One thing I've learned is there are a lot of things that people like to tell you on "what to expect" when you have a baby. Everyone has various opinions and experiences with pregnancy and motherhood, and that's what makes everyone unique! I am the type of person who welcomes any sort of advice (granted that it is deemed safe, of course). I enjoy hearing others' perspectives. It's just that when I am told I am doing something wrong (especially after the advice of a professional... aka a
doctor) I get a little irked.
Some pieces of advice that stuck out to me were:
"Sleep when the baby sleeps."
"Your life is going to change forever."
"Go out to dinner as much as you can now."
I gotta be honest. After hearing a lot of advice and personal experiences, part of me thought that being a new mom was going to have quite miserable moments. I was going to be under house arrest for months, sleep deprived, and my social life was going to be non-existent. Before my due date, I kind of got anxious at times, thinking, "Oh my gosh, am I going to ever go to the mall again?!"
Now, that was just plain stupid to think that, first of all, and second of all, I did go to the mall again, thankyouverymuch. Except this time, I got to go to the mall with the cutest baby I have ever seen in my life.
I have had a lot of pleasant surprises being a new mother. I don't want to jinx myself here, because I suppose this could all change at the drop of a hat. So for now, I'd like to relish in these pleasant surprises.
Those surprises just so happen to be:
- Baby K usually sleeps all the way until 5:00-5:30 a.m. There are some days I have to wake her up to feed because my boobs hurt so bad (TMI, I know, but it is a fact of motherhood). She is a ridiculously good sleeper. She can also put herself to sleep and doesn't have to rely on me rocking her or having to use a pacifier. This is a MAJOR MOM WIN right here!
- K is great in the car. She loves going places with me and will be such an awesome shopping companion. Getting groceries and running errands are actually pretty easy with her since she loves to be toted around. I don't feel like I'm under house arrest during my maternity leave because she is easy to run around with. Granted, I do have to time outings around feedings pretty meticulously. I have had an incident when I didn't and I was stuck in the grocery store parking lot in the backseat of my car having to nurse her before doing the grocery shopping. It was a pretty sight to see, let me tell you.
- She is typically great in restaurants, particularly loud ones with lots of lights and ceiling fans and "baby crack" for her to look at. Sometimes she'll complain a little bit (she takes after her mother in that regard), but is overall awesome. I am taking advantage of lunching and going out to eat with the hubs now because I know this will be a different story when she can walk.
- Miss K is generally just a happy baby. She is smiling more and more each day and "cooing" and trying to talk to me. She does have her fussy period in evenings when she is tired and hungry (more of her complaining every now and then), but who can blame her? Being so cute is hard work.
Again, I know this could all change within seconds and all of a sudden none of this would apply to my child, but I just wanted to brag, okay?! I have the most perfect child in the freaking universe (oh dear, I'm already becoming
THAT MOM)! I wanted to give some hope to the rest of the world that being a new mom isn't exactly this prison sentence that some make it out to be! Even if it were, it would be the best prison sentence I've ever served. That piece of advice that I got... you know, the "your life is going to change forever" one? Totally true, and totally for the better.
