18 "Mom Things"...

In honor of my sweet "baby" boy being 18 months old, I decided to share with you 18 "Mom Things".

Things No One Tells You About Being Mom

1. You will cry. A lot. Before having Gavin I was NOT a crier. Not at sappy movies...not at weddings... I just didn't cry. Good lord, after having Gavin if I had a dime for every time I teared up or cried over something, I swear I'd be approaching billionaire status. I'm such a sap now. 

2. You will constantly question where time goes. "How has it already been a year", "It feels like it was just yesterday", "I can't believe he's so big". Another, "if I had a dime for every time" I say those things... But it's truly insane. TIME ABSOLUTELY FLIES by. I can remember every detail of the night I went into labor with Gavin... like it happened last night, and here we are with an 18 month old toddler running around like a crazy man crawling on anything within sight. It freaks me out if I think about it too much, and I definitely can't think about it too much or else I cry (see #1).

3. Sweats become heaven on earth. I'm not sure that this one counts, because sweatpants were my little piece of heaven on earth since long before Gavin... but now even more so. Especially being a stay at home Mom. Sweats are awesome.

4. Kiss your sleep goodbye. But for real, just say so long to your uninterrupted nights, or your special weekend sleep-in sessions. They're gone. For a really, really long time. As soon as you think you're back to uninterrupted nights of sleep... you're right back to waking up at all hours of the night, for reasons you sometimes don't even know. Teething? Hungry? Bad dream? Just not sleepy? You don't know, and you usually don't care...all you're aware of is the fact that it's 1am, your kid is wide awake, and you are now forced to drag your lifeless body out of bed. 

5. Coffee is your absolute best friend every morning, and sometimes in the afternoon too. Refer to #4.

6. Say adios to YOUR schedule. Yup, buh-bye. It's now baby's schedule. When BABY's hungry... when BABY needs to sleep... when BABY's wide awake. This can make the simplest of tasks, like eating your own lunch, or "quick running to Target", seem like mission impossible. 

7. Date Nights become far and few between (unless you become super intentional about it, like we have the past few months, thank the lord) but when you do get around to being kid-free for an evening... you don't even know what to do. "Ummmm...dinner and then a movie? Or shopping...but what do we really need to shop for? Maybe just go through Target, see if there's anything we need? Or Menards? I don't know...?" Then you realize it doesn't really matter where you go, or what you do,  you are finally kidless and FREE again for a few hours! That's all that matters. Dinner and bedtime is finally someone else's responsibility (air high-five!)

8. Nap time kind of becomes..... well, sacred. You make sure your phone's on vibrate, you make sure no one stops over during nap time, you keep the dog close by so he can't bark at the squirrel outside the window and wake the baby up. You basically nap-proof the home and all those in it for those few, sacred hours of peace and quiet. 

9. You become immune to almost everything that used to gross you out about babies or small children, once you have your own. Buggers, pee, poop, drool, spit-up... huh, people without kids are grossed out by all that? I've forgotten those pre-kid days, when wiping a toddlers nose with my sweatshirt sleeve would have made me throw up my lunch. And pee, if you have a boy, you are far too used to sopping up pee puddles either on your floor or couch. Sh*t happens... literally.

10. You will amaze yourself at your willingness to do anything to make your baby happy. This means dancing in the kitchen to keep him entertained until dinner is ready, making "funny" (scary to most other people) faces to try and get some smiles, and the constant running back and forth playing "chase" because it's the only thing keeping him happy that afternoon. Whatever the scenario, your "never give up" spirit will shine quite bright when you're doing something for your kiddo.

Things That Make You The Happiest Mom on The Planet

11. When my sweet boy actually cuddles with me on the couch. Gavin is one heck of a busy boy...he doesn't ever want to sit still. But on the rare occasion, if you sit with him on the couch to watch either Paw Patrol or Sesame Street... you may actually have a limited time frame to super sweet cuddles. :) I take those every chance I get!!

12. Hearing your sweet baby's laugh! Is there a better sound than that? The only one that comes close in comparison is when you heard their little heartbeat for the first time... but man, when I hear Gavin chuckle, giggle, or full out belly laugh... I swear my heart smiles and there is nothing else going on at that point in time besides once again, falling absolutely head over heels in love with my baby boy.

Things Where all you can do is Shake Your Head

...or laugh...or maybe cry...or maybe poor a glass of wine... Probably all 3.

13. When you're unaware that your toddler has pooped in his diaper, and he proceeds to scoot on his butt down the stairs, pushing the poo out the top of his diaper, leaving poop skids down the first 3 steps. But that's not the kicker, the kicker is when your husband sees it as he's walking down the steps a minute later, and says "There's chocolate on our steps"...then pretty much immediately realizes,
no, it's not chocolate.

14. When you're standing in line at the movie rental store with your 1 year old standing next to you and he lets out a fart loud enough it can be heard by all those around you, and probably those outside of the store (this happened to Aaron when, unfortunately, I was not around to witness it... the story alone and the embarrassment in Aaron's voice while telling it, was enough to make me laugh hysterically).

15. Poop in the tub. Why do babies and toddlers do it?! And as soon as you think they outgrew it... you know, like when they're ONE... they do it again! What is it with pooping in the tub!?! 

16. When you leave your child alone for literally 20 seconds... and you come back to a complete disaster. 

17. When simple tasks like cleaning the toilet, the tub, or even vacuuming takes you 4 times longer, because someone HAS to "help"...

The Best THING About Being Mom

18. The absolute unconditional love you have for that child from the moment you first lay eyes on them. The smiles and laughter that they bring into your life on a daily basis. The hugs and the kisses that melt your sappy-Mom-heart every time you get one. The stupid-over-nothing-tears you cry (way too often), just because you have THAT much love for one, tiny, little human. The lessons you're taught on a daily basis, from said tiny human. The things you change about yourself, because you want better for your child. And last but not least, the honest realization that you would do absolutely anything for your sweet baby. 

Being MOM is the best!