What My Life is like being a Mom-Year Two

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If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know I have a daughter who will almost be three next month (February wow!) and have been documenting my motherhood/fashion/beauty content on IG.

So are you curious about what my life is like being a mom in year two? 

My life has been completely different compared to year one for a lot of reasons. I feel like I’ve gotten back to myself and made it to the other side of the fuzzy clouds. 

My Mental Health in Year two 

Compared to year 1 with my mental health, I felt like I was able to get a grip of my emotions and able to navigate what I wanted to do with my life as a new mom.

I was craving an identity so bad that I didn’t want to just be a SAHM aka Stay at Home Mom.

Being a SAHM is NOT bad at all if that’s what you love to do. It’s the hardest job ever! but I wanted to be more than to be a SAHM. I wanted to be a mother and ______ (Insert entrepreneur role).

I needed something to get away from the stress in my mind of feeding my toddler, running grocery errands, cleaning the house, and normal mom stuff.  

And this was on repeat daily. Which is normal. I’m the type of person who needs an outlet for doing something different because repetitive things bore me so I had to do something.  

I was mentally exhausted in year one so when year two came around, I was able to listen to other moms who went through something similar to me and see how they were able to overcome a few mental issues. 

I had baby blues the second day I had my daughter and then postpartum depression later. I never went to the doctor to diagnose myself for it but the way I was feeling and looking up the symptoms on google and books, I definitely had it. 

I was so glad the feeling of PPD was over for year two as I felt a lot clearer in my thoughts and was able to do more things for myself. 

It definitely was not an easy ride for me but I made sure to prioritize my mental health this time around. 

I was able to:

-Exercise more,

-Listen/read books that interested me

-started doing weekly massages 

-changed my wardrobe/ makeup

-Went on quick solo “me” time to the movie theatre or restaurants 

-Pray more

These may be little things but mentally it made me feel good that I was trying to be the mom that I’ve always wanted to be. I wanted to be a great mom + wife while having my own identity. 

Personally having your own identity besides taking care of your children is the best way for creating a healthy relationship with yourself. 

It’s nice to be able to have your own thing that gets you going and inspired. For me it’s influencing, photography and blogging. This was something I had to figure out along the way and grateful to God that he showed me where I was supposed to be. 

I had to intentionally tell myself I NEED to start doing xyz in order to get my life together. I would always try to do things one at a time to pull myself out of a mental funk. 

Then as I created my own Identity, I became more confident in myself and my mental health changed for the better. 

It’s definitely a journey and never-ending but taking care of my mental health was a priority for me. 

Give yourself grace. That’s the best advice I can give any new mom. Women go through it ok!

Mentally, you are being pulled in many directions and so it can be difficult, but know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

I found my light and I’m so grateful that I can share what I’ve done to pull myself out of it. It wasn’t easy but you can be the mom you’ve always wanted to be for your kiddos. Whether being a mompreneur, SAHM,  working mom etc. You’ve got this!

Getting back to my “normal” self

As I reflected back to my year one of having a baby, I remember desperately trying to figure out what my new normal was. 

Literally, I was trying to figure out how I can do my normal activities with a crying baby while trying to take a shower, do my hair, be able to go out and it was impossible!

As I got to year two, I was able to do more things for myself as I had the time to do it. Luna was sleeping through the night and now I was able to do whatever I wanted to do when she slept! 

From reading more, going on Youtube to learn how to be an influencer, figuring out photography, blogging, and going on more date nights.

Fortunately, my inlaws live with us so it’s been easier for my husband and me to go out on date nights.  

Then, I threw out all of my old clothing prior to the baby since it didn’t work with what I really wanted to wear and I started buying new clothes which made me happy! 

I donated TONS of clothes and it was a great reminder of the old Michelle and the empty closet will be a new vibe for the New Michelle. New hot momma, more sophisticated, sexy, classy and I loved it! 

Sometimes you’ve got to get rid of the old things to move on and for me it’s all about energy. I’m big on that so if I feel like an object reminds me of something bad or negative, I get rid of it asap and that’s what I did. 

Being able to say “No” to certain people and situations was another thing I realized in year two. I’m so happy that I learned this skill because I was always good at not answering directly my entire life and would feel uncomfortable. 

