5 Things I've Learned Since Becoming a Mom

Motherhood is strange. It's so amazing, but you're just so tired that sometimes you feel somewhat delirious. As the days go by I've realized that there are certain things that are just inevitable. In the little over a month that I've had this gig these are the five things that I've learned about being a mama.

1. You Will Not Sleep

Whoever came up with the phrase "sleeping like a baby" deserves to be smacked. Babies don't sleep well. They sleep often, but they don't often sleep for long periods of time. Your day will be a steady rotation of feed baby, burp baby, rock baby to sleep, lay them down for approximately 30 minutes while you try to get a million things done...then go get baby, change baby, feed baby, burp baby, etc. You can try to sneak a nap in here and there, but good luck.

And when bedtime finally arrives, you better believe baby won't go down easily. And when they do, fall asleep as quickly as you possibly can, because they will be up in roughly two hours for a little middle of the night snack.

Oh, and even when they happen to be sleeping, you probably won't. Every single sound will make you jump up and check on them. Lack of sound will make you jump up to check and make sure they are breathing. Just tell yourself that surely someday you will sleep again, and pray that you learn to function on fragmented bits of sleep for now.

2. You Will Not Eat

Just about every single time I have sat down to eat since Grayson's arrival, he has decided that that is the exact moment that he needs to eat. Or to be changed. Or to be rocked by no one other than mama. Even during the moments that he is sleeping soundly and I could eat, I forget that I should. I have too  many other things that need to be accomplished, and food is somewhat of an after thought.

Also, if you're breastfeeding your diet can become increasingly limited. Our little one has had some crazy tummy aches, so I've cut so many things out of my diet to try and help him out. So when you're limiting so many yummy things out of your diet it really isn't quiet as appealing to stuff your face.

But, this is great for getting that pre-baby body back. On Grayson's one month birthday I was three pounds away from where I was before I got pregnant. So it's not all bad....

3. You Will Not Pee, Or Shower, Or Get Dressed....

At least you won't do any of those things when you would like to. When you have a newborn in your hands for the majority of the day, doing anything becomes a challenge. I can go six hours and realize that I haven't been to the bathroom since I woke up, and, oh yeah...I actually really need to go.

Showers have to be coordinated whenever Daddy or Nana are around and can watch him, and also they need to be done soon after a feeding so no one bursts into the bathroom to disrupt your beloved shower with a baby screaming for his dinner.

And getting dressed? At this point, most days I have a "why bother?" attitude about it. I have been peed on, pooped on, and spit up on more times in the last month than I ever dreamed was possible. Why on earth would I wear anything other than yoga pants and a tank top? If I'm not leaving the house and we aren't having guests over, you better believe I'm in something stretchy that can withstand lots of bodily fluids.

4.  You Will Feel As If You Accomplish Nothing

Even though I realize that every single day I am almost solely responsible for keeping a human being alive, it can feel as if I am not getting anything done. My mile long list of to-do's just keeps getting longer because there simply is no way to get much done in the random bits of free time I get. When I do happen to get a spare 45 minutes or so, I have to choose between trying to cram in a nap, or cleaning the kitchen, or blogging, or folding the laundry. I'd say I'm about 50/50 on which I choose. A month in I'm coming to terms with this lifestyle...not much I can do about it anyway, so why not embrace it?

5. None of That Really Matters

Even though having a baby immediately makes your life all about someone other than yourself, and you lose control over just about every aspect in your life, it doesn't matter. I have begun to grasp the idea that I will basically never be alone again...at least not for long periods of time. I won't be able to sit down for three solid hours and read a book, or watch a marathon of whatever TV show Arsen and I have decided to obsess over, or wander aimlessly through Target for an hour without thinking about getting home to my little one. My life is not my own. And I'm fine with it.

I've only left him once since he's been born, and it was for approximately 45 minutes. It felt incredibly strange to be without him, and I was actually a little emotional about leaving him. I know the older he gets the easier these things will be, but it made me realize something: there will literally never be more than a few moments that go by that I'm not thinking about him. Everything I do will circle back to him. He's everything to me now. It's a strange, but lovely, realization.

Now....I must go. My son is trying desperately to wake himself up from a nap and is eating his hands. My signal that he thinks it's time for dinner. Catch ya on my next break :)