Stretch marks are not blemishes.
Think like a five-year-old. Poop is funny.
Be proactive. The one time you don’t have a new diaper ready, she’ll pee all over you.
Change happens sooner rather than later. Embrace today because tomorrow may be completely different.
All mothers are working mothers. There is no reason to draw a line in the sand.
Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh.
Treat your baby the way you hope she’ll treat you when you’re 80.
Motherhood doesn’t begin in a delivery room. For some, it begins long before conception.
Other people will “know” what is best for your child. You will feel what is best with your whole body.
Grandmothers will look at your baby and see their baby. Accept this. You will do it too.
If God is love, you will never feel His presence more than the first time you hold your baby.
Massage gift certificates are the best shower gift. New moms have stiff necks from looking down at their baby all day long.
Motherhood will make you tougher and more gentle at the same time.
Babies bring out the crazy in people. Be prepared to be stopped about breastfeeding or Butt Paste by strangers in the frozen food section.
Learn to look for changing tables in bathrooms. You’ll be surprised by how many public places don’t have one.
You will change. Some people may see this as a bad thing but I promise, it will be for the better.
You will sleep again.
Modesty, to some degree, will go out the window.
Breastfeeding is like a secret language only you and your baby can speak. If you can do it, you’re lucky.
If you can’t breastfeed, don’t feel guilty. You are that baby’s mama. You speak the same language no matter what.
Like nausea in the first trimester, guilt is to be expected.
Embrace bath time as you did when you were a child. It is the most fun part of the day.
If you’re not a morning person, learn to be. Babies are happiest in the morning. It is part of their innocent optimism.
Your mom isn’t lying when she says something you make or time together is all she wants for Mother’s Day.
Speaking of your mom, you will appreciate her now more than ever.
Every mother has the best baby. There is no use in arguing.
Even if you watch all day, you will miss your baby growing. Accept this. It is a good sign that you are doing the right things.
Babies are like women; when they are upset, they love comfort food, dancing to slow music and a long, hot bath.
Watch your baby cry sometimes. It will break your heart and make you feel more whole than you’ve ever felt, all at once.
Your baby loves you at your greatest and at your worst. Learn to love like that.
Don’t wish these days away. You will spend the rest of your life wishing them back.
You will do bizarre things, sometimes in public, to get your baby to smile. And it will be worth it.
Be kind to the ones who want babies but haven’t had them yet. You may not see their children but I promise, they feel them.
Dads have instincts too. They will be different from yours but you have to trust and appreciate them.
Your marriage will change. Expect this and do your best to make it a positive change.
There is a difference between wasting time and wasted time. It is okay to spend a day forgetting your chores and wasting time, snuggling on the couch. If you don’t, you may look back and realize your time was spent wasted on unimportant things.
Learn to stand your ground even if it doesn’t come naturally to you. You have to speak for both of you.
Never underestimate the power of a hot shower and a cup of coffee.
When nothing else is working, love never fails.
Happy Mother’s Day to the ones with babies, the ones with grown-up babies, the ones who want babies and the ones who help us raise them.