Now I can say “NO, NOPE, ain’t doing it, uh uh” and all that with confidence and not feel bad.

You’ve got to prioritize “YOU” and your time because people can take advantage of it and when you have kids they are the first priority. 

Also getting back to normal is different for everyone, I feel like the person I was before is nothing how she is now. I love the person I am now and wouldn’t want to go back. 

I feel like I’ve gained more wisdom and patience after having my daughter. It’s so true when they say that children will change you forever and she changed me in ways that I didn’t know needed to change. 

Getting to a more “evolved me” is my new normal. And I’ve accepted it and love it. 

In life, we always have to move forward. That’s why we have to cherish the moments we are in now because one day we will look back and reminisce on “those” days. 

Getting my time back 

Now that Luna is a bit older, I’m able to concentrate on projects and things that I want to do. 

I’m able to go and have fun at girl brunches, day dates, evening dates, solo shopping, self-care time, and more! 

Oh and now that my daughter is in school it’s another plus for me! I get another 8 hours a day to myself and she gets to learn in school. whooosahhh.

I value my time so much more now because I realize I don’t have a lot to waste on it and I seriously use every hour for something. Whether it’s cleaning up, working on my blog, working on myself etc. it’s worth it!

I think before baby I never valued time at all because it was just me and I could be selfish of the time I threw away. Now it’s a WHOLE different ball game and I take it very seriously. I know I can’t get the time back.

Having the freedom to have more time on my hands and be productive has created less stress and happiness for me.

It’s like I’m catching up from year one when obviously bringing in a baby demands a ton of your time. I NEVER thought that a newborn or baby would be time-consuming and there were plenty of times when my food ended up being cold after warming it up ha! 

So my time has definitely been a big change in year 2 and it’s still a balancing act. There are times when I can’t do certain things because either Luna is sick or I have mommy duties but it’s ok! 

There are always going to be hiccups along the way but the time I have now has been a breather and I love it!

The Toddler two’s

So now I have entered a new stage of attitude and they call it so many things like “terrible twos” “terrific two’s” etc.

Not gonna lie, I was somewhat excited about it but nervous because I’ve heard many stories on how many parents deal with having a toddler and it seemed like a ton of horror stories. Geez!

When Luna turned two in February 2021, I would stare at her and try to imagine the many future birthdays she would have and could not believe she wasn’t a baby anymore.

I think this happens with all parents of course but now we get to experience the independence our babies crave as they begin to get familiar with what they can and can’t do.

Luna would start to tell me “No” and go against what I would say and although at times it was cute, this was my new challenge in trying to figure out how to raise my child with better communication skills.

I want her to be able to come to me with her feelings and not feel shut out or misunderstood. I believe it does start at a young age and I’m still trying to navigate how to do that.

There were plenty of times when I would yell at her out of frustration, but I know it doesn’t solve anything if she knows that I just yell at her to stop, and then she ends up being frustrated.

Investing in the time to read some parenting books has helped me figure out a way to speak to her and as with anything use your parenting style to adjust to your child’s needs.

It’s definitely hard as my husband and I are both trying to figure out the best way to raise our princess and I know it’s not perfect but it’s perfect for us!

Things that I’ve learned with Luna in her toddler two year:

• When shes upset, its something she usually cannot say in words so I try to be patient with her.
• Children aren’t intentionally bad, they are learning through emotions and I’m still trying to figure out how to put out the flames!
• Give yourself grace because these toddler years are going to be tough but it’ll pass!
• Give tons of hugs when they are upset. Luna seems to calm down when she’s going through a tantrum and I realized she just needed to be heard.

I do like this stage since she’s talking more and being independent. I love giving her independence so that she’s confident in what she does and is always a big help around the house!

Mom Life

Mom life will always be thug life lol but it’s definitely an eye-opening experience. My mental health, getting back to myself, having more time available and dealing with the toddler two’s were some of the main things that have changed for the better in the second year.  

It’s definitely been a journey and looking forward to new experiences every year!

I hope you enjoyed this and comment on what your experience was like in year two? 

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There are links in my post where I’m able to earn a small commission if you decide to purchase at no cost to you.