A year ago, I couldn’t have imagined how much becoming a mother would change me and my husband. I was a mother from the moment our daughter began to grow within me. I thought about her every moment of the day, and tried to take care of myself so that I could better provide for her needs. That feeling intensified when I first felt her move at about 17 weeks gestation. She would wake me up at odd hours with her rolling over or kicking. I felt like I had a buddy with me when I was running errands (a buddy who would spontaneously kick me in the bladder!). After we found out we were having a girl, we started thinking of her by different names, testing them out for the right fit. The right name came to us only a week before she was born, and we knew that it was the right one! Our daughter is over eight months old now and our family feels more complete with her in it.
She is the most smiley baby I’ve ever met, and so curious and intelligent. She is so chunky and has been for several months, and hasn’t crawled yet. But she rolls everywhere and loves manipulating toys with her hands. She recently discovered how amazing door stoppers are and we often hear a doooinnng doooiinnng from the other room. My husband and I are constantly making fools of ourselves to elicit a smile from her. Becoming parents has given us the opportunity to grow in ways that we could not have imagined.
The Most Important Things
Motherhood is a 24/7 gig. A marathon and not a sprint.
The biggest lesson that I have learned over the last eight months is that I can’t become focused on being a perfect mom. What is most important is that I love my daughter the best I can each day. Some days I am not able to give her my whole attention, and I end up sitting her in front of the television so I can take a nap. Some days we go to the zoo and spend the whole day exploring together. What I am able to give each day varies, but I always make sure that she is fed, clothed, snuggled, and loved. Everything else is icing and not the cake.
All the Little Things Coaching 