Raising Presidential Babies: March 2016

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

-Michael W. Smith

(all my 90's Christian music lovers...how good was this jam!?)

People say things like "BFF" "Bestie" "Sister from another mister"...... And sometimes we really believe it to be true, we will be friends forever and ever. When it doesn't come true, it kinda sucks!

I think a lot of people will agree with me, when anything big in your life happens, your friendships change. They can change for the better or they can change to the worse. Here are my personal thoughts on friendship changes.

When I graduated high school, I didn't go to college but my 5 closest friends all did...in different states....far away from on another....Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii oh and one went to AFRICA. It was really hard. I am the rare girl that still has friends from the day she was born. They are comfortable, we know everything there is to know about one another. So when they all left, I truly didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't know who I was or who I wanted to be. They were off meeting new people and trying new things and seeing the world and I was home, working. (now I know that was totally God's plan for my life, but when you are 18-19 you can't see why it's happening)

I stayed close with those friends and still consider them dear friends, more like family. But the relationships changed, as they should naturally, some good and some not so good.

*disclaimer: I don't like to make new friends. I don't like to put the work in, I just like MY people. It's easy. It's what I know. I'm almost 30 and it hasn't changed and it won't. Just sayin. I am very outgoing and I like to meet new people, and then go back to what I know. I have made friends and when it's easy and it just works, those kinds of friendships are my JAM*

I was single until I was 26 and up until that point a lot of my friends had babies and husbands. It was easy for me to fit right in, I didn't have that to go home to, so I spent most of my time with them and it was such a fun and wonderful season. When I met my husband we fell hard and FAST. We met in January, were engaged by July and married in November. Whew, I know.
Before I married him I knew I wasn't going to be able to spend all of my time with my friends any more, it was like a breakup. It was a weird thing that I didn't quite know how to deal with. I wanted to spend all of my time with my husband and also still keep the relationships I had before the same. It really wasn't possible.

Thankfully a lot of my friends have amazing husbands who love my husband and we can all hang out together and not have it be really uncomfortable. But the thing that was hard was my "girl time" my "let's go get coffee and talk" time, my "I'm going to call you and chat on the phone about nothing" time, wasn't so easy to do any more.

After a while we got the hang of it and got into a really good groove, still with some friendship that changed in a way I didn't like but I could deal with.

Then Lincoln.

Goodness if your life wasn't flipped upside down and turned inside out after having a baby then call me, we need to talk about how you did it.

NOTHING and I mean nothing changes friendship like having a baby. I wouldn't change a thing about having my son, he is the best thing I have ever done. He is my greatest joy on this earth and the reason my husband and I smile. Also should be noted the Lord is my everything and we thank Him everyday for Lincoln. He is the reason I live and breathe, my purpose in life is to serve and honor Him and He has tasked me with raising Lincoln to glorify Him. Every night when we put Lincoln to bed we pray and thank the Lord for him and everything he has given us.

Having him, rocked my world in so many ways and friendship was a really big one. It was amazing to see the old friends (who are now mommy's) I wasn't as close to, become close again. Sharing mommy hood with them is really wonderful. You become part of this club you never thought was real, but we text and call each other and ask questions about poop and tears and teeth and it's great!

Then there are the friends that just fall away, and no matter how hard you try and keep them in your grasp they aren't the same and they never will be. It hurts and it really isn't fair. It's hard when you have invested so much into someone and you can see right before your eyes the change. AND it's not for any bad reason, it's just that your seasons don't match up and as much as you want them to work they just don't. I don't like change, so when things start to, I really struggle with it. I go through the grieving process, really I do. I am a fixer and I want to be able to fix it all. But when a child comes into your life, you just don't have the time or the energy to put in to the friendship you once were able to.
Accepting the fact that it won't be the same is a big step. Who knows, maybe one day in the future your seasons will match up and you will pick up right where you left off. But if that doesn't happen, I have to believe that God has people come in and out of our lives for a reason and you can't really argue with the creator of all the plans.

I'm 9 months into having my baby and it's getting easier, but is still hard being ok with needing your friends to make the effort. I love doing things for my friends and being there for them, but for this short amount of time I just need them to make more of the effort. I'm not saying I don't make any, I do. I'm just saying that for now it's my turn to be selfish.
I'm a big believer in taking turns being selfish. We all go through things in life and for however long that struggle is, you get grace from your friends and it gets to be all about you. On the other hand, your friends get that too. When they are going through something big or hard THEY get to be needy and complain and vent, and you get to be there for them. I really think that this makes for strong friendships. As long as it's healthy, we need to be encouraging and uplifting. We need to make sure we are praying for one another and seeking the Lord together. Also if their problem is taking too long you sit them down and tell them to snap out of it! :)

My 24 birthday with my girl friends

Seattle happened ALL. THE. TIME. when there were no boys involved

Girls weekend a 5 year tradition.

