One Year of Mothering

This weekend we celebrated Peanut's first birthday. I still can't quite believe she's here. She was born quietly at 11:59PM. I had an amazing doctor and staff. My husband was with me every step of the way and my mother was there quietly on-hand to help if we needed anything. The next few weeks and months are something of a blur; I realize that now. It seems like everyone says they'll stop and smell the roses more so to speak, as their children get older. I'd always heard that and tried to appreciate each moment as I was in it, but with little sleep and no end in sight, it was hard in the first few months.

I've learned a lot from the first year; to name a few:

No matter how much you hate a song, it may be the one and only song that will put your child to sleep. If I never hear "This Old Man" again I'd be happy.

It's possible to put a diaper on without removing a little one's tights entirely. The one-legged strip has proven to be a real sanity and time saver.

Just when you think you've got it all down, children like to shake things up and change it all around.

Snuggles are precious and increasingly hard to come by as they get older.

No matter how hard you try to remember the exact feeling of that precious little tiny bundle in your arms, you'll most likely only be able to recall the current weight/heft of your child right now.

Showers and "me-time" are to be treasured.

There will always be someone who thinks you're "doing it wrong" as a parent (or that you could be doing it better or should be doing it differently). They may tell you this directly or may simply imply it, so you'll have to learn to trust yourself as a parent to know what's right for your family.

What have you learned about parenting?