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February 11, 2020

REFLECTING ON MY FIRST YEAR OF MOTHERHOOD (AND JUDE’S 1ST BDAY)

The days are long but the years are short.

It’s absolutely wild to think that one year has flown by. Everyone says that when you have children, time is so fleeting, and it is so true. Time is a parent’s greatest gift and biggest thief. You shut the door on so many tiny chapters that make up their childhood, only to open a million more that give you small glimpses at the person they’re growing into. And while I honestly proclaim that every new milestone and month is my favorite, a part of me will always miss the one I leave behind. 

It feels like yesterday that he was born. Three weeks earlier than he was supposed to arrive, this blue-eyed, strawberry-blonde-haired, 6-pound human changed our lives forever. Every little cliche they say is true. Life is so much sweeter being Jude’s parents and I can not think of what life was without him!

Before I go on about parenting, I’ll share a little on our celebration. We wanted to do something super small but meaningful… and admittedly, we really wanted to celebrate the fact that we made it one whole year as parents with everyone still in-tact. 😉

One year is a big birthday, but it typically is more about the adults than the baby since they obviously can’t remember. A big party isn’t our thing, so we decided to have a few close friends and my parents at our house to celebrate. We had our favorite BBQ food catered, cake, and ended the night playing a board game. It was perfect!

I do love any excuse to decorate, so I created a DIY balloon garland, which came out so much better than I thought! The entire thing cost me less than $50 and I started off with this kit from Amazon. I kept all the white balloons and went to Party City to find different shades of blue/greens to use as well (the JUDE balloons were also a last-minute purchase from Party City). There was no method to the sizing of the balloons – I blew them up in various sizes and attached them to the garland by pulling the ends of the balloon through the little slits. It took me less than two hours!

And how cute is the cake from Alliance Bakery that Aunt Heidy got? Jude was born to Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, so it was very fitting. 

For me, one of the most shocking things about parenthood was the impact it had on our marriage. My husband and I are pretty solid communicators, but everyone says that the first year of parenting can be rough on any marriage. We definitely have had our moments this past year, but I will say that having Jude has only brought us closer together. We never argue about who is going to do what for Jude and neither of us ever complain when we hop out of bed to check on him if he starts to cry. Part of this I attribute to the fact that we waited a bit to have children. Although there’s never a right time, we knew there’s very little room to be selfish when you have little ones depending on you, so there were many things we wanted to do before we started this journey (I wrote about this in the past here). We both trust each other’s judgment when it comes to making decisions relating to Jude and we never, ever fault each other for making parenting mistakes. Trust me, we are not perfect and just like any other relationship, marriage is something you work on every day, but we really work together as partners when it comes to parenting. 

One change I am excited about is packing up my pump. I swear I am going to forever hear the sound of that motor stuck in my head! It’s such a time commitment but I am very proud to have made it a year. In the beginning, I set three goals for myself – a three-month goal, a more realistic six-month goal, and an ultimate goal of nine months. Shockingly, I made it to a year. Around nine months I started cutting back (I had a freezer stash that allowed me to do so) and I also used formula. One thing that helped me make it that long was that I never put pressure on myself. I had zero guilt for those times that I used formula because it was easier, or I forgot to unfreeze milk, or I had too many glasses of wine and had to dump. It’s so nice to be able to leave the house without packing my pump, and I laugh looking back at the crazy places I’ve had to pump (bathrooms, in the back of cars, random closets). I have such an appreciation for businesses that have a mother’s room now. 

So now we take on toddlerhood! Jude is already taking steps, loves to say “hi” and “hot” when we take food out of the microwave, still says “Dada” more than “Mama” (work in progress!), and will still choose avocado over every other food. We can’t wait to see what next milestone he hits and for this next chapter. 

