Things I've learned so far...

- Up to this point in my life, motherhood has been THE most humbling experience I've ever lived through. In the (rare) event that I don't survive, motherhood was the most humbling experience of my life. The end.
- I didn't realize how much I valued things like uninterrupted sleep, having alone time with my husband, or even using the bathroom by myself. *Side note: Attempting to have a bowel movement with a screaming infant in the room is practically impossible. Yeah, I just had to get that out there. Haha.
- Thrush is a pesky little thing that can send a new Mom spiraling into Crazy Land. If left untreated, thrush can develop into a raging yeast infection, breast infection, provide lots of pain for Mom and baby during nursing, and make life generally miserable. Fortunately for us, a load of herbs and other voo-doo-hoo-doo remedies have been working to get us to normal. Whatever normal is.
- Babies eat a lot. They also sleep a lot. You have to find joy in things like: "Aww, she looks so peaceful when she's sleeping.", or "Yay, it may be 3:30 in the morning, but I'm so glad she's eating well!", to get you through the first few days/weeks.
- Having a couch that I'm not too attached to is a blessing...it's been extremely blessed with unpredictable episodes of milk showers.
- Wearing make-up is a luxury. When given the choice between putting on some mascara or brushing one's teeth, hygiene wins. Sleep also trumps a shower. You've been spit up on so many times anyway that a shower seems futile at this point.
***My latest favorite***
- You no longer care if the cute teenage guy at the drugstore counter sees that all you have in your basket is a big bottle of stool softener and a tube of hemorrhoid cream. You're a Mom. You are sleep deprived. You are constipated. And yes, you even have hemorrhoids. You're doing well if your clothes aren't covered in barf. Life may be beautiful and glamorous again one day, but today is not that day. You hand him the cash to buy your goodies, look him straight in the eye and smile as he says to you "Have a nice day.", despite the fact he knows you're dealing with stuff his Grandma complains about.
Finally:
- Ailments and aches will go away and sleep will eventually return, but babies aren't little for long, so holding one is a temporary gift. Enjoy it while you can! I know I am!