Lists

10 Things I've learned about being a mom

1. Trying to diaper a 6 month old baby is like wrestling a monkey while your hands are covered in butter.

2. The best toys are not toys. Water bottles, plastic cups, boxes, tags.

3. Regardless of the time, babies ALWAYS know when you're looking at them through the monitor. And it never gets less creepy.

4. 

5. One minute you're so frustrated and the next minute you miss them because they're napping... so you watch videos of them on your phone. Over and over and over.

6. Hormones man! I've always been a blubber-er (is that a word?) but before I could at least hold it in.

7. We're ALL learning. He's just trying to learn to baby and I'm learning how to mom and trying to remember how to human.

8. Being a mom comes in many forms. Some moms have many babies, some moms have no babies and some moms have angel babies. Adam called Eve a mother before they even had kids because he saw her potential. (Reference, Reference, Reference) I've always known this but it's now more prevalent in my life.

9. Baby giggles add years to your life.

10. When you're done feeding your babe and they look up at you with those big eyes, they can see into your soul. And those after meal conversations are too sweet.

I had a fairly good pregnancy and the things I DO miss are feeling the baby from inside and carrying my babe hands free. I loved being pregnant but I love life after pregnancy even more.

Things I LOVE Post-Pregnancy

1. Baby, duh. He's the coolest thing ever and I made him. He's much more fun on the outside.

2. I LOVE stretching. Not like the full out stretching before you work out or to become more flexible. The stretching you do when you wake up that makes you sound like a baby dinosaur. C'mon you all know what noise I'm talking about. But having that round ligament that's attached to your uterus stretched out already makes this SO PAINFUL. Then I always got charlie horses. I'm so grateful that I can wake up and stretch now without shooting pain.

3. I love being able to sit up! If I'm laying down, I can sit up- it's amazing! I definitely took that for granted before.

4. Bladder size. I wasn't the extreme women who had to pee all the time or lost it every time I sneezed but it was definitely smaller! Now that I'm breastfeeding I feel like a camel, guzzling water 24/7, I'm so glad my bladder is regular now!

5. Wearing what ever shoes I want! You have to be very conscious of your shoe choices near the end. More than once I had to opt more more comfortable and less cute shoes. My feet thanked me.

6. On that note, being able to tie my shoes!

7. Sleeping. Pregnancy prepares you for a newborn, you don't sleep either way! They're worth it.

8. Eating! Whether it was morning sickness, ALL DAY sickness, cravings, food aversions or heart burn it's a relief to feel back in charge of what I eat.

9. Shaving my legs. To be honest I still shaved them while being pregnant. It was HARD and not as often but I just couldn't let them go crazy. Near the end I was afraid I was going to have a clumsy spill in the shower.

10. Breathing. Important right? It got difficult near the end but felt instant relief after I delivered.

What it comes down to is this is a gratitude list. Pregnancy a gift and a blessing. It made me realize of the everyday things I take for granted.