One is One, Two is a Hundred, Three is an Army

Over the weekend, I got to photograph the Galneau family who will be adding a little boy to their clan in February, completing their family of five. As a mama of two, who feels like there are zero spare moments in a day, I have crazy respect for Heather being a full time teacher and mommy to two little girls, all while experiencing a not so easy-peasy third pregnancy. I'm a self proclaimed lover of pretty things, but 90% of motherhood is just plain messy. Blowouts, spit up soaked clothes, plugged ducts, formula bottles left in the car during the summer, boogers in your pocket--- just to name a few. And then there's the advice...never ending, unsolicited, and questionable in the helpful department. I thought in order to escape from all the yuck for a while, we can look at some pretty pictures of this sweet family and laugh about some of the best, worst, and just hilarious bits of advice mommies get when adding another little cub to their tribe.

1. Coffee...because mornings. Wine...because kids.

2. Accept the help. Even if the help is letting Grandma take the toddler on a sugar fueled afternoon adventure instead of napping. You'll pay for it later, but those two hours where you're one kid less, will be absolute bliss.

3. Shower everyday. Annnnnd by shower, I mean hand the baby to your husband the minute he walks through the door and hide in the bathroom. Light a cigarette....I mean...candle....and take some deep breaths.

4. Sleep when the baby sleeps. I didn't do this with my first. Instead, I watched her chest move up and down with every breath, while she slept. But I got smart with the second. Hand over the IPad to your toddler, let them trance out on watching other people play with toys on YouTube, sprinkle some goldfish in their immediate vicinity, and take a power nap with one eye open.

5. Pray. No really, say some prayers. For the good, the bad, and the ugly. If everyone goes to bed with food in their tummy and happy-ish, pat yourself on the back and be thankful for a good day. If that's not the case, give yourself a break. Tomorrow is always a new day. Or is it tomorrow right now? Is today tomorrow already? What day is it?

6. Embrace the chaos. Let the cray-cray swirl around you, say some "whooosahhh," and move on.

7. Come up with some witty responses to really dumb, obvious comments that are bound to happen. My go to when people would (lovingly) say that I looked tired was, "I have two kids. This is just my face now."

8. Learn how to change a diaper one handed. Seriously. Although it helps for multitasking, it's even better for bragging rights. Plus, it's a great conversation piece, and your mom friends will give you mad props on the playground.