Things I Learned In My First 3+ Months of Motherhood

Before we get into my list, it should be noted that the number one thing I’ve learned is that it’s really hard to find time/motivation/energy to sit down and write a blog post! This started as a post about the things I learned in my first month of motherhood…then it turned into a post about the first two months…and here we are, with E’s fourth month just around the corner and I’m just getting this post published.  Part of me can’t believe it’s taken this long, but most of me doesn’t really care.  I do plan to get back into the swing of blogging soon (probably not as often as I used to), one of these days.

1. My husband is stronger, more patient and can run on less sleep than I ever expected
2. I can run on less sleep than I expected
3. I am not above asking my pediatrican dumb questions
4. Friends who bring food are the best
5. 3 month olds have a surprising amount of personality
6. After hours pediatrician lines are awesome
7. Baby jeans are adorable
8. Amazon Prime is more than worth the investment
9. Infant car seat/carriers are heavy, especially once you put a baby in one
10. Baby smiles are wonderful
11. I don’t know how people parented before Google
12. I become stir crazy after a very short amount of time stuck in the house
13. Fed is best
14. There are 27 seasons of The Amazing Race on Hulu
15. I will tolerate an amazing amount of bodily fluids
16. I have a surprising number of conversations with my husband about these fluids
17. Lactation consultants are fantastic humans
18. Too many activities for babies are scheduled during the work day, which means working parents can’t attend
19. Any stress and frustration with my birth experience was very quickly overshadowed by the joy of being a mother
20. I definitely underestimated the number of diapers a baby can go through in a day
21. Most conversations start with questions about the baby
22. I miss menu planning
23. There are some fantastic parenting communities on Reddit
24. A baby can dampen a fantastic number of burp clothes in a day
25. Unisex baby items are not as easy to come by as I anticipated
26. It’s really easy to get into the habit of eating convenience foods
27. I get more out of playgroup than E does
28. Both Brian and I have no issue with carrying on a nonsense conversation with a babbling baby
29. Giving a baby a bath is sort of scary
30. I’m much less productive than I used to be, and I care about productivity a lot less than I used to
31. Going back to work was rough, but not “the worst day of my life” as one person termed it
32. Watching a baby observe the world around her is pretty great
33. Planning my schedule around feeding/pumping is not awesome
34. My love of walking around the neighborhood has increased now that I get to bring along E
35. I’ll take any opportunity to put my baby on Facebook video chat
36. I will take an infinite number of surveys and sign up for all kinds of rewards programs in an effort to get free stuff
37. Being a mother is one of the best things I’ve ever done

A Few of My Favorite Things*

Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play

Mary Makes Good Lactation Cookies

Simple Wishes Hands-Free Breastpump Bra

aden + anais Classic Muslin Swaddles

HALO SleepSack

ibotta app (not exclusively a baby item, but I’m saving money wherever I can!)

*this list contains affiliate links