What Motherhood Has Taught Me so Far
In the grand scheme of parenthood, I haven’t been a mother all that long. None the less, I have been through more firsts in the past 6 months than I have ever been through before. In no particular order, here are 25 things I’ve learned or realized since giving birth;
1. Before kids I had NO IDEA what tired was. Oh, I thought I knew, after all, I used to bartend and not get home until 3 am!
2. Time is the quickest thing spent - the saying “the days are long but the years are short” is SPOT ON!!
3. Every parent thinks their children are THE cutest – like honestly, how can any other child compare.
4. You can never have enough photos. I don’t even mean a wide variety of photos. Literally, I have 10 pictures of the exact same outfit/pose/everything, but can’t delete any of them because they are all so cute. Apparently, parenthood brings out your inner photographer.
5. If I had a dollar for every time I took my twins out in public and was told that I have my hands full or they’re double trouble, I would be richer than Oprah. No joke!
6. Women’s bodies are amazing, actually they’re miraculous. I now look at my body as way more than just a physical thing.
7. Women are crazy strong mentally, we definitely have to be the stronger sex to be able to endure child birth, and most women choose to do it again. And then, love unconditionally the very person who caused that pain in the first place.
8. Smelling bums is normal, apparently.
9. Getting pooped on and spit up on is really, no big deal.
10. Talking about poop is normal.
11. Googling everything is mandatory. How parents lived without Google before us, mind blowing!
12. Napping and baby wake times are VERY important. Following wake times become your number one priority.
13. It is impossible to look at a baby and not smile and talk in a baby voice.
14. Every mom calls their baby ‘bubs’, and nobody knows why..?
15. Your dog, who used to be like your child, now drives you crazy because they bark when the baby is sleeping, or keep you up at night when the baby is actually allowing you to sleep.
16. Everything your baby does is the cutest thing ever. Seriously, so cute! (That big, gummy smile, OH MY GOSH!!)
17. Getting babies ‘real clothes’ before 3 months is ridiculous. They honestly just live in onsies. The time and effort it takes to put them in clothes, pfft, yea right!!
18. Maternity leave isn’t exactly what you think it will be. It ends up being a lot less meeting up with other moms, and a lot more working on napping in their own crib.
19. You learn how long you really can go without a shower. Pretty sure motherhood is why they invented dry shampoo!
20. Your dreams and your fears change drastically- nothing is ever only about you anymore.
21. You really worry about what the world is becoming. If you didn’t have anxiety before kids- you sure will develop it after!
22. Homeschooling starts to make a little more sense (until your child wont stop screaming and then that thought vanishes as quickly as it came).
23. There will be some days that the only thing you accomplish for yourself is changing your clothes – and that is ok. This is really gross to admit- but there have been days I realized I hadn’t even brushed my teeth!
24. There will be some moments when it’s really tough- they test your patience, and nothing you do seems to feel right. And, that’s ok. That moment, too, will pass.
25. There is no such thing as the perfect mom, or dad. You may feel like Jan has it all together, every time you see her she looks perfect, and her Facebook posts are just glowing- but trust me- Jan has her hardships too!
Through all the trials, triumphs, and fails, the biggest thing I’ve learned is there really is no other love in the world that compares to the love you have for your child. The bond is unbreakable and the love is never ending. To all my fellow parent friends out there, I salute you; what a crazy, amazing roller coaster we are on!