The "Mommy" Secrets. True or False.

When pregnant, you hear so many things from other moms. Advice, tips, suggestions. Whatever it may be, they stick with you and once you become a mom you may even find yourself saying some of the things you often heard said to you. Here are a list of the most common mom talk. I'll tell you what was true or not for me.

Sleep now, because you'll never sleep again. False. Yes, we don't get to sleep as often as we like or whenever we want, but somehow you just learn how to function, to nap when baby naps {when you need to}, and to go to sleep early. Sometimes? I get 10+ hours of sleep. Not to mention the nap {or two} taken during the day. But really, sleeping all through pregnancy does not somehow fix the sleep later on. But sleeping is nice, so do sleep.

You'll drop 20 pounds before even leaving the hospital! False. Um, I don't know why I kept hearing this, but I never dropped that much. I think it was 9 pounds for both babies. Not sure how it was only that because the babies' weights, placenta, and fluid combined should have been more than that. But regardless, it was never close to 20. I wish.

Breastfeeding does shed the pounds. Absolutely true. 

You take less pictures of baby #2. True. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that you are on the go, and busy. Yes, I think that's mainly what it is. But also? I think you just tend to enjoy the moments so much more, and capture when you need to. You know how I see it, I have about 10 pictures of myself as a child. My children have that times a thousand. We're good.

Boys are mama's boys and girls are daddy's girls. False. Elliana is a mama's girl through and through, and has no signs of changing {although I am sure we will go through phases}. Graham loves his mama... a lot, but he just lights up and adores when he sees his papa. So I would say both my kids are mama's kids, but that also has a lot to do with the fact that they are with me all hours of the day.

Follow your mom gut. True. True true true. I want to yell TRUE at the top of my lungs. It is by far the best and only advice you need.  It is amazing how much our gut can tell us. And how accurate it is.  If I only had to choose one truth to share in this post, it would be this one.

You will be so busy with babies you won't have time to shower. Sometimes, for days. False. I shower every day. Every day. I can't function without a shower and if it means plopping the kids in front of the door and giving them a toy {or gasp I-pad} to shower, then whatever it takes. It's 5 minutes out of the day.

You will forget to eat. True. I have missed meals. All meals before. How do you miss all? By running around and being busy, and by the time you get home to make dinner, you are no longer even hungry for real food. You go straight for the ice cream. No worries, the children somehow get 3 meals, 2 snacks, all with 4-5 different choices per meal.

You are not to talk about your children on dates with your spouse. False. Such a silly rule that annoys me when I hear people say. Our children bring us the utmost happiness... our love grows even more when we talk about our children. Guess what? I want to jump on my husband when I hear him and look at him while he talks about our children. Now that's a fact.

Baby number #2 will change the ballgame. True. I don't want to say that life gets harder, as it does just busier. There is so much less time to lay back, kick your feet up, and relax. Less time for yourself and hobbies. But? There is so much more fun. More laughter. More family and love. Truly. You lose time, but you gain something that is much more valuable.

Coddling on babies and carrying them around will spoil them. False. Please move along.

You find yourself spending all your money on baby clothes... and hesitate to press the "purchase" button on the items in the cart for yourself. True. I can't tell you how many times I had all these items in the cart for myself {all that were on sale, by the way}, and just could not commit. So absolutely silly.

You may lose friends when you become a mom {and wife}. True. I will write about this even more... but as much as they want to understand, there is just no way for them to 100% put themselves in your shoes. Does this mean that friends are lost in the process? Sometimes, unfortunately, it does. The good ones? Will stay.

You find yourself listening to the toddler tunes and watching the toddler shows even when they have fallen asleep. True. Then halfway into the ride home, you realize they have been passed out, and quickly change the channel. I mean... you even sing the songs when they aren't in the car.

You can't go to the grocery store with kids. False. You can. I mean, if I saw a woman do it with 6 kids {all ages 8 and under---guess}... then I sure can do it with two. The art of babywearing. And bribery.

The older, experienced moms know it all. False. People will try to make you think that because you are a new mom, mom of one, that you are just a newbie and that you don't know what you are doing---whereas the other experienced, mom of multiple, do. I remember a mom of 3 one time writing a post about "new moms" and how she gets so tired of hearing them talk about "their babies sleep through the night"... she then proceeded to say that 6 hours doesn't count, and to stop trying to flaunt it because babies at 2 months just don't sleep through the night. Interesting, because at the time, my little lady was sleeping 12 hours at a time. What I got out of that? She had three babies and none of them had ever slept through the night at an early age. So? That meant that just doesn't exist. So? I've learned that experience is unique with every baby. No matter how many you have.

There is unsolicited advice out there. True. And it never goes away.