Hey, mamas (and any of you who might not be a mama, but love reading Kara-Kae’s blog)! I’m Moriah and I’m super honored to be sharing my heart today while Kara-Kae is enjoying her new family of FIVE. For those of you who don’t know me already, allow me to introduce myself: I am currently pursuing my passion as a stay-at-home-mom of two hilarious toddlers by day, and a lifestyle blogger and handmade business owner by night. I blog about faith, family, and creative inspiration at the always encouraging blog Moriah Makes. I have a heart for community, handmade, and living my potential by the glory of God. If you’d like to connect more, catch me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Nice to meet you!

As I was thinking of all the awesome emotions Kara-Kae must be going through right now (lucky her, this is the THIRD time she gets to enjoy her own fresh baby bundle), I was reminded of the day I first became a mom and experienced that love for the very first time.

I believe that the moment my first child, Josiah, was born, I was also born into something new and beautiful: a mother. I had always been Moriah the daughter, the sister, the friend, and, more recently, the wife — but never had I been Moriah the mother.

This new role came with many new responsibilities, new experiences, and new emotions. God put me in charge of another human being, to raise him up into a strong, Christian man. With that responsibility came a lot of pressure to succeed, but also a lot of thankfulness, for being chosen to serve such an important role, and in turn, be blessed with this unconditional love I never knew before.

I’ve been reading through The Baby Companion manuscript lately as we finish the editing process. As I read, I am prayerful that the words on each page would contain a message of peace and joy for mamas walking through baby’s first year. When I consider the feelings we want this book to invoke, I think about three secrets that I hope run through it’s pages. I call them “secrets” because not many books and websites talk about them. They don’t talk about them because they are not black and white. These “secrets” will not reveal to you exactly how it should be done. They will not fix your problems (directly) but I believe they will allow you to thrive during the first year of your baby’s life.

3 Secrets to Thriving Through Baby’s First Year

1. Seek wisdom, not an answer.

Wisdom will look differently for each one of us. When we seek a sure answer to our dilemma as moms, we often miss out on what wisdom would say for our baby. It’s ok to seek advice and tips from other moms, books or on the internet. Just make sure you look for wisdom that is unique to your situation rather than the be all, end all answer that promises to fix your problem. Don’t be afraid to take some principles of one method and combine them with a principle of another. Find what works for you. Most of all, ask God to lead you every step of the way.

2. Be consistent, but remain flexible.

One of the most important pieces of advice you will hear is to remain consistent as you guide your baby through the first year. With eating, sleeping and developmental practices, it is very important to be consistent. What many people do not tell you is that you also must remain flexible. I realize this sounds like a dichotomy of advice. The truth is, motherhood requires more finesse and nuance than perhaps anything you’ve ever done in your life. As you seek consistency in your days but remain open to adjusting based on babies immediate needs, you will find a groove. Just remember that groove may look different from one day to the next making motherhood quite a dance.

3. Allow your confidence to come from God alone.

Not from your girlfriends, someone’s blog post or your mother in law. Motherhood is a show for an audience of ONE. Seek God’s approval and guidance and let your daily, in the trenches confidence come from him alone. Your friends or the author of that book you just read does not understand the ins and outs of your daily life with baby. Therefore, they could never fully validate you. Be confident that God will lead you and give you the wisdom and strength to thrive as a mom.

What secrets have you found helped you walk through baby’s first year?

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Jessica blogs at Grace for Moms and is the Author of The Pregnancy Companion and soon to be released The Baby Companion.  You can connect with her on twitter or facebook!

As you know, I am no stranger when it comes to parenting. Four kids in five years will make you a fast pro.

Or crazy.

Not sure as to which category I fall into, but we won’t discuss that now, ha! I do however want to shed light on a parenting strategy played by many. It’s called, “Sunrise Chicken”.

What is Sunrise chicken you say?

Well I’m so glad you asked.

It’s that moment in the morning when your child wakes up, walks into your room, and “needs” you. Both you and your spouse are awake, but neither of you dare to budge or open an eye. As your child shakes, calls for you/makes a commotion, you try to hold out as long as possible. Surely your spouse will “awake” first. it’s definitely not going to be you. But as you tightly cling to those last few seconds of shut eye, you begin to wonder whose will is stronger. Yours? Your spouse’s?…Your child’s?

