becoming a mommy has been more than what i ever expected. i knew there would be diapers and bottles and a lack of sleep, but i’ll admit, i wasn’t ready for the good and difficult things about the day-to-day. after 6 weeks, here’s my honest re-cap:
1. becoming a mommy has made me appreciate my mommy (and dad) 1,000,000 times more than i did before. we have been so lucky to have my family come visit twice in the first month. i will cherish the early mornings when my mom took ethan while i went back to bed for a few more hours, stocked the freezer full of meals, the endless errands they ran for us, the household chores and projects that were checked off my to-do list in one weekend, waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee by my dad, all the help my mom and sister gave to transform the nursery to make it more boyish… and the list goes on. i cried when i dropped them off at the airport. i wish we lived closer.
2. i love sleep. or should i make that LOVED sleep? i have yet to get more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep and i noticed that i don’t get up in the middle of the night to pee, i don’t dream and i don’t set an alarm clock anymore – i just wake up in a panic when i hear my baby crying. i’m wondering if the days of long, uninterrupted, amazing nights of sleep are a thing of the past.
3. breast feeding is by far THE hardest thing i have ever done (even harder than labor). i took a class and read books, but NOTHING can prepare you for the real thing especially since you have never done it before and your baby has never done it before and now you have to somehow figure it out with a screaming baby in your arms. and being the only source of food for your little one is beyond stressful. and no matter what anyone says, the first month is RIDICULOUSLY painful not to mention crazy time consuming with no breaks. i will admit that in the first week we were home, i woke up and i was attempting to nurse my teddy bear. i also have to say that whoever invented the breast pump is a saint!
4. my hat goes off to all the single moms out there – i really don’t know how you do it and maintain your sanity. i was SOOO blessed to have my hubby home for the first 4 weeks. those weeks will forever be some of the most special memories for me. they say that women have a natural motherly instinct, but i really think my hubby has a natural fatherly instinct. ethan loves his daddy. if he had a choice, he would fall asleep on his daddy’s chest every chance he could get. he’s not timid when ethan cries – in fact, i think part of him secretly likes the challenge of getting him back to being happy. i dread when he has to leave for work and count down the hours until he comes home. i really have no idea what i would do without him. and i love that this new role in our lives has made me fall more in love with my hubby.
5. baby tears are the worst thing ever! but baby smiles, giggles and coos will totally melt your heart!
6. running errands solo with a baby is SO STRESSFUL! between a (potentially, but most likely) screaming baby in the back seat (that you can’t reach), coordinating trips in between feeding times (but not too close to the next feeding for fear of hitting the dreaded RED ZONE) and the circus act of juggling a stroller/shopping cart/car seat/groceries is usually why i stay home on the couch in my pajamas all day. oh! not to mention that you somehow have to shower and get dressed (or somehow make yourself presentable) in between feedings and nap times just so that in between the next feeding and nap time you can run out for 30 minutes (now i know why moms just stay in their sweats even when running errands). this is also why 99% of my christmas shopping will be done online : )
7. speaking of feedings and nap times… your priorities really are defined by the things you do when baby is sleeping. but it’s not like you have a set amount of time – it could be 5 minutes and it could be 2 hours. do you… take a shower? check facebook/twitter/blogs? pay bills? take a nap? do a load of laundry (and remember to put it in the dryer before baby wakes up)? make yourself breakfast/lunch/dinner (side note: i finally got around to eating lunch today at 4:00)? unload the dishwasher? write thank you notes? do some online christmas shopping? it really does become this constant reevaluating of what is a higher priority.
8. there is this underground group of mommies that have been SO beyond wonderful just to bounce ideas off of or get recommendations. OR to play words with friends during that 3:00 am feeding – SO WONDERFUL!!
9. babies have the ability to be amazing multi-taskers. as i change ONE diaper, he can pee, poop, spit up, sneeze and get the hiccups all at once and somehow he still remembers to breathe! impressive!
10. babies go through A LOT of diapers! and diapers are expensive! i’m pretty sure the daily count has got to be upwards of 15. there are times when i can change 3 diapers in just 1 feeding (before, in between and after). my amazing discovery is the “subscribe and save” service from amazon – up to 20% off of the regular prices (which is almost always cheaper than target) and they automatically deliver your order based on what you set it up for (as often as once a month).
i have found in between the sleepless nights, unproductive days, constant feedings and dirty diapers that it is all SO worth it. i have been entrusted with this precious little guy who totally melts my heart and really is a blessing to our family. it’s crazy how much he has grown and changed in just 6 short weeks! i wouldn’t change it for a thing : )
