Never say never.

I'm one of those people that loves to say "I will never..."

And there's nothing like pregnancy, having babies, and raising children to make you eat those words! I'm pretty sure that every single "I will never..." that I've ever spoken has been taken back since the first day I got pregnant.

I will never have a baby without an epidural!!
And then I had my first baby, and had an epidural, and it was just not a good experience. All of a sudden I found myself pregnant with my second and saying that I would be going without an epidural. And guess what. I actually did it! That was the most surprising part of all! Of course, that is every ones personal choice, but I definitely ate my words on that one.

I will never hire someone to clean my home!!
No, I haven't hired anyone to clean my home. But if my husband gave me the go ahead, I totally would. Cleaning a house with 2 little ones seems nearly impossible. Although I have come up with a little plan that has helped me out a bit, which I will share later. But if I had someone to help me out with that, I don't think I'd be able to contain my excitement.

I will never let my baby sleep in our bed!
Said the girl who hadn't had a baby, and then came home with the cutest little baby boy in the whole wide world...who would only sleep when he was being held. I went back on that one the very first night we were home. And there he stayed almost every night for the first 7 months of his life.

I will never drive a minivan!
And here I am, with two kids, begging (and I mean BEGGING) my husband to get me a minivan. For some reason minivans screamed "stereotypical mom" to me, and I wanted to avoid that (Why? I don't know.) And now as I lift my two kids in and out of our trailblazer and as I feel so cramped every time we go on any kind of road trip, I can't help but think "Please, oh please, OH PLEASE, let us get a minivan soon!"

I will never join a gym!
"Why would I pay to workout somewhere when I can workout at home for free?" was my perspective. And then I had a baby. And then a few months later I had postpartum depression. And then I needed to get out of the house and have something just for me. It was the best thing I could have done. And of course, there are a lot more options for exercising at a gym then there are at my house....at least until I will the lottery and have a massive gym in my house! (I have a feeling I will be waiting for that for a looong time, since I never buy lottery tickets.)

I will never deliver a baby at home!
My mother actually birthed me at home. And when I told people that and they asked if I would have my babies at home I'd say "No way!" The hospital seemed like the safe place to deliver a baby. I was soooo scared about birthing a baby, I just knew I needed all sorts of help from every possible trained professional! And now that I had my second with out an epidural I think...what is the point of doing it at the hospital when I can just do it at home? The jury is still out on this one (mostly my husbands jury) but I am pretty convinced, which just amazes me!

l will never dress my son in camo and my daughter won't be in pink all the time!
But then, I had a cute little boy, and a sweet little girl. And I quickly realized that they look super cute in EVERYTHING! Even camo and pink. So who am I to deny them any kind of cuteness?

I find it funny that all it took was becoming a mother to go back on my "I will never..." statements. (Please, tell me I'm not the only one!) It has taught me that there is nothing like experience to make you realize what you will and won't do. And most importantly, it has taught me that everyone makes their own decisions based on their own preferences/experiences. No one is right, and no one is wrong. I judged so easily before (I am human, after all), and I've definitely learned to not be so quick judge to now.

I can't wait until my kids are older and I get to take back the rest of my "I will never's..."