What I've Learned...so far...

In my short 8 1/2 weeks as a mom I have learned a lot of things - some of them about my son, some about my marriage, some about myself - all valuable lessons. Here are a few tidbits of my newfound knowledge...

* I have learned that while I didn't believe it when friends told me...the memory of the pain of pregnancy and labor really do disappear the minute you hold your new baby in your arms.

* I have learned that being a mom is a lot of work - it is the most rewarding and satisfying job I've ever had, but it's work just the same.

* I have learned that the bond Ryan and I have is stronger than ever. We have this amazing little person that's truly part of me and part of him - and while it really doesn't matter which traits he gets from me and which he gets from Ryan, I do hope he has Ryan's metabolism and not mine.

* I have learned that while Babywise and Becoming a Baby Whisperer were good resources, my own mother is the most valuable resource on motherhood that's out there - but if you'd told me when I was a teenager that I would one day make this confession, I would have thought you were nuts.

* I have learned that it is possible to wash, dry, fold and put away an entire load of laundry with only one hand...and I give myself extra credit for doing the items that go on hangers.

* I have learned that getting up in the middle of the night to feed and then sit and rock my crying child is quite possibly the most precious time I have ever spent doing anything.

* I have learned to quickly tell the difference between a good disposable diaper and a bad one.

* I have learned that I don't have all the answers and that I often don't have any idea what I am doing, but that I am trying to be the best mom I can be and that's all I can do.

* I have learned that while my child may sleep all day, I still manage to get nothing accomplished and be completely exhausted at the end of the day.

* I have learned that people are way less interested in me than they are in my baby - while I was pregnant it was all about me - I got all the attention. But, since Camden has arrived, all the attention is on him. And that's the way it should be...even I am more focused on him than I am on myself...which also the way it should be...at least for now.

* I have learned that one night of sleeping through the night doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't going to be up several times the following night...and the next...and the next...and the next...

* I have learned that watching the evening news makes me worry for my child and all children - can they really be okay in this crazy world?

* I have learned that my husband is quite possibly the most tender-hearted person on the planet. Just watching him comfort, talk to, or even just change the diaper of our child makes me melt. And when they take a nap on the couch with Camden asleep on his chest...I come completely unraveled.

* I have learned that it's okay if the majority of my conversations with other moms revolve around breasts, poop and sleeping.

* I have learned that sitting on the couch watching your baby make faces and coo at you is far more entertaining than anything on television.

* I have learned that while I didn't think I could love Ryan more than I already did, when he got the title of "dad" my love for him grew exponentially.

* I have learned that when you say "I may go to bed early tonight"...it's pretty much a guarantee that you won't.

* I have learned that nothing is better than a baby just after a bath - all warm, cuddly and they smell sooooo good. I have also learned that babies are really slippery when they get that bath and that we must need more practice...I am sure that much water isn't supposed to end up on the counter and on the floor.

* I have learned that my child knows me and loves me - even if it is almost 9 weeks out and I am no where near back to my pre-baby weight.

* I have learned that I love someone with a love so deep and intense - I never knew I could love like this - and I have learned that I would not hesitate for a moment to give my life for his if the need ever presented itself.

* I have learned that I still have a lot to learn and that it's okay if I never know it all.

I have learned that I love being a mom.