1st Year of Mommyhood

I have been a Momma (as I like to call it) for a little over a year now. I have been working on a list of things that I learned during my first year as a Momma. Someday, maybe after a few more kids, I will look back at what all I learned my first year and laugh at how old and wise I am then. It may be fun to look back when I learned things that are second nature to me by then. (I'll thrown a few current pictures of Noah in for color - and well because he is so darn cute!)


* Never trust what is on your hands - it may be chocolate, it may be that you didn't wash your hands as good as you thought after that diaper change, it may be something your child wiped on you while you were not looking. It is not worth the risk!

* Your body can adjust to many things, and lack of sleep is no different. It takes some getting used to in the beginning, but it catches on quick. I have never required alot of sleep so I did fine, but the beginning with a newborn can be rough.

Huh? I can't hear you?

* Everything is not as crazy and sad as it seems when you get home with a newborn. The 2nd day after I got home from the hospital I remember seeing that Lindsey Lohan was arrested on tv and I started crying.  I told Nathan that I have no idea why I was crying because I didn't even like Lindsey Lohan. It is funny now, but seemed so serious then. Those hormones can take you for quite a ride.

* Your pants are never safe from pee or poop no matter how old you are. You have never truly lived until you have had your pants peed or pooped by someone else. It is awesome!

Noah loves Teddy Grahams!

* This may just be something for me, not all moms - spit from your own child is ok. I'm not a big fan of spit, but Noah's spit is ok. I can handle it. I'm not one of those super moms that doesn't mind other kids drooling all over me. I don't freak out when it happens, but it turns my stomach.

* Routines are awesome. When your child gets in a routine and knows what to expect, life is awesome. I can plan for anything and I know how to best plan it around Noah because I know what to expect. Getting in a natural routine that is best for your child as soon as possible makes for great days.

Noah's favorite toy of the week, a spatula!

* Dads don't HAVE to get up with the new baby. I nursed so it just made sense for me to get up with Noah and change him and feed him and put him back to sleep. I was lucky that Noah never got up unless he was hungry so it made no sense for Nathan to get up with him. What was he going to do - watch? I made it just fine being the only one to have ever gotten up with Noah - I am proud of that. It also helped me to bond quicker with Noah.

* If you try to leave the house without a change of clothes for your child, he/she will soil them before you can get back home. I have tested this and it never fails. I have never left the house without diapers, but Noah has ate out at a restaurant in just a diaper and t-shirt. I will never think bad thoughts about the kid across the restaurant that is eating in just a diaper again - they could have just gambled and lost too.

Momma and Noah

* If you have a baby that gives strangers free reign to talk to you like they have known you forever. I keep to my own in public, don't talk much to strangers. However, when we are out with Noah, it never fails that people strike up conversations with you about their children. I have gotten used to it now, but it was so weird to me at first.

* If you go on a date, you will always get seated by a table with a small child when you leave yours at home. It is not like we are usually talking about anything besides Noah when we go on a date, but hearing baby jabber and seeing another squishy little baby makes a momma miss hers awful fast!

Noah's improvised pillow - a diaper!

* People always want to feed fat kids. This may be true with skinny kids too, but my kid is chubby so that is all I know, so far anyway. No matter what time of day or where we are, we get people trying to feed Noah stuff or asking if he needs anything to eat. Obviously we feed him, he is fat. We have it under control! :)

* Things seem cheaper when your child likes them. That toy that you would have thought was way too expensive that your friend bought their child, doesn't seem that bad once you see your child smile after you give it to them.

Noah's new big boy hat - just like Daddys!

* Just when you think you cannot pace the house with a fussy baby once more or hear another minute of crying - you can. Momma strength kicks in and you "stay calm and carry on".

* Kids are not scarred for life when you tell them no. They are probably not even scarred for 5 minutes. Their rebound time to being onto something else is amazing.

There is a new four-wheeler cop in town - look out!

* Pets are awesome, but they definitely take a backseat to the kids - whether we want to admit it or not.

* Taking a break from the kid is necessary for everyones sanity, including the baby. Plus, it is selfish to keep the kid all to yourself. Grandma and Grandpa need some bonding time too without Momma and Daddy there.

* No matter what toys you buy, the kid will find something at the house that is not a toy and play with it for hours! Put away the things you really care about because if it is out it will be handled by the kid. It is good to leave some things out to establish boundaries so they can learn "no" but nothing you can't live without.

Noah is all about his sunglasses lately.

I am a Momma now, I have a new persepctive on things. I learned so much in such a short time and learn new things each day about myself now that I am a mom. I was made for this...