Top 5 Things I Took For Granted Before Motherhood

I absolutely love being a mother; motherhood has brought me joy like I have never felt before and I can’t imagine having any other job. But like many new parents, I had NO IDEA what I was getting into! Life with a one-year-old is like nothing I would have imagined, and the constant surprises keep me laughing, if not crying. Here is my list of top-five things that I took for granted before having a baby:

1. RUNNING ERRANDS

Ran out of makeup? Need milk? Out of diapers? Something as simple as mailing a package takes planning and serious effort.

2. LEAVING THE HOUSE

Before I was a mother, leaving the house consisted of: full makeup application, glossy, bouncy, voluminous hair, and a cute outfit. Now, with a baby, I make sure Sophia is dressed, brush her 9 teeth (which is like trying to brush the teeth of a squirrel), find shoes, find socks; pack snacks, drinks, books for the car, toys, and search for my keys in the bottom-less diaper bag. Then, everything gets loaded into the car. It takes about ten minutes to get Sophia strapped in her seat as she likes to squirm, play with her toes, and crawl around the car. I run back into the house at least two more times for items I have forgotten. By the time I get back out to the car, Sophia has had a diaper blow out and has to be changed. Finally, after we get strapped back in, I sit down and start to move the car as sweat drips down my back. This is all for a trip to the post office to mail a package. If it is your birthday and you get a gift from me in the mail, you are very, very special.

3. DAILY SHOWERS

No need to say more.

4. WARM MEALS

Now that Sophia has graduated to table foods, I make it a demand that we all eat dinner together as a family. Family dinners in my house look a little something like this: For ten minutes I battle Sophia to get her in her high chair (this involves me chasing her around in circles then coaxing her into a sitting position). I serve Sophia her portion of the meal, and then spend five minutes blowing on her food for her. Sophia throws her entire tray of food on the ground; I spend ten minutes wiping it up. Repeat steps two and three; this leads to me heating up my food numerous times before I actually eat dinner.

5. MY OWN PARENTS

I can’t even describe the appreciation that I have for my parents. I think they take a lot of joy in hearing about the experiences that I have being a mom and their laughter grows with each new story!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret my little bundle of joy, and I wouldn’t swap her for anything in the world, but sometimes I think I have given birth to the Tasmanian devil disguised in big blue eyes and dimples. I’m only twenty-five and yet every day I wake up and look in the mirror and hope that a grey hair hasn’t appeared over night. Not only do I realize that I really took some things for granted when I was living my life as a single party lady, but I realize how strong of a woman I have become. I’m fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I just might be capable of saving the world.