What I wish I had known about motherhood

With so many websites, books, blogs, advice columns, and movies dedicated to parenthood/motherhood you'd think that this specific role would be easy to play---read a book/blog/watch some movies and you've got it under control, right?  Wrong!  Even with the luxuries that technology affords, I still didn't (and don't) know everything about babies, my baby, or being a mommy.  

With that in mind, here's what I've learned the hard way and wish I had known before I became a mommy! 

--Don't worry about being able to change newborn baby's diapers because those are easy. Challenging diaper changes begin when baby is mobile and can run away from you.  The "easy" diaper is on its way out from the moment baby can scoot. 

--Feeding a baby solid foods is challenging and will test you.  I remember seeing a movie where there was this beautiful moment when the mom was feeding the baby puréed food and thinking that looks like fun.  Uh, no, in reality baby will have no idea what you're doing, will fight you, and will, at some point, spit the food on you. 

--There's nothing more heartbreaking than hearing baby scream "maaaaam" when they are sleepy, lonely, hungry, or just want you. [This one happens to be the most rewarding though!]

--Although sleep is a precious commodity (think: rare and clear diamond precious), you'll sometimes (or often) stay up after baby is asleep to have alone time.  

-- Breastfed babies (because that's all I have experience with) eat. all. the.  time.  Like seriously. Newborn Kevin was nursing a minimum of 9 times in 24 hours.  Now, at 8 and 1/2 months, he still nurses 6-8 times a day...and that's with him eating, on average, 3 "meals" of solids a day. And feedings are not adult length mealtimes...sometimes they lasted 20 minutes when he was a newborn.