if you're thinking about having a baby...

If you're thinking about having a baby, you should expect to:

-have sleepless nights (but there will be naps, too)

-love naptime, even if you're not the one napping

-get creative when figuring out ways to make a baby laugh or stay awake

-forget to clean your house before someone comes over

-let the laundry overflow

-struggle with breastfeeding ("shouldn't" hurt, but it does at first!)

-have days when you want to do nothing

-have to get a babysitter more often than you thought you would

-spend time healing one way or another after s/he enters the world

-do things your own way, despite popular beliefs/opinions

-feel so much joy when your baby wakes up in the morning (and it's finally time to play!)

-remember what it is to be a kid again

-try to remember those nursery rhymes...

-learn a new role as a parent and guardian

-start using the word "no" way sooner than you thought you would

-work a little harder in your marriage

-enjoy your marriage more because of the joy the babies bring

-work dinner outings in around when a baby will be awake and happy

-take your dinner to go preemptively when a baby screams in a restaurant

But really, as a parent, you can expect to grow as a person. You are constantly dying to yourself: you have to go pick up that crying baby; you have to feed that baby; you have to change that poopy diaper; you have to clothe, bathe, and take care of that child.

Every new thing Ethan does is such a reward. It's not like I even worked for it - that little boy is working so hard to be mobile it is terrifying - but I feel rewarded when he develops a new skill. It's a precious sight, and I love watching him learn and grow. I guess these little moments of joy are the reward for the hard work with the feedings and the poopy diapers.

I'm just 4.5 months into this parenthood thing, but it is so much more wonderful than I ever anticipated. I've known from a young age that I wanted to be a mother; even if I never got married (thank the Lord I did, my husband is wonderful!), I wanted to have/adopt babies. I'm so grateful, now, to have the help of my husband, especially as I transition to being a stay at home mom (unless the perfect job pops up!). He is a support to me, and he is empathetic to my needs as a parent and a wife after a long day at home with Ethan.

xo (and extra x's & o's this Valentine's Day!),