What Motherhood Taught Me

So, I have survived the first six weeks with a newborn and I am happy to say that things are looking up.  The first four weeks were hard and I only feel my sanity started regaining at week four.  Now that we are in week seven we are slowly starting to find a groove.

I have had some time to think about this blog and it’s direction and I still don’t know where I want it to go.   I have over 83,000 (!) page views to date, so I thank you all for your readership and to give me a bit of time to decide what I am going to do with this.  Our cooking is now at a minimal or very quick, and restaurants (except 4 or 5 local restaurants with delivery!) are pretty much it for us (although I am being taken to Lemeac for a Mother’s Day treat!)

In the meantime, this is what I’ve learned…

1. Prioritize everything that you do.  Every moment when I have multiple things to do I determine what is the most important.  Dishes or a ten minute nap?  Nap.  Cooking that lovely recipe from Bon Appetit or something quick with minimal clean up so we can spend more time with baby?  Baby.

2. Reach out for help when needed.  No one benefits from a stressed out mother when there is willing help at hand.

3. Read the books and listen to the advice but do what you want to do in the end.  I read a few books and had ideas about what I should be doing with my newborn but they all went out the window when he arrived and I am happy with that.

4. Enjoy every moment you have with friends, and loved ones.  It may sometimes be hard to enjoy the moment when you have a crying baby on your hands, but the moment he’s gone I miss him – crying and all.

And a word out there to all you supportive Dad’s who get lost in the whole “new mom, new baby” world – thanks for the support, patience, help and love.  Us moms may have weak moments of insanity, but we couldn’t do it without you.