Top Ten Lessons of being a Stay at Home Mom

I realize that I have only been a stay at home mom for a short amount of time.  I realize there are moms out there who have logged hundreds of more hours than me.  However, in my very short experience I have learned somethings.  Here are my top ten, right now.

1. A good night sleep is no longer measured in hours it is measured in how many times I have gotten up to feed Little Man.  I can be "in bed" for 12 hours but if I fed him every two hours that was a terrible night.  A great night sleep would be being in bed for 6 hours and only have to feed him once.  It is not the length of time I am in bed that matters anymore.

His new favorite toy.  Thanks Uncle Rob and Aunt Debbie.

2.  I have realized who those extremely rude and inconsiderate people are that leave their stupid shopping carts in the middle of a parking space.  Before Little Man, I would murmur and mutter under my breath, "Seriously, people.  How hard is it to walk 15 feet over to the cart corral and park the cart where it belongs.  Now no one can park in that prime parking spot.  Lazy stupid Americans."  Now I realize it is people like me.  Moms who are so new juggling the whole shopping cart, grocceries in the back, baby strapped safely in the seat; they totally forget about the cart...until they back into it (Shhh...don't tell Main Man.  Don't worry I didn't hit it hard.  Just a tap.)  Or the time I was so parnoid that if I walked my cart over to cart corral someone would steal my precious cargo out of my car.  So I left it in the parking lot.  Losing my Aldi Quarter and all.   

I am sure he is thinking, "Well now, how did that get out of my mouth?"

3.  I have learned that no longer do you run to the store to get something when you may need it.  A trip to the store must be appropriately timed with the rest of your day.  Prime time to make the trip is right after a nap, when Little Man has a belly full of food, and a clean diaper.  Without those three things in place I will find myself rushing through the store with a child who is fussing.  Then be the "lazy American" who leaves my cart in a parking spot because my child is screaming so loudly at the constraints of his car seat you can hear him outside my car.  

Raising a child in this tech era.  He has already texted a friend accidently.

4.  A great parking spot at the store is no longer close to the door.  It is now located close to a cart corral, with carts still in the cart corral on a dry day.  Finding a parking spot like this is like finding gold.

Learning to play soccer.  Since he can't stand on his own yet, I roll the ball to him and he lunges at it so it rolls back to me.  I am aware he has little control yet, of the lunges.  But I like to think we are playing soccer.

5.  Trips out in the winter must be carefully weighed.  Is it crucial to spend the 30 minutes getting both of us ready to go just to go get the pasta I forgot to get at the store because I did not time the trip appropriately?  No, we will just have spaghetti over rice tonight.  (I am kidding we have not done that, yet.  I did substitute raisins for prunes the other day because who really wants to eat prunes.)

Oh how we love it when Daddy gets home from work.

6.  If I measure a successful day based on if my son does not touch his own poop...some days I'll be successful and others will be epic failures.

Our first 6-9 month outfit, Thanks Aunt Abby and Uncle Matt.

7.  It is amazing how many things I can get done while holding a baby.  Sorting laundry, doing makeup (not the eyes), making dinner, feeding a cat, etc.

8.  Life is full of so many new things to see and discover when I take the time to get down on his level and enjoy life.  He is so ready to learn and grow and enjoy.  

9.  Even the most mundane tasks are so much more exciting when a baby is involved.  Some how feeding Little Man solid foods, turned into Little Man feeding Main Man solid foods.  

My view every morning.

10.  I AM OVERWHELMINGLY BLESSED!  This week I found some new blogs to read and they just wrenched my heart out.  I found them and even though I knew they were going to make me sob, I just kept reading them. I worn you if you are not prepared to go and hug your children after this don't keep reading.

The first blog I found this week is of my friend, Jen.  She has always been a Godly, encouraging woman.  I was her RA in college.  She started following me on my blog so I thought I should catch up on her blog.  Oh my, has God been doing a work in her life.  Since college she has had 3 children, 2 of whom are with her and one who is with Jesus in heaven.  As I sat down and read I cried with her story.  Her honesty, her love for her kids, her faithfulness to God moved me to be oh so blessed to be able to once again be encouraged by her.  I started with the post where she finds out at 20 weeks pregnant that this pregnancy is going to be different.  This pregnancy the baby might not live.  I was sucked in.  I had to find out more.  I skipped around and read about her baby Olivia living for a week and then having to bury their baby.  However, the grace, trust, and faith she showed in her trial just amazed me.

So after having a good cry I decided, no more blogs for the day.  The next day during nap time, I wanted to catch up with a blog I read sometimes.  I found Monica (warning, she has a sailor's mouth) one night while avoiding grad school work.  I read her love story and was sucked in.  I check in on her periodically and I thought I'd check in on her this day.  I click over and find out that her house burned down this month.  They were in their house and were playing with their kids when strangers banged on their door screaming, "Your house is on fire.  Your house is on fire."    She ran upstairs and swooped her daughter out of her room while flames engulfed the walls.  They have lost everything but their kids, laptops and cars.  Once again I cried, went upstairs and picked Little Man up from his crib and rocked him as he slept and I cried, so thankful.

You would think at this point I would learn my lesson.  No, the next day Little Tripp gripped my heart.  I had never heard of him but Babble.com was on fire talking about him on this day.  I wanted to find out who little Tripp was.  So I clicked over to him.  As a word of warning, he had a disease which causes there to be blisters all over his body...inside and outside...the pictures are heart breaking.  Tripp's mom writes about his last days on earth, how she cared for him, loved him, and tried her darndest to make him comfortable in the end.  He was not suppose to live as long as he did but he did.  Through it all she finds comfort in scripture and the Lord.    I sobbed and sobbed.

Here is the thing, I learned that God has a plan for us.  His plan is so much greater than what we can see, comprehend or accept sometimes.  However, He is THERE for us, all the time.  He loves with an unending love that is so fierce and overwhelming.  If these three women can see hope in these terrible situations, who am I to not see God's love for me on a daily basis.  He is oh so mighty.

Today my son is happy and healthy.  He still can't sleep through the night (more on that later).  He does not like being fed anything.  However, if he feeds himself he will eat.  He poops like a crazy man.  He fusses all the time when he can't get his little body to do what he wants it to do.  However, I AM SO OVERWHELMINGLY BLESSED.  So I will savor every moment I can.  Because in reality, these are such little things in life.  I hope I don't have to go through losing a child, watching my house burn down or so many awful things that can happen in life.  If I do I hope I have the faith to see God's blessings in my trials like Jen did.