Five Things Being a Mom Has Made Me Really Good At

1. Changing Diapers in the Dark

Our first night home we were sorely underprepared. After getting our little one down, we climbed into bed ourselves, unsure of what the night would bring. The first time our daughter woke up I grabbed her out of the crib and realized it was dark! I had know way of making sure she was able to latch on to eat or see her diaper to change it! My husband had to get out of bed and turn on the bathroom light every time she woke.

That next morning we got a lamp and it made nights a little bit easier. But now I'm able to do everything in the middle of the night without turning any lights on. Although this may not be a useful skill in any other scenario I can proudly say I can change a diaper without even looking!

2. Not Washing My Hair

Not to be confused with not showering. I have invested in a shower cap. But I remember hearing that not washing your hair every day was actually really healthy for it and wished I had the stamina to get through the greasy days.

Now that my free time is governed by nap time, I've become a huge fan of dry shampoo! It can save me time from washing and drying my hair and give me a little extra time in the mornings before a full day of play!

3. Surviving on Less Sleep

For the most part I'm able to squeeze in 8 hours of shut eye every night now. We have been blessed with a very good sleeper [from what I hear]. However, I can't just sleep in on the weekends. Or any day.

I guess I've made it through the worst of it but in this one area I do look forward to teenage years. The thought of needing to set an alarm to make sure I'm up by 7:00 am is lovely.

4. Critiquing Television and Movies

My husband has always been good at this, especially if it concerns cars, guns, or the emergency room of the hospital. So I usually watch Grey's Anatomy and House alone. But now that I've had a little baby I think it's interesting to see babies in movies. Often "newborns" are much larger or alert than a real newborn.

We just finished watching Parenthood [which I loved] but there were a series of new babies born into the family. After several episodes they would just disappear "sleeping" through most family events and dinners. My baby has a sixth sense.... She knows when I'm eating and wants that to be her dinner time as well. Most episodes I found myself asking "where is their baby?!" or thinking "there is NO WAY she fit in that dress 2 weeks after delivering". Movies and TV are not always great at portraying what Parenthood is like.

To be fair, I'm sure there aren't many parents offering up their newborns as baby actors. I probably wouldn't either. But based on my child's gorgeous face, I'm slightly offended that I haven't been asked yet.

5. Loving 

I feel like I heard people say "I never knew how much I could love until I had a baby" a lot. And I kind of questioned that because I had a husband and I loved him quite a bit. But I guess you don't really understand until you've had a baby.

It's as if my heart grew two sizes on November 19. It grew as I opened it up for my daughter. I love her more than words could say. Everything she does is my favorite thing.

But it also grew as I watched my husband become a father. There is something so sweet about the way a father loves his daughter. No one can make her laugh harder or snuggle closer than my husband. And sometimes I get a little jealous of that but it makes me love him so much too.

And I know how much a little daughter will always love her dad. No matter how goofy he is or how dumb his jokes are he will always be her dad. And nothing makes me happier than being able to love these two forever.

Clipping Nails

Clipping fingernails. I remember as a child, letting my mom clip my nails and then hating the feeling of short, freshly clipped nails. The way you can feel your finger right up to the nail.

I always wanted long fingernails because I thought they were pretty. But I took piano lessons and had a weekly reminder that long fingernails were bad for pianists. However, I still love the way long nails sound drummed against a desk or typing on a keyboard.

I don't know when exactly it occurred to me but for years before I became a mother clipping baby fingernails seemed like the largest sign of dependance. I thought of little babies scratching their own faces accidentally.

Once I started parenting, I realized there were much bigger things I should worry about when it comes to baby care. Like, they can't feed themselves or wipe their own bums. But those things didn't bother me.... just clipping nails. Of course, I wasn't aware of the fact that you had to wait four months before baby nails were clippable. Or realize how difficult it actually is to clip baby nails.

Even when my little one is asleep, she has her blanket grasped between her hands so it's a challenge to even get her fingers without waking her up. I had one successful attempt at nail clipping before I laid her in the crib, but now she usually won't fall asleep until she's laid down.

My second nail clipping attempt was terrible. I got four nails and then came to the thumb. I must not have had the nail lined up right, because one I clipped she woke up screaming. I noticed blood and realized I got the skin. So I let my husband finish her other hand and prayed the nails would grow slowly.

They did not. I seriously considered putting her back in baby mittens to avoid clipping her nails. But I knew she would hate that so I had to pull up my mommy pants and clip the claws. I slowly made my way nail after nail until they were finished. Most are already grown out again, 2 days later, but I did it!

Motherhood has largely been baptism by fire. There was no amount of reading or practice that could have adequately prepared me for the task at hand. However, when I think of our first night home and how disastrous it seemed and how comfortable I now feel with my daughter I realize I must have learned a thing or two.

Our first night home. It all looked about like this.

I will often find myself using social media or the internet as a resource for what to expect. I've found that this can sometimes be the worst thing to do! While I have no experience to draw on for raising a baby, women sharing their experiences and opinions online will generally yield just as little help. When my daughter first went 6 hours through the night I remember waking up and being so scared because she hadn't eaten yet! I woke my husband who said DO NOT wake her up. I then googled what to do (just to be safe). The results were: 1) if it had been more than 2-3 hours, my baby was probably already dead, 2) some babies can go 4-5 hours; if it's been longer than that, wake her up, or 3) your baby knows when to eat, let her sleep. After a quick text to my mom, I decided that yes, my baby did know best and I'd let her sleep (which was only about 5 minutes after all my research).

The moral of the story: TRUST YOURSELF AND YOUR BABY! I catch myself comparing my baby to others all the time when I see pictures on Instagram or Facebook. I start to worry that she's not sitting by herself or eagerly downing rice cereal. But she's happy and she's healthy! And at the end of the day no amount of googling, reading, or Facebook stalking is going to teach me the best way to raise her.

I know there's still a LOT to learn and I eagerly look forward to all the years of learning and mothering I've got!