x Jill

Filed Under: Lifestyle

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FOLLOW ALONG @jillbadlotto
These two sure do love their trains and trucks. Sh These two sure do love their trains and trucks. Sharing with each other is a different story but… we’re getting there. 😂🚂 🛻 Watching the two of them interact together has been so much fun. From brushing teeth together to wearing the same clothes, Jude has been asking for Heath to be a part of everything he does and it makes me so happy. #heyheathjoseph #heyjudeharrison #thebadbergboys #childhoodunplugged #babyboy #toddlerlife #letthembelittle #boymom #brothers
Name a better day drinking spot. 🍹 There is not Name a better day drinking spot. 🍹 There is nothing like the magic of a summer in Chicago. ☀️ #chicago #summertime #summertimechi #chicagoblogger #fromwhereistand
There’s nothing better than seeing your kids bon There’s nothing better than seeing your kids bond with the kids of the friends you grew up with. ❤️ Always up for anything, Diana was the first friend to visit me when I moved to Chicago 2 months later. We walked the city up and down, ended up at secret bars, and even had a karaoke session to Mungo Jerry on the redline. It was only fitting that as G and I check off things on our Chicago summer bucket list (more on that later) we visit my favorite tourist attraction together with our families (that’s @dpvarroney and @gary.rosenberg far in the back doing their best dad stances! ❤️) Swipe for a throwback from her first visit, taken with a digital camera. 📷 #chicago #summertimechi #motherhoodunplugged #darlingweekend
Favorite bouquet of flowers I’ve ever received. Favorite bouquet of flowers I’ve ever received. (Swipe for my adorable delivery man 🌸 ) #heyjudeharrison #saturdays #toddlerlife #childhoodunplugged #motherhoodthroughinstagram #chicagomom
We’re a little late on taking our 9 month photos We’re a little late on taking our 9 month photos (and we may have missed month 8 🤦🏻‍♀️) but there was no way we were letting this one go by, since this has been our favorite month yet! Heath is officially crawling everywhere and he is FAST. Though he’s still the chillest baby we’ve ever met, that doesn’t mean you can keep your eyes off of him. Once he sees something he wants, he’s determined to get it. He loves to mimic his brother’s sounds and movements (and play with alllll his toys 🤪) and thinks clapping his hands is the funnest thing in the world. 👏🏻 He looooooves to chat and say mama, munch on broccoli, drink water out of his big boy cups, and play in the grass. We’re loving these summer days with you, our little guy! ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #9monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged #motherhoodrising
Sometimes the blurry photos are my favorite. ❤️ #thebadbergboys #motherhoodunplugged #letthembelittle #blackandwhite #boymom #childhoodunplugged
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FOLLOW ALONG! @JILLBADLOTTO

These two sure do love their trains and trucks. Sh These two sure do love their trains and trucks. Sharing with each other is a different story but… we’re getting there. 😂🚂 🛻 Watching the two of them interact together has been so much fun. From brushing teeth together to wearing the same clothes, Jude has been asking for Heath to be a part of everything he does and it makes me so happy. #heyheathjoseph #heyjudeharrison #thebadbergboys #childhoodunplugged #babyboy #toddlerlife #letthembelittle #boymom #brothers
Name a better day drinking spot. 🍹 There is not Name a better day drinking spot. 🍹 There is nothing like the magic of a summer in Chicago. ☀️ #chicago #summertime #summertimechi #chicagoblogger #fromwhereistand
There’s nothing better than seeing your kids bon There’s nothing better than seeing your kids bond with the kids of the friends you grew up with. ❤️ Always up for anything, Diana was the first friend to visit me when I moved to Chicago 2 months later. We walked the city up and down, ended up at secret bars, and even had a karaoke session to Mungo Jerry on the redline. It was only fitting that as G and I check off things on our Chicago summer bucket list (more on that later) we visit my favorite tourist attraction together with our families (that’s @dpvarroney and @gary.rosenberg far in the back doing their best dad stances! ❤️) Swipe for a throwback from her first visit, taken with a digital camera. 📷 #chicago #summertimechi #motherhoodunplugged #darlingweekend
Favorite bouquet of flowers I’ve ever received. Favorite bouquet of flowers I’ve ever received. (Swipe for my adorable delivery man 🌸 ) #heyjudeharrison #saturdays #toddlerlife #childhoodunplugged #motherhoodthroughinstagram #chicagomom
We’re a little late on taking our 9 month photos We’re a little late on taking our 9 month photos (and we may have missed month 8 🤦🏻‍♀️) but there was no way we were letting this one go by, since this has been our favorite month yet! Heath is officially crawling everywhere and he is FAST. Though he’s still the chillest baby we’ve ever met, that doesn’t mean you can keep your eyes off of him. Once he sees something he wants, he’s determined to get it. He loves to mimic his brother’s sounds and movements (and play with alllll his toys 🤪) and thinks clapping his hands is the funnest thing in the world. 👏🏻 He looooooves to chat and say mama, munch on broccoli, drink water out of his big boy cups, and play in the grass. We’re loving these summer days with you, our little guy! ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #9monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged #motherhoodrising
Sometimes the blurry photos are my favorite. ❤️ #thebadbergboys #motherhoodunplugged #letthembelittle #blackandwhite #boymom #childhoodunplugged
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