1. I never thought that farting could be so funny.
I'm not a teenage boy, so while farting was mildly funny, this kid's farts can really get me to laugh. He has old man farts for real. In fact, Shamus and I often do not believe that the baby made the noise. It's unreal the noises that this kid can make.
2. I am strong and can survive.
Don't let anyone kid you. The first month of bringing a new baby home is crazy hard. I still look back on it and shudder. I was a hot mess. The first couple of weeks I would burst into tears for.no.reason. Well, the reason was it was hard, I was so exhausted, and my hormones were trying to level out. I would get mild anxiety attacks in the afternoons because I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through another night of sleeping one hour stretches on the couch and getting no real sleep. It was so hard. But I did it. The first night he slept four hours straight, my outlook changed. I made it.
3. I love my friends, but I love my family more.
Truth is, I miss my friends. I hardly see any of them, and this is my choice. When I look at my weekends and there's a choice between spending time with Shamus and Hunter or my friends, Shamus and Hunter win. Every time. I want to spend time with my little family. I need to be a little better about this because I do think it's important to keep those friendships going and have me time. So don't give up on me yet. I promise I'll try to get better. Eventually.
4. Marriage is hard.
I always knew marriage was hard. It's not all sunshine and rainbows over here all the time. I really had no idea how hard it could be until we brought a baby home. I feel bad for those couples who think that having a baby will make marriage easier. Nope. Nuh uh. No way. When you leave for the hospital, you're so optimistic. Things are going to be amazing as this family of three. And it is. But there's also a barrage of emotions, shifting priorities, and hurt feelings when you're suddenly transported from a twosome to a threesome. Specifically a threesome where the third member is completely helpless and dependent upon you for everything. Boy oh boy. Marriage is hard but it's so worth it. Even if you do want to jab each other's eyes out from time to time.
5. I never thought that I would be so proud of things like pointing.
It's amazing how having a baby will make you so proud of the tiniest things. Hooray! You pooped! Your umbilical cord fell off! You rolled over! You pulled up! You smiled! You laughed! It's incredible to watch someone learn these simple things. The best ones are the first smile and first laugh. You'll forgive the fact that they just screamed at you for two hours and you have poop on your hands when they smile at you. You'll forgive anything.
6. Being a parent has made me understand my parents and childhood.
It's so strange, but I have a new respect for my own parents now. Throughout this last year I have thought back at times on my own childhood. I could see how my mom or dad would have been frustrated by things or proud of things. My mom worked from home, which was awesome when I was growing up. I can look back at how she would drop us off at the pool, and we had the best time. We loved spending our days at the pool, and I now know that those hours were crucial for her, too. It's interesting to look back at things they did or didn't do and totally understand it now.
7. Everyone is doing their best.
I am so over the judgement that moms, in particular, show other moms. I truly think that 98% of moms out there are doing the best they can. We all don't do things the same way but we are all trying to do what we think is best. I nursed Hunter for 11.9 months, and I'm super proud of that (also, free!). But I also think the moms who nursed their baby six months or three months or one day or even not at all are amazing, too. We are all doing what we can and that's amazing. There are a million different ways to do things, and nothing is necessarily better than anything else. You just have to do what's best for you and your kid. I'm going to assume, too, that if we have another kiddo, it would be totally different.
8. I am marked.
Getting pregnant was no cake walk for us. We spent a lot of money, blood, sweat, and tears to get pregnant and have Hunter. Every day we thank God for him. Every single day of my pregnancy, I had to give myself a shot (and for about 3 months, I had to do two shots/day). My belly is still bruised from those shots. Well, technically, it's just discolored now as the bruises don't hurt. While I wish they would go away, it's also a visible reminder of what we went through to get our miracle baby. It's a testament to how I can do hard things, and it's also birth control because I definitely don't want to do shots again anytime soon! Ha! They really sucked.
9. I am a battle commander.
I have learned to pick my battles. The only way you'll stay outside happily is if you chew on rocks? Sure, go ahead. Chew on some rocks. You'll definitely put worse things than that in your mouth. It's 20 minutes before bath time, and you have a little bit of dried poop juice on your onesie? Welp, it's going to stay there for the next 20 minutes because you can't touch it and it hasn't bothered you yet. Boy oh boy is parenting glamorous.
10. I'll do anything for a smile or, even better, a laugh.
If you think it's funny when I gasp and you giggle about it, I will spend the next 10 minutes gasping. I will sing songs and dance funny dance moves for a smile. I will clap hands and tickle and throw balls. If you think climbing on Mommy is fun, then climb on kid. Don't get me wrong, I will discipline when it's time, too, but for now I'm all about the fun! Even when I'm exhausted and counting down the minutes until nap time. Happy babies are the best.
11. Turns out, I am that mom.
There are girls who know when they're growing up that they want to have a bunch of kids and be a mom. I was not this girl. Then it took us so long to get pregnant that I wouldn't allow myself to think of the type of mom I would be. It was too painful to dream of actually having a kid. However, I really never imagined that I would be the mom who captures every moment, does hand print craft projects, and thinks that time goes too fast. Guess what; I totally am that mom, and I'm perfectly happy with that. And for the moms who aren't that kind of mom, that's awesome too. We all love our kiddos, and that's how it's supposed to be.