8 Months Ago My Life Changed Forever

8 months ago, I was a clueless 22 year old thinking life couldn't get any better. I thought I was as happy as could be- I had just graduated from college, I was married to the man of my dreams, and life seemed pretty amazing. And then I had a baby.

8 months ago, I was scared. I knew that having a baby would change my life forever, and I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with that. I was scared of the entire birthing experience I was about to go through, and I was scared about bringing a baby home and raising her. But then I had my baby.

8 months ago, I was uncomfortable, had to use the restroom every 5 seconds, felt like my body didn't belong to me anymore, and couldn't wait to be done being pregnant in hopes that I would finally "have my body back." And then I had a baby.

I had a baby: the most beautiful human being in the entire world. Katherine Ann Livingston.

I finally realized that life was INFINITELY better with a baby. It was (and is) really, really hard, of course. But it is the best thing I've ever done.

I realized that there are and will be days where I feel scared, but that you learn how to be a parent day by day. That's really how you have to take it- just day by day.

I realized that pregnancy was almost a joke (I'm so sorry to all my first-time pregnant friends). Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is not fun on your body, and it's really uncomfortable. Sometimes (if you're unlucky), you feel pretty darn terrible, enough to even throw up. I totally get it. But I realized that your body isn't really your own anymore- at least not for a little while. If you're nursing, you are on demand every few hours. That little munchkin NEEDS your body for survival. That baby also loves to crawl all over you, pull your hair every chance she gets, climb up your legs so you'll hold her, or poop, pee, and throw up on you. It's just part of being a mom. And it's the absolute best thing ever.

I do have to say this though: not every day is the best thing ever. I don't feel as happy as can be all the time. In fact, I have felt extremely sad and depressed at times, and it's hard to understand why sometimes. But through those hard times, I've learned to truly rely on God. He is the ONLY way to truly be happy. When you are in those dark and terrible times (and they will come, no matter who you are), God is the answer.

My little Kater Tot is a little miracle. I love her with all of my heart! Here's what we've been up to the past couple months!

Caught red-handed (time to baby-proof).

Silly girl.

Soccer balls are one of her favorite things.

Pretty sparklers at Uncle Chris and Aunt Bailey's wedding reception!

My mom and dad babysat Katherine one Saturday afternoon so Greg and I could go to a much-needed temple session. It was AWESOME!

Beautiful girl.

Katherine loves massages almost as much as her mommy.

Surfer girl.

This is pretty typical when she's in daddy's arms for some reason.

We went to the Laguna Beach Sawdust Art Festival. It was fun to see some cool art!

Happy girl.

Too cool for school.

The beach is also one of Katherine's faves.

Love my girl.

We went on a walk with some friends one afternoon and made a pit stop in Barnes and Noble, where Kate started chomping on her friend's toes. Such a funny situation!

Katherine loves the beach with Grandpa!

We love the beach.

We went to Utah at the beginning of August for a family reunion. While we were waiting for some of our family, Kate decided she wanted to drive.

We really love Aunt Wave!

She really is obsessed with outlets, unfortunately.

We went to Salt Creek to watch the sunset one day. It was gorgeous.

She knows she's cute.

We hung out with Grandma and Grandpa one day! We had a lot of fun!

Katherine's favorite thing to eat are bananas. She can just eat the entire thing if we let her.

In August, some of Greg's family came down and stayed with us for a few days. It was really fun! We did a lot of things together.

Little Sam with his skim board.

Cute Lauren!

Greg tried to teach her to surf a little bit.

We went to the Orange County fair and had some fun!

We also went on a hike with the family. It was gorgeous.

We went to the park and had a BBQ, too. Katherine loves the park!

Just swinging with daddy.

Cutie pie.

Just so precious.

Our 4 year anniversary was on August 26. We had a lot of fun together!

Katherine is always getting into everything. Troublemaker.

She LOVES shoes.

We go to the beach all the time. We just love it!

Beautiful child.

Katherine's all-time favorite things ever are DOGS. She LOVES dogs. She loves getting licked in the face, grabbing their hair, and just being with them. She literally starts smiling and laughing when she sees a dog. So cute!

At the beginning of September, we went up to Utah for Chris and Bailey's wedding reception. It was fun to be there and celebrate with them. We had a lot of fun being back at BYU too!

Greg's little cousins and Sam loved playing with Katherine.

On our way back home, we ran into Ann Marie at the airport! Such an AWESOME surprise! We love Auntie Ree!

One night last weekend, we went to Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach to see the sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous. We LOVE where we live. It was one of the best decisions we've made.

So cute!!

I love my little family so very much.

Seriously an angel.

We also went to Downtown Disney and checked out the huge Disney store. Katherine was in HEAVEN. There was so much to look at and touch. It was a lot of fun! It really made me want to get a Disneyland pass.... We are taking donations...

We went on a hike to Holy Jim Falls in Trabuco Canyon on Labor Day. There was barely any water, and it was SUPER hot, but it was super fun!

8 months ago, my life changed forever- in the best possible way! Katherine is seriously such a happy and curious little baby. And I absolutely love it. It's a lot of work because of how active she is, but it's so worth it. It's worth every second.

Ten bucks says she walks by 10 months!!