Challenges and all the fun we have overcoming them

As a first time mom I frequently find myself faced with challenges and not just the big stuff which we expect like saving for college or teaching children manners but the little stuff like, “how do I hold the bottle while I drive” or “how do I get her to eat when she is distracted by every little noise”. Well you get the point… challenges are present all the time when this is the first time you are doing this. For all you seasoned mothers I know this seems simplistic but think back to the days when you too were clueless and had to figure it out as you went along. Remember how great you felt when you finally got it? When you managed to get the baby to eat despite the distractions or finally figured out how to get her to play on the bed or in her crib while you folded the laundry.

I have to be honest, many times when my life seems consumed by the baby’s schedule I feel overwhelmed and a little like a failure. So many women seem to do this so well with multiple children and yet here I am with only one and I can’t seem to figure it out. There are moments when I want to start crying right along with my daughter. Oh who am I kidding? I have cried right along with her especially when I can’t get her to sleep and I am tired and overwhelmed, but I LOVE it. I love looking at her face when she smiles and even when she cries. I LOVE being a mom even though it took me a little longer than most. I LOVE holding her and smelling her and even talking to her even though obviously at six months she is not talking to me.

For all the work that a child brings into one’s life they also bring a whole lot of satisfaction and I am grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to experience that. I know that eventually I will get it and that hopefully as my husband and I stumble together into parenthood we can hold each other up and encourage each other to be better and stronger for her and for any other children we might be blessed with.