My girls!

Old friendship revived with babies! They are one week apart in age, and Kelly and I are 10 days apart!

This girl was at the hospital when I was born! We now have babies 3 months apart

This past week we took Lincoln down to California to visit Aunt Necia, Uncle Josh and Kennedy. It was his fourth trip flying. He did GREAT!

We were so excite because we were taking him to Disneyland for the first time, or as Kennedy calls it "Disneymand!". My husband and I love Disneyland and we can't wait to share our love with Lincoln. and we were really happy that he enjoyed it. There were so many things to look at, and surprisingly enough, he was able to go on quite a few rides.

People thought we were a little nuts for taking an almost 9 month old...my reaction to them is "well ok, you don't have to take your baby, but I'm taking mine!"
We got comments like "He's not going to remember" or "You aren't even going to be able to enjoy the rides" Disneyland is so much more than rides, the whole experience is what makes it special. From the moment you walk through the gate and take that iconic picture in from of the train, the magic begins.

Here is some advice I would give other mamas going to Disneyland.

RELAX! Don't have any expectations for the day except to have fun. Your babies schedule will pretty much determine when you take breaks and what you do all day long.

What to bring... Bring a backpack and a stroller and maybe even a front pack. When you do want to go on rides, you will want to be able to take your valuables with you and leave the stroller behind. The front pack is for times when the babe just doesn't want to be in the stroller any more. Bring a cover for the stroller so baby can nap in there while you walk around.

Bring snacks for you and the babe. WATER!!!!!!! It's a little expensive in the park so pack some of your own. There are places that will give you a cup of water for free (they have to) There are baby care centers that you can use to nurse, change diapers and just rest. They also have things to purchase, in case you forget baby food, diapers, wipes....anything you may need. It's kinda spendy (but when you're in a bind....)

When you walk in on Main Street stop and get a "1st Visit!" pin at town hall (to the left). If you buy your tickets at the park you can ask for them at the ticket booth.

Must have pin!

After the pin, get a Starbucks. Trust. You will need it. (they have the most fun mugs that you can only get IN the park, so if you want one get it!)

We downloaded the Disney wait times ap on our phones to check out ride times. That will determine where you want to start. Indiana Jones was only 10 min, so we started in Frontier Land. Not everyone could go on the rides at once, so when you get to the front, ask the cast member that is there for a stroller pass. The folks who have to wait with the babies can use it to go in the fastpass lane. AND you can use it anytime of the day.

Get a fast pass for in the beginning of the day for a ride you really want. We got one for Splash Mountain, unfortunately it didn't work with the babies schedule when we were supposed to go back. FLEXABILITY PEOPLE. But if you make it to the one, keep getting them.

If you only have one day. Don't park hop. You will waste too much time waiting to go from park to park.

Around 4:15 we made our way to the Toon Town area, we first went on Small World (baby friendly) it's also nice and cool in there and after we set up camp for the Mickey's Soundsational Parade. The best spot is right in front of Small World, the parade starts there and also is the first spot to end, so when it does you are able to book it to the rides you want while the rest if the park is still watching.

We made our way to Toon Town and got in line for Minnie Mouse's house. It's great because you get to meet her at the end! We headed to Mickey's house, but the babies were DONE by this point so we had to exit out the side.

The rides you can take babies on are....
Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Disneyland Railroad, Finding Nemo Submarines, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Small World, Storybook Canal Boats, Tiki Room, Winnie the Pooh, Tarzans Tree House and Dumbo.
We took Lincoln on Pirates..... and I don't think I would again it wasn't too scary for him but there are two drops that he and I were not fans of. BUT If you have a baby that is a fast nurser you totally can on that ride!

The book that helped us SOOOO much is 101 Disneyland Tips

I recommend this book, there are tips for Adults with and without kids, babies and no babies. what to eat, where to stay, when to go, it's great and not too expensive on Amazon.

We had such a fun day, Lincoln had a blast and my niece Kennedy had so much fun! She kept calling the tea cups, "coffee cups". I loved seeing her see characters and get excited.

Any age is perfect for Disneyland. You just have to know, it's not about you. But isn't that what we signed up for when we had babies?