Right as you are about to throw in the proverbial towel, you hear a beautiful sound…

The clouds rolled back as the sun shown down, and the angels were singing the Hallelujah chorus!

Victory is yours!! ...and boy does it taste sweet.
And that my friends is what you call “Sunrise Chicken”, and it is a beautiful, beautiful thing, ha! For those of you who have never heard of this famous parenting strategy, I am so sorry. You have been missing out on some of the finest moments as a parent! And YOU’RE WELCOME for introducing it to you now.

For the rest of you, you know what I’m talking about. Don’t play like you have no clue, ha! We all do it…but are you brave enough to own up to it?

And who’s the victor at your house?

Brittany blogs at brittanyestes.com. Follow her on twitter! 

Hello lovely friends!  I’m so very happy to be here today.  I’m Nathalie and I blog at Project Afterbelly where I write a lot about my journey with the Lord in motherhood, family life, passion, and becoming the woman He wants me to be.

If you’re a mom, I have a very special little sweet spot in my heart just for you.  Of course, I love you ALL, but  my heart burns for you mamas.  Mostly because I smack dab in the middle of it myself.  “It” meaning, all that comes with being called mama.

From the moment we discover we’re expecting, we discover mamahood is indeed the hardest job we will ever love.

It is heart wrenching…in what it requires and in what it gives.

One moment we are gushing and overflowing with the amount of love we can barely contain for these tiny humans we call ours. And the next we are grieving little losses and little lasts.  The last time they nurse, the last time we rock them to sleep, the last time we hold hands as we walk down the street.

One moment we’re reveling in the honor we feel to be teaching and caring for these precious little lives.

And the next, we are deeply saddened by our own sin and selfishness as we struggle to serve and give what is asked of us.

It’s all heart wrenching…and we are ruined, are we not?  We will never be the same women we were before it all began.  And that’s a good thing.

It’s a myriad of emotions and it can be so overwhelming.  Especially if you’re like me and pay a visit to several emotions within the duration of a day.

So, as I thought and prayed about what to share with you today on this sweet blog, what came to mind may seem a little out of the box. But I’m hoping you won’t mind.  It would be a blessing to lift you to the Father today and write a prayer over you/us as we walk out this holy calling He has placed on our lives. That ok with y’all?

Father,

Your love never fails us.  Even though some days we feel as though we’ve failed or we haven’t measured up to what we hoped we could be or accomplish, Your love never gives up on us.  I praise you and I thank you that You are always here.  Right here with us.  Never far from us.  Always hearing our cries.  Always knowing our needs.  Always caring about every detail of our comings and goings.

Thank you Jesus for Your sweet precious grace.  Your grace gets us out of bed in the middle of the night to nurse crying babies and pray away the monsters in the closet.  Your grace gives us the patience to say that thing we’ve already said 176 times…the 177th.  Your grace lovingly corrects us when we’ve said something we shouldn’t.  Your grace helps us let go of expectations and hold fast to your faithfulness.  Your grace covers us, not because we’re good moms, but because You are a good God.

Holy Spirit, teach us to listen to your whispers.  Help us to make space for you in this noisy chaotic sippy cup and sandbox world we live in.  Whether its boisterous laughing or scream-filled demands, we know you are speaking in the midst of it all.  Help us to hear you and recognize your voice.  Let your voice rise to the top of our pile of parenting books, favorite blogs, and friendly advice.  Let us seek to please only You.  May our ears be so tuned to the sound of Your voice that we begin to teach our children to listen to you too.

God, no matter what the day holds, lets us hold unswervingly to your truth.  Let us cling tight to Your Word that is powerful and sharp and can provide the wisdom we need to raise these children to know and love their Creator.

Lord, show us how to use the gifts and passions you’ve given us to better nurture and mother these little lives.  Show us how to carve our own path under your leadership.  Help us to be free from the pressures of seeking the approval of people, but to purposefully and intentionally parent our children in the way in which you tell us to.

And God, make us women after Your heart.  Help us to seek You first in all we do.  Help us to remember that before we are theirs, we are YOURS.

We so love you Jesus.  We know that without you, we are nothing.  We have hope because you are our hope.  You are our promise.  So we submit to you now and each moment to come.

In Your Holy and Magnificent Name,

Amen

I may not know you by name, but I do love and care for you, dear ones.  I pray His riches blessings on you today.

I’d love to connect with you. Feel free to say hi on Twitter or Facebook any ole time you want!