1st Year Motherhood Badge - I've Earned It!

I'm pretty sure I'm probably preaching to the choir but after kicking Charlie's first year in the ass I thought it was only appropriate to look back upon and reflect upon the many, oh so many things that I have learned...

Love them.  Cuddle them.  Hug them.  Kiss them.  But most importantly, cherish them!

You will be forever different!  Mind.  Body.  Soul.

You, and only you know your baby the best!  Don't let anyone else try to tell you otherwise.

Never, under any circumstances, compare your baby to another.  He/she is unique and one of kind.

Don't wish the time away!

They will roll, crawl, talk, walk, and etc. when they are ready!  There is no reason to wish for them to grow up faster than they already do.

Never regret nor wish/wonder why you did this or that.  Trust your decisions and figure out how to learn and grow from them.

There is nothing easy about breastfeeding but all the pain, frustration, and isolation is totally worth it and so gratifying!

Document things as they happen (even if its informal) because before you know it and by the time you finally find the time to sit down to collect your thoughts all of those "small and very important milestones/memories will have slipped your new Mommy brain!

You will talk about poop and study its consistency without thinking twice about it.

TRUST YOUR MOM-STINCTS!  99.9% of the time they are right!

Share your baby with others, they want to love up on him/her too.

Take pictures and lots of them!  You will thank yourself in the future.

Teach them, they look up to you!

You can plan all you want but mother nature is always going to trump you!

It's okay to ask for help.

Take a break to recharge.  Your baby will thank you!

There is nothing consistent about sleeping patterns.  Just as soon as you "think they got it" a speed bump comes along and resets everything!  Here we are one year later and Charlie is still not sleeping through the night!

Don't forget to take time to nurture the relationship with your spouse, he has needs too!

You will finally understand your parents and guess what, they were right!

Being a Mommy is by far the BEST job (next to being a wife) that I/you will have ever had!