Motherhood - Day 3 versus Year 3

This evening, M (my husband), Z (my little man) and I took dinner (I made the Pioneer Woman lasagna, more on that later in the week!) to our friends who had a darling baby girl over the weekend. And when I say darling, I mean darling. I am not lying when I say I held that baby for the entire 90 minutes we were there. I cradled that sweet baby girl in my left arm, I snuggled her and cooed to her and breathed in her sweet baby smell. Sorry if I am gushing, but she is darling.

What I enjoyed almost as much though (but not quite!), was seeing my friend as a new mom. I mean, what an awesome responsibility she now has! And seeing her tonight brought back all the feelings I had when I had a three day old baby at home, so much in fact that I even teared up at one point. I could see the same nervousness, the same anxiousness, the same bewilderedness that I felt as a new mom. But I could also see the same pride, the same adoration and the same love that I had for my newborn baby and it was incredible to see and experience again.

As I was rocking my own little man this evening before bedtime, I started thinking about all the lessons of motherhood that I had learned in the last three years and I think the most important one of all I learned when my own little one was three days old.....above all else, trust your mommy instincts. And any time I have a tough decision to make, I try to take a step back and truly listen to what my mommy instincts are telling me. Here are a few other things I have learned:

• Trust your mommy instincts (sorry, but this one is worth repeating and will always be at the top of the list)
• Sometimes, babies just cry. That's what babies do. And it is okay. Yes, it can be un-nerving, but it is also okay.
• You have to find what works for you and your baby, and it is not necessarily going to be what works best for your best friend. Or your sister. Or your neighbor. And that is okay.
• People are going to have all sorts of opinions about everything and they are not going to be afraid to share them. And its perfectly okay not to listen. But is is also perfectly okay to listen. You might learn something.
• Cheap perfumed wipes cause diaper rash.
• Once you get the 1 year old figured out, he turns 2. Once you get the 2 year old figured out, he turns 3.
• Having a kid is hard and frustrating and it is okay to admit it and talk about and ask for help.
• But it is also the most incredibly rewarding, most incredibly joyful, most including inspiring, most incredibly loving thing I have ever experienced.

What are some of the lessons of motherhood you have learned?