Things You Learn When You Become a Parent

It's been a big and messy learning experience.  Being a Mom is the coolest thing I've ever done, but it's also been a huge life adjustment.

When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't trippin'. I was like, "oh, this is fine. I'm ready. I'm past the 'party' phase in my life. I won't miss out on much."

WRONG.

While I was well past the bar-hopping phase in my life, I still greatly underestimated just how much I did do before I had a baby. Now something as simple as going to the grocery store or grabbing dinner takes a ton of planning.

When's the last time he ate? How much time do I have before he wakes up from his nap? Your entire day is based around your baby's schedule, meaning there's no more planning what's most convenient to you. While it's absolutely worth it, it makes it stressful to plan literally anything. You're on baby time now.

Sleep. Sweet sleep. Where are you?

I knew I'd be getting up throughout the night. Anyone that knows anything about babies will know that you have to get up to feed them throughout the night. However, what they DON'T tell you is how long you'll be up each time. Sure, my baby might only wake up once in the middle of the night...but he's up for an entire hour. By the time he's fed, burped, and rocked back to sleep, I've been up for a while. That's an hour of sleep (if not more) that you're missing out on.

And even when you do sleep, it's never as good as pre-baby sleep. Instead, you're up throughout the night, even when the baby is sleeping, to check on him and make sure he's OK. It's a nervous new parent thing.

Oh, and the laundry never ends.

When you wear a shirt, you throw it in the hamper where it'll sit for a week or so before you do a load of laundry. That's normal. Now I have baby laundry too, which can't sit for nearly as long. If your baby spits up on his burp rag or gets poop on his onsie, you're doing a load of laundry. You can't let soiled garments sit for very long before they start to stain and stink. My energy bill is at an all time high right now.

That's just the top of the ever-growing list of "things you learn as a new parent". There will be much more to come, don't you worry. While this seems like a list of complaints, I adapted super quick. This is my life now, and I love it.