The truth about PARENTHOOD (my full 6 months of experience)

I've been pondering whether or not I should post this blog. I don't want to scare of my friends that are having babies and I know a lot of my friends and family have strong opinions and they might not agree with what I have to say....but then I thought, hell, this is my blog, my opinions and my life so I should write whatever the heck I want and if you don't like it. Sorry! :)

So in the last 6 months I have learned a lot about myself, my husband, my parents and about this little thing they call Parenthood. Here is some of my advice, my opinions and what I've learned. I know I'm going to forget something, but I'm sure I'll learn a lot more in the months and year to come!

• everyone has an opinion, a story, or advice....whether they have kids or not. Remember YOU know YOUR baby better than anyone else.
• people who have babies to make their marriage stronger are dumb. Having a baby tests how strong your marriage is, if it was rocky before it's going to be even harder now.
• I consider myself a fairly strong person mentally. Being a parent is the hardest thing I've ever had to do mentally. Standing next to the crib at 4:30 in the morning, (knowing your alarm is going to go off in an hour) begging, pleading for her to go back to sleep. Trying not to cry b/c you know it isn't her fault and she doesn't know any better....finally there is silence, you go back to bed and you hear her start crying again. Your heart sinks. It sucks.
• I've always wondered if a parent can tell if their baby isn't cute.....I don't think you can tell. I think all parents fall in love with children immediately and only see cute!
• having a husband who loves you and your baby with all his heart is wonderful. Presley is a daddy's girl and I wouldn't have it any other way.
• I find it weird that some dads don't change poopy diapers or get up in the middle of the night with their babies. Sorry, you signed up to be a parent the minute you had sex, you don't get to pick and choose which part of parenting you want to do. Shame on the wives that let them get away with this! :)
• People who talk about how busy they are, need to wait to have kids. Once you have a baby you are limited to the 'extra' hours in your day. I haven't had an hour by myself in this house in over 6 months.
• I could never be a single parent. I admire all the single parents out there, and I'm tired for you.
• I always thought I could be a stay at home mom, until my first 6 weeks at home with my baby.
• People always tell you how hard being a parent is and no one really believes them. Please believe me.
• Steve's aunt said 'too many people want babies and not children' and my mom told me that I'll be tired for the next 18 years. Those are two things I completely agree with!
• Never say never, I said I would never have my baby sleep in bed with me. She did half of last night and we took a nap in bed together this morning!
• Everyone compares their baby to other babies, at 6 months old it doesn't really matter who crawls first. In the long run, I'd rather have my baby be smart at 18 years old than 18 months old.
• The best part of every day is getting her out of her crib in the morning and picking her up from my moms after work. That smile will get you every time!
• My parents are the best parents and grandparents in the world, we wouldn't be able to do this without them!