Nine months ago I was cradling a newborn baby girl. Nine months later I’m chasing around a wanna be toddler who has her own attitude and likes to hold onto things.

What’s the difference between nine months in vs Nine months out?!

If only I could tell you that it’s completely different but in reality, it’s really not. You still don’t get enough sleep, your hair is still a mess and you don’t want to leave the house. Pjs are a must and snacking all day is the only way you can still eat. Your clothes still don’t fit you right and your sports bra size is still a guess for those breastfeeding mamas (like myself). I can say that the difference is everyone’s forgotten about the existence of your stomach and no one wants to feel it; let alone stand uncomfortable close and try to have a conversation.

Now my days are filled with putting things on the top shelf and telling a crawling nine-month-old to not throw her toys everywhere. You might think stepping on a LEGO is the worst pain. Well, try stepping on a building block along with a princess toy that has some pretty decent ends that will make you cry out for mercy! Instead of the nesting phase, you have right before you deliver, that phase has become my life and I clean up on average about 2-3 hours a day. Our one bedroom, one bath duplex that we live in doesn’t take long to get a little messy.

As a stay at home mom, it’s my duty to keep the house clean and make sure there’s food on the table for my future husband as soon as he gets home. Now that Paighton is getting into everything my job just gets a little harder every day. However, I would take a crawling, curious nine-month-old any day over being pregnant. Most people will say that pregnancy was the best time of their lives. I can put a big fat x on that statement for me because it was by far the best time of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I had a few good moments being pregnant (labor was my favorite part but that’s for another blog). Most of the time I was nauseous and hungry. My clothes didn’t fit right and I gained so much weight in my face. I definitely wasn’t slim thick I would describe myself as a literal blob, Or a toothpick with an olive stuck on it.

This journey of nine in vs. nine out just made me realize that time flies by faster than we think (so don’t blink).