No, really, it is! I’m so incredibly excited to be even more involved in this wonderful community. You may remember me as NaturallyCathy from the boards and I am happily stepping into the shoes of Hellobee Blogger. I can’t wait to get to know you and I can’t wait for you to meet the Grizzly Bear Family from Tennessee!


Mr. Bear and me on our wedding day

Where to begin? Oh, I know! I’ll tell you how Mr. Bear and I met.  We met in 2008 when he came to my senior prom to see my date. My prom was being held at one of the more expensive and elaborate hotels in town and here walks in this bearded, redheaded man wearing a World War II British Paratrooper uniform. There was something really appealing about someone so sure in themselves that they didn’t care what other people thought – and most people approved!  We’ll call it ‘interest at first sight’ instead of love at first sight. We started dating shortly after we met, even long distance for a year, and became engaged July 2010. We set the date for October 2011.

Here comes the fun bit: We found out mid-August of 2011 that I was pregnant. Surprise! To say we were floored is a complete understatement, especially when we found out that I was about 15 weeks along already!! After muddling through informing our parents that they’d be getting a grandchild sooner than any of us had expected or wanted, we had to make a choice. Do we move up the wedding this late in the date? Or do we continue with our plans for an October wedding?

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We decided to keep our date, do everything we had always planned on doing for our wedding, and you know what? It went off without a hitch. Mr. Bear looked stunning in his kilt and I (hopefully) was glowing in the dress my mother made for me. Not bad looking for nearly six months pregnant, huh?

What a way to start our marriage! We welcomed our son Patrick in January of 2012 and adjusted as best we could as newlyweds and new parents. The going was rough at first since I believe I had a mild form of postpartum depression that I never sought help for. After all, I had just gotten married, moved in with my husband, quit school without finishing my degree because we couldn’t afford childcare, had a baby after never dealing with one before… it was all overwhelming. It took me several months to feel like I was finally in the groove of things, but some time after Patrick turned 4 months old, things just got easier. Everything was looking up! We were talking about looking for a bigger, nicer house for our family to grow into and then the unexpected happened. Again.

September of 2012 rolled around and I found myself experiencing the same symptoms that alerted me to my first pregnancy. Sure enough we announced to our families that we were expecting another bundle of joy just as quickly and as unplanned as the first bundle of joy! Oh the scrambling to find a house we had to do then because we didn’t have the room for a family of four. And how was I supposed to adjust as a mom with two under two? I knew that my mother had managed – and she was a huge help in keeping me level-headed when we told my parents – but how on earth was I going to manage?

Thankfully this was about the time I stumbled onto this wonderful community. I finally felt like I had a community that wouldn’t judge the way that I parented, and where I could share my hopes and my fears about my kids and myself as a parent. I’m happy to state that I still feel that way to this day. Just more so. I truly love being a part of the community and I feel as if Hellobee has made me that much better as a parent. I am so grateful for all of your support.

With the help of the March 2013 Mamas, I finally gave myself permission to be happy about this second pregnancy and less guilty that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Patrick as an only child for a little while longer. I mean, I was giving him a sibling! Someone for him to play with and grow up with, to share new experiences and love. We welcomed our daughter, Olivia early March 2013 and have completed our family for now. (We’re looking at starting TTC our only “planned” one sometime later this fall or early next year. More on that later!)

While it was a big adjustment for me to adjust as a first time mom and a newlywed, the adjustment from mom to one and mom to two was much smoother. After all I had just dealt with inconsolable crying, sleepless nights, and endless feedings. What was all that to an already sleep deprived system?

By now it’s safe to say we’re well out of the newborn days (at least for now) and enjoying every minute of toddlerhood. Patrick is currently 29 months old and Olivia is 16 months old. That’s right, they’re 13 months apart! We’re still adjusting to life as a family of four but that’s because every day the kids are growing up a little more. And since I’m a stay-at-home-momma bear, I get to enjoy every single moment of it. Even when the moments aren’t so pretty.

I look forward to sharing my experience with two under two, as well as my current struggles and triumphs. I’ll cover gear that worked for us, toys we could have done without, how we manage to keep busy and happy with so little, and a lot of other posts. I can’t wait!