First Time Mama - First Time Blogger

I am a "first time mother" at the age of 39. I am a "first time mother" with so many thoughts in my head, and so many things to say... hopefully friends, family & strangers will care to read.

My husband and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Julianna Belle, into the world on May 23rd of this year & she is the love of our life! She weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz. She is 4 weeks old and has already turned our world completely upside down. I've learned so much from this little 9 pound human. I have never been more anxious, overwhelmed, excited, and happy at the same time! It's a roller-coaster of emotions every day - and here I thought all those heightened emotions ended when the pregnancy was over. Well, it doesn't. It has only just begun!

Up until the age of 37, I never really thought having a baby was for me. I saw other people with kids and it scared me. OK, actually, it terrified me! Over the years, I saw some unhappy people in unhappy marriages that seemed to project their misery on their children & everyone around them. I, of course, thought that would happen to me if I chose to have a baby. So why mess with my nice little happy life? What changed me??

The love I have for my husband is what changed me. The amazing relationship we have, changed me. He really wanted to have kids, and finally I stopped thinking about myself, and stopped being selfish... and I started thinking about what kind of parents we would make, and what kind of love we have to offer a child, and how great it would be to create this human that would have both of us in him/her. I always knew my husband would make an incredible father, since he is the most caring & loving person I know. We made the decision, and it sure did work out. It might be the best decision we ever made. And yes, we are actually getting sleep at night!

Yes I am thrilled to have Julianna - but no, I do not want another (for all of you thinking it!). I do not want to go to my kid's high school graduation riding the nursing home bus, showing up in a wheelchair! LOL!

Things I have discovered since becoming a first time mom...

1. Everyone around you gets soooo excited about your first baby!
2. It annoys me when people feel it is necessary to 'warn' me of all the horrible things that might await us. Especially when the sentence starts with "Just wait until..."
   
3. There are no words to describe the happiness I feel inside when I look at her little angelic face.
4. Poop & Pee make for a great marital conversation.
5. Multitasking "squared" becomes the norm! i.e. Rocking a fussy baby in one hand & cleaning up dog puke with the other hand!
6. Sleep "IS" possible at night when your husband does 50% of everything (diapers, feedings, soothing, baby snuggling, cleaning, cooking, and still being a husband)
7. My husband is even a more amazing father than I imagined he would be!
8. Snuggling with my baby instantly fixes anything that is wrong in my world.
9. Going to the store is no longer easy or quick.
10. 9 pounds of crying, squirming, wiggling baby scares me more than anything else in my 39 years ever did - and she knows it!
11. Love is easy. Knowing how to soothe a crying baby is hard!
12. It is possible to go out to dinner with the baby and live to tell about it.
13. Babies don't come with manuals. (Why not?!? Someone ought to change that!)
14. Everyone has an opinion on how I should raise my baby.
15. You do become immune to smelly, poopy diapers.
16. The louder the burp, the happier I am!
17. Before I had a baby, I never could fully appreciate how hard parenthood could be.
18. Before I had a baby, I never could fully appreciate how rewarding parenthood could be.
19. The snot sucker is over rated.
20. Of course my baby is the cutest baby ever!
    

That's all for now. I'll write more soon enough!