Things I’ve learned in the past 3 months of being a mom…
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Sleep is a treasure, hard to find and very
valuable
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You can never have too many burp rags, keep one
in every room that you might possibly be in
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The first time you go to the pediatrician’s
office you will be a mess. Germs, other
kids, unsure of what to do And your baby will have a blow out in the
waiting room at some point. Ours was the 2 month appointment.
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Babies don’t just fall asleep when they are
tired. Seriously, I thought when Walt’s tired he will just fall asleep so I
didn’t keep track of how long he had been awake. I’m sure some babies do just
fall asleep, mine does not. He wants to go and move and talk all day long, and
if he’s awake for too long he gets super cranky. Now I write down when he woke up so after an hour or so I can get him ready for a nap. I swaddle him, put him in his crib and let him babble until
he falls asleep. He’s happy, mommy’s happy, life is good.
·
Never give up on the swaddle. For the first
month probably we were just convinced that there was no way to swaddle Walt
that would keep his arms in so we just didn’t do it. Then I started again and
it is magical. I do what we call a “super swaddle” for naptime and a regular
swaddle at night. The other night he was screaming and I swaddled him and then he was
perfectly calm. Seriously, magic. Don’t give up, just keep trying and it will
be worth it
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It’s hard to learn how to be a mom and a wife
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Learning how to wear Walt in a wrap decreased my
stress level of taking him places. It’s so much easier than lugging the car
seat around and he usually ends up falling asleep.
·
You will talk about poop with your spouse more
than you ever thought possible
·
Every baby has unique challenges, just because
one baby seems “easier” than yours doesn’t mean that’s true. Don’t compare, especially not based on social media.
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Your phone will be FILLED with pictures of your
baby.
·
Create a photo stream (if you have an iphone)
and invite your family members to join, that way they can see pictures of your
little one every day but you don’t have to flood social media with pictures
·
It’s important to learn how to ask for help
·
Postpartum hormones are no joke, mixed with very
little sleep and any level of frustration can be pretty bad.
·
Breastfeeding makes you hungry all day long, I
make a variation of these protein bites about once a week and keep them in the
fridge so I can grab a few when I don’t have time to make anything
·
Take naps when the baby sleeps, leave the dishes
and laundry until you wake up if the baby is still sleeping after your nap you
can do those things. You will regret not taking a nap. I still try and lay down
at least once a day- Walt still wakes up in the middle of the night so I need
an extra 30 minutes around 4:00 or I will be super crabby by dinner
·
Sometimes you just need to get away for an hour
and just walk around Target. Side note-you’ll probably end up buying something
for your little one.
·
Figure out what helps you manage your stress and
find a way to make it happen. For me it’s working out and I go to the gym at
7am three times a week and Kyle hangs out with Walt.
·
The love you’ll feel for this child is
unexplainable and it makes you understand God better and your own parents
·
You will be so proud of your little one for
things that maybe don’t seem like a big deal to other people—like him holding
up his head or almost rolling over or letting out a big burp
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Seeing your parents as grandparents is one of
the best things in the world
·
No matter how little sleep you’ve gotten or how
many diapers you’ve changed in the past 30 minutes when you get a tiny little
smile or sweet look you will forget all of that and just be so in love.
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| Looking so cute in a baseball hat |
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| Stretches in his onesie that is really too small... |
