Lessons from a New Mama

Being a new Mommy has the steepest learning curve I have ever experienced in my life. I have learned a lot over the past 6 weeks and thought hey I should share my new found discoveries...I know there will be more to come. I know some of my friends who have kids will laugh and say...duh and the ones who are expecting new little ones consider this fair warning of what lies ahead. There are five new lessons that I'm going to share with you all.

Lesson 1

If you have a pet they will become the toddler in your family. Honestly if you think that when you come home from the hospital you are going to have one child and still one pet you are WRONG! You will have a toddler and an infant on your hands. That lovable furry friend will demonstrate jealousy like you have never seen before. Cooper for example has found that by taking Jackson's things like his burp rag, blanket, socks or even his books will definitely get  a rise out of Mom and Dad. On the flip side of this your toddler (pet) will also show that they care for their younger sibling and will cuddle up with them and give them kisses (even when you really don't want them to). So my Mama friends be prepared!

Lesson 2

Be prepared for those late nights/early mornings. I have found that when Jackson is awake from 11:30-12:30 and then 1:30-3:30 I am able to stay awake and be less upset about it when I have something to do. So after I change him, feed him and being the long process of putting him back to bed I like to either watch a movie on the computer or read a book. This not only keeps me from not accidentally falling asleep with a small child in my arms, but it also makes the time that I am awake go a lot faster and even will make it semi enjoyable. So in that lovely little diaper changing kit or night stand keep a few things there for yourself to do.

Lesson 3

Go to bed early! Last night was the first time I learned this lesson. I went to bed at 7:30 ( I know crazy I'm giving my grandparents a run for their money) and I realized when Jackson was crying at 11:30 I didn't struggle as much to come to his aid. It made the late night feeding a lot better. Jason has been telling me for weeks now to take naps during the day so that way I'm not so tired, but I would rather just go to bed early. You might find that you are a better napper than an early to bed person and if that works for you great, but if not try this technique and it may prove to work better.

Lesson 4

Make a list of to do items for the week and then try to do just 3-4 of them a day. I am usually really good about getting everything done that I want to get done during the week. I want to be able to do the laundry, ironing, make meals, have a clean house, go to the grocery store and take care of my child. I would like to think of myself as SUPER MOM! However, getting all of that done and looking good doing it...haha sorry not going to happen without become a little...a lot overwhelmed. So I make a list of things I want to get done for the week and I make Jason pick 2-4 of those items that he is going to do and then I take care of the rest. But instead of seeing a huge list of crap I pick just a few things each day and I get them done during Jackson's naps. With the upcoming move packing is a big thing on my list each week so far.

Lesson 5

Say hello to your new best friend. I didn't know that a newborns bottom was more sensitive and fragile than an egg or tomato or whatever you want to fill in for that blank that is fragile and sensitive. I know some of you are thinking aww poor Jackson had diaper rash...wrong. He didn't have diaper rash he got really bad chaffing from getting wiped so much during diaper changes. Jason and I didn't know what to do, Jackson had such a red bottom and it didn't seem like anything was working. We tried Desitin, A/D ointment, using water on disposable cloths instead of wet wipes, nothing was working. Then yay A/D cream came into our lives. It's a good idea to have a few different creams/ointments on hand because you don't know how your little ones bottom is going to react to it, but this one was like miracle cream! Jackson's bottom hasn't looked this good in awhile (someday he's going to hate that I blogged about his little buns but right now I don't care). Jason and I use a little of cream every time Jackson gets changed just to keep the moisture off his sensitive skin and prevent his already sore bottom from getting worse, and the aloe in the cream helped to heal what was already sore.

So there it is 5 mini lessons learned from this new Mama. There are probably a ton more that I will think of as soon as I send this out to cyber space, but for this month those are my top five Mama lessons!