You know the feeling when you left the hospital with your baby for the first time. So much wonder and fear as reality set in and you realized that this child is now looking to you to know how to care and provide for them. I remember my husband and I coming home that first day and placing our baby boy in his bassinet for the first time. We literally sat and stared as he slept. We were in awe that we were his parents and completely terrified because we had no earthly idea what we were doing. So here we are a year later, and we still have those same feelings of wonder and fear as we watch him grow and tackle the new unknowns of parenting. This has certainly been the best and hardest year of my life as I’ve learned this new role of being mom. As I reflect on this year, I thought I would jot down a few fun and all too true lessons I learned in my first year with the title mom.

1. Google has become my best friend. Seriously! I don’t know how moms made it before Google existed. I know Google isn’t the answer to everything, but it’s certainly saved my doctors from hundreds of phone calls and has taught me a lot about what is and isn’t common when it comes to infants.
2. Queen of Entertainment. Motherhood has brought out more creativity in me than I every thought possible. When you have to figure out how to go to the bathroom, take a shower, cook a meal, clean a bathroom, do laundry, shop for groceries, etc with a kid at your side you get creative. I have come up with more games than I ever imagined, sung more songs than I’ve ever sung in my lifetime, and played with more toilet paper roles than I’d like to admit.
3. Books and blogs are great, but they aren’t inerrant. A few months into motherhood I began to get frustrated and worried because my kid wasn’t sleeping through the night, or eating rice cereal, or napping on schedule. I thought I was failing at being a good mom. I couldn’t seem to get my kid to keep up with where they were telling me he should be. That’s when I had to take a deep breath and realize my kid likes to defy the norm, and it’s ok. So if he still isn’t sleeping through the night and the only “grown up” food he will eat right now is yogurt and ginger snap cookies, it’s ok. We will get to the sleeping and other foods eventually (at least I pray so 😉 ).
4. Pregnancy brain is nothing compared to mommy brain. I thought I was forgetful and crazy then; oh my how it’s only gotten worse. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left my keys in our front door over night or lost my phone or forgotten about a meeting or project. And not only that, but it’s inevitable that every trip we take I forget something (or many things) of mine, but no worries, I packed the hubs and baby everything and then some, so at least they are taken care of 😊
5. The mess can wait. This one is a tough lesson personally, and one I am constantly struggling with. I like to strive for perfection when it comes to the cleanliness of my home, but since the day we became parents I have had to learn that time is precious and the mess can wait. If there are dishes in the sink from the night before because I chose snuggling with him over getting them done, its ok. I’ll get to the dishes and the crumbs on the floor and all the stuff pulled off the shelf eventually, but time is short and precious and I want to use it wisely.
6. I need more of Jesus every day. Motherhood calls me to be the most selfless and patient person I’ve ever needed to be. Selflessness and patience are not a natural attribute for this sinful human, which means I need to learn from the most selfless and patient person who ever lived, Jesus. It’s only by His Spirit working in me that I can be the mom and wife I desire to be.

So here is to year two, praying God gives me more love, more patience, and more grace and lots and lots of coffee 🙂