Time goes by and I press on to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in two different nursing homes. Very draining, but rewarding work. I am forever changed due to my time spent in that atmosphere. Eventually I moved in with my man and we got married on April 5th, 2006, 3 months shy of my 20th birthday. Our wedding was a quiet little ceremony down along one of the many beaches we use to frequently visit. It was absolutely beautiful and the sun shining down on us that day still warms my heart.

November rolls around and unexpectedly we find out we are to be the parents of a precious little life. No words will ever be able to express the emotions you feel when you tell yourself you're going to be a mother.

And so our little Anthony Carl came 3 weeks early on June 27th, 2007 healthy as a horse. Shortly thereafter, my husband's time in the Navy was coming to an end and once again I found myself packing up and moving. We relocated to a sleepy little town 2 1/2 hours NE of Portland called Goldendale, WA. One week before moving into our new home we found out our family of three was to be a family of four. Little miss Molly Lynn Elizabeth came into this world right on her due date on June 28th, 2009. Thankfully missing her brother's birthday by a day and avoiding any future feuds I'm sure would have occurred over having to share a special day! 

Now here I sit...married for almost 4 years, Mama to a busy bodied 2 1/2 year old boy and a darling little 7 1/2 month old gal. 

I have, without a doubt, been blessed. 



Sincerely,
Your new Mama blogger,
Mama Hauck