What Motherhood Taught Me

I had the honor of guest posting on Faithfully Beautiful earlier this week about what the past few months with baby have taught me.  It feels like my whole perspective has changed, starting the moment Cooper was born.  And I can't believe, as I'm writing this intro now, that our sweet little bean will be 4 months tomorrow (#timefliesbytoofast).  

Sharing the same article here, but be sure to also check out Shannan's blog for more mommyhood posts, & I'd love to hear your thoughts or about how becoming a mother changed you.

<3 K

P.S. At the bottom of the post are a couple mom-inspired books to share with baby, both of which bring tears to my eyes every time we read them.  Amazing reads!

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My whole life I wanted to be a mother. The dream job changed (I wasn't quite meant to be a ballerina), the dream house changed (the home from Miracle on 34th Street the re-make wasn't for sale), but the yearning for a sweet babe stayed throughout.

Photo by Alex Corey

What I didn't know was how much motherhood would change me from the second we found out I was pregnant, to the birth of our son a few months ago.

I didn't know that the world would become new after seeing Cooper learning things every minute of every day.  And that it would teach me to stop & breathe it all in because the days, then weeks, then months fly by too fast.

I learned to accept that life is crazy & will be for a very long time. To love the little things, right down to those adorable baby toes & that I never appreciated glorious sleep when I had the chance.

There are days when I cry because motherhood is hard, others when I tear up over the beauty of it & even more when I get a lump in my throat because of not knowing what to do for a few minutes before remembering to breathe & that it will all be okay.

Sometimes the 90 minute nap will last 25 minutes & you'll only get 3 of 6 things done which is exasperating (#myeveryday).  It's hard to remember at the time, but the reality is you amazingly got 3 things done, which is far better than nothing & nothing short of amazing when compared to life with baby a couple of months back.

It's okay to ask for help.  From your husband, your family or even a post office employee when you're trying to balance a car seat & have a wholesale order that's too big to carry with one hand.

You'll miss the sleepless nights, the first few days of breastfeeding that felt like piranhas were attached to your nipples, even being in labor.  Because every moment was perfect, in itself or its imperfection & you'll never be the same for it. 

We are HUGE readers, visiting the library every week & even doing a play group there on Fridays.  You Made Me a Mother & Love You Forever were gifted to us before & after Cooper was born & both bring me to tears at the end because of relating so deeply to the love each author expresses for their boys.  Seriously good reads or gifts for any mother.

What has motherhood taught you?  We'd love to hear from all the wonderful mamas out there who have book recommendations of their own or stories to share.
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Laughter & Spit Up

It's 5:30 in the morning & I'm walking baby back to bed when he spits up all over me, himself & then a huge splash sounds on our hardwood floors. And I cannot stop laughing. Neither can he.

I'm looking into the biggest toothless grin he's made yet & the coos are starting. It hits me that this is going to be a wonderful day.

I clean us up, clean the floor (after being shocked one of our dogs didn't snatch that delicious treat right up), feed baby once more & put him back to bed where he chats with himself before falling  asleep. Then I take out my phone & start writing. I want to remember this moment, a messier one but a moment nonetheless.

I sometimes forget in between the mad dash to get work done, keep the house clean & run errands that this is life. It is crazy wonderful, including the spit up.

Today will be filled with some quality Aunt time, a play group at the library, visit with great grandfather, a bank run, a stop at Michael's craft store & all that before Grandma stops by later on to give me a rest.  We are so blessed to live near as much family as we do. It keeps my heart full & there's no shortage of fun times for Cooper.

So on this wonderful day, as the sunrise is starting to peek through the shades, I want to remember that it started with laughter & spit up, & I wouldn't have it any other way.