Happy 3 month birthday Dominick! We've made it this far and I've learned so much about being a new mom already. I've come up with 5 major things I've learned since this precious kid came into our lives.
1. Being a mom is HARD! I had no delusions going into motherhood that it would be a piece of cake, but wow how unprepared was I that it would be this hard. Everyone told me not to worry about anything except for feeding the baby; that was my only job... yeah right! Not only do I need to worry about baby eating, sleeping, and pooping, I also have to deal with the emotions, the hormones, the house somewhat resembling a place where civilized people live, and oh yeah, what about feeding myself! There is so much that goes into being a mom that are just the basics. Not to mention the anxiety and stress that comes when baby isn't having a good day and has been crying for so long you're afraid he might resent you when he gets older.
2. I can't compare myself and my baby to other mommies and their babies. This one is a hard one for me because luckily for Dominick and I, we are blessed to have many friends who are in the same life stage as us (which means we have lots of play dates to attend). Just because other mommies I know have it more put together than I do, and just because some babies have been able to sleep through the night since week 8, and we have yet to reach that milestone, doesn't mean that I'm doing anything wrong or Dominick has something wrong with him. If I constantly go around wishing and envying the lives of other moms I'm just going to drive myself insane. Every baby is different and every mom is too. So even though DJ hasn't slept through the night once and even though I generally don't get my day started till noon and even though I shower at 10:00 pm doesn't mean that we're doing anything wrong.
3. I am not super-mom. I have wanted to be a mommy since I was like 14 and the desire grew stronger when my sister was born when I was 16. I have always envisioned myself as this mother who was super-mom, the do it all, happy baby, clean house, great job, put together always mommy. Well sorry past-Kristina, that didn't happen. I have a to-do list that grows longer every day and some days, like yesterday, I just don't do anything at all. My main goals everyday are to brush my teeth, shower at some point, and make sure that Dominick (tries) to eat. That's all I can ask myself of at this point and each day is different. For example, today I did feel a little like supermom, going to the grocery store by myself, dusting and vacuuming the living room, washing, folding and putting away laundry, Dominick and I went for a walk to the park, and I even cooked dinner. But tomorrow won't look like that at all, and that's okay!
4. It's all about time. As a mom, your day is a constant 3 hour cycle: feed, wake, sleep (the Ezzos would be proud!) So I basically take about an hour for the feed/wake part and those 2 hours that Dominick sleeps (if he actually sleeps) is my time to do anything and everything I need to, which unfortunately in the last few weeks includes pumping (sorry if that's TMI). So if I know that I have plans to meet up with anyone, or need to run errands, I have to center my whole day around that. I generally don't plan more than one event per day because of this whole "time" thing; so, if I haven't gotten around to seeing you since baby Dominick has been born, I apologize! I'm still learning to manage my time wisely with him.
5. Being a mom has brought so much joy in my life. Okay, lessons 1 through 4 make it seem like I'm hating motherhood, but that isn't true at all. I LOVE being Dominick's mom. I'm even tearing up as I write this, just thinking about his precious smile he gave me before we put him down to sleep tonight. I love that he lights up when he sees my face or hears my voice. I love that I get to watch him grow and develop every day. I love that one day he'll be able to wrap his arms around my neck and tell me he loves me. I love the joy in Scott's eyes when he walks through the door and sees Dominick's face. I love love love being Dominick's mom. Lessons 1 - 4 are hard ones to learn as a new mom, but it's all worth it because of lesson 5.
So there it is Dominick, we've survived the first 3 months of your life and I can't wait to see you grow for the next 3 months, 3 years, 30 years, and so on. I love you dearly, and I am thankful that God has blessed us with you in our lives. Happy 3 months, Dominick James!
